History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 83

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

USA > Indiana > History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916 > Part 83

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HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916

1872 sold to Merrill & Moter, when a stock com- pany was formed and the paper was consolidated with the Standard, the company consisting of C. E. Merrill, C. R. Moter, Josiah Gwin, J. V. Kelso, Charles E. Johnson. Shortly after the consolida- tion all but Mr. Gwin retired from the ownership and James P. Applegate, Jonathan Peters, Josiah Gwin and Adam Himer became the owners.

The Standard, which had come into the com- bination, was born in 1871 and was ably edited. Mr. Kelso, one of its owners, was an able lawyer, a shrewd politician and a strong fighter for his own and the opinions of his party. All these men have gone to their last rest, and for a number of years the Ledger was the sole property of Miss Ada Peters, who proved to be one of the best newspaper women of the State, and has the es- teem of her community. She sold the paper in the fall of 1916 to Evan B. Stotsenberg, who this year (1918) sold to Bruce Ulster, his manager.

The editors of the Ledger at all times played quite an important part in district politics, and its late owner is a well-known figure, not only in district but in State politics as well, having served the unexpired term of the late Attorney-General Milburn and having been a candidate for the office in the late campaign. His father before him, Judge John H. Stotsenberg, was also prominent in Indi- ana politics and was a most polished and culti- vated gentleman. Major Kelso, who was con- nected with the Ledger, is also succeeded by a son, C. B. Kelso, equally as able as his father and an equally stanch Democrat and successful attor- ney and business man.

In 1881 Josiah Gwin began the publication of the Public Press, also Democratic, under the firm name of Josiah Gwin & Sons. Mr. Gwin has since passed away, but his son, Frank Gwin, continued the publication of the paper, which, as a weekly, had a good circulation, until his death early in 1918, and is now conducted by his widow.

In 1850 a German Democratic paper was estab- lished, but soon expired, to be succeeded by others, but their existence was ephemeral, although there were at that time some 5,000 German-Americans in the county, all of whom, probably, could read the German language. The late Otto Palmer was the last German editor to publish a Democratic paper in Floyd county. This fact goes to show how rap- idly the population of German ancestry becomes thoroughly Americanized.

Among other notable Floyd county Democratic politicians was Thomas L. Smith, who came to New Albany in 1836 and served one term as judge of the Indiana Supreme Court. He was the only lawyer of the Democratic faith for quite a time to reside in Floyd county. This fact was seized upon by the Floyd Democrats, and they ran him for

office whenever possible. He must have been pop- ular, for he was frequently elected.

Judge George A. Bicknell was another attorney of great ability, who served this county politically and judicially, being first elected judge, then to Congress for two terms, and in 1881 serving on a commission which brought up the arrears of cases before the Indiana Supreme Court. He was un- doubtedly one of the foremost lawyers of the Mid- dle West.

In Floyd, as in other counties, the profession of law has always figured most prominently in poli- tics, and the present bar may justly be termed the leading political body in the county. A roster of the names of the attorneys means a roster of leaders. Evan B. Stotsenberg has served as At- torney-General; C. W. Schindler as county attor- ney; C. D. Kelso, while holding no office, is a power; Charles Turner, an energetic and entirely self-made man, is at present representative in the Legislature; J. W. Ewing is a power not only in Floyd, but in all the river counties; Col. Charles Jewett, who held the highest judicial office in the Philippines for a time, is not only brilliant in his profession, but strong in politics when he chooses to take a hand, and associated with him is Walter V. Bulleit, who served as prosecutor and was suc- ceeded by Herbert Kenney, another young Demo- crat.

Outside of the legal circle there is M. C. Thorn- ton, who has served the county as representative for two terms and is now serving as joint senator of Floyd and Harrison. Mr. Thornton is a strik- ing figure and promises to go farther. He is an- other example of sturdy American Democracy, having risen from a boyhood of poverty and toil.

The veteran in the Democratic ranks and per- haps the hardest fighter, a unique figure, is Capt. Tom Hanlon, who has held office as auditor of the county and various other offices. Everybody in this section knows him. He is at once picturesque and lovable and decidedly a "good scrapper."

Among the officials of the county at present are Judge John M. Paris, quiet, mild-mannered, just and a fine politician; Dr. A. V. Johnson, serv- ing as clerk, who could be elected in several coun- ties at once, if the law allowed; Emile DuPaquier, auditor, whom everybody likes; Claude Sittason, who has held the office of sheriff and treasurer, and made the race for the mayoralty, capable, strong and trusted by the public; Sheriff Charles Long, who has been re-elected in spite of the fact that he could not make a canvass on account of illness; Recorder Williams, who stepped into poli- tics out of the schoolroom, and Victor Herb, county assessor, all of them doing their share to. further the interests of the party.

