USA > Kansas > Crawford County > A Twentieth century history and biographical record of Crawford County, Kansas > Part 7
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Some writer has said that history and biography are complements of each other, that we cannot have a correct history of any country or part of country without a biography of the leading spirits that have made up that country, and that the biography of such spirits is really the life-giving principle of the history. I do not propose to give a biographical sketch of each of the principal actors in the political drama of Crawford county ; but this history would be quite incomplete were I to fail to notice some of those men whose lives and actions make up the political history of the county. I regret that I have not more ample data from which to compose the sketches, but must be content to use to the best of my ability the materials at hand.
As stated on a former page, the early politics of the county con- sisted mainly in local questions, and the parties were Land Leaguers and Anti-Leaguers; Railroad men and Anti-Railroad men. And it should be observed here as it has not been noted before, that the Anti- Railroaders were not opposed to railroads, per se, but only to taking the land which they claimed belonged to the people, and giving it to corporations, ostensibly to build railroads, but really to give these corporations an opportunity, which they never failed to improve, for extortion from the people. It has already been noted that the Girard Press was moved from Fort Scott to Girard for the purpose of advo- cating the claims of the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad, and that the proprietors and editors were divided on national politics, but agreed on local questions. This leads us to notice these two men first, as political factors, not only in the early history of the county, but also in after years when politics meant something more than local squabbles and conflicts for office.
Dr. W. H. Warner was one of the early settlers of southeast Kansas. He was here before the war, and helped in the early struggles
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of the territory, was in the Union lines when Price made his vandal raid into the state, and took an active part in the battle (massacre) of Baxter Springs. His account of that battle in rhyme is found in the Western Herald of 1892 (the exact date not now remembered), of which the present writer was then editor and publisher. When the railroad question was settled and national politics became the question of the day he retired from the Press, leaving it in the hands of his partner, while he attended to his medical practice, but always took a lively interest in politics, being a stanch and life-long Democrat of the old school when Democracy and patriotism were almost synonymous terms. He died in Girard.
E. A. Wasser, the younger of the firm of Warner & Wasser, was descended from an old Hessian family, and displayed throughout his political career at least one trait of his German ancestry, namely, if the readers will allow a slang word, that of stick-to-itiveness. No one ever charged him with being a man of great ability, but by his position as editor of the leading Republican paper of one of the leading counties in the state, and by his persistency in adhering to his party, he has gained an influence in political matters enjoyed by but few men. He has one idol-his party-and no Hindu ever more devoutly worshipped at the shrine of his favorite god than does this man before the imaginary deity of his choice. He is like the Scottish boor who, when asked what he believed religiously, answered, "I believe what the kirk believes." "And what does the kirk believe?" was asked. "It believes what I believe." "And what do you and the kirk both believe?" "We baith believe the same thing."
In other respects Wasser is above an average citizen-a kind. obliging neighbor, an upright, honest citizen, and a good local editor, making his paper one of the best newspapers in the state-one which
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we always liked to rcad when there was no politics in the way. After Dr. Warner left him he had several partners. First, Mr. A. P. Riddle, then D. C. Flint, and last his son, Albert Wasser; but at all times the paper bore the marks of the senior editor in matters political. He still lives and runs the Press always strictly loyal to party.
Some of the early workers in the Democratic party were unknown to this writer, and, not having their histories or even their names before me. I can say nothing for or against them individually. Suffice it to say, they were able to maintain their cause against all opposition for several years, winning at every election until the Republicans began to divide the offices with them, and finally gained so much as to crowd them from the crib entirely and keep them in the background until the People's party, without any "malice prepense" nursed them back so far as to give them a name to live, at least, although they have not yet shown the vigor of youth nor the strength of manhood.
One of the early workers in the Democrat ranks, and who is still "in business at the old stand," is Dr. C. H. Strong. Although some- what intimately acquainted with him, I have not yet been able to dis- cover whercin lies the secret of his strength and influence as a poli- tician, although it cannot be denied that he possesses these qualities to a considerable extent. He is not noisy, never boisterous, but in a quiet, gentle way he moves along in a well-beaten track which he has traveled often enough to be perfectly familiar with it and to have all the brush and rock moved out of the way, except such as have been recently thrown in, some by his own friends and some by his opponents, the latter just for the fun of seeing how quietly and easily he will clear them out, and go on his way rejoicing. But age is telling on ยท him, and it is evident to all who see him that his race, whether in politics or otherwise, is nearly run, and that soon he will be numbered among the men of the past.
