USA > Ohio > History of Ohio; the rise and progress of an American state, Volume Four > Part 32
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On August 9, 1876, an exhaustive historical address on Ohio was delivered at the exposition by Edward D. Mansfield of Cincinnati. It was a most able and brilliant review of the progress and development of the State in a period of less than three-quarters of a century. Based upon unquestioned statistical and other standard authorities, it is of permanent value to the historical student, and we know of no equally
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complete and satisfactory survey of the position attained by Ohio at the end of the first century of our National existence.
Mr. Mansfield showed that the population of Ohio in 1876 exceeded by a half a million that of all the thirteen original states in 1776, and her cities and towns contained six times as many inhabitants as all the cities of America one hundred years before. "This State," said he, "is now the third in numbers and wealth, and the first in some of those institutions which mark the progress of mankind. That a small part of the wilderness of 1776 should be more populous than the whole Union was then, and that it should have made a social and moral advance greater than that of any nation in the same time, must be regarded as one of the most startling and instructive facts which attend this year of commemoration."
In the conclusion of his address Mr. Mansfield pre- sented a summary of its essential points, which is of so much interest for the period reviewed that it is reproduced with but slight abridgment.
"I. Ohio is, in reference to the square miles of its surface, the first State in agriculture of the American Union; this, too, notwithstanding it has eight hundred thousand people in cities and towns, and a large · development of capital and products in manufactures. "2. Ohio has raised more grain per square mile than either France, Austria or Great Britain. They raised 1,450 bushels per square mile, and 10 bushels to each person. Ohio raised 3,750 bushels per square mile, and 50 bushels to each one of the population; in other words, five times the proportion of grain raised in Europe.
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"3. Ohio is the first State of the Union in the pro- duction of the domestic animals, being far in advance of either New York, Pennsylvania or Illinois. The proportion of domestic animals to each person in Ohio is 31/3, and in New York and Pensylvania less than half that. The largest proportion of domestic animals produced in Europe is in Great Britain and Russia, neither of which comes near that of Ohio.
"4. The coal fields of Ohio are vastly greater than those of Great Britain, and we need make no compari- son with other states in regard to coal or iron; for the ten thousand square miles of coal and four thousand square miles of iron in Ohio are enough to supply the whole American continent for ages to come.
"5. Neither need we compare the results of commerce and navigation, since from the ports of Cincinnati and Cleveland the vessels of Ohio touch on forty-two thousand miles of coast, and her five thousand miles of railroad carry her products to every part of the Ameri- can continent.
"6. Notwithstanding the immense proportion and products of agriculture in Ohio, yet she has more than kept pace with New York and New England in the products of manufactures during the last twenty years. Her coal and iron are producing their legitimate results in making her a great manufacturing State.
"7. Ohio is the first State of the Union as to the proportion of youth attending school; and the states west of the Alleghenies and north of the Ohio River have more youths in school proportionably than New York and New England. The land grant for education was a great one, but at last its chief effort was in stimu-
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lating popular education; for the State of Ohio has taxed itself tens of millions of dollars beyond the utmost value of the land grant to found and maintain a system of public education which the world has not surpassed.
"8. Above and beyond all this material and intellect- ual development, Ohio has provided a vast benefaction of asylums, hospitals and infirmaries and special schools for the support and instruction of the dependent classes. There is not within all her borders a single one of the deaf, dumb and blind, of the poor, sick and insane, not an orphan or vagrant, who is not provided for by the broad and generous liberality of the State and her people.
"9. Although the third in population and the seven- teenth in admission to the Union, Ohio had in 1870, 6,400 churches, the largest number in any one State, and numbering among them every form of Christian worship."
In 1893, seventeen years after the Philadelphia Centennial, occurred the great World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. On a far more ambitious and elaborate plan than its predecessor, this exposition enjoyed a correspondingly more liberal support and patronage, both from foreign nations and the American states. Its fundamental resources exceeded fourteen million dollars, contributed by the city of Chicago, stock subscriptions and souvenir coins by the Govern- ment. At the conclusion of the fair, the aggregate receipts from all sources reached the great sum of $28,150,000.
