History of McDonough County, Illinois, together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of the representative citizens, Part 39

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1150

USA > Illinois > McDonough County > History of McDonough County, Illinois, together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of the representative citizens > Part 39

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arid plain becomes, as if by magic, fertile garden and blooming orchard, the camp of the aborigine gives way to the city of his more progressive brother; the smoke curling from his wigwam door is re- placed by that rising from the tall chim-

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

ney of the white man's factory; and 'human toil and drudgery becomes less and less necessary to maintain a bare existence, as the railroad, with its long trains winding o'er the prairies, brings to the pioneer who has preceded it, the welcome machinery which shall there- after assist in the toil his poor hands have been forced to do unaided.

And though more than a score of years had passed over the heads of Mc- Donough county's first settlers ere the first railroad pierced through her woods and prairies, yet her real prosperity and rapid advancement dates from that event.

Previously the settlers, or those who sold to them, were compelled to haul their goods from points so remote that it seems incredible at the present day, when goods are ordered and delivered at our doors from wholesale points within a few short days. And to market the stock and products of the soil required such lengthy drives and long hauling, as often render the small remuneration then received scarcely worth the trouble.

But McDonough county of to-day, like many other Illinois counties, does not want for railroad facilities. Thir- teen out of the 18 townships of the county are penetrated by this greatest of all enterprises, and the balance have an easily accessible market for the pro- ductions of the soil at but a few miles distant. Three lines of railroads cross the county-the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific, and the Rock Island & St. Louis and Galesburg and Quincy branches of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy rail- road.

This latter road, then known as the Northern Cross railroad, was completed

from Quincy to Galesburg in the fore part of the year 1856, and was the first line of road to be constructed in Mc- Donough county. As early as 1851, the subject of its construction occupied the minds of those who were favorable to the project, as a charter had been granted by the state for the erection of the same. It was proposed, under the pro- visions of the charter, to build a branch of the road through McDonough county, having its terminus at Clayton, in Adams county. However, the terminus was af- terwards changed to Quincy. During the days of railroad excitement, the fol- lowing extract is taken from a paper called the Independent, published at Macomb, by George W. Smith, as a cri- terion of the earnest work put forth by the friends of the project: " What is to be done in regard to the proposed road from Quincy to Macomb, and from here to Galesburg? The tinie for stopping- to consider the policy of such an enter- prise has passed away; and the benefits to be derived from such means of com- munication are held to be too self-evi- dent to need any additional argument advanced in their favor, for who, say we, cannot see in the advanced price of land, in the advantage of a ready market, in the increased facilities of communica- tion, in the spread of general intelli- gence, in the cheapened and quickened mode of transportation, a sufficient in- ducement to wish such an undertaking success, and say that its benefits are be- yond dispute? Perhaps, the facts of these truths being so plain and undenia- ble, has led to the lethargy and inaction of our people. But we must awake from our stupor; measures must be taken for

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

the securing of stock, of having the county become a stockholder to a liberal amount; of getting. individuals, who need only the solicitation of some active friend of the road, to become deeply in- terested in its completion. Then, friends of the road, be up and doing; farmers of McDonough, your interests are at stake, see that you neglect them not; merchant and mechanic, your welfare, too, is bound up in this scheme-with it will come your prosperity, without it you must lose immensely! Then, again say we, let us all at work! Let our un- tiring zeal and determined efforts show that we desire what we need, and must have a RAILROAD."

Mr. Clarke, in his history of McDon- ough county, has the following in regard to the construction of the first railroad through this county:

Meetings were held for the purpose of creating an interest in the proposed rail- road. On Wednesday evening, Novem- ber 5th, 1851, Hon. Calvin A. Warren, of Quincy, and General Darnell, of Hancock county, addressed the citizens of Macomb npon this important sub- ject. A committee was appointed to confer with the directors of the road, and at an adjourned meeting the next evening it was resolved to ask the county court to appoint an election at some suitable time, at which the people could vote on the question of taking stock in the road to the amount of $50,000, At another meeting held December 1, sub- stantially the same proposition was adopted, and on the second day of De- cember, Hon. B. R. Hampton appeared before the county court and presented the following resolution :

Resolved, That we respectfully request the honorable county court in and for the county of McDonough and state of Illinois, to submit to the people of said county a proposition to vote for or against the county of McDonough taking stock to the amount of $50,000 in the proposed railroad from Clayton to Galesburg, and that they be solicited to fix upon the third Monday in the month of March, A. D., 1852, for the purpose of taking said vote.

