USA > Indiana > Vigo County > History of Indiana from its exploration to 1922, Vol II > Part 19
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38 Laws of Indiana, Special, 1865, chs. III and IV.
819
RECONSTRUCTION POLITICS
This board not only equalized assessments from the counties but assessed originally the capital stock of all companies incorporated under the laws of the state, except railroad and telegraph, and certified such valuation to the proper county auditors.3º This law has been amended often but in principle remains our taxing system of today.
§ 144 RECONSTRUCTION POLITICS
As might be inferred from the last section, na- tional politics controlled political parties in the state. The Civil war increased immensely the power of the federal government at the expense of the state. At the beginning of the war a large part, counting the south, a majority, denied the power of the federal government to coerce a state. By the end of the war no considerable body of men but what admitted it. States rights as a political principle was tainted with the odor of secession and treason. The Republican party in 1856 denied that the central government had any power over slavery in the states but by 1863 it was well on the road to Abolition by the fiat of the nation. The constitution of the United States left the matter of suffrage with the states but at the close of the war the Republican party was able to force the Fifteenth amendment. This revolution in politi- cal sentiment caused a great deal of friction in Indi- ana. One of the chief attractions of the Knights of the Golden Circle was its emphatic declarations against the coercion of a sovereign state and the Emancipation Proclamation. Thousands of Demo- crats who had no intention of becoming traitors firm-
39 Laws of Indiana, Special, 1872, ch. XXXVII. This law covers 72 pages. A comparison with the tax law of 1840 will show the enormous change that had come about in the commer- cial life of the people.
820
HISTORY OF INDIANA
ly opposed these war measures. They continually demanded that the constitution be restored as it was. The followers of Jefferson as a rule became "peace Democrats," many of them Knights. The followers of Jackson became "war Democrats," and many ulti- mately found themselves in the Republican party.
The Republican party in Indiana also went through the reconstruction program with consider- able wincing. Expediency and resentment often guided it instead of statesmanship and reason. Its first internal struggle was with the national recon- struction policy. The urgent, immediate demands of the war had engrossed the attention of the party. The will of Morton had been law to the party during these times. Political leadership of this kind, con- structive statesmanship, was not a strong point with him. He was forceful and dominating but not far- sighted and persistent. When Lincoln formulated his reconstruction policy Morton fell in line along with the rank and file of the party. The death of Lincoln devolved not only the presidency but this policy on Johnson. The leaders of the radical wing of the Republican party did not take kindly to this plan of reconstruction and at once attacked the Pres- ident. Morton in a speech at Richmond supported Johnson, as he had formerly supported Lincoln. The radicals were represented in Indiana by George W. Julian. These men, after the war was over, devel- oped an energy and bitterness in their treatment of the south out of all proportion to their part in the actual struggle. They were entirely possessed by the slavery question. All public issues and all men were judged by their relation to this question. Morton and the Republican party of Indiana might have stood for a more rational policy in the south had it not been for the hot-headed conduct of the southern
821
RECONSTRUCTION POLITICS
leaders who resented the attacks of the northern radicals.
The Union Republican state convention at Indi- anapolis, February 22, 1866, politely straddled the quarrel by endorsing both congress and the Presi- dent, with emphasis on the former. The situation was considerably complicated for the Republicans when the Democrats in state convention, March 15, denounced secession and heartily endorsed Johnson. It even went so far as to denounce the recent joint resolution of the state Assembly looking toward the repeal in our constitution of that provision prohibit- ing colored people from coming into Indiana.
During the campaigns from 1866 to 1870 inclu- sive there was no issue in state politics worthy of notice. The Republicans, on account of internal struggles between radicals and conservatives, watched a majority of 20,000 dwindle to nothing. Candidates as a rule sought office by catering to the soldier vote. The soldiers were often put to the hard choice of voting either for these coat-tail swingers or for men who had proven slackers in the war. In such times third parties are bred.
