History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 99

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

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The selection of candidates on the Democratic ticket in Marshall county, prior to 1878, was on the delegate plan, but in that year the Hon. Daniel McDonald formulated the following resolution, which was introduced at the county convention and its passage secured by the late Judge A. C. Capron, a delegate to that convention:

"Resolved, That it is the sense of this conven- tion that future nominations for county officers shall be made by the primary election system, and that the person having the highest number of votes shall be declared the nominee for the office for which he is a candidate, and the County Cen- tral Committee is hereby authorized and required to arrange the details necessary to successfully carry into effect the provisions of this resolution."

At the first primary election held in the county, nearly the whole Democratic vote was cast. After a number of years the delegate convention was again used, then again the primary, until the present primary law went into effect.

Our Representative-elect is Hon. Ralph W. Ja- coby, who is a member of a family of Democrats and a believer in a government for and by the people.

Marshall county has been honored twice with candidates for Congress on the Democratic ticket. They were Hon. Charles Kellison and Hon. Daniel McDonald. Marshali county Democracy has also been honored by the selection of Hon. Charles H. Reeve, delegate to the Democratic National Con- vention in New York, 1868; Hon. Horace Corbin, delegate to the Democratic National Convention, Baltimore, 1872; Hon. Daniel McDonald, delegate to Democratic National Convention, St. Louis, 1876, and to Chicago, 1884; Hon. M. A. O. Pack- ard, Democratic candidate for Reporter of the Supreme Court, 1868; Hon. Charles P. Drummond, Democratic candidate for Attorney-General of In- diana; Hon. Charles M. Walker, delegate to Dem- ocratic National Convention at St. Louis, 1916, and Hon. Peter J. Kruyer, appointed Internal Revenue Collector for Indiana by President Wil- son.

Marshall county Democracy claims the distinc- tion of being first to put into practice the turn-

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ing into the Treasury of all interest on public funds. When William O'Keefe, a Democrat of Marshall county, was elected Treasurer of the county, upon ;entering his office, he said: "In en- tering upon the office of County Treasurer, it is my purpose to discharge all the duties connected therewith to the best of my ability and in strict accordance with the law. I believe that a public office is a public trust, and that it should be ad- ministered in the interests of the people and not for the benefit of the incumbent of the office. So believing, I shall deposit in safe banking institu- tions all funds received by me as such Treasurer where the same will be kept until paid out to the parties authorized to receive the same; and all interest received by me from said banks on all county funds so deposited will be paid into the County Treasury for the benefit of the tax payers.

"I will not use any of the money in the transac- tion of my private business, nor will I loan any of the funds of the county to private individuals or others, as the money is not mine to use in that way." The Indianapolis Sentinel, on January 18, 1902, commented as follows:

"Mr. O'Keefe has the right conception of the sacredness of a public trust. One of the greatest evils in the transaction of public business is the use of public moneys for the private benefit of the custodians thereof. It is, however, an abuse so universal that it has come to be taken as a matter of course and entirely compatible with perfect integrity. * Mr. O'Keefe has taken an unas- sailable position and one which cannot be too high- ly commended without reflecting upon the integ- rity of others occupying similar positions, who take the ground that, having given an adequate bond for the same, they are entitled equitably, if not in law, to the profits arising therefrom while in their possession."

At the close of his term of office, Mr. O'Keefe turned into the Treasury about $5,000 of interest

earned on the money belonging to the people of Marshall county. This interest belonged to the public, and no one would now say that interest on public funds of any part of our government should belong to anyone but the public. Thanks to Mr. O'Keefe for his strength of character and honesty of purpose. Thus the Democracy of Mar- shall county gave to the nation the lesson and the whole nation hastened to make it law.

The writer would like to name all the Demo- crats who are responsible for the good record of Democracy in Marshall county, but it would be a task indeed. Hundreds of them have gone the way from whence no traveler returns. We have over 3,000 of them today, all deserving equal rec- ognition in this history. Each has shouldered his share of the burdens and responsibilities of De- mocracy. They are all leaders; they think for themselves; they vote their sentiments; they be- lieve in the principles of Democracy. To be their candidate you must pass their close scrutiny in the primary-you must be a man who will serve the people as a public servant should.

