Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 17

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1228

USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois > Part 17

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The receipts into the treasury up to the 1st of January, 1841, being the first eight months of the city goverment, were reported as amounting to $2.762.25. The salary of the mayor for the year ending April. 1841, was fixed at $250. The market house, so long a subject of controversy. was built after mich trouble and delay in deciding upon the plan, at the corner of Hampshire and Third streets. Rates for the ferry, then owned by Carlin & Rogers, were established and a license fee of $60 imposed. The J'eneing of the public square was completed.

A novel excitement came up early during the year which aroused a good deal of feeling at the time and led to the selection of the singu- lar design for the first city seal. John Wood had, at his own expense, with the concurrence of the council, transplanted to the center of the square a handsome elm tree about a foot in diameter. There had been an opposition to the enelosing of the public square and its adorn- ment with shrubbery, which finally engendered some political bitterness. On the night of May 6th some graceless seamps girdled and thus killed the tree. In the next issue of the Argus, the democratie paper of the place, appeared a rough ent purporting to represent Mr. Wood resting npon his cane and mournfully gazing at the dead tree. The city council offered a re- ward of $100 for the detection of the rogues. They were soon discovered, but found to be not worth the trouble of punishing.

At their meeting on June 26th the council ordered that "the ehn tree and flagstaff upon the public square, as represented in the Argus some time since, be adopted as the device of a seal for the city." This representation of a

man standing alongside a dead tree was used as the "Quincy City seal" for some years, until a later conneil, composed of some of those whose wrong teachings were the indirect cause of this former vandalism, and who felt sensi- tive about it. changed it to the present more appropriate and tasteful design.

The fiscal statement of the city, made April 27th, 1841, is worthy of reference as showing its financial condition during the first year of its existence. Summarized it is as follows: It will be noticed that a considerable portion of the expenditure was upon the unsettled indebt- edness of the town of Quiney, which had be- rome the heritage of the city :

Quiney town debts paid. $1,100.36

Quiney city debts paid. 4,528.08

Cash on hand. 13.34

$5,641.78

Received from town of Quincy $ 355.99

Collected taxes, etc. $4,392.30

Vouchers outstanding 893.49

$5,641.78

Due on cemetery lots.

$ 380.00

Due on other credits. 235.72

Cash 13.34

Reconrees $ 629.06

The cost of the fire department was $214.24: street supervisors' expenditures, $264.11 ; pan- pers, $335.79; surveying, platting, etc., $298.12; expense, salaries. etc., $1,059.46; the remainder, some $22 or $23, being expended on streets, mainly the completion of Hampshire and the commencement of work on Maine to Front, also the grading of Front and the publie square.

The city ordinances which, like those of the town, had heretofore only seen the light occa- sionally through publieation in the weekly pa- pers, were now revised and issned in pamph- let form for the first time. A city poorhouse was also rented at the rate of $100 per annum, the pauper demands upon the young city hav- ing become then-as they ever since have in- creased to be-a most expensive factor. A city physician was employed. Dr. Eells was the first regular city physician. although Dr. Rals- ton had informally, through his position in the council, acted as such for a few months before. A question brought ont the statement from the county clerk that the cost and ex- penses on the courthouse, commenced in 1836 and finished in 1836, and burned in 1875. amounted to $21,800, and those on the jail to $13.681.

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

There was a slight dissatisfaction in 1825 when the county seat was established at Quincy, because it had not been placed in the geographi- cal centre of the county as was done in many other counties of the state. Ten years later, when the county vote greatly outnumbered that of the town, being nearly two to one, this issue was raised and it was emphatically decided in favor of retaining the county seat at Quincy. The dissatisfaction still smouklered, however, and resulted in the passage of a law, which was approved January 19, 1841, ordering an election to be held in Adams county on the question of removing the county seat from Quiney to Columbus. A most bitter sectional and personal conflict ensned. It was fostered by personal and political interests. The fierce- ness of the antagonism raised by this strife can scarcely be realized now.