The court thereupon made the follow- ing order:

Therefore it is ordered by the court that the said proposition be submitted to the citizens of McDonough as requested in said resolution, and that the clerk of this court order an election to be held at the several election precincts in said county, on the third Monday in the month of March next, to take the vote of the county for and against the county taking stock in said railroad to the amount of $50,000; and that the clerk issue the notices of said election in the time and manner required by law; and that said election be held and conducted in all respects as other general and special elections required by the statutes are held and conducted. It is further ordered that the resolutions and pro- ceedings of said meetings be filed by the clerk.

The work now began in earnest. Hon. James M. Campbell, Dr. J. B. Kyle, B. R. Hampton, J. P. Updegraff, L. H. Waters, and others favorable to the road at once began the canvass. Mr. Camp- bell and Dr. Kyle traveled together, making speeches in nearly every school house in the county. Being in the dead of winter, travel was almost impossible, and had to be done on horseback. Still they were undaunted, and bound to se- cure the road, if possible. The oppo- nents of the road were not idle in the meantime, but used every means in their power to influence the people against it.

At a meeting held in Industry, ad- dressed by Dr. Kyle and Mr. Camp.

Continental Hisfi Co.

A. B. Stickle

LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

bell, an opportunity was given in which to hear objections, when the Hon. Cyrus Walker boldly took a stand against the road, and, not content with that followed the gentleman to Pennington's Point, and in a speech of an hour's length, en- deavored to show the fallacies of the ar- guments advanced in favor, and made many objections against the proposed im- provement. The recollection of the gigan- tic failures of the state in its system of public improvement had not been for- gotten, and Mr. Walker endeavored to show what might be the consequence should our county be so unwise as to vote the proposed aid. In answer to this plea, Dr. Kyle reminded him of the story of the woman who sent her little girl out to attend the fire in the oldfash- ioned brick oven, while she prepared the dough for. baking. Not returning, the mother became alarmed and went out to look for her. The fire was burning brightly in the oven, but no child was to be seen. Hearing a cry of distress around the other side of the house, the alarmed mother hastened to the place, supposing her child to be in great dan- ger. She found her weeping bitterly, and hastily inquired: "My daughter, what is the matter?" "O, mother," said she, "I was just thinking if I was a great big woman, just like you, and was married, and had a little girl, just like me, and while I was in the house mak- ing bread, I should send her out to fix the fire, and she should come out, with a smile upon her face, and crawl right into the fire, and get all burned up, what a terrible thing it would be!"

At another meeting held in Industry, as an illustration showing the flimsiness

of the opposition against railroads and other improvements, the doctor told how certain Germans and others living on the line of a proposed canal opposed it on the ground that they had a large amount of money invested in horses and wagons, and if the canal should be built, there would be no employment for them. The canal was built, and they found they could obtain just as much employ- ment as before, and at better prices. Mr. Walker, in reply, spoke of the doc- tor taking to water, and boasted of driv- ing him into the Miami canal, and stated that he would acknowledge that canals were a public benefit, but not so rail- roads. He was then asked why it was that no canals were now being built and railroads were being made throughout the whole land. This was not answered.

At a public meeting in Macomb, held in the court house, Mr. Walker remarked that he had been informed by a couple of prominent merchants in the town that one train of cars could carry away all the surplus products of McDonough county raised in one year, or that David Rall and Harry Perry, two well known teamsters in the town, could likewise re- move all its surplus produce, carry it forty miles to a market and return it with all the merchandise required by the inhabitants. Such being the case, said Mr. W., what use have we for a railroad; of what benefit will it be? He further, if the audience desired to know the names of the two merchants he could give them; they were Jonathan H. Baker and John W. Westfall. Mr. Baker was a very strong opponent of the road, and in March, 1852, contributed an article to the McDonough Independent relating to

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

a pretended conversation overheard in the postoffice between farmer Bangs and one of the committee appointed to can- vass the county in aid of the proposed road, in which the farmer has the best of the argument, of course.

