USA > Iowa > Dubuque County > History of Dubuque County, Iowa; being a general survey of Dubuque County history, including a history of the city of Dubuque and special account of districts throughout the county, from the earliest settlement to the present time > Part 36
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In May, 1844, Dubuque county again voted on the question of a state convention, as follows : For convention, 282 ; against con- vention, 293. But the question carried by over 4,000 majority out of about 11,000 votes polled. Parties hiere sided for or against the annexation of Texas in the spring of 1844. The citizens could
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not yet (1844) take part in the presidential election. The proposed constitution for Iowa was published broadcast in November, 1844. Stephen Hempstead. Theophilus Crawford, Francis Gehon, Ed- ward Langworthy, Samuel B. Olmstead and Dr. O'Brien repre- sented Dubuque county in the territorial convention in 1844.
By the constitution of 1844 the counties of Dubuque, Delaware, Clinton, Fayette, Buchanan and Blackhawk were given two sen- ators and Dubuque county was given one representative.
The passage of the joint resolution in Congress in April, 1845, annexing Texas caused great rejoicing here among the Democrats, but was denounced by the Whigs. In 1845 Dubuque favored the division of Iowa territory on the line dividing Clinton and Jackson counties. The Burlington Hawkeye also favored this division in order to secure another Whig state. A mass meeting at Dubuque on May 5 was held "for the purpose of adopting such means as may be deemed necessary to insure a division of the territory of Iowa and the formation of a new territory." George Greene, Han- nibal Emerson, John Foley, James Crawford and Platt Smith were the committee on resolutions. It was declared to be the policy and welfare of the West to increase its representation in Congress, and the proposed division would accomplish that result. Stephen Hempstead, P. B. Bradley, D. S. Wilson, Samuel Mur- dock and James Leonard were requested to do their best in the legislature to secure this division.
In the summer of 1845 war between Mexico and the United States as the result of the annexation of Texas seemed inevitable. In 1845 Dubuque county voted for delegate to Congress as fol- lows: Dodge (Dem.), 480; Lowe (Whig), 270. On the constitui- tion it voted-For, 278; against, 502. The bill to vote again on the constitution was vetoed by the governor, but was passed over his veto. In 1846 Dubuque county voted as follows on the constitu- tion : For. 395 : against, 597. It was carried in the territory by less than 500 majority. In 1846 Ansel Briggs (Dem.) and Thomas MeKnight (Whig), of Dubuque, were candidates for governor : the former won by a small majority.
The election of April, 1847, in the city of Dubuque was im- portant because a new city charter and license or no license were to be voted up or down. P. A. Lorimier (Whig) received 232 votes for mayor and Charles Corkery (Dem.) 149 votes. License received 204 votes and no license 173 votes. Dubuque county gave Judge Mason a majority of 152 over James Harlan for state super- intendent of public instruction. The result for Congress in 1847 was : Leffler (Dem.), 749; McKnight (Whig), 617. In 1848 the Democrats named Shepherd Leffler as delegate to Congress and Thomas H. Benton, Jr., as superintendent of public instruction. George W. Jones. John G. Shields, David Jones, Thomas Hardie,
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William H. Morrison, William S. Hall, Lincoln Clark and I. P. Van Hagan were delegates to the Democratic state convention. 1
Stephen Hempstead, of Dubuque, was one of the committee of tliree appointed by the legislature in 1847-8 to revise the laws of the state. Joseph T. Fales, of Dubuque, was auditor of state at this time.
In February, 1848, the Democratic members of the legislature selected the following party candidates: Thomas S. Wilson, of Dubuque, for United States senator, and George Greene, of Du- buque, for an associate justice of the Iowa supreme court.
The Democrats of Dubuque in March, 1848, nominated the fol- lowing city officers: H. S. Hetherington, mayor; Joseph Swab, marshal; A. D. Anderson, recorder; Charles Miller, treasurer ; George McHenry, assessor. Lincoln Clark presided at this meeting. Valentine Glenat was named for school fund commissioner. About the same time the Whigs nominated G. L. Nightingale for mayor ; John Coffey, marshal ; Major Mobley, school fund commissioner.
"What a strange contrast is presented to see Whigs and Demo- crats laboring together in a common vineyard. But the surprise is in a measure lessened when we reflect that the call was for a 'mass meeting of the people' and two of the nominations are outside of the Whig party evidently to catch Democratic votes."
