USA > Illinois > Cook County > History of Cook County, Illinois : being a general survey of Cook County history, including a condensed history of Chicago and special account of districts outside the city limits : from the earliest settlement to the present time, volume II > Part 1
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LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
977.31 G62hi v.2
ILLINOIS HISTORY SURVEY LIBRARY
1
Library friends
This book has been digitized through the generosity of
Robert O. Blissard Class of 1957
I IM
University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign
170
L.R.
Holabird & Roche Architects
NEW COOK COUNTY POORHOUSE.
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HISTORY OF
COOK COUNTY
ILLINOIS -BEING A GENERAL SUR- VEY OF COOK COUNTY HISTORY, INCLUDING A CONDENSED HISTORY OF CHICAGO AND SPECIAL ACCOUNT OF DISTRICTS OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS; FROM THE EARLIEST SETTLEMENT TO THE PRESENT TIME : :
EDITORS: WESTON A. GOODSPEED, LL. B. DANIEL D. HEALY
Of all the things that men can do or make here below, by far the most momentous, wonder- ful and worthy are the things we call books. -Fenelon.
IN TWO VOLUMES ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME II
THE GOODSPEED HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION CHICAGO
977.31 GGahi V.2
COPYRIGHT BY GOODSPEED HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 1909
HAMMOND PRESS W. B. CONKEY COMPANY CHICAGO
.
TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME II
HISTORY
CHAPTER PAGE 1
INCIDENTS, EAST AND WEST BOUNDARY; CANAL; DEARBORN PARK; MEMORIAL
BUILDING; RIVER AND HARBOR CONVENTION ; HISTORICAL SOCIETY ; RELIEF SOCIETY; COMMERCE ; WARDS; DRAINAGE; RAILWAYS; MARINE HOSPITAL ; STOCK YARDS; HORSE RAILWAYS; TUNNELS; PARK BOARDS; LAKE FRONT; TWELVE LABORS OF HERCULES ; LEGISLATIVE ACTS, ETC. 33
MISCELLANY; CANAL; MAJOR LONG'S REPORT; CAPTAIN GRAHAM'S REPORT; STATISTICS ; COMMERCE; LAND GRANTS; CAPTAIN CRAM'S REPORT; FORT DEARBORN RESERVATION ; THE HARBOR; COMMERCIAL HOUSES; SEWERAGE ; HYDRAULIC COMPANY, ETC. 66
EARLY SCHOOLS OF COOK COUNTY; TEACHERS; STATISTICS. 100
EARLY BANKING OPERATIONS; SHINPLASTERS; PANICS; NATIONAL BANKS ; CLEARING HOUSE, ETC. 131
COURTS ; JUDGES ; LAWYERS ; CHANGES, ETC. 199
COUNTRY TOWNS; SCHOOLS; CHURCHES ; MANUFACTURES; COMMERCE; VIL- LAGES ; SETTLEMENT; NEWSPAPERS ; SPORTS AND HUNTING; MERCHAN- DISING; LABOR; HOMES; DOMESTIC INFLUENCES; INCIDENTS; STATISTICS, ETC ..
251
EPIDEMICS ; PHYSICIANS; THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE; SOCIETIES, ETC. 365
COMMON COUNCIL OF CHICAGO, 1866-1909 388
COUNTY BOARD, 1868-1909. 480
POLITICS OF COOK COUNTY, 1866-1909 559
BIOGRAPHY AND REMINISCENCE. 693
BIOGRAPHY AND REMINISCENCE
PAGE
PAGE
Abbott, Dr. W. C. 790
Brand, Rudolph 699
Arnold, Oswald James 756
Brand, Virgil M. 781
Babcock, Adolph B 697
Branen, Dr. Frank 741
Barr, Robert C. 773
Brown, Walter Z. . 762
Becker, John W
707
Buchanan, James Nelson. 800
Bell, Oscar F 722
Buchanan, Ellen Maria (Paine). 801
Birk, Edward J 702
701
Birk, William A. 781
Bishop, Fred W 745
Blase, Hans 770
Blum, Meyer 805 769
Condee, Leander Devine. 765
Boland, Patrick J
Conley, Dr. Thomas J. 771
Bosch, Henry
759
Converse, Clarence Myron. 766
Boussoulas, Sotirios 715
Cooley, Lyman E. 743
Brand, Alfred 726
Cooper, Edwin 705
Brand, Armin W. 701
Cooper, Jaines 750
Brand, Philip R. 700
Cooper, John T 697
Beifeld, Joseph 792
Buchanan, Nelson 801
Biggio, Frank 775
Buchanan, Dr. Charles Henry ... .801
Buchanan, Edward Paine. 801
Birk, Jacob
Burns, William Henry 799
Byford, Dr. Wm. H. 811
Caldwell, Charles Edwin, M. D .. 784 801 Carr, George R.