At Blandinsville one of the speakers compared this section of country with that between Chicago and Galena, the latter country having a railroad, the former none. In one year from the time the railroad was completed between Chicago and Galena the country lying along its route increased ·in population 300 per cent., and in wealth 400 per cent., and asked if it could be accounted for in any other way than on account of her rail- roads. Del. Martin, a prominent citi- zen of the place, suggested it might be on account of that country being settled by the Yankees. Ever afterward the speaker made good use of Mr. Martin's reply to his question. When in a neigh- borhood composed principally of those emigrating from the south he would ask them if they would acknowledge such a conclusion was correct. . "Have these Yankees," said he, "more enterprise than you?" Is that the way you ac- count for this prosperity? No, sir; it all results from their having the ad- vantages afforded by a railroad." When in a Yankee settlement, he would ask them if they could not see the force of Mr. Martin's reply. "These Yankees," said he, "understand fully the laws of trade, and naturally go where they will be sure of a good market for their pro- ducts. In this they show their shrewd, common sense. Will you not follow and profit by their example?"

As the day of election drew near,

those favoring the road were fearful of the result. The county had not been thoroughly canvassed, and the people were slow to vote aid for any purpose. If the question could be brought squarely before them in order that they might see the advantages to be derived in the building of the proposed road, there could be no doubt of securing a majority of votes in aid of its construc- tion. It was therefore resolved by friends to secure, if possible, a postpone- ment of the election. A petition to that effect was presented to the county court, and that body, on the 6th day of March, 1852, revoked their former order for an election on the third Monday in that month, and made order for an election Saturday, May 22, for or against taking $50,000 stock in the Northern Cross railroad.

Renewed efforts were now made by the friends of the road, who worked day and night, for its success. As a result there were 817 votes cast for, and 644 against issuing the bonds, a majority in its favor of 173. The McDonough Inde- pendent, in speaking of this vote, says: "It may not be generally known that old McDonough polled 200 more votes than at any former election. This vote should stimulate to action every citizen of Mc- Donough, for it is a sure and certain in- dex of the growing prosperity of our county. We venture the prediction that in 10 years from this date we will, in number, almost double the vote just polled. 'So, look out for the cars when the bell rings.'" This prediction was more than fulfilled in eight years, viz: In 1860 the vote of the county was 4,638, or more than three times the number in

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

1852. This shows the value of the road. A year or more passed away, and still no road. Its friends were almost in despair, and its enemies jubilant, the soothing phrase, "I told you so," was repeated over and over again to the friends of the road until it became almost monotonous. The difficulty in securing eastern capital was the only im- pediment in the way, capitalists could not realize it would be for them a judi- cious investment. The president of the road, Hon. N. Bushnell, made repeated visits east to secure this aid, but without success. The first contract made by the road with this county was to the effect that, in its corporate capacity, it should subscribe $50,000 to its stock, issuing therefor its bonds, having 30 years to run, and bearing six per cent. interest. We presume arrangements were made with other counties on the proposed line of the road upon the same conditions. Mr. Bushnell found it utterly impossible to obtain money to complete the road upon such terms. The question now arose as to what should be done. Must the road be allowed to fail? Its friends said "No;" its enemies said, "How can you help it?" Individual subscriptions to the amount of $52,500 had been secured in this county for the building of the road, thus showing that our citi- zens felt a great interest in the success of the enterprise. It must be borne in mind that at this time there was not to exceed 8,000 inhabitants in the county, and they were of the poorer class, and to them this was a large sum.

Arrangements were finally made with eastern capitalists upon conditions thought favorable by Mr. Bushnell, and

upon the 29th day of June, 1853, at a meeting of the board of directors of the road, held in the city of Quincy, the fol- lowing resolutions were passed and cer- tified to the county court of McDon- ough county, at a special session held in Macomb July 6, 1853:

Resolved, That in locating and constructing the railroad from Quincy to Galesburg, the faith of the company is hereby pledged that the loca- tion shall be so made as to make Macomb, in McDonough county, a point on the line.