In Marshall county the Democratic primary is really the election and the election is a legal for- mality. The Democracy of Marshall county is patriotic. They greatly admire and love Presi- dent Wilson and its patriotism is so great that should the time ever come when the President of our Nation be other than a Democrat with such serious foreign complications arising as have con- fronted our greatest President, Woodrow Wilson, the Democracy of Marshall county will stand true American citizens and confirm his acts whether right or wrong, but will never admit that any ac- tion taken by the President of the greatest and best nation, on subjects of foreign relations, is anything but right.

The Democracy of Marshall county is for peace and composed of loyal American citizens.

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HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF MARTIN COUNTY

B Y an act of the state legislature in session at Corydon in 1820 Martin county was created, the act becoming effective January 17 of the same year. The county was named Martin in honor of Major Martin of Newport, Kentucky, to whom the principles of Jeffersonian Democracy were a religion.

The county as created at this time was taken from Daviess county, all of which territory was formerly taken from Knox county. The bound- aries of the county of Martin did not include at this time the north congressional townships now embraced in the county, but by act of the Legis- lature of 1828, approved January 24, 1828, the congressional townships numbered 5 north, range 3 and 4 west of the second principal meridian, as attached until otherwise directed by law to Daviess county by the act relative to county boundaries, approved January 31, 1824, were attached to the county of Martin to remain a part of said county for all civil and judicial and other purposes what- soever. So by this act of the legislature two civil townships known as Baker and McCameron town- ships were added to Martin county and the bound- aries of the county at present remain as estab- lished at that time. This act of the Legislature is entitled, "An Act to provide for the relocation of the seat of justice of Martin county and extend- ing of the boundaries thereof." By this act John Murphy and Friend Spears of Daviess county, William Hoggat of Orange county, Simon Morgan of Dubois county and Robert M. Corlton of Law- rence county were appointed commissioners to relocate the seat of justice of Martin county. The seat of justice of the county had heretofore been located at Hindostan. The act provided that if a donation could be procured which, in the judg- ment of the commissioners, would, together with the probable amount of the sales of lots which may belong to the county as such new county seat, be sufficient to erect public buildings for said county; and if, in their opinion, it would be more to the interest of the people of said county, they should procure said donation to be made and should proceed to relocate the seat of justice of said county; and if they should relocate the said seat of justice, it should be the duty of the agent of the county to lay out the said town on a plan as nearly similar as may be with the town of Hin- dostan and with a corresponding number of lots, and any and every person who had purchased and paid for lot or lots in Hindostan should have the privilege of exchanging the same for other lot or lots correspondingly situated and numbered in the

new town that might be laid out by said commis- sioners; and it is further provided that the agent of said county should reserve 10 per cent. out of the proceeds of the sale of said lots for the use of a county library which should be paid over in the same manner as is now provided for by law.

The first lands of Martin county entered of the government were entered on June 2, 1807, by Gen. Washington Johnson, which lands are located on the east side of White River near the Houghton farm at the point where the Houghton bridge crosses the river. These lands were occupied by a man by the name of McGowan in 1811, and the next year, 1812, he was killed on said lands by the Indians.

The first county seat of Martin county was lo- cated at Hindostan, Hindostan being located on the east side of White River at the place now known as Hindostan Falls. There is no record of the date of the platting of Hindostan, but it was platted prior to May 29, 1820. The lands on which it was situated were entered from the gov- ernment in the years of 1814 and 1815. About the time of the platting of Hindostan there was plat- ted on the west side of White River at Hindostan Falls a town known as Greenwich. The west side of White River at the falls being bottom lands, this plat was vacated May 13, 1823. The settle- ment at and near Hindostan was one of the set- tlements made in southern Indiana along about the same time as the settlement at Vallonia in Jack- son county and of Clarksville near the falls on the Ohio River. The earliest history we have of Hindostan is a notice taken from the diary of W. Fox, who passed through the place in 1819 on his way to the Burkebeck settlement in southern Illi- nois. It is as follows:

"October 29, 1819-Breakfasted af infant villa, Hindostan, on the falls of White River, a beauti- ful stream running navigable to the Ohio over a floor of sand and stone, smooth and white as marble. The villa is flourishing and much build- ing is in progress and it promises to be a pleasant and prosperous town before many years. The land, too, is rich and inviting. I now cross White River in my chariot."