193821
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Cooper, Albert H.
779
Cooper, Edgar H. .779
Cooper, George H. .780
Cooper, Abijah O 797
Countiss, Fred D.
693
Czaja, Peter
726
Czajkowski, Rev. B
733
Damiani, Dr. Joseph.
763
Davis, George Mortimer
764
Davis, Nathan S.
808
Decker, Theodore F.
,709
De Stefano, Gaetano S.
775
Dettmer, Rev. John 706
De Vries, Sietz J.
693
Dierssen, Ferdinand W.
798
Donat, Joseph L.
731
Donlon, Stephen E., M. D
695
Donovan, Col. James.
795
Dunphy, John M.
749
Dyniewicz, Casimir W
751
Dyniewicz, Wladislaus
750
Earle, Johnson
713
Erkenswick, Rev. Charles A. .705
Farnham, Harry J
767
Fenger, Christian
811
Folsom, Richard Sweet
785
Formusa, Vincent
776
Forward, Henry W.
724
Fraser, Norman D ..
795
Furey, Charles La Tour
.768
Geocaris, Angelos 713
Gialloreti, Dr. Vincenzo
718
Golombiewski, John
736
Gordon, Rev. Francis, C. R.
787
Gormley, Charles F
742
Gottfried, Carl M.
698
Grudzinski, Rev. Louis W. 732
Hahn, Frank
808
Hallberg, Lawrence G
754
Harris, Mark G.
806
Hart, Harry Stillson.
794
Harwood, Frederick H.
725
Hastings, Samuel M ..
767
Hess, Frederick A., M. D.
695
Hollander, Albert H.
710
Holmes, Dr. Edward M
772
Jaeger, George J
782
Jaeger, Philipp 782
Jarzembowski, Joseph
736
Jenson, William
.807
Jerozal, Stanley J.
734
763
Kapela, Joseph W
734
Karabasz, Rev. Francis J
728
Keely, Edward S
722
Klein, Albert S.
703
Koch, Edward John ..
786
Koester, George Frederick
760
Kott, John M.
777
Kowalewski, Bruno F
727
Krause, Frederick E.
771
Lagona, B. J.
783
Lambros, Peter S.
.714
Laskowski, Charles 735
Lemmon, Thomas A. 721
Llewellyn, Joseph C. .754
Lovell, Arthur W 742
Lyford, W. H .. 695
Lyman, David B. 783
Madsen, Jens B. .741
Marriott, Abraham R. 797
Marsh, Philip L .. 740
Mastroianni, Pasquale 716
Matz, Otto Herman .. .761
McBurney, Dr. Benjamin A. .768
McElligott, Hon. Thomas G. 796
McFell, Judson 707
McHugh, Dr. John A. 786
Mckay, Robert James 802
Melcher, Frank O 803
Mercola, Arcangelo 752
Milaszewicz, Vincent 730
Miller, Harry Irving 784
Miller, Kempster B. 802
Mudge, Henry U .. 804
Mulvihill, William F 799
Newkirk, Chauncey F .710
Page, Samuel S. 796
Paine, James S. .800
Palt, Frank J. 738
Pease, Fred M. 789
Pickard, Wilder A.
. 739
Piechowski, Rt. Rev. John . 737
Powell, Norman 778
Randak, Frank 732
Reed, Lawrence Joseph 762
Reichmann, Frank Joseph 757
Rice, Patrick Henry. 746
Roach, William F. 756
Robinson, Dr. Byron 804
Rodatz, Jacob 698
Romano, Antonio 758
Romanowicz, John 735
Rouse, Harry B. 704
Runge, George
748
Rybcinski, John A. .727
Sackett, Robert E.
