USA > Iowa > Polk County > Des Moines > Des Moines, the pioneer of municipal progress and reform of the middle West, together with the history of Polk County, Iowa, the largest, most populous and most prosperous county in the state of Iowa; Volume I > Part 56
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Book of Forms, and debate ran high. The Doctor, briefly closing the debate, proved himself abundantly able to defend his work.
During their extended stay, the delegates discussed a wide range of subjects, impressing their hosts with their breadth of view and their devotion to service.
Dr. Van Dyke was perhaps the most interesting personality in attendance. His verse, his essays and his short stories had revealed him to many in advance .. of his spoken word. His two Sunday sermons, far from being a declaration of independence, as some had anticipated, were accepted by even the most con- servative as satisfactorily orthodox.
An impressive meeting of workingmen was held in the Auditorium Sunday afternoon, with Rev. Charles Stetzle in charge. Mr. Stetzle, himself a mechanic in early life, well knew how to reach his audience.
A Presbyterian Brotherhood within the church was an outcome of the Des Moines meeting. Plans were adopted for its spread to all the churches of the country.
But the supreme moment of the convention was reached on the 25th of May, when the moderator declared that, after ninety-six years of separate existence, the Presbyterian church and the Cumberland Presbyterian church had been made one. There was first a solemn silence and men bowed their heads in thanksgiving. Then, there was a loud demonstration of joy, including hand- clapping, shouts and hallelujahs which rivaled the outbursts of the old-time "shouting Methodists." Then, someone started "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." This was followed by "Blest be the tie that binds," and other hymns suggested by the occasion. There was a moment of dramatic intensity when the negative question was put, and two men, Dr. Lawrie. of Bellefonte, Pa., and Rev. Roger F. Cressey, of Jacksonville, Ill., rose to their feet. From every quarter came a storm of protest; but the two defied the storm. The moderator asked if the two votes should be recorded, and hundreds shouted "No:" but the two insisted that their votes should be-and they were-recorded.
The Cumberland General Assembly's report in favor of union had already been recorded. and it only remained for this body to take action.
The representative of the Cumberland branch, Rev. Dr. Black, called to the platform after the vote had been announced, was received with much enthusiasm and his brief speech was applauded to the echo.
There was but one embarrassing episode during the stay of the Assembly in Des Moines. Dr. Anderson, of Philadelphia, an able and scholarly negro, had been invited to attend, and had bought a ticket to, the Princeton banquet at the Chamberlain Hotel; but, on the day of the event, was informed by the chairman of the banquet committee that there was objection to his presence, the reason given was the refusal of the hotel manager to receive negroes as his guests. It turned out that Manager Brown had made no objection whatever, having engaged to serve dinner to sixty-five guests, leaving the selection of the guests to the committee engaging the dinner. Dr. Anderson said the real reason was the fear of the committee that the presence of a negro might disturb the harmony following the recent reunion with their Southern brethren.
On the 8th of June. that veteran of many a struggle for the upbuilding of Des Moines, Edwin R. Clapp, passed away, leaving many to grieve. His funeral brought together all the survivors of the Fort Des Moines days in which Mr. Clapp had figured so prominently.
Drake Memorial Hall, erected at a cost of $30,000, was dedicated on the IIth of June, with elaborate ceremonies. On the 14th, President Theodore P. Shonts delivered the annual address before the students of Drake-an address full of sound counsel to young men. A degree of Doctor of Laws was con- ferred upon Mr. Shonts by Chancellor Craig on behalf of the University.
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One of the most exciting political conventions ever held at the State Capital, was that of August 1, 1906. There had been a county-by-county contest for delegates, and there were many contesting delegations. When the convention assembled, it was evident that, though apparently in the lead, Mr. Cummins was to be fought to the finish by the supporters of Mr. Perkins. Harmony programs won little support from either side. The hotels were packed with visiting statesmen and the streets about the hotels were thronged. The audi- torium would hold but a small fraction of those who would attend the convention.
The so-called "progressives," won a clear-cut victory, renominating Governor Cummins by 226 majority, also nominating Warren Garst, the progressive can- didate for lieutenant-governor. The successful candidate was called out and made a finely tempered speech, followed by a few remarks from the defeated candidate which were variously interpreted by his hearers.
