History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 106

Author: Stoll, John B., 1843-1926
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : Indiana Democratic Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1104

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In the fall of 1870 George M. Emack trans- ferred the Otwell Herald, which he had published about six months, to Petersburg. It was a five- column paper, devoted to the interest of the Dem- ocratic party. He sold a one-half interest to Alexander Leslie, Jr., and the paper, under the name of the Pike County Democrat, was enlarged to a six-column folio. Emack became involved in some difficulty and left the town. Leslie contin- ued the publication until after the campaign of 1872, when B. F. Wright became the editor. Un- der his management the paper was not a finan- cial success, and after two months, not being able to pay some of his bills, he gave up the work. Leslie then leased the office to Oscar McDonald and Monroe Crow, who found that there were not "millions" in it, and in six weeks it reverted back to Leslie. Publication was suspended until No-

vember, 1872, when the office was sold to M. S. Evans & Co. The paper was enlarged to a seven- column folio and H. S. Evans became editor. In June, 1873, the office again changed hands and William P. Knight and M. L. DeMotte became the owners. The following year DeMotte sold his in- terest to L. C. Campbell and during the campaign of 1874 the paper was conducted under the firm name of Knight & Campbell. In December of that year Leslie foreclosed a mortgage on the office. The publishers went to Vincennes, pur- chased the material in the Times office and, with- out missing a single issue, continued the Demo- crat. In February, 1875, Campbell sold his in- terest to Knight and the following November Knight transferred the office to Charles Mitch- ener. He then went to Tell City, Ind., but in February, 1877, he returned to Petersburg and again became the proprietor of the Democrat. He had with him at various times in the editorial management J. M. Doyle, W. D. McSwane, W. F. Townsend and Fremont Arford. At some time between 1877 and 1885 William P. Knight sold the paper to J. L. Mount. M. McStoops, the pres- ent owner, bought it from the Mount heirs in 1892.

The Pike County Democrat is well managed, enjoys a liberal advertising and job patronage, and is one of the leading organs of the county Democracy. The office has been twice totally de- stroyed by fire-first on December 2, 1882, and again on May 15, 1884.

The Winslow Dispatch was established by Al- den J. Heuring in Winslow, Pike county, March 10, 1896. Up to that time there had not been anything much done toward managing a regular newspaper in that town. Mr. Heuring has been a wideawake, untiring editor, and has, since the time the paper started, built up a circulation of 2,100. This is remarkable when we consider that there are only 932 inhabitants in the town. The office is equipped with all new and strictly up-to- date outfit with machinery to supply a much larger circulation.

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HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF PORTER COUNTY

By Alfred R. Hardesty

T HE foundations of Porter county were of glacial origin, laid in the Devonian Age. Its surface is interspersed with hills and vales, woods and prairies, springs and streams, and dotted with fine homes and beautiful lakes, being one of the most progressive counties in the great State of Indiana.

This territory, over which four flags, those of France, Spain, England and our own Stars and Stripes, have floated, was the scene of a number of battles in the days when the Indians inhabited it. However, the first inhabitants of this terri- tory are supposed to have been the Mound Build- ers.

It is not known when white men first visited the country out of which Porter county was formed, but the first white settler, Joseph Bailly, settled here in 1822. He was the only white in- habitant for a period of eleven years. The place where he settled on the banks of the Calumet river has always been known as Bailly Town and his old homestead there was owned and occupied by his granddaughter, Miss Frances Howe, until her death in 1917. She was a very cultured and wealthy lady and an author of considerable note, both in this country and abroad. The years 1833 and 1834 were memorable on account of the large number of white inhabitants settling here. Rea- son Bell, the first white child born in the county, first saw the light of day January 11, 1834. He afterward held the enviable record of having been four times elected county auditor.

The first public sale of Porter county lands was held at Laporte in 1835. This was the home of the Potawatomies and among the first land own- ers were the following:

Joseph Bailly, Old-Man-Macito, Chop-i-tuck, Kessis-shadonah, Lemis-shadonah, Mis-sink-quo- quak, Mas-coh, Pa-peer-kah, Nas-wau-bees, We- saw, Mis-no-quis, Che-apo-tuckey, and James, Ira and Joseph Morgan.

