USA > Nebraska > Lancaster County > Lincoln > Lincoln, the capital city and Lancaster County, Nebraska, Volume I > Part 22
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"3. That the superintendent of the department of public safety shall have charge of the police, fire and health departments and all matters pertaining thereto, including city scales, sealer of weights and measures.
"4. That the superintendent of the department of streets and public improve- ments shall have charge of all street work and all public improvements, additions to the city, and viaducts, and he shall have charge of the office of city engineer.
"5. That the superintendent of the department of parks and public property shall have charge of all parks, the city hall, the water office and the water and light plant."
This resolution was partially adopted in substance, but much enlarged and of greater scope, and made into a city ordinance. After the 1915 election, however, the ordinance was considerably changed and amended, making practically a new ordinance in thought.
T. H. Berg was appointed by the council to the office of city clerk. Adna Dobson was made engineer and Fred C. Foster city attorney. Dr. J. F. Spealman was named city health officer and H. Clement fire chief.
Election of May 4, 1915. For councilmen : George Dayton, 4.059; Charles W. Bryan, 3.796; William Schroder, 3,789 ; Thomas J. Hensley, 3.630; S. M. Melick,
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2,662 : Charles E. Comstock, 2,845; F. C. Zehrung, 2,378; John Wright, 3,443; Edward H. Marshall, 2,559: Joseph Burns, 1,818. Thus the council was chosen as follows: Dayton, Bryan, Schroeder, Hensley and Wright. For excisemen : Harry Porter, 4,205; Will H. Love, 3,812; Nicholas Ress, 3,651 ; John Bauer, 2,321 ; Henry J. Mohr, 1,600; P. F. Zimmer, 1,818. For cemetery trustee : George MI. Porter, 2,422 ; Horace S. Wiggins, 2,318. For bonds for extension of Ante- lope Park, 3,641 ; against the bonds, 2,486. For a refuse disposal plant, 3.732; against the plant, 2288. On the proposition to amend section 1 of chapter CXV of General Revised and Consolidated Ordinances of the City of Lincoln for year 1908, entitled "Sunday," there were 2,690 votes cast for amendment and 3,536 against it.
The elected members of the council met and named Charles W. Bryan mayor of Lincoln. Dayton was appointed superintendent of the department of accounts and finances; Wright, superintendent of the department of public safety ; Hensley, superintendent of department of streets and public improvements ; and Schroeder, superintendent of the department of parks and public property. C. Petrus Peterson was selected as city attorney. T. H. Berg was named as city clerk for the second time. Adna Dobson was given the office of city engineer. WV. T. Overton was appointed street commissioner. H. H. Antles was named chief of detectives and H. Clement fire chief.
The success of the commission form of city government is yet a matter of question, due to its infancy. The new plan has, outside of the advantage of the short ballot, many features, such as the centralization of responsibility, which obviate many things hitherto considered impediments in the progress of the city. The people of the city unquestionably stand a better chance of gaining much needed improvements, and more expeditiously, than they did before, and for this reason, if no other, the new government is commendable.
CHAPTER XV
LINCOLN BANKS AND BANKING
The city has made a marvelous growth in financial strength and prestige since the late 'zos. Her present position of prominence is all the more honorable in consideration of the financial depression through which the banks of Lincoln passed in the '90s.
The first bank in the city was established in June. 1868, by James Sweet and N. C. Brock. Mention has been made of this before. It was organized in the southwest corner room of the Sweet Block, the first block built on the plat of Lincoln, and continued until 1871, when it was reorganized as the State Bank of Nebraska, by Samuel G. Owen, James Sweet and Nelson C. Brock. The State National Bank was authorized to do business November 16, 1871, with a capital stock of $100,000.00. S. G. Owen was president and N. C. Brock cashier.
