USA > Indiana > Vigo County > History of Indiana from its exploration to 1922, Vol II > Part 23
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
In the meantime the State Grange at its Valpa- raiso meeting, November 27, 1873, expressed its opin- ion in a similar resolution. The veto of the "Infla- tion" bill by President Grant, generally condemned and attributed to Wall Street influence, added spirit to the movement in Indiana.48 In the spring of 1874 Grangers under various names held county political meetings and in some nominated and later elected local tickets. The whole tendency was for a new party and as the chief animus of a new party is direc- ted to the party in power there was corresponding hesitation among Republican politicians and office- holders.
June 9 and 10, 1874, at Indianapolis was held the first state convention of the Independent (or Green- back) party.4 The old judge who presided announced
48 The whole west was furious at the veto. Seldom has a President been compelled to endure more heated denunciation. See Congressional Globe, April 28, 1874, seq .; Solon J. Buck, The Grange Movement, ch. 111; the Indianapolis Journal, April 23, 1874 ; Terre Haute Journal, April 23, 1874; Terre Haute Gazette, April 22, 1874. The Indianapolis Sentinel, April 23, 1874, while condemning Grant for the veto, gives him more consideration than the Republican papers. The Sentinel recognized the clash between Conkling and Morton, and was not sorry to see Morton, who supported the bill, defeated.
49 This convention was presided over by Judge David Kilgore, one of the rare characters of Indiana history. A Kentuckian, born in 1804, a lawyer then of 44 years' practice, personally acquainted with all the governors of the state, a Whig, a Know- nothing, a People's party man, a Republican, a Greenbacker, five times elected to the house, once its speaker, four years in congress. He had only a few equals then in public life.
875
GREENBACK CAMPAIGNS
their work as "one grand reform of the government from tail to snout." The resolutions declared against the oppression by the banks, consolidation of rail- roads, manufacturing monopolies, squandering the public domain, in favor of greenbacks as the only circulating paper money, to be interchangeable for government bonds, payment of the war debt as it was contracted, and condemned a score or so of official vices from riding on passes down to judges selling decisions from the bench.
There were few politicians of experience present. The Democrats as a rule encouraged the movement while the Republicans deprecated it. A state ticket was nominated and in due time defeated.5º The Dem- ocrats carried the state by about 15,000 majority while the new party cast about 16,000 votes and se- cured the balance of power with its three successful candidates for the state senate.
As soon as the election was over a mass conven- tion of Greenbackers was called to meet in Indianap- olis, November 26, 1874, to get in touch with similar parties in other states and prepare for the presiden- tial campaign of 1876. E. A. Olleman, chairman of the party in the preceding campaign, took the lead in the work.
This meeting recommended a national convention to meet at Cleveland, Ohio, March 11, 1875, to perfect a national organization. A national executive com- mittee was appointed on which nine Indiana men were placed. The political principles of this new party were those of the Independent party in Indiana in 1874, the emphasis gradually settling on the money
50 The candidates for secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction declined and those for attorney-general and auditor made no answer to their notices of nomination. An old farmer, drawing his figure from the poultry business, said their candidates refused "to sit on the nest".
876
· HISTORY OF INDIANA
question. E. A. Olleman became national chairman and T. B. Buchanan, of Indianapolis, secretary.
Greenback clubs began to appear in various parts of Indiana; one in Terre Haute was reported to have 600 members,51 the "Capital" club of Indianapolis numbering 250. Through the clubs in various parts of the state delegates to the state convention at In- dianapolis, February 17, 1876, were chosen. There were upward of 350 delegates present, representing 54 counties, E. A. Olleman presiding. The platform demanded the repeal of the Specie Resumption act of January 14, 1875. The "Indiana Plan" of a cur- rency was endorsed, and a general cleaning up of official practice promised.52
On this platform Franklin Landers, of Morgan county, was nominated for governor, who at the Dem- ocratic convention April 20, 1876, also sought to be nominated governor. He had not yet accepted the Greenback or Independent nomination and when questioned virtually admitted his desire to run on both tickets. As a result the Democrats nominated James D. Williams, of Knox county. When pressed for an answer Landers declined the Greenback nom- ination and Anson Wolcott of White county was nominated in his place by the state central commit- tee, May 16. Mr. Wolcott remained on the ticket until October 4, when he, too, withdrew, as he inti-
51 Indianapolis Journal, Oct. 5, 1875.
52 Indianapolis Journal and Sentinel, Feb. 17, 1876: "We, the Independent people of Indlana, being impressed with the necessity of a unity of action to secure a reform In the administration of the affairs of the State, the better to secure relief to the toiling masses against the extravagance and corruptions that have entered into every department of government and to secure such a radical change of the financial policy as shall inure to the benefit of all classes of American citizens alike, do hereby make declaration of our principles and Invite the co-operation and support of all true men."
