Lower Sandusky  Oct 10th 1846

My Dear L—

            Yours dated Sept 10th, one month ago, giving an account of your pilgrimage to Vienna, I rec’d this morning. I traced your line of travel on the map of Germany, and before I had gone with you, or followed you half way to Vienna I began really to regret that I had not deserted this little Shanty Town and gone with you. I should enjoy the natural scenery and a’that a good deal – perhaps as much as you did – the numerable castles, paintings, works of art &c not quite so much as you – but then the delight I should have in mixing in with that medley of kindness and tongues at Vienna! I could spend a year there I know. Perhaps it’s from reading Shakespeare when I was quite young, perhaps it’s natural: but I’m fond of crowds – of choraltry, strange faces, new sorts of mortals. To sit down on an old bench in a Groggery filled with men from Constantinople St Petersburg & the Lord know where and talking of being in Jerusalem within a fortnight – Twould be equal to – no, more than equal – a scene in Macbeth with Miss Cushman & Macready having parts, but I’m giving feelings no facts.— The Summer has been very hot and sickly – Throughout the West there has been much sickness than any year before since the early settlement. Of course, L Sandusky had its proportion: but I escaped, and am regarded as a miracle of misery. This has formed the main topic of conversation here for the last ten weeks – but it’s now over with. The “blackguard Mexican War” as Root calls it is but one of two pegs higher in Popular estimation than Mr Van Buren’s blood hound war. The thousands of Volunteers who flocked to the standard of “Old Rough & Ready” (Gen Taylor’s nickname) have been unable to make any considerable offensive movements for want of the means of locomotion &c, and they have spent the Summer under the sweltering sun of the bottom-lands of Mexico busily employed taking care of the sick and defending themselves vs the insects & reptiles. – The Administrations are heartily sick of the war – It is enourmansly expensive – The New Tariff does not bring in enough revenue to pay the current expenses in a time of peace – and you know Loco Focos are poor financiers – so that Mr Polk and his Cabinet are fully satisfied that they “have got too much pork for a shilling” (that metaphor is eminently Buckeye)  They expected the Mexicans to “own up” as soon as our forces came down upon them. But instead of that the Mexicans play their game shrewdly- They neither light nor fly – they say nothing, they do nothing. There is nobody comes out to fight us, and the roads and country are such that there is no getting to the heart of Mexico without immense expense and preparations.

            Our soldiers occupy Mexican Towns, but the Mexican peasantry are pleased with that for it raises the price of all their vendibles and brings them good times. Gen Kearney with his force which left the Western frontier of Missouri took Santa Fe without opposition. But the most ludicrous & contemptible stake is sending a regiment of the low devils who could be enlisted for five years in New York City around Cape Horn to settle or conquer California! Before they sailed they became perfectly lawless – it required a regiment of regulars to keep them in subordination. Now they are on the Wide Sea by themselves and you can easily conjecture what sort of Colonists, or soldiers (as they case may be, for the real object of the expedition is one of Polks “unrevealed secrets” the vagabonds will make by the time they reach California. – In the Political world – the feeling against slavery & slave holders is increasing with astonishing rapidity. The Northern Democrats heretofore the silent willing tools of the South are growing mutinous. The Independents (Locos) in Maine united with Whigs & abolitionists & produced a revolution similar to the one in New Hampshire. The feeling is getting so strong that all parties will soon take the ground in the North – no more slave holding presidents – Slave territory or Slave States. The immediate cause of the exhibition at least of this feeling at present is the conduct of Polk towards the Dough faces. He has vetoed the favorite measure of the North West (a bill for improving Harbors &c) and his friends killed the Land Graduation Bill – then there is Fifty Four Forty and the exclusion of Northern Democrats from high station. This latter grievance is the real home thrust and the others are good topics for harangues – In our State no interest is manifested in the approaching Election which is next Tuesday. The Locos have played a cunning game laid low – kept shady – and worked in the bush. Between the Tax Law and The Repeal of the Black Laws which (?) is in favor of I shall not be surprised at the Defeat in consequence of the apathy of the Whigs. It is so soon until the decision of the matter that I’ll keep back my letter to tell you the result. – I was in Sandusky City a few days ago – heard Joe Root give a history of the last session of Congress. It was the most entertaining speech I’ve heard in a long while. Root is a genius and going to Congress has improved him in every particular. “It brings him out” as is commonly said. – Hereabouts, the excitement has been, for Congress. The committee on Rascality brought out a world of corruption in his transactions which the Whigs, of course, published far & wide. This has kept Dick in hot water. He will be elected without doubt but his political prospects are rotten work for the future. He has brought like suits to Whig Editors, which Root will defend, if they can come to a head the trial will be rich. Law business is diminishing, I think. Judge Tilden’s vanity has made a fool of him. He gave out that he had resigned so as to get his ears filled with the regrets & plotting of the Members of the Bar. The Lawyers then recommended a successor to the Gov—when it was discovered that there had been no resignation!—

            I did see your pretty coz. Fanny Perkins and was pleased with her – an exact fulfilment of your hope. I spent a few hours whit her as pleasantly as I ever did with any one: and thought I came to know here very well. I did not have an opportunity of making her acquaintance under very favorable auspices. I saw her only at long intervals. Sickness in my partners family & his absence prevented me from seeing her as often as I wished. As to the (?) I had formed an opinion of her character before I saw her and of course her appearance—matters of fancy—mere essentials—would please any one of tolerable taste. As soon as I saw her I resolved to see her again and as often as possible, and as you intimate “who knows but that?”—I however did not see her again for a month, for the above reasons, when I saw her again at Norwalk—that was about the time of your writing me Sept 10th and had a day of it. Then I learned what you speak of, that friend Camp, very foolishly as I thought for one in his situation, was in love with her though one could hardly blame him. He “being in” I drew off not wishing of course, to appear under such circumstances in the attitude of a rival. Had I visited her sooner, or repeated the visits oftener, I might have perhaps warmed in the pursuit before I discovered a competitor & I might not have felt so philosophical about it, and been disposed to finish the chase—as it is C. has the course to himself. You may not know that C. and myself have been and are on pretty intimate terms. There are some points in his character which I dislike: but they belong to the family—one inherited from his father—and I like him the more because he has overcome natural tendencies (at least to a good degree) which would have been pretty strong.

            I wonder what you think of our little political squabbles here at home. Do you care whether Dan Duncan is elected to Congress or Sam Medary? That is the only hope of the Whigs here. If Sam is beaten it will be some compensation for the mortification of defeat—Good Bye – Write me

 

Yours

R B Hayes

 

October 15 –

            We have heard the election News from the South. The Whigs are probably as badly beaten as any of “the intensified” could wish. Root is reelected by a handsome majority. We did well in this county and in Huron & Erie (both strongly Whig) but elsewhere it is all gone. Tod Hard money & all our Whigs “grin & bear it”—