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HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF FOUNTAIN COUNTY

By A. T. Livengood

T HE location of Fountain county has much to do with its politics, as it is surrounded on two sides with the waters of the Wabash river, which are pure and contributes much to the health of its citizenship, and the life of the Dem- ocratic party.

It is located in the "Bend" of the Wabash where it turns southward from its long sweep across the State from the State of Ohio, where it rises, so that its northern and western boundary line is the Wabash.

The county was organized December 31, 1825, and Covington was established as its county seat on July 25, 1826, but it being on the western side of the county, frequent county seat removals have arisen, first to transfer the seat of justice to a little town near the center of the county, called Chambersburg, and afterward to Veedersburg, which is located near the county's center, but all the past efforts have failed to take it away from Covington, so that city has the court house, which was erected in the sixties, but which is in a good state of preservation.

The old court house has been the scene of many a legal battle and many a prominent lawyer has appeared in the courts of this county, including Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, Daniel W. Voorhees, Edward A. Hannegan, Joseph E. McDonald, Lew Wallace, and many others that could be mentioned.

Fountain county is not a large county, but it contains about four hundred square miles and its surface is mostly level, which well adapts it to agriculture and stock raising. Coal is mined in various parts of the county and it has many beauty spots, such as "The Arch," at Fountain; "The Glens," near Covington; "Ravine Park," at Attica; "Hub Park," at Veedersburg, and the "Fair Grounds," at Covington. The county was given its name in memory of Major Fountain of Kentucky, who was killed in a battle on the Maumee river, near Fort Wayne, Ind., in the year 1790. Its population has remained about the same since 1890, being a little over 20,000, and al- though it has three thriving cities in Attica, Cov- ington and Veedersburg, and many small towns, yet none of them has grown to any great propor- tions in the last twenty years, but they are all active and are not losing in population.

The county has a sturdy manhood and woman- hood, as the early settlers came from the Caro- linas, Kentucky and the Virginias, and are prin-

cipally of German extraction, and having been followers of Jefferson, Monroe and Jackson in the early days, naturally its early citizenship affil- iated with the Democratic party, and for many years no one but Democrats were permitted to fill the offices in the county, and while the Democratic party has a small majority of the voters in the county, yet a few Republicans are elected occa- sionally.

Prior to 1890 Jackson township, in this county, named in honor of the great President, had only some twenty odd Republican voters therein out of a voting population of 250, and it has always remained steadfast to the Democratic party, as has Troy and Wabash townships.

The Democratic party of this county points with pride to its early leadership, because it was here that lived that great Democrat, the Honor- able Edward A. Hannegan when he was United States Senator from Indiana; also the Honorable Daniel W. Voorhees was raised in this county and grew to manhood here and his voice electrified the multitudes in law and in politics and he was the idol of Fountain county Democracy until his death.

Here lived the Honorable Joseph E. McDonald at one time, and the Honorable Lew Wallace, the far-famed author of "Ben-Hur," was a Democrat before the war days, and he lived here also.

The Honorable David Wallace, once Governor of Indiana during the years from 1837 to 1840, is said to lie buried in the old graveyard in the city of Covington with his grave unmarked.

The Democratic party had always been in the majority until the coming in of the Greenback party, when many Democrats joined that party and weakened the ranks of the Democrats, and from that day to this the party majority has been around the one hundred mark.

The Democratic newspapers of the county have been noted for their conservatism and have not been so aggressive in pushing the cause of the great Democratic party as it appears they should have been, but their laxness in that respect is ac- counted for, because of the fact that there are only two out-and-out Democratic papers in the county, one the Covington Friend, the party or- gan at Covington, Ind., edited now by John B. Schwin, and established in 1840, and the other the Fountain-Warren Democrat, edited by G. M. Williams, at Attica. A long line of independent

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HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916

newspapers are strung all over the county, the most prominent of all of them being the Veeders- burg New's, which was for a number of years edited by Charles M. Berry, who was probably the most popular newspaper man in the county, and the Democratic party lost a brave defender when he died, some six years ago. Other inde- pendent Democratic newspapers in the county are the Attica Daily Tribune, edited by R. E. Ray; the Hillsboro Times, edited by J. W. Small, and the Kingman Star, edited by R. A. Booe.