State and county officials were to be chosen and a vote taken on the proposition for a con- vention to revise the state constitution, or to make a new one. This project was warmly supported in Quiney for the reason that some thought it pointed a way out of the county difficulties (which it did six years later) and was carried by a majority of 625 in the whole county, out of a total vote of 2,680. It failed in adoption by the state. however. on account of conditions with which it was burdened, and it was not until five years later that the gen- eral desire to change the original constitution of 1818 was pressed to a successful result.

The democratic candidate for governor, A. W. Snyder, of St. Clair county. died shortly after his nomination, and Judge Thomas Ford, a former resident of Quincy, was selected in his stead. Against him the whigs put up Joseph Dunean, who had been elected governor in 1834 and had served as a member of congress for several years earlier. There was also in the field an abolition state ticket. The whigs nomi- nated for the legislature O. I. Browning. A. Jonas. R. P. Starr, Peter B. Garrett and Alex Fruit, all of whom, with the exception of Fruit, were elected by majorities ranging from 150 to 900, the feeling in regard to the county seat matter making this partly personal and caus- ing a great latitude in the vote, although really none of the candidates on either side were pub- liely supported with reference to this issue. The democratic nominations were A. Wheat, Wm. Laughlin, Jacob Smith, J. Hendrickson and W. Sympson. Of these Mr. Wheat only was «hosen. The whigs elected their full county ticket. W. Il. Tandy as sheriff, over Thos. Jas- per, and Jonas Grubb as governor, over J. J. Jones. Dunean, for governor, carried the coun- ty over Ford by a majority of 155 in a vote of

2,995, the abolition ticket receiving 75 votes. This was the last time up to this date (1886) that the county has given anything but a demo- eratie majority on the state or presidential ticket.

The county seat question, which was still hanging unsettled in the courts, was a con- stant subject of irritating discussion among the people all through the year. A newspaper. the People's Organ, was started in Quincy, advo- vating the retention of the county seat here, and a paper was also published in Columbus. advocating the removal. yet the only distinet issue made at the polls on this question was in the election of Wm. Richards, who had been nominated for county commissioner as the Quiney candidate, by 180 majority over .J. Tur- ner, who represented the Columbus interest. Singularly enough, so far as the legislative candidates were concerned, although they were known to have diverse and decided views in regard to this issue, it was tacitly kept quiet, although it undoubtedly affected the votes that Were cast for them.

This contest broke over the iron lines of party, split many personal friendships and shiv- ered the popular power of not a few prominent men who became unfortunately misplaced in the struggle. Frequent meetings were held over the county and broad latitude of personal disputation was not uncommon. Newspapers were started especially devoted to this issue. Public and private crimination was freqnent. It was an especially good time for the wags and satirists to shoot at their selected game. A hot controversy ensued over the validity of a bond of $75,000 given by the Columbus party to insure the erection of the necessary public buildings at that place.

On this question the two leading lawyers of the county dittered widely. Browning pro- nonneed the bond defective. Williams, who then lived in the southeast part of the county, said that it was good, or it might be made so. After a six months' canvass the election came off on the 2d of August and ont of a vote of 3.181 Columbus claimed to have succeeded by 91 majority.

There were over two hundred more votes polled upon this question than at the same time were cast in the congressional contest.

The county commissioners recorded the result as above. and Quiney at once appealed. The commissioners, although they had declared the result of the election, did not, as the law re- quired them to do, remove the offices to Colum- bus. A mandamus was applied for and Judge Douglas, who was then on the bench of the cir- cuit court, ordered. on the 6th of September.

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

a compliance by the commissioners with the prescriptions of the law. The commissioners. however, who had each his own individual as well as official opinion and interest in the mat- ter, found an easy way "how to do it." Two of them, Eli Sechorn and Wm. Richards, fa- vored Quiney as the county seat, while the third one, George Smith, was a Columbus man. Con- sequently, at the several sessions of the board while Smith always attended, Seehorn and Richards only attended alternately and the consequence was that at each meeting there was a tie vote. The question was thus worried along during the season until in the following year it assumed a new shape which finally resulted in a temporary division of the county.