The members of the National World's Fair Com- mission from Ohio were William Ritchie and Harvey
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THE RISE AND PROGRESS
P. Platt; their alternates were Lucius C. Cron and Adolph Pluemer. Mr. Platt was elected to the office of Vice-President of the National Board of Reference and Control, to which was entrusted the responsible direction of the fair on behalf of the Federal Govern- ment. A State Board of Managers had charge of the Ohio interests at the fair; of this Board the officers were, President, W. W. Peabody; Executive Com- missioner, Daniel J. Ryan; Secretary, W. J. Alberson; Treasurer, L. N. Bonham. There were also Lady Managers and alternates, as follows: Managers, Mrs. Mary A. Hart and Mrs. Walter Hartpence; alternates, Mrs. Harriet T. Upton and Mrs. Asa S. Bushnell.
The Ohio Building was erected at a cost of $30,000, was colonial in style, two stories high, constructed of wood and staff. Tile roof, mantels, finishing woods, and much of the visible material were donated by Ohio producers and manufacturers. On the lawn in front of the Ohio Building stood a monument illustrative of the greatness of the State and commemorative of the part Ohio took in the great Civil War. The monument was removed from Chicago at the end of the fair and erected on the Capitol grounds at Columbus, where it is now a conspicuous feature. It is of granite and bronze, 31 feet, 4 inches high, and 14 feet in diameter at the base. On the summit Ohio is represented as a Roman matron, and beneath her are the words, "These are my jewels." Surrounding the column on which this figure stands are bronze statues of Generals Grant, Sheridan, Sherman and Garfield, Salmon P. Chase and Edwin M. Stanton. Rutherford B. Hayes was added to the group in 1894 at a cost of $5,000.
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The Mines and Mining Building of Ohio was repre- sented by a pavilion made entirely of native stone, and brick of home production; between three and four hundred varieties of Ohio stone were utilized in its walls. The larger part of the material displayed in the pavilion was from the coal mines of Ohio, and thirty different grades were shown. One block (from Perry county) in height and thickness was unequalled in the Mineral Building. Other coal regions in Ohio sent cubes two or three feet in size. Petroleum was exhibited in small glass vessels, and every form of its by-products was displayed in an interesting and instruc- tive manner. A miniature and operating oil well formed a part of this exhibit. In addition to the State exhibit proper, a general exhibit of scientific min- ing was made by the Ohio State University. Pottery, iron ores, commercial clay, every product found be- neath the soil of Ohio, appeared in the natural state, and, in connection with them the results of labor and skill were displayed in the finished products.
A Roman temple was built for Ohio in the Agri- cultural Building. The pillars, forming a part of this structure, were of hollow glass, and were filled with wheat, corn, rye and oats from the different sections of Ohio. It formed a complete exhibit of the agricultural products of the State. The interior of the building was devoted to the Agricultural Library, maps, charts, and statistics of the agricultural development and growth of the State. Eighty kinds of Ohio wood, one hundred and sixty of veneers and one hundred of medi- cinal trees were on exhibit in the Forestry Building. In the Manufacturers' Building a large part of the
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American section was devoted to Ohio's productions, including safes, hardware, stoves, boilers, heaters, sewing machines, glass, brick, jewelry, chemicals, statuary, hollow ware, stationery, and numerous other articles.
The Department of Liberal Arts contained creditable exhibits by the Normal Schools at Lebanon and Ada, the Wilberforce and Ohio Wesleyan Universities, and Oberlin College; the Manual Training Schools at Cin- cinnati and Toledo also made striking exhibits, show- ing shop work through machinery in full operation. The general educational exhibit of the State presented the public school system in its fullest capacity. The work of pupils from every grade and from almost every school in Ohio composed this exhibit.
