418 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



the 120 members that represent the 99 counties of the 

 State, a Senate of 41 members, and a Supreme Court of 

 9 judges, which by some is thought to be supremely 

 ridiculous; a very large library room with very few 

 books, except Illinois lows, and office rooms for Secre- 

 tary and Treasurer of an empty treasury, but is almost 

 totally lacking in what is most wanted, rooms for com- 

 mittees. The masses of stone and half finished columns 

 that lie around, the unhung doors and unplastered rooms, 

 show that the work was suddenly checked at a point that 

 shows the whole work was done upon "borrowed capital." 

 Of the members of the house I shall say nothing, ex- 

 cept to beg you as you look upon and listen to them, not 

 to consider them as a body, although large, a fair sam- 

 ple of the moral worth and intelligence of the inhabitants 

 of the State. The appearance of the Senatorial body is 

 highly respectable, and is presided over by one of the best 

 presiding officers I ever saw; Col. Mattison, a Senator 

 from Juliet, whose woolen factory I mentioned, I met 

 with here, and owe to him my warmest thanks for every 

 effort in his power extended cordially to me to further 

 the object of my mission. I also was treated with great 

 respect by many other Senators and representatives, who 

 seemed fully to appreciate the benefits that would accrue 

 to the agricultural community, if they could be induced 

 to read good agricultural papers, and to talk, think and 

 act upon the business of their every day life. I spent 

 three days amid this congregated wisdom of Illinois, from 

 which I hope some good may arise ; and should have held 

 a public meeting to talk to the few farmers in the Legis- 

 lature, but I found that self-interest, party tactics, and 

 Mormonism, 1 so completely absorbed every other inter- 

 est, that such plain common sense matter as improvement 

 in agricultural pursuits, had no possible chance in such 



'The Mormons were driven out of Missouri in 1838. In 1839 

 they established themselves at the site of Nauvoo, Illinois, and 

 secured a charter from the legislature. This charter was repealed 

 by the legislature of 1845 and the next year the Mormons were 

 forced to leave the state. See Pease, The Frontier State, 340-62. 



