Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 28

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 28

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The fall election for member of congress. state treasurer. members of the legislature and county officials was warmly contested, with

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

peculiar and conflicting results. O. H. Brown- ing was the whig, and W. A. Richardson the democratie candidate for congress. Browning carried the city by about 50 majority and the county (city included ) by 139, but was beaten in the district ; only one other county (Peoria) giving him its vote. John Wood, nominated as the whig candidate for the state senate on the declination of Col. Ross, of Pike-Adams and Pike constituting the senatorial district, re- ceived 210 majority in Adams, and C. A. War- ren, his democratic opponent, led in Pike county by about ,50 votes. In the represent- ative district, composed of Adams and Brown counties, J. M. Pitman, J. R. Ilobbs and J. Dearborn were the democratic nominees, against whom the whigs ran J. W. Singleton. Wm. Morrow and Holman Bowles. Pitman, Singleton and Bowles went out of Adams with small majorities, which the first two retained in Brown, where, however. Hobbs secured a ma- jority sufficient to eleet him. It was amnsingly noticed at the time, that Dearborn, of Brown. got more votes than Hobbs. of Adams, in Adamıs, while again. Hobbs led Dearborn in Brown, each appearing to be honored most ont of his own county. On the county ticket the whigs elected the sheriff and treasurer, Humph- rey and Pomeroy and the democrats the cor- oner. Munroe, by small majorities. The demo- eratie state ticket was also successful by from two to three hundred votes. This political re- sult is notable as being a partial snecess for each of the two parties, which for the past twenty years had disputed the control of the county with about an even record of fortune, and because it was the last success of the whigs. From this period, with a single acei- dental interruption in the legislative succession, the democratic party maintained an easy, con- tinnous supremacy in all the county elections for the following fifteen years.

An advance in business life in all directions was (as before stated) the marked feature of this year. There was an increase in the mill and provision prodnet, less noted for the reason that enterprise was spreading itself in so many other occupations, some new, some extensions of what had been. As the best criterion by which to judge the present prosperity of a com- munity, is in the number and extensiveness of its factories, where are offered opportunities for ingenuity to expand and the largest amount of labor to be employed, so the surest test of permanent stability is to be found in the priee and valuations of its real estate property. Ilerein is the best basis of a people's wealth, and herein Quincy has an even and healthy record. Sudden changes in the value of real

estate almost always are fictitious, and sooner or later prove so. During the sixteen years of independent corporate existence, six years as a town, ten years as a city, now, in 1850, the retrospect revealed a slow but steady step for- ward with far less of influetuation than at- tached to the career of most other young com- munities of the west. . It had early, it had always, and it had now, in 1850, a larger pro- portion of people owning their own homes than any other town or eity of the same grade in the west ; and this has continued. The reasons for this condition of things, it is needless to name. The fact exists that there are nearly 50 per vent more men in Quincy who own their own homes than in any other llinois city, and it is easy for any one to deduce from this how strongly, how, of necessity, both business and social feelings and interests must combine to make assurance of a permanent future. As evidencing this record of values during the pe- riod above named, the assessment tables tell a clear story. Valuations of real property by as- sessors rarely give a correct estimate of the value of such property, but the successive valu- ations are the best evidence that ean be had of the varying value of such property running through a series of years.

The first town assessment to be relied upon was in 1836, when the town property was val- ned at $487,900. Four years later, in 1839, the last one made by the town, the valuation was $658,443. These valuations were high, much higher than would be made at the present time, but property all over the west had been rated at a speculative value some years before and so continued to be, while the percentage of tax assessments was low. In 1841, the second year of the existence of the city. the valuation of real estate was $729,809, and of personal prop- erty $95,059, and this proportion, slightly ad- vaneing each year, became, in 1850, $1,200,391 for real estate and $353,961 on personal prop- erty. In fact. these valnations which in 1835 were relatively too high, were, in 1850, placed almost as much too low. the earlier valnations being lifted as nearly as possible to the sup- posed cash worth of property, and indeed some- times above, while the later valuations were as steadily falling far below what such property was actually worth. The reason for this de- pression in the assessments was, first, the in- fated value that had been adopted in the early times, and again the operation of the two mill tax to pay off the state debt prescribed in the the state constitution of 1845. The unexpected effect of this two mill tax was, that if all the property in the state was valued at anywhere near its real worth, a much greater sum would

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

be raised to apply upon the state debt than was needed or proper. Hence, property was valued low to accord with the arbitrary standard of the two mill tax, while for the raising of the necessary revenue, the state and corporations could easily meet the demands of their budget by increasing the percentage on these low val- uations.

