USA > Minnesota > Waseca County > Child's history of Waseca County, Minnesota : from its first settlement in 1854 to the close of the year 1904, a record of fifty years : the story of the pioneers > Part 22
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At the afternoon session, the committee on credentials reported the following gentlemen entitled to seats: J. S. Abell, Joseph Minges, Adam Bishman, A. L. Warner, and Sam Leslie, of Po- mona grange ; C. E. Graham, S. Hydorn, D. D. Green, P. Vander- warka, and C. Bates, of. County Line grange; A. Keyes, S. C. L. Moore, and S. C. Dow, of Alma City grange; Hugh Wilson, R. F. Stevens, J. Turnacliff, Noah Lincoln, and Geo. H. Woodbury, of Wilton grange; Philo Woodruff, David Wood, M. Dewald, and J. R.Davidson, of Hazel Dale grange; I. D. Beaman, S. F. Wyman, Albert Remund, Patrick Haley, and Wm. Habein, of
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
Blooming Grove grange; W. H. Gray, D. Riegle, James Bowe, F. Brossard, P. McDermott, and W. A. Erwin, of Toboso grange; H. W. S. Hinkley, Wm. Runnels, W. D. Armstrong, M. F. Connor, and Nicholas Fox, of Connor grange; M. Haley, Patrick Murray, H. Haley, John McWaide, and James Jones, of Hibernia grange.
Waseca grange No. 49 elected three delegates to the council, who presented their credentials. The committee to whom they were referred disagreed as to the propriety of admitting any Waseca men. The matter was referred to the council and by a majority vote it was decided that Waseca grange was not en- titled to representation in the council on the ground that some of the members of that grange were not practical farmers.
The following permanent officers were elected : I. D. Beaman, master; M. F. Connor, overseer; W. D. Armstrong, secretary ; S. C. L. Moore, gate keeper; John S. Abell, lecturer; A. Keyes, chaplain.
A business committee of one from each grange was appointed, namely : Hugh Wilson, P. Woodruff, A. L. Warner, M. Haley. A. Keyes, P. MeDermott, W. D. Armstrong, Patrick Haley, and S. Hydorn.
This organization was kept up for about two years, when owing to dissension among the members, it gradually disappear- ed.
FOURTH OF JULY.
The weather was grand, and there was a general observance of the day in Waseca. Hon. M. D. L. Collester was the orator of the day and delivered a very fine address.
The baseball game between the Blooming Grove Champions and the Mankato club, was the absorbing entertainment of the day. Blooming Grove won by a score of 62 to 13. A few slight accidents were reported. Some one drove into Mr. Thos. Bar- den's buggy and overturned it, throwing Mrs. Barden out and bruising her somewhat, though not seriously. Mr. Thomas Lynch, of Wilton, had a runaway in which he and his wife were thrown out of the buggy without suffering serious harm.
ACCIDENTALLY SHOT.
On August 29th, Mr. John Bowe, of Blooming Grove, was
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
accidentally wounded by the discharge of a shot gun in the hands of one of the Bowe boys, the hammer of the lock acciden- tally slipping from his hand. The wound though painful, was not dangerous.
CHAMPION BASE-BALL TEAM.
The Northfield base-ball club challenged the Blooming Grove Champions to a match game of ball at the fair grounds, in North- field, on the 18th of September. The Northfield club held the silver bat of the state, and this was offered as the prize for the winning side. The Blooming Grove boys won the prize by a score of forty-six to nineteen. The Northfield boys suffered three whitewashes, Blooming Grove none. Martin Haley was the captain and pitcher; Jas. Johnson, catcher; Wm. Johnson, first base; Frank Haley, second base; C. D. Todd, third base; R. W. Jaeklin, short stop; G. Donaldson, right fielder; F. Col- lins, center fielder: John Blowers, left fielder. Some years after, the club, having lost some of its best players, lost the prize in a game with the Winnebago City club. The last heard of the sil- ver bat it was in the hands of the college boys of Winnebago City.
FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON.
There was a snow storm on the night of Oet. 24 that continued through the night and into the forenoon of the 25th. Snow fell to the depth of abont ten inches, and the drifts, in places remain- ed until spring. The strong wind accompanying the snow swept it from most of the plowed fields, so that considerable fall plow- ing was done after the storm; but fall work was very much in- terfered with on the farms.
THE ELECTION.