723
Sayers, Benjamin F 778
Sankar, Louis Joseph. .798
Scharringhausen, Lewis B 747
Schwarz, Edward 805
Schiavone, Michael
Scott, Elwin D. 748
Senne, William
.806
Sheppard, George W 786
Skrypko, Rev. Alexander. 731
Slomski, John J.
705
Smith, Edwin M., M. D .694
Spalding, Charles F 794
Spalding, Jesse 793
Stamm, J. Charles, M. D 774
Starzynski, Edward
.729
Stearns, Dr. William M 790
Steiskal, Frank 712
Stromberg, Alfred
720
Stuchlik, William
718
.774
Johnson, Albert Mussey
PAGE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
PAGE
Stuchlik, William A 719
Walther, Frederick E. 780
Stuchlik, Edward
719
Ware, Dr. Lyman.
717
Szajkowski, Edmund .728
Wayman, John S.
708
Thompson, George F., M. D.
753
Weber, Frank C.
755
Thornton, Everett Austin 753
Weiss, John H .. 700
Tilden, William A 747
Wengierski, Frank 791
Troch, Herman J .770
Tuma, Josef 772
Wilkowski, John P. 733
Zamorski, Leon .737
Zander, Henry G ... 723
Zwierzchowski, Rev. John. 729
Waller, Edward C.
.807
Wilder, Dr. Loren. 743
Van Arsdale, Robert L
.726
Wachowski, Michael J
.731
Walker, George W 740
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ILLUSTRATIONS
NAME
PAGE
NAME
PAGE
Ap Madoc, W. T
373
Lundgren, W. E
.391
Arnold, Victor P
391
Luster, Max
175
Carr, Robert F.
247
Carr, George R.
247
Chicago Extensions, north
.553
Chicago Extensions, south
571
Converse, C. M.
103
Day, Edward S.
391
De Vries, S. J.
157
Donovan, James
211
Fetzer, W. R.
391
Fort Dearborn Addition, 1839
535
Fulton, H. D.
373
Gash, Abram Dale
121
Gordon, Fr. Francis, C. R
229
Harbor of Chicago, 1834.
445
Hawley, Henry S.
67
Healy, Daniel D 49
Hebel, Oscar
409
Hill, John W ..
283
Hoffheimer, Zach
391
Hruby, J. O., Jr.
.373
Keeney, Albert F
427
Kleeman, B. F
373
Lake Front Wearings, 1839
.499
Land Accretions, Lake
Shore,
1837
.517
Lantz, Walter A.
373
Lewis, Harry A.
427
Loeffler, William
301
Longhi, Emilio
355
Lorimer, William
193
Marshall, Thomas
.391
Mclaughlin, J. J
373
McMillen, C. S. .337
Michels, Nicholas .391
Miller, A. W
.409
Mills, Matthew
.373
Moody, Walter D
319
Northrup, John E
391
Olson, O. D.
391
Poorhouse, Cook County, new
.Frontispiece
Poulton, J. J.
.373
Rhodes, Carey W.
139
Rittenhouse, W. A
.391
River Mouth, Chicago, 1834.
481
Roe, Clifford G.
391
Schmidt, Walter E. 409
Shanahan, D. E
.373
Smejkal, E. J. .373
Smith, Claude F
391
Sollitt, Oliver
.373
Stromberg, Alfred
85
Sullivan, Jeremiah
.391
Ton, C. J.
373
Troyer, W. H
373
Wayman, John E. W.
.391
Weber, W. H.
409
White, George H.
427
Wilkerson, J. H.
427
Wolf, Adam
409
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS
MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS
T HE delegate from Michigan Territory in Congress, Mr. Lyon, in his arguments before the Committee on Judiciary, in 1831, argued in favor of the line passing east and west through the southern extremity of Lake Michigan. He stated that, "It is reported on the best authority that at the time of the admis- sion of Illinois, Nathaniel Pope, the delegate from that territory, himself acknowledged that he owed the success of his experiment in claiming north of this line, to the circumstance that no one felt interest enough to look into the matter and oppose him."
"Study and ingenuity, stimulated by interest, have within a few years found out that this is not all the boundary it was supposed to be; that it is merely a 'descriptive boundary' intended to be a limit for the people on one side and a license for those on the other; or, in other words, that the one or two States that Con- gress has authority to form in the Northwest Territory cannot ex- tend south of this line, while the three States already formed may extend north of it at pleasure."
