USA > Indiana > Allen County > History of Allen County, Indiana, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 55
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1 27
WAYNE TOWNSHIP.
or politically opposed to him, but what he has written for the publie will speak for itself, snd hy that he can best be judged.
In 1878, on its organization, he was made President of the Board of Trus- tees of the Fort Wayne Medical College, and is the author of the law of Indiana, of 1879, to promote the science of medicine and surgery, hy providing means for ohtaining subjects for anatomical and scientific disseetion and experiment, the intent of the law heing to remove, from the medical profession, the temptation and necessity for grave-rohhing as a means of obtaining anatomical subjects. For many years, Mr. Edgerton has hecn a member of the Vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church, in Fort Wayne.
HON. JAMES W. BORDEN. ( Continued from preceding page.)
to Charles E. Grover, of Terre Haute, Ind., also deceased, leaving two children)' William James, Lieut. George Penington (of the United States Army) and Eme- line (wife of Capt. Hargou, also of the army).
On the 15th of August, 1848, Mr. Borden was again married to Miss Jane Conkling, his second wife, a native of Bucl, Montgomery Co., N. Y., a daughter of Brewster Conkling, Esq. They have one child-Henry D. Borden, born April 29, 1863.
In 1841, he was elceted President Judge of the Twelfth Judicial District, then composed of nine counties.
The people of the State, in 1850, decided to hold a convention to revise and amend the State Constitution. Judge Borden was requested to prepare a hill to provide for calling the convention and the mode of its organizatioo. This he did, and the hill passed hoth Houses of the General Assembly. He was elected a delegate from the counties of Allen, Adaus and Wells, and resigned his position as Judge of the Twelfth Circuit on taking his seat in the convention.
In the proceedings and debates of this convention he took an active part. On the second day of its session, he offered a series of resolutions intended to refer the different parts of the old Constitution to various committees in such a way that every member should be placed npon one or the otber of them, and to require them to hring forward such additional matter as seemed necessary to supply existing deficiencies.
These resolutions, being decidedly opposed to a plan already agreed upon by the older members, including such men as Owen, Bright, Kilgore, Rariden, Petit, and others, met with great opposition and led to an exciting dchate, and, on the part of Mr. Petit, to a virulent attack on Judge Borden's project.
They were finally referred to a committee, reported hack and adopted sub- stantially as introduced by their author, and contributed materially to give to the existing Constitution its present form.
Of the numerous topics hrought before the convention. none possessed more absorbing interest than currency and banking, and law reform and the simplifiea- tion of the system of practice in the courts of the State. Judge Borden was placed at the head of the committee to whom this latter subject was referred. . He drafted and reported Section 20, of Article VII of the Constitution, which required the General Assembly to appoint commissioners to revise and modify the practice in the courts of the State, and also to reduce its laws to a systematie code. The result is our present legal practice. But the latter duty has heen neglected for nearly thirty years.
On the subjects of currency and hanking, there were repeated and animated debates, extending through the entire session of five months. The convention at an carly day divided into two parties, one favoring a State bank and branches only, the other a free hanking system. Judge Borden vigorously opposed both systeuis, contending that the State had no authority to issue a paper currency, either in shape of treasury notes, as it had recently done in the case of the hills of credit or currency called " white dog," or indirectly through a State bank or local banks. He held that currency and hanking were entirely distinet and separate matters, having uo legitimate connection, snd their union in the legislation of the United States and the States had heen productive of untold evil ; that it was the intention of the fraruers of our Government to vest the issue of a circulating mediumu, whether of silver or gold or circulating notes to operate as money, exclu- sively in the General Government ; that banking, properly speaking, was a suh- jeet upon which the General Government could not act; that the regulation of hanking was left entirely with the State Governments; that the time had or soon would come when the best interests of the people required their complete and final separatiou.
Judge Borden gave his views at length on the subject, which may he found in Vol. II of the Dehates, pp. 1,920 to 1,923, inclusive. In one of these diseus- sions, he said :
" I come now, sir, to speak of hanks of circulation, or, in other words, hanks in which the Government confides that great power and delicate trust of making a currency. In fact, it means not to coin silver and gold to circulate and forni a standard of value, hut, simply, to manufacture money out of rags, and to increase or diminish the quantity at their sovereign will and pleasure."
