USA > Iowa > Chickasaw County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume I > Part 15
USA > Iowa > Howard County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume I > Part 15
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Dean, Charles Mason and Lincoln Clark. The total vote cast was 108,247, divided as follows: Kirkwood, 59,853; Merritt, 43,245; Dean, 463; Mason, 119; Clark, 50; scattering, 25. Kirkwood's majority over all was 11,459.
STATE ELECTION, 1863
William M. Stone, republican, and James M. Tuttle, democrat, were the oppos- 'ing candidates for governor in the Iowa state election in 1863. The total vote cast was 142,314, of which Stone received 86,107, and Tuttle 56,132, with 75 votes scattering.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 1864
At the time of the presidential election in 1864 the Civil war had been in progress for nearly four years and the alignment of political parties had been greatly deranged, as compared with conditions in former campaigns. The out- break of the war almost obliterated old party lines. The South, which had been the stronghold of the democratic party, was in a state of rebellion against the Government and was therefore eliminated from the politics of the country. Thou- sands of democrats in the North eagerly adopted the patriotic views of Stephen A. Douglas, "There can be no neutrals in this war, only patriots and traitors." Many of what was known as war democrats became merged in the republican party ; others retained their political independence, but cordially supported the war measures of the administration, and furnished to the army their due share of officers and men. There were, however, many democrats who offered a persistent and unrelenting opposition to the war, and were querulous critics of the methods of its prosecution. While these did not claim to favor disunion their attitude put them in the class of Southern sympathizers, and their conduct gave aid and comfort to the southern faction of the party engaged in war against the Union. Unfortunately for the party, many of the democratic leaders in the North belonged to this class.
On the other hand, the republican party was not free from dissension. Presi- dent Lincoln was beset by an active minority of his party, who were not sparing in their criticism of his war policy. They were impatient with his conservatism, and his unwillingness to adopt the radical measures which they were persuaded would hasten the success of the Union arms. The one particular measure that , these critics insisted upon from the beginning of the war was emancipation. The firmness with which he withstood the demand for emancipation, when it was clamorously urged upon him, made them all the more ready to accept his judg- ment when at last, and with deliberation, he proclaimed that all the slaves within the territory held by the Confederacy were henceforth free. His wisdom com- mended him to thoughtful men, and his quaint shrewdness in word and act brought him near to the common people.
The opposition of the radical element to Mr. Lincoln's re-nomination was mani- fested in various parts of the country by an attempt to forestall the action of the republican convention, called to meet in Baltimore, June 7, 1864. The certainty that this convention would nominate Lincoln moved the opposition to call a con- vention to meet in mass convention at Cleveland, at an earlier day. This con- Vol. I-9
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vention met and nominated Gen. John C. Fremont, but this nomination came to nothing. Fremont accepted the nomination, but after some correspondence, in the effort to harmonize matters by offers of concession, Fremont withdrew.
On a formal vote for candidate for president, in the republican convention, Mr. Lincoln received all the votes of every state, except those from Missouri, which were cast in accordance with instructions, for General Grant. The nomina- tion was then made unanimous.
The democratic convention met in Chicago, August 29th, and nominated Gen. George B. McClellan as their candidate for president. General McClellan had won distinction as commander of the Army of the Potomac, and was very popular with the soldiers of that command. His nomination would have appealed to the soldier element, generally, had he not been. handicapped by the platform adopted by the convention, which among other things declared, in effect, that the experiment to restore the Union in the four years of war had been a failure, and the demand of a "cessation of hostilities with a view of an ultimate convention of states to the end that peace may be restored."
General McClellan accepted the nomination but explicitly repudiated the plat- form expression that the four years of war had been a failure. Concerning this he wrote: "I could not look in the face of my gallant comrades of the army and navy, who have survived so many bloody battles, and tell them'that their labors, and the sacrifice of so many of our slain and wounded brethren had been in vain ; that we had abandoned that Union for which we have so often perilled our lives."
