Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 23

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 23

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The first constitution of Illinois. formed in 1818, at the time of the state's admission, had proved. or was thought to be. after thirty years' of operation, inadequate to the vastly increased and varied needs of the state. The real sentiment, however, that induced the call- ing of the convention of 1847 to revise the constitution was the pressing need of creating an organie law more stringent, more economic than that at the time existing, one which might better avail in raising the state from its de- pressed condition, pave a path toward the restoration of its shattered credit, and invite an immigration which was now avoiding it. With a bonded debt, and defaulted interest thereon, the state securities rating at less than twenty cents on the dollar, and auditor's war- rants selling at a discount, one can easily con- ceive the existing necessity for reformatory legislation. The convention of 1847 met the needs of the matter wisely and well, as the spring of prosperity that ahnost immediately followed after its action has abundantly proved. The legislature had, by an act of February 20, 1847. ordered an election to be held on the 19th of April. for delegates to frame a new state constitution. This elec- tion was held. as it happened in Quincy, at the same time with the regular city election. The whigs nominated as delegates to the con- vention, Archibald Williams, from Adams and llighland (formerly Marquette) against whom there was but little opposition, and from Adams county. B. D. Stevenson. J. T. Gilmer and Ilenry Newton: the democratic nominees were : Wm. B. Powers. Wm. Laughlin and J. Nichols. Messrs. Williams, Powers. Laugh-

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

lin and Nichols were elected. This convention met in the following June, and after nearly three months of session, framed a constitu- tion to be submitted to a popular vote for ratification in March, 1848. Its general fea- tures may be noticed hereafter. The special bearing that its provisions had upon Quincy and Adams county, was the making of Adams and Pike, a senatorial district, and the final settlement of the county division quarrel, by prescribing in substance that all counties not vet organized, should be re-attached to the counties from which they had been taken. There had been, early in the year, the usual number of meetings and the average propor- tion of excitement over this vexations old is- sne, but the constitutional provision above named, quieted it forever.

At the city election, in April. John Wood, whig. was re-elected Mayor, over John Ahbe, democrat, and It. T. Ellis, Thomas Redmond, II. L. Simmons (snecessor to Fred Johnson, resigned ) democrats, and G. B. Dimock, were elected Aldermen. This gave the control of the council to the democrats, but after a pro- longed and somewhat personal contest, H. H. Snow, whig, was re-chosen elerk.

A native American ticket for the city offices polled about 50 votes. At this same election an anti-license vote was successful, and also the amendment to the school law, before re- ferred to, which had been submitted for popu- lar ratification.

The same rate of assessment as in the pre- vious year-12 of 1 per cent for public pur- poses, and 1 % of 1 per cent for schools, was or- dered by the council.

Mail facilities were now better. Besides the daily stage mails from the east, and semi- weekly mails to and from the adjoining coun- ties, there was the twice a week mail from St. Louis, by steamer. Newspaper enterprise was also on the increase. There were the two standard weeklies, the Herald and Whig. also on the 24th of November, a small daily was issued by Homer Parr, and JJames Sanderson. This was the second venture towards the es- tablishment of a daily paper, and like its pre- decessor of the previous year, it lived not long. A German Catholic paper, also, the "Stern des Westen" (Star of the West) was started during the month of Angust. The foundation of the large Catholic Church, the St. Boniface, was laid on May 26th, with im- pressive ceremonies.

Judge Douglas, who had been a resident of Quincy since 1841, when he was appointed as one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, and was assigned to duty on the Quincy Circuit,

had been chosen by the legislature, during the preceding winter, to succeed General Semple, as United States Senator. ITe resigned the seat which he had held in the lower house of Congress by three successive elections, and Wm. A. Richardson was elected by the demo- cratie convention to succeed him. Douglas was then the foremost man of his party in the state as he soon after this became equally its leader in the nation. lle was a citizen of Quincy from 1841 until about 1852, when he removed to Chicago and was by far the most noted in his publie career of any of the emi- nent men that Quincy has placed in political lite. Although his state prominence had not been cradled in this section, it was from Quiney, as he expressed it, that he was "first placed upon a national career, where he was ever after kept." His five years' service, as a representative from this district, was ably followed by that of Col. Richardson, for the next nine years, with a subsequent election in 1860, and afterward an election to the United States Senate to fill out the unexpired period of Senator Douglas' term, after the death of the latter.