The present valuable and prospering Quincy Library dates its continuous existence from this vear. A similar institution had been created in 1837-38, based mainly on the voluntary con- tribution of books by those who saw fit to spare them. This plan proved too weak to endure. and within a year or two the enterprise was abandoned, or perhaps, might be said to have suspended, since the same parties who composed it afterward united in forming the present organization. The books, etc., on hand were returned so far as could be to the donors.

In March, 1841, the project was revived and an association made which was perfected in October by being incorporated under an old state law of 1823, relating to public libraries. It opened on the 18th of April with but "a beg- garly account of empty" shelves, and in very unpretentious quarters, but by the close of the year it reported an accumulation of 735 volumes, and these were very well selected for a foundation stock. Its subsequent growth, though slow. has been healthful and now in the forty-third year of its existence it contains over 7,000 well-chosen publications.

A course of winter lectures, under the man- agement of the library, twelve during each sea- son, was commenced in December and con- tinned for many years. For the first few years the lectures were given by resident professional men and they constituted the special pleasant attraction of the winter during the period when, the river being closed, home resources had to be drawn upon for enjoyment and also added to the revenue of the association. There had been a small cirenlating library kept at the bookstore of W. D. Skillman for two or three years past.

Until this time the council meetings had been held either in the courthouse, or latterly, at the private office of the mayor or the clerk. A room was now rented on the west side of the public square, near the corner of Maine street.

which was furnished and fitted up to be exelu- sively used as a clerk's office and council room, and for general city purposes.

The first meeting of the city council was held on the 23d of October, and the place con- tinned to be thus occupied for several years.

In June of this year were ordered and issued the first "copper plate" engraved city bonds.

The work of macadamizing the publie land- ing from Hampshire to Maine street was begun in November and finished in March, 1842. Hampshire street had already been macada- mized from the public square to Front street and Maine street had been partially ent through the bluff.

A second military company, composed of Ger- mans, the Yagers, made its appearance with a large organization, which continued for sev- eral years.

The first soda water fountain was started by Dr. Bartlett, who had then the leading drug store of the place.

Two semi-weekly packets regularly ran from St. Louis to Keokuk on alternate days and there was a daily line of packets between St. Louis and Galena, beside which two or three transient steamers passed each day on their way to Galena and Dubuque and occasionally to above those points.

The great mining industries in the north- western corner of the state and in southern Wisconsin, which shipped all their lead product by river, railroads not yet having come into existence, caused a great demand for steam- boat transportation by light draught boats on the upper Mississippi during the navigable sea- son. There were then probably twice as many through steamboats plying on the upper Missis- sippi as there are at the present date. Eleven hundred arrivals of steamboats were reported for the year 1841, which is probably a nearly correct figure.

There was reported at the same time $326,000 sales of merchandise; 50,000 barrels of flour manufactured : 250,000 bushels of wheat : 95,000 of corn ; 50,000 of oats: 5,000 of beans, shipped away, and 12,000 hogs and 900 beeves packed. At the same time there were reported to be four common schools, containing 687 scholars, and five private schools, with 200 scholars.

The Adams County Medical Society held its first animal meeting on the 12th of April. A colonization society, one of the many that had been formed throughout the country to eneour- age the emigration of blacks to Liberia, and as a partial foil to what was thought to be the injurious influence of the abolition societies, held a second meeting on the 4th of Jannary. The society did not long exist. The Quincey

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Argus, successor to Bounty Lane Register. the oldest paper in the place, founded in 1835, sus- pended on the 19th of June, and on the 23d of September was reissued with a change of name. as the Quincy Herald, under which name it has since been and is now published.