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Following closely in the wake of these men is Dr. Cushenberry, who is one of the sharpest politicians in the county, and who, if he should turn his attention exclusively to politics, would compare favorably in this respect with the smart ones of the state and nation. He has always followed his profession, and, in connection with it, has kept a drug and book store; but when a campaign was on he has always been found an active worker. Several times he has co-operated with the Peo- ple's party, but always claiming to be a Democrat, acting with the new party for prudential reasons. He is a man to lead. generally in a very quiet way. so much so that only those who are behind the scenes know that he is in the campaign at all, as he always attends to his own busi- ness, just as though there was nothing else on hand. But if any move is made on the political checker board he sees it, and generally knows how to move next, and especially how to take advantage of any mistake made by the other fellow. These qualities made him a very desirable coadjutor with the new party, when he worked with it, as most of the men who composed that party knew much more about farming and mining than they did about politics.
Another man of considerable ability in the Democratic party was T. W. Wells. He came from Iowa in the early days of Kansas, and settled on a farm in Osage township, but soon turned his attention to the law, and moved to Girard, opened a law office and became somewhat popular as an attorney, all the while acting with the Democratic party, and once to the writer's knowledge running for office on the Democratic ticket. But it was when that party was in a hopeless minority, and of course he was not elected. He was known and respected in the councils of the party, but never enjoyed the emoluments of office. He died but recently, following a much respected wife to the great beyond.
George W. Brown, of Cherokee, has been for several years an im-
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portant factor in the Democratic ranks, and was once, I believe, elected to the legislature: but his time and attention were too much divided be- tween his private business and politics, to say nothing of his interest in the Christian church and Odd Fellowship, ever to become a great politi- cian or a successful office seeker, if he had desired office. He acted with the fusionists in the campaign of 1902.
Dr. J. H. Mahr, of McCune, deserves well of his party, although he started in his political career as a Republican, and by that party was sent to the legislature from Labette county, as a member of the lower house. In that session he saw things in the party which, as an honest man, he could not approve, so he left the party and affiliated with the Democrats, and for several years published the only Democratic paper in the county, the Crawford County Democrat, of which the present writer became proprietor and editor in 1901, though changing its political character somewhat. Dr. Mahr stood fearlessly and unflinchingly by his standard when the party in the county had become a forlorn hope, and did not, like one of his brother editors, leave the party on account of its weakness, but up to the last moment of his editorial career spoke out freely for the men and measures which he believed to be right. Having been a Union soldier from Missouri, where it was worth a man's life to declare Union sentiments, this was only what we might expect of him; but how many men disappoint our expectations under less trying circumstances than those surrounding him. We honor a man's adher- ence to his principles, however widely we differ from him, and I end as I began this sketch, Dr. Mahr deserves well of his party.
Of the Pittsburg politicians. I know but little. Only two of them can claim a notice here, although they are not the only ones that deserve such notice. After using due diligence to secure sufficient data to write intelligent sketches of some of them, I found it impossible to do so 6
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without using more time and money than the case would justify, and so concluded to let it go by default. The first man that claims our at- tention is "the venerable editor" of the Pittsburg Kansan, who has been a Republican, a populist and a Democrat, all within the memory of men who have not yet reached the meridian of life. I do not know that these changes are the result of a vacillating mind, but rather attribute them to the ups and downs of politics. He reminds me of a Dutchman who worked for my brother when keel boating was at its best on the Alle- gheny river. At that time keel boats were propelled up stream partly by horse power and partly by man power, the men walking on what was called the run board, and with long poles provided with sharp iron sockets on the lower end and a broad, flat knob on the upper end, pushed the boat along, thus aiding the horses in getting the boat over the rapids which abounded in that beautiful stream. When the old Dutchman came on board to hire, my brother asked him on which side (of the boat) he worked. He answered, "On de side next de bank." "But when the boat crosses over then what do you do?" "Den I cross over, too." The same seems to be true of this editor. But this I can say, but few men in the editorial ranks of the state have shown greater or more versatile talent than he, and whether he advocated Populist or Democrat ideas, he did it with the same energy as though he believed every word he said. (I did not know him when he ran a Republican paper.) If I was allowed to express an opinion I would venture to say that he would have had more influence in the political world. and perhaps would have made as much money in the aggregate if he had stood firm on one line. I can give him credit for ability and for clearness of diction, but can not endorse his many changes. But I leave that to himself and the public.