Again, he remarked : " The first ohjection I have to the system is for the reason that, in my opinion, it is an open violation of the Constitution of the United States. I have read the history of my country, sir, to no purpose, if it he not found that it was the intention of the framers of the Constitution of the United States to fix upon a permanent standard of value which should he of gold and silver, and forever to forhid the circulation of paper money, in this country, except such as should be issued directly by the General Government."
On another occasion, when the subject was under consideration, he said : " I cannot hut think, sir, that our forefathers were disposed to consider hanking (I mean, of course, hanking properly so enlled), as a branch of commerce or trade,
which they designed should be left entirely to thic State Government, and with which the General Government should have nothing whatever to do. I have no doubt that they intended to leave hanking, as a business, open to all, under such restrictions and regulations as the States, in their wisdom, might impose. But it is very evident to me that they considered the subject of currency as entirely a different matter, and intended to comuit that subjeet crclusively to the control of the General Government. I am fully satisfied they never intended the States themselves, or corporations created by them, or individuals acting under the laws of the States, should either directly or indirectly interfere with this great question of ' currency."" And on a question heing propounded to him, seemingly to imply or, perhaps, more than insinuate, that he had ahandoned his political party, and now favored a national hank, he repudiated such an idea, saying that Gen. Jack- son was right in vetoing the late United States Bank; that the convention of 1787 had expressly voted down s proposition to give Congress the power to create a United States Bank, or a national banking system of any kind; that the power to issue a paper currency, in the organization of our system of government, was either a lost or rather an extinct power, or it could only he exercised directly hy issuing treasury notes, as had frequently heen done before, and this without the intervention of bank or hankers, national or State. These views were at the time considered novel, and extremely radieal, and excited mnuch comment, and bitter denunciation, and yet they have made slow, silent, but sure progress in puh- lic opinion for thirty years, and many now think they will yet be adopted as the basis of all future legislation in this country on this subject.
He further stated in a subsequent discussion : " That, in my opinion, the evil principle of the curreney of the United States had always been the excess of paper money over the specie in circulation," and, quoting the celchrated Alhert Gallatin as to the proportion that paper money and coin should hear to each other, where it is desired to avoid those great, violent and sudden fluctuations which are ineident to financial affairs, where the paper money greatly exceeds the silver and gold eoin in circulation, and alluding to the fact that some of the States had recently forhid the issuing or circulation of notes less than 85, he said: " But, sir, we should go still farther than this, and, in order to bring gold and silver more generally into eireulation, all notes, under the denomination of $10, ought to be suppressed."
Under the organization of the judicial system after the adoption of the new Constitution, Judge Borden, in 1852, was elected Judge of the Common Pleas, District of Allen, Adams, Huntington and Wells. These duties he performed until 1857, when he was appointed as resident Minister at the Hawaiian Islands. He returned home in 1863, and, in the year following, was again elected to the office of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. In 1867, he was placed on the bench of the Allen Criminal Court, which office he holds at this time.
While he was a luw student, and hefore he was admitted to the har, he com- piled a history of the two great political parties, which now have for nearly a a century divided the people of the United States. It elaims to he merely n com- pilation, taken mostly from Chief Justice Yates' dehates in the convention of 1787, and the Madison papers, the writings of Jefferson, and the dehates in the several State Conventions afterwards called to ratify or reject the constitution drafted and submitted to the States hy the general convention. These articles were widely published in the newspapers of that day, and were afterward col- lected and published in pamphlet form, hy Messrs. Chapmans, of Terre Haute, Ind., and were sown broadcast over this State. Gov. Whitcomb frequently and publicly declared that the circulation of this pamphlet had greatly teuded to indoctrinate the people of Indiana in Jeffersonian Democracy, and that it would tend to keep that party in the ascendency in this State for many years to come.
