USA > Ohio > Greene County > History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume I > Part 79
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resigned and was appointed marshal to succeed Conner, who refused to give bond for the performance of his duties.
It is practically impossible in some years to tell who was the mayor, the records of the council meetings often not being signed by the mayor. And in order to add to the perplexity, the annual elections seldom speak of the mayor by name, the minutes of the first meeting in April simply stating that the mayor was present, but without naming him. The list of mayors from 1834 down to 1918 as near as it has been possible to make it is as follows: Cornelius Clark, 1834-1835; Aaron Harlan, 1835-1836; Daniel Martin, 1836-1838; Aaron Harlan, 1837-1838; Roswell F. Howard, 1838- 1839; Nicholas Casper, 1839-1840; Roswell F. Howard, 1840-1841; the rec- ords from 1841 to 1853 are missing and it is therefore impossible to deter- mine the mayors for this period, but when the records begin again in 1853 Joseph A. Sexton was mayor and he may have been for a number of years prior to that time; the records since 1853 indicate the succession without a break: Joseph A. Sexton, 1853-1856; R. Partington, 1856-1858; James Kyle, 1858-1864; H. B. Guthrie, 1864-1865; George W. Wright appears to have been mayor a short time in 1864 and 1865, but the record is not clear on this point; John Little, 1865, resigned; George W. Wright, appointed September 1I, 1865, removed April 11, 1866; Lewis Wright, appointed April 11, 1866, and apparently was serving as mayor pro tem for a time; John Little, 1866-1867; Warren Anderson, 1867-1870; Joseph M. Keever, 1870-1876, left the city suddenly for Canada; Warren Anderson, 1876, appointed to fill out the unexpired term of Keever ; George W. Neville, 1876-1880; Wilbur F. Trader, 1880-1882; Guthrie Marshall, 1882-1884; Wilbur F. Trader, 1884-1888; Charles F. Howard, 1888-1895, resigned in November; John A. North, 1895, appointed to fill unexpired term of How- ard; C. W. Linkhart, 1896-1903; Wilbur F. Trader, 1903-1906; William F. Brennan, 1906-1910; William Dodds, 1910-January 2, 1918.
THE NEW CITY GOVERNMENT OF XENIA.
The year 1918 witnessed the beginning of a new era in the history of municipal government in Xenia. For more than a hundred years the city had been under the old regime, a system which might have worked if the proper kind of citizens had taken the interest in public affairs that they should. It is a matter of municipal history throughout the United States that no city government is any better than the citizens that have it in charge. If a set of corrupt politicians secure control of a city, it is nearly impos- sible to get rid of them, and as a result the city continues to suffer year after year.
Bi-partisan political machines have governed some cities of the country
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for years, and it is because of their corrupt methods in administering municipal affairs that other methods of governing cities have been devel- oped. Xenia has had its share of maladministration at the hands of poli- ticians who had no other interest at heart than the filling of their own pockets or, occasionally, they might have suffered some of their friends to help in getting rid of the money of the taxpayers. It has been said that some of the valuable franchises of the city have been granted only after the lavish expenditure of money on the part of the interested company seeking the franchise.
When Galveston was nearly destroyed by a great tidal wave in 1900 it was universally admitted by the citizens of the stricken city that heroic measures would have to be taken in order to bring the city out of chaos. It was in this hour of tribulation that the beginning of the present city manager system of government was born. It is not too much to say that it was this destructive tidal wave of 1900 that is responsible for the intro- duction of a new system of municipal administration throughout the United States. Its wonderful success in Galveston led other cities to try the plan and now there are hundreds of cities in the country using some form of the plan first tried out in Galveston, later developed in Des Moines, Dayton and other cities. This new form of city government is variously known as the "Commission" form, the "City Manager" form or the "Home Rule" form of government.
The first definite step taken by the city toward the adoption of the city manager form of government was the election of a group of fifteen citizens who were to frame a charter for the city. At an election held on April 3, 1917, the following fifteen citizens were selected for this purpose: E. D. Smith, Austin M. Patterson, William S. Rogers, S. H. Deacon, Thomas Gilroy, W. A. Galloway, M. J. Hartley, R. E. Holmes, Jacob Kany, Frank McCurran, W. L. Miller, George H. Smith, Jordan Robb, C. S. Frazer and G. A. Willett. This group of citizens were known as the Charter Commis- sion, and organized by selecting E. D. Smith as chairman, Austin M. Patter- son as vice-chairman and William S. Rogers as secretary. It was the char- ter which this commission framed that was voted upon on August 30, 1917. They concluded their deliberations on July 9 and at once ordered the charter and a general statement of what it proposed printed in order that the citi- zens of the city might be able to see what kind of a government was pro- posed.