This was the year when the anti-monopoly sentiment was very strong throughout the nation. The order of the Patrons of Husbandry had established a "Grange" in almost every farm- ing community, and its teachings had aroused a very strong op- position to the extortions and unjust discriminations practiced by the transportation corporations. The high rates of interest charged throughout the West also caused much hardship and
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
loss of property. The people were thoroughly aroused and, to a certain extent, joined hand in hand for self protection. The peo- ple of Waseca county were never more thoroughly aroused than during the campaign of 1873. Hon. C. K. Davis, republican, and Hon. Ara Barton, democrat, were the opposing candidates for governor. Mr. Davis carried the county by a majority of 166. The result of the votes for county representatives and officers was as follows:
REPRESENTATIVES.
L. D. Smith, rep 967
J. E. Child, rep. 765
Kelsey Curtis, dem. 478
David Wood, dem.
599
TREASURER.
Warren Smith, rep. 986
M. Sheran, dem. 381
JUDGE OF PROBATE.
J. A. Canfield, rep. 774
Neri Reed, dem. 617
COUNTY ATTORNEY.
F. A. Newell, rep.
502
P. McGovern, dem.
898
COURT COMMISSIONER.
J. B. Smith, rep.
1403
Geo. McDermott, ind.
24
REGISTER OF DEEDS.
H. A. Mosher, rep.
845
Louis Krassin, dem.
562
SHERIFF.
G. H. Woodbury, rep.
512
C. Cunningham, dem.
196
S. W. Long, ind.
696
CORONER.
L. D. McIntosh, rep.
. . 1402
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
R. O. Craig, dem.
193
H. P. Packard, rep.
112
H. K. Stearns, rep.
217
Frank McLane, dem.
69
Quite an effort was made throughout the state by the cor- porations to defeat Hon. C. K. Davis, but he received a majority of about 5,000. The issue that absorbed public attention more than any other was that of railroad discrimination. The "Grangers" of Waseca county, at their county council, held July 12, 1873, "resolved that the charge of $20 by the W. & St. P. R. R. Co. (now C. & N .- W. Ry. Co.) for simply hauling a loaded car of lumber or lime from Owatonna to Waseca, a dis- tance of fifteen miles, when the regular charge for hauling the same car load from Winona to Waseca, a distance of one hun- dred and five miles, is only $20, is an unjust discrimination and an outrageous extortion that calls loudly for a stringent legal remedy."
In Rice county complaint was made that a carload of lumber shipped from Minneapolis to Faribault cost the Faribault dealer
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
$31.50 in freight, while the same carload of lumber shipped to Owatonna, fifteen miles further, over the same road, cost only $22 freight-a discrimination against Faribault of $9.50 on every carload. The same carload, shipped forty-cight miles further south to Austin, cost only $24 freight-discrimination of $7.50 per carload. In the matter of through rates from the east, the same wrong was manifest. The railway rates on goods from Chicago to Faribault were, per 100 pounds, for first elass goods, $1.10; second class, $1.00; third class, 75 eents; fourth class 55 cents. The rates charged on the same elasses, transported by the same road through Faribault to St. Paul, fifty-six miles fur- ther, were 80 cents for first class; 70 cents for seeond class, and 35 cents for third class.
In view of these unjust discriminations, practiced everywhere in the state, the people in every farming community demanded the enaetment of a law prohibiting the charging of a greater freight rate for a short distance than was at the same time eharged for a longer distance over the same road and in the same di- rection.
It was contended by the Grange men that, in view of these undisputed facts, the law ought to require the railroad corpora- tions to charge equal rates to all men, and to carry freight a short distance over the same road at a fixed rate for a short haul which should not exceed the charge for a longer haul. They claimed that this demand was no more than fair and rea- sonable, and that no sane or reasonable person desired to injure the railroads nor require them to perform service at unfair or unreasonable rates. Notwithstanding this fair and just request, there was and is the very strongest opposition to any law which shall honestly and effectually carry out the principle of equal and reasonable rates.
THE PANIC OF '73.
