USA > Maryland > Governors of Maryland : from the Revolution to the year 1908 > Part 20
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was the
of the day, but a sine consideration of the
good of il The gubernatorial candidate chosen xas one show pomery elson to the confidence of the people was his commieryou yoorss and his business rop itation
COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY H. E. BUCHHOLZ.
243
ELIHU EMORY JACKSON
When Mr. Jackson was named for governor the greatest appeal that could be made in his behalf was his business ability. When he was elected to the office of state executive it is probable that his business ability was still accepted by the voters as his chief recommendation. And in reviewing the administration of the Eastern Shoreman-indeed, in a review of his entire life-the one dominant note must be "business."
Elihu Emory Jackson was born near Salisbury on Novem- ber 3, 1837. His father, Hugh Jackson, was a hard-working man, but his home was not, perhaps, as humble as some stump speakers of the later eighties painted it. Elihu Emory Jackson, who was the eldest of seven children, received as good an education as the country school of his neighborhood afforded. For some time after clos- ing his school career, he aided his father in the manage- ment and cultivation of the farm, but there was ever present with him the desire to cut free from the home ties-not because of their restraint, but because they meant limitation of commercial possibilities-and to make a shift in the great big world for himself. During the period of preparation he hoarded up as much money as he could earn, and finally, with sufficient capital to warrant a venture on his own account, he left for Delmar where he engaged in business. This was in 1859, shortly after Mr. Jackson had attained his majority, and he chose the town of Delmar as the scene of his venture because it was then the terminus of the Delaware railroad. For four years he continued at Delmar building up for himself a reputation, increasing his capital and adding rapidly to his business experience. In 1863, after the railroad had been extended to Salisbury, he moved his business there. He opened a general merchandise and dry goods establishment, and also handled both lumber and grain. His father and his eldest brother were admitted into
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GOVERNORS OF MARYLAND
the partnership with him at the time of. his removal to Salisbury, and as his other brothers reached manhood they also were taken into the business, which was conducted under the firm name of E. E. Jackson & Co. A history of this firm is the story of Governor Jackson's advance from the position of a very modest merchant to that of one of the largest lumber dealers in the country.
The officeholding period of Mr. Jackson's career covered a comparatively small part of his whole life, although immed- iately upon becoming a voter he manifested much interest in political affairs. His excursion into the doubtful field of candidacy for office, however, was to all appearances but a brief interruption to a life which had been devoted primarily to great lumber interests; while his concern in state polit- ical affairs found a close second to his interest in the muni- cipal affairs of his home town, Salisbury. It was in 1882, when Mr. Jackson was a man of forty-five, that he first received at the hands of the people among whom he had so long been prominent in the world of business the nomination for an elective office. In that year he was elected to the house of delegates; and two years later, at the next legislative election, he was returned to the legislature, though this time he was sent to the upper branch of the general assem- bly. At the close of the session of 1886, when Edwin War- field resigned as president of the senate in order to accept the post of surveyor of the port of Baltimore, Mr. Jackson was elected his successor.
The rise of Mr. Jackson as a political factor from the time of his first election to the legislature, in 1882, to the time set for the state convention of 1887 was remarkable. From a great and influential business man who manifested some interest in political affairs he grew to be the strongest candidate whom the Eastern Shoremen could offer the con- vention as their choice for the gubernatorial nomination.
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245
ELIHU EMORY JACKSON
The delegates from Western Maryland were in favor of Mr. L. Victor Baughman, while the section in between-which comprised Baltimore city and the surrounding counties- was for Mayor Hodges of Baltimore, who was, however, a bone of contention in a measure even among the people of his own section. For some time a deadlock seemed threat- ened, but on the sixth ballot the Baltimore county delega- tion threw its support to Mr. Jackson, and its lead was promptly followed by all the Hodges' supporters, giving Mr. Jackson the nomination before the spectators could fully realize the drift in his direction. Harmony was the cry of the leaders among the delegates, and General Baugh- man himself moved to make Mr. Jackson's choice unani- mous. At the election, on November 8, 1887, Elihu E. Jackson defeated Walter B. Brooks, the republican candi- date for governor.