The Army of the Philippines held its seventh annual reunion in Des Moines. August 14. It was preceded by a parade, in which the Eleventh U. S. Cavalry of Fort Des Moines, the local posts of the Grand Army, Camp Walter Wagner, the Modern Woodmen drill team and the visiting Philippine veterans participated. Mayor Mattern and Governor Cummins gave the veterans a hearty welcome. A camp-fire, a review and drill at the Army Post and an automobile ride about the city were among the most interesting features of the three-days' stay in the city.
The surviving members of the old Olmstead Zouaves, to the number of about twenty, met with W. B. Keffer, August 20, in honor of F. A. Shepherd of Chicago, who, thirty-five years before, had captained the company in Des Moines.
Ruth McPherson Morris celebrated her hundredth birthday, August 22, at the East-side home of her granddaughter, Mrs. James M. Edworthy. Several hundred friends paid their respects to the centenarian. Mrs. Morris died in 1908.
The successful State Fair of 1906 gave Des Moines and all Iowa its first sight of a dirigible balloon. Aeronaut Hamilton in his airship made flights several days in succession-at one time circling around and above the dome of the Capitol.
At a meeting of the Iowa League of Municipalities in Des Moines, September 13, James G. Berryhill explained and commended the Galveston system. The Mayor of Eldon bitterly attacked the system. Mr. Berryhill met the attack with a vigor and an array of facts and conclusions which won hearty commen- dation from the reform element constituting a majority of those present.
Des Moines was the Mecca of 2,000 Shriners, September 27. They came from all parts of the middle West to participate in the dedication of Za-Ga-Zig Temple of the Mystic Shrine. The parade, the dedicatory services, the cere- monial and the banquet, altogether, made the occasion memorable. A hundred or more candidates "trod the burning sands."
Senator Beveridge of Indiana, opened the political campaign for the repub- licans in Des Moines, October 3, with a 3,000 audience in the auditorium.
The Eleventh Cavalry of Fort Des Moines, started early in October for Cuba.
"Factory Day" was inaugurated on the 17th of October. Thousands of Des Moines men, women and children, visited the factories of the city and, by previous arrangement of the Commercial Club, found open house wherever they went. The showing of factories and of their equipment and the labor employed was a surprise to many.
"Citizen" Bryan spoke to a crowded house in the Auditorium, October 29, in the interest of Claude Porter for Governor and of the democracy of 1896 and 1900.
The new $750,000 courthouse, built on the old courthouse square, was dedi- cated on the 3Ist of October. The formal house-warming occurred in the afternoon, accompanied by speeches delivered from the main corridor of the
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building. The Greater Des Moines Committee arranged the exercises, the county board having turned the program over to the committee. The magnificent in- terior was a surprise to many. The court rooms were in striking contrast with the old rooms in which justice had long been dispensed. Mr. Ingham, of the Register and Leader, presided. Mayor Mattern, Judge Halloran, Judge Carr, Attorney John Read and Lafayette Young, Jr., of the Capital, delivered brief addresses.
Governor Deneen, of Illinois, and James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture, spoke in the auditorium October 31, closing the campaign for the republicans. Mr. Wilson devoted much of his time to outlining the many large undertakings of his department.
"College Day" soon followed "Factory Day." This time college presidents, professors and students kept open house, and thousands visited Drake, Des Moines and Highland Park Colleges, who had never before been inside their walls.
November 5 witnessed the opening of the interurban line between Perry and Des Moines.
President A. B. Stickney of the Chicago Great Western railroad, was given an informal reception at the Elks' Club, November 20, and spoke of the mutually profitable relations existing between his road and the chief city on its line. He pronounced Des Moines "a city of opportunities." He rejoiced to find so many divergent interests at last united to "boost Des Moines."
The famous evangelist, J. Wilbur Chapman, began a series of remarkably well-organized and well-conducted revival meetings in Des Moines, December 2. Never before in the history of the city was a campaign against sin so thoroughly planned and so well wrought out. The city was divided into ten evangelistic districts-one including Valley Junction. Cottage and church prayer meetings supplemented the big meetings in the auditorium. The preaching was remark- ably forceful, yet free from the crudities and eccentricities of certain other evangelists who have labored in Des Moines. The singing was of itself a great attraction. At every meeting the auditorium was crowded. The revival closed December 17, with a climax of enthusiasm. The free-will offerings were gen- erous and the best of feeling prevailed. The aftermath of new members to the churches of the city was scarcely equal even to the more moderate expecta- tions. There was, however, much of consolation in the general awakening of Christians to the needs of the churches and to the necessity of united action for the salvation of souls.
