USA > Illinois > St Clair County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume I > Part 52
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The first State election was held Sept. 17, 1818, resulting in the choice of Shadrach Bond for Governor, and Pierre Menard, Lieutenant- Governor. The Legislature, chosen at the same time, consisted of thirteen Senators and twenty- seven Representatives. It commenced its session at Kaskaskia, Oct. 5, 1818, and adjourned after a session of ten days, awaiting the formal admis- sion of the State, which took place Dec. 3. A second session of the same Legislature was held, extending from Jan. 4 to March 31, 1819. Risdon Moore was Speaker of the first House. The other State officers elected at the first ses- sion were Elijah C. Berry, Auditor; John Thomas, Treasurer, and Daniel P. Cook, Attorney-General. Elias Kent Kane, having been appointed Secre- tary of State by the Governor, was confirmed by
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the Senate. Ex-Governor Edwards and Jesse B. Thomas were elected United States Senators, the former drawing the short term and serving one year, wlien he was re-elected. Thomas served two terms, retiring in 1829. The first Supreme Court consisted of Joseph Phillips, Chief Justice, with Thomas C. Browne, William P. Foster and John Reynolds, Associate Justices. Foster, who was a mere adventurer without any legal knowl- edge, left tlie State in a few months and was succeeded by William Wilson. (See State Officers, United States Senators, and Judiciary.)
Menard, who served as Lieutenant-Governor four years, was a noteworthy man. A native of Canada and of French descent, he came to Kas- kaskia in 1790, at the age of 24 years, and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was lios- pitable, frank, liberal and enterprising. The fol- lowing story related of him illustrates a pleas- ant feature of his character: "At one time there was a scarcity of salt in the country, and Menard held the only supply outside of St. Louis. A
number of lis neighbors called upon him for what they wanted; he declined to let them know whether he could supply them or not, but told them to come to his store on a certain day, when he would inform them. They came at the time appointed, and were seated. Menard passed around among them and inquired of each, 'You got money?' Some said they had and some that they had not, but would pay as soon as they killed their hogs. Those who had money he directed to range themselves on one side of the room and those who had none, on the other. Of course, those who had the means expected to get the salt and the others looked very much dis- tressed and crestfallen. Menard then spoke up in his brusque way, and said, 'You men who got de money, can go to St. Louis for your salt. Dese poor men who got no money shall have my salt, by gar.' Such was the man-noble-hearted and large-minded, if unpolished and uncouth." (See Menard, Pierre.)
REMOVAL OF THE CAPITAL TO VANDALIA. - At the second session of the General Assembly, five Commissioners were appointed to select a new site for the State Capital. What is now the city of Vandalia was selected, and, in December, 1820, the entire archives of the State were re- moved to the new capital, being transported in one small wagon, at a cost of $25.00, under the supervision of the late Sidney Breese, who after- wards became United States Senator and Justice of the Supreme Court. (See State Capitals.)
During the session of the Second General
Assembly, which met at Vandalia, Dec. 4, 1820, a bill was passed establishing a State Bank at Vandalia, with branches at Shawneetown, Edwardsville and Brownsville. John McLean, who had been the first Representative in Con- gress, was Speaker of the House at this session. He was twice elected to the United States Senate, though he served only about two years, dying in 1830. (See State Bank.)
INTRODUCTION OF THE SLAVERY QUESTION .- The second State election, which occurred in August, 1822, proved the beginning of a turbu- lent period through the introduction of some exciting questions into State politics. There were four candidates for gubernatorial honors in the field: Chief-Justice Phillips, of the Supreme Court, supported by the friends of Governor Bond; Associate-Justice Browne, of the same court, supported by the friends of Governor Edwards; Gen. James B. Moore, a noted Indian fighter and the candidate of the "Old Rangers," and Edward Coles. The latter was a native of Virginia, who had served as private secretary of President Monroe, and had been employed as a special messenger to Russia. He had made two visits to Illinois, the first in 1815 and the second in 1818. The Convention to form a State Constitu- tion being in session at the date of the latter visit, he took a deep interest in the discussion of the slavery question and exerted his influence in securing the adoption of the prohibitory article in the organic law. On April 1, 1819, he started from his home in Virginia to remove to Edwards- ville, Ill., taking with him his ten slaves. The journey from Brownsville, Pa., was made in two flat-boats to a point below Louisville, where he disembarked, traveling by land to Edwards- ville. While descending the Ohio River he sur- prised his slaves by announcing that they were free. The scene, as described by himself, was most dramatic. Having declined to avail them- selves of the privilege of leaving him, he took them with him to his destination, where he eventually gave each head of a family 160 acres of land. Arrived at Edwardsville, he assumed the position of Register of the Land Office, to which he had been appointed by President Mon- roe, before leaving Virginia.
