History of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens 20th century, Part 26

Author: McFarland, Joseph Fulton; Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1474

USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > Washington > History of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens 20th century > Part 26

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

One of the agencies which contributed to making Washington County so one sided politically, was the Washington Mechanical Society, which was organized on May 12, 1792, with Jonathan Morris president, and David Redick as secretary. This was really a Jacobin Society, similar to Tammany Hall, the famous political organization of New York, which was founded on May 12, 1789. The Washington County branch unquestion- ably had an important part in shaping the politics of the county. When Governor Mckean ran as an inde- pendent candidate, in 1805, although he was successful in the State, Simon Snyder, the regular nominee, car- ried Washington County by a vote of 2,290 to 1,088. In 1804 there was no opposition to the Jefferson elec- toral ticket in the county; in 1820 there was no opposi- tion to the Monroe electoral ticket, and in 1826 there was no opposition to the re-election of Governor Shulze. In these three cases the vote of the county was unanimous. Even in 1820, when Joseph Heister, independent candi- date for governor, carried the State, he lost the county by a vote of 1,814 to 3,037 for Governor Findley.

These contests will give an idea of how decidedly the people of Washington County were on one side of the political fence during the first forty years of its his- tory. The principal contests were for governor, as the governor appointed most of the county officers until 1839, when the constitution adopted the previous year went into effect. No party nominations were made for sheriff. Under the constitution of 1790 two persons were to be chosen, one of whom was to be appointed by the governor. The contests were in the nature of a "scrub race." Though the governor was authorized to appoint either of the two highest in vote, yet he usually commissioned the one who had received the greatest number. In only one case in this county was there an exception and that was in 1805, when Governor Mckean appointed John McCluney, who was second on the re- turn, being 276 votes behind Robert Anderson.

No serious division occurred in the ranks of the old Democratic-Republican party in Washington County from the time of the Whiskey Insurrection, in 1794, down to the date of the anti-Masonic excitement in 1829. For forty years that party had undisputed control of Washington County. All its candidates were elected, usually without opposition. Occasionally sporadic inde- pendent movements sprang up aimed at the defeat of the regular ticket or of some particularly objectionable can- didate upon it. None of these movements was success- ful. Even when the contest against the regulars proved successful in the State, Washington County remained in the Democratic-Republican ranks. Several of these con- tests were very fierce, and it is noticeable that in each case the factions would charge each other with being Federalists. The old time Democrats hated the Feder-

alists and used the cry of an alliance with the rem- nants with the Federal party to conjure with and secure votes against the opposing faction.

Under the constitution of 1790, the governor was elected for a term of three years. For 39 years every candidate for governor of the Democratic-Republican party carried Washington County. Usually the majority was overwhelming. As already stated Governor Shulze had no opposition in 1826. Then came the great anti- Masonic wave. Joseph Ritner, a resident of Washing- ton County, became one of the leaders of the anti- Masonic movement. He had been for years a member in good standing of the Democratic-Republican party. Six times in succession, from 1821 till 1826, he was elected a member of the Legislature for Washington County. Ritner was of German descent, and strong with the "Pennsylvania Dutch." His nomination was aimed to secure the heavy German vote in the eastern part of the State and yet appeal to the local pride of the strong Democratic counties west of the mountains. Up to that time no governor of Pennsylvania had resided in the western part of the State. Ritner was four times the candidate of the Anti-Masonic party and each time he carried Washington County. His majority in 1829 was 181; in 1832 it was 140; in 1835, when the Democratic vote was divided between Wolf and Muhlenberg, he had a plurality of 715, and a majority of 336 in the county ; and in 1838 a majority of 67. He was only successful in one contest, being elected in 1835 by a plurality of 28,219, though in a majority in the State by 12,367.

Though Ritner's personal popularity and the feeling of local pride in the home candidate was sufficient to give him a majority it was not strong enough to carry the anti-Masonic ticket to victory. The principal con- tests during these early years in the last century were for members of the Assembly. As already noted, the governor appointed all the county officers except sheriff, coroner, commissioner and treasurer up until 1839. The members of the Legislature were supposed to have great influences with the governor in his choice of county of- ficers. The local political factions within the ranks of the Democratic-Republican party aimed to control the county meetings and nominate their candidates for the Legislature. As already noted the contests for sheriff and coroner were in the nature of a "free-for-all." The county treasurer was chosen annually by the county commissioners. The only positions over which there were party contests were congress, assembly and com- missioner. Of course the persons elected as sheriff and coroner were generally members of the dominant party, but frequently a half dozen or more candidates pre- sented themselves or were voted for by their friends. In 1817 seven persons were candidates for sheriff and in 1820 fifteen persons. Anyone could run for sheriff er

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coroner who cared to make the race. But party lines were drawn on the offices of Congress and Assembly and for forty years no one was elected to either of these offices who was not the regular party nominee of the Democratic-Republican organization. This was the case from the time party lines were drawn between the fol- lowers of Hamilton and Jefferson during President Washington's administration down to 1830.

