History of Custer County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religous, and civic developement from the early days to the present time, Part 40

Author: Gaston, William Levi, 1865- [from old catalog]; Humphrey, Augustin R., 1859- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western publishing and engraving company
Number of Pages: 1180

USA > Nebraska > Custer County > History of Custer County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religous, and civic developement from the early days to the present time > Part 40

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REPRESENTATIVE CONVENTION

Nominations : W. H. Russell, A. Crouch, C. IT. Jeffords, J. D. Ream (declined ). George Sherman, W. D. Lefter, J. L. II. Knight, D. M. Amsberry, S. A. Miller. A. W. Squires, J. S. Benjamin.

Moved that the rules be suspended and first eight be declared elected. Amended to vote for one at a time. Motion as amended car- ried.

First ballot - Amsberry, 3: Miller, 11; Lefter, 15: Russell, 5: Ream, I: Crouch, 1. Total, 36.

Second ballot - Amsberry. 1: Miller, 11; Lefter. 22 (elected ) : Sherman, 2. Total, 36.

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Third ballot - Miller. 14: Knight, 20 (elected ) ; Benjamin, 2; Russell, 2. Total, 38.

Fourth ballot - Miller, 13: Crouch, 23 (elected ) ; Amsberry, 3. Total, 39.

The convention of August 24. 1884. was called for the purpose of electing delegates to the various conventions of the party for that year. No county candidates were nominated at this convention. The committee on creden- tials reported as follows :

The committee on credentials respectfully reports the following named gentlemen entitled to seats in this convention : Algernon : D. M. Amsberry, C. S. Elison, and J. M. Bartlett, precinct No. 3. Kilfoil: William Walsh, W. Bidwell, and Charles Foote. Township No. 3. Delight: Ira Graves, M. Schneringer. Town- ship No. 2. Sargent: J. W. Thomas, C. R. Jewett, and George Sherman. Township No. 3. Douglas : George O. Waters, A. B. Crouch, and H. M. Henderson. Grove, No. 3. Wood River: W. H. Henderson, H. Blakeslee ( not signed ). Township No. 2. Lillian: H. H. Russell and V. James Dares. Township No. 2. Custer : F. Zimmerer, J. W. Benedict, and Frank H. Young. Township No. 3. M. F. Young, proxy for J. W. Benedict. Myrtle : J. L. H. Knight, George E. Richtmeyer, and D. C. Goodrich. Numbers 8, 3. Broken Bow : A. Miller, J. S. Kirkpatrick, O. M: Kem, and Ed King. Township No. 4. Westerville : P. D. Mills, F. C. M. Knox. J. J. Brown, H. D. Lefter, and H. S. Waterbury. Precinct No. 5. New Helena: I. Merchant and J. H. Bath- erick. Township No. 2. West Union: W. Predmore, J. S. Squires, and Thomas Deane. Precinct No. 3.

J. S. KIRKPATRICK, Chairman.

We, the committee on permanent organiza- tion, respectfully recommend that the tempo- rary organization be made permanent.

J. S. SQUIRES, Chairman of Committee. .

At that time apparently Custer county had 10 candidate for any office outside of the boundaries of the county. Custer county was embraced in the legislative district along with the unorganized territory to the west and other counties along the line of the Union Pa- cific Railroad. but the delegates to this con- vention, having in mind the needs of the county from a legislative standpoint, adopted the following resolution: "Resolved, That the representative delegation be instructed to use

every honorable effort to secure the nomina- tion of a Custer county man."

A county central committee was named by this convention. The precinct nominations had been dropped and the voting precincts were given names. At this time there were thirteen voting precincts in the county. The name of the precinct and the committeemen selected by this convention were as follows: Algernon, C. S. Bedwell : Kilfoil. W. Bidwell ; Delight, M. H. Deams : Sargent, George Sher- man; Douglas Grove. G. O. Waters; Wood River. T. B. Buckner : Lillian, W. H. Russell ; Custer, F. Zimmerer : Myrtle, G. E. Richt- meyer: Broken Bow. J. S. Kirkpatrick : Wes- terville, F. C. M. Knox ;

Moved that the first ballot be informal. Carried. On motion. R. R. Chess, W. W. Thornton, William Osborne, were appointed tellers. Moved that the chairman of each del- egation cast the vote of his precinct. Lost. Nomination for county treasurer, informal ballot - Knight, 16: Brown, 10: Squires, 8: Hemsworth, 2: Schreyer. 2. Total. 38.

First ballot - Knight. 17: Brown. 15: Squires, 10. Total, 42. A. W. Squires' name withdrawn.