At the time of the making of the settlement by Frederick Sholtz at Hindostan there were two other settlements made in this county and they, like the one at Hindostan, were made on the high land along the river. One was at Mt. Pleasant, made by Philip, Davis, Peek, Summers and Hunt families; and one at the present site of Shoals was made by Clement Horsey. James Piles, John Cox,

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and other families were also located near the Clement Horsey settlement. In 1816 Daviess county embraced this settlement along with all that is now known as Martin county.

In 1816, it is said by citizens who claim to have known the oldest citizens that a bunch of In- diana Democrats got together and decided to frame a county of their own which they planned should be eternally and everlastingly Democratic. They wanted to make it a sort of a Democratic reservation as it were. History shows that since the date of that political conspiracy of more than 100 years ago the successful carrying out of their designs has been most remarkable. This was true, at least, for more than 80 years or until the Mar- tin county Democrats allowed themselves to be divided by the Populists in 1898, when the Republi- cans gained a majority of 54. This was the first time in 78 years that the Republicans had had a majority in Martin county.

In 1900, when the Democrats expected to return to their own, they lost in the governor's race by a majority of 52 and while in an off year in 1902 they succeeded in reducing this Republican major- ity to 26.

The Republicans beat them in 1904, presidential year, by 211 votes for governor. In the same year for presidential electors, Parker being the Demo- cratic nominee, the Republicans led in Martin county by 235.

In 1906, the off year, the Democrats were suc- cessful in carrying the county by a small major- ity, and in 1908 they were able to win by a major- ity of 83 votes. Since 1908 they have more than held their own, although in 1916 the vote showed a Democratic lead of only 9, Wilson and Marshall leading by 15. However, during the time since the creation of the county the local offices have been filled in the main by Democrats.

At the time of the creation of the county and for many years thereafter the citizenship of the county being good Democrats and having no op- posing party with which to quarrel and argue at election times and being all practically of one mind on the question of how to vote, the only thing left for the Democrats to do to keep up excitement was to change the county seat every few days. They broke all records in the State in the number of county seats occupied in their early days, and it is pretty well said that the song entitled "Where Do We Go from Here, Boys?" really originated in Martin county.

The first county seat at Hindostan was estab- lished in 1820 and the first circuit court of Martin county met at the house of Joseph E. Clements in the town of Hindostan on Friday, the 17th day of March (St. Patrick's Day), 1820. Those who wore the judicial ermine at this session of court

were John Doty, presiding judge, and the associ- ate judges, Ezekiel Porter and Frederick Sholtz. The probate court of Martin county met at the same house one month later. This was the first judicial court of Martin county, and it is needless to say that the presiding judge as well as the asso- ciate judges were Democrats. The first commis- sioners, all Democrats, of course, met at the same house, which was designated the seat of govern- ment of Martin county on March 27 of the same year. These commissioners were Mathew Sholtz, John Merriman and John Mitchelltree.

The first court house in Martin county was be- gun at Hindostan in 1820, the contract being let on the 5th day of June to Benjamin Adams. This building was to cost $4,185.80 and was one of the finest court houses of the State contracted for at that time; and on the following day, June 6, 1820, Mathew Sholtz was awarded the contract to erect the jail for the county at Hindostan for the sum of $1,368.79. These contracts were awarded by the board of commissioners mentioned above.

In connection with the awarding of these con- tracts it is interesting to note the method of doing county business in those times. One of the mat- ters determined at a meeting of the board was tavern-keepers' rates. On March 29, 1820, the board determined that the rates should be as fol- lows: Keeping one horse one night, 62} cents; one horse feed, 12} cents; one lodging, 12} cents; one meal, 37} cents; each half-pint of whisky, 12} cents; each half-pint of French brandy or other foreign distilled spirits, 62} cents; for distilled spirits of domestic manufacture, 12} cents. Just think what an immigration there would be to Martin county if during these dry days in Indi- ana the board of commissioners would offer whisky at 12} cents per half-pint. The board of com- missioners also fixed the tax rates for the year as follows: A gold watch, 50 cents; a silver watch, 372 cents; oxen, 25 cents per head; horses, 37} cents per head; first-class land, 50 cents per 100 acres; second-class land, 43} cents per 100 acres; third-class land, 31} cents per 100 acres. Poll tax was 50 cents: Many of our Republican friends of Martin county would like to return to the good old tax rate when they go to the court house to the treasurer's office to pay their taxes.