In that year Thomas M. T. McKennan was elected to Congress by a majority of 165 votes over Gen. William McCreery, who had served one term. At that time, in- deed from 1803 to 1843, Washington County constituted a separate congressional district, having sufficient popu- lation to entitle it to that honor. Mr. MeKennan, who first broke the ranks of the old and what might be called bourbon democracy, was a man of exceptional popu- larity. He was a son of Col. William McKennan, an officer in a Delaware regiment during the Revolutionary War. Mr. MeKennan was a lawyer, 36 years of age, and prominent in the militia at the time of his first election to Congress. In those days the militia was one of the principal avenues to political preferment. The State troops were numerous and each locality in Wash- ington County had its company of militia. The annual encampments were great events. They brought together thousands of people and afforded splendid opportunities for political work. The militia was a medium for mak- ing acquaintances in all parts of the county, and a man who was popular among the young men who had a taste for military life, always stood a good chance for political preferment. Gen. Thomas Patterson, Gen. McCreery and others prominent in political circles in the county, were also officers in the militia. Mr. McKennan was elected to Congress four times in succession. In 1832 he had 680 majority over Gen. McCreery. This was re- markable in view of the fact that the Jackson electoral ticket carried the county by a vote of 3,125 to 1,888. In 1834, he had a majority of 134 over Col. Thomas Ringland, and in 1836 he defeated Ringland by 239 votes.

While Mr. McKennan's personal popularity was suf- ficient to give him an election for these four terms, it did not, even with the Ritner and anti-Masonic senti- ment, prove sufficient to break down the old Democratic- Republican organization. About this time, during Jack- son's administration, the party name changed and the followers of Jefferson called themselves simply Demo- crats. Many old time members of that party, who were imbued with Hamilton's doctrines, although in factional contests they denounced the Federalists, became Whigs. Many old Democratic-Republicans reached the Whig party by means of the anti-Masonic half-way house.

Though Ritner carried the county for governor in 1829 and McKennan for Congress in 1830, the Democratic

ticket for Assembly was successful. The directors of the poor were chosen for the first time in 1830, when the three Democratic candidates were elected, as were the Democratic candidates for commissioner and auditor.

The Democratic ticket was successful in 1831, but in 1832 Joseph Henderson broke the long record of Demo- cratic success and was elected to the Legislature. Three years before he had been elected sheriff and from this coign of vantage had made a successful assault on the old party citadel. "Uncle Joe" Henderson was one of the best men who ever lived in the county. He had been clerk of courts from 1823 to 1828, and was afterwards postmaster at Washington. His popularity was not suf- ficient, however, to stand up against the old Democratic organization and in 1833 the entire Democratic ticket was successful. Maj. John H. Ewing, however, came within 22 votes of an election to the Assembly.

Under the constitution of 1790, and the legislative apportionment which followed, Washington County was allotted four members of the Legislature, and it con- tinued to hold that number under successive apportion- ments until 1829, except in the years 1797, 1798, 1799 and 1800, following the erection of Greene County from Washington County territory, when one of the Washing- ton County members was assigned to Greene. The legis- lative apportionment was made every seven years, and during the two apportionments covering the years 1829 to 1842, inclusive, the county had three members of the lower house. From 1843 to 1863, inclusive, it had two members.

In 1834 Joseph Lawrence, one of the Whig and anti- Masonic candidates, was elected to the Assembly over William Patterson, of Cross Creek, who had served five terms and had been elected speaker at the previous ses- sion. The next year, 1835, the entire anti-Masonic ticket carried the county, Joseph Lawrence, John H. Ewing and Edward McDonald being elected to the Legis- lature. This was the year Ritner was elected governor and Sheshbazzar Bentley, Jr., was elected commissioner ; James McQuown, auditor; William Wylie, director of the poor; John Marshel, sheriff; and John Wilson, cor- oner. This was the first decisive defeat for the Demo- cratic party. John Marshel served as sheriff for less than a year. He was commissioned on November 5, 1835, and served until October 24, 1836, when he re- signed to become cashier of the Old Franklin, now First National Bank. He was the only sheriff of the county who ever resigned the position. He was succeeded by the coroner, John Wilson, grandfather of Dr. T. D. M. Wilson, who served until Oct. 20, 1837.