This open repudiation of the expressed sentiments of the party saved to General McClellan many votes which would have otherwise been given to Mr. Lincoln, but the party handicap was too great for him to overcome. The general result of the election was at no time in doubt. Of the 233 electoral votes. Lincoln received 212, and Mcclellan, 21. To this result Iowa contributed her electoral vote, which had at this time been increased to eight. The popular vote of Iowa was, Lincoln, 89,642; McClellan, 49,595, giving Lincoln a majority in the state of 39,447.
STATE ELECTION, 1865
The candidates for governor in 1865 were William M. Stone, republican ; and Thomas H. Benton, democrat. The total vote cast was 124,865, of which Stone received 70,445 ; Benton, 54,070; scattering, 350. The vote of soldiers in the field in this election was Stone, 736; Benton, 607. The total vote of Chickasaw County at this election was 908, for district candidates.
STATE ELECTION, 1867
In 1867 the candidates for governor were Samuel Merrill, republican ; Charles Mason, democrat. The total vote was 153,207, of which Merrill received 90,204; Mason, 62,966; scattering, 37. The total vote of Chickasaw County, cast for Congressional candidates of the Fourth District, was 1,074.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 1868
The assassination of Lincoln, within two months after his second inauguration, brought Andrew Johnson, vice president, to the place of chief executive. He was
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a discordant element in the party and in Congress, from the start. By a combina- tion of circumstances he was alienated at the beginning of his administration from those to whom he owed his election. His attempt to institute a policy and create a personal following, with a view to becoming his own successor, was a failure. When the time came for selecting candidates for the presidency, Johnson was in the position of a man without a party.
When the republican national convention met in Chicago, May 20, 1868, the sentiment of the country had already been recorded in favor of General Grant, as a candidate for the presidency. The convention merely went through the form of ratifying the choice, completing the work in two days.
The democratic convention met in New York, July 4th, and, after a prolonged session and much filibustering, nominated Horatio Seymour, who was chairman of the convention and not an avowed candidate. He was a stampede, or a "dark- horse" candidate, defeating the aspirations of Pendleton, Hancock, Hendricks and some other avowed candidates. But the verdict of the November ballot was decidedly in favor of Grant, giving to him 214 of the 294 electoral votes. The eight electoral votes of Iowa were given to Grant. Of the popular vote of the state, Grant received 120,399; Seymour, 74,040; a total vote in the state of 194.439, with a majority of 46,359 for Grant. The total vote for president in Chickasaw County was 1,515, of which Grant received 995, and Seymour 520.
STATE ELECTION, 1869
The candidates for governor in the state election of 1869 were Samuel Merrill, republican ; and George Gillespie, democrat. The total vote cast was 154,505. Merrill received 97,243, and Gillespie 57,257; scattering, 5. The total vote of Chickasaw County for representative in this election was 1,268.
STATE ELECTION, 1871
The candidates for governor were Cyrus C. Carpenter, republican ; and Joseph C. Knapp, democrat. The total vote in the state was 177,449, of which Carpenter received 109,228; Knapp, 68,199: scattering, 22; Carpenter's majority, 41,007 .. The total vote for governor in Chickasaw County was 1,695, of which Carpenter received 1,001, and Knapp 694.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 1872
In political history this is known as the "Greeley Campaign." For various reasons several of the old-line republican leaders, such as Horace Greeley, Sum- nier and others, became alienated from the party of which they were among the chief founders. Dissatisfaction with administration policies and measures enacted by Congress secured for these old leaders a large following and caused defection in the republican ranks. This faction was opposed to a renomination of Grant, an event that was plainly foreshadowed as the time of holding the national convention drew near. This opposition got together in a mass conven- tion in Cincinnati and nominated Horace Greeley as the candidate for president of the liberal republican party, the name adopted for the organized opposition to Grant. The slogan of the campaign was "Anything to beat Grant," and in
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pursuance of that policy, the democrats, in their convention, held in Baltimore, July 9th, accepted the platform of the liberal republican convention and nomi- nated Horace Greeley, who had been a lifelong opponent of every cardinal prin- ciple of the democratic party. But there was great dissatisfaction with the action of this convention in many Democratic circles, many denouncing it as a cowardly surrender of principle for the sake of a possible victory. This open opposition found expression in a call for a straight democratic convention, which was held in Louisville, September 3d, resulting in the nomination of Charles O'Connor as the regular democratic candidate.