The First National Bank of Lincoln received its first charter to do business on February 24, 1871. The bank was the successor of a private bank which had been founded by Judge Amasa Cobb and J. F. Sudduth, the former president and the latter cashier. Among the early stockholders of the bank were : R. D. Silver, E. E. Brown, A. L. Palmer, John Cadman, J. N. Eckman, W. R. Field, Chester Schoolcraft, J. G. Miller, G. W. Cobb and W. P. Phillips. The first statement of the bank shows that the capital stock on April 22, 1871, was $35,000.00. At that time the deposits were $71,330.00 and the circulation of bank notes amounted to $22,500.00 Three years after its founding John Fitzgerald and John R. Clark bought an interest in the bank. Mr. Fitzgerald became the president of the institution and Mr. Clark the cashier. J. F. Sudduth died in 1880. but no other change was made until 1889, when John R. Clark became president : D. D. Muir, cashier and C. S. Lippincott. assistant cashier. Mr. Clark was the leading spirit in the bank until his death in 1890. J. D. MacFarland assumed the presidency at that time. In 1891 the bank increased its capital stock from $200,000.00 to $300 .- 000.00 and a year later it consolidated with the Lincoln National Bank. N. S. Har- wood became president ; C. A. Hanna, vice president ; and F. M. Cook, cashier. The first two mentioned had been officers of the Lincoln National. In 1896, after four years of hard times, with much strain for bank officials, Mr. Cook resigned as cashier and D. D. Muir returned to the place he had formerly held. J. L. Car- son became president, but he died shortly and Muir stepped into the presidency in January, 1897. with H. S. Freeman cashier. In 1899 a consolidation was effected with the American Exchange National Bank, which brought S. H. Burnham to the presidency of the First National. The latter bank was at this time almost entirely owned by President Perkins of the Burlington Railroad and it was practi- cally sold outright to the American Exchange Bank. In 1907 the bank formed a
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Early Episcopal Church, Twelfth and K streets, about 1880
Sod house in Lancaster County, about 1875
View showing Raymond Brothers' Grocery and State National Bank, about 1870
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View of Lincoln showing First National Bank, about 1870
EARLY SCENES IN LINCOLN
[ From Clement's Collection of Early Nebraska Photographs. Property of and used by permission of Nebraska History Seminar, State University ]
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combination with the Columbia National, whereby the latter merged with the former. In 1907 the First Trust Company and in 1911 the First Savings Bank were organized by the stockholders of the First National. The present officers of the bank are: S. H. Burnham, president ; A. J. Sawyer and H. S. Freeman, vice presidents ; P. R. Easterday, cashier; W. B. Ryons and Leo. J. Schmittel, as- sistant cashiers. The statement of the bank at the close of business March 7, 1916, places the capital stock at $500,000.00; the surplus, $300,000.00; the un- divided profits, $49.518.83; the circulation, $200,000.00; and the deposits at $3,815,593.00. The capital of the First Savings Bank, at the same date, was $100,000.00 ; surplus, $20,000.00 ; and deposits, $1,150,570.91. The capital stock of the First Trust Company is $50,000.00 and the surplus $20,000.00. The total liabilities of the three amounts to $5,069,591.18. The directors of the three in- stitutions are : S. H. Burnham, E. J. Ilainer, George W. Holmes, H. S. Freeman, A. J. Sawyer, Charles Stuart, J. E. Miller, F. M. Hall, C. B. Towle, E. B. Sawyer, E. J. Burkett, C. J. Bills, J. C. Seacrest, W. E. Sharp and F. H. Woods.
The present First National Bank Building was the pioneer of the modern twentieth-century office buildings in Lincoln. The bank has always occupied this corner. The building replaced by the new eight-story structure was erected in 1873 and was three stories in height. Work upon the new building was begun September 20, 1910 by the Selden-Breck Construction Company of St. Louis. Hyland & Green of Chicago were the architects. The building was completed and formally opened to the public on June 10, 1911.
The First National Bank has weathered all the storms and vicissitudes which have come upon the business world in the last forty-five years. The great panic of 1873, which wrecked scores of banks throughout the country, left the First National unscathed. Then came the panic of 1893, the crop failures of 1894 and 1895, the panic of 1907 and the near panic, or business depression of 1914, caused by the European war, but from each ordeal the bank emerged in safety. In 1892 the City of Lincoln boasted a total of thirteen banks and of that number the only one in existence today is the First National. All the others have since failed, or consolidated, or liquidated. The First National has itself absorbed four of the banks which were competitors in the 'gos, the State National, the Lincoln National, the American Exchange National and lastly the Columbia National.
The State National Bank was founded in 1872 by the Richards Brothers and was purchased by E. E. Brown, K. K. Hayden and others in 1885 and reorganized. It was afterwards consolidated with the American Exchange Bank in 1892, which in turn consolidated with the First National in 1899. The American Exchange was incorporated on December 1, 1888, and began business at the southeast corner of N and Eleventh streets, with a capital stock of $100,000.00. I. M. Ray- mond was president ; Lewis Gregory, vice president ; S. H. Burnham, cashier ; and D. E. Wing, assistant cashier.
The Lincoln National Bank, which was located in the Richards Block at the corner of Eleventh and O streets, was organized in August, 1882, and ten years later went in with the First National.
