USA > Illinois > Illinois, historical and statistical, comprising the essential facts of its planting and growth as a province, county, territory, and state, Vol. II > Part 26
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The temperate life of the new governor and the religious tone of his mind were not such as to recommend him to the
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TWENTY - EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
favor of saloon politicians, neither was he "all things to all men." He possessed the courage of his convictions and never dreamed of sacrificing principle to popularity. He lacked indeed that vigor of mind which is self-asserting and brings a personal following within party-lines to promote personal ends. Of all who have occupied the executive chair in this State, probably he was least known among the people at large, a circumstance which may be at least partially explained by the fact that his public life, outside of Cook County, had extended over a period scarcely exceeding two years. But he was heartily in accord with his party and earnestly desired to discharge the duties of his high office for the best interests of all the citizens of the State .*
The twenty-eighth general assembly convened Jan. 8, 1873, with 51 senators and 153 representatives, the number fixed by the new constitution and which has not since been changed. The republicans had a majority of 17 in the upper and 19 in the lower house.
The senate came nearer being composed of new material than at any other session since the first. There were only eight hold-over members, namely, Early, Whiting, Nicholson, Dono- hue, Voris, Starne, Kelley, and Murphy. Joseph S. Reynolds, Horace F. Waite, Rollin S. Williamson, Henry Green, Patrick H. Sanford, John S. Lee, William R. Archer, Beatty T. Burke, John H. Yager, Thomas S. Casey, William K. Murphy, and John Hinchcliffe, had formerly served in the house. Among the new members were: George P. Jacobs of Ogle County; Miles B. Castle of DeKalb; Eugene Canfield of Kane; Elmer Baldwin of LaSalle; Edward A. Wilcox of Woodford; Samuel P. Cummings of Fulton; John C. Short of Vermilion; Charles B. Steele of Edgar; A. A. Glenn of Brown; William Brown+ of Morgan; Miles Kehoe, Samuel K. Dow, Richard S. Thompson, of Cook; Clark W. Upton of Lake; Jas. G. Strong of Living- ston; Francis M. Youngblood of Franklin; and Charles M. Ferrell of Hardin.
In the house, there were but nineteen old members, namely,
* Edward L. Higgins was appointed adjutant-general and Philo L. Beveridge the governor's private secretary.
+ Nephew of Judge William Brown, deceased, who served in the eighteenth house.
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ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
Senne, Hildrup, Shaw, Efner, P. A. Armstrong, Mann, Julius A. Carpenter, Herrington, George W. Armstrong, Moffet, Cullom, Easley, Dresser, Forth, Dolan, Austin, James, John Thomas, Lemma, and Newton R. Casey.
Among the new members may be mentioned: Messrs. Isaac Rice of Ogle County; Alfred M. Jones of Jo Daviess; Henry D. Dement of Lee; Charles Dunham of Henry; Lyman B. Ray-the present lieutenant-governor-of Grundy; Alson J. Streeter of Mercer; David Rankin of Henderson; Julius Starr of Peoria; C. P. Davis of Piatt; F. K. Granger of McHenry; Richard F. Crawford of Winnebago; Frederick H. Marsh of Ogle; James A. Connolly of Coles; Benson Wood of Effing- ham; James M. Truitt and Hiram P. Shumway of Christian; Milton Hay and Alfred Orendorf of Sangamon; Nathaniel W. Branson of Menard; N. Bushnell and John Tillson of Adams; M. D. Massie of Pike; Jerome B. Nulton of Green; John Gordon of Morgan; Charles D. Hoiles and AndrewG. Henry of Bond; E. J. C. Alexander and James M. Truitt of Mont- gomery; Matthew Inscore of Union; and John H. Oberly of Alexander. Cook County was represented by: James B. Bradwell, John A. Lomax, William Wayman, Solomon P'. Hopkins, Frank T. Sherman, Charles G. Wicker, Edward F. Cullerton, C. Kann, Thomas M. Halpin, John F. Scanlon, Thomas E. Ferrier, William H. Condon, William A. Hert- ing, Ingwell Oleson, Otto Peltzer, Hugh Mclaughlin, John M. Rountree, George E. Washburn, Daniel Booth, C. H. Dalton, and Henry C. Senne.
Shelby M. Cullom was, for the second time, elected speaker of the house, his opponent being Newton R. Casey; and Daniel Shepard was chosen clerk, both by a party-vote. John Early of Winnebago County, was made president pro tempore of the senate and Daniel A. Ray, secretary.