I now come to the giant of the Democrat party in the county-a giant in stature as well as in intellect-Morris Cliggett, Esq. And while
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I have had occasion to join issue with him on more than one occasion. and while I think he has advocated some extravagant and absurd theories. I am free to acknowledge that he possesses more logical and forensic ability than any other man of his party that I have met in the state; and I have wondered that he has not been pushed to the front by his fellow Democrats. It may be because he is more of a Republican than a Demo- crat on the money question. He takes ultra ground on this matter, going so far at one time as to say that "God makes the only real money that there is, and that is gold." In this I do not think that he displayed either erudition or wisdom, as the former would teach him that for centuries silver was the only money in use, and the latter would clearly show that gold is not money till it receives the government fiat stamp. But notwithstanding these aberrations, I must still award to him the first place in the Democratic ranks in point of intellect and political acumen. and I think it only requires a slight effort on his part to place him among the foremost leaders of his party-not in the county, but in the nation. Among other things I have to say of him is this, he has been one of the bitterest and most unrelenting enemies that the People's party has had in the county, and I believe he has always opposed fusion with that party. Whether he opposed it when B. S. Gaitskill ran for county at- torney on the Republican ticket as well as on his own, we are not apprised, but suppose he voted for his friend, Ben, as a Democrat.
There are a few other men who have figured largely in the politics of the county, but I scarcely know where to place them. B. S. Gaits- : kill is one of these, who, while claiming to be a mossbacked Bourbon Democrat. accepted a nomination from the People's party, and was elected, mainly by that party, and at another time was nominated by the Republicans and was elected by that fusion. So far as I know, at all other times he was true to his party, and always a bitter opposer of the People's party.
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W. H. Ryan is another who is hard to classify. As a Democrat he was only an ordinary citizen, scarcely known in political circles, but when the People's party called him out as a candidate for the legislature, he very soon developed into a campaigner of no mean ability. As a speaker it was found that there were few of any party that ex- celled him, and fewer still of his political opponents that cared to meet him on the forum. His forcible arguments, coupled with his Irish wit, were too much for them, and they stood aloof from him on the principle that "discretion is the better part of valor." He was in the belligerent legislature, and according to his political enemies, made his pugilistic talent answer him a good purpose, where a war of words would have been of no avail. This incident created quite a sensation at the time. but when it came to be explained according to the real facts there was very little in it, and the party elected him to the state senate by a hand- some majority, the Republicans declaring all the time that he was, and still is, as much of a Democrat as ever. However this may be he was true to the principles of the party that elected him in both branches of the legislature, and all the mud-slinging that his enemies could do did not cause him to swerve from the principles which he espoused. Since he left the senate he has given his attention to the law more than to politics, but does not ignore the latter. He is now mayor of the city of Girardi.
L. H. Phillips is another worker in the ranks of the Democratic party, but he says now that there is no money in it, and that henceforth he intends to devote himself to his profession in order to be able to furnish his wife and babies the necessaries and comforts of life. A wise conclusion. He is a law partner of W. H. Ryan.
The last that I shall name in this long list is E. A. Frazier, who has been for several years chairman of the Democratic county central
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committee, and in this position has exerted a somewhat controlling influ- ence in the party. In connection with Mr. Montee he runs a drug store in Girard.
REPUBLICAN LEADERS.
In addition to the editor of the Press, already noticed at some length, there have been and still are men of influence in the party. One who has been with the party the longest and who is still recognized as a wheel horse is J. D. Barker, who has always "stood pat" on the Re- publican platform, and who has probably done as much towards giving the party prestige as any one man, although he has not been as noisy as some others. He was a captain in the Union army, and this alone secures him a prominent place in the party, although they do not always give due honor to the soldiers, especially if they do not vote with the Republicans. Captain Barker has not squandered his means, but has enough to support him in his old age unless he changes his business ways, and as he is now approaching his three score and ten, it is hardly to be ex- pected that he will make any radical change in this respect. He is still a stanch Republican, believing, as I suppose, that he is right, and that any change that he might make would be to change from good to bad.
Of the early workers in the Republican party the writer knows but little, but it is evident that there were some who understood their busi- ness when we consider that the party worked up from a minority. first to a parity, and then to a controlling majority, and this in a period of not to exceed nineteen years, when the party began again to decline. Within the knowledge of the present writer one of the most talented leaders was John Randolph, who, but for one failing, might today be a shining light in the political firmament, even though he had to appear in a galaxy of brilliant orbs. Rising from an humble place as a country school teacher he ascended by slow but steady degrees to an eminence
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in his profession which secured to him the county superintendency, and gave him a prominent standing as an educator. He had good natural gifts as a speaker, and he embraced every opportunity to improve them, establishing for this purpose, and for the benefit of others, the Craw- ford County Oratorical Association, which lives to his credit after he is numbered with the dead. At first his aspirations seemed to lead entirely in an educational direction, but after entering the legal profession, it was not long till he entered also the political arena, where he soon rose in the estimation of his fellows, till but for the one fault he would have occupied a seat in Congress. Although of a different political faith, I admired the man, and none perhaps, except his immediate friends, more seriously lamented his untimely taking off. But such is the baleful effects of man's deadliest foe and the devil's most active and successful agent. It first blotches, then blights and withers consciences, and utterly destroys the fairest and best of earth's sons and daughters, and leaves nothing to compensate for their loss save broken vows, broken hearts, disappointed hopes and sad memories. Will men ever be wise enough tc let it alone, except to drive it from the earth?
