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

Author: Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Goodspeed Publishing Co; Healy, Daniel David, 1847-
Publication date: c1909
Publisher: Chicago : Goodspeed Historical Association
Number of Pages: 802


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


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83



1


1


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


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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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