Governor Jackson, during the four years that he directed state affairs, made a good record for efficient and business- like administration. First of all, there was his constant solic- itude for the rights of the people in their dealings through the state government with corporations. With remarkable business foresight, he directed the attention of the legisla- ture to the need of prohibiting any railroad company from consolidating with another railway company, and also of forbidding the assignment of a railroad's charter to another company without specified permission in each instance from the legislature. In other words, he sought in that day to put up a barrier which should prevent widespread consoli- dation of railroad interests, because of the twofold danger of them becoming too formidable factors in state affairs and of stifling competition. Governor Jackson endeavored to have the railroad companies and other large corporations bear a more equitable share of the burden of taxes, and he favored taxing foreign corporations doing business in the
246
GOVERNORS OF MARYLAND
state in proportion to the amount of business they trans- acted in the commonwealth. Side by side with this constant endeavor to have the big corporations do their share in supporting the state government was an unceasing cam- paign for decreasing the taxes of the common citizen.
Mr. Jackson made no secret of his wish to be sent to the United States senate, and during his administration he labored industriously to make possible a realization of this ambition. He first appeared as a formidable candidate in 1890, but in the heat of the contest disclosures were made concerning the defalcations of State Treasurer Stevenson Archer; and this unfortunate affair, for which Governor Jackson was in no wise to blame, put an end for a time to his candidacy. Two years later he again appeared as an aspir- ant for senatorial honors, but Senator Gorman and the democratic leader of Baltimore worked against him and he was defeated.
After the close of his administration, Governor Jackson resumed the position in the business world from which public office had called him, and thereafter he gave chie thought to his commercial affairs. His enormous lumber interests and his connection with the Salisbury National Bank and the Sussex National Bank-the latter at Seaford, Delaware-took much of his time. He bore an active part in the state campaign of 1895, when many of the old democratic leaders met with defeat. At that time he was a candidate for the state senate and was one of the few successful democrats. At the session of 1896 Mr. Jackson served as chairman of the finance committee, accomplishing several meritorious reforms; and in the ses- sion of 1898 he was also a useful member. His democratic friends sought to have him become a congressional can- didate in 1900 against his brother, William H. Jackson, who had gone over to the republican party when the demo-
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247
ELIHU EMORY JACKSON
crats first advocated "free silver;" but Governor Jackson could not be persuaded to enter the contest. In 1902 and in 1904 he was again spoken of for congress; and in the latter year the convention even went so far as to nominate him without his consent, but he declined the honor. Finally in 1907, Mr. Jackson played an important part in the con- vention which named Austin L. Crothers for governor, and he was largely responsible for the movement which gave the deciding votes to Mr. Crothers instead of to Henry Williams.
In the days when Governor Jackon was fighting hardest for success in the business world he put into practice the theory that two heads are better than one, and married. Mrs. Jackson, who was Miss Nannie Rider, daughter of Dr. William H. Rider, of Salisbury, was the close companion of the governor in all his affairs from the time of their marriage, in 1869 They made their home in the beautiful mansion which Mr. Jackson erected in Salisbury in 1885, and their greatest interests were centered in the Eastern Shore town. When Salisbury was visited by a disastrous fire in 1885, Governor Jackson contributed generously of his means to the rebuilding of the place. He was, of course, a mighty force in the commercial affairs of his home town, where his own business constituted so large a source of activity. He was also active in the church and social circles of the county seat of Wicomico. He died in Baltimore, on Decem- ber 27, 1907.
