USA > Indiana > History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916 > Part 74
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 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140 | Part 141 | Part 142 | Part 143 | Part 144 | Part 145 | Part 146 | Part 147 | Part 148 | Part 149 | Part 150 | Part 151 | Part 152 | Part 153 | Part 154 | Part 155 | Part 156 | Part 157 | Part 158 | Part 159 | Part 160 | Part 161
Much of the spectacularness of the campaign dwindled twenty or so years ago, when the old torch-lights, which characterized every political parade, went out of fashion. And while per- haps the masses do not show the enthusiasm which was manifested during the good old days, yet Cass county's Democracy has not lost any of its mili- tancy. Its fighting, planning and scheming is now done by an aggressive county committee. Just as business has been organized, so has poli- tics, and the Democrats of Cass county have not been slow in perfecting an organization which knows how to and does get results. Records of past campaigns show this.
Some counties of Indiana which invariably re- turn a Democratic majority do so because Democ- racy is overwhelmingly in the majority. It would be as unnatural for the Republicans to win as it would be for the State of Texas to go Repub- lican. But this is not and never has been the case in Cass county. The strength of both the Demo-
cratic party and the opposition has been about equal, with perhaps possibly a very slight advan- tage to the Democrats. As the result of this the Democrats have always had to be alert and ag- gressive. The opposition has never been known to lay down. It battles until the last vote is counted, and then looks about for a chance to con- test the result.
Cass county was created by an act of Legisla- ture, approved December 18, 1828, and on Janu- ary 19, 1829, a supplemental act was passed changing and increasing its territory, until its northern boundary extended to the Michigan line. Other changes were made from time to time by acts of the Legislature and new counties were formed from the original territory of Cass county, until 1847, when the present boundaries were fixed.
The act of Legislature which created Cass county named Henry Ristine of Montgomery county, Erasmus Towell of Shelby county, Wil- liam Purdy of Sullivan county, Harrison Tyner of Marion county and Samuel George of Tippeca- noe county as commissioners to select a county seat. Cass county had been named in honor of General Lewis Cass, a resident of Michigan, who was instrumental in bringing about the various treaties with the Indians which opened up the lands in Cass and surrounding counties to white settlers. These commissioners met in the log cabin of Gillis McBean and selected Logansport as the county seat of Cass county.
The first election was held April 13, 1829, and the following officers were elected: Chauncey Carter, James Smith and Moses Thorp commis- sioners and William Scott sheriff. Cyrus Taber was appointed county treasurer. Carter and Taber were Democrats who played a prominent part in the party's success in those early days.
Party lines were not closely drawn during local elections in the early days of Cass county. Fit- ness for office and personal popularity had more weight with the voters than party affiliation. But, whether through aggressive campaigning or greater personality, Democratic candidates se- cured more than an even share of the offices.
But as time passed personality and the fitness of a man for office became less potent. Finally came the period when men "voted 'er straight." Political strife was the result. Men hewed to party lines and red fire and the torch-lights came into their own. Lifelong friendships were severed on the rocks of party politics. Bitterness was en- gendered, fist fights were not uncommon. This
( 546 )
HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916
was the heyday of the politician. Stump speakers were on every corner and Cass county was deluged by a flood of political oratory. The zenith of this period was reached during the Bryan campaign in 1896. The torch-light was supplemented by the "full" dinner pail, but even this political trick did not awe or undermine the Democracy of Cass county. When the votes were counted it was dis- covered that William J. Bryan, Democrat, had re- ceived 4,814 votes and William Mckinley only 4,392.
Democrats of Cass county have not been easily swayed on national issues. Abraham Lincoln car- ried the county in 1860 by a slight plurality, but this in a measure might possibly have resulted from the opposition which developed here against Stephen A. Douglas, Democratic opponent. Dr. G. N. Fitch, Democrat, elected from Cass county to the United States Senate, 1858-1861, bitterly opposed Douglas. While in the Senate Dr. Fitch and Douglas got into an altercation which nearly resulted in a duel, and when Douglas ran for President Dr. Fitch worked mightily against him.