Second ballot - Knight. 16: Brown, 26 ( elected ). Total, 42.

Rules suspended and R. C. Talbot nomi- nated for county treasurer by acclamation.

Nominations for sheriff, ( informal ballot ) - Charles Rockwood, 13: Charles Penn, 15 : Charles Foote, 14.

Moved that the convention take a recess of fifteen minutes. Carried.

Convention called to order by chairman.

First ballot - Rockwood, 13: Penn, 12: Foote, 16. Total, 41.

Second ballot - Rockwood, 13: Penn. 13: Foote, 15. Total, 41.

Third ballot - Rockwood. 8; Penn, 13: Foote. 21. Total, 42.

Fourth ballot - Penn, 17 : Foote. 24. Total, 41.

Nominations for superintendent of public instruction (informal ballot ) - W. W. Thorn- ton. 5: W. C. Elliott, 4; A. R. Samson, 8; D. M. Amsberry, 25. Total. 42. New Helena, I. J. Dings ; West Union, J. L. Cobb.

On the 14th day of October, 1884, the con- vention proper was held at Broken Bow for the nomination of a county ticket. At this

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convention the following county ticket was nominated :

Pursuant to notice, the Republican county convention was called to order by the chair- .man of the county central committee.

Nathan English was elected temporary chairman and Frank H. Young temporary secretary. On motion, E. King and W. H. Russell were appointed committee on creden- tials. D. C. Goodrich, W. H. Russell, and M. H. Deems were appointed a committee on order of business. Edgar Varney. W. F. Slingsby. R. R. Chess, and W. D. Meeker were appointed committee on permanent or- ganization. On motion adjourned till one o'clock P. M.

ONE O'CLOCK P. M.

Convention called to order by chairman. Committee on credentials made their report which was adopted. Committee on order of business made their report, which was read and accepted. Committee on permanent or - ganization recommended that temporary or- ganization be made permanent. Adopted.

Nominations for county clerk - J. L. H. Knox. J. J. Brown, Alfred Schreyer, W. W. Squires, James H. Ledwich (declined ). E. A. Hemsworth.

Moved that the convention vote by ballot. Carried. Moved to make the informal ballot formal. Carried.

Nominations for surveyor ( informal ballot ) - E. N. Bishop, 22: L. E. Koon. 20. Total. 42. Moved that the informal ballot be made formal. Lost.

First ballot - Bishop, 21 : Koon. 21. Total. 42.

Second ballot - Bishop, 29; Koon, 13; Total, 42.

Nominations for coroner (informal ballot ) -J. H. Murray, 13; W. D. Meeker. 24: Crawford, 1: Wamsley, I : Goodrich, 3. Total 42. Moved that W. D. Meeker be nominated by acclamation. Carried. Moved that this convention endorse the present county judge, J. S. Benjamin.

Moved that townships that were not repre- sented in the previous convention now present the names of their central committeemen. Carried. A. Booton nominated central com- mitteeman from Arnold township: George Ricker. 17: John Van Horn, from Cliff, 18. On motion adjourned sine die.

FRANK H. YOUNG, Secretary.

The convention of 1885 was held at Broken Bow on September 30. In the deliberations of this convention, many men participated,

whose names have become household words in the development of the county. To illustrate, John S. Kirkpatrick, and Frank H. Young, secretary of the convention. The committee on credentials was composed of S. L. Cannon. Mark Schreninger. J. D. Ream, F. Zimmerer. and S. B. Harris. The committee on perma- nent organization was composed of John Myers, Arthur Kilgore, Ed. King, Sam High. and John Hall. The committee on resolutions was composed of J. D. Ream, W. W. Thorn- ton, John Hall, L. B. Brisbane, and J. D. Troyer.

Custer county has always been noted for its convention oratory. but at this convention a motion was carried limiting a nominating speech to five minutes and a speech of a can- didate to ten minutes. With this brake on the talking power of the candidates, the conven- tion proceeded to nominate the ticket.

From the beginning of party organizations in Custer county down to the year 1889, the nomination of a Republican convention was equivalent to election of the nominee. No person other than the nominee of a Republican convention was elected to any county office during this period. The Democrats maintained an organization and some glorious campaign fights were conducted in the county, in an effort to elect certain Democrats, but when the vote was counted their effort was always found to be futile. The resolutions adopted from time to time by the early Republican conventions expressed the thought of the party in its representative capacity. Some of these resolutions are entitled to a place in history. The following resolution was adopted by the convention of 1884:

Whereas. The circumstances under which the Republican party was organized. demanded that the party be one of progression, and the party owes its successes to its willingness to grapple with the issues of the day :

Therefore. Be it Resolved. That we, as representatives of that party in convention as- sembled, do demand that the party in the county shall faithfully engage in every ques- tion of importance wherein the rights of the many are made subservient to the will of the few.