The act of Coles with reference to his slaves established liis reputation as an opponent of slavery, and it was in this attitude that he stood as a candidate for Governor-both Phillips and Browne being friendly to "the institution," which had had a virtual existence in the "Illinois Country" from the time Renault brought 500
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slaves to the vicinity of Kaskaskia, one hun- dred years before. Although the Constitution declared that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall hereafter be introduced into the State," this had not been effectual in eliminating it. In fact, while this language was construed, so long as it remained in the Constitution, as prohibiting legislation authorizing the admission of slaves from without, it was not regarded as inimical to the institution as it already existed; and, as the population came largely from the slave States, there had been a rapidly growing sentiment in favor of removing the inhibitory clause. Although the pro-slavery party was divided between two candidates for Governor, it had hardly contemplated the possibility of defeat, and it was consequently a surprise when the returns showed that Coles was elected, receiv- ing 2,854 votes to 2,687 for Phillips, 2,443 for Browne and 622 for Moore- Coles' plurality being 167 in a total of 8,606. Coles thus became Governor on less than one-third of the popular vote. Daniel P. Cook, who had made the race for Congress at the same election against McLean, as an avowed opponent of slavery, was successful by a majority of 876. (See Coles, Edward; also Cook, Daniel Pope. )
The real struggle was now to occur in the Legis- lature, which met Dec. 2, 1822. The House organized with William M. Alexander as Speaker, while the Senate elected Thomas Lippincott (afterwards a prominent Presbyterian minister and the father of the late Gen. Charles E. Lippin- cott), Secretary, and Henry S. Dodge, Enrolling and Engrossing Clerk. The other State officers appointed by the Governor, or elected by the Legislature, were Samuel D. Lockwood, Secretary of State; Elijah C. Berry, Auditor; Abner Field, Treasurer, and James Turney, Attorney-General. Lockwood had served nearly two years previously as Attorney-General, but remained in the office of Secretary of State only three months, when he resigned to accept the position of Receiver for the Land Office. (See Lockwood, Samuel Drake.)
The slavery question came up in the Legisla- ture on the reference to a special committee of a portion of the Governor's message, calling atten- tion to the continued existence of slavery in spite of the ordinance of 1787, and recommending that steps be taken for its extinction. Majority and minority reports were submitted, the former claiming the right of the State to amend its Con- stitution and thereby make such disposition of the slaves as it saw proper. Out of this grew a resolution submitting to the electors at the next
election a proposition for a convention to revise the Constitution. This passed the Senate by the necessary two-thirds vote, and, having come up in the House (Feb. 11, 1823), it failed by a single vote-Nicholas Hansen, a Representative from Pike County, whose seat had been unsuccessfully contested by John Shaw at the beginning of the session, being one of those voting in the negative. The next day, without further investigation, the majority proceeded to reconsider its action in seating Hansen two and a half months previ- ously, and Shaw was seated in his place; though, in order to do this, some crooked work was nec- essary to evade the rules. Shaw being seated, the submission resolution was then passed. No more exciting campaign was ever had in Illinois. Of five papers then published in the State, "The Edwardsville Spectator," edited by Hooper Warren, opposed the measure, being finally rein- forced by "The Illinois Intelligencer," which had been removed to Vandalia; "The Illinois Gaz- ette," at Shawneetown, published articles on both sides of the question, though rather favoring the anti-slavery cause, while "The Republican Advocate," at Kaskaskia, the organ of Senator Elias Kent Kane, and "The Republican," at Edwardsville, under direction of Judge Theophi- lus W. Smith, Emanuel J. West and Judge Samuel McRoberts (afterwards United States Senator), favored the Convention. The latter paper was established for the especial purpose of supporting the Convention scheme and was promptly discontinued on the defeat of the meas- ure. (See Newspapers, Early.) Among other supporters of the Convention proposition were Senator Jesse B. Thomas, John McLean, Richard M. Young, Judges Phillips, Browne and Reynolds, of the Supreme Court, and many more; while among the leading champions of the opposition, were Judge Lockwood, George Forquer (after- ward Secretary of State), Morris Birkbeck, George Churchill, Thomas Mather and Rev. Thomas Lip- pincott. Daniel P. Cook, then Representative in Congress, was the leading champion of freedom on the stump, while Governor Coles contributed the salary of his entire term ($4,000), as well as his influence, to the support of the cause. Gov- ernor Edwards (then in the Senate) was the owner of slaves and occupied a non-committal position. The election was held August 2, 1824, resulting in 4,972 votes for a Convention, to 6,640 against it, defeating the proposition by a majority of 1,668. Considering the size of the aggregate vote (11,612), the result was a decisive one. By it Illinois escaped the greatest danger it ever en-
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countered previous to the War of the Rebellion. (See Slavery and Slave Laws.)