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CHAPTER XXVIII
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
§ 145 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
Among the many interests which claimed the at- tention of Governor Wright, agriculture was his favorite. Though not a farmer and without either practical or scientific knowledge of his subject, he delighted to attend and address farmers' meetings. His purpose, it seems, at least it was the result of his work, was not immediately to increase technical knowledge among farmers but rather to dignify their work in their own minds. The very fact that there was agitation on this subject is proof that some farmers had reached the stage where the occupation was not all drudgery. On the other hand, the great mass of farmers lived hard. Especially were the lives of the women and children unattractive.1
1 State Board of Agriculture, II, 1852, p. 352: "The hardest toil, day by day, scarcely brought remunerative crops, because misdirected. Ragged looking farms, grown up with briars and weeds, surrounded by broken fences, greeted the traveler on every hand; a sorry lot of long-haired, long-horned, poor, shelter- less cattle, a few small, poor, burr-covered sheep, a pair of shabby, long-tailed horses, rendered almost useless by hard work and poor food, a few lantern-jawed swine, too poor to squeal, help set off the picture ; rendered still less attractive by the cheerless, comfortless home of the discontented owner, situated, usually, in the lowest, swampiest place on the farm-the hingeless door, the one small window filled up with old hats and old clothing-the smoky mud chimney, if not entirely down, propped up by a long pole or a few fence rails, to say nothing of the interior, present a sufficiently repulsive prospect, and a sufficient evidence, if, indeed, any other were needed, of the falsity and ruinous tend-
823
STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
Into this dull routine of labor Governor Wright wished to inject some purpose, some vision, not only to alleviate its dullness but ultimately to increase its effectiveness. He pleaded not only for shorter hours, but for more work, so that farmers might have leisure for reading, visiting or picnicing.2
In his annual message, December 31, 1850, the governor asked for some positive legislation looking toward the diffusion of popular and scientific knowl- edge among the farmers.3 The scheme as outlined by the governor was a system of local, county or dis- trict agricultural societies, preferably one for each county, aided slightly by the county treasurer, affil- iated with a state agricultural society managed by a
ency of that capital and almost universal error, that 'it is not necessary to educate farmers' boys.' This very last maxim has done more to ruin our soll, and degrade the noblest, most inde- pendent, and health-giving occupation under the canopy of heaven, to a condition of mere menial drudgery than all other causes combined."
2 First Annual Report of the State Board of Agriculture, 5: "It is very remarkable that a pursuit in which more than four- fifths of our population are engaged should have remained so long without that spirit of emulation which the meetings of county and State fairs are so well calculated to bring about. The public mind seems now to have waked up to the realization of something practical; and each man asks for himself the best system, the best mode, the best manner of reaping the rewards of the labor bestowed on the soil."
s House Journal, 1850, p. 28: "The cultivation and improve- ment of our soil is that upon which the other branches of business rely for support, and is the true source of all wealth. The sys- tem that adds to the stock of information in agriculture will promote the welfare of the State, and deserves to be encouraged by the legislative department. The establishment of a state board of agriculture, to consist, say, of nine members, for the express purpose of organizing a state agricultural society, would be calcu- lated to bring into existence, in the several counties of the state, county societies that would be auxiliaries to the state association."
824
HISTORY OF INDIANA
state board of agriculture. Each local society was to carry on a continuous program of agricultural edu- cation by means of reading, discussion and lectures and an annual fair where all the products and craft- work of farmers were to be exhibited. Each exhibi- tor, who won a prize, was to give a detailed account of how he raised or produced the things exhibited.
The state society was to hold two board meetings annually at which at least one delegate from each local society should be present. These were to be open meetings at which would gather leading farm- ers from over the state and hear not only discussions by Indiana farmers but addresses by notable men from abroad, such as Henry Ward Beecher, Horace Greeley or Joseph R. Williams of Michigan. Another duty of the state board was to gather agricultural statistics and information to be published in an an- nual report. This series of reports beginning in 1851 is a wonderful history of agriculture in the state. The third duty of the state board, however, is best known and to thousands of farmers is the only one by which it is known, that is holding a state fair annually. This has been done more to popularize and spread agricultural knowledge than all other agencies combined. A bill embodying the governor's ideas was in due time passed by the Assembly and became a law, February 14, 1851.4
The state board consisted of sixteen members of which the governor was the first named. It was re- quired to hold at least one meeting, early in January, each year. It had authority to hold one or more fairs each year and was compelled to make an annual report, embracing a brief resume of the work of each county society as well as of its own work.
4 Laws of Indiana, 1850, ch. III.
STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
825
Gilbert Logrenze Stuben
Laporte
Lake Porter
Molte Dekalla
Marshall
Kasajusta
Starke
Whitley
Jaffer Vulash Fulton
(reuters)
Wabash Huntington
Adamy
Benton
Grant bitra
Howard
Jay
Warren
Clinton richter
Madison
Randolph
Montarme BOO ICHamiting
Henry
layne
arke
Hendricks Marion Hancock.