The second time that Lincoln ran Cass county went overwhelmingly for George B. Mcclellan, his Democratic opponent. Nor was Benjamin Harrison, Indiana's favorite son, in his two cam- paigns against Grover Cleveland, able to win over the Democrats of this county. Each time they gave Cleveland a big plurality over Harrison. Roosevelt captured the Democracy of Cass county in 1904, but this was because local Democrats re- sented the lukewarm support which Alton B. Parker, his opponent, had given William J. Bryan in 1900. Woodrow Wilson carried the county in 1912 and also in 1916, although at the latter elec- tion the State went Republican.
Following is the vote of Cass county for Presi- dent since its organization to 1916:
1828-Andrew Jackson, Democrat, 66 votes; John Quincy Adams, Whig, 31 votes.
1832-Andrew Jackson, Democrat, 162 votes; Henry Clay, Whig, 153 votes.
1836-Martin Van Buren, Democrat, 286 votes; William H. Harrison, Whig, 313 votes.
1840-Martin Van Buren, Democrat, 372 votes; William H. Harrison, Whig, 640 votes.
1844-James K. Polk, Democrat, 671 votes; Henry Clay, Whig, 764 votes.
1848-Lewis Cass, Democrat, 829 votes; Zach- ary Taylor, Whig, 881 votes.
1852-Franklin Pierce, Democrat, 1,190 votes; Winfield S. Scott, Whig, 1,176 votes.
1856-James Buchanan, Democrat, 1,539 votes; John C. Fremont, Republican, 1,504 votes.
1860-Stephen A. Douglas, Northern Democrat, 1,727 votes; Abraham Lincoln, Republican, 1,874
votes; John C. Breckinridge, Southern Democrat, 34 votes.
1864-George B. McClellan, Democrat, 2,087; Abraham Lincoln, Republican, 1,836 votes.
1868-Horatio Seymour, Democrat, 2,673 votes; Ulysses S. Grant, Republican, 2,370 votes.
1872-Horace Greeley, Democrat, 2,225 votes; Ulysses S. Grant, Republican, 2,616 votes.
1876-Samuel J. Tilden, Democrat, 3,586 votes; Rutherford B. Hayes, Republican, 3,040 votes.
1880-Winfield S. Hancock, Democrat, 3,579 votes; James A. Garfield, Republican, 3,387 votes.
1884-Grover Cleveland, Democrat, 4,070 votes; James G. Blaine, Republican, 3,583 votes.
1888-Grover Cleveland, Democrat, 4,221 votes; Benjamin Harrison, Republican, 3,822 votes.
1892-Grover Cleveland, Democrat, 4,006 votes; Benjamin Harrison, Republican, 3,501 votes.
1896-William J. Bryan, Democrat, 4,814 votes; William Mckinley, Republican, 4,392 votes.
1900-William J. Bryan, Democrat, 4,672 votes; William McKinley, Republican, 4,308 votes.
1904-Alton B. Parker, Democrat, 4,357 votes; T. R. Roosevelt, 5,282 votes.
1908-William J. Bryan, Democrat, 5,205 votes; William H. Taft, Republican, 4,700 votes.
1912-Woodrow Wilson, Democrat, 4,421 votes; William H. Taft, Republican, 1,573 votes; T. R. Roosevelt, Progressive, 3,094 votes.
1916-Woodrow Wilson, Democrat, - votes; Charles Hughes, Republican, - votes.
An incident which occurred on election day in 1848 shows how Cass county Democrats worked to elect their candidate. There lived in one of the northern townships a man named Siedenbender, who was a Democrat of the rock-ribbed order. His son was twenty-one years old that day and proudly announced that he was going to vote for Zachary Taylor. The father paused, eyed his son steadily for a moment and then declared that he could not vote, as he would not be twenty-one years old until after the polls closed, having been born in the evening. The son was obdurate and declared that he was going to vote anyway. The father, not a bit nonplused, stated that if he at- tempted to vote he would challenge his right.