A foretaste of the coming storm, which was to deprive the republican party of the control of the legislature, was had in the action of the senate upon the nominations by the governor of a board of railroad-and-warehouse commissioners. The names first sent in were S. H. McCrea, Wm. H. Robinson, and John Stillwell, the senate committee reporting in favor of con- firming only the one first named. This compelled the nomina-
823
LAWS PASSED-REVISION.
tion of a new board, namely, D. A. Brown, John M. Pearson, and H. D. Cook-the first two farmers and the first named a democrat-who were subsequently confirmed.
Among the acts of a public nature passed at this session, were: to organize agricultural societies; to authorize the build- ing of a lock and dam at Copperas Creek; appropriating one million of dollars for the purpose of carrying on the work on the new state-house; for the suppression of the trade in and circulation of indecent or immoral literature; to repeal the Lake-Front law of 1869; also, an act amending the act of the last session "to prevent extortion and unjust discrimination in the rates charged for the transportation of passengers and freight." This was the law which was framed in accordance with the suggestions of the supreme court in the "Lexington Case," the opinion being delivered by Judge Lawrence, by which the charging of a greater compensation for a less distance or for the same distance was made prima-facie instead of con- clusive evidence of unjust discrimination.
The ordinary legislation of the twenty-eighth general assem- bly having been completed, it adjourned on May 6, 1873, until Jan. 8, 1874, for the purpose of completing the revision of the laws, only about half of the bills having been finished by the last legislature. A joint-committee, composed of Clark W. Upton and Charles B. Steele of the senate, and Milton Hay, John M. Rountree, and Charles Dunham of the house, was appointed, to which all revision bills that had not been acted upon by either house were referred. They were authorized to continue in session during the recess, and, in conjunction with Commissioner Hurd, to prepare all bills necessary to complete the revision and report to the adjourned session. The laborious work of this commission was most faithfully and ably performed, and nearly all the titles reported by it were passed. The legislature finally adjourned, March 31, 1874, having been in session, altogether, two hundred and four days. *
The year 1874 will long be remembered as remarkable for the extraordinary upheaval of sentiment and opinion which it witnessed in social, religious, and political circles. It was the year of the great temperance crusade, which, inaugurated by the women in Ohio, gradually spread over the country. The
824
ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
Beecher-Tilton scandal rent the mind of the American public in twain. In Chicago, Prof. David Swing was tried before his presbytery for heresy. It was a period of low prices for the products of the farm, and of depression in business. Party- lines, as theretofore drawn, were again seriously strained in the agitation of important economic questions relating to transpor- tation by railroads, and the currency. The division of public sentiment upon the question of the "granger" railroad legisla- tion, which had been precipitated upon the country by the farming community, pervaded all political parties. The Grange, or patrons of husbandry, a secret society organized in 1869 for the promotion of the interests of the cultivators of the soil, had rapidly grown in numbers and influence; and although the accomplishment of political results was not primarily one of its objects, from its ranks had been organized farmer's clubs which met in county and state conventions for the purpose of discuss- ing and taking action in reference to these political questions. State meetings were held at Decatur and Bloomington in 1872 and 1873, and a state convention at Springfield on April 2, 1873.
The determination of the railroads to disregard the restrictive legislation of 1871, and the decision of the supreme court in 1873, declaring a portion of the law against discrimination in the rates for freight inoperative, intensified the feeling in favor of this movement which found expression in the defeat of Judge Lawrence, who prepared the opinion, as a candidate for re-elec- tion to the bench of the supreme court.
As might have been foreseen, the outgrowth, if not the origi- nal intention of this agitation, was the organization of a new political party. It was the first to clear the decks for action by calling a state convention under the name of the "Illinois State Independent Reform" party, to meet at Springfield, June 10, 1874. It was to be composed of "farmers, mechanics, laboring men and other citizens." J. M. Allen of Henry County was selected to preside, and there were present representatives from all existing political organizations, among them: ex-Gov. John M. Palmer, John H. Bryant, L. F. Ross, A. J. Streeter, H. C. Withers, D. W. Smith, J. B. Turner, G. W. Minier, Richard Rowett, W. C. Flagg, John Landrigan, William B. Anderson, S. F. Crews, and A. C. Hesing. Gen. Palmer was the principal
JAS.K.EDSALL
GEO.W.SMITH'S
E.M. HAINĖS
THOS.S. RIDGWAY
GEO.H.HARLOW
FERGUS ATG. CO
OR
LIB
LSV NY 7 5
825
STATE CONVENTIONS.
speaker, taking the ground, that "political parties had accom- plished their work and it was time for them to give way. That whatever these parties might have been in the past, certain it was they had outlived their usefulness." He spoke against "grinding monopolies" and declared that now was the time for the people to assert themselves.