CHAPTER XXIX.

1851.

PROSPERITY. THE YEAR OF "HIGH WATER." WHIG AND HERALD CHANGE PROPRIETORS. CHANGES IN

THE JUDICIAL DISTRICTS. JUDGE SKINNER. RAILROADS AGAIN. ROUTE CHANGED FOR BROADWAY

TO CEDAR

STREETS. SAM HOLMES MAYOR. NIGHT PO-

LICE. NEW BANKING LAW. CHURCH ON NINTH AND STATE COMPLETED. STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

Until the 1st of February, '51, the river re- mained open with fair navigation. It then closed for a week, reopening. It carried throughout the year a most extraordinary "boom" late into the fall, when it became finally ice-blocked on the 16th of December. This was the Mississippi's greatest, most tri-

umphant year, when the waters of the upper Mississippi reached a height above the measure of any earlier mark. Its flood in 1844 exceeded any in general recollection, although some old settlers asserted that the river had been known to be higher in 1832 and 1826, and there was also an Indian tradition that some time late in the last century it had attained an height never since eqnaled. Be that as it may, the certainty is, that the rise of 1851 surpassed that of any within the memory or measure of white men. The summer was very rainy, but the chief vol- ume of the flood came from the north. While this upper portion of the stream was thus nn- precedentedly high, below the month of the Illinois and of the Missouri, which had been vastly swollen in 1844, it did not reach the sum- mit water mark of that year. The rise began early in April, upon already full banks. As it continued to swell and passed above the measurements of 1844, the old settlers shook their heads with "yes, but it won't reach the 1832 or 1826 figures." However, when, on the 6th of June, the measure showed 5 feet 6 inches above the mark of 1844 they gave up.

It was a mighty flood, like a vast sea stretch- ing from bluff to bluff. Here, on the city side, above and below the town, it washed the foot of the hills, filling Front street so much as to make it impassible and entirely stopping the operation of the mills. No small temporary

addition to the population of the place was made by the incoming of many families who had been "drowned out" of the "bottoms" and crowded into the tenement houses in the lower part of the city. A peculiar occurrence beside was, that late in the fall, when ordinarily the river is at its lowest, a second swell came down, filling the lands and overflowing the banks as much as is usually done at the regu- lar annual rise in June. It does not appear that this huge flood injured to any very great degree, the business interests of the city, al- though it much increased the sickness, which was extensive, and quite fatal, during the greater part of the year.

The dreaded cholera revisited the city in a more violent form than it had appeared the year before, but much less destructive than the scourge of 1849. For eight or ten weeks in the late spring and early summer it pre- vailed with varying fatality, leaving almost as suddenly as it came, with a record of about 160 deaths. As in its earlier comings, it came upon the people almost without premonition, and its advent was a shock and terror. The first cases noted were in the south part of the city, in the Odell family, where, in the short space of four days, the mother and three chil- dren were taken and died, and another child followed within a week. Thirty deaths oc- curred during the last week of May, twenty- eight being from cholera. The same feature was marked at this time as had been noticed on its two former visits, that on the Saturday and Sunday of each week it was the most fatal, and that during those days about one-half of the deaths occurred. The death roll of this year bears the names of an unusual number of prominent persons and "old settlers." Espe- cially of these were E. W. Clowes and Ryon Brittingham, brothers-in-law, both early and substantial citizens, John B. Young, one of the pioneers, who came to this country from Ken- tueky at an early date, with somewhat more of means than the generality of the people then had, settled first in the south part of the county, and moved thence to Quincy. To his enterprising action the city owes many of its best early improvements. There died also W. E. T. Butze. John Glass, early German immi- grants; Dr. II. G. Weoboken. a German physi- vian of unusual skill and attainments: Dr. J. W. Newland ; Charles Morton, the best known and most popular "land man" in the state; Mrs. McDade; Miss Sarah Wood; Ex-County Judge Andrew Miller and many others of like notable position. Among the most conspicu- ous and regretted of these was, probably, S. M. Bartlett, editor and associate owner of the