877
GREENBACK CAMPAIGNS
StJoseph
Lagrange 12'56
Laporte 3699 3288 48
3468
Elkhart 3390 3742 43
69
Steuben VOS !! 2293 219 1
Lake 13 14 1826 8
Porter 1599 2081
Storke 553
marshayl 27/67 2404 10
Kosciusko 27,6 3
28
98
414 7
32/7
7
Whitley 2052-1 16.61
Aller 7732
Newton Jasper 767 751 1262 80 11 97 51
Pulaski 1138 872
FUTTon 1707 15.74 4
4003 17
White
Cass 3506 30 40
Miami
Habash 2243 3.15
2451
8
2/
Wells 2339 1502 28
Adams 2032 867 3
Benton 134€ 89
Carroll 12189 1980
2722 64
Grant
17
HowAr 3826
2/85 2819
188
BIKY2 829 712 112
Jay 1944 192 4
1689 89
3166 4465 122
Clinton 2556 2296 149
Tipton 1704 1942 99
Delaware 165.6 9170
Fountain 2202 2236 220
Montgomery 37-01 21959 2 74
Boone 2499 2663 559
Hamilton 1897 9259 186
Madison 3374 2603 65
Randolph . 1922 9941 70
Parke 1819 2498 205
Putnom 2761. 22.42 181
1915 23010 231
Marion 11986 12)778 ₩ 505
Hancock 2092 1533 80
Rush 2203 2468
Fayette Union 792
Vigo 3139 2$51 1225
Morgan 1892 2161 w 37
Johnson 2363 1860 304
Bartholomew 2800 2326
23/77 2446 253
Deardon 19377 12093
233
.31
Jennings 175% 1908
2/216 24
Chio
Knox 3058 22885 24
Soaviess 12349 2026 25
Martin 1549
2697 299/ 107
Scott 1977
Orange 1603 1269 8
2
13369 2399
Gibson 2317 2279
1468
Crawford 1173 991
Floyd 2960 1/ 795%
82
Harrison 148 2438
rosey 23$9 168 5 19
burg 4019
Warrick 2292 1819 94
Perry 1729
176/ 29
Spencer 2455 2040
44
69
DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, GREENBACKERS (Election of 1876)
9
17_
Owen
1914
Decatur
1 Franklin 3008 1634
1392
95
Monroe 1559 1667 125
Brown 1254 488 109
14/
Ripley
Sullivan 2884 1536 96
Greiene 21303 22907 2/69
Jackson 2799 1640
Lawrence 1666 1934 89
1112
Jefferson Switzerland 1996
Washington 2335 1618
Pike 1640
Dubois, 2332 701 7
12
185
Shelly 3/185' 2.547 5 7
1276 1606
Clay 2543 230 919
Hendricks
Henry 1924 3631 (199
Wayne 31/ 97 5.599 272
NW Tippecanoe Warren 1450 1502 50. 55 2631 Dekalb 2552 2381 65 Noble 2465 Huntington 2463 12845 Clark 878 HISTORY OF INDIANA mated, in the interests of the Republican party. The state central committee thereupon, over the protest of the state chairman, placed Henry W. Harrington on the ticket.53 The Republicans were not hopeful. The Green- backers were drawing heavily from the party, so much so that Godlove S. Orth, of Lafayette, who had been nominated for governor by the Republicans, February 22, withdrew, August 2, and Gen. Benja- min Harrison was substituted by the state central committee in his place. Orth had supported the specie resumption bill in congress and this record was defeating him. On February 24, a convention of workingmen was held at Indianapolis and on May 2, the Socialists met, listening to an address by Peter J. McGuire of New Haven. Such was the remarkable contest of 1876. There was little unanimity or cordiality in or out of any party, neither were there any bitter personalities. General Harrison made a hard canvass and received the admiration and support of his party. "Blue Jeans" Williams was the idol of the farmers, who stood by him loyally. His personality was strong and attractive. Then in his sixty-eighth year, he was one of the last prominent examples of the pioneer farmer. He had been a farmer in the state since its admission, lacking two years. The frequency of his name among the prizewinners at the state fairs shows that he was skillful. When the history of ag- riculture is written his name will be among the four first. During his long public service of more than thirty years he was their champion. In personal 53 There were ugly charges of collusion and bribery against Wolcott and Olleman, but they were, perhaps, gratuitous. It would have been foolish politics to try to buy out a ticket so near election day. 879 GREENBACK CAMPAIGNS appearance and dress he was somewhat like Lincoln, whom he exceeded one year in age, but there their resemblance stops.54 He was elected over Harrison by 5,139 majority, receiving 213,219 votes, Harrison 208,080, and Harrington 12,710. For President the vote stood Tilden 213,526, Hayes 207,971, and Cooper 9,533.55 The Republicans, however, controlled the 54 The following personal description from the Indianapolis Journal, Sept. 7, 1876, is given to show the character of campaign literature and a fairly good caricature of the governor. It was written without animosity, for the governor had few personal enemies: "He is a difficult man to describe. Abraham Lincoln was an Admiral Crichton in comparison and Richard Smith would be like an Apollo Belvidere alongside of him. The English language would never recover from the shock of a detailed and accurate description of his general appearance, and it would take Uncle John Robinson in his most energetic and capable moments to properly emphasize his political points and peculiarities. He is as handsome as a black india-rubber baby drawn out to its greatest possible length and Its face pinched out of shape. His head, in shape, is of the sugar-loaf order, and is covered with a short, stubby growth of