"We are told that the State owns three hundred and forty lots in Chicago, which upon an average are worth not less than $2,000 each, and that they would at any time command this price at public sale. The State also owns Section 15, almost adjoining the town of Chicago, estimated to be worth $200,000, besides many other valuable tracts in the vicinity. Now we would ask why it was that this property, which in Chicago and its vicinity alone would have commanded a million of dollars, was not exposed to public sale at the time of the government land sales last summer, when there were millions of capital seeking investment? Had this course been pursued there would have been no necessity to resort to foreign cap- italists for a loan to construct the canal. A million of money, we are warranted in saying, would have been realized immediately. With this a large portion of the canal could have been completed ; and the residue of the lands on each side of the canal could have Vol. II-3.
33
34
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
then been sold for an amount greatly more than sufficient to have completed the whole work."-(Democrat, November 18, 1835. )
At a public meeting held at the Tremont house in September, 1834, Col. R. J. Hamilton presided and Edward W. Casey served as secretary. The following resolution was adopted: "Resolved, That the hospitality of the town of Chicago be respectfully tendered through the president of the Board of Trustees to the Polish exiles now in our town."-(Democrat, September 10, 1834.)
"Before the arrival of Messrs. Kinzie, Hubbard, and Hamilton, at Vandalia, with their suite, a canal bill better in all respects than that which has now become a law had passed the House of Repre- sentatives, which bill provided that the commissioners should be elected by joint ballot of the two houses. Perceiving this, and presuming that Mr. Hubbard would not be a commissioner if that bill should become a law, these worthy gentlemen then set them- selves about defeating the bill then before the Legislature, in order that the Governor might have the appointment of the commission- ers, and in this they unfortunately succeeded. It was not by any means a secret at Vandalia that these gentlemen were exceedingly anxious that the first bill should be defeated, and the reason assigned was that it was indispensable that Mr. Hubbard should be a com- missioner, and if that result could not be produced, it was better the State should do without a canal another year. Dr. Fithian, Mr. Hubbard's brother-in-law, a member of the House, voted against the bill, which provided for the election of the commissioners by the House. It was unquestionably the same powerful influence which obtained the passage of the Chicago hydraulic bill and other ob- noxious measures."-(Correspondent in Chicago Democrat, March 16, 1836.)
In the original subdivision of a tract of land in the western part of the southwest fractional quarter of Section 10, Township 39, Range 14, as platted and subdivided under authority of the Secre- tary of War in 1839, a square or tract of land in subdivision, a part of which is known as Dearborn park, was set aside for park pur- poses and so dedicated by the general government. As the circum- stances under which the dedication was made ceased to exist, the park could be used for other purposes. The growth and develop- ment of business rendered it worthless for the original purposes. Therefore it was enacted that the Soldiers' Home of Chicago, in- corporated under the act of February 28, 1869, be authorized and empowered to erect and maintain on the north quarter of a piece of ground now known as Dearborn park in that part of Chicago known as Fort Dearborn addition, and bounded on the north by the south line of Randolph street, on the east by the west line of Michigan avenue, on the south by the north line of Washington street, and on the west by the east line of an alley known as Dear- born place, a Soldiers' Memorial Hall building to commemorate the
35
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
virtues, sufferings and sacrifices of the soldiers and sailors of Illi- nois in the late Civil war. It was provided that such building when erected should be under the direction and control of the man- agers of said Soldiers' Home in Chicago, by all non-political organ- izations, by United States soldiers and sailors of the Civil war, without charge; no part should be rented for pecuniary profit ex- cept for charitable objects specified; that the main hall should be public for non-political meetings; that the directors of the Chicago Public Library should occupy portions of said memorial building for the storage of maps, charts, books, periodicals, papers, etc., relating to the late Civil war and the military history of the coun- try; that after the expiration of fifty years from the completion of said memorial building, the directors of the Soldiers' Home, at their option, might, by a two-thirds vote, turn over, transfer, and con- vey to the directors of the Chicago Public Library all right, title and interest in said building and grounds in perpetuity, provided the building should never be deprived of its distinctive character as a Soldiers' Memorial Hall for the use of soldiers and sailors.
