USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > History of the city of Columbus, Ohio, from the founding of Franklinton in 1797, through the World War period to the year 1920 > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86
Miss Augusta M. Condit, of the District Nursing Association, was Columbus' first nurse
98
HISTORY OF COLUMBUS, OHIO
in war serviee. She went in the early days of the struggle to Serbia, serving seven months in a Belgrade hospital, a part of the time while the city was under Austrian fire. When she returned she brought an inspiration that helped to make Columbus one of the most fruit- ful eenters for the supply of nurses. In the several campaigns, as elsewhere deseribed, for the enrollment of nurses, the total listed for the Red Cross nursing service was 401, of whom 275 were in active service either in eamps in this country or in hospitals abroad. A few went into the army service direet. Five Columbus nurses died while in the service of their country: Aurora E. Parry at Camp Taylor; Garnet O. Peek at the Great Lakes Naval Station; Nelle E. Lathrop in Cleveland; Elsie M. Davis at the Government shipyards, Philadelphia; Mary Holz, immediately after her return from foreign service in December, . 1918. The first four died in the preceding October during the influenza epidemie. The record of the service of Columbus nurses abroad is incomplete, but it is known that Louise A. Dildine, Red Cross, and Minna A. Meyers, Army Nurse Corps, have been cited for bravery under fire in Franee. The Ohio enrollment in the Red Cross nursing serviee November, 1918, was 1,901.
One of the events of the spring of 1919 was the gift of $100,000 in Jeffrey Manu- faeturing Company preferred stock, by Joseph A. Jeffrey to the eity and county. The donor, in his deed of trust named the Mayor, the presiding Judge of the Common Pleas Court and the Probate Judge of the county as a board of control to administer the fund, re-invest the principal if desirable and spend the proceeds for charitable purposes or to beautify and improve any part of Columbus in their discretion. The stoek and deed were presented to and accepted by Mayor Karb at a dinner in Mr. Jeffrey's honor at the Columbus Club.
In April, the will of Mary J. Sessions, recently deceased, was probated, revealing an estate of about $1,500,000 and gifts of about $100,000 each to the Young Men's Christian Association and the Young Women's Christian Association of Columbus. Berea College, Kentucky, and the American Missionary Society of the Congregational church received simi- lar bequests.
A joint Y. M. and Y. W. campaign for home expenses and improvements resulted in subscriptions totaling $150,000. The Big Sisters' Association, that it might buy and equip the old Shepard Sanitarium as a home for the protection and eare of girls, in a three-days campaign, passed the goal of $50,000. To establish its work in Columbus the Salvation Army asked for and in a week, largely in recognition of the organization's fine war work, received more than $100,000. A projeet to endow a number of beds in the American Memorial Hospital to be ereeted in Rheims, France, also laid claim to the generosity of many Columbus people and in July a total of $12,000 was reported by Alexander W. Mackenzie, treasurer.
About the same time a campaign, under the auspices of the Central Philanthropie Coun- eil, in which Joseph Sehonthal, Stockton Raymond, Rev. W. E. Burnett, Mrs. J. A. Riebel and Miss Lily Atkinson were leaders, resulted in the subscription of $12,000 for the estab- lishment of free dental clinics for children. Co-operation with the medical inspection de- partment of the publie sehools, the Children's Hospital, the Godman Guild, the South Side and West Side Settlement Houses, and Jewish Community House was established and the clinies were ready for operation in September, with a board of managers representing the societies that had been foremost in the solieitation of funds.
A Catholie endeavor somewhat along new lines was inaugurated in Columbus early in 1919. With the surplus funds left over at the close of the war the National Catholic War Council inaugurated a plan for starting in all the large eities Catholie Community Houses for social service work. Representatives of the National Catholic War Couneil came to Columbus early in the year, and two sites for houses were at onee selected-one at Marble Cliff, in the midst of a settlement of foreign quarry workers; and the other on Barthman avenue, near Parsons, on the South Side. The Marble Cliff building was remodeled and opened auspiciously in May; and the Barthman avenue building was ready for opening early in August. Both grew rapidly in value and service. The Catholic Woman's League, organ- ized for this purpose, has charge of the community service work. Mrs. James J. MeNally is president of the League and Miss Mary Blakeley is secretary. A third house, eombin- ing a home for young women, strangers in the city, and a eentral community house, will be added to these endeavors, but at the present writing no site for this had been chosen.