There were also extensive exhibits from Ohio in Ma- chinery Hall and the Transportation Building, while the Wine Growers and Florists were extensively represented in the Horticultural Building. As at Philadelphia, there was a valuable and extensive Archeological exhibit, under the control and auspices of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society.
The Ohio State building was dedicated October 22, 1892. The occasion was one of the greatest functions of the exposition, and presented the only instance where a State had all of its public officials on the grounds at the same time. Present at the dedication were Governor William McKinley and all the State officials, all the Justices of the Supreme Court and all the members of both houses of the General Assembly. In addition also were United States Senators John Sherman and Calvin S. Brice. The Ohio militia was
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represented by the First Cavalry troop, the Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Regiments, accompanied by their bands. The ceremonies of dedication consisted in the transfer of the Ohio building to the Governor. Addresses were made by Governor McKinley, Senators Sherman and Brice, and, on behalf of the Commission, by President W. W. Peabody and Executive Commis- sioner Daniel J. Ryan.
A complete summary of Ohio's place in this exposi- tion is given in Governor McKinley's Message to the General Assembly, January 1, 1894. In this official review of Ohio's part in the World's Fair he says:
"It will be gratifying to the people of Ohio to know the high rank which was accorded to the products and progress of the State at the great World's Fair. The State had collective exhibits in every department of the Exposition, prepared under the auspices and at the expense of the Board of Managers. Ohio was the only State, excepting Pennsylvania, which had exhibits in every department and section of the Exposition, and was the only State which was represented by an exhibit from every one of its public institutions. In addition to these collective exhibits, the citizens of the State had more than one thousand exhibits in the different departments. Every exhibit prepared by the State took awards and won honorable recognition. The collective exhibits which received awards from the authorities of the Exposition were as follows: Agricul- ture, including wool, honey and maple sugar; Mining, including petroleum, coal, fire-brick, paving-brick, building-stone, lime, cement and tiling; Forestry; His- torical; Archeological; Fishery; Educational, and the
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various public institutions of the State. The exhibits of the individual citizens of Ohio were honorably re- warded. In the Department of Live Stock the Ohio exhibitors took 137 awards in poultry, 32 awards in cattle, 50 in sheep, and 114 in hogs. In the Depart- ment of Machinery the citizens of Ohio received 35 awards, covering such forms of manufacturing machin- ery as triple expansion engines, pumps and pumping machinery, hydraulic presses, etc. In the Department of Transportation the citizens of Ohio therein exhibit- ing took 40 premiums, covering all styles of manufac- tured buggies, wagons, dredging machinery, palace cars, saddlery and bicycles. In the Department of Liberal Arts the State received an award for each collective exhibit representing the common school system of the State. Awards were received by the cities of Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati for their public school systems, which constituted a part of the exhibits of the State. In addition to this, every public school exhibiting was adjudged an award. Private institu- tions of learning, including colleges and universities, together with private schools, were also recognized. One hundred and fifteen awards were received by pri- vate exhibitors from Ohio in the Department of Liberal Arts. In the Anthropological Department the exhibits of the State relative to our history and geology and archeological formation also received awards. In the Department of Mines and Mining the collective exhibit of the State received an award and 90 of Ohio's private exhibitors were recognized by awards. In the Depart- ment of Shoe and Leather, including machinery used in the manufacture of boots and shoes, seven awards
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were given to the citizens of Ohio. In electricity Ohio received 10 awards. Eighty-nine awards were received by the State in pottery, furniture, etc.
"Ohio's position in this international Exposition was one which is well calculated to fill her people with pride and satisfaction. The State has made great advancement since the Centennial Exposition in 1876, which is well illustrated by the difference in the space occupied at Philadelphia and that occupied at Chicago. In 1876 the State of Ohio, in her official capacity, occupied a space, with her collective exhibit, amounting to 350 square feet. At the World's Columbian Exposi- tion she occupied and exhibited upon 10,000 square feet. "
The Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, in 1901, was held to illustrate the progress of civilization in the Western Hemisphere, during the Nineteenth Century. The financial responsibility was sustained almost exclusively by the citizens of Buffalo, who subscribed for stock and bonds to the approximate amount of four and one-half million dollars. Ohio's appropria- tion of $30,000 was mainly expended for the Ohio Building, one of the finest and most admired on the ground. In the Grecian style of architecture and pure white, it stood out conspicuously among all the struc- tures devoted to the uses of states and governments. The State was represented at the exposition by three commissioners : Samuel L. Patterson, of Waverly; W. S. Mckinnon, of Ashtabula; and Charles S. Swain, of Cincinnati.