Col. Richardson was at the time of his elee- tion in 1847, a resident of Sehuyler county, which he had represented almost continuously in the legislature, and had just now returned from the Mexican war with a well earned reputation for bravery and skill. As the suc- ressor and confidential associate of Judge Donglas, and from his own inherent force of character, his position and influence in the national councils was always high. At the Angust election, he carried Adams county over N. G. Wilcox, the whig candidate, by 819 majority. At the same election, P. A. Goodwin, democrat, was elected Probate Judge over Miller, whig. the former incum- bent : J. C. Bernard, whig, over J. II. Luee, democrat, County Clerk, and J. H. Holton, In- dependent. Recorder, over Edward Pearson and J. D. Morgan, the whig and democratie nominees. The entire vote of the county was about 2,100. In the city, the local whig tieket, was successful.

There was but little political feeling mani- fested in this election, although, during the canvass, the merits of the constitution, which was to be voted on in the following spring, were much discussed. It was coldly received, generally, by the democratic party, and final- ly met with much opposition. Several of its features were greatly distrusted. The eleet- ive judiciary was an experiment about which many had doubts: the proposed change of the county court system was another innovation

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

that met with question, and that which locally operated npon it was the requirement of nat- uralization for the foreigner. before he could be allowed to vote.

Until now. under the constitution of 1818. a six-months' residence in the state was all that was required to vest one with the right to suffrage. A discussion of this question. brought abont, among some parties, an exam- ination of the poll lists, which resulted in an estimate. not of course accurate. but approxi- mating thereto, of the probable proportion of the foreign-born population of the city which had. as yet. not been shown in any of the vensus' taken. From this. taking the names as they were spelled, and as they appeared on the poll books. nearly two-fifths of the voters. even at that early day. were Germans. The

great German immigration. to the city, which had commenced in 1835 and 1836 was now steadily increasing, and reached it's maximum during this and the two following years, be- ing accelerated somewhat by the political troubles in Europe. Winter eame in early, though in a mild form, heavy snows falling late in November, and lying on the ground through most of the season.

The seasons of 1847 were marked by the same peculiarity that has been observable dur- ing the last two years (unseasonable seasons they might well be called) variable and con- tradietory, hot when it should be cool. and cold when warm weather would seem to be the rule, totally defying the wisdom of the weather prophets and tasking the brains of the "oldest inhabitant" to remember the "likes of such weather," and along with this mutable weather, there were notieed changes among the spots on the sun, similar to those have recently seen. Whether the new "sun spots" of 1847 had anything to do with the spotted weather of that year. and whether the new sun specks seen in 1884-85 connect in any way with the speckled seasons of these last two years, is a matter for scientifie specs to examine into if it is worth the while, not for these sketches to determine: but the faets exist as above stated. and the coincidence is singular.

The most sensational even of its character that had ever occurred here before or since, ocenrred this year, and created all of the in- tense local interest that is apt to attend such transactions. It was the trial of Thurston J. Luckett, for the murder of Wm. Magnor. The killing was done in the spring. The trial came off at the October term. The two men were printers, and more than usually inti- mate. A jealous suspicion on the part of

Imekett caused an estrangement, and finally a re-encounter and murder. They met in the ('lay hotel, and Magnor was stabbed to death. The trial created more interest than any that ever took place in Quincy. The court house was crammed. Luckett had wealthy associa- tions, and nothing that money could furnish was wanting to aid his defense. Browning & Bushnell defended him, aided more or less by almost the entire bar. The prosecution was feebly condneted by the district attor- ney, who even left the city while the case was progressing, and it was indiscreetly handled by Warren, who assisted him, and the result was Lnekett's acquittal. The address of Browning to the jury, on this occasion, was a most masterly success, which can never be for- gotten by those present.