Putwam
Fayette Krip
sh
Morgan Johnson Shell
E
Ower
Decatur
Brown party lamer
Monroe
Dearkary
Rille
Jacksons
Chio
nee
Jefferson Suiteitand
Knox Daviess Martin
Scott!
Orange
Clark
Gil
Floyd
Harrison
S
Posey
PICK
perry
JImproved" Varm proved
FARM AND FOREST LAND IN INDIANA (1860)
401 1 / 4 /]
Delaware
Well's
White \Ca
Alten
Sulliva Grejerwe
ke
826
HISTORY OF INDIANA
In a previous chapter statistics have been given showing the material progress made in Indiana be- tween 1850 and 1860. Almost all of that was due to improvement in methods of farming and transporta- tion. There had been agitation and organization looking toward better methods of farming in Indiana back about 1830 when agricultural societies had been formed in several counties, notably in Washington, Wayne and Marion, but during the intervening pe- riod from 1835 to 1850 there had been a great de- mand for labor on the state's internal improvement enterprises and farming interests had languished.
The movement of 1850, aside from the social im- provement of the farming class, was directed toward better treatment of soil, a better grade of farm ani- mals, better varieties and seeds for planting, better methods of cultivation and harvesting, better coun- try roads, and better common schools in which the rudiments of farming at least should be taught.
§ 146 CARE OF THE SOIL
The pioneers had no regard for continued fertil- ity of the soil. Indeed, it seemed too rich in many cases. After a field was cleared it was planted in corn at least four successive years to kill the sprouts and give the small stumps time to rot out. Not in- frequently, especially in bottom land, twelve to twenty crops of corn were grown in succession be- fore wheat was planted. There was an alleged rea- son for not sowing wheat on new land. For some mysterious reason flour from wheat grown on fresh land made what was called "sour bread." The wheat itself was called "sick wheat." It was claimed that hogs would not eat it.5 Another reason for not rais-
5 Major's Memoirs, Morgan County, 299.
827
CARE OF THE SOIL
ing wheat on new land was that it usually fell down, either because some element in the straw was lacking or more probably because it grew too high, frequent- ly growing six feet. A rain or wind storm after the wheat was filled tangled it so that it could not be cradled. Eight or ten corn crops in succession often left the upland so poor that it was put into pasture or perhaps set in orchard. Then came the struggle between briars, sassafras and weeds and the deep- ening and widening gullies. A field once overgrown was seldom reclaimed. Thousands of acres in south- ern Indiana yet bear witness to the old style of farm- ing. Here and there in the thickets one comes across an old chimney, a gnarled apple tree or other evi- dence that there once was plow land. An essay by Byrem Lawrence on care of hilly land shows beyond question that some persons even at that early date were not unaware of what was being done.6
Dr. R. T. Brown, of Montgomery county, recom- mended three things to farmers of his county : First, perfect drainage, which was to be accomplished by a system of tiling; second, the addition of clay and sand to the prairie lands, which could be accomp- lished by subsoiling; third, the black land was in need of lime and he urged that at least ten bushels per acre be spread on. He was opposed to using salt as a fertilizer.7
Rotation of crops was urged by almost all lectur- ers of that time. J. R. Goodwin, of Franklin county, after discussing all the rotations given in Chaplet's Manual concluded that corn, wheat and clover with perhaps, on thin lands, a fallow following the clover,
6 Agricultural Reports, 1852, p. 309.
7 Agricultural Reports, 1853, p. 249. Horace Greeley, in an address at the State Fair at Lafayette, Oct. 13, 1853, said deep plowing or sub-soiling, draining, and irrigation were the three things universally necessary.
828
HISTORY OF INDIANA
was the best. It seems that clover then produced a rank crop the second year if pastured down the first. This second crop was to be turned under.8 Commer- cial fertilizer was little used then. Besides the ordi- nary barnyard manures, the enterprising farmer de- pended on plowing green crops under, such as clover, buckwheat, rye or grass; salt, gypsum, plaster of paris, wood ashes, and lime were frequently recom- mended.