But at this moment Mrs. Siedenbender, a large, powerful-framed woman, who would be a power in woman suffrage affairs if she now lived, inter- rupted. She brushed her husband aside, ordered the son to hitch up the old mule and she would drive to the polls with him. She declared that if her husband challenged the son's vote she would swear him in, and she guessed that the election board would believe her, as "she was present at her son's borning." The father surrendered.
And with all the bitterness and strife which characterized the campaigns of the early days,
( 547 )
HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916
many humorous incidents occurred. One especially was during the strenuous campaign of "Blue Jeans" Williams, Democrat, for governor. The election in those days came in October, and, natu- rally, everyone was interested in the outcome, the result being sort of a forecast of what could be expected at the national election in the following month. The result was very close and hundreds crowded before the bulletin boards of the news- paper offices. Interest was at fever heat, and when word was finally received stating that "Blue Jeans" Williams had been elected governor, the editor of the Logansport Journal, Republican, hung a pair of blue jeans out of the window. The crowd instantly understood. The Democrats broke forth in jubilant cheers, but the Republicans slunk away.
The Logansport Pharos has been the organ of the Democratic party in Cass county since July 24, 1844, and much of the party's success has been due to the various men who controlled its editorial policy. There have been other Democratic news- papers in the county, but they have been of the mushroom variety and none have had the power and the prestige of the Daily Pharos, which was so long and so ably edited by the late Benjamin F. Louthain.
The Logansport Pharos was first published as a weekly July 24, 1844, by Samuel A. Hall, a native of Ohio, who came here and purchased the press and fixtures of the defunct Wabash Gazette. Mr. Hall, though a young man, was an ardent Demo- crat and he soon made his paper a power in local politics. January 6, 1869, he sold the paper to Rufus Magee, who later became state senator and United States minister to Norway and Sweden. Mr. Magee, always aggressive in politics, made the paper more of a power in the community. August 10, 1874, he changed the Pharos into a daily and it has since continued as such. July 1, 1875, Mr. Magee sold the paper to a company com- posed of local men, and Simon P. Sheerin, Demo- crat, who later became clerk of the supreme court, became editor. Some time later Jerry Collins of Crawfordsville assumed management. November 28, 1877, Benjamin F. Louthain and M. Y. Todis- man secured control. John W. Barnes, March 20, 1885, purchased the interest of Mr. Todisman, and from that date until a few years ago the Logans- port Pharos was successfully managed by Louth- ain and Barnes. The paper was then consolidated with the Logansport Daily Reporter under the name of the Pharos-Reporter, with Mr. Louthain as editor.
Many other Democratic papers were started in Cass county. The Logansport Banner, a German paper, had short life during 1872-73. The Deutsche Zeitung, German paper, was started
October 7, 1882, by John Day. In 1892 Mr. Day sold this paper to Peter Walrath, who changed the name to Sternenbanner. Mr. Walrath con- tinued the publication until 1899, when he removed to Evansville. In 1896 he represented Cass and Miami counties in the lower house of the Legis- lature.
Soon after Peter Walrath left John Day again embarked in the newspaper business and started the publication of the Freie Presse, which is still being published weekly. It has a large circula- tion among the German people of Logansport and Cass county and is strongly Democratic.
The Logansport Daily Star, which first came into existence as an advertising sheet February 27, 1873, was purchased by J. Harris Hall, son of Samuel A. Hall, founder of the Pharos. The Star was supposed to be independent in politics, but represented the Dr. Fitch faction in the Demo- cratic party, which was opposed to Rufus Magee, publisher of the Pharos. It ceased publication in 1876.
The Galveston Times, established in Galveston, Ind., March, 1886, by Isom N. Bell, had short life as a weekly Democratic paper. He removed the paper to Logansport, and September 10 of the same year it was changed into a Prohibition weekly.
The Logansport Sun, under the management of the Democratic Publishing Company, was started January 4, 1872, and continued to be issued for 49 weeks, when it suspended publication. It was revived November 18, 1873, and appeared weekly until the spring of 1875, when it died. The Sun was practically owned and controlled by John T. Musselman with George W. Fender as editor. Mr. Musselman was a radical Democrat and sometimes got on the wrong side of the fence, especially when party politics were not run according to his own personal views.