During a lull in the proceedings, A. C. Hesing of Chicago was called out, and frankly expressed himself in favor of hard money, against inflation of the currency, and opposed to all sumptuary laws. He, however, voiced the sentiments of only a small minority of the delegates.
The platform, in substance, was as follows: I, in favor of retrenchment and reform; 2, reform of abuses in the civil ser- vice; 3, in favor of improving the navigation of lakes and rivers; 4, opposed to any further grants of lands or loans to corporations; 5, demanding the repeal of the national bank- ing law, and the issue of legal-tender currency direct from the treasury, interchangeable for government bonds bearing the lowest possible interest; 6, for the revision of the patent laws; 7, opposed to annual instead of biennial sessions of the legis- lature; 8, in favor of the existing railroad legislation; 9, in favor of the right of the legislature to regulate and control railroads; 10, condemning the practice of public officials receiving railroad passes; II, opposed to the principle of pro- tection-for a tariff for revenue only; 12, recommending that the independent voters organize; 13, opposed to the contract system in the construction of public works; 14, inviting every- body to unite with the Independent Reform Party.
Gen. Rowett offered a resolution "uncompromisingly oppos- ing any further inflation, and demanding a return to a uniform standard of value," which he warmly defended, but which was received with jeers and hisses. Later on, ex-Senator Flagg proposed a resolution in favor of paying the debt of the country in good faith, as the pledges of the Nation required, and that the convention scorned the imputation that the industrial population desired to avoid payment of its just debts. An exciting debate followed and the resolution was referred to the committee on the platform, who reported against its adoption.
53
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ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
David Gore was nominated for state treasurer and Samuel M. Etter for superintendent of public instruction.
The republican state-convention met in Springfield, June 17. Speaker Cullom was selected to preside and Daniel Shepard to act as secretary. There was an exciting and extremely close contest, between Thomas S. Ridgway and George A. Sanders, over the state treasurership, which, after three ballots, was decided in favor of the former as appeared by the an- nouncement of the vote. The correctness of this was ques- tioned; but the official declaration showed 301 to 297, 299 votes being required to nominate. Three ballots were also taken upon the nomination of a candidate for superintendent of public instruction, among the names presented being that of Miss Frances Willard of Evanston, who received the largest vote on the first ballot; but the final result was in favor of William H. Powell of Kane County, who received 302 votes to 294 for Elijah L. Wells of Ogle.
But the contest over these nominations was trifling as com- pared with that which arose over the construction of the plat- form. It began in the committee on resolutions, where the plank relating to the currency was debated for over five hours. It was finally reported by the committee, as follows:
"Resolved, that we reaffirm the declaration of the national republican convention of 1872 in favor of a return to specie payments at the earliest practicable day; that we are opposed to any increase in the amount of legal-tender notes, and favor the gradual reduction of the same as the volume of the national-bank notes shall be increased." It was moved to strike out that portion of the resolution which opposed the increase in the volume of legal-tender notes, upon which an animated debate sprung up, the motion being ultimately carried by the close vote of 298 to 234.
The other planks in the platform adopted covered the fol- lowing points: reaffirming the faith of Illinois republicans in the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments: opposed to the retiring of $382,000,000 United-States treasury notes; favoring free national banking; favoring the election of president and vice- president by a direct vote of the people; denouncing the interference by law with the habits, tastes, or customs of indi-
027
RESULT OF THE ELECTION.
viduals, except to suppress licentiousness or to preserve the peace and safety of the citizens of the State; demanding for the people "reasonable railway charges, and rigid impartiality in the transportation of passengers and freights."
Still another state convention, called the "Democratic Liberal Convention," composed principally of democrats, assembled at Springfield, August 26. Ex-Governor Palmer again appeared prominently at the front, was selected to preside over the body, and formally returned to the democratic fold. The same ques- tions relating to the currency, resumption, and payment of the United-States 5-20 bonds, which had disturbed the harmony of the two preceding conventions, were the subject here also of a prolonged and acrimonious discussion. "Honest money" and the payment of the bonds in gold gained the day by a vote of 311 to 241. The platform, somewhat abridged, was as follows: in favor of "the restoration of gold and silver as the basis of currency; the resumption of specie payments "as soon as possible without disaster to the business interests of the country, by steadily opposing inflation and by the payment of the national indebtedness in the money of the civilized world." "Free commerce and no tariff except for revenue pur- poses" were also demanded; individual liberty and opposition to sumptuary laws were favored; monopolies and privileged classes were denounced; "the right and duty of a State to protect its citizens from extortion and unjust discrimination by chartered monopolies" were affirmed; and the convention pronounced in favor of increased pensions to crippled soldiers.