§ 147 FARM STOCK
The ordinary live stock on an Indiana farm of 1850 was a small "menagerie." One man's cows are described as "rawboned, misshapen, wild-looking, long-legged beasts, which would hold his horse a long tug in a fair race." His oxen were "long-legged, ill- broken and ravenous." "Cows not larger than good Bakewell sheep are scattered over the country every- where." Horses varied from a "half pony mon- grel" to a "tame hippopotamus." Droves of "elm peeler" hogs lived next door neighbors to herds of Leicesters. The same general description applied to all. Families coming from New York brought stock common to that region; families from Carolina did the same. The draft horses of Pennsylvania, the race horses of Kentucky and Virginia and the un- registered "plugs" from everywhere found friends in each community.
No serious thought had been given to the im- provement of live stock in the state previous to 1845 or 1850.8ª
8 Agricultural Reports, 1854, p. 181. In 1850 Andrew Erskine, of Vanderburgh county, found the following the best full rota- tlon : Clover, wheat, pasture, wheat, corn, oats. The clover crop was generally regarded as a pasture or manure crop.
8ª Durham cattle were being exhibited at the fairs to the delight and wonder of the people. J. D. Williams ("Blue Jeans")
829
FARM STOCK
The general demand for horses had led to the adoption of two general classes; the heavy draft horse, used by the wagoners in four and six horse teams, traveling twenty-five miles per day over the rough roads, drawing heavy loads; and the light, clean-limbed Kentucky-Virginia breeds used for horse-back riding, light harness and for light farm work. At the state fair of 1855, one of the best be- fore the war, the horses were classified as farm, draft, carriage and riding. The farm horses were described as "coarse and awkward" and the wish ex- pressed that they would not be brought to the fairs. These were the choice of ordinary farm animals, re- ferred to contemptuously as the "two dollar and a half" breed. Two varieties of drafts attracted at- tention, the Canadian and English. Both were low, stocky, heavy, muscular, slow-moving and not desir- able for Indiana. They were criticised by the judges . for having too much bulk and not enough speed. The carriage horses attracted the attention. These were representative of the erect, smart-stepping, matched teams so frequently shown in illustrations of that day. Every well-to-do farmer prided himself on a span of such drivers. Not only the custom but this breed of horses came down from the English country gentlemen by way of Virginia and Kentucky. The
exhibited a four-year-old steer at the Knox county fair, 1855, weighing 2,700 pounds. St. Joseph county the same year reported a number of imported Durhams and Devons. A large number of Poled Durhams had been recently brought into Wabash county, where "blooded" calves sold for twice as much as "scrubs." At the state fair for the same year fourteen pedigreed Durham bulis were exhibited. The Devons were regarded as superior for the dairy and the Durhams for beef. One of the earliest short- horn bulls imported into Indiana was Earl of Seaham, brought by W. T. Dennis and Elihu Morrow, of Richmond, In 1850. His picture forms the frontispiece to the Second Annual Report of the state board, 1852.
830
HISTORY OF INDIANA
attractive colors were the glassy gray and black. A gray from Ohio and a black Highlander named Chancellor from Hendricks county were favorites. The Highlanders were generally conceded the best harness horses but they were overshadowed by the Morgans.
The latter were the pioneer horses without ques- tion. Originated some fifty years before in Vermont from French Canadian and English blood, they com- bined strength, endurance, size and speed. Trim built, small head, deep chest, clean, wiry, sinewy, gen- tle, reliable, they were the standard of the day. They held records of one hundred miles and better from sun to sun. Six of these would whisk a coach over the National road at a ten or fifteen mile gait for three or four hours without showing signs of dis- tress. The state board recommended that the Mor- gans and Messengers displace the "scrubs" on Indi- ana farms. There is a picture of Morgan Hector on page 381 of the Agricultural Reports, 1852.
Saddle horses were numerous and of high grade. These were the gentlemen's pride. All the breeds were varieties of the Kentucky, Virginia, English racers. The secretary observed, however, that the saddle horse was being crowded out by the light har- ness horse. All told, there was promise of great im- provement in the breed of horses, a promise not ful- filled on account of the war, until many years later.