The county swung back to the Democratic column in 1836 when William Hopkins, Robert Love and John Park were elected to the Assembly .. They were re-elected in 1837, 1838 and 1839 by small majorities. Col. Hop-

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kins was chosen speaker during the sessions of 1839 and 1840. This was the period of the famous "Buck- shot War."

During all these years only two vacancies had occurred in the legislative delegation from Washington County. When Gen. James Stevenson died at Harrisburg on De- cember 20, 1815, a special election was ordered on Jan- uary 23, 1816, at which George Baird, of Washington, was chosen to fill the vacancy. When Joseph Lawrence was elected state treasurer by the Legislature in 1835, a special election was ordered for February 11, 1836, at which Thomas McGiffin was chosen to fill the vacancy by a vote of 1,987 to 1,890 for Col. William Hopkins.

When the constitution of 1838 went into effect the offices of prothonotary, register, recorder and director of the poor were made elective and a new era began in local politics. The contests for twenty years thereafter were close and exciting between the Democrats and the Whigs and Republicans. John Grayson, Democrat, was elected prothonotary in 1839 over John Urie, Whig, by a majority of 105. Ephraim L. Blaine, father of James G. Blaine, as the Whig candidate in 1842, had a plurality of an even hundred over James Pollock, Demo- crat, but was in a minority of 321 in the total vote. O. B. McFadden had a plurality of 364 over Samuel Linton in 1845. James Brown was elected in 1848 by a plurality of 220 over John S. Cratty, Whig, and was re-elected in 1851 by a majority of 120 over John Stevenson, the Whig candidate. William S. Moore, for many years editor of The Reporter, was the Whig can- didate in 1854, indorsed by the Knownothings, and had a plurality over James Donehoo of 542. Gen. James B. Ruple was elected in 1857 by a plurality of only 25 over Thaddeus C. Noble and was re-elected in 1860 by a plurality of 474 over Andrew Bruce. Ruple was the Republican nominee both times.

At the first election for register in 1839, George Morrison, the Democratic candidate, had a majority of 192 over Samuel Cunningham, Whig. Three years later Morrison was defeated for re-election by James Spriggs, the Whig candidate, by only 10 majority. In 1845 William Workman, Democrat, had a plurality of 196 over Uriah W. Wise, an old editor of The Reporter, who was the Whig nominee. Odell Squier, Democrat, defeated Edward S. Yorty by 74 plurality in 1848. John Grayson, Jr., had a plurality of 164 over James Spriggs, Whig. In 1851 John Meloy was the Whig candidate, indorsed by the Knownothings, in 1854, and he was elected by 512 plurality over Emmor B. Marsh, Democrat. Harvey J. Vankirk, the first Republican nominee for register in 1857, had 76 majority over J. Lawrence Judson. Wm. A. Mickey, Republican, had 591 majority over Freeman Brady, Jr., Democrat, in 1860.

The first recorder elected by the people was James Brown, father of Henry and Alexander M. Brown, He was three times in succession the Democratic candidate and each time was successful. He had 566 majority over William H. Cornwell, Whig, in 1839; 238 over David M. Boyd, Whig, in 1842; and 398 plurality over William Fee, Whig, in 1845. Only one other man has been elected three times to one of the court house of- fices, and that was David Aiken as clerk of courts. Brown was not only elected recorder for three terms but was immediately thereafter chosen as prothonotary for two terms, serving for 15 years in an elective office, a record unparalleled in the county. He was an ad- mirable officer and performed his duties so satisfactorily that the people were content to keep him in office. E. Cooper Morrison was elected recorder twice as the Democratic candidate. He had 101 plurality over John Stevenson, Whig, in 1848, and 672 majority over H. D. Cooper in 1851. Cyrus Underwood, candidate of the Whig and American Coalition in 1854, had a plu- rality of 328 over Freeman Brady, Jr., Democrat. Three years later Brady defeated Underwood by a ma- jority of 194. In 1860, William H. Horn, Republican, had a majority of 668 over Joseph N. Porter.