XLII FRANK BROWN
There is a wide range in the motive that inspires differ- ent political leaders and aspirants. Upon the point of ethics, for instance, there are politicians working side by side-working under the same standard and apparently for the same object-whose characters are antithetical. Thus, in the matter of morals, there stands in the center the man who makes of politics a business, whether for monetary or social advantage; and the pendulum in its full swing reaches on its one extreme the citizen who sees in politics a form of religion; and on the other the schemist who makes of it a species of crime. The business politician is not neces- sarily wicked-indeed, it were unwarranted to assert that he is to any great extent wicked-just as the religiously righteous politician is not always a capable or a profitable public servant; the criminal politician is, of course, a crim- inal. But to classify under these three heads the many officials who have held important positions under Mary- land's state government would be a task impossible of accomplishment, for the true motive of many a politician is hidden from view. There are, however, numerous cases in which this condition of concealment does not exist. For example: no one would believe that Governor Brown is in politics as a means of worship, and he himself would un- doubtedly be the first to protest, were he written down as a man who made of politics a religion. A man of large busi- ness acumen, his political ventures have been conducted upon the same business principle as a dozen or more other large undertakings of his in a strictly commercial field.
FRANK BROWN 1892-1896
XLII FRANK BROWN
There is a wolle age in the motive thet inspires differ et political end aspirants. Upon the point of etikles, Jo in woce, there are politicians working side by wi-prolong gmdie- the same standard and apparently for the same object-whose characters are antithetical That in the matter of moials, there stands in the center the inan Shh makes of politics a business, whether for monetar or wohnt advantage; and the pendulum in its full swing reaches on its one extreme the citizen who sees in politics a form of rel gion; and wothe atherthe s .hemist who make-
fit a sperice of crime. polilman is not neces Terily woked --- indeed it were Asyamail to traer! thôi
Hans Leads the many
office Ll bemoi positions under Mary land's kcal porgram MI to a task impossible of avcomplisament, for the true motive of many a politición
lo lidden from view. There are, however, numerous case" in winch tlou condition of concealment does not exist. For
wupole Tane would believe that Governor Brown is in justin us - fans of worship, and he himself would un dowodykdy as the enr to protest, were ke written down as &
man v . si podre religion. A man of large busi
ness noua bs weused ventures have been conductedl upon thiếu 0 Heifile ar a dozen or more other
laige teleriakings of Ms m & #rintly commercial field.
COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY H. E. BUCHHOLZ.
249
FRANK BROWN
And, rejecting the fallacy that an office-seeker should neces- sarily be inspired only with patriotism, there will be found in his political career not a little to admire, whether it be in his business methods of making himself governor, or of carry- ing to a successful close the campaigns of other candidates.
Frank Brown was born August 8, 1846, at Brown's In- heritance, an estate in Carroll county that had been the homestead of several of his ancestors. His father, Stephen T. Cockey Brown, was a grandson of Abel Brown, who emigrated from Dumfries, Scotland, to Maryland in the early half of the eighteenth century. His mother had been, before her marriage, Miss Susan A. Bennett, daughter of a Carroll county farmer. The elder Mr. Brown intended that his son should be an agriculturist. Although the lad was given a thorough schooling, being entered at various educational institutions in Carroll, Howard and Baltimore counties, his father stressed that portion of his education which had to do with the management of a farm. But, while farming as a hobby has always interested Mr. Frank Brown, as an occupation it did not present fascination enough to withhold from him the temptation to seek a field of activity in less isolated territory, and early in his youth he came to Baltimore and entered the employ of R. Sinclair and Company, dealers in agricultural imple- ments. Subsequently he made his appearance in a semi- political position when, in 1870, he was appointed to a clerkship in one of the state tobacco warehouses. Here the Carroll countian continued for the next six years, serv- ing under the administrations of Governors Bowie, Whyte, and Groome. During this period he was ever busy in building up for himself the foundation of a political career; and by 1875 he had grown sufficiently in public esteem to be the successful candidate in his county for membership in the house of delegates.