When the circuit court met on March 17, 1820, the first business transacted by them was to issue a writ to ascertain what damage would occur by the erection of a water mill on Beaver creek west of the present site of the town of Huron. The petitioner was Charles R. Brown. The county officers were: Thomas G. Printess, clerk and re- corder; Julius Johnson, sheriff, and John P. Por- ter, prosecuting attorney-all Democrats.

About 1826 and 1827 (the exact date is un-

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HISTORY INDIANA 4 DEMOCRACY-1816-1916

known) the hand of fate smote down upon the town of Hindostan, the streets echoed with the wail of Rachel weeping for her children. The death angel stalked abroad. The cemetery on the hillside grew faster than the town in the valley. There was no resident physician, hence we have no positive account as to the character of the mal- ady which swept from the face of the earth the town of Hindostan. We do know, from tradition and from the fragmentary records, that the toll of death was heavy. It is said that there were more dead than living within the town at times. And the forefathers of the town were gathered to their Father and they all slept together in the bosom of Mother Earth. Entire families died of this malady; others deserted their homes and fled to other sections, and there is not one building or one stone left to mark the place where Hindostan once thrived, only the roar of the waters pouring over the falls remains as in those days of long ago.

On March 14, 1828, the county commissioners ordered the county offices moved from Hindostan to Mt. Pleasant; and on September 1, 1829, the county commissioners held their first session at Mt. Pleasant. On March 8, 1844, the board of commissioners met and ordered the county seat to be changed to Halbert's Bluffs and appointed Mason J. Sherman commissioner to plat a county- seat town. The lands for the platting of said town were donated by Stephen Horsey on what was known at that time as Halbert's Bluffs and now the present site of Shoals, the present county seat. The town was platted as Memphis. Before the county seat was located at the newly platted town of Memphis, in 1845, it was ordered by the board of commissioners to be located at Hillsboro, later called Dover Hill; and the first meeting of the board of county commissioners was held at Dover Hill, September 7, 1846. Dover Hill con- tinued to be the county seat from that time on until the Civil war, at which time an effort was made to again move the county seat, and a long and bitter fight was had between the towns of Shoals and Loogootee for the county seat. Finally this fight culminated by a compromise, and on December 11, 1871, the county seat was located at what is now West Shoals, an addition of Shoals. The records were moved from Dover Hill to West Shoals July 4, 1871. The court house in the town of West Shoals burned in 1876, but was immedi- ately rebuilt on the same foundation, and the same is now the county court house. The court house buildings at these respective county seats were all handsome, up-to-date buildings for their time.

From the time Martin county was organized until the Civil war the county was controlled in

its entirety by Democrats. They having an over- whelming majority, the only fight or political con- test arising was for the nominations. The county political organization was of little consequence and no records have been preserved that give any in- formation as to the county chairmen for many years. However, in the later days Martin county has maintained a very close fighting organization. Among the early leaders of the party were Abner Davis, Richard A. Clements, Chris O'Brien, Henry A. Peed, Granvel Gates, Argyle H. Inman, Leroy Cave, John P. Davis, John Riley, Lewis Jones, and later Captain C. S. Dobbins, Thomas Clark, Ephraim Moser, Thomas Hart, Philip Mc- Govren, George W. Gates, George W. Freeman, Fabius Gwin, Elijah McFarland, followed by Lo- renzo D. Haga, the present county chairman.

The Democratic newspapers of the county were papers edited by such able writers and staunch Democrats as Alexander M. Chomel, Henry A. Peed, Albert C. Hacker, William C. Gruber, Wil- liam D. Sherfick, J. Will Jackman and Harry G. Strange. All of these editors, running back for more than fifty years, have been forceful with their pens and have been a power in maintaining Martin county in the Democratic column.

