USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > History of the city of Quincy, Illinois > Part 29
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The especial national excitement of this year was the coming to America of the noted
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patriot and exile Kossuth, who was warmly welcomed all over the land by manifestations of sympathy and respect such as have been ac- corded to no foreigner except when Lafayette made his tour through the United States in 1824-25. Beside the interest that he attracted as being the most eminent representative of re- publican freedom in Europe. he was an orator of most graceful and persuasive nature. Hle was gifted with a lingual facility that enabled him to use the English language with a readi- ness and aptitude equal to Carl Sehurz, to whom, while he was inferior in force and orig- inality of intelleet, he was far superior in elo- cutionary grace. The "Kossuth craze," as it was called, pervaded the whole country. Quiney, as well, and the Mayor, always alive to catch a popular feeling, placed before the conn- cil a proposition to officially extend to Kos- suth the courtesies of the city. which was done. and seconded also by a public meeting of the citizens. Kossuth did not come, but he was met and greeted at St. Lonis by a formal rep- resentation of the council and by a large dele- gation of the citizens, who returned delighted with him and themselves.
The railroad work went steadily forward, between two and three hundred men being em- ployed in grading at various points along the line within twenty miles of Quiney. As almost the entire original state survey had been aban- doned, and a new line laid out. the lawyers, of course, reaped a small harvest out of a good many "right of way" cases that naturally came up. Some not pleasant jars occurred also over this question, whether the road should be fin- ished first from Camp Point to the Illinois river, or pushed northwards to a Chicago connection. The indefiniteness of that clause in the charter, which prescribed that the road should not run east of Knoxville, and the uncertainty of where would be the Mississippi termimis of the C., B. & Q. road, which was rapidly reaching sonth- ward, also the adverse interests of other con- templated railroads in the upper section of the Military Tract, added to these embarrassments. They were all finally adjusted. however, with the conclusion that the northern connection should be first secured by the way of Gales- burg. MeDonough county, in May, by a ma- jority of 173, in a pretty large vote after a hotly contested election, voted a subscription of $100.000, and in Angust, Brown county fol- lowed suit by the decisive vote of 749 for, to 316 against. a bond subscription of $50.000, and ahont $25.000 of private subscription was raised at Meredosia and points westward along the line.
At the October session of the eity conneil the railroad asked from the city the right of way
on Front street, from Broadway north to the city limits, and also the use by " loan " or grant, or otherwise, of a portion of the publie land- ing for depot purposes. The right of way was given and also the grant of a tract two hundred feet in length on the west side of Front street and north of Vermont. This was the first of the franchises granted by the city, followed by others of like nature ; which have given to this one railroad so much; and, so far as other roads are concerned. exclusive privi- loge. These were accorded to what, at the time, was the Northern Cross railroad, but passed and continned when it became absorbed in the C., B. & Q. railroad.
The brief statement heretofore given of the transactions of the Thayer distillery as par- tially illustrative of the business of the place, should be supplemented by a mention of other interests carried on at the same time by its active and enterprising proprietor, who was generally recognized as the foremost business man of the city.
With this reference to Mr. Thayer and his career is associated the remembrance of another man who occupied the same relative position through ten or twelve years of an earlier pe- riod. The business enterprises of these two men were almost precisely the same. their in- fluence and position in the community was very much alike, and the career of each came to a nearly similar close. The names of what are called business men, however conspienons they may be for the time, do not live on the records like those of the politician and the placeman, but their immediate importance and influence is far more effectively felt, is often more ad- vantageons and much more permanent.