Joseph Swab, candidate for marshal, announced himself thus : "I am in favor of appropriating the public square for a calf pas- ture and giving the freedom of the city to all swine and goats, believing such animals to be great at keeping streets clean. I will not at any time during the day or night interfere with any of my friends who may be engaged in the laudable acts of quarreling, fighting, gambling, carousing, firing cannons, guns or pis- tols, breaking houses, etc .- in short, I pledge myself to allow all who vote for me to do as they please and to those who vote against me I will give particular Jesse. I will pay the utmost respect to the corpses of all those unfortunate cows, calves, horses, dogs, cats. etc., which may hereafter 'go dead' within the limits of our fair city by allowing them to remain where they have fallen, in peace and quietness undisturbed, to perfume the air of heaven. In regard to the Mexican war I am sound, being opposed to peace on any terms until the whole of Mexico, South America, China, British Provinces, Cuba and Ireland are annexed to our glorious Union."
In April, 1848, George L. Nightingale (Whig) was elected mayor over Warner Lewis (Dem.) by a small majority. In 1848 Dubuque county cast 766 votes for Shepherd Leffler (Dem.) for delegate to Congress and 597 for Timothy Davis (Whig) for the same office ; this vote showed the comparative strength of the Demo- crats and Whigs. In the forties the favorite meeting place for political parties was over Terry's saloon. Lincoln Clark
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was one of the Cass electors in 1848. At a big Whig meeting in October, 1848, Langworthy, Berry and Nightingale addressed the audience ; the first had lately become a Whig. At a Democratic meeting Hempstead, Rogers and Merritt ridiculed the candidacy of General Taylor. A "Rough and Ready" club was formed here. A Free Soil convention held at Iowa City was attended by a dozen or more of Dubuquers. On November 25 the Whigs celebrated the election of the Whig national ticket. In 1848-9 George W. Jones was elected senator of the United States; this election left the sur- veyor-general's office vacant ; General Booth succeeded. Dubuque county gave the Cass electors a majority of 186 votes. Theophilus Crawford and John G. Shields were state senators and Sidney Wood and James A. Langton representatives in 1848.
In the spring of 1849 the state legislature reversed itself on the Wilmot proviso and voted against any more slave territory ; this roused the wrath of the Democracy of Dubuque county. In the spring of 1849 the Whigs cried "no partyism" in the city election, but the Democrats refused to bite. As the city was really Demo- cratic, now was the time for its redemption, it was said. The Democrats won the city election in April, 1849. In May W. H. Robbins was appointed postmaster of Dubuque. The Democrats in 1849 elected their county ticket by about 395 majority. W. G. Stewart became sheriff; J. P. Van Hagan, recorder; John Ball, surveyor ; Charles J. Leist, coroner, and J. H. Thedinga, county commissioner. It was noted in 1849 that there was almost open warfare among the Whigs for the spoils of office under the Taylor administration. There was also a newspaper war between the Tribune and the Telegraph.
"The factions into which the Whig party of Dubuque is now divided are warring with each other with a degree of malignant hostility which should bring the blush of shame to every honest politician. The spoils of office constitute the bone of contention and no mastiff cur or ferocious bulldog ever contended with more determined fury than have the factions of Dubuque Whiggery for the precious morsel."-(Miners' Express, June 27, 1849. )
All Whigs who were friendly to the Abolitionists were de- nounced by the Democrats and when the two amalgamated in the summer of 1849, at Iowa City, the Democrats began a severe cam- paign. This drew political lines sharply here. In November, 1848, the Democratic majority in the county was about 197; in August, 1849, it was about 300. Judge Corkery, in 1848-9, was secretary of the state board of public works. In June, 1849, at the Democratic convention, Judge Wilson made desperate efforts to have the dele- gates to the state convention instructed to vote against the Wilmot proviso. This was the time when Whiggery, Locofocos, Hunkers, Barnburners and Americans were abroad in the land. In Decem- ber, 1849, A. P. Wood, editor of the Tribune, was cowhided by
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Charles Bogy; it was due to a quarrel between the "Fogies" and the "Anties" of the Whigs, local factions at Dubuque. George L. Nightingale established the Telegraph, it was said, to aid him in his own political schemes and ambition.
Credit or discredit was given to George L. Nightingale, acting editor of the Telegraph, in the spring of 1849, for inventing the term "Fogies," which was applied to a local clique of the Whigs; he himself was a Taylor Whig. Mordecai Mobley was a member of the Whig executive committee of the state. He did not like Taylor, who he said "smelt too strongly of the negro" to suit him The divison here in the Whig ranks was due to the slavery ques- tion. The Wilmot proviso and "shall the Union be preserved ?" were important topics in 1850. General Jones in Congress op- posed the proviso. The Democratic county central committee in 1850 was Ben M. Samuels, D. S. Wilson, John Fitzpatrick, F. Mangold, Benjamin Rupert, Thomas Hardie and William G. Stew- art. Webster's speech against the Wilmot proviso attracted great attention here ; everywhere "save the Union" was the cry. People sided for or against the great compromises of that year. The Democrats nominated Hannibal Emerson for mayor, and the Whigs nominated Peter A. Lorimier; the former received 183 and the latter 142; it was a strict party vote.