The foundation of our present admirable school system was laid during this year, not in 1842 as has been erroneously stated and sup- posed. It is a matter of regret that a com- plete history of the public schools of Quincy from their first inception has not been written. Such a record would be of exceeding interest now and to the future also be replete with value. It could delineate the difficulties that confronted these institutions at the very begin- ning and afterward, beset as they then were by an extensive and bitter prejudice. also utterly without moneyed means and having no corporate provision for their support. The free school system had not yet become a permanent public policy. Still less did it possess the facili- ties that it now happily enjoys. A compilation of this character, which would depiet with more or less minuteness the varying fortunes of the city schools throughout the past forty-two years as they have been affected by state and local legislations ; by public opinion, by management, sometimes competent and faithful and some- times careless, and the gradual growth to the present proportions might be prepared. But all this would have to be gleaned from scattered fields, partly found in the brief proceedings of the council. but mainly from the records of the school board, which occasionally were scant. and the earlier portion of which were quite carelessly kept and sometimes yet more care- lessly lost or destroyed, and also to a large extent from the recollections of those who were then personally associated or interested. Of these all the members of the council and most of the prominent citizens who favored the cause of the schools are dead (1886).

The first teacher in the male department. Mr. Dayton. and the first also in the female depart- ment. Mrs. Webster, are still living (1883) and resident here.

Prior to this period and for six years later the authority over the schools lay legally in the hands of the school commissioner of the county and the trustees of the districts adjoin- ing and embracing the city, Quincy being made a separate school district in 1847. Fortunate it was that a thorough accord between these county officials and those of the city existed during this entire time, and while the nominal direction came from the school trustees, the actual support and influence came from the council, which appointed an annual visiting

committee (which, however, had no real au- thority ) and provided by appropriations, etc., for the school support. The initial steps in these matters had been taken by the council in the previous year, but they had but little to go on, and were groping almost in the dark. The publie, however, were widely awaking to the importance of the subject and pressing it strongly forward. In these sketches can only be given a skeleton statement of the progress of this matter each year -- just so much as it attaches to and becomes a part of the gen- eral current history of the city.

A proposition was passed by the council in July to rent the old Congregational church (God's Barn) on Fourth street. and the Metho- dist church on Vermont for school purposes. So far all was well. but it was found neces- sary to have the co-operation of the school au- thorities of the county and at a subsequent meeting in August a committee consisting of Dr. Ralston (whose special and earnest work in the cause entitle him to be called, if any one should. the father of our public schools) and Mr. Abbe were appointed to confer with the school trustees. An immediate conference was held and upon the report of this committee on the following week a resolution was passed by the council "that if the board of trustees would establish and maintain for one year from the 4th of November a system of common schools extensive enough to accommodate all the children of the city of Quincy, the city would appropriate for the rent of two rooms $165, payable quarterly ; also any sum not over $300 to fit up such rooms: also for salary of teachers, $800, in semi-annual payments, and that it should be the policy of the city to appro- priate from time to time what might be neces- sary to maintain these schools."

So inadequate, however, seemed the means and so much questioned was the authority for such action the part of both council and trus- tees that publie sanction of their course was called for. and at a largely attended public meeting held at the courthouse on the 14th of September, where the whole matter was fully discussed. it was resolved that it was "pri- dence" and "justice" to establish a "perma- nent system of common schools immediately." and that the board of trustees for schools be instructed "to accept the proposition of the city council in which they propose to hire suit- able rooms and to appropriate $800 and with the funds now in their hands to immediately establish a permanent system of common schools in this city." At another meeting on the 18th the same resolutions, slightly varied. were again adopted.

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

The board of school trustees, of township 2 south. 9 west, were somewhat slow to act, but on the 27th of November they accepted the propositions of the council and established three school districts, all north of Maine street being the first, all south of Maine extending so as to include sections 10, 11 and 12 comprising the second, and all sonth of that, the third, the east line of the township (what is now Twenty- fourth street ) being the eastern boundary. The eouneil was prepared to promptly aet, and schools were ordered to be, and were opened on the 4th of December, one in the Methodist church "for large girls from all parts of the district," one in the basement of the Baptist church "for small girls and boys from district No. 1." one in the Congregational church "for large boys" and one in the Safford schoolroom on Fifth sonth of Jersey "for small girls and boys of distriet No. 2, all children residing in Quincy between five and twenty years of age free, but others in the township to pay tuition fees unless remitted by the council." They were all well crowded. The above gives, in brief, the action attending the founding of our public schools and the manner of their manage- ment when opened in December. They con- tinned, as before stated, to be run in a sort of partnership between the city and county school officials for the following six years.