The year 1873 was considered by many as one of the worst, financially, ever experienced by the country up to that time. Waseca county suffered much less than many other localities, owing, doubtless, to its very productive soil and convenient mar- kets. The spring time brought disappointment to farmers on account of the cold, wet weather. There was considerable
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
warm weather the first week in March, and most of the snow disappeared, but about the middle of that month there com- menced a series of rain and light snow storms with eold, freezing nights, which kept the fields in bad condition until the middle of April. Flat, wet lands could not well be seeded, and where seeded gave no crop. Some of the early sowed grain rotted. On the 17th of May a heavy rainstorm visited the country and con- tinued for several days off and on, making the roads of this county almost impassable and seriously delaying corn planting. Owing to the hard winter, the cold, wet spring or some other cause, many of the fruit trees, though putting forth their leaves in the spring, withered and died during the summer. Only those in the most favored locations and of the hardiest varieties survived the season. The summer season from the first of June until October, however, made up to a great extent for the dis- agreeable and discouraging spring. The crops were fairly good, especially the wheat and hay crops, and the favorable harvest weather enabled the husbandmen to save everything in good shape.
Notwithstanding these fairly good conditions, agriculturally, times were close. Judge Kiester, in his history of Faribault county, asserts that "money was extremely scarce and rates of interest very high. Everybody was more or less in debt, and everyone to whom money was due was urgent, persistent for his pay. The county newspapers were filled with notices of mortgage foreclosures and sales of land under execution. Dur- ing this and several subsequent years, many homes and farms passed away forever from the hard-working pioneers for a very small proportion of their real value. In the fall there came upon the nation a great money panic-a tremendous financial crash. The great failure of Jay Cook & Co., led off in this dance of fi- nancial dishonor and death. Banks were suspended, thousands of individuals of supposed great wealth, and great moneyed cor- porations of all kinds went down to ruin and bankruptey. Great manufactories and mines were elosed down, and great public en- terprises were brought to a sudden elose. The number of de- faulters in both public offiee and private station was legion. The army of the unemployed swelled to hundreds of thousands,
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
and great privation and distress prevailed throughout the coun- try. This was the visible beginning of one of the greatest finan- cial disasters in the history of our country, and one which con- tinued its work of ruin and distress for several years."
The causes of this wide-spread disaster, as claimed by one set of economists, were over-production, wild speculation, extrava- gant and wasteful living, contracting debts for what we did not need, borrowing money to build railroads where there was no- thing for them to do, and the building of villages and cities with no farming eountry to back them.
Another set of economists urge upon our attention the fact that, notwithstanding our enormous national debt, then payable in greenbaeks and silver dollars, congress, in the month of Feb- ruary, at the instigation, and through the corrupting influences of English and European capitalists, who were large holders of our bonds, bought for greenbacks and made payable in green- baeks, silver or gold, passed an aet, ostensibly relating only to the national mint and coinage, but which really and actually demonetized silver by destroying the silver dollar and providing that silver money should not be a legal tender for any greater sum than five dollars. The work of demonetization was accom- plished without the knowledge of the people at large, and a great majority of the members of congress afterwards declared that they did not know, when the law was passed, that it de- monetized silver. These economic writers claim that the de- struction of our silver money doubled the debts of the debtor class, or poor people, while by the same act the bonds of the bondholder were doubled in value. In other words, that values of actual property and labor were, by the act, so depreciated that it would take, for instance, two hundred bushels of wheat to pay the debt which, when contracted, called for only one hun- dred bushels.
Whatever the cause may have been, the depression was uni- versal and the suffering wide-spread, especially in the large cities.
MINOR NOTES OF THE YEAR.
There were several prominent deaths during the year. Robert Woodrow, one of the early settlers of Woodville, died February
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
3, 1873, after an illness of several months. He left a wife and two children.
Mrs. Michael Kinney, one of the pioneer women of Iosco, died February 8 and was buried February 10. Her funeral was very largely attended, the large Catholic church being entirely filled.
There was a very heavy snow storm February 26, so heavy that the roads and railroads were badly blockaded for two or three days.
John Toole, section foreman at Janesville, aged 64 years, was killed March 7, 1873, by being thrown from a hand-car by a freight train.
Nettie, four-year-old daughter of Mr. Alex. Brisbane, then of Wilton, was so badly scalded by falling upon a kettle contain- ing boiled potatoes that she died March 9, after twenty-four hours of great suffering.
Henry Adolphus Trowbridge, highly respected son of Hon. I. C. Trowbridge, of Waseca, died April 20, 1873.
A daughter of Mr. and Mr. John Forest, then of Wilton, died April 22.
Mrs. Wm. Orcutt, of Freedom, after a severe illness. died April 23.
On June 3, Wm. Bluhm, a lad about fifteen years of age, son of Henry Bluhm, then of Meriden, accidentally shot himself while hunting in the woods. In drawing his gun over a log the gun was accidentally discharged, its contents striking him in the neck and throat. He died soon after.