The Democrats at Iowa City nominated Stephen Hempstead, of this county, for governor in 1850; after a sharp contest he won on the eleventh ballot. Lincoln Clark was Democratic nominee for Congress, and William H. Henderson, Republican nominee. The Whigs favored the United States bank, paper currency, state banks, charters to corporations, and opposed the existing state constitution. Rev. James L. Thompson was the Whig nominee for governor. Political questions at this time were the Utah bill, Texas boundary bill, admission of California, fugitive slave law, to make New Mexico a territory, and suppression of the slave trade in the District of Columbia; these were called the "Compromise Measures." The Whigs declared that the fugitive slave law was a protective tariff for the property of the South. The Democrats elected their county ticket in 1850. For governor, Hempstead re- ceived 721, and Thompson 353; the Democratic majority averaged about 330. Clark was elected to Congress; there were then nine- teen counties in this district.
The election of August, 1851, was closer than usual in this county, though the Democrats won generally by a reduced ma- jority.
In 1852 J. H. Emerson (Dem.) was defeated for mayor by J. P. Farley (Whig) ; the latter had a majority of 9 votes in a total of 442; the Democrats won the balance of the ticket by greatly varying majorities.
"True our candidate for mayor has been defeated by nine votes,
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but it is admitted upon all sides that his defeat is attributable to a purely sectional cause-with reference to the cut (Waples) oppo- site Waples' store. No one can regret the defeat of our candidate for the mayoralty more than we do; yet we would rather he were defeated a thousand times than lend himself to a local influence which sought to control him."-(Daily Miners' Express, April 6, 1852.)
At this election the Whigs fought desperately in order to secure prestige for the presidential campaign. Emerson was defeated by the First ward.
"He refused to give an assurance before election that if elected he would favor a diversion of the dredge boat from the main im- provement and legitimate work contemplated in the contract to the improvement of a cut (Waples) in the First ward to be done and paid for by individuals."
Both parties, Whigs and Democrats, conducted stirring cam- paigns on national issues in 1852. O'Connor, the famous Whig orator of Muscatine, appeared here; he spoke two and one-half hours and made a strong appeal to Irishmen. In August, 1852, the vote for secretary of state was 975 for McCleary (Dem. ) and 563 Jenkins (Whig). Lincoln Clark (Dem.) for Congress re- ceived 913, and J. P. Cook (Whig) 580.
"The Democracy have had one of the most brilliant triumphs that ever crowned their efforts in this city. Never was a triumph more signal and complete. Not a Whig is to be seen this morning. The coons have taken to their holes."-(Daily Miners' Express, August 3, 1852.) "Never within the history of the two parties in Dubuque have the Whigs suffered such a Waterloo defeat."- (Same. )
General Dodge spoke here in October at a big Democratic meet- ing. Speakers and newspapers were very abusive during the fall campaign. The Miners' Express was so severe that Mahony, of the Herald, ordered the exchange stopped. The result in Novem- ber was as follows: Pierce electors (Dem.), 1,150; Scott electors (Whig), 617; Hale electors (Free Soil), 6. Taylor and Dodge townships returned small majorities for the Whigs; all others were Democratic. The aggregate vote in the county in August, 1852, was 1,537, and in November 1,773. The Democrats opposed the Maine liquor law-prohibition.
In 1853 the Whigs renominated J. P. Farley for mayor, and the Democrats nominated B. J. O'Halloran. Even the Democrats said there were too many Irish on the Democratic ticket and many of them "knifed" their ticket. The result was the sweeping defeat of the Democratic ticket. Farley (Whig) received 477, and O'Halloran (Dem.) 186; the balance of the ticket was about the same. It was said that the defeat of the Democratic ticket was the defeat of the Jones clique. During 1852-4 there was a bitter
.
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personal war between Mahony. of the Herald, and Merritt, of the Express; in Mahony, Merritt met his match. The Herald con- ducted a caustic and bitter warfare against General Jones, who had dictated Democratic policy here for so many years.