In the summer of 1917 the agitation for the adoption of this new form of city government for Xenia began to take form. The citizens of the city, irrespective of party, who were interested in good government were uni- formly back of the movement to secure the new form of government. The
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elements of the city who were opposed to good government used every method at their disposal to defeat the movement, and left no stone unturned to maintain the old regime. It is true that there were some good citizens who were somewhat in doubt as to the efficacy of the proposed new form of government, but they were in an overwhelming minority. The summer and fall were spent in discussing the proposed change in municipal affairs. The election was set for August 30, 1917, but for at least three months prior to that date the matter was thoroughly reviewed from every angle. A campaign of education was inaugurated and by the day of election every voter had had the opportunity to hear the question discussed from all sides. On the day of election all the elements of the city opposed to good govern- ment made their last stand. Even after the polls were closed on that event- ful day there was an attempt to manipulate the result of the election, the returns being withheld in some of the precincts as long as possible. Those in charge of some of the ballot boxes even telephoned into the headquarters of the opposition and inquired how many votes would be necessary to defeat the proposed new charter. It was only when it was found that enough fraudulent votes could not be delivered to change the result that the vote in some precincts was reported. And thus was ushered in a new era in the city government of Xenia, and August 30, 1917, may very properly be taken as a turning point in the history of the city, the form of government then adopted going into operation January 2, 1918. The charter adopted by the voters on August 30, 1917, is provided for by the "home rule" provision of the state constitution. The key note to this form of government is efficiency, economy and direct official responsibility.
The general control of the city government is vested in a commission of five members, who are the only elective officers of the city, all other officials being selected by this centralized group of five persons. These mem- bers were elected at the November, 1917, election: Two for two years and three for four years, the one receiving the highest number of votes to be president for the first year, the commission thereafter being allowed to choose its own president. The commission designates one of its own members as mayor, but his authority is limited, the office in fact being little more than an honorary one. The members of the commission receive a nominal salary of one hundred and fifty dollars a year. The entire official responsibility for the conduct of the city's affairs rests on these five men. They conduct the management of all the various departments of the city through such officials as they may select. These officials are city manager, who is the real head of the city's government, and, as administrative head of the city, is directly responsible to the commission for his compensation and time of service; city solicitor, whose duties are prescribed by statute
T BA
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OLD LUCAS BAND.
From left to right, top row-Ruben Bradley, Charles Anderson, Peter Clevell, Perry Stevenson. Dan Prugh, LeGrand Tiffany, John Andrew, Agnew J. Winters, F. E. McGer- vey, Ed Lutz, John Hutchinson, John Connable. Second row-J. C. Reinherdt, Amon Lauman, Edward Clevell, Will Kershner. Third row-Prof. Seeley. Sam Wolf, John Beveridge, Ed. Brelsford, Henry Barnes, John B. Lucas.
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and do not differ materially from those formerly performed by this official under the old form of government; city auditor, who is given large dis- cretion and authority in issuing warrants for money, being a much more important official under the new government than he was under the old form; city treasurer and police judge, whose duties are similar to those of the same officials under the old regime; trustees of the sinking fund, four in number, whose terms of office are fixed by the commission; civil- service commission of three members, who shall have a six-year tenure. It should be stated that the tenure of the other five officials-city manager, solicitor, auditor, treasurer and police judge-may be terminated at any time by the commission; in other words, they hold office at the will of the commission. The city manager appoints all of the other employees that the city may need.
FIRST OFFICIALS OF NEW CITY GOVERNMENT.
The first officials elected under the new charter took their respective offices on January 2, 1918, following the election of November 6, 1917. The commission is composed of the following: J. Thorb Charters, presi- dent; Dr. A. D. DeHaven, vice-president; Arthur Whallen, mayor; C. S. Frazer and Harry Fisher. Mr. Charters became the first president by virtue of receiving the highest number of votes, while Mr. Whallen was chosen mayor by the members of the commission. The commission selected the following officials: Kenyon Riddle, city manager; J. A. Finny, solici- tor; Roy C. Hayward, city auditor; J. E. Sutton, city treasurer ; E. Daw- son Smith, police judge; M. J. Hartley, Horace L. Smith and S. O. Hale, civil-service commission. The old members of board of trustees of the sink- ing fund were retained in office, this being provided for by the charter. They are to hold until the expiration of their terms of office, after which their successors are to be appointed by the city commission, the commis- sion having the power to fix their tenure. The members of the board of sinking-fund trustees are George Galloway, John A. Nisbet, Eber Reynolds and J. W. Santmyer. They serve without compensation.
