USA > Iowa > Story County > History of Story County, Iowa; a record of organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 49
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INTERNATIONAL FIGHTS.
There were three notable campaigns for the nomination for governor during this decade, in which Story County took an active interest. In 1881. the principal candidates were Buren R. Sherman and William Lar- rabee. Story County politicians were generally for Sherman; but. in the county convention they failed to handle the matter according to their expec- tations, and the delegation as chosen was 7 for Sherman and 4 for Larrabee. and voted thus through the protracted balloting which resulted in the nomi- nation of Sherman. In 1885. the candidates in the preliminary contest were Senator Larrabee again. Captain llull and Judge Given. The two last were
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both from Polk County, and after dividing their delegation there, the fight extended to Story, where there was also a strong support for Larrabee. The county convention took a ballot to express its sentiment, with the re- sult that there was a close division between Given and Larrabee, with Hull holding the balance of power. After an interesting debate, in which J. W. Maxwell, T. J. Miller and others participated, another ballot was taken, and the Hull men threw their support to Given, thus giving him the endorse- ment. Given, however, did not stick as a candidate for governor, but on the eve of the state convention changed his candidacy to supreme judge. The Story delegation being thus relieved from their instructions, divided much according to the original alignment, giving about equal vote to Lar- rabee and Hull. Hull was beaten by Larrabee, however, and Given was also beaten for supreme judge by Judge Beck. Larrabee was renominated and elected, as had been Sherman before him, but in 1889, there was another contest for delegations over the state, the leaders being Captain Hull and H. C. Wheeler of Sac County. In these days, there was a good deal of the soldier issue in politics, and also a good deal of the farmer issue, and in this canvass, the soldiers quite generally rallied for Hull, while the farmer influence was rather for Wheeler. In Story County, the soldiers predominated, and a strong and instructed delegation for Hull was elected. In the state convention, however, the Hull and Wheeler forces were nearly equal in strength, and the balance of power was held by several minor can- didates, so that the leaders killed each other off. The nomination finally went to J. G. Hutchinson of Ottumwa, who was defeated in the election by Gov. Boies. In this first Republican defeat in the state since the pioneer days of the latter forties and early fifties, before Story County was settled, Story County had really no part ; for then and in the succeeding years, when the Republican party was struggling hard for its ascendancy in the state, Story was habitually the county giving the largest republican majority of any county in the state.
JUDICIAL CONVENTIONS.
A number of interesting judicial contests occurred in this decade. The first was in 1880, when the judicial convention was held at Marshalltown and D. D. Miracle of Webster City was nominated for circuit judge over H. C. Henderson of Marshalltown as his principal opponent. A year later, following the decease of Judge Mckenzie, the district judge, a special judi- cial convention was held at Ackley to nominate his successor, and Hender- son was this time nominated, although not without a long fight. His prin- cipal opponent was S. M. Weaver of Iowa Falls, who was afterwards dis- trict judge and is now supreme judge. In 1882 Henderson was renomi- nated as district judge, and Stevens with him for district attorney, both without opposition, and in 1884 Miracle was similarly renominated for circuit judge. In 1884, however, a constitutional amendment was adopted
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authorizing the general assembly to increase, at its discretion, the number of district judges in the state, and thus making it practicable to abolish the circuit court and consolidate its jurisdiction and labors with those of the district court. At the same time, the office of district attorney was abolished, and the office of county attorney created. The General Assembly of 1886 passed laws in conformity with these constitutional amendments, and it assigned three district judges to the Eleventh Judicial District. Judge Henderson, of the District Court, was not, in 1886, a candidate for renomi- nation ; but Judge Miracle was a candidate for transfer from the circuit to the district bench and District Attorney Stevens was a candidate for pro- motion from his office to that of district judge. Other candidates were Mr. Weaver of lowa Falls, Mr. Hindman of Boone, Judge Bradley of Mar- shalltown, and Mr. Hemmingway of Hampton. There was considerable combination in advance of the convention among the candidates, and the outcome of the matter was likely to turn largely upon the delegation from Marshall County. In that county, the Soldiers' Home issue figured to a considerable extent. The General Assembly which reorganized the Judicial System had also provided for the establishment of a Soldiers Home; and after very extended struggles, the institution had been located at Marshall- town. Mr. Weaver had been a prominent member of the legislature and had put Marshalltown under strong local obligations. Weaver was thus able to beat out Bradley in his own county ; and a controlling alliance between Weaver, Miracle and Stevens was therefore easily successful. In 1888. Judge Miracle resigned on account of rapidly failing health, his death oc- curring soon afterwards, and the convention to name his successor was held at Webster City. Mr. Nagel of Wright County had the largest number of votes in this convention, but the situation was effectively controlled by the delegations from other counties having candidates, but quite unable to agree with each other. The balloting lasted all the afternoon and far into the night. At one time, Binford of Marshall County was nominated, but votes were changed away from him before the announcement of the ballot. Finally, by one of the combinations that are formed very suddenly in con- ventions, D. R. Hindman of Boone was nominated by 39 votes to Nagel's 38. Thus Hindman entered upon his ten years' service upon the bench. In the most of these judicial fights, Story County was in the winning combination, it having assisted in the nominations of Miracle, Henderson and Stevens and his associates ; but in this last convention, the understand- ing of the delegation that it was to help Hindman to a nomination when- ever it could do so, was not carried out, and the final vote was for Nagel. The judicial conventions of the decade closed in 1800 with the unanimous renomination of Weaver, Stevens and Hindman.