1906 Compared with 1905.
Good crops and good prices tell the story of Polk county and Des Moines for 1906. The increase of the county's "buying power" is reflected in the increased sales of city merchants. But the retail trade of Des Moines was fast extending beyond the limits of the county; while the wholesale trade had long since passed beyond the boundaries of the State.
The previous year showed a larger aggregate of real estate transfers and building permits; but in all other respects the figures show a marked increase of business over that of 1905. The real estate transfers in 1905 aggregated $7,611, 112 ; in 1906, $7,017,304-a falling off of $593,808. The building permits of 1905 aggregated $1,099,582; in 1906, $1,094,965-a falling off of $4,517.
Bank deposits in 1905, $20,006,970; in 1906, $23,116,999. Factory output in 1905, $15,084,952; in 1906, $18,101,949-a gain of $3,016,999. Jobbing out- put, in 1905, $50,000,000 ; in 1906, $60,000,000-a gain of $10,000,000. Retail output, in 1905, $25,000,000 ; in 1906, $30,000,000-a gain of $5,000,000. Num- ber of factories in 1906 was 291; employes in same, 4,986; wages of same, $2,083,209; capitalization of same, $9,593,926. Number of home insurance companies was reported at 46; employes in same, 3,000.
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Forty-eight miles of interurban road had been added during the year, directly. connecting Des Moines with a population of at least 50,000.
During the year the city did paving to the amount of $88,893,-which was $17,421 more than during the previous year. It extended its sewerage system at an expenditure of $75,602,-an increase of $25,550 over the previous year.
1907-THE YEAR THAT MADE DES MOINES FAMOUS.
"We want a change," the slogan of 1906, was renewed in January, 1907. The Register and Leader obtained the opinions of about 120 leading men of Des Moines as to the need of a change, and 117 wanted a change. Of these, 62 favored "the Galveston plan;" 26, "the Indianapolis plan;" the rest were not ready to commit themselves to any specific measure.1
The "Commission Plan"-buried by legislative action in 1906 -- was resur- rected, on the evening of January 31, at a meeting of citizens at the Shrine Temple-the final vote of the meeting resulting in 106 for the plan and 27 against. A committee consisting of James G. Berryhill, chairman, W. H. Baily, I. M. Earle, John M. Read and S. B. Allen, was created for the purpose of framing a bill to be urged upon the legislature.
A committee of 320 had been named, about half of whom were present. The general need of reform was conceded; the only question remaining was as to means to that end. The plan submitted was, in general, the same as that presented to the last General Assembly.
Mr. Berryhill made the principal address, presenting the strong features of the Galveston system. Mr. Stipp read a paper prepared by Mr. Baily, favor- ing the Indianapolis plan. It was at this meeting that "the Des Moines Plan" came into being as a popular phrase. Mr. Bannister urged delay and the for- mulation of a distinctively "Des Moines Plan." Mr. Witmer offered a resolu- tion to that end, but it was voted down, a majority holding that while it was based upon the Galveston plan, the measure contained a number of original features already entitling it to be called "the Des Moines Plan."
The committee reported on the 6th of February. The principal features of the plan as reported were: "The abolition of all elective offices except mayor and four councilmen ; the recall; the referendum; the merit system; the abolition of passes and franks; the publishing of campaign expenses; the division of city affairs into five departments with an elective officer at the head of each; nomination of candidates for the five elective offices by petition, the primaries and the election to be non-partisan, the first a general clearance of the field, the second a final choice between the ten candidates receiving the highest num- ber of votes for their respective offices; the mayor to have a vote in council, but no veto; the council to allot the departments, etc., etc.2
The bill embodying these features came up as a special order in the House, March 25, Representative Sullivan leading in the debate, in opposition to various amendments offered by the opponents of the measure. In the afternoon the bill passed the House by a vote of 84 to 9.