Kenyon Riddle, the new city manager, is a native of Herrington, Kan- sas, where he was born in 1890. He received his education in the Univer- sity of Kansas, where he specialized in civil engineering. After leaving the university in 1912 he followed the profession of civil engineer for a couple of years, beginning his first work as city engineer at Abilene, Kan- sas, in 1914. Here he took charge of all the city's construction work and so efficient was his work that the city officials soon began to turn the manage- ment of the city over to him. He gradually developed a system of city government which attracted attention, a system which became known as
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the "engineer plan" of city government. In the latter part of 1915 he resigned his position to resume his profession in a private capacity and was thus engaged when he was called to Xenia to become its first city manager. While he has only been in charge of the city's affairs a short time, he has already demonstrated his fitness for the position and has earned the con- fidence which the citizens have in his ability.
XENIA COMMERCIAL CLUB.
The Xenia Commercial Club was organized on January 25, 1915, with one hundred and twenty-six charter members. The object of the club was to create an effective working organization for the advancement of the general welfare of the city along all lines. The club has been an active factor in wak- ening the people of the city to a realization of its possibilities and in this way has been of real benefit.
Frank L. Smith was the first president of the club, and has been fol- lowed in order by the following: C. L. Darlington, C. L. Jobe and Charles WV. Adair, the present incumbent. The other current officers are the fol- lowing: F. Leon Spahr, vice-president; C. S. Frazer, treasurer; C. F. Rid- enour, secretary ; G. A. Willett, R. W. Irwin, John W. Prugh, Elbert L. Babb and C. L. Jobe, board of managers. The quarters of the club are at 21 East Main street. The club meets every month, at which time the pro- gram consists generally of a banquet and speaker. The business of the club is transacted entirely by the board of managers which meets every afternoon before the regular meeting and places its business on the minutes which are then read at the regular meeting. The officers of the club meet with the board and have a voice the same as board members. The club officers are elected annually, being nominated at one regular meeting and elected at the next one. Every year the club is responsible for a minstrel show for its ben- efit and each such show is followed by a banquet to the cast, which is one of the big affairs of the club social calendar. The dues are ten dollars a year paid semi-annually. The club rooms consist of an office, parlor with phonograph and piano, desk and stationery, pool and billiard, baths, kitchen and dining room, committee room and large assembly or dance hall. The whole occupies two floors, which the club rents.
MAIN INDUSTRIES OF XENIA IN 1918.
The manufacture of cordage, shoes, monuments, canned products and flour constitute the chief products of Xenia at the present time. The Hooven & Allison Company has been engaged in the manufacture of rope, twine and cordage of all kinds since the '70s, although the present company is the successor of other companies. The R. A. Kelly Company is an offshoot of one
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=
of the companies which was the predecessor of the Hooven & Allison Company. Robert A. Kelly came to Xenia in 1876 and took employment with a cordage company then in operation in the city, and had the honor of installing the first machinery to make rope. Later Kelly organized a company of his own and since that time there have been two separate cordage companies in the city. The Hooven & Allison Company has a branch mill in North Kansas City, Missouri, in charge of J. F. Orr, former postmaster of Xenia.
The shoe industry dates from the 'Sos, but it was not until P. H. Flynn became connected with the local company in 1890 that the business began to prosper. He has been president of the Xenia Shoe Manufacturing Company since 1891. The business started in an old plow factory. Two large additions to the original building have been erected-one in 1895 and the other in 1900. In the latter year Flynn assisted in the organization of the Buckeye Shoe Company, which at once erected a large building adjoining the building of the Xenia Shoe Manufacturing Company, but this new company was absorbed by the old company in 1903. The output is confined to shoes for women.