The following are the names of some of the Democrats in this county who served the State in the Legislature: Daniel W. Cunningham, Elliott N. Bowman, Bayless Carter, E. Scott Booe, J. Shannon Nave, Thomas N. Lief, Dan R. Young, D. C. Reed, Joe H. Stahl, H. R. Claypool and oth- ers could be named.

Among the workers in the ranks of Democracy, many of whom have held important places in pub- lic office and leadership, we name the following:

Harris Reynolds, Judge Ristine, David Webb, Horace Hetfield, Stephen Voorhees, Colonel James McMannomy, James A. Sanders, James G. Mof- fett, Samuel Clark, William H. Miles, Thomas M. Rinn, Joel Watts, H. C. Yount, Alex Hetfield, A. M. Booe, George Glascock, Robert J. Miller, W. W. Luke, and of a later date F. W. Macoughtry, Judge Charles Remster, Judge I. E. Schoonover, Lewis Tinder, D. S. Ferguson, W. A. Wright, A. T. Livengood, Jas. A. Copeland, General William B. Gray, John B. Martin, W. W. Finfrock, J. A. Wilt, Leroy Sanders, Thomas J. Dotson, C. G. Wildt, J. G. B. Short, W. N. White, C. W. Dice, T. H. McGeorge, M. F. Livengood, C. B. Philpott, W. R. Massey, W. T. Willett, Hiram Allen, Wil- liam H. Young, O. S. Clark, Burton VanHook, D. H. Wallace, H. J. Sullivan, G. P. Schwin, W. I. Boggs, Judd Cory, J. B. Thomas and W. B. Myers.

Very few federal appointments have come to the Democrats of this county, other than the offices filled by those mentioned above.

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HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY

By Louis Federmann

F RANKLIN COUNTY is located in the southeastern part of Indiana, bordering on Ohio, and was the gateway through which the pioneers of the East and the South entered into the wilderness of the territory of Indiana. The first entry of lands was made in 1803 and active settlement began in 1804. Two miles to the west of where Brookville is now located was the old Indian boundary line, established at Greenville, Ohio, in 1795, which halted their on- ward western march; so they settled and builded their homes among the hills and valleys of the beautiful White Water river and here they made ready to take an active part in the development and advancement of Indiana. Here came the Butlers, the McCartys, the Nobles, the Hannas, the Eads, the Wallaces, the Rays, the Templetons, the Stoopes, and many others, several of whom became noted in the official and institutional life of Indiana.

Franklin county was organized February 1, 1811, and was the sixth county organized in In- diana. At the time of its organization it is esti- mated that the county had a population of about five thousand people; the census of 1815 showed a population of 7,370, being second only to the population of Knox county. Franklin county had been in existence only five years when Indiana was admitted to statehood and had had members in the territorial legislature of the five previous sessions. When the constitutional convention of 1816 met at Corydon, Franklin county had five of the ablest men who sat in that body, viz .: Wil- liam H. Eads, Robert Hanna, Jr., James Noble, James Brownlee and Enoch McCarty. Two of these men, James Noble and Robert Hanna, later became United States Senators from Indiana, Noble serving from 1816 to 1831, dying in the middle of his third term, when his friend, Robert Hanna, was appointed to serve his unexpired term.

Franklin county was represented in the con- stitutional convention of 1851 by Dr. George Berry. Whether the county will be represented in the constitutional convention of 1918 is too early to foretell.

Franklin county has been the birthplace or home of many men who won distinction in public and professional life in the earlier history of our State and Nation, and those worthy of mention are as follows, viz .:

James Noble ard Robert Hanna, U. S. Senators from Indiana.

John Henderson, U. S. Senator from Missis- sippi.

Jesse B. Thomas, U. S. Senator from Illinois.

John H. Farquhar, member of Congress, 1864.

James B. Ray, Noah Noble, David Wallace and Abram Hammond, Governors of Indiana; John P. St. John. Governor of Kansas; Stephen Harding, Territorial Governor of Utah; Lew Wallace, Ter- ritorial Governor of New Mexico, Minister to Turkey and author of "Ben-Hur."

John A. Matson, candidate for Whig nomina- tion for Governor of Indiana, 1844, but failed to receive the nomination.

Courtland C. Matson, son of John A. Matson, Democratic nominee for Governor of Indiana, 1888, but failed of election.

Isaac Blackford, Stephen C. Stephens and W. F. Mckinney, Judges of the Indiana Supreme Court.

R. B. Abbott, President of Albert Lea Univer- sity, Minnesota.

John P. D. John, President of DePauw Univer- sity.