CHAPTER XX.

1842.

NAVIGATION OPENS EARLY. PUBLI' SCHOOL

TAX. ENOCH CONYERS, MAYOR. BUSINESS STATEMENT. MAIL FACILITIES IMPROVE. AGI- TATION OF SLAVERY QUESTION, BURR. WORK AND THOMPSON SENT TO PENITENTIARY FOR ABDUCTING NEGROES FROM MISSOURI. ABO-

LITIONISTS ORGANIZE POLITICALLY. DR. EELLS. THE FOREIGN VOTE. STRUGGLE OVER THE COUNTY SEAT QUESTION. THE SILK WORK FEVER. GOOD SLEIGHING.

During the very mild winter of 1841-42 the river did not completely close at Quiney and navigation was practicable throughout the en- tire season. Open water-of "easy boating." as steamboat men were wont to term it when- ever the river was even with its banks and free from ice obstruction-came now unusually early in the upper Mississippi. Indeed. it may be said to have come rather too early for the business interests of the place.

Twenty-nine steamboats, among them several of the great " New Orleans boats," were regis-

tered as arrivals during the two weeks, inelud- ing March 21st and April 4th. This was an unprecedented token of business activity at so early a period and resulted in the early ship- ment of a large proportion of the packed pro- vision and stored grain that had accumulated during the winter, making the after part of the season comparatively dull.

The cereal yield thronghont this section and the west generally was above the average in quantity, so much so as to cause prices to grade very low. Wheat sold in July at from 37 to 40 cents per bushel and in September the price had fallen to 31 cents.

The public school system, which had been sue- cessfully inaugurated late in the preceding year, had worked well and been steadily growing in favor. yet the opposition to it was not as yet fully suppressed. The number of pupils, which was daily increasing, cannot be accurately given, but as an indication of their prosperity it may be stated that the leading and largest school, conducted by Mr. Dayton, with two assistants, had an average attendance of about 150 scholars, and the number of pupils at the other schools was proportionately large. The city was still cramped in means for full support of the schools. A deficiency of $630.77 was re- ported at the end of the first year, and to par- tially meet this an appropriation of $300 was ordered by the council and a bond for $1,400 from which this $300 should be deducted was issned as a provision for the support of the schools to run over and be applied to the ex- penses in 1843.

At the same time steps were taken to obtain such an amendment to the city charter or addi- tional legislation that would provide for a sep- arate tax, to be independently assessed and ap- plied solely to school support.

The movement in this direction brought out an expression of sentiment from the German population, which was then and had been for a few years past greatly on the increase-that tended as much as any one thing could, to put down opposition to education and establish the permanence of the school system.

An application was prepared, sanctioned by the city council and the school trustees, for the assessment of a special tax for school purposes. A petition for the legislature was gotten up and circulated among the Germans in remonstrance against the above-named proposition and asking that Germans should be exempt from the impo- sition of a tax to support schools condneted in the English language. This evoked a public meeting of the Germans, with George Schul- theis as chairman and Charles Maertz. secre- tary, which meeting resolved that naturalized

PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Germans were Americans and were fostered by, stood by and expected to sustain and be pro- tected and pay for the same laws as native born citizens. This decided and proper position taken by the Germans stopped all demagoguing in that direction and fixed the future of the public schools. One or two public protests were made against this meeting, but they ended in nothing and the parties soon would gladly have them forgotten. It was not, however, until two or three years later, when, through the passage of a law authorizing the levy of a tax of one-eighth of one per cent on the hundred for school uses, that the system assumed an in- dependent strength.

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Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 17

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1228

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1228