A young child, aged one year and eight months, of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Ballard, of St. Mary, fell into a pail of hot water on Saturday and was so badly scalded that it died on Sunday, July 5.
Albert M. Smith, of Waseca, son of J. B. Smith, died July 4, at the age of twenty-seven years, of consumption.
A child of Mr. D. A. Erwin, of St. Mary, two years old. met 1 with a sad accident Sept. 29. It upset a dish of hot starch, pre- pared for ironing purposes, and was severely burned upon its breast, abdomen and legs. It lingered until October S. when death came to its relief.
Samuel, son of Anthony Sampson, of New Richland, a boy about nine years of age, fell from a wagon, Oct. 10. 1873, and was so badly injured that he died within a few minutes after his fall.
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
On the 17th of the same month, a son of John Byron, of St. Mary, about seventeen years of age, got caught on the tumbling rod of a threshing machine and was so badly injured that he died the following Monday, the 20th. Both of these families were among the very early settlers of the county.
On the 15th of October, Mr. Henry J. Meyers, then of Freedom, had his left arm torn off in a threshing machine. His arm was amputated at the shoulder and although he was otherwise in- jured to some extent, he soon recovered.
An elderly gentleman named Tosten Tostenson was found dead on the north shore of Clear Lake, Oct. 22. He was found with his face in the water and his body on the shore. It was thought that he knelt down on the shore to get a drink of water; that he fell in with his face down, and had not sufficient strength to raise himself out of the water.
The salary of the county superintendent of schools, for the first time in the history of the county, was made somewhat com- mensurate to the labor required of the officer. On the 21st of March the county board having theretofore appointed one of its members superintendent, raised the salary to $720 per annum.
There was a heavy snow storm this year, April 9, when six inches of snow fell.
The tax list for the county, this year, filled over ten columns of a seven-column paper, set in brevier type. The list was the smallest it had been for five years. The tax lists of the early days were the main support of local newspapers in each county.
On May 8, this year, Hon. Wm. Brisbane started on his journey to visit the scenes of his childhood in his native Scotland.
During the months of September and October, of this year, the Waseca railroad elevator received 86,898 bushels of wheat, of which 13,524 bushels graded No. 1-71,817 bushels graded No. 2, and 1,567 bushels went rejected.
On the 27th of November, Mr. James Gearin, of Wilton, had the misfortune to lose his dwelling house and all its contents by fire. He carried only a small amount of insurance, but the members of the grange to which he belonged, known as Connor Grange, at once clubbed together and erected a new house for him.
CHAPTER XLII, 1874.
COUNTY AND STATE LEGISLATION-BIG RAILROAD CONTEST- GENERAL EDGERTON, SENATOR COGGSWELL-TAXING RAIL- ROAD LANDS-EXCITING LOCAL ELECTION-THE SALARY GRAB-GRASSHOPPER A BURDEN-DEATHS, ANDREW JACKSON, JERRY HOGAN, WM. BAKER, MRS. L. D. HOCANSON AND CHILD, MRS. ANDREW LYNCH, MRS. HICKS, ISAAC BIRD, DR. GOVE, WM. ACKERMAN, N. WOOD.
The year 1873 elosed with a pleasant day, and the new year 1874 was introduced by the most beautiful winter day ever seen in Minnesota. The sky was cloudless. The sun shone in all its beauty during the whole day. There was almost a perfect calm, and the atmosphere was as warm and balmy as in spring time.
The county commissioners assembled at the court house Jan- uary 6th, and organized by electing Win. Byron, of St. Mary, chairman for the year ..
License for the sale of liquors was fixed at one hundred dollars.
The following road and bridge appropriations were made : $150 to aid in building a bridge across the Le Sueur River, where the Freeborn and Owatonna road crosses said stream; $50 to help finish the bridge and grading at MeDougall creek where the Wa- seca and Wilton road crosses the same; $100 to be used in re- paring the road known as the Wilton and Faribault highway at the Chesterson and Bowe hills: $145 to repair the road and bridge near Alma City, across the Le Sueur River, on the Janesville road.
H. G. Mosher was re-appointed county superintendent of schools at a salary of $720.
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
THE LEGISLATURE OF 1874.
This body assembled Jan. 6, and adjourned March 6. Waseca county was represented in the senate by W. G. Ward, and in the house by L. D. Smith and James E. Child. It was dubbed by the corporation men "the Grange legislature," not an inappropriate designation. No legislature of this state has ever contained a greater proportion of true, tried, honest, and capable men, than that of 1874. The battle between the true representatives of the people and those influenced by the corporations was carried from the polls, at the fall election, to the halls of legislation. The choice of speaker of the house turned upon the issue-"Shall the state control the railroads in the matter of rates for the transpor- tation of freight and passengers ?"