The monument industry in Xenia had its beginning in 1864, in which year George and Andrew Dodds, brothers, located in the city. The present company, known as the George Dodds Sons Granite Company, is the out- growth of the business established by the two brothers, the present firm name not being used until 1911. There are also two subsidiary companies : Victoria White Granite Company, with quarries at Keene, New Hampshire; Milford Pink Granite Company, with quarries at Milford, Massachusetts. The Dodds brothers maintain branch offices in Chicago, in charge of Earl C. Dodds, president of the company ; Indianapolis, in charge of Ralph C. Dodds. Leslie J. Dodds is head of one of the wholesale departments of the Wilson Brothers, of Chicago. John C., Frank W. and George F. Dodds, the other three of the six brothers, are located at the main offices in Xenia.
The manufacture of powder, from the very nature of the business, cannot be carried on in a city, but Xenia has always claimed to be a center of the industry, although the powder-mills are about five miles north of the city. The first powder-mill in the county, and one of the first in the state, was established in 1846 by the three Austin brothers, the site of their plant being near an old scythe factory on the Little Miami river between Xenia and Yellow Springs, the site of the present mills. The Austin brothers continued the business until 1852, when Joseph W. King bought an interest in the plant, the firm name being changed to Austin, King & Company. In 1855 King became the sole owner and at once incorporated the Miami Powder Company, under which firm name the business was conducted until December, 1914, when the plant was purchased by the Aetna Explosives Company. King sold the Miami Powder Company in 1878 and established another plant at King's Station, in
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Warren county, Ohio, organizing a new company known as King's Great Western Powder Company. He was the president of his company until his death on July 8, 1885. Lyman M. Garfield, now living retired in Xenia, was the superintendent of the plant in Greene county from 1875 until January I, 1918, when he was succeeded by J. S. Allman. The plant has been operating at full capacity since the beginning of the present World War.
The Eavey Canning Company is one of the latest industries of the city, and is doing a big business. Another recent industry is the condensing of milk, which is in the hands of the Greene County Milk Condensing Company. The manufacture of artificial ice is the business of the Shawnee Refrigeration Company, while C. H. Scott and the Fargo Mineral Springs Company are engaged in the manufacture of ice cream on an extensive scale.
It is not possible, neither would it be profitable, to trace the careers of all the various business men who have come and gone since the Civil War. They have numbered hundreds and have been engaged in a wide variety of business enterprises. There have been a number of manufacturing plants of varying size in the city in past years which have ceased operations. A gazetteer of the '8os states that the city then had a glass factory, an oil-mill, agricultural implement factory, pump factory and wagon and carriage factories, and some years before this pianos were being made in the city. All these industries have long since disappeared, but others have come to take their places. There was once a paper-mill here, but it was subsequently removed to Cedarville. The manufacture of twine and shoes has been engaged in for many years, and these two industries remain the most important in the city. The marble works of the Dodds brothers is another of the prominent industries of the city, although the nature of their business is such that they do not employ a large number of men in the city. The American Tobacco Company has what is called a "stripping" plant in the city, usually referred to locally as simply the tobacco factory. The flour-milling industry is in charge of Belden & Sons, who also operate an elevator in connection. Other elevators are owned by Ervin Brothers & Davis and Bales & Smith. To continue the list of industries of Xenia in 1918 would be to set forth more than a score of other concerns of varying size. Among these may be mentioned the following as representative of what is being manufactured in the city today: Advertising specialties, bread, baskets, brooms, candy, canned goods, cement blocks and other products, cigars, cordage machinery, corn meal, flour, harness, hog remedies, ice, ice cream, library tables, monuments, rope, shoes, soft drinks and twine.
The following pages present a comprehensive view of the business and professional life of the city as it appears on May 1, 1918. There are listed one hundred and forty different occupations, but this does not include all the occupations followed by the men of the city. While such a schedule does not
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appear to be valuable at the present time as a historical document, in the years to come it will be of great value. Such a directory acquires increasing value with advancing years :
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS IN XENIA IN 1918.
Agricultural implements-C. L. Babb, Greene County Hardware Company, Huston- Bickett Hardware Company.
Ambulance (private)-Allen McClain, J. Harry Nagley, J. Harry Whitmer. Architects-Harley W. Owens.
Auctioneers-R. R. Grieve, John Webb.
Automobile garages-Central Taxi & Garage Company, Central Garage Company, Wil- liam A. Kelley, Xenia Garage Company, Elton Smith, Bocklet-King Company.
Automobile livery-Curtis Hale, Herbert C. Thatcher, E. H. Hunt, H. S. Spahr.
Automobile dealers-Baldner Motor Sales Company, Martin H. Schmidt, Central Garage Company, W. A. Kelley, Greene County Hardware Company, R. T. Harness, Sutton Auto Sales Agency, Hosier Sales Company.