Charles W. Lewis, President of Moores Hill College.

Charles N. Sims, Chancellor of Syracuse Uni- versity.

E. D. Barbour, President of Kansas University.

James B. Eads, son of William H. Eads, engi- reer, builder of St. Louis bridge, and jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi river.

James N. Tyner, Postmaster-General.

P. A. Hackelman, General U. S. Army.

Oliver S. Glisson, Rear Admiral U. S. Navy.

Proud as the county is of its early pioneer his- tory and of its noted men and women; proud as the county is of the scenic beauty of its rivers, hills and valleys, prouder still is the county of its loyalty and steadfastness to the Democratic party. Since 1844, without exception and under all circumstances, it has given large and substan- tial Democratie majorities for the National and State ticket and in all this time of seventy-three years but four of the local Democratic candidates have failed to carry the county. While Franklin county is the recognized Gibraltar of Democracy in the State of Indiana, it rarely ever has sought favor or scarcely ever received preferment at the hands of the Democratic party. It has had only one candidate for State office, viz .: in 1902 Cap-

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HISTORY INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916

tain William H. Bracken was nominated for Judge of the Appellate Court. It has never had a Democratic State officer and but once has it had a Democratic candidate for Congress, Dr. George Berry, in 1864, who was undoubtedly elected, but owing to the throwing out of a Democratic town- ship in Decatur county, failed to receive the cer- tificate of election. Captain William H. Bracken was appointed as Collector of Internal Revenue in 1893 and served four years, and this is the only appointment of note ever given a Democrat in this county, and yet we have always proved faithful, loyal and true to the principles of the Democratic party.

The medical profession has always wielded a potential influence in maintaining the high standards of Democracy in Franklin county. One of the most prominent members of the profession was Dr. George Berry, State Senator in 1849, member of the constitutional convention of 1850, Democratic candidate for Congress in 1864 and County Auditor from 1870 to 1878. It is safe to say no other man in Franklin county was so well known or wielded a greater influence than Dr. George Berry. His son, William H. Berry, while never holding office except that of School Trustee, always took an active part in political affairs and was an enthusiastic worker for the good of the party. Dr. John H. Quick was County Auditor from 1857 to 1864.

Dr. Thomas Gifford of Laurel, Ind., another sturdy Democrat, was elected as a representative in 1858, 1860 and 1862. In 1866 he was elected to the State Senate. As a member of the General Assembly he was distinguished for his untiring efforts in working for the welfare of the county and State. His son, Dr. Samuel A. Gifford, was elected Representative in 1908 and 1910. Dr. Evan L. Patterson was elected to the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly in 1896 and 1898, and was elected as State Senator in 1906. He is now a member of the school board of Brook- ville. Among those members of the profession who have always worked untiringly in the inter- ests of Franklin county Democracy, but who have held only minor positions, are the following, viz .: Dr. Wallace of Springfield township, Dr. T. F. Bertenshaw of Whitewater township, Dr. Hinkley of Springfield township, Dr. Averdick of Ray township, Dr. Schum of Highland township, Dr. McGuire of Metamora township, Dr. George B. Buckingham, Dr. George E. Squier, Dr. F. E. Seal, Dr. James F. West, Dr. E. M. Glaser and Dr. John W. Lucas of Brookville.

The legal profession has always been active in promoting and developing the Democratic majori- ties. Henry Berry, Clerk of the Circuit Court from 1860 to 1868, and Fielding Berry, a promi-

nent attorney, were brothers of Dr. George Berry. Henry C. Hanna was Judge of the Circuit Court from 1870 to 1881. Ferdinand S. Swift was Clerk of the Circuit Court from 1876 to 1880 and Judge of the Circuit Court from 1881 to 1905. Samuel S. Harrell was Clerk of the Circuit Court from 1868 to 1876, served in the Legislature four con- secutive terms, served as a member of the Demo- cratic State central committee and chairman for a number of years of the county committee. He was always active in Democratic circles and un- compromising in his fidelity to the Democratic principles. William H. Bracken, who, with Sam- uel S. Harrell, were the most active Democrats in the county, was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court in 1878-1882. In 1892 he was Democratic presi- dential-elector-at-large and, being an orator of note, made an extensive canvass of the State. In 1893 he was appointed by President Cleveland as Collector of Internal Revenue of the Sixth Dis- trict of Indiana, in which capacity he served four years. For more than twelve years Mr. Bracken was chairman of the Democratic central commit- tee and under his guidance the county rolled up its largest Democratic majorities. His son, Leon- idas L. Bracken, is now the Secretary of the Fed- eral Trades Commission. Stephen E. Urmston served as Prosecuting Attorney from 1874 to 1878 and was elected State Senator 1878 to 1886, and was a very prominent member of that body. Francis M. Alexander was elected State Senator in 1894 and was a delegate to the national con- vention at Baltimore in 1912 and helped nomi- nate Woodrow Wilson. Mr. Alexander was al- ways influential and a zealous Democrat. James B. Kidney was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court in 1886 and 1890. He served on the school board and was always an active and earnest worker for the cause. I. N. McCarty is of the younger mem- bers of the bar and, while never elected to office, has been very active in party politics. Foremost among the non-professional men was Hon. John S. Martin, a progressive farmer and prominent citizen, who for more than fifty years was a tire- less worker, an inspiration for the cause of De- mocracy, and no man in our county wielded a greater influence or gave so liberally of his time and means for the success of his party.