C. W. Mosher was president and R. C. Outcalt, cashier, of the financial estab- lishment of Marsh Brothers & Mosher, a house which later incorporated as the Capital National Bank, whose failure in 1893 created a profound sensation in banking circles and practically ruined many depositors, and landed President
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Mosher in the Sioux City federal prison for a term of five years, and was a leading factor in the defalcation of State Treasurer Joseph Bartley, for which he was sentenced to the state penitentiary. This bank was located in the old Journal Building at the southwest corner of Ninth and O, later moving to Eleventh and O streets.
The Lancaster County Bank was incorporated in June, 1877, by Walter J. Lamb, Thomas Lowell, John Fawell, George C. Newman, J. C. McBride and Joseph W. Hartley, with a capital stock of $50,000.00. The bank did business on the west side of Tenth Street, adjoining the alley between O and N. This bank afterwards liquidated.
The Union Savings Bank, which operated at III South Tenth Street, was in- corporated April 26, 1886, prominent among the men who started it being John Fitzgerald, C. E. Yates, R. E. Moore, E. E. Brown, T. E. Calvert, J. J. Imhoff, John R. Clark, K. K. Hayden and J. McConnif. This bank afterwards went out of business in 1895. paying depositors in full.
The Nebraska Savings Bank, at the southeast corner of O and Thirteenth, was organized on July 20, 1886, among the organizers being C. C. White, J. G. South- wick, James Kilburn, J. L. Miles, George E. Bigelow, D. L. Brace, L. G. MI, Bald- win, C. T. Brown and L. C. Humphrey. This bank went out of business about 1893. Other institutions of the city were on the ragged edge at this time, but no more failed until 1895, when the Merchants went under. This latter bank had been incorporated July 11, 1891, by C. E. Shaw, P. A. Wells, Charles White, J. A. Wells, G. R. Brown, J. Z. Briscoe, W. H. Walker, L. C. Burr, A. L. Shrader, Henry H. Dean, S. B. Pound, D. L. Brace, A. D. Kitchen, A. Reuber and R. S. Young, with a capital of $100,000.00. The German National soon followed suit. This bank, located in the old Burr Block at the corner of Twelfth and O streets, was established December 10, 1886. Some men prominent in the affairs of this bank were: Herman H. Schaberg, C. C. Munson, Joseph Boehmer, C. E. Montgomery, Alex HIalter, F. A. Boehmer, B. J. Brotherton, Walter J. Harris and J. A. Hudelson.
The Industrial Savings Bank was incorporated December 23, 1891, by William Stull, Louis Stull, George A. Mohrenstecher, D. E. Thompson and A. H. Weir. Fearing that the fate of the Union Savings would be theirs the Industrial went out of business in 1896. The Lincoln Savings and Safe Deposit Company, which had been established January 1, 1889, not long afterwards became insolvent. The Lancaster County Bank, mentioned above, brought up the rear very soon.
The City National Bank was organized in 1899 with Thomas Auld as presi- dent and J. H. Auld as cashier, and with a capital of $100,000.00. L. J. Dunn became cashier in 1903, after the death of J. H. Auld. In September, 1907, just before the panic the bank increased its capital stock to $250,000.00. In January, 1912, Thomas Auld sold his interest to L. B. Howey of Beatrice, who became president. The vice president now is L. J. Dunn, the cashier, E. H. Mullowney, and the assistant cashier, W. Van Riper. The capital remains at $250,000.00; the surplus, $90,000.00 ; and the deposits amount to $2,000,000.00.
The National Bank of Commerce was established in Lincoln in 1902. M. Weil is the president, S. A. Foster the vice president, and James A. Cline, cashier. The capital stock of this growing institution is $200,000.00 ; the surplus, $120,000.00 ; and the deposits, $1.500,000.00. The American Savings Bank was organized in
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FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, LINCOLN
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1900. Following are the officers: J. C. Seacrest, president ; C. B. Gregory, vice " president ; Charles B. Gregory, cashier ; H. A. Easterday, assistant cashier. The capital stock is $30,000.00 ; the surplus, $6,000.00 ; and the deposits over $400,- 000.00. The German-American State Bank, which was organized in Lincoln in 1909, has a capital stock of $50,000.00, a surplus of $16,000.00, and deposits averaging $400,000,000. H. E. Sidles is the president, C. Klose the vice presi- dent, and William Seelenfreund cashier. The Central National Bank was organ- ized in 1907. P. L. Hall is the president of this institution : Samuel Patterson, cashier ; and Henry Mathieson, assistant cashier. F. E. Johnson is vice president. The Nebraska State Bank was organized in 1911, with $50,000.00 capital. The capital stock has been increased to $100,000.00, with a surplus of $5,000.00 and deposits amounting to $1,000,000.00. The Lincoln State Bank was organized in 1913. Frank Parks is the president, D. L. Love is vice president, John Forrest is cashier, and J. E. Whitney is assistant cashier. The capital stock is $100,000.00 ; the surplus, $14,000.00 ; and the deposits have increased to $400,000.00.