TWO TERMS AND OUT.
The great political struggle with which the decade closed, was the one against long terms in county offices, and for the establishment of a two term
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rule. As has been before noted, the court house combination, which in- cluded McCarthy in the auditor's office, Mills in the treasurer's office, Roe in the superintendency, and, at various times, Smith, Boyes and Banks in their offices, was probably the strongest that was ever intrenched in the Story County court house; but in course of time, there will be popular discontent against any political combination, and by 1889, the volume of such dissatisfaction in the county was considerable, moreover it was increased rather than diminished by McCarthy's success in dropping the auditorship and becoming a candidate for representative. The Republican County Con- vention that made the nominations, was substantially unanimous, and, with- out any appearance of prospective trouble. The Democratic party in the county was by this time without recognized organization, but an independ- ent movement was started from the outside, and a mass convention was held at the court house, and attended by perhaps 30 or 40 men. The move- ment did not, in its inception, appear formidable ; but the convention was fortunate in its action, nominating John M. Wells of Nevada for represen- tative; Oliver M. Johnson, who was then at Slater, for treasurer, and Miss Hattie Watts of Ames for superintendent. Candidates for other offices on the regular ticket were not disturbed, including Curt. Wood for sheriff, who had had a close run two years before, but who this time was elected almost unanimously. The three candidates chosen represented fairly the disaffected elements about Nevada and about Ames, and among the Nor- wegians, and Mr. Wells was a candidate well qualified to lead the canvass. The year was an unfortunate one for the Republicans in the state, and Huchinson was defeated by Boies for governor ; but the local fight absorbed so thoroughly the attention of the people of Story County that they had very faint understanding of the general troubles in the state; and, while the local vote was torn to pieces, there was a straight vote from both ele- ments for the state ticket. Still it may be that the disaffection in the county was of the same order as that in the state, but found simply a different vent for its expression. At any rate, the canvass was energetic, and the opposi- tion fought with real hope of success. In the end, the regulars were elected by majorities of 146 for Mills; 189 for McCarthy and 230 for Roe; but, though the opposition was unsuccessful in electing its ticket, it did succeed in establishing the doctrine for which it contended ; for the long term policy was effectually discouraged. In the following year, the county convention resolved definitely for the rule of two terms and out, and the rule continued, without a break, until Mr. Wells himself was in 1908 elected to his third term as county surveyor. The election of McCarthy over Wells was prob- ably an important matter in state and national politics; for, as the matter proved, the republicans and the opposition had an equal strength in the state house of representatives, and the Republicans a bare majority, includ- ing one or two Independents, in the state senate. Senator Allison was a candidate for re-election before that general assembly, and was re-elected by a barely sufficient number of votes. McCarthy was for Allison, whereas
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Wells, if elected, would undoubtedly have favored an independent move- ment in favor of Gov. Larrabee ; and it is very possible, not to say probable, that if there had been a few more votes in Story County for the Independ- ent Ticket, Senator Allison's public career would have been shortened by some seventeen years.
CHAPTER XLII.
AFFAIRS IN THE NINETIES.
The decade of the Nineties was ushered in with the biggest boom in real estate which Story County had yet enjoyed. From the time of the first entry of the lands of the county up to the time now under considera- tion, the advance in the price of land had been quite gradual. The county had been settled and improved, but not until about the beginning of this decade was the land all actually occupied. Up to this time there had been considerable tracts in most portions of the county and particularly in the North-eastern portion, that were still held by speculators who were con- tented to pay taxes and hold the land without actual tillage, for such profits as was to be had from the general improvement of the country and the con- sequent rise in value of their property. At this time, however, several things happened. The farms were virtually partitioned and fenced. The election of Harrison in 1888 and the enactment of the Mckinley Tariff in 1890 was followed by a general era of national prosperity, and the migra- tion to the Dakotas, which had been for several years the most noted move- ment of population, had been suddenly checked by drouth and grasshoppers. People who had moved from Iowa to the Dakotas began coming back. while Illinoisans who had been disposed to jump over Iowa into the Da- kotas, suddenly conceived the idea of selling their farms in Illinois and moving to Iowa. The migration from Illinois, which was something new in lowa, and the return from the Dakotas, therefore met in a territory which was already barely occupied. The result was a very sudden apprecia- tion of Story County lands: although the price attained woukl now seem very cheap, and it was about this time that T. C. McCall, who probably understood real estate values in the county as well as any man here and had as high aspirations for the future of the county as had any, and was. in fact, one of the heaviest land owners in the county, ventured the prediction that Story County land would, in the life time of people living here, be worth, all of it, $50.00 per acre. Also it was only a little after this time that Geo. C. White came from Illinois and bought the J. C. Lovell farm for $53.00 per acre, this being top notch for Story County land up to that time. But the gain during the decade, which was thus moderately started, con- tinued until the end ; so that the standard farm which, in 1890, had been worth perhaps $40.00 per acre was, by 1900, worth not less than $75.00.