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Quincy Whig, who died on the 6th of Septem- ber, after a sickness of eight days, the event making sad impression. Mr. Bartlett was a man of marked traits of character, of fair in- telleet, excellent judgment, well experienced in the essentials of his profession, with a frank, outspoken nature, earnest in believing what he said and equally earnest in saying what he believed, a clean private character. He had during his fifteen years' editorial control of the Whig secured a strong reputation through- out the west. and the especial confidence of the political party of which the Whig was a reeog- mized organ. Ile was a native of New Eng- land, came early to the west and had worked as a journalist and printer in St. Louis and Galena prior to his settling in Quincy. He was but 38 years of age at the time of his death.

After the death of Mr. Bartlett the interest which he bad owned in the Whig was pur- chased by John T. Morton, who. as editor, in connection with II. V. Sullivan, published the paper for several years. This was the first change that had occurred in the ownership and management of the Whig since its estab- lishment, in 1836. The Herald about this time went through with one of its many changes, being bought by P. Cleveland & Co. Mr. Cleve- land was a ready, rapid, somewhat verbose writer, more polished, but less vigorons in style, than Brooks, the former editor, who now be- came the publisher and associate editor. Un- der their management, which continued for two years, the paper extended its popularity and political influence considerably more than its financial condition.

The old Fifth judicial circuit, originally in- cluding all the counties in the Military Tract and taking in the northwestern section of the state, formed, in 1829, was by an act of the late legislature divided and a new cirenit made, composed of the counties of Adams, Ilancoek, Henderson and Mercer. This broke up many of the old time legal associations and limited. to some extent, the practice of the Quincy lawyers, who had for over twenty years been accustomed to "follow the circuit" twice a year and appear at the bar of each county in the tract. Many of them had local partners in the counties ontside of Adams. O. C. Skin- ner, a prominent lawyer of Quincy, who had resided in Carthage before coming to Adams county, and while there had rapidly risen to the leading position at the Hancock bar, a reputation which he well sustained in Quiney, was recommended by the bar for the judgeship of the new circuit. The desire was then, as it had been at the first judicial election, to keep the contest from becoming political. This time

the wish succeeded. The cirenit, on a party vote, was undoubtedly whig, and Skinner was a most radical ultra democrat, but his high judicial capacity was recognized and, no oppo- sition being made, he was unanimously elected. Some effort was attempted to bring party feel- ings into the election for proseenting attorney, but it eut no figure, and J. H. Stewart, an ex- perienced lawyer from Henderson county, a whig, but not a politician, was elected to that office.

Finally the railroad matter, that for two years past had "dragged its slow length along," which had been the topie for strife, talkative, publie meetings, legislative action, and had engendered no small amount of per- sonal bickering and animosity, was, by the general action of the citizens, taken out of its troubles and placed on the pathway towards certain and early completion. A law had been passed through the general assembly at the last winter's session legalizing the assessment by the eity of Quiney of a special tax to meet the interest on any railroad bonds that it might thereafter issue, and the city council promptly provided an ordinance in furtherance of the provisions of this law. Another legislative ac- fion in the same direction was the law which anthorized the construction of a railroad from some convenient point on the line of the North- ern Cross Railroad, within Adams county, run- ning thence on the most eligible and prac- ticable route through the Military Bounty Traet and terminating at the most convenient and eligible point at or near the southern termination of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, prescribing also that such road should not run east of Knoxville in Knox county. These two judicious attachments to the railroad project clinched the heretofore somewhat doubtful publie confidence in its management and lifted it at once to an assured snecess. The effect of the first of these special laws was to sub- stantiate the credit of the city in its intention to sustain the enterprise by a bond subserip- tion, and the other promised an eastern con- nection by railroad and canal by way of Chi- cago and the lakes with the already finished, progressing thoroughfares which would be im- mediate on the completion of the Quincy end of the ronte. This was far preferable at the time to the building of a road towards the eentre of Illinois with an indefinite prospect of its continuance farther eastward. Large local subscriptions were now made, amounting in Quincy to between $50,000 and $60,000, and also in proportionate liberal figures along the proposed route of the road in this and the ad- jacent counties. The precise line was not at

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

once decided upon or made known, and agents and advocates were sent to the various loeal- ities between Quincy and Galesburg to arouse publie interest and solicit subscriptions ; prom- ising always, of course, that the community which offered the most money would be sure to secure the road.