Colonel James Ruple was the first clerk of courts elected by the people. He had a majority of 301 over James Blaine, Whig, in 1839. Ruple was defeated for re-election in 1842 by Alexander G. Marshman by only 24 votes. Marshman was defeated in turn for re- election in 1845 by William Hays, Democrat, by a plurality of 65. Robert F. Cooper had a plurality of only 14 over George Passmore, Democrat, in 1848. The next time Passmore was successful, having a ma- jority of 124 over David Aiken, Whig. Aiken was the Whig and American candidate in 1854 and had 446 plurality over Jonathan Caesber, Democrat. As the Republican candidate in 1857 Aiken had 104 majority over David L. Reynolds; and in 1860 he had 634 over Alexander K. Craig, Democrat.

The office of county treasurer did not become elective until 1841. An act of assembly approved May 27 of that year provided for the election of a county treas- urer on the second Tuesday of October, 1841, and every two years thereafter. Seventeen elections were held under this act for two year terms. William Workman was the first treasurer to be elected by the people. He had been appointed by the commissioners to fill out the unexpired term of his father, General Samuel Work- man, who died March 31, 1841. Workman had 157 majority over John Wilson, the Whig candidate. Wil- liam Hughes, Democrat, had 77 plurality over W. V. Wilson, Whig, in 1843. James D. McGugin had 332 plurality over John McKee, Whig, in 1845. Robert K. Todd had 340 plurality over J. W. F. White in 1847.

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Mr. White was for several years one of the editors for The Reporter and was afterwards for many years Judge of the Allegheny County courts. Colonel Norton Mc- Giffin was the first Whig to be elected as county treas- urer. Fresh from his gallant service in the Mexican War he was nominated by the Whigs in 1849 and elected by 242 majority over Major Thomas S. Irwin, of Clays- ville. General John Hall, Democrat, had 108 majority over Thaddeus Stanton, Whig, in 1851. Stanton was successful in 1853, having a plurality of 25 over Wm. Bollen. H. B. Elliott, Democrat, had 337 plurality over Thomas Martindell, American, in 1855. Martindell as the Republican candidate was elected over Samuel Beatty, Democrat, in 1857 by 250 majority. Since that time only two Democrats have been elected as coun- ty treasurer, viz. Captain James B. Gibson in 1869 and Wm. B. Chambers in 1890. The constitution of the state adopted Dec. 16, 1873, designated the treasurer as a county officer and made the term three years.

The constitution of 1838, art. 6, sec. 1, provided that for sheriff and coroner, "one person shall be chosen for each office who shall be commissioned by the governor." This took away from the governor the power to com- mission the person who had received next to the highest vote, a power which had sometimes been abused. It brought in also a system of party nominations for sheriff. The Whigs were successful in the first election for sheriff under this law, Shesh Bentley, Jr., having 275 majority in 1840 over Jehu Jackman, Democrat. Jackman was successful in 1843, winning out by 240 plurality over the Whig candidate, John Wilson, who had succeeded to the office in 1836 when John Marshel resigned. A. G. Marshman, Whig, had a plurality of only 58 over Gen. Wm. S. Calohan, Democrat, in 1846. Peter Wolf had a majority of 141 over James McCul- lough, Whig, in 1849. John McAllister defeated Dutton Shannon, the Whig candidate, by 177 plurality in 1852. Andrew Bruce, Democrat, was elected in 1855 over James B. Ruple, Knownothing, by 510 plurality. Col. Norton MeGiffin was elected in 1858 by 611 plurality over Matthew Griffin.

In the "Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign" of 1840, the Whigs swept Washington County. Two years before Isaac Leet had beaten Joseph Lawrence for congress by 17 votes. The "Tippacanoe and Tyler Too" wave carried Lawrence in by a majority of 333. Jonathan Leatherman, Aaron Kerr and Samuel Living- stone were elected to the legislature; Samuel Linton, commissioner ; John K. Wilson, auditor; William Lind- ley, director of the poor, and William Tweed, coroner. The next year the county flopped back into the Demo- cratic column and Jesse Martin, James McFarren and Wallace MeWilliams, who had been defeated the year before for assembly, were elected over Livingstone,