This boarding hall for girls was the natural outcome of the first movement, though the
99
BACK TO PEACE, 1919
need for such a home has been felt for some time. Stimulated by the help of the War Couneil it was finally decided to have a joint drive in connection with the Knights of Columbus, who also had plans for a recreational center for boys and young men. The drive was carried on the last week in June, resulting in the sum of $323,000, one-third of which was for the Knights of Columbus. Of this fine sum $75,000 was collected by the Catholic women through parish work and house to house canvass. The Marble Cliff house was the first community house under the auspiees of the National Catholic War Council, and much of its sueeess was due to the untiring work of Miss Mary Dury, temporary head seeretary in Columbus.
The Catholic Community League, through its board of sixteen members, had entire charge of the furtheranee of the work started by the Catholie War Council, and planned and earried through the big drive to its successful eonelusion. The Board is made up of prominent men and women of the eity, under the chairmanship of Mrs. W. P. Anawalt. Miss Maud Flynn is seeretary, and Mr. Bernard Smith the general treasurer of all funds.
War-time regulations had put out of business all the saloons in the vicinity of the United States Barracks. State prohibition, effective in May, was the next blow to the traffic in intoxieating liquors, and the preparations on the part of those engaged in the business effected some remarkable changes. Flaming signs announeed the immediate sale of liquor stoeks and great quantities were sold and stored in the eellars of the individual purehasers; many rooms that had long been used as saloons were vacated, while the proprietors of other saloons planned to continue the business with the sale of soft drinks. The result was at onee seen in the deerease of publie drunkenness; in Poliee Court in July there were but 32 sueh eases, whereas in July, 1918, there were 155. The Work House population correspond- ingly decreased. Breweries turned to the manufacture of soft drinks and were, some of them, busier than ever, employing more persons, instead of none at all, as some had ex- peeted. National prohibition under constitutional amendment, now ratified by 48 of the states, loomed up effective in. January, 1920. The "wet" interests were still full of fight and pre- pared referendums aimed at both state and Federal prohibition. The June tax collection showed a loss in saloon tax of $176,000, but a gain of more than $250,000 from other sources.
The Methodist Centenary, celebrating one hundred years of missions by that denomina- tion, was a great feature of the summer of 1919, an exposition being held on the State Fair Grounds from June 20 to July 13. There were exhibits from all the foreign lands where missions are maintained, with demonstrations of the methods of work and the eustoms of the natives. The buildings were so equipped as to represent chapels, hospitals and the familiar features of native life. Native as well as missionary workers were there, and in every one of the large buildings there was a continuous demonstration of missionary work in India, China, Japan and other countries, as well as in the Americas. Every evening in the Coli- seum, a great spectacle, ealled "The Wayfarer," with hundreds in the east and chorus, was given, generally to an audience that filled every one of the 6,500 seats and left many would-be attendants outside the doors. The speetacle portrayed a troubled world and the hope in a risen Christ and employed the most elaborate of seenie effects and the noblest that has been written around the theme of the salvation of the world. A massive and powerful pipe organ, put in for the occasion, aided the great chorus in the rendition of the musie. The exposition was the greatest of the kind ever given anywhere and drew people by the thousands from every part of the country. A preliminary campaign for aceommo- dations for visitors in private homes was entirely successful, and Columbus had the satisfac- tion of knowing at the elose that no visitor had gone without food and shelter. Visiting ministers oeeupied the local pulpits without regard to denomination, during the exposition, and the result was a powerful ineentive to eloser co-operation and greater missionary en- deavor.
The end of the war found Columbus with a population for which there were not enough houses, the shortage being estimated at 3,000. Several thousand negroes had eome in from the South seeking the jobs that were offered during the period of war-time manufae- ture. They had filled to overflowing the seetions already oeeupied by members of that race, and spread to others. There had also been a large influx of whites, drawn by the opportuni- ties of business. Rents in eonsequenee advanced and the prices of property were inereased. War-time regulation of building operations which had eeased with the signing of the armis- tiee, was for a time followed by a disinclination to build on account of the high priees of
100
HISTORY OF COLUMBUS, OHIO
labor and material. But not for long. A campaign to stimulate building was inaugurated, backed by the Chamber of Commerce and enlisting the efforts of the Mayor and others, and the effect was soon manifest. In July 359 permits were issued for new buildings and alter- ations, estimated to cost $658,710-a substantial gain over the heaviest previous July record. The total for the seven months of the year was 2,021 permits for construction valued at $3,378,450.