As late as 1842, the Democrats of' Allen County had never effected an organization. A few of the more active members of the party in the city of Fort Wayne, usually, but quietly, named the candidates for the Legislature and county offices. This, however, did not suit the farmers, and the result was a meeting of several prominent men from the townships, at Peter Kiser's place of husiness, who sent for Judge Borden, and requested him to draw up a plan of organization, which he did. A delegate convention was called, and the plan. through Col. Woodard, a farmer from Ahoite Township, was introduced aud adopted, and has ever since, with the exception of one or two unimportant umeudments, con- trolled their action. The fundamental principle of this organization is that the city of Fort Wayne, however great in population it may hecome, shall forever remain subservient to the agricultural interests of the county, so far nt least as the Democratic party is concerned.
Judge Borden is full six feet in height, well proportioned, of commanding presence, positive hut affable in manner, of fine conversational powers, and pos- sessing great energy of character. He has generally taken an active part and, at times, exercised considerable influence in county matters; he has freely discussed measures of State policy, and always manifested much interest in the affairs of the nation.
In conclusion, it may he said that iu all his public life he has performed his duties with ability, and with evident satisfaction to his constituents.
FRANKLIN P. RANDALL, EX-MAYOR OF FORT WAYNE.
Hon. F. P. Randall was born in Madison County, N. Y., on the 2d day of June, 1812. His ancestors emigrated from England to America, ahout the year 1850, and he is of the seventh generation in descent of the Rlandalls horn on American soil. His grandfather was an officer in the army of the Revolution, and commanded a regiment at the battle of Saratoga, and witnessed the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne. His father was also an officer who served in the American army during the war of 1812. After the war closed, he resumed his occupation as a farmer, in Madison County, and the early youth of the subject of this sketch
128
HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
was passed upon the farm, working in summer and attending the district schools in winter. From the common schools he passed into the Cortland and Hamilton Academies, which he attended for several years, in pursuit of knowledge, and there obtained a good education in mathematics, the classies and other branches, after which he taught a seleet school in Oneida County, N. Y., for two years.
He next went, in October, 1835, to Williamsport, Penn., where he entered the office of Judge Ellis Lewis, who was for fourteen years Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of that State, and under his tutorship, read law. In February, 1838, he was admitted to practice in the courts of Pennsylvania, and in April, of the same year, removed to and located at Fort Wayne, Ind., and commenced the practice of law. In 1840, he was elected School Commissioner of Allen County, and for four years had the control and management of the school lands, and school funds of the county. In 1847, he was elected State Senator for the district composed of the counties of Allen, Adams, Huntington and Wells. He received from Gov. Wright the appointment of Colonel of the State Militia for Allen County, and in 1855, he was promoted, by Gov. Hammond, to the position of Brigadier General of the Tenth Division of Indiana State Infantry. In 1856, he was appointed Dircetor of the State Prison, South, hy Gov. Willard; in 1856, he was elected Presidential Elector, and voted for James Buchanan for President, it being the only instance in which a citizen of Fort Wayne ever voted directly for a President of the United States. He has been for a great many years actively identified with all the public affairs of our city, and prepared the first city charter, which became a law in 1840. Since then he has been three times employed by the Common Council to revise the ordinances of the city, and pub- lisb them in book form; the last edition, publisbed in 1874, forming a fine oetavo volume of 300 pages. He was City Recorder in 1840 and 1841 ; Alderman in 1843, and again in 1855. In 1840, he was also elected City Attorney for two years, and was again elected in 1853 and 1865, thus serving three terms of two years each.
In 1859, he was elected Mayor, and was re-elected to the same office in 1861 and 1863, and again in 1869 and 1871, serving five terms, of two years each, in this important position.
His name has become thoroughly identified with the bistory of Fort Wayne, hy his long aud faithful official career. but it is not only hy this that be will be remembered, for during this time he has always been active in all projects for the advancement of our county. He lias for about ten years represented the city as Director of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad ; has been many years connected with, and President of, the Allen County Agricultural Society, and an untiring worker in its management, and much of its success is due to his unflag- ging zeul and earnestness.