D. G. Whitney came to Quiney from Marietta. Ohio, about 1831 or '32, started a store in partnership with Richard S. Green, and rapidly rose to the position of being the most extensively engaged and supposed wealthiest merchant of the town, a place which he main- tained for many years. Of a genial, generous disposition. quiet but attractive demeanor, he had great business ambition and a shrewd, hold, broad capacity therefor. Beside manag- ing his large mercantile establishment on the west side of the square, where probably more trade was done than at any three or four of the other stores. he had interests in several country stores; built also in 1834 a distillery two miles below the town: later on erected a large steam flour and saw mill ten miles sonth. and in connection with it put up a capaeious warehouse on the west river bank, abont six miles above IIannibal, and subsequently built. at the corner of Maine and Front streets, two briek storehouses, the largest structures of
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the kind then in the city. In addition to the care of these manifold interests, he was inter- ested in the steamboat traffic between St. Louis and Quiney, and more or less each year en- gaged in grain and provision speculation. About 1837-38 he built the house now owned by General Singleton ("Boscobel"), which when erected, was the most expensive and ele- gant private residence in this section of the state. Ile pulled with apparent success through the "hard times" of 1837 and after, but failed about 1842 or '43. and twice after- ward each time with a huge cloud of local in- debtedness about him. despite which he twice temporarily established himself through his personal popularity and his strong hold upon publie confidence. On his final failure, he re- moved to California. in 1849, and there partial- ly succeeded in restoring his fortunes, but never attained the pre-eminence that he sus- tained here. His death was caused by being crushed between the cars about twelve years ago.
About 1844 or '45. when the financial pres- tige of Mr. Whitney was dechuing. Mr. Syl- vester Thayer came from New York and opened a dry goods store on the north side of the public square, under the firm name of S. & W. B. Thayer, afterwards Thayer & Co. Later they purchased and removed to the building on the southwest corner of Maine and Fourth. The younger brother was popular, and the older one shrewd, longheaded and enterprising. They soon stepped into an extending city and county trade, and gradually enlarged their op- erations in the same manner as Mr. Whitney had done ten or twelve years before. They built and operated a large steam mill at the foot of Delaware street. and erected on the op- posite side of the street the largest warehouse in the city, and probably the largest above St. Louis, with a depth of one hundred and sixty-seven feet and a width of sixty l'eet. which is still standing and has since been used for a tobacco factory and other purposes : also the distillery south of the city. since known as Curtis': made large stock purchases. bought acres of grazing lands in Missouri and operated on a scale as much more extensive than had been done before as the size and business of the city was greater than it had ever been.
Some years subsequent to this period ( 1852 ) they failed hopelessly. loaded as Mr. Whitney had been with local indebtedness, but this fail- ure was different in the one respect. that Thay- er carried down with him the two banking houses of Flagg & Savage and Moore, Hollow- Inish & Co .. while Whitney's failure involved
only a great number of individual creditors. The failures of these two men, owing so ex- tensively as they did, was a crippling misfor- inne to many, but yet Quiney owed them much.
During the twenty-live or thirty years when the one or the other of them was a leading spirit of Quiney's business, it was to a great degree their enterprise, means, business bold- ness and sagacity that kept the city ahead of the competition of surrounding rivals, gave it life, activity and employment, and engrafted upon it prosperities which were bound to be- come permanent. Such men make towns though they fail. The business history of Quiney would be half untold if these men and what they did. were omitted.
Mr. Thayer was personally a different man from Mr. Whitney. He was thoroughly a busi- ness man, and rarely seen in society. always either at his counting room or place of busi- ness, or at home. He was also an extreme democrat as Mr. Whitney was as ardent a whig, but he only touched polities when it fell in the way of his business interests. He was elected alderman and mayor and was very etfi- vient in both positions. To him in a large de- gree, and very much to his regret when the result transpired, is due the election of the first republican U. S. Senator from Illinois. It is a eurious piece of local political history. still more enrions from its broad effects. The whig. or anti-Nebraska convention, as it was called, in 1854, had nominated for the legislature Messrs. Sullivan and Gooding. A bitter per- sonal feeling between Mr. Gooding and Dr. Harrington, who was an aspirant for the nom- ination, both being citizens of Payson. made Dr. llarrington ineline to come out as an in- dependent candidate against Gooding. At this same time the temperance matter had stalked into the canvass and a series of awkward questions upon this subject was publicly pro- pounded to the legislative candidates. The re- ply of Mr. Ruddle, one of the democratic nom- inees, to the effeet that he was not especially hostile to a moderately restrictive temperance law if passed upon by the people, did not ac- cord with the interest and views of Mr. Thayer. and when Dr. Harrington appeared as a can- didate Mr. Thayer actively threw all the in- frenee that he could exert against Ruddle and in support of Harrington. The result was that. while the democratie ticket carried the county at the November election by several hundred majority. Mr. Ruddle was beaten for the legis- lature by Mr. Sullivan, who led him six votes Dr. Harrington getting between 600 and 700). every other democrat on the ticket be- ing elected. These six votes placed Sullivan
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
in the legislature, which thus had a republican majority of one. by which one vote, Lyman Trumbull was chosen to the United States Sen- ate. As Mr. Thayer said afterwards, the re- sult unfortunately exceeded his expectations. What might have been the bearing upon the country and parties had Trumbull not been chosen, and Shields or Matteson elected to the senate as affirming Illinois in the support of Douglas' Nebraska policy, is a question for politicians to speculate on if they choose, but it is a queer fact that this result was brought about by a trifling local dispute and accident in Adams county.