From a partial mention made of a few of the operating manufacturing interests, it ap- pears that there were at this time. eight flour- ing mills, with a daily full capacity of about eight hundred barrels: two saw mills: one planing mill which worked up, during the year, 550,000 feet of humber; three distill- eries. Osborne's. King's and Casey's. manufae- turing about 60 barrels per day: one woolen factory, established the year before, and man- nfacturing during 1847 about 6,000 yards of Hannel Kerseymere: one large tannery; three foundries : seven saddleries ; twenty shoemaker shops. This, of course. names but a very few of the many industries of the city. Its im- provements had slowly extended. mostly to the northeast and south. As far south as Delaware street, it was fairly built up. sonth of that and State street there were scarcely any buildings. North of Broadway. except immediately along the North side of the street, was almost no settlement whatever.

The improved portion of Quiney had not mneh expanded during the first eight years of the city's existence, and its seant propor- tions as it then appeared. contrasted greatly with the broad circling attractive area dotted with handsome homes and alive with populous movement that now gladdens the eye. The corporate limits continued nearly the same as those that had embraced the village at its city birth. in 1840, with but one change engrafted thereon. Vine. Jefferson and Twelfth, then called Wood street, were yet the boundaries. During this year, 1847. Nevins' Addition com- prising the 120 acres lying between Twelfth. Broadway. Eighteenth and Jersey was at- tached.

This traet of land had been purchased din- ing the wild speenlative times of 1835 and 1836, by a wealthy eastern company for $30,-

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000. $250 per aere, and it now was platted into lots, 60 in number, averaging two aeres to each, and under the operation of a clause in the early city's charter, which prescribed that when any "land adjoining the city of Quiney shall have been laid off into town lots. and duly recorded as required by law, the same shall be annexed to and become a part of Quiney:" this, then open and unoccupied ground, now its most handsomely improved section, was, on the recording of the plat, in March, 1847, added to the city. The next ma- terial change in the shape of the city was made in 1857. when, by an amended charter, the northern boundary was moved three- fourths of a mile to Locust street, the south- ern half-mile, to Harrison street, and the divid- ing line between Townships Eight and Nine, with two rods additional taken off the west side of Township Eight, so as to include the whole of Twenty-fourth street, formed the eastern boundary. The legislative action which added to the city about twenty-five hundred acres of "farm land" was strem- ously opposed by most of those whose land was thus captured, and many of whom were made citizens against their wish, but the pro- jeet succeeded and became a law.

Again, what was was known as the Insti- tute, or East Quiney, a traet of about 120 acres bounded by Twenty-fourth, Broadway, Thirtieth, and a line on the south about equi- distant from Jersey and York extended, by a legislative addition to the charter was made a part of the city. These comprehend the present existing boundaries. The original city contained almost exactly 800 acres, 120 more with the Nevins Addition; and the en- largement, of 1857 and 1867, have swelled its area to somewhat more than thirty-five hun- dred aeres, precision being impossible because of the irregular outline of the river boundary on the west. Such is the brief statement of our territorial changes and expansion during forty-five years.

A short sketch of the Nevins Addition, above mentioned, as having been the earliest extension, will show more clearly than any other seetion the advances that have been made in property values, and is also worthy of note from some bearing that it has had upon the subsequent shaping of the city. This traet of land had cost its owners, as before stated. $30,000. For years it remained on their hands, an expense and unsalable. They often tried to sell it, for less than one-third of its original cost, but could not.

Throughout the eight or ten years of "hard times," following after 1837-38, there was not

to be found in Quincy any such sum of money to be invested in land for future speculation. Finally, on the suggestion of their agent, that, if divided into town lots, it might be sold off at such prices as would realize them the return of the original purchase, leaving out profit, interest, taxes, etc., they made and recorded a plat and authorized their agents to make sales in such proportion as would nearly recover to them the gross amount of the principal of their investment. This called for an average value of $500 to each of the 60 lots. The plat was prepared without properly conforming to the lines of the old eity survey, and this neglect has been a source of much subsequent expense and trouble both to the city and to property own- ers. Some time passed before any sales were made, and then they commeneed at very low figures, but such as will strangely contrast with the rates of this time.