250
GOVERNORS OF MARYLAND
In this instance-which is of interest because it marks the initiation of the future governor into elective office-there is shown Mr. Brown's method of laying plans well in advance of a contest for a public position. Mr. Brown was a mem- ber of the session of 1876 as well as that of 1878, having been reëlected in 1877. His political career was then given a pause by the death of both his father and his uncle, a dual loss which placed upon his shoulders the responsibility of managing a considerable estate. Although these new cares kept Mr. Brown out of the legislative race in 1879, just one year later, in 1880, he made his initial appearance as a big public-spirited character. It was in this year that he accepted the presidency of the Maryland State Agricul- tural and Mechanical Society, and it was not long before he gave evidence of remarkable ability as. an organizer and executive. He put new spirit into the state fairs held under the society's auspices, and few public movements were started thereafter which did not enlist his hearty support. With his freedom from legislative duties, Mr. Brown also became a more prominent figure in the political affairs of the state at large, being particularly active in the presi- dential campaign of 1884, when Mr. Grover Cleveland was elected. In the campaign of 1885, Mr. Brown was treasurer of the democratic state central committee. Early in the Cleveland administration circumstances arose which led to a vacancy in the postmastership at Baltimore. Mr. Parker Veazey, the then incumbent, offered his resignation and the president at the same time that he sent this to congress presented the name of Mr. Frank Brown as Mr. Veazey's successor. Mr. Brown was confirmed and became post- master of Baltimore in 1886. His administration of the affairs of this important branch of the federal government continued for almost four years, and was marked by several progressive innovations. Thus, under Postmaster Brown
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25I
FRANK BROWN
there were created sub-stations to the post office in Balti- more, the system of postal parcel and newspapers boxes was established, and mail collection by carts was inaugu- rated.
While serving as postmaster, Mr. Brown appeared as a candidate for the democratic gubernatorial nomination. This was in 1887, when five candidates in all contested for the nomination. Though Mr. Brown controlled but twenty votes in the convention, he was unable to hold even these to the very end, and after Mr. Jackson had been named for governor, Mr. Brown announced that he would be a can- didate again four years later. This shows something of Mr. Brown's business method in politics. It was a very natural thing for a candidate who had been unsuccessful to announce that he would make another contest; but in the disappointed Carroll countians' declaration there was much more than a wish to escape gracefully from defeat. For the next four years, in season and out of season, he worked systematically and persistently in the interest of his own candidacy, with the result that by 1891 he had strengthened his position so much, that the leaders opposed to him were unable to withhold the coveted nomination. Mr. Frank Brown was named by the democratic state convention in the summer of 1891, and the republican party placed in nomination, as his opponent, Mr. William J. Vannort, of Chestertown. At the election, held November 3, of that year, the Carroll countian was elected. He succeeded Gov- ernor Jackson on January 13, 1892, and continued as gov- ernor until January 8, 1896.
Governor Brown's administration was characterized by several spectacular public events, in all of which he assumed a conspicuous part. These incidents, generally, afforded him an opportunity for the display of his business ability and of his power to take the initiative at critical moments.
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GOVERNORS OF MARYLAND
Especially is this true regarding the Frostburg coal strike of 1894. This labor trouble between the soft coal owners and the miners was but part of a general dissatisfaction among the bituminous coal miners in the eastern states. A strike had been anticipated by the governor, who for some time prior toits materialization had had the disturbed mining section under surveillance. At II o'clock on the morning of June 5, he received a telegram that the strike had so far advanced in the Frostburg district that the sheriff was helpless to guard property. The governor's plans had all been so well laid, that by 4 o'clock in the after- noon of the same day he had the Fourth and Fifth regi- ments ready to send to Frostburg. Special trains were provided and before daylight of the morrow the militia had been transported to the scene of disturbance. Instead of first issuing his proclamation to the strikers to disperse and then waiting to see how far they would obey, Governor Brown had the militia march upon the heels of the agents who were deputized to post copies of his proclamation. When Frostburg awoke on the morning of July 6, it found the town posted with the governor's orders that the strikers refrain from violence; but it also found the streets of the town occupied with soldiers whose mission was to see that the orders were obeyed. Governor Brown then went per- sonally to Frostburg, where he conferred with the strike leaders, with the result that in Maryland there was no vio- lence, no conflict between the strikers and the troops, no destruction of property; all due to the care with which the chief magistrate had perfected his plans for meeting the threats of mob-rule, and to the promptness with which those plans were put into execution.