Resolved, That in case McDonough county will, in its corporate capacity, in lieu of the - $50,000 already voted, subscribe $75,000 to the capital stock of the company, payable in bonds bearing eight per cent. interest, the company will agree to pay until the road is put in opera- tion the whole distance from Quincy to · Gales- burg, all the interest which may accrue on said bonds, over and above the $3,000 annual interest which would accrue on the bonds already voted, so that no additional tax will be required in con- sequence of this increase of the county sub- scription. The interest thus advanced and paid by the company to be hereafter refunded out of the surplus dividends which may be declared on the county stock, after providing for the in- terest thereafter accruing on the bonds.

The board thereupon passed the fol- lowing order:

Whereas, by an act of the legislature of the state of Illinois, entitled "An act supplemental to an act entitled 'An act to provide for a general system of railroad incorporations,' approved November 6, 1849," the several counties in the state are authorized in the manner therein pro- vided to subscribe to the capital stock of any railroad company then organized or thereaf- ter to be organized under any law of this state, to an amount not exceeding $100,000:

And whereas, the court has been requested by a large number of respectable citizens and voters of this county to take the necessary steps to procure the vote of this county, at the earliest practicable period, for or against the subscrip-

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

tion by the said county of $75,000 to the capital stock of the Northern Cross railroad company, for the purpose of aiding in the construction of "the railroad of said company from the city of Quincy, on the Mississippi rivea, to the town of Galesburg, in Knox county.

And whereas, it is the opinion of this court, and, as they believe, of a large majority of the citizens and voters of the county, that the early completion of said railroad is of paramount im- portance for the future growth, improvement and prosperity of the county ; and that it is their interest and duty to aid by all reasonable means and to the extent of their ability, in raising the means necessary to secure the success of this important enterprise.

It is therefore by the court ordered, unani- mously, that Isaac Grantham, Esq., the clerk of this court, be directed to give such notice as shall be lawful, of an election, to be held in the usual place of voting in the several precincts of said county, on Saturday, the 20th day of Aug- ust, A. D. 1853, for the purpose of ascertaining the wishes of citizens, voters of said county, in reference to the subscription of said county of $75,000 to the capital stock of the Northern Cross railroad company; for the purpose of aid- ing the construction of said railroad from Quincy to Galesburg; said subscription to be paid in the bonds of said county at their par value; and payable 20 years after their respective dates to the Northern Cross railroad company, or bearer, with interest at the rate of 8 per cent. per an- num, payable semi-annually, according to inter- est coupons to be thereto annexed; both princi- pal and interest being payable in the city of New York; and said bonds to be issued to the said railroad company from time to time, in dis- charge of the regular assessments made on stock subscription, as they may fall due. Said election to conform to the provisions of the act mentioned in the foregoing preamble; and to be held and conducted in other respects, and the yotes counted and returns thereof made, by the judges and clerks of said election, as in elec- tions for state and county officers.

And it is also further unanimously ordered, that in case the citizens and voters of the county

at said election shall duly authorize a subscrip- tion by the county of the said $75,000, to the capital stock of said railroad company, for the purposes aforesaid, that the former vote of the county to subscribe $50,000 to the stock of said company, shall thereby be revoked, cancelled and annulled.

The friends of the road went immedi- ately to work, the result being, when the vote was counted upon the evening of August 20th, there were 1,145 votes for and 285 against the stock. The city of Quincy, but a few days before, by a vote of 1,132 to 3, voted an additional $100,- 000, making a total amount for that city of $200,000.