"If Mahony has an enemy he is always certain to let it be known through the columns of his sheet (Herald ). The postmaster he regards as his enemy and therefore none who know his dis- position expect him to treat him with common civility, much less common justice."-(Erpress, August 24, 1853.)
The August election in 1853 showed a considerable Democratic loss all over the county, the Democratic majority being about 305.
"The leading men of Dubuque were from the southern states, where they were educated in the habit of allowing things to ad- vance or retrograde as nature or accident directed, but without any effort of theirs. If your merchants, your officeholders and other prominent men were Yankees, then your town, your harbor and business generally would present a different aspect from what it does at present."-(Resident of Galena in Erpress, November 19, 1853.) "It is as lamentable as it is true that our business men in town fail to exert that influence for the extension of their business and the improvement of the city that they ought. They talk a great deal but do little."-(Express, November 19, 1853.)
In February, 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska bill in Congress was duly considered here. It was now seen that the compromise fight of 1850 would have to be waged over again. The Whigs and Free Soilers united on Simeon Waters for governor and advocated the Maine law. In March a meeting of Germans in Dubuque de- nounced the Kansas-Nebraska bill. The Democrats nominated for mayor Col. C. H. Booth and the Whigs renominated J. P. Farley. Harbor improvement invaded politics; it was understood that Farley represented an abandonment of the canal plan and the substitution therefor of the filling up plan. The result was 497 votes for Farley and 290 for Booth.
On June 17, 1854, the Democracy assembled at the courthouse and listened to addresses on the Nebraska bill from D. S. Wilson, B. M. Samuels and Colonel McHenry. Wilson was a candidate for the state senate. The Miners' Express said his speech "excited and received the applause of the association." He declared himself in favor of the bill. Mr. Samuels, candidate for the house, also declared in favor of the bill, against an amendment to the state constitution for the purpose of creating banks within the state and opposed the Maine liquor law (prohibition). Colonel McHenry, candidate for the house, followed in a similar strain and attacked the Whig party in vigorous style, calling them Abolitionists, Know- Nothings and Woman's Rights men. The Observer denounced all the speeches because all favored the repeal of the Missouri Com- promise, which was affected by the Nebraska bill.
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As a whole, Dubuque, with its large Catholic population, bitterly opposed the Know-Nothings, whose object was to exclude all for- eigners from participation in the government of the country. The Observer did not hesitate to attack the Catholic church as an or- ganization with caustic editorials (see Observer, July 8, 1854). The Observer was really a Know-Nothing. It unwisely made it a first consideration to assault the Catholic religious organization and to publish everything tending to degrade that faith. The paper did not long survive.
In 1854 Stephen Hempstead was Democratic candidate for the national house and favored the Nebraska bill and opposed the Maine liquor law. He was sure to secure a large German vote, it was reasoned. Mr. Thorington, his antagonist, opposed the Ne- braska bill and did not use strong drinks. He was a resident of Scott county.
On July 28, 1854, an Anti-Nebraska mass meeting was held at the court house with William Stratton as chairman and D. E. Kirkup secretary. McNall, Vanduzee and L. H. Langworthy were appointed a committee on resolutions, and J. C. Richards, R. C. Waples, William Rebman, E. C. David and A. P. Wood a committee to organize an Anti-Nebraska Club. Speeches were made by Mr. McNall, A. P. Wood, L. H. Langworthy and Mr. Nightingale. The resolutions adopted denounced in severe terms the Nebraska bill.
On August 4, 1854, James W. Grimes, Whig candidate for governor of Iowa, delivered a strong address on the political issues of the day to a large Dubuque audience. The Observer said: "It was not only logical and argumentative ; it was more-it was pow- erful, eloquent and convincing. *
* His peroration was equal to any oratory of the kind we ever listened to in or out of the state of Iowa." He was answered immediately by Ben M. Samuels, who in turn was answered by Mr. Nightingale for Mr. Grimes, who had become indisposed. Both well sustained their party principles.
Another strong Anti-Nebraska meeting was held at the court- house on August 4, 1854. The meeting was addressed by Chap- line, Rebman. Barney, Moreland and Nightingale, Whigs and Democrats. The meeting adjourned to meet again; various com- mittees were appointed. At the next meeting the speakers were William M. McNall. Wiltse, Chapline, Childs, Rebman and others. Mr. Wiltse's speech was particularly noted for its logic, candor and force.
At the August election, 1854, Dubuque county went Democratic by about 450, Bates, Democratic candidate for governor, receiving a majority of 432 over Grimes, Whig. The Whigs easily carried the state.