In horticulture and floriculture he is a standard authority, and his fine resi- deuce on Berry street is surrounded by and filled with the rarest exotics, making it one of the finest conservatories in the country, and a pleasant resort for all lovers of the beautiful in nature, and to all such Mr. Randall delights to exhibit and explain his floral treasures. He is also quite an antiquarian, and has a fine cabinet of Indian antiquities, and a fine library of' old and rare books, hoth in manuscript on vellum and in the earliest styles of the printing art. He has also a very extensive and valuable cabinet of coins, and his collection of rare plants, books and coins, is undoubtedly among the best, if not the best, private collections in the State.
In social life he is genial, and his inexhaustible fund of historical anecdotes about men and affairs of our past history, renders him an entertaining and valuable acquaintance, and these qualities have undoubtedly had much to do with his repeated and frequent successes in politieal life.
He belongs to the old school of gentlemen, and the old settlers of the county, a class which is rapidly disappearing from our midst, but is still hale and hearty, and his physique gives promise of years of bonor yet to be fulfilled.
HON. A. P. EDGERTON.
Alfred P. Edgerton was born at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., N. Y., January 11, 1813, being the eldest son of Bela Edgerton and Phebe Ketchum, who were mar- ried at Plattsburg March 24, 1811. Bela, his father, was born in New London County, Conn., September 28, 1787, and was a lineal descendant of Ricbard Edgerton, one of the original proprietors of Norwich, Conn. He graduated åt Middlebury College, was a lawyer by profession, a member of the Assembly of New York from Clinton County for several years, and died at Fort Wayne, Ind., September 10, 1874. Alfred's mother was born at Livingston Manor, Dutchess Co., N. Y., March 27, 1790; died at Hicksville, Ohio, August 24, 1844.
Mr. Edgerton was a graduate of the academy at Plattsburg, and made bis first appearance before the public as an editor of a newspaper in his native town in 1833, and. in the fall of that year, removed to New York ('ity and engaged in commercial pursuits. In the spring of 1837, he came to the State of Obio and took the charge and management of the extensive landed interests of the Ameri- can Land Company and those owned by Messrs. Hicks, and established a law office at Hicksville. At this office, over one hundred thousand aeres of land were sold. In 1852, Mr. Edgerton was himself the owner of nearly forty thousand acres of land in Northwestern Ohio. These lands were subsequently mostly sold by him to actual settlers, toward whom he extended a most liberal policy in regard to their indchtedness to him. During his residence at Hicksville, he was actively engaged in developing and improving that part of Ohio in which he resided, botlı of a private and public character.
In 1845, he was elected to the State Senate of Ohio. He immediately took a leading position in that body, then comprising some of the ablest men in the State of both political parties. Mr. Edgerton being a new member, but little was known or expected of him by his associates. But when Alfred Kelly, then the leader of the Whig party in the Senate, had introduced their financial policy
and kindred issues, Mr. Edgerton opposed their claims, and in clear and logical specches electrified the Senate by the accurate knowledge he gave in detail regarding the finances of the State. Mr; Kelly soon found in Mr. Edgerton a foeman worthy of his steel, while the Democrats were delighted with his success in debate, and from that time forward recognized bim as their leader. During the next year, he was strongly recommended by many of the leading Democratic papers for Governor of the State. One of them thus speaks of him : "During the last two sessions of the General Assembly, Mr. Edgerton has proven himself to be an ahle and talented statesman; and while he has faithfully adhered to sound Democratie principles, his unimpeached private character, high sense of honor and sterling integrity as a gentleman, have commanded the respect of his most bitter political opponents. Consistent, firm and unyielding in his princi- ples, active and ardent in his undertakings, he possesses all of the elements of a successful leader." In 1850, after the close of his brilliant career in the State Senate, he was elected to the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States. and re-elected in 1852. He was second on the Committee of Claims during his first term, and Chairman of that Committee during his second term. This position is one of arduous labor. and it always commands a large influ- ence in the business of legislation. As such Chairman, his services were of very great value to the whole country, but lie did not neglect his position on the floor of Congress. In dehate lie was forcible, pungent, logical and refined; his speeches showing great research, and filled with well-digested iuformation, practical good sense and sound and discriminating judgment.