As in all issues of his kind, it was found that the railroad lobby- ists were the loudest "reformers." The corporations induced such men as the late Hon. I. Donnelly to urge the election of Hon. John X. Davidson, of St. Paul, a "Liberal Republican," as against IIon. A. R. Hall, who represented a farming community in Hennepin county, and who had been speaker in 1872 and 1873. In the hope of dividing the real anti-monopoly forces in the legis- lature, the corporations attempted to work up a contest for speaker among them and finally defeat both by electing a speaker of their own.
The "Minneapolis Sunday Mirror" was chosen especial cham- pion of this move, and after the defeat of the scheme, published the following screed :
"Last summer 'Pat' (James E.) Child, editor of the Waseca News, made an herculeau effort to become a member of the Grange at that place, and by virtue of the fact that he owned a farm in that vicinity, succeeded. As a consequence he was elected to the legislature, where he was expected to labor, first, last and all the time in the interests of the Anti-Monopolist party. But what was the result? The Grangers, on gathering together on the eve of the session, counted noses and con- cluded their force was strong enough to elect the speaker, and they set their pins accordingly. 'Pat' was confidently counted as one of them, and they relied upon him to take a prominent post. A caucus was called, and to the unqualified astonishment of the clan, 'Pat' was found in the ranks of their opponents. He was in favor of the election of Hall as against a reform candidate. Wonder-struck, several of the Grange party interviewed him. 'What's the matter, 'Pat?'' said they. 'Well," he
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
evasively replied, '1 find myself so mixed up that I must support Mr. Hall for speaker.'"
Then this organ of plutocracy went on to insinuate that Mr. Child had been bribed to support Hall, and urged as proof the fact that Child was appointed "chairman of the most responsible committee of the house-that on railroads."
The paper containing this article was not one of general circula- tion in the state, but very many copies of it were mailed to people of Waseca county before Mr. Child knew anything of it, and when it was called to his attention he dismissed it as unworthy of notice.
But he soon after learned that innocent people had been im- posed upon by the story, and at the urgent request of friends, gave out the following statement :
"It is not true that 'Pat' Child became a member of the Grange last summer, (1873) but it is true that he and a number of other persons started the first Grange in Waseca county. It was organized under a special charter, or dispensation, issued by Wm. Saunders, Master of the National Grange, and duly certified to by O. W. Kelly, National Secretary and one of the organizers of the association, and is dated May 14, 1870. Mr. Child is still a member of the same Grange. Before the meeting of the legislature, Mr. Child had declined to be a candidate for speaker, and was one of the very first to advocate the election of Mr. A. R. Hall; and that too, without any communication with Mr. Hall whatever on the subject. When Mr. Child arrived at St. Paul, he found that the cor- porations, through their lohby, had induced many of the country mem- bers to urge him for the speakership, and soon after his arrival a so-call- ed committee waited upon him and urged him to become a candidate for speaker. Mr. Child promptly informed them that he did not desire the speakership, and that he had already decided to support Mr. Hall, believing him to be a man of ability and integrity and anxious to deal honorably and fairly with all the people and all the interests of the state. He also pointed out to the members that called upon him that the men back of the move were railroad lobbyists, as he believed, and that their object was to divide the anti-monopoly forces and then elect one of their own men-thus getting control of the machinery of the house. It is true that Mr. Child has been appointed chairman of the railroad committee. It is also true that one hundred and six other gen- tlemen were appointed upon various committees by Speaker Hall, and the insinuation that there was bribery in the appointments made by the speaker, is characteristic of the lobbyists and corporation managers, who know of no higher Incentive than a money or personal consideration."
The author records this affair, not ou account of its intrinsic
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
importance, but that people may see how easy it is to smirch the character of any man in public life and to make many be- lieve that honesty and integrity do not exist among men. And these corruptionists make these assaults upon honest men, not be- cause they object to corruption in office-but to drive honest men from public life so that they, the monopolists, may have an op- portunity to plunder the people undisturbed.
Whether the "Mirror" published the assault upon Mr. Child because its editor was misinformed and misled, or for a money consideration, the author does not know; but sixty days thereaf- ter, the same paper, for reasons known only to its editor, publish- ed the following, sending Mr. Child a marked copy :
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