The close of the war did not end the high prices. A Federal Government bulletin issued after a survey of retail food prices in seventeen cities disclosed that Columbus priees were slightly below the average. The price of one pound each of sirloin steak, rib roast, pork chops, bacon, slieed ham, lard, chicken, butter, flour, potatoes, navy beans, sugar and coffee and one dozen eggs was $4.92, compared with an average of $4.95 for the seventeen cities. These prices were all maintained and some of them increased as the months passed. Canned goods kept abreast of other food staples in the steady course upward and fresh vegetables in midsummer of 1919 were selling at prices in most cases more than twice the prices that prevailed before the war. The cost of living was such that it could not have been borne had not wages been increased. Small-salary persons suffered most, and there were numerous organized demands by employes of the city and state for inereases.
On August 6-7, the 5,000 shopmen of the Pennsylvania, T. & O. C. and the N. & W. railroad shop went on strike to hasten action on their demand for higher wages, but re- turned to work on the 11th on the assurance by President Wilson that such action was neces- sary to secure the desired consideration. Other smaller strikes and many strike threats stirred the authorities to action. Governor Cox and Attorney General Price had already in- augurated a war on profiteers in foodstuffs, and at the end of July there was a meeting of county prosecutors from all over the State to plan for the indictment and trial of violators of the anti-trust and cold storage laws. Prosecutor Hugo Schlesinger found that the Colum- bus Packing Company owned 120,000 pounds of pork in the cold storage plant of the Fairmont Creamery Company. As it was found to have been stored more than six months it was seized by court process and ordered sold at the price that had been paid for it. Judge Robert Duncan in this action was sustained by the Court of Appeals, all the Judges sitting; also by the Ohio Supreme Court. The United States Supreme Court refused to review the case, and the meat was sold at the Columbus markets.
In the meantime Council had established on Main street and also on Mt. Vernon avenue producer-to-consumer markets where farmers sold at prices 10% below the prices on the regular markets. The Federal Government also planned to sell to the people the immense stores of army food in the warehouses east of the city. Mayor Karh, assisted by Post- master Kinnear, Director of Publie Service Borden and others arranged for the purchase and sale at different places in the city of canned vegetables and meat. The first purchase amounted to about $50,000 at prices which the Government had paid for them. To cover the cost of handling, one cent was added to the price of each can and two cents to the price of a pound of bacon. Baked beans were offered at from 8 to 20 cents a can, according to size: corn at 15 cents, peas at 14 cents, tomatoes at from 14 cents to 17 cents, corned beef hash at 23 eents, one-pound can; roast beef, one-pound tin, 42 cents; bacon, one-pound slab 36 cents. The special markets were opened August 11, each buyer to pay cash and carry his purchase home. There was a rush of purchasers; prices in the general market fell, and prices to the city by the War Department and by the city to the buyers were corre- spondingly reduced. The markets were kept open until all the eity could seeure, about $75,000 worth, had been sold. Foodstuffs were also bought from the Government warehouses at Chicago through the postoffice, being transmitted to the buyers by parcel post. A store for the sale of army supplies of various kinds was subsequently opened on North High street and, under the supervision of army officers, blankets, shoes and, other articles were sold to eager buyers.
On August 8, 1919, the linemen employed by the Street Railway, Light & Power Com- pany struck for an increase of wages from 51 to 75 cents an hour, time and a half for overtime and an eight-hour day. Trolley lines were broken in several places, and there was no one to repair them. Cars were detoured or were skidded under the break. Westerville was deprived of light and the usual water supply owing to laek of pumping power. When the company used two platform men to repair the lines in the worst places, a crisis was precipitated. Wednesday morning, September 3, the street car conductors and motormen
101
BACK TO PEACE, 1919
went suddenly on strike, demanding wage inereases, shorter hours, a "closed shop," rein- statement of a discharged meter reader, discharge of the platform men who had worked on the broken wires and payment in full of the back pay awarded by the War Board at the time of the previous strike.