The county was first organized in 1835 by the commissioners of Laporte county, who had charge of all the territory in Indiana west of the western line of Laporte county and lying between the Kankakee river on the south and Lake Michigan on the north. They simply divided it into dis- tricts or townships for election purposes. But it was not until January, 1836, that the real organ- ization by the State Legislature took place. The first term of the Porter Circuit Court was held by Judge Sample at the home of John Saylor in

October, 1836. The first court house was built in 1837, at a cost of $1,250, which amount was raised by popular subscription among the resi- dents of the county.

Porter county has been the home of numerous authors and writers of note and educational in- fluence and the seat of various educational insti- tutions, including Valparaiso University, one of the largest universities in America. It had for its founder and, for more than forty years, its president, that prince of Democrats, Henry Baker Brown. Another of our educational institutions of note is the Dodge Institute of Telegraphy, in- cluding wireless telegraphy and railway service and accountancy. It is perhaps the largest school of the kind in the world and had for its founder and president that noble young Democrat, George M. Dodge.

The first newspaper, the Republican, to be pub- lished in the county was established in 1842 by James Castle. It was a weekly and claimed to be independent in politics. In 1844 the name of this sheet was changed to the Western Ranger and its politics to Democratic. In 1849, under the editor- ship of William C. Talcott, the name was changed to the Practical Observer. In 1853 Mr. Talcott changed his publication to the Republican faith and name, as he was a believer in the doctrines of the new party of that day; and it was largely through his ability, efforts, zeal and influence that Porter county has ever remained one of the strong Republican counties of the State.

In 1859 R. A. Cameron, having become the own- er and publisher of the paper, and the last two letters of the name having been lost or destroyed in a fire, the publication continued as the Republic. Mr. Cameron was a member of the legislature in 1860, and went to the war in 1862 and his wife continued the publication of the paper for a time, but soon discontinued it, until 1866, after Mr. Cameron's return, when he again began its pub- lication, but the plant was soon sold to the man- agement of the Vidette, which had been estab- lished about this time as a Republican paper by Aaron Gurney. The well-known B. Wilson Smith became its educational editor. With some slight changes in name and ownership, from time to time, the Vidette is still being published as a daily and weekly, and as the leading Republican paper of the county, under the able management of its owner and editor, John M. Mavity.

A Democratic publication, known as the Porter

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HISTORY INDIANA

DEMOCRACY-1816-1916

Democrat, and, later, as the Porter Gazette, was published with some degree of success, from 1856 to 1860. But, in 1871, Englebert Zimmerman, postmaster of Valparaiso, under President Cleve- land's first administration, launched the Messen- ger as a Democratic journal, and it continues as such at the present time and remained under the management of the Zimmerman family until 1915. During all these years it has been the only Demo- cratic paper published in the county. Both daily and weekly editions are published.

Other papers temporarily published in Valpa- raiso have heen the Valparaiso Herald, an inde- pendent publication; the Musical Ideal, the Nor- mal Mirror, the Northern Indiana School Journal, the Normal Instructor, and the College Current, all of them being literary and educational publica- tions.

Other papers now published in the county are the Hebron News, the Kouts Tribune, and the Chesterton Tribune, the latter of which was es- tablished in 1884, by Arthur J. Bowser, since State Senator, first as an independent in politics, but later changed to a Republican publication. It is still owned, edited and published by its founder and has exerted considerable influence in the po- litical, social and business affairs of the county for many years.

Politically the new county was quite evenly divided between the various parties of those days; but, since the advent of the present Republican party into the political arena, that party has al- ways been largely in the majority in the county. In the last two general elections, however, their majority has been materially reduced and the present Democratic hope is that this majority may be still further reduced in the future.

Although the county has always been strongly Republican, a few Democrats who have been espe- cially strong and popular have been elected to county offices. James R. Malone, an untiring Democratic worker, was twice elected Sheriff. John M. Felton was once elected Clerk and twice elected Treasurer. Cyrus Axe and A. W. Rey- nolds were each twice elected Treasurer. Ed. C. O'Neil was elected Clerk once and Jos. Sego was elected Sheriff once. Dr. G. H. Stoner was elected Coroner one term and Joseph Quinn is serving as County Commissioner at the present time.

Although Valparaiso is a Republican city, sev- eral prominent Democrats have been elected Mayor in times past. Among these were John N. Skinner, twice the nominee of his party for Representative in Congress, who served as Mayor for ten years, and until his death in 1882; then came Frank Jones, a promising young man, whose career was cut short by the inevitable sickle; also,

A. D. Bartholomew, afterward Judge of the Porter Circuit Court, and William F. Spooner, who was elected to this office three times and served eight years, besides serving as chairman of the Demo- cratie county central committee at the same time.