Early in its party history, the Republican

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party took a stand against the sale of intoxi- cating liquors. The following resolution was adopted in 1884, apparently after a bitter fight in the convention and after the resolution, as it had been originally written, was amended to read as follows:

Whereas, the license of the sale of intoxi- cants in any form, especially as patent medi- cine, is contrary to morality and the best interests of our county ;

Be it Resolved. That the Republican party of Custer county is morally, socially, and po- litically opposed to the liquor traffic. will not give countenance to the sale of intoxicating beverages in the county and will support only temperance men for state, county, and town- ship officers.

The anti-monopoly proclivities of the Re- publican party of the county early cropped out in its conventions. U'p to and including the convention of 1885, no railroad had crossed the county line and the nearest trading point where railroad facilities could be had was along the line of the Union Pacific to the south, so the convention of 1885 adopted the following resolution concerning railroad regulations :

"Resolved. That the railroad commission of our state is a step in the right direction but. as at present empowered and constituted. is wholly inadequate to meet the required needs and demands of the people."

This anti-monopoly sentiment is expressed also in a resolution which was offered and adopted in the convention of 1885 and which reads as follows :

"Resolved, That the course of C. H. Van Wyck in the national senate has been fearless and honorable in the interest of the whole people, regardless of the abuses of the parti- sans, politicians, and monied corporations, and meets with our hearty approval. ( J. D. REAM, Chairman )."

At the time of the adoption of this resolu- tion, C. 11. Van Wyck was United States sena- tor from Nebraska. lle was regarded as a thorough anti-monopolist, and the resolution offered by Mr. Ream above set out is an in- dorsement of the very belligerent career of Senator Van Wyck in the United States senate. The resolution was offered and adopted by a rising vote.

During the year 1888 and spring of 1889 a Farmers' Alliance organization was com- pleted throughout the county. In 1889 the Farmers' Alliance entered politics. In a county convention of their own, a full county ticket was nominated from their own membership. .The Democratic party leaders, having been unsuccessful in their attempt to elect any reg- ular nominee of a Democratic county conven- tion, cast in their lot with the nominees of the Farmers' Alliance and at the November elec- tion in 1889 the entire Republican county ticket was defeated and the Farmers' Alliance candidates, by the aid of the Democratic party organization, were all elected. For a period of ten years, from 1889, the Republican organiza- tion was submerged, and no nominee of a Re- publican convention had any more chance of an election than a Democrat had had prior to that year. In time the Alliance party organization · was taken over and its management and con- trol passed to the Democratic leaders of the county. The first break that the Republicans were able to make in this water-tight organiza- tion came in the year 1897, when, by a split in the party organization of the remnants of the old Farmers' Alliance movement, known at that time as the Populist party, the Repub- licans succeeded in electing J. A. Armour county judge.

The dismemberment of the Populist party consisted of its alliance with the Democratic party, gradually leading to many of its mem- bers returning to Republicans, and in the year 1905, in a straight party fight between the Re- publican candidates and the Democratic can- didates, the Republicans elected their entire county ticket. They continued to elect the nominees of the Republican party until the year 1909, when a set of county officials partly Republican and partly Democratic was elected, and from that day to this there has been a mixed ticket elected at each election.

THE REPUBLICANS SPLIT

During the campaign of 1912, when the na- tional Republican convention split. and the Progressives nominated a second Republican ticket, the Progressive wing of the party waged a strenuous local campaign in the

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county for the national Progressive ticket. As a result of this campaign, two years later, the Progressives organized for the state and county campaign, and put a Progressive county ticket into the field. Because of the Republican vote being divided, the county of- fices, with two exceptions, were captured by the Democrats.

Since the establishment of the so-called Aus- tralian ballot system, the partisan spirit has to a great extent, subsided, and to-day it is exceedingly hard to maintain a political or- ganization, whether Republican or Democratic.

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

To M. C. Warrington who has been one of the wheelhorses of the Democratic party since its inception in Custer county, belongs the credit for the compilation of the following data concerning Democratic activities :

"In giving a history of the activities of the Democratic party in Custer county much data are necessarily omitted, for the reason that no authentic account of many accomplishments of that organization is available.