At one time during the short life of this paper William C. Mareau was employed as an editorial writer. A vitriolic criticism of David D. Dyke- man caused the latter to go gunning for the writer. Mr. Dykeman met Mareau at the corner of Pearl and Broadway, pulled a revolver and started shooting at the editor. One bullet took effect, but the wound was not serious. Mareau immediately left the city.
Reason was the name of a weekly which was published during the 1904 campaign by Charles E. Carter in an endeavor to show the inconsist- ency of the Gold Democrats in opposing the elec- tion of William J. Bryan. It died shortly after the end of the campaign.
The Logansport Daily Democrat was the last Democratic paper launched on the sea of journal- ism in Cass county. It was started by Austin
( 548 )
HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916
Fansler, former Democratic city clerk, David Loftus and Amos Palmer. It first saw the light in July, 1904. There was not much capital behind the venture and it died after a few months.
Cass county has been ably represented by Dem- ocrats in both branches of the United States Con- gress, as well as in the Legislature of Indiana. General John Tipton, who probably did more for the upbuilding of Logansport and Cass county in the early days than any other man, was a mem- ber of the United States Senate from 1831 to 1839. He first came to Logansport as an Indian agent and participated in many of the treaties which were drawn up between the Federal Gov- ernment and the Indians. When the Pottawat- tomie Indians were removed from this section in 1838 they first objected to leaving, but Captain Tipton raised a company of sixty Cass county men and started them on their way west. By his prompt action he checked what might have been an insurrection.
Dr. G. N. Fitch was also a member of the United States Senate. He was born in New York in 1809 and with his father came to Cass county in 1834. He represented Cass county in the lower House of Representatives in 1851 and 1852 and was United States senator 1858-1861. He was a presidential elector in 1856.
David Turpie, who also represented Indiana in the United States Senate, was a resident of Lo- gansport for a number of years. He studied law here with D. D. Pratt in 1849 and practiced law here from 1867 to 1872.
Judge William Z. Stuart, one of the pioneer Democrats, was a member of the state supreme court, 1853-1857, and Judge Horace P. Biddle, who in early life had been a Whig, but who later be- came an ardent Democrat, was a member of the supreme court, 1874-1880. Judge Moses B. Lairy became a member of the appellate court in 1911 and in 1912 was elected a member of the supreme court. Judge George E. Ross, who is practicing at the Cass county bar at the present time, was a member of the appellate court, 1893-1897.
Rufus Magee, former editor of the Logansport Pharos, and at present a member of the Cass county bar, was United States minister to Nor- way and Sweden, 1885-1889. Mr. Magee, during his life, has always taken an active part in poli- tics. Although now well advanced in years, he still does his part in every campaign, making speeches throughout the county and assisting in other ways in perfecting the Democratic organi- zation.
William H. Jacks, who died a few years ago, was United States consul at London, Ont., during Cleveland's first administration. Later he became
docket clerk in the Cass circuit court and held this position until the time of his death.
Following are the Democrats who have held county offices :
CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE.
Robert H. Milroy, 1852; Horace P. Biddle, 1861; Maurice Winfield, 1885; Moses B. Lairy, 1895; John S. Lairy, 1903, and re-elected for two suc- cessive terms.
PROBATE JUDGE.
Chauncey Carter, 1833; Robert M. Graves, 1848; Alvin M. Higgins, 1851; Henry M. Eidson, 1862; Robert F. Groves, 1853; Samuel L. McFad- din, 1857; D. D. Dykeman, 1863; John Mitchell, 1873, when court was abolished.
COUNTY CLERK.
Noah S. LaRose, 1856; Horace P. Bliss, 1865; Noah S. LaRose, 1873; Samuel L. McFaddin, 1877; Charles W. Fisk, 1884-1886; John M. Bliss, 1890; Andrew T. Flinn, 1896; Julius F. Liene- mann, 1898; Edward Hankee, 1908; Charles O. Brown, 1912.
AUDITOR.
W. G. Nash, 1866; George W. Blakemore, 1875; Samuel S. Helvie, 1890; George W. Cann, 1906; John E. Wallace, 1910; Adelbert P. Flynn, 1914.