Mayor Karb, President Frank L. Packard, of the Chamber of Commerce, and others, having done all they could to avert the strike, now did all they could to end it. They urged that President Wilson was to be in Columbus for a speech the following day and Civil War veterans were about to arrive for the Encampment of the Grand Army. The negotia- tions continued for three days with not a car wheel turning and the people getting to and from their work as best they could. On the 6th at 2 o'clock p. m. the platform men returned to duty, having, together with the company, agreed to arbitrate the demands and to abide by the decision. The linemen, however, having partially relieved the Westerville situation, re- mained out until the 10th, when they too signed an arbitration agreement and returned to work
President Wilson, on his tour of the country to explain the terms of the treaty with Germany and of the League of Nations eovenant, made Columbus his first stopping place. He and Mrs. Wilson and the others of their party reached the eity at 11 o'clock, Thursday morning, September 4. Greeted as lie entered the city from the east by circling airplanes and by a great throng at the Union Station, the President and his party were escorted to auto- mobiles. Headed by the Barracks band and a body of soldiers from the Barracks, the pro- cession moved to Memorial Hall where a capacity audienee awaited him, other thousands filling the street outside. Former Governor James E. Campbell and Dr. W. O. Thompson, President of Ohio State University, rode in the automobile with President and Mrs. Wilson and went with them to the stage, the audience cheering and singing "Dixie." President Frank L. Packard, of the Chamber of Commerce, called the meeting to order and Dr. Thompson and Governor Campbell made a few preliminary remarks, the latter introducing the President, who spoke for forty-five minutes to an intensely interested and enthusiastie audience, leaving amid another ovation for his further journey into the West.
Even before the President's visit the city was putting on its gala attire for the Fifty- third Grand Army Encampment, beginning Sunday, September 7. Street decorations, in- cluding four white pillars at each street intersection of High street from Spring street to Main street, bearing the American eagle and G. A. R. insignia, were prepared. In the State House yard elaborate preparations were made for the registration and assignment of visitors. There were no camps this time, as there were at the previous Columbus encamp- ment of 1888; the "boys in blue" were too old for that sort of entertainment, and they were now to be taken into the homes, hotels and boarding houses. It was a great task, but Columbus was equal to it and under the direction of a eitizens' committee, of which former Governor James E. Campbell was chairman, all arrangements were perfected and well executed.
Columbus churches of all faiths and denominations united Sunday afternoon at Memorial Hall in welcoming the veterans. There were eleven short addresses by as many clergymen ; patriotic singing by the great audience, and the pledge of allegianee recited by all standing.
All day Sunday and Monday and even later the stream of visitors flowed into Colum- bus by every train from practically every part of the country-members of the G. A. R., Woman's Relief Corps, Ladies of the G. A. R., Sons of Veterans, Sons of Veterans' Aux- iliary, Daughters of Veterans, Ex-Prisoners of War, Army Nurses of the Civil War, the Army and Navy Legion of Valor, and other organizations. Memorial Hall, the State House, Club Houses, State institutions, the hotels and the churches in the central part of the city afforded headquarters and meeting places, and as rapidly as possible all were assigned to places of entertainment. Sunday evening there was a community sing in Memorial Hall, with 1,500 people, led by Prof. Karl Hoenig and accompanied by the Barracks Band in the melodies of the Civil War.
Commander-in-Chief Clarendon E. Adams, of Omaha, and the Executive Committee were quartered at the Deshler Hotel, where they began their business sessions Monday. Monday evening, the 8th, there was a semi-official meeting and reception at Memorial Hall, open to the public, with addresses by Governor James M. Cox, Mayor George Karb, and Comman- der-in-Chief C. E. Adams.
By authority of Council, the police on Tuesday began restricting travel on High street
102
HISTORY OF COLUMBUS, OHIO
to automobiles bearing the visiting veterans. The call for automobiles for the comfort and convenience of the visitors had been insistent and the responses were many and generous ; a Grand Army badge or other Civil War insignia commanded every courtesy and attention. The program for Tuesday evening included: Grand Army campfire at Memorial Hall, eampfire of the Union Ex-Prisoners of War, in the hall of the House of Representatives, reception and ball by the Sons of Veterans at the Elks' Club House and the opening session of the Army Nurses of the Civil War. At the G. A. R. Campfire Past Commander-in-Chief Samuel R. Van Sant presided, and there were addresses by Commander-in-Chief Adams, Mrs. Eliza Brown Daggett, President of the W. R. C., Mrs. Rose Houghton, President of the Ladies of the G. A. R., Past Commander-in-Chief James Tanner and Past Commander- in-Chief Washington Gardner.