Among other prominent Democrats of the coun- ty at the present time are W. E. Pinney, James H. McGill, John T. Scott, present chairman of the county central committee; Walter Fabing, former Prosecuting Attorney; William Daly, former City Attorney; Joseph Doyle, D. E. Kelly, Chas. L. Jeffrey, C. L. Haslett, Gordon Reynolds, Allen Baum, Geo. Gidley, Peter Lyon, Isaac Hodsden, Bert Hodsden, Frank Beach, Vernon Beach, B. F. Jones, John W. Freer, William T. Brown, Edward Isbey, Fred Wittenburg, Wallace Wilson, Geo. R. Jones, J. E. Roessler, Englebert Zimmerman, Abe Hermance, A. L. LaBrecque, William Malone, David Fickle, W. K. Mulnix, A. N. Fehrman, R. D. Ross, Alfred Banister, J. D. Stoner, Charles Ol- fest, John Van Trees, Harve Carey, Newton An- derson, Robert Boone, W. H. Goodwin, Fred Pope, Irvin Talbot, Loren Cornell, Charles Casbon, Cash Brown, John Lawrence, Herman Dye, Ira Me- Conkey, Henry Pahl, W. O. McGinley, J. G. Ben- kie, A. L. Arnold, Edwin V. Jones, James R. Smiley, H. H. Willing, and E. A. Greene, secre- tary to Congressman John B. Peterson.

Worthy of notice also are DeFoe Skinner, de- ceased, a wealthy banker, and twice elected State Senator; and Hubert M. Skinner, a native of this county, a noted scholar, linguist and author, who was Deputy State Superintendent of Schools when John W. Holcomb, who was also a citizen of this county, and a Democrat, was State Superintendent of Public Instruction; and John Brody, former County Chairman of the Democratic central com- mittee and Postmaster under President Cleve- land's second administration.

Among past and present Republican citizens of the county are many of more than local political note, among whom may be named the following: Gilbert Pierce, once State Representative. after- ward editor of the Chicago Inter Ocean, and later Governor of Dakota and United States Senator for North Dakota. William H. Calkins, Siate Representative, Congressman, and candidate for Governor of Indiana; Nelson Barnard, State Rep- resentative and one of the founders of the Repub- lican party in the county; Marquis L. McCleland, a member of the State Legislature, and private secretary to Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, when that gentleman was a member of Congress; Theophilus Crumpacker, once State Representa- tive. Edgar D. Crumpacker, son of Theophilus, is a brainy man and shrewd and successful poli- tician and represented the Tenth Indiana Con- gressional District in Congress eight consecutive

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HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916

terms, being defeated for re-election in 1912 by that sterling Democrat, John B. Peterson. Mark L. DeMotte was another Porter county Republican who represented this district in Congress. S. S. Skinner and Newton Patton were members of the Legislature and held various local offices. John W. Elam was another leading Republican poli- tician and had been postmaster at Valparaiso nearly two terms at the time of his death. Fred- erick Burstrom was a Swedish worker and holder of various local offices. Among other prominent present day workers in the county might be named Charles S. Peirce, former Clerk; L. H. Coplin, former Treasurer; G. A. Bornholt, present Clerk;

George C. Gregg, twice elected to the Legislature; E. W. Agar, former City Attorney; M. L. Stinch- field, Postmaster at Valparaiso; H. H. Loring, Judge of the Porter Circuit Court; C. A. Blachley, Byron Kinne, Edward Freund, A. O. J. Krieger and L. G. Furness, former State Representative.

We could go on ad infinitum naming those who are perhaps just as worthy of being named in both of the parties, but time and space forbids, and we end a worthy list of honored citizens here, hoping that the future of both parties, in Porter county, may be full of honor and that each may strive for the upbuilding and betterment of her people.

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HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF POSEY COUNTY

By Joel Willis Hiatt, A. M.

P OSEY COUNTY lies in the extreme south- west corner of the State. In 1814, by an Act of the Legislature, it was formed from parts of Gibson and Warrick counties. In 1818 a por- tion of it was taken to form a part of Vander- burg county and it was reduced to 420 square miles, its present area. The population in 1910 was 21,670 and the county seat is Mount Vernon, on the Ohio river.

Since and including 1836, it has invariably given its majority support to the Democratic National ticket. It has only occasionally deviated from this record in State, district and county elections.