Automobile Truckers-F. W. Walker Company, White & Wike Transfer Company, Harry Spencer, Bales & Smith, L. T. Peterson, R. M. Zell, John Simison.
Bakeries-F. L. Mackey, Leon Smith, Charles D. Snider.
Banks-Citizens National, Commercial & Savings Bank Company, Xenia National.
Barbers-J. S. Ayers & Son, Joseph Gaines, O. S. Harris, M. S. Johnson, W. H. Johnson, P. A. Landrum, Martin Langan, Rufus Mullen, I. N. Patterson, Jr., Elmer Pratt, G. H. Williams, Edward Wood, Robert Watkins.
Basket manufacturer-Nathaniel Williams.
Bill posters-Xenia Bill Posting Company.
Binder twine and cordage-Hooven & Allison Company, R. A. Kelly Company.
Blacksmiths-Edward Belt, Brownlee & Gilbert, A. A. Gwynn, James Harris, J. H. Lutz, Harley Minshall, W. A. Purdom, F. M. Robinett, J. T. Swadener, Charles Williamson, Confer & Dimmitt.
Bonds and stocks-D. B. John.
Book store-W. E. Boring.
Bottling works-Fargo Mineral Springs Company, Xenia Bottling Works.
Broom manufacturers-F. K. Jackson, G. G. Lackey, Strawder Liggins, Xenia work- house.
Building and loan associations-Home Building & Savings Company, People's Building and Savings Company.
Butchers-J. R. Derrick, Buck & Son, City Market Company, Fisher Bros., F. W. Sanger. Cabinet makers-Thornhill Brothers, Jeffries Brothers.
Candy manufacturers-K. W. Scott, Kallal Ammer, Carrie L. Ashbaugh, Xenia Candy Kitchen.
Canning factory-Eavey Packing Company.
Carpenters and builders-Fremont Bowen, A. E. Compton, W. H. Hatfield, J. B. Miller, C. F. Scharff, George Shaner, Moses Swischer, Y. P. Weaver, W. T. Whittington, Samuel Wiggington, A. G. Spahr, McCurran Brothers, Dice Brothers, T. C. Owens, W. H. Peterson, D. E. Knisley, Frank Shepherd.
Carpet cleaner-Randall Arnold.
Carriage painters-F. H. Jones, John O'Connor, David Sides, Howard Donley.
Carpets-Galloway & Cherry, R. D. Adair, Hutchison & Gibney.
Caterers-Maud Guy, Charles Scott.
Cement-block manufacturers-Rountree Brothers, Concrete Block & Post Company. Cement contractors-Schweibold & Son, Earl Short, James Mullen.
China painters-Sarah K. Collins, Stella J. Collins.
Chiropractors-Frederick Heilman.
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Cigar manufacturers-C. F. Greenlease.
Cleaners and dyers-C. H. Russell, Xenia Dry Cleaning company.
Clothing dealers-Criterion, Higgins & Phillips, L. S. Hyman, C. A. Kelble, Katz, Charles A. Weaver.
Coal dealers-Belden & Sons, Newton Ledbetter, Stiles Company, Xenia Coal Company,
F. W. Walker & Company, Wilson Engineering & Contracting Company, Bales & Smith. Coffee, tea and spices-Grand Union Tea Company, Jewel Tea Company.
Corn meal manufacturers-Belden & Sons, Ervin Brothers & Davis.
Creameries-Western Ohio Creamery Company, Greene County Milk Condensing Company, J. A. Long Co.
Dairymen-Benjamin Glass, S. P. Mallow, R. W. McClellan, North Side Dairy, Ray- mond Reeves, J. A. Leveck.
Decorators-W. O. Casad, Frank Johnson, Lester Barnes.
Dentists-C. F. Keller, G. W. Kuhn, A. B. Kester, B. L. Lackey, J. S. McCampbell, Arthur C. McCormick, C. F. Oglesbee, N. T. Pavey, Eber Reynolds & Son, W. H. Sillito. Department stores-Hutchison & Gibney, Jobe Brothers Company.
Drug stores-William H. Donges, Harry Sohn, D. D. Jones, Sayre & Hemphill.
Dry goods-Samuel Engilman, Hutchison & Gibney, Jobe Brothers Company. Electric fixtures-W. B. Hill.
Express companies-Adams Express Company, Southern Express Company, Wells Fargo Express Company.
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