In the afternoon of the same day a tablet in honor of the Andrews' Raiders was unveiled in the State House rotunda. Joseph W. O'Neill, Chairman of the dedication committee, told the large crowd of the enterprise on which James J. Andrews and twenty-one others had set out April 12, 1862. Eight of the party were executed by the Confederates. Eleven of the survivors were present at the Columbus encampment of 1888, but only one, John Reed Porter, of North Vernon, Ind., was present at the dedication of the tablet. All the others are supposed to have died in the interval. Gladys Slavens, granddaughter of one of the men executed, unveiled the tablet, and Governor Cox, Commander-in-Chief Adams and Colonel W. L. Curry spoke in praise of the men who made the raid.
The spectacular event of the eneampment was the parade at 10 o'eloek on the morning of the 10th. A reviewing stand had been erected along the north side of the State House square, and a short line of march had been adopted: Grant avenue from Broad to Main, to High, to Spring, countermarch to Broad, east on Broad to Third, past the reviewing stand. Chief of Staff George A. Hosley, of Boston, was in charge, with General John C. Speaks as mar- shal. Led by a platoon of police, Chief Charles E. Carter, there came the veterans of the World War, soldiers, sailors, marines, Medieal Corps of the army and navy, Spanish War vet- erans, Sons of Veterans, Commander-in-Chief and Staff, the G. A. R. State Departments in the order of their organization, naval veterans, veterans in automobiles. At the end of the line came the Ohio posts. Sidewalks and buildings along the entire line of march were alive with eager humanity. Bands played the martial airs of 1861-65, marchers cheered and were checred. There was applause for all, but most of all for the Civil War veterans whose eom- ing was heralded by the musie of the fife and drum. Just as the first of these passed Gay and High streets the rain began to fall and fell so heavily for a few minutes as to drive the spectators to cover and to interrupt the parade. However, all ultimately passed the reviewing stand except the cavalry under command of Colonel W. L. Curry, their horses having become unmanageable in the storm. The last detail of marching veterans passed the re- viewing stand at 12:30, and the last automobile carrying veterans at 1:18, the whole time consumed being three hours and eighteen minutes. The reviewing party consisting of Com- mander-in-Chief Adams, Governor Cox, Mayor Karh, Lieut .- Governor Brown, General Johnny Clem, Mrs. Elizabeth Brown Daggett and Mrs. Rose Houghton braved the storm until the last of the interrupted parade had passed. The number in the parade was estimated at 30,000, of whom one-third were Civil War veterans.
Commander-in-Chief Adams at the close of the parade said: "It was the greatest patriotic demonstration in the history of America. The patriotic pulse of the nation is beating loudest in Columbus today. Too much cannot be said in praise of Columbus. I am supremely happy and satisfied."
Eighteen first aid stations along the line of march ministered to a number of the vet- crans who found the effort too great for their strength, sending a few to the hospitals for further treatment. Stretchers and motorcycle ambulanecs were everywhere available, and drinking water was carried to the men in line, while along much of the line chairs were provided for the aged women visitors. Everywhere there was an outburst of affection and a benedietion of kindness.
Wednesday evening was given over to receptions at the Deshler Hotel by the Woman's Relief Corps, Ladies of the G. A. R., Sons of Veterans Auxiliary and the Army Nurses of the Civil War, at which Commander-in-Chief Adams and staff were guests of honor, and a smoker to the Sons of Veterans given by Governor Dennison Camp No. 1, at the Elks' Club House.
103
BACK TO PEACE, 1919
The sentiment of the Grand Army as expressed in speeches and resolutions was bitterly hostile to everything and everybody un-American. A resolution adopted after long debate denouneed the covenant of the League of Nations as formulated at Versailles. Another opposed any consolidation of soldiers' organizations that would submerge the G. A. R., though there was approval of co-operation for patriotie ends. The ereed, "One country, one flag," was modified to read "One country, one flag, one language," Colonel James D. Bell, of Brooklyn, N. Y., was elected Commander-in-Chief, and Atlantic City was chosen as the place for the next eneampment.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.