The vigor and success of the party in the coun- ty has been largely maintained by the ability and high character of its leaders. In the earlier times they embraced Robert Dale Owen, Alvin P. Hovey, Dan Lynn, Magnus T. Carnahan and Judge Wil- liam Edson; in later times, Gustavus V. Menzies, to whose unselfish, unstinted labors the success of the party in this county has been due more than to any other man, Milton Pearse, James W. French, Judge Herdis F. Clements and George William Curtis.

Credit should also be given to the Democratic press of our county. Without exception it has been honorable and high toned and able in its advocacy of Democratic policies and principles.

Only papers whose editors have been Democrats will be mentioned in this sketch.

The first paper published in the county was the New Harmony Gazette. It was edited in part by Robert Dale Owen and William Owen. It was begun October 1, 1825, and continued to October 28, 1828. Its immediate successors were not of political character. In 1842 the Indiana States- man, edited by Alexander Burns, a relative of Robert Burns the poet, was started in New Har- mony and continued until 1845. In 1846 James Bennett started the Western Star, which he pub- lished at New Harmony for a year and then the Gleaner, which he discontinued after a year. In 1858 the Register was started in New Harmony by Charles Slater and continued until 1861, when its editor enlisted in the army. In 1867 he and J. P. Bennett resumed the publication of the paper and it has been continued by Charles W. Slater and, on his death, by Harry T. Slater, until the present time. The New Harmony Times was es- tablished in 1892 by Clarence P. Wolfe and con- tinues to be published by him. He is now the Democratic postmaster at New Harmony.

In Mount Vernon the Democrat was founded in 1861 by James Huckeby and continued under dif- ferent publishers until 1864. In 1867 Thomas Collins established the present Mount Vernon Democrat and it has continued until the present time under the successive ownerships of Albert A. Sparks, Peter W. and John Roach and its pres- ent proprietor, Peter W. Roach. It is issued in daily form. John Roach died April 1, 1918. The Wochenblatt, the first and only German paper in the county, was established by John C. Leffel in 1875 and continued until 1881. In 1877 Mr. Leffel founded the Western Star, which he continues to publish. It is equipped with a Mergenthaler lino- type machine.

In 1882 the Poseyville News was established at Poseyville by Joseph A. Leonard and George J. Waters. In 1884 this paper passed under the control of James I. Brydon and became Demo- cratic in politics, and later John S. Williams bought an interest in it. In 1888 Joseph R. Haines, who creditably served the county two terms as Representative in the Legislature and is at present the Democratic County Auditor, bought the paper and is at present publishing it.

No comparisons can be made between the pres- ent members of the Democratic press in the coun- ty. Each member is a credit to its publisher and a tower of strength to the party.

The State and even the nation owe a debt of gratitude to the Democracy of Posey county by reason of the character, ability and achievements of some of its sons whom it has placed in public positions.

One of the first to be mentioned is Robert Dale Owen. He served in the Indiana House of Rep- resentatives three terms. He was first elected in 1835 and served two successive terms and was again elected in 1851. He was a member of the Committee on Education and devoted his ener- gies to the building up of the State Library, the firm establishment and endowment of the com- mon school system and the amelioration of the condition of women under the law. For his serv- ices in this latter direction he has been twice publicly honored by the women of Indiana. In 1851 he was presented with a handsome silver pitcher by the women of the State and recently a bronze bust of him, on a handsome pedestal, was erected to his memory in the State House grounds. The money for both testimonials was voluntarily contributed by the women of Indiana.

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HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916

He was one of the most active members of the Constitutional Convention of 1850. He was chair- man of the Committee on Rights and Privileges of the Inhabitants of the State and of the Com- mittee on Revision, Arrangement and Phrase- ology. He endeavored to have incorporated in the constitution a provision guaranteeing to mar- ried women the right to own and control proper- ty, independent of their husbands. The measure was passed, but reconsidered and defeated.

He served the people of our district two terms in the House of Representatives of the United States (1843-47). He contributed materially to the settlement of the dispute between our govern- ment and Great Britain in reference to the Ore- gon boundary. His speech on that subject in the House was one of great force and erudition.