"During a period of the first several years following the organization of Custer county. party affiliation was not taken seriously into consideration when it came to selecting offi- cials, availability being considered of greater importance than politics. However, a number of the early-day officials of the county were Democrats.

"There seems to have been no Democratic organization within the county at the time of the presidential campaign in 1880. However, there were some Democratic voters in the county at that time. It is related by Robert Farley, one of the pioneer Democratic settlers in the county, that he made on horseback a trip of about twenty miles to the nearest voting place to cast his ballot that year. This being in the days before the Australian voting sys- tem had been adopted and when the ballots were furnished by party leaders rather than by the county, as now, Mr. Farley could find no Democratic tickets, and was informed by the election officers that there were none at the polls. Determined to cast his vote for

General Hancock for president, Mr. Farley tore a Democratic ticket out of a newspaper. voted that and returned home, conscious of having performed a sacred duty of citizenship.

"A full county ticket was placed in the field in 1884 and met with overwhelming defeat at the polls. That apparently was the first real organization effected by the Democrats in Cus- ter county. During the years from 1880 for a period of ten years there was a heavy influx of settlers to Custer county, being drawn here first by the free-homestead lands and later by the advent of the railroad and the springing up of a number of new towns.

"The Democrats made a very aggressive ef- fort to win the county election in 1887. An enthusiastic county convention was held in Broken Bow in September of that year, every preceinct being represented, and a ticket, made up of the then well known Custer county citi- zens, was placed in the field as follows : County treasurer, James Holland ; county clerk, J. R. Forsythe : sheriff, Michael Conley ; clerk dis- trict court, Harry E. O'Neill ; county judge, E. P. Campbell ; county superintendent, F. W. Taylor : coroner, Dr. J. W. Saunders.

"The election of that year, despite the fact that the Democrats made a strenuous effort for success, was won by the Republicans, some of the candidates winning by majorities around a thousand. This crushing defeat was disheart- ening to the Democrats and was, in a measure, largely responsible for paving the way for the success of the Farmers' Alliance ticket in 1889, when the Republicans in turn were wiped off the political map by large majorities. That year the Democratic organization, manipulated largely by those who saw a chance to work through the farmers' organization and bring defeat to the Republicans, ably assisted and urged by a number of Democrats anxious for political perferment and the spoils of office. withdrew the Democratic ticket from the field and joined their political fortunes with the farmers. The Farmers' Alliance organization, after their national convention in Omaha in 1890. became the People's Independent party, popularly and generally known as the 'Pops,' and they held almost full and complete sway

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in political affairs in Custer county after their victory in 1889 for twelve years, and partially for a longer period, when the party began to disintegrate and gradually merge with the Democrats.

"Covering the period when the Populists were at the zenith of their power, the Demo- cratic organization was not abandoned, but was held together by a few of the old guard, ever faithful to the trust of party fidelity and loyal- ty. County conventions were regularly held, delegates to state and district conventions se- lected, and county tickets nominated, made up generally of men of affairs and prominence who neither sought nor expected political honors. This organization, so honorably and loyally maintained, extended a welcome hand to those who had affiliated with the Populist party when that political bubble burst, and the party of the fathers was soon again to come in- to popular favor with Custer county voters.

"It would be unfair not to mention in this article some of the stalwart men who were numbered among the Democrats of Custer county during these early days, and who con- tributed of their time and means to perpetuate the party organization at a time and under cir- cumstances which were, to say the least, dis- couraging. With everything in a political way to lose and nothing to gain ; urged on, only by motives of good citizenship and the righteous- ness of the principles they stood for, these men unfalteringly met the issues squarely. In con- nection with this it is to be taken into consid- eration the fact that the Populist party not only carried everything in Custer county but gained strength enough in Nebraska to elect state and judicial officers, members of congress, and a United States senator, and besides becoming an important political factor in the nation as well. In the days of the Populists' greatest activities, Custer county men were classed among the leaders of the party in both state and nation, and many men who were former Democrats were high in its councils and were elected to positions of trust and honor. When the Populist organization ceased to be a factor in political affairs, many of these men returned to their old party affiliation with the Demo-

crats. There has been no feeling of resentment or any desire on the part of the party leaders to question the motives of any man who worked with the Populists in those days. nor not to fully appreciate the energy and activity of other men who later became residents of the county and cast their fortune with the Democrats.