RECORDER.
Horace M. Bliss, 1860; J. C. Kloenne, 1864; Nelson A. Howard, 1868; Samuel P. Sheerin, 1872; Jacob J. Rothermel, 1882; Henry Hubler, 1886-1890; George F. Felker, 1898; James W. Shinn, 1906; Harry E. Burkit, 1910; Cleo Tousley, 1914.
TREASURER.
Cyrus Taber, 1829; A. M. Higgins, 1860; Chauncey Carter, 1862; George E. Adams, 1866; Thomas Pierce, 1880; A. Grusenmeyer, 1884; Charles L. Woll, 1888; John Fox, 1892; I. N. Cash, 1896; C. F. Obenchain, 1900; Matthew Ma- rcney, 1906; M. M. Minnick, 1910; D. A. Hyman, 1914.
SHERIFF.
Abijah Van Ness, 1844; James Spear, 1848; Willard G. Nash, 1862; John Davis, 1866; James Stanley, 1870; W. P. Louthain, 1876; Henry Sny- der, 1882; James Stanley, 1884-1886; John Don- aldson, 1888-1890; N. A. Beck, 1890; Charles Homburg, 1892-1896; N. B. Richardson, 1898- 1900; Lewis E. Beckley, 1902-1904; Warren J. Butler, 1908-1910; James B. Stanley, 1912-1914; Charles Grant, 1916.
PROSECUTING ATTORNEY.
E. A. Hannegan, 1830; William Z. Stuart, 1844; Charles B. LaSalle, 1848; M. H. Kidd,
( 549 )
HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916
1861; Charles B. Pollard, 1874; Simon Weynand, 1878; E. S. Daniels, 1880; M. D. Fansler, 1884; John W. McGreevy, 1888; Frank M. Kistler, 1892; George S. Kistler, 1896; Willard C. Fitzer, 1900; George A. Custer, 1906; Michael L. Fans- ler, 1910; Walter W. Foskett, 1914.
STATE SENATOR.
Cyrus Taber, 1846; John Davis, 1862; Charles B. LaSalle, 1868; Rufus Magee, 1882 and 1890; Maurice Winfield, 1898; Frank M. Kistler, 1906- 1910.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE.
Gillis McBean, 1833; Chauncey Carter, 1834; Gillis McBean, 1835; G. N. Fitch, 1836-1839; Chauncey Carter, 1842; George W. Blakemore,
1843; Cyrus Taber, 1845; George W. Blakemore, 1848; William Z. Stuart, 1851; William G. Cullen, 1856; Charles B. Knowlton, 1858; Charles B. LaSalle, 1862; Samuel L. McFaddin, 1866; Charles W. Anderson, 1872; John W. Cantley, 1874 and 1880; James Thomas, 1882; J. C. Loop, 1884; L. B. Custer, 1886-1888; Joseph Gray, 1890; Joseph Guthrie, 1892; Frank Sense, 1896; George W. Burkhart, 1898-1900; Charles W. Kleckner, 1906-1908; William C. Fitzer, 1910-1912; Louis P. Erny, 1914.
JOINT REPRESENTATIVE.
Peter Walrath, Cass and Miami, 1896; James A. Cotner, Cass and Miami, 1898-1900; Harry M. Gardner, Cass and Fulton, 1912.
( 550 )
HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF CLARK COUNTY
T HE county of Clark, being named in honor of George Rogers Clark, was the second county in the territory of Indiana and was organized on the third of February, 1801, fifteen years before the state was admitted to the Union.
The original organization of the county was under proclamation by General William Henry Harrison, the first territorial governor. The ter- ritory included was a part of Knox county which had been organized in the '90s and had embraced most of the territory now included in the state of Indiana.
The new county of Clark included what is now incorporated in Harrison, Floyd, Clark, Washing- ton, Jackson, Scott, Jefferson, Ripley, Decatur, Franklin, Bartholomew, Shelby, Rush, Fayette, Union, Henry, Randolph, Wayne, Jay and Switzer- land. This embraces about one-fifth of the terri- tory in the present State of Indiana and was a part of the grant of land given to General Clark and his men by the State of Virginia, January 2, 1881.