Charles Carroll was nominated for state treasurer; and S. M. Etter, the nominee of the independent reformers, for state superintendent of public instruction.
The mutability of the principles of a political party may be profitably studied from the shifting kaleidoscope of these changing views.
The relative strength of these different organizations, as shown at the polls, was:
Thos. S. Ridgway, republican, for treasurer, received 162,974
Charles Carroll, democrat, for treasurer, 128,169
David Gore, independent reform, for treasurer, - 75,580 S. M. Etter, fusion, for superintendent public instruction, 197,490 Wm. B. Powell, republican, 11 11 166,984
828
ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
The republicans elected only six members of congress. A like defeat followed them in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and in other republican states, and in the loss of the lower house of con- gress.
The extent to which party-lines had been obliterated in the State at this time is well illustrated by the political com- plexion of the legislature. No party had a majority, but the republicans had secured the largest number of members, who were classified as follows: in the senate, republicans 24, demo- crats 19, independents, liberals, and reformers 9. The house contained 69 republicans, 42 democrats, and 41 calling them- selves independents, reformers, oppositionists, or "mixed." One member elect, Robert Theim from Cook County, failed to make his appearance.
Of the 51 members of the senate, 26 were elected this year -the others being "hold overs." Miles Kehoe, John Early, Miles B. Castle, and Lorenzo D. Whiting were reelected. Among the new members were John C. Haines of Cook, Fawcett Plumb of LaSalle, E. C. Moderwell of Henry, Albert O. Marshall of Will, George Hunt of Edgar, Wm. E. Shutt of Sangamon, Bernard Arntzen of Adams, and Chas. D. Hodges of Greene.
In the house, 32 members had been reelected and among them were, James B. Bradwell, Solomon P. Hopkins, and John Hise of Cook, and Elijah M. Haines, Flavel K. Granger, Richard F. Crawford, E. L. Cronkrite, A. M. Jones, Henry D. Dement, Isaac Rice, Frederick H. Marsh, Philip Collins, James Herrington, George W. Parker, George W. Armstrong, S. P. Cummings, Stephen Y. Thornton, Julius S. Starr, Thomas P. Rogers, James A. Connolly, Shelby M. Cullom, Nathaniel W. Branson, John Gordon, A. G. Henry, Thomas E. Merritt, John Landrigan, John Thomas, David Rankin, and Matthew J. Inscore.
Among the new members may be mentioned the names of Lincoln Dubois, then of Cook County, now of Springfield, Moses J. Wentworth, George M. Bogue, Conrad L. Niehoff, Orrin L. Mann, and John C. Barker from Cook; Wm. A. James from Lake; James F. Claflin of DuPage; Wm. Mooney, H. H. Stasson, jr., and Luke H. Goodrich of Will; A. G. Hammond
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TWENTY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
of Stark; J. H. Moore, and J. J. Herron of Bureau; John T. Browning of Rock Island; John H. Lewis of Knox; C. W. Boydston of Warren; James DeWitt of Schuyler; Patrick W. Dunn of Peoria; John F. Winter of McLean; Samuel S. Jack of Macon; James Callins and John Moses of Scott; Samuel S. Gilbert of Macoupin; Oliver P. Powell of Jersey; Ethelbert Callahan of Crawford; Amos B. Barrett of Jefferson; John N. Wasson of Gallatin; F. E. Albright of Jackson; Benjamin O. Jones of Massac; and Lewis F. Plater of Hardin. The full roll of both houses may be found in the appendix .*
The members of the opposition to the hitherto dominant party differed as much from each other as they did from the republicans, and the question was how to utilize their power in order to secure supremacy-the one thing upon which they were united. To arrange for a satisfactory division of the spoils of office, frequent consultations were held which failed to bring about an agreement. Cullom had received the nomi- nation of the republicans for speaker, and it was hoped that he would be able to carry enough strength from the liberals- former republicans- to be elected. The independents stood firmly by E. M. Haines, their own candidate for the speaker- ship, but who was very objectionable to a few democrats, who declared that they would not support him under any circum- stances. But it soon became apparent that their choice must be between the champion of the independent reformers and a republican. When the first ballot was taken, 73 members were found to be for Haines, 68 for Cullom, 6 for Dr. J. L. Wilcox of Sangamon, straight democrat, and 4 scattering. Haines lacked only 4 votes, and the field was anxiously scanned to see who would make the break and for whose benefit. It came
* Of the senators, 8 were born in New York, 8 in New England, 8 in Ohio; 7 of foreign birth, 6 in Illinois, 4 in Kentucky, 3 in Indiana, and 7 in Virginia, Pennsyl- vania, and Connecticut. Lawyers 27, farmers 14, bankers 6, and 4 traders, etc.