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It was a steady improvement, in face of some conditions not so favorable as those already mentioned; and the fact that in another decade the value of the farms has substantially doubled again, has nothing to do with the proposition that the gain in the nineties was one concerning which the people of the county had occasion for much satisfaction.
Of the adverse conditions mentioned, there were several. The second election of Cleveland in 1892 had been succeeded immediately by the panic of 1893, and a year later by the enactment of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff, during the period of which there was much discussion as to what was the matter with the country, but no disagreement upon the general proposition that the country, as a whole, was much less prosperous than it had been for some years previous, nor would there be a dispute now that in the years since the country has been more prosperous than it was during that same period. Also, in 1894 there was, in this part of lowa and in the Trans- Mississippi county generally, more nearly a failure of crops than this part of the country had previously known. The summer was exceedingly hot and dry, and in the latter part of July there were experienced about two days of the hottest weather ever known in Central lowa. The prevailing temperature of the second of these days was 109. the fact being that a simoom from the far South-west had reached a portion of the country that is supposed to be exempt from such visitations. The effect was wither- ing upon the corn and other products, and the only people who profited from it were the few of a speculative turn who proceeded to buy corn on the Board of Trade, before the brokers who ordinarily milked the country were able to comprehend what had been happening. The consequent crop failure coming at the same time as the general low ebb in national pros- perity, made the period the most difficult which the people of this county had experienced since the pioneer days ; but the farmers found ways of fod- dering their stock that had previously been quite neglected. and ultimately the stock was carried through the winter, and the county withstood the strain until the next year. Then conditions were very different as to the crops, and there was harvested the biggest and best crop of corn which had been up to that time, or was until quite a number of years later, ever gath- ered in the county. The generally prevailing conditions prevented this unprecedented corn crop from being marketed at a satisfactory price; but it furnished abundant feed for stock, and the prosperity of the county was already coming up when Mckinley was elected and the Dingley Tariff enacted and the subsequent notable rise in national prosperity occurred.
TOWN IMPROVEMENTS.
During this period Nevada and Ames each got something of a boom, Nevada's coming perhaps a little the sooner, and including a new county jail ; but Ames' boom coming perhaps the stronger. In 1891, 1892, 1893 and 1894 especially, there was a very rapid building in Nevada of modern homes, and
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the general character and appearance of the residential portions of the town were affected much thereby. In 1892 Nevada had grown sufficiently so that a census locally taken showed that it had the 2,000 population neces- sary for reorganization as a city of the second class, and it was accordingly so reorganized early in 1893. Ames very soon afterwards extended its corporation so as to include the college, and with this acquisition, it also was able to show the necessary 2,000 population and it became a city of the second class about a year later. Nevada had previously put in its first water works in 1888, and Ames followed it with its first water works sys- tem early in the 'gos. Very early in the decade also Ames made another improvement which was much more important than any previously made there, and has had more to do with the city's more recent development than has anything else. This was the construction of the Ames and College rail- road. This railroad was for the most part a local enterprise, promoted in the first instance, largely, by Boone parties, but managed for the most part by Ames people and put through with Ames capital. The rolling stock with which the road, when completed, was provided was not such as to arouse the unreserved enthusiasm of the people who used the line, and the motive power was commonly referred to as the "dinky;" but the railroad nevertheless afforded convenient transportation at the five cent rate between the town and the college, whereas, previously, the transportation had been much less convenient by bus, at a ten cent rate. A very proper and im- mediate effect was the establishment of much closer relations between the college and the town, which closer relations were to the benefit of both.