The bill in the Senate, coached by Mr. Dowell, was on the 27th amended to meet the changes made in the House, and then passed without serious opposi-
1 The first suggestion of a commission form of government as applicable to Des Moines came from Charles W. Johnston, who in a letter to the Register and Leader April 25, 1905. urged a change from the old order of things. This was followed in May with a letter from F. W. Conaway suggesting the Galveston system as a remedy for existing evils. November 16 of that year James G. Berryhill gave direction to the desire for a change in an address before a meeting of citizens at the Commercial Club.
2 A full analysis of the plan and review of its operation after three trial years is given in a later chapter.
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tion. Governor Cummins promptly signed the bill, and thus was won the first great victory for the cause of municipal reform in Iowa.
The approval of the Governor soon brought together the committee of 300, to arrange for compliance with the conditions preliminary to the practical appli- cation of the measure-a submission of the plan to a vote of the people. At a citizens' dinner given April 5, the management of the campaign was turned over to a committee of seven: Walt H. Butler, chairman, F. R. Korns, H. H. Lantz, Sidney J. Dillon, W. N. Heaton, A. K. Stewart and B. S. Walker. With the signatures of 50 per cent of the voters necessary as a preliminary to the submission of the plan to a popular vote, there was much work for the committee to do. Several speeches were made at the dinner, not so much in felicitation over the success of the bill. as in appeal to the members of the committee to spare no effort to secure for Des Moines the reforms embodied in the law.
The brunt of the working campaign for the Plan fell upon Mr. Korns, of the committee. Alderman Wise managed the campaign of the opposition. Many leading citizens took the field for the reform. The opposition was also well- organized and active. The so-called "City hall gang" and the saloon-keepers and their supporters and backers were extremely active and well organized for the campaign.
The Civic League "got busy" and, through its president, I. E. Tone, the chairman of its executive committee, Robert Fullerton, and its secretary, H. H. Coggeshall, publicly announced, on information, that padded registration, repeat- ing, marked ballots, the destruction of ballots and the falsifying of returns were among the expedients to which the opposition were planning to resort. To meet these conditions, the League offered for the detection, conviction and punishment of the party or parties attempting these crimes, the sum of $300 for the first instance, $200 for the second and $100 for the third.
City Clerk Poorman was summoned before Judge Howe to explain the instructions he had issued to registrars which, it was charged, had made padded registration possible. Members of the council were also put upon their defense. Several corporations were charged with secret opposition to the plan; but this was vigorously denied.
A final rally of the friends of "the Plan" was held at the auditorium on the 19th, when Jerry B. Sullivan, Lafayette Young, N. E. Coffin, I. M. Earle, Harvey Ingham, O. M. Brockett, H. C. Evans and George L. Dobson, made effective pleas for the reform. Ex-Governor Jackson presided. Letters from Louis Post, the Chicago reformer and Brand Whitlock, Toledo's reform mayor, were read urging Des Moines to be good to herself.
On the eventful day, the 20th of June, from 7 a. m. to 7 p. m. the voting went on without special incident. Long before the day closed the opposition conceded their defeat. The result was a decided victory for the reform. Two questions were submitted to the voters, the Des Moines Plan, and an appro- priation for a new city hall. The popular interest in the plan was so intense that little was said about the city hall proposition.
The vote on the plan was quite evenly distributed through the wards and precincts. While the West side gave a majority of 2,576 for the plan, one precinct on that side gave a majority against it and several West-side precincts cast a large minority vote against it. The West-side vote was 4,527 for, and 1,95I against. While the East side gave a majority of 287 against the plan, more than half of the East-side precincts gave majorities for the plan, and in the others there were large minorities for it. The East side vote was 1,849 for the change, and 2,136 against. The total vote for the plan was 6,376; the total against was 4,087-a majority of 2,289 in favor of the plan.3
The city hall proposition carried by a majority of 872, with a small adverse majority on the West side, and a large affirmative majority on the East side.
3 As analyzed by the Register and Leader of June 21.
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There were not a few West side citizens who disapproved of the purchase of an East-side site, and thought it safest to vote against what they regarded as an East-side scheme. But the splendid building consequent upon this vote, which is now nearing the point of completion, with the new and architecturally beautiful concrete bridge leading to it, giving the first East-side demonstration of what can be done by the city toward the beautifying of the river front, is in the minds of most West siders, ample vindication of the action of the council in locating the Municipal Building on the East bank of the river.