At the time of the organization of the county only one family resided at Charleston and a few more scattered families about six miles east. Jonathan Jennings, afterwards to become the first governor of Indiana, lived in the neighborhood of Springville, which was the first county seat. The seat of government was removed from Springville to Jeffersonville in 1802.
The first court in the county was held at Springville, April 7, 1801. The judges compos- ing that court were Marston Green Clark, Abra- ham Huff, James Noble Wood, Thomas Downs, William Goodwin, John Gibson, Charles Tuley, and William Harwood. They were the head men of the county and selected regardless of politics, although at the time there were none but Demo- crats living anywhere in the territory.
Officers for the county were named as follows: Samuel Gwathemey clerk for the several courts, Jesse Roland judge of probate, Davis Floyd re- corder, Thomas Downs treasurer, Marston Green Clark surveyor, Samuel Hay sheriff, Peter Mc- Donald coroner. These family names were all very conspicuous in the history of the county for many years.
When the seat of government was transferred to Jeffersonville, Isaac Bowman, on June 23, 1802, transferred 150 acres to the county commission- ers, and John Gwathemey was appointed to plat the land. The plan for the town was devised by Thomas Jefferson, for whom the place was named. Later on, in 1817, as the town grew, the plan was
entirely changed, in order to utilize for building purposes many tracts which were set aside for parks and breathing spaces.
In the election of 1842 Thomas J. Henly, Demo- crat, was elected to represent the third district of Indiana in the congress, defeating Joseph L. White, the Whig nominee.
Clark county had the distinction of being the home of the first two candidates for governor of the state, Jonathan Jennings and Thomas Posey.
Jeffersonville lost the county seat to Charles- town in 1812 and the local seat of government remained fixed until 1878, when it was removed permanently to Jeffersonville.
In 1813 Jeffersonville became temporarily the seat of government of Indiana. Governor Posey did not like Corydon and moved his office, as he explained to the legislature, so he could be nearer to his doctor, who lived in Louisville. The legis- lature criticised him very severely for this act, but he remained there until November 7, 1816.
Since the organization of the county and to the present time, more than one hundred years since the state was admitted to the union, it requires a very close searching of the records to find where any Whig or Republican has ever held office.
While in the earlier days there were no party divisions at the polls because there were not. enough people outside the Democratic party to form a political organization, later the lines were very tightly drawn and there has been very little variation in the vote.
In 1846, for instance, James Whitcomb, the Democratic candidate, received 1,113 votes, against 883 for his Republican opponent. In the election of 1856 the vote of the county was di- vided more than had been usual. Buchanan, Dem- ocratic nominee, received 1,950 votes; Fillmore, of the American party, 1,074, and Fremont, Republi- can nominee, 492.
In the October election, the same year, Oliver P. Morton received 1,485 votes against his Demo- cratic opponent, who had 1,799.
Taking a jump of twenty years, during which time the vote remained about in the same propor- tion, in 1874 the Democratic candidate for secre- tary of state polled 3,407 against his Republican opponent, who had 2,129.
In the interesting campaign of 1876, when James D. Williams, the Democratic nominee, op- posed Benjamin Harrison for governor, the Demo- cratic vote in Clark county was 3,235, the Republi- cans polling 2,446.
Samuel Tilden. who polled the popular vote of
( 551 )
.
HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916
the country, received in Clark county 3,369, against 2,399 for Hayes.
In the presidential year of 1880, with Garfield opposing Hancock, Clark county gave to Hancock 3,659, and to Garfield 2,899, while Franklin Landers, Democratic candidate for governor, re- ceived 3,617, against Porter's 2,902.
In 1888 the presidential vote stood Democratic 3,789, Republican 3,207. In 1892 Democratic 4,013, Republican 3,280. For governor, that same year, Claude Matthews, Democratic nominee, received 3,999 votes, against 3,259 for Ira J. Chase, Re- publican nominee. In 1890, two years preceding this same presidential election, Matthews received in Clark county 3,393 votes against Milton Trus- ler, his Republican opponent, who had 2,485.
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.