At the same election Cook was re-elected to Congress by 3,016 majority over Shadrach Bond. The vote for President was divided between John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay and William H. Crawford-Adams receiving a plurality, but much below a majority. The Elect- oral College failing to elect a President, the decision of the question passed into the hands of the Congressional House of Representatives, when Adams was elected, receiving the vote of Illinois through its only Representative, Mr. Cook.
During the remainder of his term, Governor Coles was made the victim of much vexatious litigation at the hands of his enemies, a verdict being rendered against him in the sum of $2,000 for bringing his emancipated negroes into the State, in violation of the law of 1819. The Legis- lature having passed an act releasing him from the penalty, it was declared unconstitutional by a malicious Circuit Judge, though his decision was promptly reversed by the Supreme Court. Having lived a few years on his farm near Edwardsville, in 1832 he removed to Philadelphia, where he spent the remainder of his days, his death occurring there, July 7, 1868. In the face of opprobrium and defamation, and sometimes in danger of mob violence, Governor Coles per- formed a service to the State which has scarcely yet been fully recognized. (See Coles, Edward.)
A ridiculous incident of the closing year of Coles' administration was the attempt of Lieut .- Gov. Frederick Adolphus Hubbard, after having tasted the sweets of executive power during the Governor's temporary absence from the State, to usurp the position after the Governor's return. The ambitious aspirations of the would-be usurper were suppressed by the Supreme Court.
An interesting event of the year 1825, was the visit of General La Fayette to Kaskaskia. He was welcomed in an address by Governor Coles, and the event was made the occasion of much festivity by the French citizens of the ancient capital. (See La Fayette, Visit of.)
The first State House at Vandalia having been destroyed by fire, Dec. 9, 1823, a new one was erected during the following year at a cost of $12,381.50, toward which the people of Vandalia contributed $5,000.
EDWARDS' ADMINISTRATION .- The State elec- tion of 1826 resulted in again calling Ninian Edwards to the gubernatorial chair, which he had filled during nearly the whole of the exist- ence of Illinois as a Territory. Elected one of the
first United States Senators, and re-elected for a second term in 1819, he had resigned this office in 1824 to accept the position of Minister to Mexico, by appointment of President Monroe. Having become involved in a controversy with William H. Crawford, Secretary of the Treasury, he resigned the Mexican mission, and, after a period of retirement to private life for the first time after he came to Illinois, he appealed to the people of the State for endorsement, with the result stated. His administration was unevent- ful except for the "Winnebago War," which caused considerable commotion on the frontier, without resulting in much bloodshed. Governor Edwards was a fine specimen of the "old school gentleman" of that period-dignified and polished in his manners, courtly and precise in his address, proud and ambitious, with a tendency to the despotic in his bearing in consequence of having been reared in a slave State and his long connec- tion with the executive office. His early educa- tion had been under the direction of the celebrated William Wirt, between whom and himself a close friendship existed. He was wealthy for the time, being an extensive land- owner as well as slave-holder and the proprietor of stores and mills, which were managed by agents, but he lost heavily by bad debts. He was for many years a close friend of Hooper Warren, the pioneer printer, furnishing the material with which the latter published his papers at Spring- field and Galena. At the expiration of his term of office near the close of 1830, he retired to his home at Belleville, where, after making an un- successful campaign for Congress in 1832, in which he was defeated by Charles Slade, he died of cholera, July 20, 1833. (See Edwards, Ninian.)
William Kinney, of Belleville, who was a can- didate for Lieutenant-Governor on the ticket opposed to Edwards, was elected over Samuel M. Thompson. In 1830, Kinney became a candidate for Governor but was defeated by John Reynolds, known as the "Old Ranger." One of the argu- ments used against Kinney in this campaign was that, in the Legislature of 1823, he was one of three members who voted against the Illinois & Michigan Canal, on the ground that "it (the canal) would make an opening for the Yankees to come to the country."