One of our prominent Quiney lawyers nearly came to grief in this endeavor. He had made a speech in a little town in an adjoining county and demonstrated that there was the natural route for the road, almost the only feasible line, that they needed it, and all that was wanted was for the people to subscribe liberal- ly, so that some other place wouldn't "buy the road away from them. " and made a eapital and well satisfied impression. The next day he had & meeting in a rival town about five miles away, and there "spoke his pieee" over again with telling effect, when he was suddenly in- terrupted by a fellow ealling, "Why, Mr. W .. that's just what you told us yesterday over in M --; you said the road was bound to come through our town and oughtn't to go anywhere else." To any other than this most adroit of legal gladiators this would have been a crusher. He was staggered for the moment, but recov- ered with, "Well, gentlemen. I did say some- thing of the kind to those fellows over there and the gudgeons all believed me." Brown and MeDonough counties voted, the first $25 .- 000. the second $50,000.

At a public meeting of the citizens of Quiney on January 24th, it was proposed that the city should vote a subseription of $100,000 and pur- chase the interests of the company which owned the road for $20,000 in stock. This latter ar- rangement was perfected, and the council, on the 27th, ordered an election to be held on March 1st, upon the proposition to subscribe $100,000, which resulted in an almost unan- imonsly favorable vote, 1,074 for to 19 opposed. At a meeting of the stockholders on the 22d of March, which was largely attended. N. Bush- nell, J. M. Pitman, 11. Rogers. J. D. Morgan and L. Bull were elected directors by the indi- vidual stockholders, Mayor Holmes represent- ing the city, which had the larger portion of the stock, casting its vote in the same direction. The directors organized by eleeting N. Bush- nell, President : J. O. Woodruff, Seeretary, who soon resigned, and was succeeded by John Field, and he soon after by John C. Cox. S. D. Eaton was appointed Chief Engineer, and in April work began at the corner of Twelfth and Broadway.

At the April city election Mayor Samuel Holmes was rechosen by a majority of 268. ont of a total vote of 984, over M. B. Denman,

the whig nominee. At the same time C. A. Savage, Thomas Redmond and Geo. W. Brown were elected aldermen in the First, Second and Third wards. This election of two whigs and one democrat made the council a tie politieally and was the basis for a good deal of dissension and harsh feeling in that body. This feeling had been shown somewhat in the retiring coun- cil, where after the board had voted to raise the mayor's salary from $250 to $350, he re- fused to receive it because it had not been unanimously voted.

Mr. Lock filed a notice of contest for the seat given to Mr. Redmond, who had beaten him by 17 votes. This was finally withdrawn, but re- mained long enough to stir up considerable per- sonal feeling, and when the selection of a city «Jerk came up (this officer at that time being elected by the council), no choice could be se- enred for several meetings, not, indeed, until after 75 fruitless ballotings. There were two democratie aspirants for the place, each of whom secured two votes, one of these votes coming from a whig alderman, while two of the whigs voted for a whig candidate, thus pre- venting the mayor's having an opportunity to decide the choice by his casting vote. After a couple of weeks' wrangle, however, the demo- crats in the couneil "rose to the occasion" and adopting a motion to elect by resolution, chose Mr. Cleveland clerk. He had held the office for the two past years, and it was partly from some dissatisfaction towards him and partially growing out of the unwillingness of the whigs to select the city officials until the Loek-Red- mond contest was settled, which caused this struggle over the clerkship. It was the first occasion of personal, political strife, that had appeared in the council, which in the early days had very little of that demonstrative ele- ment which not unfrequently wakes up its ses- sions nowadays.