Lot 1, measuring 567 feet, on Broadway, and 114 feet on Twelfth, was bought, in 1849, for $400. During the present month a portion of this lot, fronting on Broadway, has been sold at the rate of $25.00 per foot; making a total estimate value to the lot of over $14,- 000. Lot 38, also, 176 feet by 400, reaching from Maine to Hampshire, sold the same year for $475. The purchaser occupied and im- proved the lot at once, sold portions of it at increasing values from time to time and has now, within the last few weeks, sold out what he had remaining, being one-sixth of the en- tire lot. for $5,000. The other lots were sold generally in about the same proportion, gradu- ally increasing during four or five years; the whole addition, thus sold, realizing to the ten stockholders of the company about $40,000, at prices varying from $3.50 to $7.50 per foot. These figures now seem small, but they are quite an advance on the first publie sale of lots in Quiney twenty-five years before, when, for instance, the entire front on the south side of Maine street, between Fourth and Fifth, was sold at anetion by the county commis- sioners for seventy-six dollars, or ten and three quarter cents per foot.

This was the first large traet of land belong- ing to non-residents that had been offered for sale, and it was all bought in by local pur- chasers, in most cases for their own use and occupancy. All the land in and adjacent to the south part of the city, was, and had long been, owned by John Wood, the Berrians, and S. B. Munn: that on the north by Willard Keyes and three or four other resident own- ers. and the Droulard quarter, lying imme- diately east of the "original" town had also

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been parcelled out to several resident own- ers. The defects in the plat of the Nevins addition, were, that it provided no eross streets running north and south, and that nei- ther Jersey nor Vermont street were aligned in conformity with the same streets as they Jay in the city. The adjustment of these er- rors had been troublesome and expensive, and that in regard to Jersey street is not yet fully completed. It was on account of this trouble caused by this irregular survey that the now existing requirement was made that all plats of additions to the city shall be submitted to the eouneil for approval before being placed on record.

Maine street, east of Twelfth, had been de- elared some time before; not running on a di- reet line east. but slightly deflecting about half its own width so as to elear the north line of the old cemetery at Twenty-fourth street.

The alternate street plan, or double block distance between the streets which run north and south, was thus brought about. It was evident that sooner or later some such streets would have to be made, and the owner of the property at the corner of Maine and Four- teenth, seeing that if they were opened con- seentively, equidistant about 400 feet, as in the city west of Twelfth, his own ground would be ent in an undesirable shape. So, passing by Thirteenth, he seeured the laying out of Fourteenth from Broadway to Jersey, alongside of his own property, and similar in- terests a few years later opened Sixteenth. The Moulton quarter was platted in the same manner, and the streets north and south of these additions have of necessity been made to conform. For the uses that are now made of the ground thus laid out. this system of double blocks east and west is not incon- venient, and in some respects is preferable, al- though not advisable for the older and more business sections of the city.

One can now hardly realize that at the time of which we write, 1847. there were between Twelfth and Twenty-fourth streets, but nine buildings: the residences of Mr. Moore and Mr. Sherman, and their land office near the corner of Chestnut and Twenty-fourth: the Morton cottage. now Buckley's, and the "Call and See" house. now White's, on Broadway, the Kingman house and Cooley's cottage, op- posite, at the corner of Maine and Twelfth, and another near the corner of Jefferson and Twelfth. East of Twenty-fourth, at the In- stitute, there were a dozen or more dwellings. South of Jersey and between Ninth and Twelfth, there were only the houses of John Wood and Win. Gerry, and a couple of eabins

on the Berrian quarter, and north of Vine be- tween Ninth and Twelfth, about the same num- ber. So great has been the change in a gen- eration's time.

CHAPTER XXVI.

1848.

"SKIDDY TRACT" SOLD. NEW STATE CONSTITU- TION. JUDGE PURPLE. FIRST STEAMBOAT

HULL BUILT. TELEGRAPH INTRODUCED.

FIRST DIRECTORY. RAIL ROAD MEETING.

HARBOR IMPROVED. FIRE DEPARTMENT. WELLS, BULL. STONE, MORGAN AND GREEN "RUN WITH THE MACHINE." FISCAL FREE

SOIL PAPER, THE TRIBUNE, STARTED. W. A. RICHARDSON ELECTED TO CONGRESS. PRES- IDENTIAL ELECTION. FIRST FIREMAN PA-

RADE.