In the republican national convention, held in Philadelphia, June 5th, General Grant was nominated by a unanimous vote of all the delegates, and with great enthusiasm.
In a convention held in Cincinnati, February 22d of that year, another party, destined to have a long life, made its first appearance in national politics. This was the prohibition party, and this convention named James Black as the first national standard bearer for that party. At Columbus, Ohio, on the 21st of Feb- ruary, a convention of labor reformers met and nominated David Davis as their candidate. Davis sent a non-committal dispatch to the convention thanking it for the honor, without accepting the nomination. A few months later he formally declined and the vacancy was not filled.
Thus there were four candidates for president in the field, and a spirited canvass ensued. But the result of the canvass was at no time in doubt. Some of the democrats deluded themselves with the idea that there was a chance for Greeley. Mr. Greeley departed from the usual custom of presidential candidates by making a personal canvass in stump speeches throughout the country. But the early elections showed clearly the drift of public opinion; General Grant was elected by a larger majority than he had received at his first election, receiv- ing 286 of the 346 electoral votes. Mr. Greeley died soon after the result of the election was known, his death, it was thought, being largely due to the humilia- tion of his overwhelming defeat.
In this election Iowa was entitled to eleven electoral votes; these were given to Grant. The total vote of Iowa was 204,628, divided among the three candi- dates as follows: Grant, 131,273; Greeley, 71,134; O'Connor, 2,221. Black, the prohibition candidate, does not seem to have received any votes in Iowa.
The total number of votes cast for president in Chickasaw County in 1872 was 1,623; of these Grant received 1,122; Greeley, 501.
STATE ELECTION, 1873
The candidates for governor in 1873 were Cyrus C. Carpenter, republican ; J. G. Vale, democrat ; Joseph G. Vale (Allamakee County), and J. G. Bale. The total vote cast was 187,753, of which Carpenter received 105,132; J. G. Vale, 81,020 ; Joseph G. Vale, 1,536; J. G. Bale, 20, and 45 votes scattering. The total vote of Chickasaw County for representative was 1,832.
STATE ELECTION, 1875
In the state election of 1875, Samuel J. Kirkwood, republican; Shepherd Leffler, democrat ; and J. H. Lozier, prohibition, were candidates for governor.
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The total vote cast was 218,893. Kirkwood received 124,835; Leffler, 93,270; Lozier, 737; scattering, 51. The total vote for representative in Chickasaw County was 1,811.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 1876
The presidential election of 1876 is known in political history as the "Disputed Election." It was the most exciting of any that had preceded it in the history of the country. From the time the ballots were counted until the final decision was made in the official count of the electoral votes, the country was in a state of suspense, and the contentions and fiery declamations of advocates of the two leading candidates threatened the disruption of the Government and another civil war.
The republican party, which had been in power since 1861, and had swept the country with an overwhelming vote for Grant four years before 1872, had been on the decline during the last term of Grant's administration. A democratic house of representatives was elected in 1874, and the democratic party had come into control in several of the northern states for the first time since the Civil war. Everywhere there had been a manifest revival of that ancient party ; everywhere there was a manifest depletion in the ranks of the republican party, because of dissension among party leaders and disagreement with the policies of the administration. To enumerate the various reasons that brought about this condition of affairs in the republican party would make too long a story to relate here ; a brief account of the conventions and candidates presented, and the general result of the election, will suffice.
The first convention of the series was that of the prohibition party, which was held in Cleveland, May 17th. This convention nominated Green Clay Smith, of Kentucky, for its candidate.
On the 18th of May the first national convention of a party known as the Independent National Greenback Party was held at Indianapolis, and nominated Peter Cooper as a candidate for president.
The republican national convention was held in Cincinnati, June 14th. As the day approached for this convention, the public interest became very great, because of the several candidates, each with a substantial and enthusiastic fol- lowing, and because of the difference of opinion among the leaders as to plat- form declarations. The strength of the candidates presented, as shown by the first ballot, was: Blaine, 285 ; Morton, 125; Bristow, 113; Conkling, 99; Hayes, 61; Hartranft, 58; Jewell, II. Blaine was the leading candidate, but the field was against him, and on the seventh ballot a combination was made on Hayes, giving him the nomination by a majority of twelve. The vote was: Hayes, 384; Blaine, 351 ; Bristow, 21.