Upon receipt in May, 1854, of a telegram that the Kansas-Ne-
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braska bill had passed the Senate. the Democrats fired 100 rounds from the cannon and held a jubilee meeting. The Tribune groaned over the "ascendency of slavery" and lashed the Iowa senators who voted for the bill; this paper severely opposed the fugitive slave law. It published and circulated the following :
NEBRASKA SLAVE MARKET.
Constantly on Hand Negroes of All Ages; Boys and Girls, Men and Women, for Sale at Low Prices. Cash Paid for Horses, Cattle and Niggers. Douglas for President. George W. Jones, Agent for Iowa.
"Give the South the right to do just as it pleases about slavery and make it the duty of the non-slaveholding states to acquiesce and no man can prevent the reopening of the African slave trade," said the Tribune of September 6, 1854.
In November, 1854, many citizens went to Galena to hear Stephen A. Douglas. In September George W. Jones and Peter A. Lorimier had a personal encounter over political differences. The "new-fangled" Republican party was divided in October by the Democrats. In a lecture John Hodgdon said that the black race was not susceptible to education and culture and that efforts on behalf of that race were "bogus philanthropy." The vote in Dubuque county for governor in 1854 was: Bates (D.), 1,101; Grimes (W.), 669. Grimes was elected governor, to the great regret of the Democrats of Dubuque.
"The term Abolitionist, according to the present Democratic definition. appears to mean anybody who dares to open his lips against the vile effort to naturalise slavery extension. It is very important that these leading and easily understood political facts should be perseveringly kept before the people; for whenever they have fairly understood the present true position of the government and the Democratic party on the slavery question, except in a few demagog-ridden, office-hunting, whisky-soaking places like Du- buque, they have invariably subjected their dough-faced party leaders to a most unlooked-for, overwhelming and inglorious de- feat. *
* The fugitive slave act in its present odious form makes bloodhounds of us or incarcerates us in a common jail if we refuse to be put on the track of the fleeing slave. Our best men have been laid aside for any common party tool, until the floodgates of slavery have been thrown open in our very teeth, until the passage of the Nebraska bill. The fugitive slave law must be changed : we have submitted to it until further forbear- ance becomes criminal and ceases to be a virtue." (Tribune, Feb- ruary 18, 1855. )
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In the spring of 1855 all political isms united to defeat the Democrats here-Whigs, Know-Nothings, Native Americans, Free Soilers, Abolitionists, Maine lawists, etc. They called their ticket the "Peoples."
"Never before had Dubuque so much reason to be proud of a political victory as that achieved yesterday. All the isms com- bined have been overwhelmingly defeated by the Democracy. Know- Nothingism was grappled and cast into the dust. Bring out the cannon and let the victory be celebrated." (E. and H., April 3, 1855.)
John G. Shields (D.) was elected mayor over Mordecai Mobley (R.) by 704 to 434; the balance of the city ticket was elected ; thus the Democrats were in control here for the first time in sev- eral years. The Know-Nothings had lodges in this county in 1855. "Look out for the Phismarinks-the lying Know-Nothings," said the Express and Herald. The Democrats carried the county in August, 1855, the vote on candidate for county judge being : Stephen Hempstead (D.), 1,196; William Johnson (R.), 509.
Late in November, 1855, the new Republican paper asked point- edly for "the leaders of the Democracy here to define its position on any of the great leading questions of the day." This meant that what was wanted were the views of the Express and Herald in particular on the Kansas-Nebraska question, the new Republican party, Know-Nothingism, state sovereignty and the principles to be supported by the coming Democratic county and state conven- tions. The latter paper postponed answer, but said: "One of the principles of the Democracy is that the territory acquired by the blood or treasure of the people of the United States belongs to the people in common; and the Democratic party will maintain in- violate the rights acquired thereto by every citizen under the Con- stitution." (E. and H., December 1, 1855.)
In January, 1856, 250 persons signed a call for a meeting of all persons in the city "who repudiating all other party attach- ments, names and privileges and standing upon the broad plat- form of resistance to slavery aggression, are willing to unite them- selves together in defense of the liberties of the country and to co-operate as a Republican party." Among these names were those of Know-Nothings, Whigs, Americans, Free Soilers, Aboli- tionists, former Democrats, etc. The new party was called "Black Republican" by the Democrats. But the Republicans denied they had embodied all the diversified policies and principles of their constituent factions. It was stated that their organization was based upon an unalterable determination to curtail the aggressions of slavery. Fifty German citizens were among the number, but several of them deserted later. The meeting was held at the court- house and was largely attended. W. W. Hamilton was chosen chairman and C. C. Flint and Dr. Hillgartner secretaries. The
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