During Edwards' administration the first steps were taken towards the erection of a State peni- tentiary at Alton, funds therefor being secured by the sale of a portion of the saline lands in Gal- latin County. (See Alton Penitentiary.) The first
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Commissioners having charge of its construction were Shadrach Bond, William P. McKee and Dr. Gershom Jayne-the last-named the father of Dr. William Jayne of Springfield, and father-in- law of the late Senator Lyman Trumbull.
GOVERNOR REYNOLDS-BLACK HAWK WAR .- The election of 1830 resulted in the choice of John Reynolds for Governor over William Kinney, by a majority of 3,899, in a total vote of 49,051, while Zadoc Casey, the candidate on the Kinney ticket, was elected Lieutenant-Governor. (See Reynolds, John.)
The most important event of Reynolds' admin- istration was the "Black-Hawk War." Eight thousand militia were called out during this war to reinforce 1,500 regular troops, the final result being the driving of 400 Indians west of the Mis- sissippi. Rock Island, which had been the favor- ite rallying point of the Indians for generations, was the central point at the beginning of this war. It is impossible to give the details of this complicated struggle, which was protracted through two campaigns (1831 and 1832), though there was no fighting worth speaking of except in the last, and no serious loss to the whites in that, except the surprise and defeat of Stillman's command. Beardstown was the base of opera- tions in each of these campaigns, and that city has probably never witnessed such scenes of bustle and excitement since. The Indian village at Rock Island was destroyed, and the fugitives, after being pursued through Northern Illinois and Southwestern Wisconsin without being allowed to surrender, were driven beyond the Mississippi in a famishing condition and with spirits completely broken. Galena, at that time the emporium of the "Lead Mine Region," and the largest town in the State north of Springfield, was the center of great excitement, as the war was waged in the region surrounding it. (See Black Hawk War.) Although cool judges have not regarded this campaign as reflecting honor upon either the prowess or the magnanimity of the whites, it was remarkable for the number of those connected with it whose names afterwards became famous in the history of the State and the Nation. Among them were two who after- wards became Presidents of the United States- Col. Zachary Taylor of the regular army, and Abraham Lincoln, a Captain in the State militia -besides Jefferson Davis, then a Lieutenant in the regular army and afterwards head of the Southern Confederacy; three subsequent Gov- ernors-Duncan, Carlin and Ford-besides Gov- ernor Reynolds, who at that time occupied the
gubernatorial chair; James Semple, afterwards United States Senator; John T. Stuart, Lincoln's law preceptor and partner, and later a Member of Congress, to say nothing of many others, who, in after years, occupied prominent positions as mem- bers of Congress, the Legislature or otherwise. Among the latter were Gen. John J. Hardin; the late Joseph Gillespie, of Edwardsville; Col. John Dement; William Thomas of Jackson- ville; Lieut .- Col. Jacob Fry; Henry Dodge and others.
Under the census of 1830, Illinois became entitled to three Representatives in Congress instead of one, by whom it had been represented from the date of its admission as a State. Lieu- tenant-Governor Casey, having been elected to the Twenty-third Congress for the Second Dis- trict under the new apportionment, on March 1, 1833, tendered his resignation of the Lieutenant- Governorship, and was succeeded by William L. D. Ewing, Temporary President of the Senate. (See Apportionment, Congressional; Casey, Zadoc, and Representatives in Congress.) Within two weeks of the close of his term (Nov. 17, 1834), Governor Reynolds followed the example of his associate in office by resigning the Governorship to accept the seat in Congress for the First (or Southern) District, which had been rendered vacant by the death of Hon. Charles Slade, the incumbent in office, in July previous. This opened the way for a new promotion of acting Lieutenant-Governor Ewing, who thus had the distinction of occupying the gubernatorial office for the brief space of two weeks. (See Reynolds, John, and Slade, Charles.)