bristling Iron grey hair. His only whiskers is a little bunch of the same description of hair, grown upon his 'Adam's apple' and sticking out between the hard yellow starched ends of his cotton sideboards, that serve on either side of his head to support the heavy dewlap of his enormous ears. His eyes are small and closely set against the high, narrow bridge of his long, sharp, inquisitive nose. His mouth looks as if it had been put on warm and ran all over the lower part of his face before it got set, and it opens like the opening of navi- gation in spring. Looking him full in the face gives one the idea of a narrow, loaded hay barge, with broadside sails set, coming down stream with the front cabin doors wide open. His long, lean legs part with each other in disgust at the hips and pursue sepa- rate and diverging paths to the knees, when negotiations for reconcillation are entered into, which takes place finally at the ends of the toes of two great feet, which join each other lovingly, while the heels still remain estranged and keep as far away from each other as possible." 55 Documentary Journal, 1876, I, Secretary of State's Report. 880 HISTORY OF INDIANA General Assembly and after the presidency went to Hayes the Democratic victory in Indiana was a mere matter of holding the state offices.56 The political struggle, begun in 1873, continued on after the election of 1876. The Democrats of In- diana were considerably disappointed over the re- sults, but the Greenbackers, and it seems a large ma- jority of the voters of Indiana, regardless of parties, having strong sympathies for a greater volume of currency, had little to lose in the defeat of Tilden. The Democrats of 1878 committed grand larceny on the Greenback platform and pleaded in justification that the Republicans two weeks earlier had taken everything else.57 The Greenbackers, May 22, put a full state ticket in the field with Henley James, of Grant, worthy master of the state Grange, at its head. This was an excellent ticket, representing many of the best elements of the state citizenship. Many of the principles of the Grangers were incor- porated in their platform, which was denounced for its tendency to communism. Such "Red Republi- can" doctrines as the legal safe-guarding of the lives of miners, state supervision of elections, punishment for vote buying, protection of labor from monopoly, industrial justice enforced by statute, were said to be in the minds of these innocent-looking farmers.58 It should be stated that the campaign was almost en- 58 O. B. Carmichael, in Indiana Magazine of History, IX, 276, has the best written account of the campaign of 1876. For the Greenback party, see Elizabeth Banta, "The Greenback Party in 1876," Mss. 57 The Republican platform, June 6, 1878, declared for "No abandonment or appreciation of a greenback currency. A sound and stable currency of gold, silver, and paper of the same value." 58 Third party platforms were not printed by W. E. Henry in his State Platforms, and must be sought in the Sentinel and Journal on the day following the conventions. 881 GREENBACK CAMPAIGNS tirely on the issue of fiat money and that the Repub- lican party in spite of its ramshackle platform fol- lowed the lead of General Harrison who, in the key- note speech, took a bold stand against fiat money and inflation. From this time the Republican party grad- ually but steadily progressed in that direction till by the end of the century it stood flatly for a single gold standard. The Democrats carried the state by sub- stantial pluralities though not nearly by majorities, for the Greenbackers polled about 40,000 votes and elected a congressman. The Democrats controlled the General Assembly and sent Daniel W. Voorhees to the United States senate to take the place left vacant by the death of Senator Morton, November 1, 1877. Since 1856 Morton had been to Indiana what David was to Israel. No Republican challenged his leadership and no Democrat could withstand his at- tack or break his grip on the people. Indianians have achieved distinction in many fields and have filled creditably almost every political office in the United States, but in the popular mind Morton, the war gov- ernor, is still the greatest of them all. He was not as great a lawyer as Harrison, not as great an orator as Hannegan, Voorhees or Henry S. Lane; few of the state's institutions owe anything to his thought, and he represents no class; but as a governor he stands above them all.59 59 The best life of Morton is by William Dudley Foulke ; see, also, the Indianapolis Journal's Life of Morton (1877), by Charles M. Walker. Neither is critical or impartial. · CHAPTER XXX MINING § 157 SALT The earliest mining in Indiana was undertaken to supply the settlers with salt. Many traditions have come down from pioneer times of the difficulties and dangers encountered in securing a very meager sup- ply. Blue Licks and Big Bone Licks in Kentucky be- came death