Money flowed freely during these days. The state was flooded with bank note promises to pay. The free banking law of 1851 was pro- ducing its natural fruits ("dead sea apples." as they partially proved to be), as will the results of every financial scheme that proposes to perpetuate a uniform equalized national eur- reney which is based on other security than the national eredit, faith and industry. Flagy & Savage, the leading brokers, organized the "City Bank of Quincy" and issued notes. Their's was the earliest established private bank of issue in the place. Their notes, how- ever, did not circulate at home, but were ex- changed for others of an equivalent face value issued by some distant banks, organized and with a circulation secured ( ?) by the deposit of state bonds. bought or borrowed, and the cheaper these were, the better for the banks.
Quincy was much exercised about this time for the want of a "nom de phine." All the other cities in the land had their faney names, and Quincy had none. The titles it should with most apparent propriety of
claim, "Mound City" or "Bluff City," had already been assumed by St. Louis and Hannibal. It was proposed to call it the Hill City, but that would have dwarfed it alongside of Hannibal. and Mountain City was too monstrous. There were sixteen churches in Quincy at this time. a very large number in proportion to the pious population, and it was seriously urged to have the place christened "the City of Churches." but this was a name that might not stick, and had already been adopted elsewhere. So the city went upbaptized for awhile longer, until the name "'Gem City" was assumed, why, how or for what specific reason it is difficult to say. although there are some appropriate points to warrant this title, and it has now become per- manently fixed.
A special session of the legislature was called which began on the 6th of June and ended on the 26th. It was important only to Quincy for the reason that the Pike county railroad
matter was being battled over in the legisla- ture, and now became a local question of some importance. Quincy railroad interests sought to "stave off" the granting of a charter to the Pike county road (from Hannibal to Naples) until the N. C. R. R. was completed to Mere- dosia. In this they mainly succeeded, but the question entered into and a good deal affected the political issues in the city for some years.
This was a year of notable political changes and surprises alike in local and national affairs. The city election in April was a singular show- ing, completely reverisng the previous political order of things. The council, which two years before in 1850, had consisted of five demoerats and one whig. now had five whigs and one dem- oerat. The whig council. following the prece- dent of their predecessors, placed in all the appointive offices men of their own political faith. E. II. Buckley was chosen eity clerk, which place he occupied for the next two years, and the entire city "outfit" was composed of whig officials. John Wood was chosen mayor over J. M. Pitman by 190 majority on a vote of about 1,200, and John Wheeler. A. B. Dor- man and J. N. Ralston were elected aldermen, the whigs carrying every ward for the first time in the history of the city.