He introduced and secured the passage of a bill to organize the Smithsonian Institution. The bill which he introduced provided for an agricul- tural experiment station, a national normal school and an experiment school for "Improvements in agriculture, in manufactures, in trades, and in domestic economy." We have here our modern agricultural experiment stations, vocational schools, domestic science instruction, with the fur- ther idea of an advanced school for the perfecting of our manufactures. The Germans have suc- cessfully employed this latter idea and thereby achieved a world wide fame as manufacturers. This was in 1845. Robert Dale Owen was in ad- vance of his time. These beneficent and far-sight -. ed provisions were stricken out of the bill in the House and the amended bill, which is now a law, was passed by a vote of 85 to 76. At the begin- ning of this Congress a special committee was created on Organization of the Smithsonian In- stitution. Mr. Owen was made its chairman and had for his colleagues John Quincy Adams, Timo- thy Jenkins, G. P. Marsh, Alexander D. Sims, Jefferson Davis and David Wilmot. Andrew .Johnson was one of the bitterest opponents of the measure.

Mr. Owen served as Minister to Naples under Presidents Pierce and Buchanan. His subsequent career, so full of active usefulness, cannot be even touched upon here. .

William Owen was a director in the State Bank of Indiana and a profound student of economic science. He exercised an important influence on National legislation in financial matters and his thoroughness and clearness of statement were fa- vorably commented on by Senator James Bu- chanan.

David Dale Owen was State Geologist of In- diana, Kentucky and Arkansas, successively, and was the first United States Geologist. The head- quarters of the United States Geological Survey

were located in New Harmony for six years. His work was thorough and eminently practical. He is held in the highest esteem by the geologists of today. He first analyzed the waters of French Lick Springs, Indiana, and Hot Springs, Arkansas, and called the attention of the world to their re- markable curative properties.

Richard Owen was State Geologist of Indiana from 1859 to 1861. For many years he was Pro- fessor of Natural Science in Indiana State Uni- versity.

This great family of Posey county was greatly honored by the Democratic party and, in turn, reflected great credit upon it.

Edward T. Cox of New Harmony was State Geologist of Indiana from 1869 to 1879 and did more than any other man to bring our coal de- posits into prominence before the world. He was a life-long Democrat.

Alvin P. Hovey served as Circuit Judge, Su- preme Court Judge and United States District Attorney. He was appointed to the latter place by President Pierce in 1856, and continued in the position under President Buchanan until his ac- tivity in behalf of Stephen A. Douglas caused his removal. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1850 and served on the Committees on Finance and Taxation. In 1855 he was ap- pointed by the circuit court of Posey county as administrator of the estate and executor of the will of William Maclure of New Harmony, Posey county. In 1839 Mr. Maclure made a will in which he provided that all of his property in and around New Harmony should "be applied for the diffusion of useful knowledge and instruction among the institutes, libraries, clubs and meetings of the working classes." Its operation was to be con- fined to the United States. Judge Hovey distri- buted $150,000 throughout the west, thus becom- ing the executive agent of the first Andrew Car- negie. Alvin P. Hovey became a major-general during the civil war, was sent as Minister to Peru by President Lincoln and, as a Republican, repre- sented our district in Congress part of one term, when he was elected Governor of Indiana.

Judge John Pitcher, who was a Whig in his early life, became a Democrat towards its close. He was a man of superb intellect and a splendidly equipped lawyer. While living in Spencer county, he loaned to Abraham Lincoln his first law books.

I have spoken of the activity of Hon. Gustavus V. Menzies in the service of the party. He is the leader of the bar in the county, learned in the law, eloquent and forceful as a speaker and of incorruptible integrity. He was educated for and was a lieutenant-commander in the navy. He was united in marriage to Miss Esther Hovey, the only daughter of General Alvin P. Hovey,

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HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916

with whom, after resigning his commission in the navy, he studied law. He was chosen a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1876 and has been a delegate to every convention since. He has been Delegate-at-Large to the last four National conventions. On his motion, in 1884, the nomination of Grover Cleveland was made unanimous. In 1904 he was chairman of the State delegation and a member of the Committee on Credentials. In 1878 he represented the coun- ties of Gibson and Posey in the Senate of Indiana. He served on the Judiciary Committee during the first session and was chairman of the Committee on Insurance. In the second session he was a member of the Committee on Revision and Codi- fication of the Laws, and, in conjunction with the Board of Revision, consisting of Judge James Frazer, Hon. David Turpie and Mr. Stotsenburg, codified and revised the laws of Indiana. It was a laborious task and one that is appreciated by the lawyers of the State. He has twice been nominated by his party for Congress, but, the dis- trict being largely Republican at that time, he was defeated on both occasions. Mr. Menzies died December 15, 1917.

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History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 106

Author: Stoll, John B., 1843-1926 Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Indianapolis : Indiana Democratic Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Stoll, John B., 1843-1926
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : Indiana Democratic Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1104