A meeting was held at the Columbia National Bank in Lincoln on March I, 1906, for the purpose of organizing the Lincoln Clearing House ; the representa- tives from the different banks being present. A constitution was presented and adopted. Dr. P. L. Hall was elected president ; L. J. Dunn, vice president ; and L. E. Wettling, secretary. All the banks represented at the meeting were duly elected members of the clearing house.
Bank clearings for the year 1915 show an increase of nearly $10,000,000.00 over 1914-to be precise, $9.776.437.00. This year the total was $119.043,782.00, a year ago it was $109,267.345.00. This is considered a remarkable increase in view of the war and general trade conditions over the country and one indication of the general prosperous condition prevailing in the country adjacent to Lincoln. Bank clearings are taken to indicate the amount of money that is spent each year in the conduct of business in sections of the country and with that in view Lincoln's place among the cities may be advanced a notch or two.
CHAPTER XVI
THIE PRESS OF LINCOLN
Upon the day after the commissioners selected the site of the new capital of Nebraska the Nebraska City Press contained an announcement, signed by C. H. Gere, that the publication of a new paper at Lincoln, to be called the Common- wealth, would be started soon. On September 7. 1867, the first copy of the Com- monwealth was run off the Press at Nebraska City, no printing facilities having been installed vet in Lincoln. The second issue of the paper did not appear until November 2d. This was printed in Lincoln, in the office of S. B. Galey, a stone building on the north side of the square; W. W. Carder, publisher; and C. H. Gere, editor. It was a seven-column sheet, of shabby appearance, the type being some cast-off primer and nonpareil which had been discarded by the Press. It was printed upon the first Washington press brought across the Missouri River into Nebraska Territory. The third number came out two weeks later, having been printed from its own office, a small stone building which stood on the Academy of Music Block. The appearance of the Commonwealth every week from this time was very regular until the spring of 1869, when the name of the paper was changed to the Nebraska State Journal. The history of the paper since this time may be found upon a later page.
The first morning paper to represent democratic principles was the Nebraska Statesman, founded in 1867 by Augustus Harvey. Later it was sold to Capt. W. T. Donovan, and a year afterwards he disposed of it to Randall & Smails. In 1874 the Statesman was sold to Nat W. Smails & Company and two years later died, the material going to the office of the Fremont Tribune.
The Daily Democrat was launched on January 9, 1879, by Gen. Victor Vifquain. Albert Watkins afterwards became interested in the publica- tion, also A. J. Sawyer and A. B. Coffroth. On August 1, 1886, the paper passed into the hands of J. D. Calhoun, a writer on the State Journal, who ran the sheet for two years. At this time he sold out to Al Fairbrother, Sam D. Cox and I. M. Bushnell, whereupon the paper changed politics from democratic to republican. Fairbrother remained with the firm about a year and then sold out to them. The paper was rechristened the Call after Calhoun disposed of his interest to the above mentioned firm. Cox and Bushnell gave the city a lively paper for a number of years. In 1894, when the hard times were in full swing, the Call was sold to W. Morton Smith and L. L. H. Austin. Smith retired six months later. Austin continued the publication of the Call until July 1, 1898, when it was sold under mortgage foreclosure, later being purchased by the owners of the News. During the time that Austin controlled the paper its existence was full of trouble; he was of a very pugnacious temperament.
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The first evening paper of which there is any record was the Leader. It was first published in 1873 and survived two years. It was operated by a stock company and C. C. Rawlings was the managing editor.
The Daily Globe appeared in 1874. It was published by Willis Sweet. In 1876 it was sokl to F. T. Hedges, who ran it until May, 1879. The paper was then disposed of to Wilson & Higginson. In 1880 Webster Eaton, a former assistant postmaster of Lincoln, became its editor. Soon after this Mr. Calkins of Kearney assumed control of the publication. A few months afterwards the paper expired under peaceful conditions. I. L. Lyman was city editor of the sheet for some time.
The Blade, which made its bow to the public in 1875. was run by Major Coffray of Brownville. Its life was short. In six months it was dead and decently interred.