If horses were the pride of the farmers, hogs were their support. The census of 1860 gave the state 2,498,528 head, a number not equaled by any other state in the Union, an average of near ten for each family.º The exhibition of hogs was the most com-
9 In 1856 there were 2,159,627 hogs raised, valued at $6,307,- 148; the pork packed was valued at $2,266,439; the bacon cured was 18,045,137 pounds, worth $1,100,475; the 4,337,272 pounds of
831
FARM STOCK
plete of any of the fair, both as to number of breeds and the excellence of the stock. The era of the "elm peeler" was coming to a close. There were Suf- folks, Leicesters, Polands, Byefields, Graziers, Rus- sian Berkshires, Bedfords and Chester Whites, with a number of crosses. In general features the Pol- ands were considered the best pure blood. A cross with Leicester or Suffolk would make them better feeders. An item in the report showed that mast was still an item with swine. The only serious objection to the Polands was their black color. A cross with Leicesters would make them white and also keep their ears up out of their eyes. The Chester Whites were favorites on account of their huge size and white color. A general objection to the thorough- breds was that when fat they could not walk as fast as a horse from Indianapolis to Cincinnati, as could the native four-year-olds.1º
The Indiana farmers of 1850 raised considerable numbers of sheep, the numbers increasing from 1,122,493 in 1850 to 2,157,375 in 1860. They used a
lard were worth $388,640; while hogs butchered for home use were valued at $740,899.
10 The following remark of a fair patron contrasts the two: "At the fair I purchased two pairs, their ears very broad and hanging down nearly to the point of their short noses; but more industrious, active, feed-hunting pigs I have never had. In one particular, however, I see a marked difference between them and what is called good common stock. Let a rain soften the ground and the long snouts of the latter are up to their eyes in It, root- ing out the clover and upturning the blue grass sod. The Polands graze more sensibly, letting the roots remain for future yield. Another difference is this: They do not put up their bristles and dash off with a booh! booh! when the owner comes near, but run to meet him, as gentle as pet sheep. A third difference consists in their being always fat and round, whilst the improved com- mon stock are flat-sided, and never fat until their growth is attained."
832
HISTORY OF INDIANA
large part of the wool for clothing but with the com- ing of railroads were selling not only wool but the sheep for mutton east. The endless feud between dogs and sheep was a discouraging feature of sheep raising. There were almost as many dogs as sheep and in the affections of the family the dogs had an advantage. It was a question of sentiment against gain and the fight is still on. In 1861 the General Assembly enacted a law licensing and taxing dogs, setting aside in the hands of the township trustee the fund so obtained to pay for the sheep killed and crippled.11
At the state fair of 1854 there were shown Sax- ons, French and Spanish Merinos, South Downs, Cotswold and Leicesters. The Saxons were being introduced in considerable numbers from western Pennsylvania. The Saxons and Merinos were small sheep and especially prized for mutton, by those who still had a lingering taste for venison. It was said they earned their board and keep by eating the weeds, briars and sprouts on the farm. Those who raised sheep for wool preferred the Cotswolds and Leicesters.
§ 148 CROPS
By 1850 it was pretty well ascertained what crops would prosper in Indiana. One hears no more of silk worms and mulberries, or of grape vineyards rival- ling sunny France. The experiments with cotton were about all made while the culture of hemp, flax and hops was being abandoned. On the other hand the United States patent office furnished the Indiana board of agriculture in 1856 with a supply of sor- ghum cane seed, the first that had been seen in the
11 Laws of Indiana, 1861, ch. L. This law in substance is yet on the statute books.
833
CROPS
west. This seed was distributed to all the members of the state board at the January meeting and crops of cane were raised in all parts of the state. Cane and sorghum molasses were both exhibited at the state fair of 1857.12
Of field crops the leader was and always has been corn. The crop of 1856, as shown by the report of the state auditor, was 39,833,366 bushels, worth $11,- 122,160. Rush county led with 1,346,307 bushels and Starke brought up the rear with 17,106 bushels. It is interesting to note that Rush county in 1915 still led in the average yield per acre. Benton county which now leads the state, in 1856 produced 240,817 bushels.
The state fair of 1856 offered premiums for the best ten-acre fields of corn grown on clay, prairie, and alluvial soils. The first prize for the farmer went to Swan Brookshire of Montgomery county who raised an average of 1461/2 bushels per acre; the lat- ter prize was taken by John P. Dawson of Warren county whose corn averaged 153 bushels per acre. Michael Weider of Sullivan county took a first on five acres of corn grown on prairie which averaged 171 bushels, individual acres producing as much as 180.
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