St. Louis, in 1904, rivalled Chicago's achievement of 1893. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition had the most
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ample financial provision of any American exposition, a total capital of fifteen million dollars being supplied in amounts of five millions each by the City of St. Louis, the subscribers and the United States Govern- ment.
By an act passed May 12, 1902, the General Assembly of Ohio created a commission to represent the State at St. Louis, and appropriated the sum of $75,000, which two years later was increased to $87,500. The Ohio Building was erected on the southeastern end of the fair ground on that part known as the "Terrace of the States." President D. R. Francis, of the Exposition Company, especially complimented the Ohio Commis- sion on its promptitude in completing the structure, which was ready for occupancy on the opening day of the fair. The Commissioners for Ohio were as follows: William F. Burdell, President; L. E. Holden, Vice- President; Stacey B. Rankin, Executive Commis- sioner; D. H. Moore, Edwin Hagenbach, M. K. Gantz, Newell K. Kennon, and David Friedman.
The following summary of Ohio's participation at St. Louis is from the United States Senate report on the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (Washington, D. C., 1906):
"While Ohio, as a State, maintained only one exhibit in the Mines and Metallurgy Building, consisting chiefly of clay and its products, over one hundred and fifty private individuals and corporations, throughout the State, added to the prominence and magnitude of the exposition by installing costly exhibits which were maintained by them at very great expense. These miscellaneous exhibits showed to very good advantage
STANLEY MATTHEWS
Born in Cincinnati, July 21, 1824; graduated from Ken- yon College, 1840, and admitted to the bar; Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Hamilton county, 1850- 53, and before the war was State Senator and United States District Attorney for the southern district of Ohio; Lieutenant Colonel of the Twenty-Third Ohio Volunteers, 1861, and Colonel of the Fifty-First Ohio Volunteers, 1861-63; resigned from the army to become Judge of Superior Court of Cincinnati, but resigned that office after a year; United States Senator, 1877-79, succeeding John Sherman; appointed by President Hayes, January, 1881, Justice of the United States Supreme Court, but not confirmed; again appointed by President Garfield, March, 1881, and confirmed; died in Washington, March 22, 1889.
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The following summary of Ohio's participation St. Louis is from the United States Senate report on the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (Washington, D. C. 1906) : "While Ohio, as a State, maintained only one exhibi in the Mines and Metallurgy Building, consistin chiefly of clay and its products, over one hundred and fifty private individuals and corporations, throughou the State, added to the prominence and magnitude the exposition by installing costly exhibits which were maintained by them at very great expense. These miscellaneous exhibits showed to very good advantage
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
the natural resources of the State and its diversified products. In the Palaces of Electricity, Machinery and Transportation, the State was represented remark- ably well by these private exhibitors, and much credit is due to them for their attractive and interesting dis- play. In the Liberal Arts Building, it may be correct- ly estimated that the Ohio exhibitors were predominant. In the Department of Anthropology, also, Ohio took the grand prize over all competitors. The display consisted principally of relics taken from the historical mounds of the State, which in themselves were very interesting. Not only was the general prize awarded for the display, but a special gold medal was presented to Prof. W. C. Mills, Librarian and Curator of the Ohio State Archæological and Historical Society, for his untiring efforts in revealing to the public of to-day the mode of livelihood and the characteristics of the oldest and most historical race of this continent."