It was not, however, until near the close of the decade that the events occurred, making the most radical change in the relations of the town and the college. The first of these events was the burning of the north portion of the old main building of the college, which event made it obvious that the rest of the building would ultimately go also. The first fire took a large portion of the dormitories of the institution, and the trustees promptly adopted and announced the policy that the dormitories would not be re- placed, and that as soon as practicable, the institution would go out of the dormitory business. The destruction of the dormitories, followed by this announcement, was equivalent to a notice to the people of Ames that they must provide boarding houses for the people at the college, particularly the young men students; it still being the policy of the college to maintain a certain amount of boarding accommodations for the young women. At the same time, and following the introduction of what has been designated as "Mckinley Prosperity." there was a sudden and rapid increase in the number of students attending, not only the College at Ames, but American colleges generally. The combination of more students and less dormitories and new and better transportation between the college and town, all coming more or less together, along with other favorable influences, launched Ames on a period of growth and prosperity, such as no other Story County town has ever enjoyed and which few towns in this part of the state have at any
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one time enjoyed. The town has forged ahead rapidly ; it has further ex- tended its territory : has filled up well its old inhabited section east of Squaw Creek, and built up a new and prosperous section, west and south- west of the college.
During this decade also. smaller towns of the county were generally incorporating, where they had not previously done so. Water-works and other improvements were introduced in Story City and Maxwell, and prac- tically all the towns in the county had their municipal government. Street improvements and sidewalks were multiplied in all the towns, and electric lights also were introduced in Nevada and Ames. The county and its towns together were becoming improved, developed and modernized.
COLLEGE GROWTH.
It was in the early nineties that the lowa Agricultural College was launched on its second period of development. As has been previously noted, the enforced retirement of President Welch in the middle Eighties had been followed first by an era of contention and then by another of not especially efficient administration under President Chamberlain. Early in the Nineties, however, a new bunch of College Alumni found places on its board of trustees, and by 1891, they were ready to attempt a reorganization of the college. This reorganization called for a new and broader president and a new and more effective organization of the agricultural department of the institution. The general scientific part of the institution had grown steadily and had been perhaps, in later years, typified by Prof. Stanton and other professors of considerable standing in the institution, although not necessarily advanced in years ; but the agricultural part of the institu- tion had never gained the importance that was reasonably implied by the name of the college, as the "Iowa Agricultural College." The general de- mand for the services of the engineering profession was also becoming such as to make it worth while to emphasize more the engineering department of the institution.
So, with a proper appreciation of what the institution ought to be. the trustees secured the services of Dr. E. M. Beardshear as president and they also chose as head of the agricultural department Hon. James Wilson. popularly known as "Tama Jim." of Traer in Tama County. President Beardshear was possibly young for his promotion ; but, unlike President Hunt, he was qualified both by ability and experience. He had been presi- dent of the small college at Toledo, and from there had gone to the uper- intendency of the West Des Moines City Schools. He was a man of cul- ture, broad aspirations, great personal attractiveness and possessed of a rare gift of understanding and getting on good terms with young people. Mr. Wilson was experienced in both agriculture and politics. Always a Farmer. he had been speaker of the General Assembly, and congressman and rail- road commissioner, as well as a writer on agricultural topics. He was
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exactly the man to head the department of agriculture in the institution and in co-operation with young men of more scientific training to give that de- partment the standing which such a department ought to have in a state whose interests are so strongly agricultural as is the case in Iowa. One of the young men who came in at this time was Chas. F. Curtiss of Story County, who had graduated from the agricultural department of the college some years before and was then statistical agent for the state of the Agri- cultural Department at Washington, and who, later on and before the con- clusion of the decade, succeeded Mr. Wilson in the management of the de- partment upon the great promotion of the latter to the position of secretary of agriculture in President Mckinley's cabinet, which position he has since retained under President McKinley's successors.
The reorganization of the college, under such management, was a matter of very much consequence ; and the institution gained rapidly in the estima- tion of the state. Its name was broadened to that of the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, and its work was made to correspond to the name. Under such conditions, the college entered upon a new era of usefulness, the acme of which, however, was not reached until the before mentioned flood of new students, came into the college with the re- vival of national prosperity about the close of the decade.
THE COUNTY JAIL.
In 1890, the county supplemented its construction of the court house by ordering the building of a suitable county jail, and the building was put up during the year 1891. The vote for the jail and sheriff's residence was not, by any means, unanimous ; but it was carried by a considerable majority. The old jail, which had stood for many years, on the block west of the court house, had become manifestly inadequate; and the board of super- visors submitted the question of voting $10,000 bonds for a new one. It was before the days of the Australian ballot, and by arrangement of both Republican and Democratic County committees, the ballots distributed throughout the eastern half of the county were all printed "For Jail Bonds," and were without the accompanying "Against Jail Bonds" which was also printed on the ballots for the west part of the county. In Ames and one or two other places, the vote was adverse; but the bonds carried in most of the county. Up to this time, the court house had had but half a block ; but now, by cooperation of the county and the city of Nevada, the south half of the same block was also secured, and thus the whole block dedicated finally to the county buildings.
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