In 1839 the following joint resolution was passed by the Illinois General Assembly: "Resolved, That the passage of the act of the General Assembly of Indiana, at their late session (of which offi- cial information is received), authorizing a connection of the Erie and Michigan canal of Indiana with the Illinois and Michigan canal of Illinois, thereby forming a continuous line of canal navi- gation from Lake Erie to the navigable waters of the Mississippi river, is recognized by this General Assembly as another magnani- mous manifestation, on the part of Indiana, of her settled disposi- tion to identify the best interest of the two States and to promote their common and national weal, and is most cheerfully recipro- cated on the part of Illinois."
The Legislature of Illinois in January, 1842, addressed a memo- rial to Congress praying for the establishment at Chicago of a ma- rine hospital, and among other things said: "The growing impor- tance of that city cannot have escaped the attention of your honora- ble body, in addition to the natural advantages for commerce which have increased within a few years far beyond the calculations of the most sanguine. In addition, on the completion of the canal connecting Lake Michigan with the Mississippi, the increase of commerce must be such as to require the same institutions there as at most other commercial cities of the United States."
"Chicago has been filling up with delegates of the People's (River and Harbor) convention for the last ten or fifteen days, but it was not until Saturday that the pressure became burdensome. When we arrived on the 'Oregon' at sunrise yesterday morning, there was scarcely a square inch of room in any public house, save in a few bed rooms long since bespoken. But the citizens had al- ready thrown open their dwellings, welcomed strangers in thou-
.
36
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
sands to their cordial and bounteous hospitality and the steamboats as they came in proffered their spacious accommodations and gen- erous fare to their passengers during their stay. The grand parade took place this morning, and though the route trav- ersed was short, in deference to the heat of the weather, the spec- tacle was truly magnificent. The citizens of Chicago, of course, furnished the most imposing part of it-the music, the military, the ships on wheels, ornamental fire engines, etc. I never witnessed anything so superb, as the appearance of some of the fire companies with their engines drawn by horses tastefully caparisoned. Our New York firemen must try again; they have certainly been outdone. I think New York had some three hundred delegates on the ground, among them John C. Spencer, J. De Peyster Ogden, Thurlow Weed, James B. Burton, Seth C. Hawley, George W. Patterson, Alain Bronson, John E. Hinman, etc. From New England the number present is smaller, but still considerable. I notice among them, John A. Rockwall of Connecticut, Elisha H. Allen, now of Boston, etc. From New Jersey there are six or eight ; from Pennsylvania I think fifty to one hundred, among them Andrew Stewart, Senator Johnson of Erie, etc. From Ohio the number may not be much greater, but among them are Tom Corwin, Governor Bibb, ex-Governor Mor- row, R. C. Schenck, John C. Wright, etc. From Georgia there are at least two here, and one is Thomas Butler King. There is one from South Carolina. Indiana, Missouri and Iowa are well repre sented, Michigan and Wisconsin have a large regiment each, while northern Illinois is here, of course, en masse. A judicious estimate makes the number present to-day 20,000 men, of whom 10,000 are here as members of the convention. The citizens .
had provided a spacious and beautiful tent, about 100 feet square, pitched in an open tract near the center of the city, radiating from a tall pole in the center and well provided with seats. It holds about 4,000 persons comfortably. The rest of the gathering were constrained to look in over the heads of those seated.