traps for early Kentuckians, lured there to boil salt and murdered from ambush by lurking Indians . Likewise the Ohio Saline springs near what is now Shawneetown, Illinois, was a resort for the early settlers of Indiana. So risky did it become for the settlers of southern Indiana to follow the forest trails to the salt springs at Shawneetown that Gov- ernor Harrison ordered the settlers to go in parties and ask him for an escort of rangers. This spring was the main reliance of Indiana for twenty-five years. For unknown ages animals had resorted to this famous spring, where, by their continuous "lick- ing," they had removed the dirt to the depth of six to ten feet over an area of several acres.1 1 John Bradbury, Travels, 293; Early Western Travels, V, 276. The following quotation shows the situation in southwestern Indiana before the War of 1812. Indians continually lurked along the "salt road," robbing and murdering. Cockrum, Pioneer His- tory, 216: "This route is known by some as the Salt Route. Salt has become so scarce and high priced that a number of settlers south of White river have petitioned the Governor for an escort of soldiers to protect them whilst on the trail and at the salt works west of the Wabash river." This is a quotation from a letter written by Governor Harrison at Vincennes, Sept. 12, 1807, to Capt. William Hargrove, commanding rangers. 883 SALT When Indiana became a state the national govern- ment, by act of April 19, 1816, gave to the prospective state all the salt springs and enough land surround- ing each to enable the settlers to cut wood and boil the salt.2 When commerce began on the Ohio the salt was obtained from the Kanawha salt wells in western Virginia. The Michigan salt wells were not opened till a short time before the Civil war. Meantime salt for the northern part of the state came by way of the lakes from New York. Freight rates were high and salt costly and scarce. The people on the Wabash complained in 1829 about the high prices. A meeting of protest was held at Vincennes, August 8, 1829, and a committee of three men was appointed to go to Kanawha and buy a boatload of salt for the com- munity.3 Much earlier than this, in 1815, William McFar- land, founder of New Lexington, Scott county, had opened a salt well, having dug down 400 feet. Mc- Farland was president of a large trading company which soon broke up and he was compelled to leave the country.4 Evidences of salt springs or mines were watched for carefully by the settlers. In Fulton township, Fountain county, the first hunters found salt springs. Norbourn Thomas entered the land in 1829 and at once began boring a salt well. The well produced as much as twenty barrels of salt per day. By going 500 feet deep he was able to get water which produced fifty bushels. As they went deeper the quantity of salt increased. For many years these wells produced salt for a large neighborhood. The building of the 2 United States Statutes at Large, 1II, 289. This is the enabling act. 3 Western Sun, Aug. 15, 1829. They called the salt business a "bloodsucking monopoly". 4 Niles' Register, Nov. 11, 1815. 884 HISTORY OF INDIANA Wischorders Laporte Elkhart St. Joseph Lake Porter Kosciusko Starke Marshall Whitley Newton Jasper Pulaski Fulton Miami Cass Huntington Wells White Logansport Benton Carroll Howard W Tippecanoe Clinton Tuppen Hamilton Cicer Nobles will winchester Randolph feedioton Hehery Hendricks Marion Hancock GovenField Spkilm 6hightstown Polman Fayette Union 1 Shelby Johnson Franklin Salt ¡SLORD Brown Nashville Bartholomew Decatur Dear born Rippley Jennings Jackson ohio Dayless Jefferson TPIM Scott seIngton" EN Washington Cool Pike Clark Dubois solt Harorson ry. MINERALS OF INDIANA way Morgan Rush Fountain Montgomery Boone Wabash Huntington Switzerland 885 SALT Wabash and Erie canal about 1850 brought cheap salt from the east and stopped its manufacture at Lodi. These waters were said to contain medicinal properties also of great value.5 On Salt creek in Franklin county a number of salt wells were sunk between 1825 and 1840. Scarcely any tradition of their operation remains." The early hunters in the hills of Monroe county found springs of salt water and named the stream into which they flowed Salt creek. In 1823 some men erected huts there and began boiling salt. The Saltworks, as the place was called, became widely known. When the township was organized it was named Saltcreek. Later wells were sunk but no great amount of salt produced.7 Still farther north on Salt creek in Brown county were two widely-known salt wells, called Jack- son's Lick and Howe's Lick from the names of the men who opened up salt wells there in the early twenties. These wells produced as much as 2,500 bushels annually, some of which sold as high as eight dollars per bushel. These are only a few of the wells sunk on Salt creek in the early days.8 South of the National road, throughout the hill country, there were salt springs, salt wells, or "licks" in almost every county. The best known of these are the health resorts of West Baden and French Lick, both of which were originally salt springs. As late as 1870 E. H. Golden and his neighbors in the northern edge of Crawford county were boiling salt. One well pro- duced 1,600 gallons of brine per day, of which eighty gallons produced a bushel of salt. This was boiled 5 History of Fountain County, 1881, 421. 