Ewing probably held a greater variety of offices under the State, than any other man who ever lived in it. Repeatedly elected to each branch of the General Assembly, he more than once filled the chair of Speaker of the House and President of the Senate; served as Acting Lieu- tenant-Governor and Governor by virtue of the resignation of his superiors; was United States Senator from 1835 to 1837; still later became Clerk of the House where he had presided as Speaker, finally, in 1843, being elected Auditor of Public Accounts, and dying in that office three years later. In less than twenty years, he held eight or ten different offices, including the high- est in the State. (See Ewing, William Lee David- son. )
DUNCAN'S ADMINISTRATION .- Joseph Duncan, who had served the State as its only Represent- ative in three Congresses, was elected Governor, August, 1834, over four competitors-William
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Kinney, Robert K. Mclaughlin, James Evans and W. B. Archer. (See Duncan, Joseph. )
His administration was made memorable by the large number of distinguished men who either entered public life at this period or gained additional prominence by their connection with public affairs. Among these were Abraliam Lin- coln and Stephen A. Douglas; Col. E. D. Baker, who afterward and at different times represented Illinois and Oregon in the councils of the Nation, and who fell at Ball's Bluff in 1862; Orville H. Browning, a prospective United States Senator and future cabinet officer; Lieut .- Gov. John Dougherty; Gen. James Shields, Col. John J. Hardin, Archibald Williams, Cyrus and Ninian W. Edwards; Dr. John Logan, father of Gen. John A. Logan; Stephen T. Logan, and many more.
During this administration was begun that gigantic scheme of "internal improvements," which proved so disastrous to the financial inter- ests of the State. The estimated cost of the various works undertaken, was over $11,000,000, and though little of substantial value was real- ized, yet, in 1852, the debt (principal and inter- est) thereby incurred (including that of the canal), aggregated nearly $17,000,000. The col- lapse of the scheme was, no doubt, hastened by the unexpected suspension of specie payments by the banks all over the country, which followed soon after its adoption. (See Internal Improve- ment Policy; also State Debt.)
CAPITAL REMOVED TO SPRINGFIELD .- At the session of the General Assembly of 1836-37, an act was passed removing the State capital to Spring- field, and an appropriation of $50,000 was made to erect a building; to this amount the city of Spring- field added a like sum, besides donating a site. In securing the passage of these acts, the famous "Long Nine," consisting of A. G. Herndon and Job Fletcher, in the Senate; and Abraham Lin- coln, Ninian W. Edwards, John Dawson, Andrew McCormick, Dan Stone, William F. Elkin and Robert L. Wilson, in the House-all Representa- tives from Sangamon County-played a leading part.
THE MURDER OF LOVEJOY .- An event occurred near the close of Governor Duncan's term, which left a stain upon the locality, but for which his administration had no direct responsibility ; to- wit, the murder of Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy, by a pro-slavery mob at Alton. Lovejoy was a native of Maine, who, coming to St. Louis in 1827, had been employed upon various papers, the last being "The St. Louis Observer." The outspoken
hostility of this paper to slavery aroused a bitter local opposition which led to its removal to Alton, where the first number of "The Alton Observer" was issued, Sept. 8, 1836, though not until one press and a considerable portion of the material had been destroyed by a mob. On the night of August 21, 1837, there was a second destruction of the material, when a third press having been procured, it was taken from the warehouse and thrown into the Mississippi. A fourth press was ordered, and, pending its arrival, Lovejoy appeared before a public meet- ing of his opponents and, in an impassioned address, maintained his right to freedom of speech, declaring in conclusion: "If the civil authorities refuse to protect me, I must look to God; and if I die, I have determined to make my grave in Alton." These words proved prophetic. The new press was stored in the warehouse of Godfrey, Gillman & Co., on the night of Nov. 6, 1837. A guard of sixty volunteers remained about the building the next day, but when night came all but nineteen retired to their homes. During the night a mob attacked the building, when a shot from the inside killed Lyman Bishop. An attempt was then made by the rioters to fire the warehouse by sending a man to the roof. To dislodge the incendiary, Lovejoy, with two others, emerged from the building, when two or three men in concealinent fired upon him, the shots taking effect in a vital part of his body, causing his death almost instantly. He was buried the following day without an inquest. Several of the attacking party and the defenders of the building were tried for riot and acquitted -the former probably on account of popular sympathy with the crime, and the latter because they were guiltless of any crime except that of defending private property and attempting to preserve the law. The act of firing the fatal shots has been charged upon two men-a Dr. Jennings and his comrade, Dr. Beall. The former, it is said, was afterwards cut to pieces in a bar-room fight in Vicksburg, Miss., while the latter, having been captured by Comanche Indians in Texas, was burned alive. On the other hand, Lovejoy has been honored as a martyr and the sentiments for which he died have triumphed. (See Lovejoy, Elijah Parish; also Alton Riots.)
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