On the 28th of June the democratic national convention met in St. Louis. This convention was deprived of much interest because of the fact that the senti- ment of the party had largely been centered on Samuel J. Tilden, and his nomina- tion was a foregone conclusion."
There was less than the usual amount of excitement in the canvass that followed, and less of the fireworks usual in presidential campaigns. The fireworks came afterward. The polls had hardly been closed on the day of election when
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the democrats began to claim the presidency. On the face of the returns they claimed that Tilden had 203 and that Hayes had 166 electoral votes. By the same token, the republicans claimed that Hayes had received a majority of one electoral vote. The dispute was over the returns from South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana, and this dispute continued until the matter was finally decided by an electoral commission created by Congress for that purpose, giving to Hayes the presidency by a majority of one electoral vote.
There was no dispute about Iowa's electoral votes. The eleven electoral votes of the state were given to Hayes by a popular majority of 49,675. The total vote of the state was 292,977. Hayes received 171,326; Tilden, 112,121 ; Cooper, 9.431 ; Smith, 99. The record of the official vote of Chickasaw County in this election is not available.
STATE ELECTION, 1877
John H. Gear, republican ; John P. Irish, democrat; Daniel P. Stubbs, green- back; Elias Jessup, prohibition, were the candidates for governor in the state election of 1877. The total vote cast was 265,527. Gear received 121,516; Irish, 78,995 ; Stubbs, 34,347 ; Jessup, 10,545 ; scattering, 124. The total vote polled in Chickasaw County in this election was 2,477 for representative.
STATE ELECTION, 1879
The candidates for governor were: John H. Gear, republican ; Henry H. Trimble, democrat ; Daniel Campbell, greenback ; David R. Dungan, prohibition. Total vote polled was 291,814. Gear received 157,408; Trimble, 85,365: Camp- bell, 45,674; Dungan, 3,291 ; scattering, 76. The total vote cast in Chickasaw County was 2,974.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 1880
Although Hayes came to the presidency under circumstances different from those of any of his predecessors, his administration bears well a comparison with that of some others for whom great claims are made. In many of his policies he was out of harmony with some of his party leaders and they were not sparing in criticism of them. He did not win applause for himself by his administration, but it was conceded that his intentions were honorable and his standards high. He introduced reforms for which the democrats clamored in their platform, and did it without fuss and ostentation. And when the time came for him to retire from office, the people had recovered the confidence in the republican party which they had well-nigh lost when he came into office.
The republican national convention, which met in Chicago, June 2, 1880, was noted for strenuous effort of the friends of General Grant to make him the candidate for president for a third term. It was a long drawn out contest, requiring thirty-six ballots to nominate. Grant had 304 votes on the first ballot, and there was little variation throughout all the balloting to the last, when he had 306. The attempt to break the ranks of his loyal supporters was unavailing. Blaine was his nearest competitor, with 284 to start, and little variation until the final ballot, when his votes went to General Garfield, securing his nomination.
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The next convention, in order of time, was that of the greenback party, held in Chicago June 9th. The choice of that convention fell upon James B. Weaver, a citizen of Iowa.
The prohibition party held their convention in Cleveland, June 17th, and nominated Neal Dow, of Maine.
The series of national conventions. for that year closed with that of the democrats, at Cincinnati, June 22d. One of the resolutions adopted by this con- vention, and one which was made the "paramount" issue of the campaign, was the denunciation of "the great fraud of 1876-77, by which, upon a false count of the electoral votes of two states, the candidate defeated at the polls was declared to be president." After a short session. General Hancock was nominated. When the ballots were counted in November it was found that Garfield had received 214 and Hancock 155 electoral votes.
Iowa's eleven electoral votes were given to Garfield. The total vote of the state was 322,668, divided as follows: Garfield, 183,904: Hancock, 105,845 .; Weaver, 32,327 ; Dow, 592. The total vote of Chickasaw County in this election was 2.758.