6 History of Franklin County, 1915, p. 75. There is a story that the wells were opened by Benjamin McCarty in 1803 to supply the Indian trade. 7 History of Monroe County, 1884, p. 536. 8 History of Brown County, 1884, p. 717. 886 HISTORY OF INDIANA in sixteen kettles each holding 100 gallons. Mr. Ben- ham was making twelve barrels of salt per day at a cost of seventeen and one-half cents per bushel.9 In Vanderburg county on Big Pigeon in 1822 a salt well was sunk to a depth of about 300 feet. A valuable flow of brine was found but later when its depth was increased to 500 feet the water was mixed with other properties which spoiled the salt, but the water was used for its medicinal properties for many years. It was known as Evansville Mineral Waters.10 Considerable time was spent in early days hunt- ing gold and silver along the edge of the glacial drift, where the streams had washed an occasional particle from these ancient beds. This was especially true in Brown, Fountain and Vermilion counties. Findings of small amounts gave rise to fabulous reports and traditions but no gold or silver ore worth while has ever been discovered. § 158 GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS The Assembly of 1835 instructed the governor to correspond with the governors of Ohio and Kentucky concerning a geological survey of the three states. This interest in geology was directly due to the work then being done by William Maclure of Philadelphia, for many years associated with the Owens at New Harmony. Governor Noble corresponded with the other governors as requested but without securing their cooperation.11 The Assembly of 1836 was not disconcerted by the failure of cooperation by the other states and by act of February 6, 1837, author- ized the governor to appoint a geologist at a salary of $1,500, and expenses, to make a "complete and 9 Geological Survey of Indiana, 1870, p. 140. 10 House Journal, 1838, p. 201. 11 Senate Journal, 1836, p. 21. 887 GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS minute geological survey of the whole state." He was especially charged to communicate to the As- sembly any "remarkable discoveries" he should make, there being a lurking belief that valuable gold or silver mines would be found among the southern hills.12 The governor in pursuance of this act appointed David Dale Owen state geologist. Mr. Owen went to work at once. In the spring and summer of 1837 he examined the banks of the Ohio from the mouth of the Wabash to the mouth of the Miami. He then hastily traveled over the counties south of the Na- tional road, excepting Greene, Daviess, Martin and Dubois, which were visited at the beginning of the fall excursion. During the fall of 1837 western Indiana, north of the National road, was examined. The principal pur- pose of the survey was to determine the mineral re- sources of the state and this, according to popular ideas of that time, kept them in the hill country. The season of 1838 was spent in a more detailed examination of the field already covered in an effort to determine definitely the coal areas, their availabil- ity for mining, prevalence of limestones suitable for building material, kinds and values of accompanying sandstones, whether, as was the case in Tennessee, the coal was accompanied by valuable beds of iron ore, whether the fire clays of Perry county continued to the north, and whether there was promise of ex- tensive salt wells. Dislocated specimens of copper, lead and other ores had been picked up at various places and it was desired especially to find whence these specimens came. These excursions thus took on all the interest of prospecting for mines in a new country.18 12 Laws of Indiana, 1836, ch. LXV. 13 House Journal, 1838, p. 198. 888 HISTORY OF INDIANA Mr. Owen reported that the coal areas of Indiana were a part of a huge basin including western Ken- tucky and southern Illinois. The area in Indiana was found to lie almost entirely west of the Second Principal meridian, the eastern boundary line cross- ing the National road at Putnamville, touching the southeast corner of Montgomery county, crossing the Wabash at Independence and reaching the state line at the north line of Vermilion county. The area in Indiana was estimated at 7,740 square miles. He reported that the best coal was that which cropped out near the state line. The layers, of which some six or eight were detected, dipped slightly to the west, No. 1 being the eastern or deepest vein. Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.