Of the members of the house of representatives, 21 were born in foreign lands, 21 in New York, 22 in Illinois, 13 in New England, 16 in Ohio, 16 in Pennsylvania, 9 in Kentucky, 3 in New Jersey, and 31 in Virginia, Tennessee, etc. 72 were farmers, 36 lawyers, 13 merchants, 6 bankers, 4 physicians, 3 mechanics, and 18 various dealers. The oldest senator was B. T. Burke-65 years, the youngest, Miles Kehoe -30. The oldest member of the house was John Thomas-75 years, and the youngest, Moses J. Wentworth, Curtis K. Harvey, and Wm. H. Skelly, jr.,-each 26 years.
830
ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
from the democrats, who gave the Waukegan statesman enough votes to secure his election and four to spare. Jeremiah J. Crowley, a democrat from Chicago, was elected clerk of the house, and the other offices were fairly distributed between the democrats and independents.
Senator Archibald A. Glenn, a democrat, was elected presi- dent of the senate, who thus became acting lieutenant-gover- nor, and R. R. Townes secretary.
As might have been expected, the deliberations of a body composed of elements so heterogeneous and conglomerate as was the house were anything but harmonious. The working of the newly - cemented union between elements so diverse proved anything but satisfactory, even to its component parts.
E. M. Haines, the speaker elect, came to Illinois from New York when he was a small boy. Having been admitted to the bar, he opened a law-office at Waukegan, and soon began to meddle with politics. He was elected to the 21st, (1858), 22d, 23d, and 27th general assemblies, and had also been a member of the constitutional convention of 1869. He had been at first a democrat, then a republican, and was now an independent reformer. Being a thorough parliamentarian and not particu- larly attached to either of the old parties, he was well qualified in certain respects to fill the speaker's chair. But it is safe to say that there was never a time after the first two weeks of the session when a majority of the members would not have willingly seen him displaced. There was scarcely a day that did not bring with it wranglings over the speaker's rulings, and discordant disputes. Though a professed independent, he was never found in favor of any of the proposed measures of his party, and ruled as regularly against them as against the propositions of republicans or democrats to which he was opposed. He was generally cool, calm, and collected in his demeanor, and amidst the wildest excitement, when actual personal collisions seemed imminent, he filled the chair with provoking self-control, even with exasperating nonchalance. It was exceedingly difficult for any member to secure recognition, especially if he was suspected of an intention to speak in favor of any measure which the speaker opposed - only the most persistent among the republicans were allowed this privilege
831
LEGISLATIVE TURBULENCE.
and they were generally declared to be out of order. To say that his rulings were arbitrary, is but feebly to express the despotic and aggressive manner in which he exercised the great power which parliamentary law confers upon a speaker.
As the days of the sessions passed, antagonisms intensified and angry disputations became more frequent and acrimonious until the final culmination was reached on April 10 in a dis- graceful row, the occasion of which was the speaker's adjourn- ment of the house during the afternoon session against the manifest and declared sense of a majority of the members present. The squabble originated upon the presentation and reading, by Connolly, of a protest against the action of the house on the Louisiana political resolutions and against the rulings of the speaker. Fiery speeches were made by Cum- mings, Merritt, and others, against receiving the protest, and the democrats left the hall to break a quorum. Jones of Jo Daviess, who was chairman of the republican caucus and "steering committee," by virtue of which positions he assumed a leadership for which he was poorly qualified in such an emergency, and who had made himself as obnoxious to the speaker as the latter had been to republicans, opened the ball, when on being interrupted in his remarks by Plater, an offensively chronic objector, he grasped a book lying on his desk and flung it at the head of his interlocutor. The compliment was returned and "confusion worse confounded" reigned. There was a general uproar and threats of violence were heard on all sides, everybody taking a hand in the mêlée. It was then that the speaker, a motion to adjourn having been made, declared it carried, although the vote stood two to one against it, and throwing down his gavel, left the chair. Thereupon Connolly moved that Jones of Jo Daviess be elected speaker pro tempore, put the motion and declared it car- ried. A rush was then made by both sides for the vacant chair which was reached first by Cummings, who took possession. The members ranged themselves on each side and with such weapons as they could secure prepared for a bloody struggle. In the meantime, every possible effort had been made by a few of the cooler-headed members to restore order and put an end to the disgraceful proceedings. Jones was seized by his friends
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