By the contract with the Northern Cross railroad, the bonds and coupons given in aid of the said road, were made payable in New York. At the Septem- ber term, 1859, of the board of supervis- ors, it was ordered that the coupons, due the following January, should be paid as usual. At the December term this or- der was rescinded, in consequence of a decision having been rendered by the supreme court of the state declaring that cities and counties have no right to make bonds issued in aid of railroads payable in the city of New York, and that coun- ties and cities, by such decision, are not legally bound on contracts to pay mon- eys anywhere else than at the city or county treasury. Contracts made to pay such indebtedness elsewhere than at said treasury are void, as the statutes of the state of Illinois do not authorize cities and counties to make a contract payable at any other place than at their treasury.

In March, 1860, in the supreme court, or the United States district court, suit was commenced by Van Hoffman et. al. against the county. At the June term

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

of the board of supervisors Hon. James M. Campbell was authorized to employ counsel, and, in the name of the county, to defend this suit. Mr. Campbell em- · ployed Messrs. Goudy & Waite, of Chi- cago, to take charge of the case. Before a trial was had the supreme court of the state, in a trial between Johnson vs .. Stark county, in a great measure over- ruled and revised the above decision. On learning this, Messrs. Goudy & Waite advised Mr. Campbell to pay the judg- ment which would be rendered against the county in the case, and it was accord- ingly done.

In the fall of 1855 the iron horse made

its first appearance in the county, and by January, 1856, the road was completed to Galesburg, where connections were made with the Central Military Tract railroad. to Chicago. From this date McDonough county has continued to make rapid progress, and we are fully convinced that no one regrets the aid rendered, though by the foreclosure of the mortgage on the road the entire amount of stock taken by the county, and by individual citizens, was lost. Property advanced rapidly in price, em- igration poured in, new farms were opened, and a market was obtained for all surplus produce raised.

CHAPTER XVI.

AGRICULTURAL, OLD SETTLERS AND OTHER SOCIETIES.

The subject of the organization of a county agricultural society began to be agitated quite early in 1854; but it was not until the following year that the same was consummated. On the 16th of April, 1855, several of the citizens of the county, who were interested in the agricultural and mechanical arts, met at Macomb, for the purpose of effecting an organization, having for its object im- provement in the same. W. J. Merritt was called to the chair, and S. K. Pedrick . appointed secretary. Remarks were made by various persons, and the feasi- bility and importance of the proposed

organization discussed. A constitution and by-laws were then adopted, and the following officers elected for one year: . Thompson Chandler, president; Joseph Lownes, William Brooking and S. K. Pedrick, vice-presidents; L. H. Waters, corresponding secretary; Joseph E. Wyne, secretary; and Joseph P. Upde- graff, treasurer. An executive commit- tee was, also, appointed, and books opened for membership. All these en- tered upon their duties at once, and the success being assured, a fair was an- nounced to be held on the second Thurs- day in October, to continue two days,

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HISTORY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY.

and a list of awards made out. Thomas Camp, a practical farmer of the county, was engaged to deliver the address. The old college grounds were obtained for the purpose of holding the fair. In speaking of the exhibition, the Macomb Enterprise, of October 25, says:

"Our county fair exceeded our most sanguine expectations. The weather was delightful, and the attendance on both days was very large. What surprised us most was the number of articles on exhibition." Then followed a descrip- tion of some of the most important, among which was Cy. Lawson's 800 pound pig, Broaddus' plows, Harker's hay rake, Price's washing machine, Har- ris' churn, some " 'orful' pumpkins, po- tatoes, wheat, and the handiwork of some of McDonough's fair daughters." The officers were all continued, and a fair an- nounced for Thursday and Friday, Octo- tober 9 and 10, 1856. This exhibition was an improvement upon the other, and it has been remarked that all exhibitions since have continued to improve. The exhibition was held at the same place as the year before, but the ground was found entirely too small for the purpose. Thomas E. Brannen delivered a most excellent address, and all were well pleased with the success of the society. The next year, 1857, the fair was held in the pasture of Thompson Chandler, in the northwest part of the town. Like those previously held, the fair was a suc- cess in almost every respect, and it was determined that renewed efforts should be made to make the society efficient and permanent. The grounds were leased from Thompson Chandler, fenced and cleared for the purpose of holding the

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History of McDonough County, Illinois, together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of the representative citizens, Part 39

Author: Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co. Number of Pages: 1150

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1150