But little of new and local importance oc- wurred in the transactions of the council dur- ing the year. One rather amusing excitement, such as Quiney occasionally and Quincy only ean furnish. came up during the latter part of Mayor Holmes' administration, over the matter of paying the annual state tax. The collection of this tax had been heretofore made by a different official and at a different period from that of the city tax, and now by law the time for its payment was advaneed, throwing the collection of two taxes into the same year. The fact that Quincy paid no county tax, and perhaps the other anomalous faet that for sev- eral years the eastern part of the county had avoided the payment of taxes, had put into the heads of some earnest people the idea that the paying of state taxes. apparently twice in the same year, could be got clear of, notwithstand- ing that they were based on separate assess- ments. So much stir was made over this ques- tion that the mayor, who, with many merits as a citizen and official, always had an eye to the vox populi vox Dei, especially the popular eve. called a publie meeting to decide whether the state tax of 1851 ought to be collected. The meeting was a large one and it was there re- solved that, while the payment of two taxes. so nearly together, was a hardship. yet it could not be evaded, and so this little teapot tempest was calmed down.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
The one special action of the new city coun- eil that created comment and criticism, was their raising the salary of the mayor from $250 to $300. In the earlier times the mayor was not only the figurehead of the city in his rep- resentative character as president of the coun- cil and vested with a good deal of executive authority. but he was also, ex officio, a magis- trate and expected to serve as such, and was, withal. street superintendent. Some of the earlier mayors, Conyers and Wood, for in- stance. from a sense of duty and personal in- «lination, gave up most of their time to over- seeing the street grading, the laying of sido- walks, gutters, etc .. which was no small task for whoever undertook to personally superin- tend all the details. The duties attaching to a seat in the city council were not as many as in later years, nor was the aldermanie dignity so prized and sought after as now: but for these, or some other reasons, the selection of men to fill such positions was taken nmuch more satisfactorily. Take. for instance, the names of the aldermen of this year. 1852, who were a fair sample of what and who the city fathers used to be. John Wheeler, Chas. A. Savage. Thomas Redmond, A. B. Dorman. Dr. J. N. Ral- ston, George W. Brown. all representative men whose intelligence and character commanded publie confidence. strongly contrasting with some of our later day conneils.
Political feeling ran high during this last, hopeless, struggle of the whig party for a na- tional existence. Large party mass meetings were held during the campaign. The demo- eratie ticket carried both county and city, giv- ing Pieree for president over Scott, and Matte- son, for governor over Webb, nearly 400 ma- jority. and the local candidates about 50 less. To congress, W. A. Richardson was elected over O. Il. Browning. J. M. Pitman, John Moses and David Wolf to the legislature from Adams, and Brown over J. R. Chittenden, JJ. C. Cox and John Lomax, and Levy Palmer. sheriff. and C. M. Woods, circuit clerk, beat R. P. Coats and John Field. Calvin A. Warren was elect- ed state's attorney by about 600 majority over I. Il. Stewart, the former incumbent. The freesoil vote of 261 in 1848. now Tell off to 107, and the 190 whig majority at the April city election was replaced by an egnal major- ity on the other side.
CHAPTER XXXL.
1853.
PORK SHIPPED SOUTH BY BOAT IN JANUARY. THE BELS CASE. JUDGE SKINNER ON THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW. QUINCY GASLIGHT
AND COKE COMPANY. BANKING. ENGLISH
AND GERMAN SEMINARY. JEFFERSON SCHOOL PROPERTY. BUSINESS PROSPERITY. CHAR- TER FOR A BRIDGE. COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, QUINCY MADE A PORT OF ENTRY. THE GERMAN TRIBUNE. $100,000 VOTED TO RAILROAD. IMPROVEMENT OF MAINE, HAMP- SHIRE AND BROADWAY. AGITATION FOR
PLANK ROAD TO BURTON. ROAD ON OPPO- SITE SIDE OF RIVER TO THE BLUFFS. FIRST "STRIKE." "QUINCY BLUES." OTHER MILI-
TARY ORGANIZATION.
Navigation, which had ended on the 25th of December, 1852, was resumed on the first of February. and continued until Christmas again in 1853. The river had been open here during most of the winter, and about the middle of January a boat, the Regulator, which had been wintering here, started southward laden with a heavy shipment of pork, and after ten or twelve days' battle with the ice, reached St. Lonis, and returned to Quincy. It was then an important advance gained to get the winter packing product of Quiney to St. Louis or the south at the earliest possible period. The busi- ness in this line for the season had been good, and some 21,000 hogs were reported as having been packed. The price greatly varied. run- ning from $3,50 up to $6.00.