Another man of ability who labored earnestly in behalf of his party was Ed Van Gundy, and he was the only man of any party, within the writer's knowledge, who honestly tried to enforce the prohibitory liquor law. While he was county attorney the liquor men had very little rest, and for this reason he was turned down at the next county con- vention, the liquor element, which was dominant in the party. going solidly against him. But he lived and died with the proud conscious- ness of having done his duty as an officer of the law-a consciousness which was worth more to an honest man than all the income of the office. But it is very difficult in these days of official corruption to make men see it.
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In a former place I referred to a man who "would as soon think of leaving his wife as the Republican party." This was M. C. Kelly (if we have the initials right), who was rewarded by his party for his loyalty by sending him at one time to the state senate, and at another by being appointed oil inspector.
It is a pleasure to me to "give honor to whom honor is due," no matter to what party they belong. Among all the men prominent in Crawford county politics there lived not a more honorable and upright man than Chas. Slawson. Whether as private citizen or public officer I have yet the first word of aspersion against his character to hear. Honest in his dealings, upright in his official acts, mild and generous in his opposition to what he considered political error, he made his oppo- nents feel that it was an honor and a pleasure to have such an antagonist. If all politicians were like him it would put an end to dirty politics and official corruption, and our government would become what its founders intended it to be, and what the apostle Paul said civil government should be, "a terror to evil doers, and a praise to them that do well." In his death the county lost one of its best citizens, and the Republican party one of its ablest and most honest defenders. He left a son. M. G. Slawson, who has already reached a point in the political world attained by but few men of his age; but I believe he has concluded to attend strictly to his own business and leave politics to others.
One of the earliest and ablest of Republicans in the county is W. B. Crawford, Esq. He is not one of the blatant kind, but a constant and untiring worker when work is to be done. As politics run he may be con- sidered an honest politician, never forgetting to take advantage of any incident or remark of the opposite side that may fall in his way. He has been a justice of the peace for a good many years, and still holds that office.
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Another of the pioneers was William Merriweather, of whom we can say but little except that he was a stanch Republican, and a bitter partisan.
But there is one man of whom I wish to make honorable men- tion. Jesse R. Carpenter I regard as one among a hundred for fidelity to party and at the same time for candor and fairness to opponents. He was twice elected to the office of district clerk, and is now serving as register of deeds, and in all his official life no stain attaches to his character. He owns a farm in the eastern part of the county, and when not in office quietly cultivates his farm, working with his own hands for the support of himself and family.
Others there are, or have been, who have taken an active part in the politics of the county and state: but as they are gone from the political arena either by death or withdrawal, and as my limit will be reached without noticing them, I pass them by. But there are two excep- tions, one on each side of P. M., to which we briefly call attention. These are L. D. Herlocker, who has always been an active worker on the Democrat side, and R. E. Carlton, on the Republican side. The former has filled several offices in the county and always with fidelity to his constituents, unless it was when he went back on his Alliance friends, by whose aid he was elected sheriff. When his term of office expired and he was not re-nominated. he came out as an independent Democrat. and drew off all the votes from the regular nominee that he could-enough to defeat him and elect the Republican candidate. This was not relished by those who had once elected him. Aside from this we believe his political record is without a stain accord- ing to modern ethics.
Mr. Carlton served two terms as clerk of the district court to the satisfaction of the people of the county, and since then has attended to
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his private business, but has always taken a lively interest in the affairs of the county, with special reference to the interests of his party. He is now a resident of Pittsburg, and in connection with Mr. Greef, car- ries on an extensive land, loan and insurance business.
OTHER PARTIES.
Going back to the days of the Grange, which was really the start- ing point of political reform, although they disclaimed any intention of interfering in political affairs (meaning party politics), we find one of the foremost men in the Grange to be Arthur Sharp, who stood by it through all its vicissitudes till it was merged, so to speak, in the Farm- ers' Alliance. He was an unassuming man, brought up in the Quaker faith, and in the quiet manner of that people he helped to carry on the affairs of that body to the end of its existence in the county as a sep- arate organization. He was a great reader and a sound thinker, and this combination enabled him to form and to communicate clear views on economic questions, which was the end and aim of the Patrons of Husbandry. They had not yet learned that economics is a very im- portant integer in politics, and that there could be no economic reform without political action. And this was the condition of the Alliance for some years after its formation. When the Greenback party sprang up: Mr. Sharp espoused its principles, and was an active worker in its ranks during its existence as a party. So in the Union Labor party. and finally in the People's party, always seeking to better the condition of the laboring classes, and leading them to a higher appreciation of their several callings. He was, and is, also a stanch temperance man and prohibitionist.
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