A general call was made for Thomas Corwin, of Ohio, which could not be stilled. He was conducted to the stand by John Wentworth. Although coming to the stand reluctantly, Mr. Corwin addressed the convention in his own inimitable manner on the relations and rela- tive character of the Puritans- on the wants and just demands of the West-the absurd folly of considering harbor improvements on salt water constitutional and on fresh water not so; and the mighty strides of the West to greatness and dominion. The vast assemblage was electrified by his admirable effort. In his letter, General Cass was content to say he could not (i. e., would not) come, and gave not the least expression of sympathy with the objects and de- sires of this convention. The letter excited much astonishment and was read twice at the urgent call of many delegates. The gen- eral expression was not flattering to General Cass. Andrew Stew-
37
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
art, of Pennsylvania, made a vigorous and animated speech in favor of internal improvements on comprehensive grounds. It was perhaps a little too plain and thoroughgoing for the weak stomachs of some present, who had but recently begun to profess friendship for internal improvements. It pleased right well a ma- jority of the convention, but brought up in opposition David Dud- ley Field of our city (New York) who favored us with an able and courteous speech in favor of 'Strict construction' and of such river and harbor improvements only as are consistent therewith. He was sharply interrogated by different members and in reply to their questions denied the right of the Federal government to im- prove the navigation of the Illinois river, since that river ran through a single State only, or of the Hudson river above a port of entry. A portion of the members manifested considerable impa- tience during the latter portion of this speech, which is to be re- gretted, for Mr. Field was perfectly courteous, not at all tedious, and fairly called out by the speech of Mr. Stewart. For my part I rejoiced that the wrong side of the question was so clearly set forth. In the afternoon, Abraham Lincoln, a tall specimen of an Illinoisan, just elected to Congress from the only Whig district in the State, was called out and spoke brightly and happily in reply to Mr. - Field. The resolutions having been read and accepted, Mr. Field very fairly objected to the last clause of the fifth resolution, affirming substantially that the ‘common understanding' of the Constitution, through a long series of years, 'has become as much a part of that instrument as any one of its most explicit provisions.' This ought to have prevailed, but it did not. Thomas Butler King, of Georgia, made a most admirable speech in favor of river and harbor improvements and internal improvements generally. It was really a great speech, thoroughly national in its spirit and looking to the good of all.
On the last day the convention came together thoroughly resolved that no topic should be considered which might mar the harmony and unanimity with which the resolutions of the committee had been received and adopted yesterday ; so that suc- cessive efforts to get before it the project of a railroad to the Pa- cific, the free navigation of the St. Lawrence, etc., were promptly and decidedly thwarted by the undebatable motion to lay on the table.
Previous to putting the motion for final ad- journment, the president of the convention, Edward Bates, of Missouri, returned thanks for the honor done him in a speech which took the convention completely by surprise-so able, so forcible and replete with the soul of eloquence. I will not attempt to give an account of this wonderful speech-no account that can now be given will do it justice. In the course of it he said that when he emigrated in 1812 to the French village of huts called St. Louis, which has now 50,000 inhabitants, he was obliged to hire a guard
38
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
against hostile savages to accompany him across the unbroken wilderness which is now the State of Illinois with a civilized population of 600,000 freemen. His speech was greeted at its close by the whole convention rising and cheering long and fer- vently. . .. The convention, upon its adjournment, was instantly reorganized as a committee of the whole (with Horace Greeley as chairman), and Gov. William Bibb, of Ohio, took the stand. He dwelt upon the diffusion of intelligence, the purification of morals, and the amelioration of the social condition of man. He brought sharply and eloquently out that 'vain will be all your canals and railroads, your river and harbor improvements, if the condition of the toiling millions be not timely or therewith sensibly amelio- rated-if they shall still be constrained to delve twelve to fourteen hours per day for the bare necessaries of physical life. I hold,' said he, 'that this need not and ought not to continue-that society may be so revised that ten or eight hours' faithful labor daily will secure to every industrious man or family a full supply of the necessaries and comforts of life, so that each may have ample leisure to devote to the cultivation and perfection of his moral, social and intellectual powers.' A. W. Loomis, of Pittsburg; Gen. Lewis Hubbell, of Milwaukee; S. Lisle Smith, of Chicago; Anson Burlingame, of Massachusetts, late of Michigan; E. H. Allen, of Boston, and Horace Greeley, of New York, were called out in succession and each responded briefly. The speech of Mr. Smith, of Chicago, regarded as an oratorical effort, was the best of the many good speeches made here within these three days .- It was beautiful, thrilling, brightly poetic-enchaining and enrapturing the audience. I will not attempt to sketch it. Mr. Allen's remarks were very happy in a very different vein-these two affording striking illustrations of Western and Eastern popular speaking, respectively. William M. Hall, of Buffalo, advocated a series of resolutions offered by him concerning the proposed railroad to the `Pacific. His resolutions were adopted as the proceedings of the mass meeting and not by the Rivers and Harbor convention. Thus has met, deliberated, harmonized, acted and separated one of the most important and interesting conventions ever held in this or any country. It was truly characterized as a congress of free- men, destitute of pay and mileage but in all else inferior to no deliberative body which has assembled within twenty years. Can we doubt that its results will be most beneficent and enduring ?" --- (From a series of letters written on the ground by Horace Greeley and published in the New York Tribune in July, 1847.)
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