Another instance of Governor Brown's discretion in deal- ing with the people at a time of unusual excitement was furnished by the Hill murder case, in which he exercised
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FRANK BROWN
executive clemency in commuting the sentence of four youthful negro murderers from capital punishment to life imprisonment. Dr. Hill, of Chestertown, had been mur- dered by some negroes of a party of eight-men and boys. All eight negroes were arrested, tried, and sentenced to be hung. Governor Brown was later appealed to on behalf of four of the negroes, who not only were very young, but who were shown to have been drawn into the affair by the older men. At the time, however, feeling ran high against the accused men, and the governor had to exercise great secrecy in investigating the case, lest some rumor of his purpose should incite the neighbors of the murdered man to resort to violence. Governor Brown visited the boys in person, he looked fully into the evidence in the case, and then he had a boat go secretly by night to Chestertown to take the four prisoners aboard and bring them to Baltimore; after which he commuted their sentence. For a time the Eastern Shoremen were bitter against the governor for his interference, and threatened to lynch the remaining four negroes; but better judgment prevailed, and the law was permitted to take its course in the matter of hanging the men who had been solely responsible for the crime.
During his governorship Mr. Brown had also to deal with the once-famous but now almost forgotten Coxey's army, which, after its ejection from the national capital, camped for a while on Maryland soil. Backing up the good legal advice of the attorney-general with his own business judg- ment, he succeeded in trapping the remnant of this army of tramps in such a manner that its members only too gladly accepted his invitation to leave the commonwealth by a special train, and thus the state was freed from an element which was both undesirable and dangerous. Not an unimportant feature of Governor Brown's administra- tion was his "tax convention." The state executive was
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GOVERNORS OF MARYLAND
not in agreement with certain legislative leaders regarding a proposed assessment bill. Although Governor Brown favored this piece of legislation in parts, he opposed it as a whole, because in its submitted form it threatened the people with double taxation. The bill, nevertheless, was passed by the session of 1892, but did not become a law because the governor withheld his signature from it. It was resurrected in the session of 1894; but met with defeat in the house of delegates. At this time Governor Brown called together the leading public men of the state to attend his somewhat unique nonpartisan "tax" convention, at which the subject of taxation was thoroughly discussed, to the general enlightenment of the public. Mr. Brown was married, 1879, to Mrs. Mary Preston, widow of Horatio Preston, of Boston, and daughter of David Ridgely, of Baltimore. Since the death of Mrs. Brown, which occurred in 1895, the ex-governor has taken little interest in his Carroll county homestead, spending most of his time in Baltimore or abroad.
Shortly after his retirement from the executive mansion, Governor Brown was elected president of the Baltimore Traction Company; and during the two years that he held this position he wrought great improvement in the finan- cial and operating departments of the street railway. He came into prominence in the municipal campaign of 1899, when he selected Mr. Thomas G. Hayes as the most avail- able candidate for mayor in the democratic party, and his management was the greatest contribution to the suc- cess of Mr. Hayes' campaign. In the same manner he became the sponsor for Mr. J. Barry Mahool for mayor of Baltimore in 1907, and he managed the campaign which resulted in Mr. Mahool's election. The new city executive appointed Mr. Brown city collector, and by his acceptance of the office he returned, after many years of retirement to public service.
COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY H. E. BUCHHOLZ.
-
LLOYD LOWNDES
wwwwwwwwatt.century the people of . die win | was the political methods The impression body patrio ne del ap emetic and that rheine ofom oran allempt at an improve Wh oring moment the
which was in the minority, o AbAno Arepresentative A Lowibf che dissatisfied
0001-0081
better element of both partic) } which he had pledged himself, and Ais entire course wille borte mottive won commendation from the members of God yet, at the close of his administration. meyle wwwand for reelection, he met with defeat. His
r mme, however, is not surprising
Hola Val pe pi do not long remember the Im Bithird avanti, and thex Maviend, except
£ when Itr. Lowmie
cmocratie atale pa tore
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Kus was born in Clarksburg, in what i wow Wau 4. on February 2x, 1845. His father, Lloyd Lowden wussteser ded from: Benjamin Tasker, who admin . isten Mat sin al Maryland during colonial doys, and Edward 1%ld, who was governor of the state in the early
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