Another sale of a large tract of land occur- red during this year, the history of which bet- ter indicates the variations of value in real es- tate, such as have frequently been mentioned in these sketches, than does that of any other lands now embraced within the limits of the eity. Its transfers were few until the time when five or six years later than this (1848) it became a platted addition to Quincy. This is the 160 acres in the northeastern section of Quincy, long known as the "Skiddy quarter," now Moulton's Addition. I have in my pos- session and before me the original patent for this quarter section (160 aeres), granted by the United States in 1818, to Paul Bernard, for serviees as a soldier in the war of 1812. On the baek of this parchment is the convey- ance made by Bernard of this tract during the same year to John R. Skiddy, for the sum of fifty-three dollars. The Skiddys kept the land until 1848 when they sold it for $6,000. It was next platted in 1854 into eighty lots, aver- aging about two aeres each, and sold at pub- Jie auction for abont $40,000, $250 per acre. What its present value is or would be without the improvements on it, any one may make his own estimate.

The new State Constitution, framed by the convention which met at Springfield the sum- iner of 1847, was submitted to a popular vote for ratification or rejection, on the 6th of March. " There was a good deal of uneertainty attending the result. Its merits had been thoroughly canvassed and discussed during the preceding six months, and a strong oppo- sition had been developed in some sections of the state. This opposition generally eame from the democratic press, but was not suffi- cient to create a partisan issue. The delegates from Adams County to the convention from both political parties stood by their action there and were sustained. The leading pe- euliar feature of the constitution was its

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

economie character, and the four points chiefly in discussion were the reduced rate of sal- aries: the eleetive judiciary; the elanse pro- hibiting the advent to the state of free ne- groes, and the proposed tax of two mills on the dollar to be solely applied towards the re- duction of the public debt. These last two propositions were voted upon separately. Strangely enough the heaviest opposition made, was to the two mill tax, really the best feature in the entire instrument. In Adams eounty, out of a total vote of 2,241, the ma- jority for the constitution proper was 923. for the negro elanse 571, and for the two mill tax 53. The vote was proportionally thus through- out the state: the constitution securing a ma- jority of 44,028; the negro exclusion elanse 28,182, and the two mill tax the much reduced majority of 10,431. Only one eounty (the ad- joining county of Brown) east a majority vote against it.

The new constitution having changed the ju- dicial system of the state by the creation of a separate supreme court in place of the court composed of the several cirenit judges, and prescribing that these officials would be .chosen by a popular election, instead of ap- pointed by the governor and senator, as here- tofore, elections therefor were held on the first Monday in September. JJudge Purple, who had most acceptably presided in the cir- cuit court of this county, declined to continue in this position, assigning as the reason, that he could not live on the $1,000 fixed by the constitution, as the salary for the circuit judges. His retirement from the bench was much regretted. He had earned distinction of being the most able and satisfactory judge in the line of capable jurists who had hitherto adorned the Adams county bench.

It had been claimed and believed by many that the judicial elections would not become political, but they did at once. Wm. A. Minshall, whig, of Schuyler county, and Wm. R. Areher, democrat, of Pike, beeame candi- dates for the place. Minshall was successful, although beaten in Adams county by about the party majority, 223 votes, lle presided over this eirenit until 1851. when a new eirenit was formed consisting of Adams, Hancock, Hender- son and Mercer counties. At this same elee- tion R. S. Blackwell was elected proseenting attorney over Elliott, who had formerly filled the office, and S. H. Treat was chosen without opposition to the supreme judgeship from this district.

At the city election, April 17th, John Abbe, democrat, was elected mayor by a vote of 545 to 506, over John Wood, whig, who had held the office successively through the past four

years. The democrats carried the city, elee- ing Amos Green and 11. L. Simmons, aldermen in the First and Second wards, and the whigs securing George Bond, in the Third. With this complete control, the entire city organiza- tion was made democratic. At this time, un- der the first charter, only the mayor, aldermen and city marshal were elected by the people, the other officers being chosen by the council. W. Il. Benneson was made city clerk, dis- placing that veteran official, Judge Snow, and 1. N. Grover, selected as superintendent of pub- lie schools. To bis intelligent interest and ac- tion during this early period of its history, the educational system of the city is greatly in- debted.

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Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 23

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