A large and enthusiastic demonstration signalized the celebration of Ohio Day, October 6, 1904, at which addresses were delivered by Governor Myron T. Her- rick, William F. Burdell, President of the Commission, David R. Francis, President of the Exposition Com- pany, and Hon. John W. Noble, an Ohioan living in St. Louis and a former member of President Harrison's Cabinet.
Though on a much smaller scale than any of the expositions already noticed, the Jamestown Ter-Cen- tennial in 1907 was of eminent interest and importance. According to the official reports, the receipts from all sources (appropriations, loans, stock, admissions and concessions) were, at the close, only two and one-half
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millions of dollars. It should be remembered, however, that at Jamestown no attempt was made to enlist the special cooperation of foreign countries.
Ohio appropriated $75,000 for its participation, and its commission representing the State, was a follows: Braxton W. Campbell, President; Ernest R. Root, Vice-President; George W. Knight, Secretary; Stuart R. Bolin, Executive Commissioner; John P. Given, and Clive C. Handy, Commissioners.
The State Building on the grounds was a replica of Governor Thomas Worthington's home, "Adena," near Chillicothe.
The exhibits were principally from the Ohio State Archeological and Historical Society and the Ohio State University. They consisted of archælogical, mineral and ceramic displays, and were regarded as among the most attractive and meritorious features. On Ohio Day, September 1I, 1907, in the presence of a very large attendance of Ohioans and citizens of other states, addresses were delivered by Governor A. L. Harris and Hon. Judson Harmon.
CHAPTER XVIII STATE BANKS AND BANKING
T HE early history of banks and banking in Ohio shows a wide range of theory and practice, with corresponding unfortunate ex- periences, until the adoption of the State Banking Act of 1845. It is well known that for the United States at large the era of generally unstable and unsatisfactory banking conditions continued many years later. The first essential of financial security is a circulating medium of uniform value and unques- tionable permanent solidity, and this was not attained by the country as a whole until the National Bank system was established in 1863-and then, for the time being, only in principle. But as early as 1845 the State of Ohio, acting on its own initiative, instituted a bank- ing policy on the soundest principles and surrounded by the surest guarantees, furnishing, says John Jay Knox in his "History of Banking in the United States," "a currency for the people not one dollar of which was ever lost by the holder thereof." In our third volume (Chapter XI) we have made passing allusion to this important measure and given a somewhat particular account of its author, Alfred Kelley. We shall pres- ently recur to it as marking the ultimate development of the early banking situation in the State.
On the 15th of April, 1803, a month and a half after the admission of Ohio into the Union, the Legislature granted a charter of incorporation, running forty years, to the Miami Exporting Company, of Cincinnati. The credit for the inception of this company is due to Jesse Hunt, a merchant, and the primary object was to build up an organization in the trade with New Orleans which would afford the advantage of improved
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transportation and lower rates. Mr. Hunt enlisted the interest of representative members of the business community and farmers, and a permanent organiza- tion was effected on March 4, 1803, at a general citi- zens' meeting held at Grummon's Tavern, Major William Ruffin acting as president and Samuel C. Vance as secretary. After the procurement of the legislative charter, directors were elected, June 16th, as follows: Martin Baum, Daniel Symmes, Samuel C. Vance, Christian Waldsmith, William C. Schenck, Matthew Hueston, Jesse Hunt, Daniel Mayo, William Lytle, John Bigger, and Israel Ludlow. The capital stock was of the great amount, for those times, of $500,000, shares being $100 each. That the enterprise was fundamentally for cooperative purposes is strik- ingly shown by the limitation of cash subscriptions to five per cent., the balance being payable in produce or manufactures, such as the president and directors might be willing to receive. The company, from the outset, cherished the ambitious design of introducing steam navigation. It purchased the unfinished boat of Samuel Heighway and John Pool, the plans for which contemplated propulsion by "steam, or elastic vapor." But owing to financial considerations the original idea was abandoned, and the boat was fitted out as a broad- horn and sent to New Orleans. For several years the company conducted a shipping business, but as the operations were not specially remunerative a change was made about 1807 to banking. This privilege was permitted by the charter.
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