Going back over the ground traversed, we note several events which belong in the annals of 1907.
ยท James H. Windsor, for nearly a third of a century a leading business man of the Capital city, passed away January II, the result of a stroke of paralysis in November. A pioneer in the packing industry of Des Moines, a pioneer dealer in live-stock, one of the organizers of the State Insurance Company, and a stockholder in many local corporations, Mr. Windsor had been closely related to the business history of Des Moines ever since 1873.
The real estate record for January 17, 1907, beat all previous single-day records in the history of Des Moines. Three transfers alone aggregated $575,000, namely : the eight-story fire-proof Equitable building, sold by the Equitable of New York, to F. M. Hubbell, for the Equitable of Iowa, $285,000; the Reinking block, the northeast corner of Eighth and Walnut, to F. M. Hubbell, $190,000; and the Turner block, the southwest corner of Seventh and Grand, to the Des Moines Life Insurance company, for $100,000.
Frank S. Campbell, former lieutenant-governor and railroad commissioner, and for many years an influential citizen of Des Moines, died in Lima, Ohio, March 6, aged 71.
At a banquet given by the Jefferson Club, April 6, Mr. Bryan and Congress- man Champ Clark, the principal speakers, made it clear for the first time that they were not going to force Government Ownership as an issue in 1908.
The venerable wife of Judge C. C. Cole died April 7, with most of her chil- dren and grandchildren about her. She was 82 years of age.
Early in the spring of 1907, the Greater Des Moines Committee committed itself to the plan of a great Coliseum on the river front, and, as with this com- mittee committment means action, the Coliseum in due time followed, as the annals of a later year will show.
Edwin H. Conger, ex-Congressman from the Des Moines district, and former minister successively to Brazil, to China and to Mexico, died in Pasadena, Cali- fornia, May 17, aged 74 years-a man who, through a long public career, as soldier, statesman and diplomat ever "wore the white flower of a blameless life."
Interurban service between Des Moines and Boone, initiated June 10, marked another step of progress.
The Political Equality Club, through its attorney, Miss Grace Ballantyne, gave the public a severe jolt by instituting proceedings against the city to prevent its proposed action in purchasing the East-side site for the new city hall. The club, however, consented to amend its injunction petition so as to enable the council to acquire the land before the expiration of the option given the city by the Gilcrests.
The State troops, commanded by General Lincoln, engaged in mimic war- fare during the week in Camp Cummins, marched in parade through the prin- cipal streets of the city on the 12th day of August and were reviewed by the Governor and his staff.
Jefferson S. Polk's Dream of Heaven.
At an Old Settlers' annual picnic, August 15, 1907, Jefferson S. Polk, whose voice was soon to be stilled by death, closed an informal speech by picturing
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a dream of Heaven which, coming from that practical man of affairs, was startlingly unique. It is interesting as a revelation of the poetic side of the man's nature, and too, as a glorified character sketch of three prominent pioneers. After describing the general appearance of Heaven in a decidedly materialistic way, he said he began to recognize many of his old-settler friends. He thus particularized : "I saw Colonel Spoffard, that genial, stately old gentleman of the past, driving by me in his open three-seated carriage drawn by his beautiful bays. With him were several newcomers whom he was showing around the Eternal City as he used to do here.
"Again I saw coming down the street a stage-coach of beautiful construc- tion, pulled by a spirited team of six white horses. When it approached me I recognized that superb and courtly old gentleman, Colonel Hooker, on the box handling the reins in his princely manner and guiding the coach dextrously through the thronged streets as you have seen him in Des Moines. His coach was filled with emigrants for the New Jerusalem. As he passed he winded his heavenly trumpet and O, what a thrill passed through me! I wandered on down the street. I was hailed by that grand old settler, William H. McHenry, Sr., than whom no more noble, honest, able, or Christian gentle- man ever lived. He seized me by the hand with warm and vigorous grip. He embraced me and welcomed me to God's country (this was the familiar title he always applied to Iowa when in life.)" The Judge sent to his old friends in Des Moines a message testifying to the breadth of the Universalist doctrine of religion, so frequently advocated by him while on earth.
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