Owing perhaps to this dissension and delay over the organization of the council no formal fiscal statement for the past year was pub- lished, but the city affairs appeared to have been well conducted and its credit sustained, though the debt had somewhat increased.

Mr. Holmes was a skillful business man, with unusual aptitude for publie business and well acquainted with the city's history and wants, and made a highly commendable record as mayor.

During this year's administration was begun the organization of a night poliee, and the sec- ond revision of the ordinanees was made under the supervision of the mayor.

Prices in all things were rising. as they had been for the past two years, beef at eight cents

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PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY.

and mutton seven cents per pound, and other necessaries in proportion, made living some- what more expensive than it had before been. Real estate advanced rapidly in demand and value. One sale indieates this proportionate progress. The ten aere traet at the southeast corner of Maine and Eighteenth streets, now known as the Collins property, which had been bonght five years before by the late Secretary of State. Cooley, for $1,000 ($100 per acre), was now soll for $2,525, or $252.50 an aere, cash, no improvement of value being on the ground. All over the city, as there was also throughout the country, real estate was in eager demand and was changing owners rapid- ly and at rising figures.

Money was plenty and easily obtained, and the adoption of the State Bank law gave broader opportunities for the establishment of "money factories," as they were called, and for a greater increase in the amount of paper circulation. A enrions feature in regard to the bank law, which went into operation at this time, was the sectional character of the con- test. It was partially made a political issue. The whigs all favored it, the democrats gen- erally opposed it. The southern section of the state strongly democratie, was almost solid against the law, the central belt, which was whig, and the northern portion, then demo- eratie, favored it. Chicago voted thirty to one for the law, and yet, as a curious commentary on this, is the fact that when the law was rati- fied by far the larger number of the banks organized under it were located in the southern part of the state, where it had received the greatest opposition. The majority for the law in the state was 62,221.

Much of handsome and substantial building was done during this year. The fine brick church long known as the Centre Congrega- tional, at the corner of Fourth and Jersey, a branch of the Ist Congregational Society, was commenced.

It is now owned by the Baptists. The Pres- byterian church, on Maine street, was enlarged and improved, and the Lutheran church, now replaced by the imposing structure on the cor- ner of State and Ninth, was completed.

Tonching this latter, a mishap ocenrred sad to those who were the sufferers but amusing to worldlings. By some error or oversight the lightning rod placed along down the outside of the steeple was carried as far as the belfrey and there landed, hanging there with no con- neetion to the earth. The lightning caught on the tip of the rod, followed it down and when it eame to the lower end spread itself. shiver- ing the steeple and setting it on fire. The flame

was soon extinguished, but the splintered steeple remained as a reminder that Provi- dence eares no more for its own buildings than any others, unless they were properly finished. It was rather a shock to the faith of some good people.

CHAPTER XXX.

1852.

GOV. CARLIN. FIRST DAILY MAIL BY STEAMER. THE WHIG BECAME A DAILY. IMPROVE-

MENTS. BOOM IN BUSINESS. MILL BURNED. FIRST OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE SUPER- INTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, KOSSUTH INVITED TO QUINCY. RAILROAD WORK CAR- RIED ON. WHITNEY. THAYER. THAYER BY A POLITICAL MISTAKE, ELECTS TRUM- BULL TO THE U. S. SENATE. POLITICAL CHANGES. MAYOR'S SALARY RAISED TO $300.

POLITICAL.

A second vote was taken at the town elec- tions in April, on the question of the continu- ance of the township organization system in the county, which had now been in operation for two years. It was sustained by a vote of 1,532, with but 222 cast against it, two towns only, Ursa and Beverly, voting to fall back to the county court system. Qniney, as at the former election on this issue, did not vote.

This was a severe season for the farmers in this section of the state, owing to the ravages of the army worm and other inseet pests, which did extensive injury to the early crops. The river opened as early as the 8th of February, «losing for the succeeding winter on Christ- mas day. Navigation was unsnally good in the early part of the season, and the water rose to within three inches of the great flood of 1844, and about five feet less than that greatest of Hoods in 1851; but it ran very low in the fall, so much so that the St. Louis packets were not able to make their trips above Quincy after the middle of November.

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Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 28

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