STATE ELECTION, 1881
The candidates for governor were Buren R. Sherman, republican; L. G. Kinne, democrat ; D. M. Clark, greenback: William Johnson, prohibition The total vote of the state was 235.052. Sherman received 133.328; Kinne, 73.344; Clark, 28,112; Johnson, 254; scattering, 14. Chickasaw's total vote for repre- sentative in this election was 1.763.
STATE ELECTION, 1883
The candidates for governor were, for the democrats and republicans, the same as in 1881. The greenbackers had James B. Weaver as their candidate. The total vote of the state was 327,283, of which Sherman received 164, 141 ; Kinne, 140,032: Weaver, 23,093 ; scattering, 17.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. 1884
The assassination of Garfield. soon after his accession to the presidency, made Chester A. Arthur, vice president, the chief executive and the head of the administration during most of the four-year term. During Arthur's administra- tion there were dissensions in the republican party, caused partly by political appointments, resulting in the formation of two party factions, cach striving to control party affairs. State elections and other events that had occurred within the four years showed the tendency of political sentiment, and prepared the way for the impending defeat that came to the republicans in 1884.
The first national convention of the year was that of the anti-monopoly party, which met in Chicago, May 14th. This convention nominated Gen. Ben- jamin F. Butler as a candidate for president.
May 28th the national party, formerly greenbackers, held its convention in Indianapolis and endorsed General Butler as their candidate.
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The republican convention was held in Chicago, June 3d, and nominated James G. Blaine, over seven other candidates that were before the convention- Arthur being the chief competitor.
The democratic national convention met in Chicago, July 8th, and nominated Grover Cleveland. The prohibition party met in Pittsburgh, July 23d, and nomi- nated John P. St. John as their candidate for president, and this completed the list of entries for 1884.
This was another election in which the margin for the successful candidate was uncomfortably close; for a time the result was in great doubt. The early returns showed that Cleveland had carried all the southern states and three of the northern states, and that the vote in New York was close. Both parties claimed New York, which would determine the result, for several days. But the final result was a small majority of the popular vote in that state for the democratic candidate, giving to Cleveland 219 and to Blaine 182 electoral votes.
Iowa's electoral vote went to Blaine by a reduced popular majority. The total vote in the state was 376,052. Blaine, 197,089; Cleveland and Butler (fusion), 177.316 ; St. John, 1.472 ; scattering, 175. The total vote of Chickasaw County in this election was 1,763.
STATE ELECTION, 1885
William Larrabee, republican ; Charles Whiting, democrat ; James Michelwait, prohibition ; Elias Doty, greenback, were the candidates voted for in Iowa for governor this year. The total vote of the state was 345,999, of which Larrabee received 175,605 : Whiting, 168,619; Michelwait, 1,417; Doty, 314; scattering, 44.
STATE ELECTION, 1887
William Larrabee, republican : T. J. Anderson, democrat ; M. J. Cain, labor ; V. G. Farnham, prohibition ; and J. M. Anderson were the candidates for governor. The total vote cast was 338,182. Larrabee received 169,592 ; Anderson (demo- crat), 153,706; Cain, 14,507; Farnham, 334; Anderson (J. M.), 43.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 1888
Blaine was conceded to be the logical candidate for the republican nomination in 1888, but his letter giving instruction that his name should not be presented was taken by his friends to be sincere, and his wish was respected. That left the field open to several other aspirants, and, as the prospects for the return of the party to power were exceedingly bright, the aspirants were not a few.
The republican convention met in Chicago, June 19th, and continued in session until the 21st, one of the longest in the history of the country. The convention was also characterized by having the longest list of candidates presented for nomination in the history of national conventions. There were nineteen aspirants for this honor presented and voted for in the progress of the ballot. On the eighth ballot Gen. Benjamin Harrison, of Indiana, received the majority of the delegate votes and was declared the nominee.
The democrats held their convention in St. Louis, on the 5th of June, and nominated Grover Cleveland as candidate for a second term.
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The other candidates in the race were Clinton B. Fisk, prohibitionist; and Alson J. Streeter, union labor.
The result of the ballot in November was the election of Harrison. He received 233 and Cleveland 168 electoral votes.
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