Other prominent Democrats who have been ac- tive and loyal in maintaining the substantial Democratic majorities are: Aaron B. Line, Israel Gobel, Caspar Fogel, Thomas Appleton, George F. Maxwell, J. M. Vawter, Cyrus B. Bent- lev, John S. Martin, John B. Moorman, Levi W. Buckingham, M. M. Moore, J. T. Meyncke, Ed- ward Goff, Ebenezer Cooley, James Dare, Samuel P. Whitman, John N. Smith, Herman Trichler, Peter Schaf, C. R. Cory, A. J. Heason, William

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M. McCleery, John P. Schiltz, G. Ray King, Louis Federmann, Richard S. Taylor, John W. Brock- man, William H. Senour, A. J. Reifel, T. J. Mc- Carty, William M. McCarty, Edward Stenger, William J. Zacharias, A. J. Shriner (postmaster), Louis A. Jonas, George Loper, George Miller, Charles A. Miller, Louis W. Koerner, Albert Pierce, Henry Schmidt, W. E. Ensminger, Dr. M. C. Armstrong, Frank J. Baker and William A. Younts. To name all who take more than a pas- sive interest in the affairs of the party would re- quire a list of at least one thousand more names.

It is impossible to obtain the names of the chairmen of county central committees back to the organization of the party. The names of the fol- lowing persons obtainable who have served as chairmen of the county central committee are John B. Moorman, Ferdinand S. Swift, William H. Bracken, Samuel S. Harrell, G. Ray King, John P. Schiltz, Herman Trichler, Edward Sten- ger, A. J. Shriner, William D. Moore and F. X. Siebert. For more than ten years William M. Baker, the present Clerk of the Circuit Court, has been the valuable and efficient secretary of the county central committee, having been suc- ceeded in 1916 by A. N. Logan, the present secre- tary. The dominant force that has backed the work of the county central committee and has done much to sustain the Democracy of the coun- ty has been the Franklin Democrat, which was established December 7, 1838, and has continued uninterruptedly until January 17, 1885, when it was changed from the Franklin Democrat to the

Brookville Democrat, owing to the confusion from another Franklin Democrat being published at Franklin, Johnson county. The editors of the Democrat from November, 1843, to 1848 were Henry Berry and Benjamin West; from 1848 to 1852, Nelson Abbott; from 1852 to 1863, Cyrus B. Bentley; from 1863 to 1866, Nathan T. Carr; from 1866 to 1869, Cyrus B. Bentley; from 1869 to 1873, William B. Maddock; from 1873 to 1882, Cyrus B. Bentley; from 1882 to 1889, George Downey and Edgar R. Quick; from 1889 to 1891, A. N. Crecraft; from 1891 to the present time, more than a quarter of a century, M. H. Irwin, and is today regarded as one of the best news- paper properties in the Hoosier State.

The present Democratic officials are William M. Baker, Clerk of the Circuit Court; Charles G. Reifel, County Auditor; Charles E. Winscott, County Treasurer; Charles Marlin, County Sheriff; John A. Schum, County Recorder; A. N. Logan, County Assessor; John L. Stewart, Coun- ty Surveyor; Dr. F. E. Seals, County Coroner, and Perry Appleton and Clifford Jones, County Commissioners.

Owing to the extreme modesty of the Democ- racy of Franklin county we have received very little recognition from national or State Demo- cratic councils, yet we are proud of the fact that we have always proved true and loyal to the prin- ciples of Democracy as instilled into us by our fathers and glorify in the unbroken Democratic victories of three-quarters of a century.

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History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 83

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