Kerr and Leatherman. They were re-elected in 1842. Only two members of assembly were to be elected the next year and the parties split even, O. B. McFadden, Democrat, and George V. Lawrence, Whig, being suc- cessful over Daniel Rider, Democrat, and William Mc- Daniel, Whig. The new county fight entered into this contest. McFadden lived in Monongahela and Lawrence in Carroll. Rider was a resident of Claysville and Me- Daniel, of Canonsburg. Thomas MeKeever, of Hope- well, had 285 votes as an Abolition candidate and Major Samuel McFarland, of Washington, on the same ticket, had 267. The next year, 1844, matters took a turn the other way and McFadden and Lawrence were defeated by Rider, Democrat, and John Meloy, Whig. The race was close. Rider was re-elected in 1845 with Richard Donaldson over Meloy and White F. Hopkins, the Whig candidates. The next year the result was again mixed. Donaldson, Democrat, and Lawrence, Whig, were elected over Samuel Barnett, Democrat, and Will- iam L. Robb, Whig. Donaldson was a resident of Robinson Township. Barnett of West Bethlehem, and Robb of Hanover. The two Democratic candidates, Jacob Cort and Thomas Watson were elected in 1847, though Cort had only 12 majority over George V. Law- rence. Each party elected a representative in 1848, John McKee, Whig, and Jacob Cort, Democrat, winning over White F. Hopkins, Whig, and Thomas Watson, Democrat. The difference between the highest - and lowest vote was only 76. J. D. Leet and Thomas Wat- son, the Democratic candidates, were elected in 1849 over Shesh Bentley, of Monongahela, and James Thomp- son, of West Middletown. Leet and David Riddle were elected in 1850 over Thompson and D. M. Letherman, though this time Leet had only 11 majority over Thomp- son. The election for assembly in 1851 was again a draw. James McClaskey, Democrat, and John Meloy, Whig, were elected. The next year McClaskey and David Riddle were defeated by John N. McDonald and Dr. J. W. Alexander, the Whig candidates. Matthew Linn and Jehu Jackman, Democrats, were elected over John N. McDonald and Joseph B. Welsh, Whigs, in 1853. The Whig and American candidates, Samuel J. Krepps and James McCullough, were elected in 1854 over Jehu Jackman and George W. Miller. Miller and David Riddle were successful in 1855 over John Birch and John A. Happer, Knownothing, and Dr. Robert R. Reed and William McDaniel, Whigs. The next year Dr. J. S. Van Voorhis and John C. Sloan, Republicans, were elected over George W. Miller and Matthew Linn, Democrats. There were only 80 votes between the highest and lowest candidates. Assembly honors were again divided in 1857 when John N. McDonald, Re- publican, and James Donehoo, Democrat, were elected over Job Johnston, Republican, and Matthew Linn,

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Democrat. George V. Lawrence and William Graham, Republicans, were elected in 1858 over James Donehoo and John J. Shutterly and were re-elected in 1859 over Samuel Barnett and A. J. Barr. In 1860 John A. Happer and Robert Anderson were elected over William Patterson and Jacob Ulery.

During the period preceding the Civil War, some of the congressional contests were close and interesting. When Joseph Lawrence died at Washington City on April 17, 1842, a special election was ordered by the Governor to be held on May 20, 1842. At this election Thomas M. T. McKennan had 257 majority over William Patterson. The legislatures of 1841 and 1842 failed to make a congressional apportionment. The members of the 28th congress were not elected until 1843. Wash- ington County had decreased in population according to the census of 1840, dropping from 42,784 to 41,279. This was the only decade in which the county failed to show an increase. After being a separate district for 40 years it was joined to Beaver County. This made a Whig district. The Whigs carried it at each of the five elections held under this apportionment. John Dickey, of Beaver County, had 59 plurality over Isaac Leet in 1843. Major John H. Ewing had 345 plurality over Col. William Hopkins in 1844. Dickey was again elected in 1846 by a plurality of 464 over John R. Shan- non. Dr. Robert R. Reed, of Washington, had 58 plurality in 1848 over Col. Hopkins. John Allison, of Beaver, afterwards register of the treasury, had a ma- jority of 1,025 over Thomas J. Power in 1850. Then the district was changed and Washington, Fayette and Greene united. John L. Dawson, of Fayette, carried the new district in 1852 by a plurality of 2,331. The great Knownothing wave of 1854 gave the district to Jonathan Knight, who had 2,340 majority over William Montgomery. Montgomery defeated Knight in 1856 by 855 and two years later by 3,456. Jesse Lezear, of Greene County, carried the district over old "Tariff Andy" Stewart in 1860 by a majority of 1,164.

The contests for governor were just as close between the Whigs and Democrats. David R. Porter had only 143 plurality in the county in 1841. Governor Shunk had 49 in 1844 and 196 in 1847. W. F. Johnston, Whig, carried the county by 116 majority in 1848 and lost it by 126 in 1851. Pollock, Whig and American, had 819 plurality in 1854. Packer, Democrat, carried the county in 1857 by a plurality of 138 and Curtin, Republican, in 1860, by 562.

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History of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens 20th century, Part 26

Author: McFarland, Joseph Fulton; Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1474

Author: McFarland, Joseph Fulton; Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1474