In 1853, he was selected by the Board of Fund Commissioners, as the finan- cial agent of the State of Ohio, to reside in the city of New York. This was the inauguration by the State of a new policy since adhered to, of having its funds kept for transfer by its own agents, and within its own control. In 1856, he wa Chairman of the Committee on the Organization of the National Democratic Con- vention at Cincinnati. In 1859, he was one of the committee appointed hy the Legislature of Ohio, to investigate the frauds upon the State Treasury, and made an elaborate report which was accepted by the public as a full exposition of those frauds and their authors. In 1857, he removed to Fort Wayne, Ind., but retained his citizenship in Ohio until 1862. In 1859, in connection with Hugh McCulloch (since Secretary of the Treasury of the United States), and Pliny Hoagland, of Fort Wayne, he became the lessee of the Indiana Canal from the Ohio State line to Terre Haute, assuming the position of general manager, and as such controlled the business of the partnership until 1868. In January, 1868, he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the State of Indiana, with Thomas A. Hendricks for Governor, but was defeated at the election by less than 1,000 votes.
In 1872, he received the nomination of the O'Connor Democrats as their candidate for Governor of Indiana, which he declined in a very able and digni- fied letter to the Chairman of the Convention. He concludes his letter by saying, " I therefore shall vote the ticket with Mr. Hendricks at its head, and I earn- estly hope all Democrats in the State will do likewise." He has been called by his political friends to fill wany minor positions. He was sent on as Delegate to the Baltimore Convention in 1848, from Ohio, also a Delegate from Indiana to the Chicago Convention in 1864, and has been a very active and efficient member of the School Board of the city of Fort Wayne for many years. Mr. Edgerton has always filled tbe many distinguished positions of honor and trust in a manner muost satisfactory to his constituents, with whom be was at all times popular, and with that eminent ability that placed him iu the foremost ranks of our most dis- tinguished statesmen. In private life, he has been one ofour best and most efficient business men, au accomplished and genial gentleman, and, during bis residence in our city, has always been a prominent, favorite and respected citizen.
CHARLES D. BOND.
BY HON. F. P. RANDALL.
Was born at Lockport, N. Y., Oct. 31, 1831. His father, Stephen B. Bond, migrated to this county in the year 1846, with his family, and the next year died, leaving his wife and four sous with small wieans of support. Of the sons, Charles was the oldest. His first employment was with Peter P. Bailey, then in the hardware business, on the northeast corner Columbia and Clinton streets. In 1848, he was elerk iu the post office, under S. Stophlet, Postmaster, where he remained until 1852, when he accepted the posi- tion of book-keeper in the branch of the State Bank of Indiana, at Evansville, under Mr. Rathbone, President. In 1853, he became assistaut teller in the branch at Fort Wayne, of the Stato Bank, Hon. Hugh MeCulloch there being cashier. In 1857, when the Bank of the State of Indiana commenced business, he was elected cashier of the Fort Wayne branch. In the year 1865, when the branch at Fort Wayne was merged into the Fort Wayne National Bank, under the act of Congress, he was elected President, which position he held at the time of his death. Commencing at the lowest position, by his strict integrity, lionesty of purpose, and untiring attention to business, he advanced to a com- manding place amongst the financial men of Fort Wayne, and was recognized by bankers as one of the safest and ablest finaneiers of the State. The Fort Wayne National Bank, under his fostering care, and intelligent and untiring devotion to its interests, soon became one of the most prominent banks of the State, which high position was due mainly to his excellent management of its financial affairs, and bis honorable and upright dealing with patrons.
Whilst the bank engrossed most of his time and attention, he was always ready and willing to assist in any enterprise deemed for the good of the people of Fort Wayne, either uf a public or private nature; amongst those may be . mentioned the Fort Wayne Gas Company ; the Fort Wayne & Jackson Rail- road; the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad; the Citizens' Street Railroad; the
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