"Among the men who were always to be de- pended upon to lend a hand to the cause of De- mocracy in those politically 'dry' years and try- ing times were W. B. Eastham. S. B. Thomp- son. A. J. Robertson, Dr. C. L. Mullins. C. H. Holcomb. C. T. Tierney, E. M. Thompson, the late J. J. Wilson, and J. G. Leonard, all of Broken Bow; B. J. Tierney. John Scott. C. Mackey, A. H. Turpin, of Ansley; W. C. Rusmisell. A. O'Brien, G. F. Frasier, W. N. Hurley. M. C. Warrington, of Mason City; John Moran, the late J. H. Decker. Virgil Al- len, Harry E. O'Neill, of Callaway; Thomas and Charles Finlen, Joe. Berry, Diah Wood- ruff, Judge E. J. Boblits, Dan Buckley, J. T. Bridges, Charles M. Bowers, of the South Loup country ; Judge Charles E. Mathews, Harve Andrews, Charley Smith, of Anselmo ; Robert J. Kelly, Frank Kelly, M. S. Eddy, of Merna.

"The Democratic press of Custer county has had a great many ups-and-downs. The first real organ of Democracy launched on the troubled sea of journalism in the county was the Statesman, a paper established in Broken Bow early in the year 1886, by Martin & Dei- linger. These same men established the Mason City Transcript in June of the same year, and a few months later the Argus at Anselmo. A fight over land-office patronage caused a sec- ond Democratic paper to be started in Broken Bow, by George Trefren and Sam Meseraul in 1886, but it did not long survive. Frank W. Conley published the Democratic Head- light at Callaway for some years. Sam Mes- craul also published a small, two-page sheet for a few months at Nonpareil postoffice, near where Merna is now located. There was also published a Democratic paper at Ansley in the early days of that town. In 1914 C. E. She purchased the Custer County Republican of

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D. M. Amsberry and turned it into a Demo- cratic paper. The venture did not prove a bus- iness success and Mr. Shea sold the paper to the present owner, who turned it back into a Republican journal.

"Of the different Democratic papers estab- lished in Custer county but one weathered the storms of adversity. The Mason City Trun- script, owned, published, and edited by M. C. Warrington for more than a quarter of a cell- tury, was always uncompromisingly Demo- cratic and for many years was the only paper in the county to espouse the cause of Democ- racy. The Transcript was sold to the present owner, J. F. Peebles, in 1917. and is still true to the faith.

"During the last ten years political honors in Custer county have been pretty evenly di- vided, but rather more favorable to the Demo- crats. All the county officers at this time, with two exceptions, are Democrats. It can be said truthfully that in the long list of officers who have been elected by the Democrats in Custer county they have been men of probity and honor, ever mindful of the trust imposed in them by the voters of the party. The Demo- crats are justly proud of this record, and look upon the future with complacent hope for fur- ther successes."

VERY PROMINENT POLITICALLY

Not only the size and population of the county, but also the progressive spirit and the ability of its citizens, have helped to make the county prominent, and one to be reckoned with in all matters at the state capital. Custer en- rolls the names of many men who have been prominent in state circles. In 1891 Omer M. Kem was elected to congress, and he served for two terms, or until 1895. So far Kem is the only congressman the county has produced. It has the honor. however. of having produced several candidates. One candidate, a distin- guished citizen of Merna. W. J. Taylor, con- tested the position of Hon. M. P. Kinkaid, present congressman from the Sixth congres- sional district in two successive elections.

In 1891, A. R. Humphrey, of Broken

Bow, was appointed commissioner of public lands and buildings, in which capacity he served for four years. Beginning with Mr. Humphrey's term of office on the 1st day of January, 1891, it can be said that since that date there has not been a day in which some Custer county man was not filling a prominent state office.

In 1895 Hon. S. A. Holcomb, of Broken Bow, was elected governor, and he served as chief executive of the state until 1899. In 1900 E. P. Savage, of Sargent, was elected lieutenant governor, and by the resignation of Governor Charles H. Dietrich, who was elected to the United States senate, Mr. Savage succeeded to the executive chair in April, 1901 ; he served as governor until the end of the term in 1903. This makes two Custer county men who have filled the gubernatorial chair at Lincoln.

In November of 1900 ex-Governor S. A. Holcomb was elected judge of the supreme court, and he served in that capacity with honor to himself and credit to the county until 1906.

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History of Custer County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religous, and civic developement from the early days to the present time, Part 40

Author: Gaston, William Levi, 1865- [from old catalog]; Humphrey, Augustin R., 1859- [from old catalog] Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western publishing and engraving company Number of Pages: 1180

Author: Gaston, William Levi, 1865- [from old catalog]; Humphrey, Augustin R., 1859- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western publishing and engraving company
Number of Pages: 1180