The "Eels case." which had been contro- verted in the various courts for many years. originating about 1837, was decided on the 21st of January. This case was important and had much national attention, because it judi- cially settled the personal responsibility of par- ties in a free state who assisted the farther escape of slaves after they had fled clear from the state where local law recognized them as property. thus sustaining the validity of the then existing fugitive slave law in extending its operations into the free states, was espe- cially interesting to Quiney people. for the rea- son that the defendant had long been a promi- nent citizen of this place, where the case com- meneed. Dr. Richard Eels, whose name has thus become somewhat accidentally historical in connection with the early anti-slavery strifes, was a well established physician here. and was a member of a small association which aided onward to Canada runaway slaves. The case with its long continuation, financially ruined Dr. Eels, and the anxieties which it created probably aided in breaking down his health. He died in the West Indies about the time that this suit was determined. Ile was an unusually capable physician and a worthy man of rather extreme and unbalanced opin- ions upon some subjects. Connected with the topie above mentioned, which was once a con- stant vexation, but had of late generally passed out of thought, there came up a slight renewal of the old slavery fever. A public meeting in Marion county. Mo., had resolved to have no business intercourse with Quincy on account of
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.
the disposition of so many of its people to har- bor and aid runaway slaves. The question here was agitated as to what was the obliga- tion in this matter in Illinois under the black laws prescribed by the new constitution, and how far the legal machinery of the state was subservient to the demand for the return of fugitives. Judge Skinner, who at this time was on the cirenit bench, made public his opinion that only the United States law and United States officials had cognizance of such cases, and so with this closed nearly the last of the old-time sensitive trouble between Quincy and its near neighbors across the river.
The Quincy Gaslight and Coke Company. which had been incorporated at the legislative session of 1852-53, perfected its organization on the 9th of August, with a capital stock of $75,000, and made its local contract with the city for a twenty-five years' exclusive privi- lege. The greater portion of this stock was in the ownership of A. B. Chambers, of St. Louis, and he controlled the affairs of the company for a long time. The remainder of the stock was divided among the local charter members. The company bonght on the 30th of July the ground at the corner of Jersey and Ninth. which they yet occupy. and began work at once. Ample means were at the command of the St. Louis parties, and the enterprise was rapidly and judiciously pushed, coming to an early completion and proving to be for a long time most satisfactory to the publie and more remunerative to the owners than any of the other inter-corporate improvements in the city.
Banking matters partook of the general quick activity. The "Quincy Savings and In- surance Co .. " with banking privileges, char- tered the winter before, formally organized. This was afterwards, with some changes of name and control. the First National Bank of Quiney. A private banking house was opened during the summer on the north side of the publie square by Ebenezer Moore. J. R. Ilol- lowbush and E. F. Iloffman, under the name of Moore, Hollowbush & Co. It did a handsome and Inerative, business until carried down like the other bank of Flagg & Savage. by the fail- ure of the Thayers three or four years later.
An "English and German Seminary. " under the auspices of the Methodist church, was pro- jected this year, and through earnest efforts, enlisting other denominational influences. it be- came a sucress. This is the institution which was erected and long located in the imposing brick structure on Spring street between Third and Fourth. generally known as the "Method- ist College," now the Jefferson school house. Some years after this, the name was changed
to "Johnson College." in honor of one of its donors. and later still. in recognition of an- other beneficent gifts, it was rechristened "C'haddock College." which title it has since worn. About the time of this last change of name (in 1875) the college was removed to the corner of State and Twelfth streets, and estab- lished in the Gov. Wood residence, which had been purchased for its use. At the same time with this removal the city board of education bonght. for $30,000, the old college property, which comprised. besides the valuable building. an entire block. and located there the Jefferson public school. This was a judicions and op- portune purchase for the school interests of the city. It chaneed to come at a time when the Jefferson school was required to be re- moved from Jefferson Square, to make way for the new court house, and there was secured to the school board a substantially built struc- ture. amply adapted to the purpose, with a larger surrounding of ground than any other of the eight city school houses, placed also in a quarter where it might not be easy in the future to obtain a sufficient amount of land so centrally and satisfactorily situated for educa- tional uses.
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