Letter from John Milton Bernhisel, 17 January 1850
Washington City
Dear Brother,
Your kind favor of the 10th
was received yesterday. The intelligence from
the valley is quite cheering. The discovery of a coal
an iron are of far more value to us than a gold
mine would be. Since my arrival here I have
been pretty busy among grave Senators, impulsive
representatives of the people, and other functionaries.
Business progresses very slowly in Congress, the organ-
ization of the House is not yet completed, though
more than six weeks of the session have already
passed. Though there is scarcely a ray of hope of
our admission into the Union as a State, the prospect
of our obtaining a territorial ^organization^ is far from being
discouraging, and an influential Senator has
given me encouragement to hope that we may be
authorized to elect our own officers. Some time
ago I understood that Mr Stanton of Kentucky had
received a remonstrance to our memorial. I suspect-
ed its character and called to see him, he kindly
favored me with a perusal of it. It charges us
with a number of the foulest deeds & abominations
in the dark catalogue of crimes, and is signed
by William Smith and thirteen others. Mr
Stanton was very friendly, but deemed it his duty
to present it in the House. On the 31st Ult. Senator
[sideways text]
The probability is that our application for a government will not be
disposed of before May or June July or August.
Dr. J. M. Bernhisel, Jan 16 1850
Answered him Jan 25 1850
[end of sideways text]