Martin county has never had a sufficient pop- ulation to entitle it to a representative in the state legislature or a senator in the state senate, but at all times had been connected with various other counties at various times with a joint rep- resentative and joint senator. Among the Demo- cratic senators who have represented Martin county in the various sessions of the state legislature since 1822 are: 1822-24, Frederick Sholtz; 1825-33, John Ewing; 1834-35, William Wallace; 1836, Henry M. Shaw; 1837-40, Thomas C. Moore; 1840-41, Robert N. Carnam; 1842-44, Abner Davis; 1845-46; Elijah Chapman; 1847, Richard A. Clements; 1853, Gaines H. Roberts; 1855-57, J. T. Freeland; 1859-65, Thomas R. Cobb; 1871-73, Leroy Cave; 1875-77, Henry A. Peed; 1879-81, William A. Traylor; 1883-85, James H. Willard; 1887, C. K. Tharp; 1889, George Wal- ford; 1891-93, William Kennedy; 1903-05, William N. Matthews.

The representatives who have represented Martin county in the various sessions of the state legislature since 1822 are as follows: 1822, James G. Reed; 1823, William H. Routt; 1825-26, William Wallace; 1832, William Wallace; 1834, David McDonald; 1835, Josiah Culbertson and Patrick M. Brett; 1836, Lewis Jones; 1837, John Riley; 1838, Abner Davis; 1839, John Finley; 1840, John Flint; 1844, Silas L. Halbert; 1846, Richard A. Clements; 1847, Z. Walker; 1848, John P. Davis; 1849, Benjamin Goodwin; 1850, William E. Niblack; 1853, Thomas Gootee;

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HISTORY

INDIANA DEMOCRACY-1816-1916

1857-59, Cutler S. Dobbins; 1865, Thomas Clark; 1863-65, John O'Brien; 1867, Argyle H. Inman; 1869, Leroy Cave; 1873, Henry A. Peed; 1875- 77, Andrew J. Gossman; 1879-81, Thomas Hart; 1883, Brazil L. Greene; 1887, Thomas M. Clark; 1889, Ernest W. Pickhard; 1891, Ephraim In- man; 1893, William A. Wilson; 1897, Perry Mc- Cart; 1911, Benjamin Johnson; 1913, Miles Ro- land.

The Democratic judges who have occupied the bench in the judicial circuit in which Martin county is or has been a part are Judge Niblack, who obtained national distinction as a judge;

Judge Cobb, Judge Wilson, Judge Heffron, and Judge Ogdon, the present judge. With the ex- ception of some twelve years the judiciary of Martin county has been Democratic since its organization.

At all times since the organization of the county the county offices have been, in the main, Democratic. Occasionally since 1865 a Repub- lican has been elected to a county office.

The Democratic organization of Martin county for the past fifty years has been one of the best of the state and has been so recognized by all southern Indiana counties.

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HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF MIAMI COUNTY

By Joseph A. Faust

I N writing a history of Miami county, Indiana, Democracy, covering a century of time, a writ- er as a matter of course must collect his facts and information from various sources, such as his- tories previously written, conversations with par- ticipants, and from personal knowledge. For more than forty-five years last past the writer has been a laborer in the Democratic vineyard of Mi- ami county, and that part of this history is per- sonal knowledge. Credit for more ancient data is given to Francis S. McCabe, who wrote a short historical sketch of Miami county in 1865, to John A. Graham (1887), known as the historian of Mi- ami county, and others.

Miami county was named after the Miami tribe of Indians, a branch of the Algonquin family, who were the aboriginal residents of this locality. Mi- ami county was a part of Cass county, and was es- tablished by an act of the Legislature January 22, 1834. Alexander Jameson, John W. Miller and John Cruidson were appointed commissioners. October 23, 1826, Joseph Holman had purchased a section of land from John D. Richardville, a Miami Indian, who had obtained the same from the United States by treaty, paying for the same the sum of five hundred dollars. Holman laid off the town of Miamisport March 12, 1829, and here the above named commissioners met June 3, 1834, and transacted the first business of the county as such commissioners. June 9, 1834, at a special session, these commissioners provided for a state and county election, which was held on the first Monday of August, 1834. Benjamin H. Scott, a Democrat, was elected clerk; Jacob Linzee, sheriff; John W. Miller, Alexander Jameson and John Cruidson, county commissioners; Jacob Wilkinson and Stephen G. Shanks, associate judges; Abner Overman, treasurer. Daniel R. Bearss was ap- pointed school commissioner and Joseph Holman, probate judge. At this election but sixty votes were cast.

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History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 99

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