The Western World was the comprehensive title of a paper started January I, 1879, by Col. L. C. Pace, once a councilman of the city. Strange to relate, when the publication of this paper ceased within a year's time, the colonel said the venture had been a paying one. He said that he had quit because he was tired of doing two men's work in order to make money.
In 1889 J. C. Seacrest and Walter L. Hunter began the publication of the Evening Globe. They ran the paper from October Ist to December 31st and then quit.
The Evening Sun was the first populist evening paper. It was issued Janu- ary 16, 1892. H. S. Bowers and B. S. Littlefield were its editors. It was run by a stock company consisting of A. P. S. Stuart, G. B. Chapman, D. N. Johnson, H. S. Bowers, E. Kearns, C. W. Hoxie, and O. E. Goodell. It survived less than a year, but it made political matters hum while it lived.
It was not until 1896, four years later, that F. S. Eager and W. F. Schwind began the publication of another populist paper called the Post. Two years later, in 1898, it was sold to H. F. Rockey, of Freeport, Ill. In 1903 Mr. Rockey, through financial difficulties, was compelled to suspend publication. Some time later W. B. Price revived the Post in the form of a weekly paper, but continued just a short time, when the publication died a natural and merciful death.
The old Commonwealth continued under that name until the spring of 1869. Then it became the Nebraska State Journal. On July 20, 1870, the first issue of the Daily State Journal was published. Prior to this, in November, 1869, J. Q. Brownlee had succeeded Carder in the firm. On the same day that the first daily issue was placed before the public the first train on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad steamed into Lincoln. A daily edition had prior to this been worked off on the hand press, during the session of the Legislature in the winter of 1869-70, but it contained little more than a summary of the legis- lative proceedings. In the spring of 1871 the Journal returned to the State Block, took possession of the rooms over Rudolph's grocery, where more space was available for the increased work of the paper.
Shortly after this Brownlee disposed of his interests to H. D. Hathaway, of the Plattsmouth Herald, taking an interest in the latter paper as part payment, and the firm became Gere & Hathaway. In 1872 the job business of the publica- tion was separated from it and A. H. Mendenhall and George W. Roberts, of Peoria, Ill., joined the forces. They took charge of the job printing department
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and built up a creditable trade. The name of the new corporation was the State Journal Company.
In the early part of the year 1882 the working quarters of the company again became too cramped and the present building was constructed on the corner of Ninth and P streets, northeast. Ground was broken for the construction in June, 1880, and the building was ready for occupancy in December, 1881. The Journal is published from this same building at the present time.
In 1887 AIr. Roberts sold out his interest to John R. Clark, then cashier of the First National Bank. Mr. Gere became president; Mr. Mendenhall, vice president ; Mr. Clark, secretary ; and Mr. Hathaway, treasurer, of the corpora- tion. The corporation has existed until now, various changes of stock having occurred at different times. The Gere estate continues to hold a large share of the stock.
In August, 1897, the Journal Company bought the News plant, quite an im- portant addition to the former.
Col. Thomas 11. Hyde, the founder of the News, wrote the following of the paper : "In 1881 there were four daily newspapers, the Journal, Globe, Democrat and News. The supply of weekly and monthly publications was large, represent- ing manifold interests, all of which effectually drained the finances of sympathetic merchants, manufacturers, breeders of pet stock, and others interested in the production and sale of miscellaneous goods and wares they advertised. The News made its first appearance September 26th, the funeral occasion of the lamented President James A. Garfield. Four hundred and eighty copies, four columns cach, were printed and five young lads, all bloated with noise, started the sale and delivery, with instructions to place all advertisers on the free list. Within less than three hours the entire edition was exhausted and nearly sufficient returns in the cash box to pay for paper and composition of reading matter.
"Eastern Nebraska was recovering from the disastrous effects of the grass- hopper plague, and although crops had been excellent for several years, prejudice had not been entirely removed. Settlers were becoming numerous and so were the excursionists. A grand revival was evident. The city directory showed a large increase of business and citizens. The big railroads were headed this way, real estate, city lots especially, were advancing in price. Eastern capital flooded the banks and safes of money loaners. Opelt's line of Herdice was in operation at 5 cents a jog, and Harry Durfee with a street railroad was on his way from Illinois."
The first start of the News was as a morning paper by Hyde & Fleming. It was then printed in a small office in the basement of the southeast corner of Eleventh and O streets. Fleming remained but a few months. It was then moved upstairs over 1136 O Street, and issued from the job office of E. B. Hyde. It was four-column folio, but finally reached a maximum of four pages, eight column.
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