History of Dakota Territory, volume I, Part 76

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1198

USA > South Dakota > History of Dakota Territory, volume I > Part 76

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).

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war President. Mr. Lincoln's famous Gettysburg dedication address; his second inaugural, and the terms given by General Grant to General Lee on the occasion of Lee's surrender, all indicated that Lincoln would have treated the southern people with magnanimity and with as much liberality as the changed conditions in the South would justify. But Mr. Johnson lacked that important element of strength which Lincoln had in full measure-the confidence of the people.

Dakota's delegate, Hon. Walter A. Burleigh, had sustained Mr. Johnson from the beginning. He had won the cordial friendship of the President, had become one of his confidential advisers and had gained sufficient influence to con- trol all Dakota appointments and a number outside the territory. The appoint- ments referred to within Dakota are given below :

Andrew J. Faulk, governor; William Tripp, surveyor general; Laban 11. Litchfield, United States marshal: Nelson Miner, register United States Land Office, Vermillion; W. W. Brooking's, superintendent Big Cheyenne Wagon Road; John W. Boyle, receiver United States Land Office, Vermillion : Joel A. Potter, United States Indian agent Ponca Indians; James M. Stone, United States Indian agent Santee Indians ; Gideon C. Moody, superintendent Sioux City and Fort Randall Wagon Road; Joseph R. Hanson, United States Indian agent Upper Missouri Indians ; E. C. Collins, assessor internal revenue ; William Shriner, collector internal revenue; John W. Boyle, associate justice Supreme Court ; Enos Stutsman, agent Treasury Department; George Stickney, receiver United States Land Office. Vermillion, in place of Boyle, appointed judge ; George H. Hand, United States attorney for Dakota; and four sutlerships. These appointments, with the exception of Governor Faulk, were all given to residents of Dakota, and the governor had resided here in 1861-62, and were all republicans.

Assuming, as seems reasonable, that President Johnson, with the counsel and confidence of Mr. Seward, had adopted a policy substantially devised by his predecessor, which would have been conservative, so much so that, as it was developed under Mr. Johnson's administration, its opponents charged that it was a surrender of nearly all that the Government had contended for in the great civil strife; Mr. Johnson would have encouraged the white people of the South, with few notable exceptions, to resume their relations as citizens, rehabili- tate their state and local governments, elect and convene their Legislatures, repudiate their ordinances of secession, ratify the constitutional amendments. and restore their governments to the position occupied prior to the Rebellion, except as to slavery. This policy refused to admit that there had been any actual secession, insisting that such a thing as the right of a state to secede from the Union could not be recognized, therefore the state governments of the South

had been in a dormant condition during the Rebellion, and the disloyalists had attempted to create new state governments and a national government called the Confederate States of America, in which they had been unsuccessful, and with the triumph of the Union cause the former status was restored.

Congress took the ground that the rebellious states, while they had not and could not secede or withdraw from the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, had effectually destroyed their former state governments, and it now became necessary to begin at the foundation and rebuild the governmental fab- ric ; that it was the duty of Congress to supervise this reconstruction, and see that these states were rebuilt on republican principles as required by the Con- stitution, and that this rebuilding should be carried out under the sanction and direction of the national Government: that all persons who had voluntarily borne arms against the United States had thereby disfranchised themselves, and would have to be newly clothed with the functions of citizenship before they could take any part in the formation of the new governments. The effect of this plan would debar practically all the whites, who were citizens of the rebellious states before the war, from any part in restoring those states to their places in the Union. They coukl neither vote or hokl office, and as the negro had been

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enfranchised and had not voluntarily borne arms against the Government, and as they constituted the only class of citizens that could be recognized, the work of reconstruction in the beginning, so far as the exercise of the voting privilege entered into it, fell to the black people. The first step in reconstruction work had been the appointment of military governors in the states to be restored, placing them under martial law. Under proclamation issued by these military officials, elections were called and state officers and Legislatures chosen from among the qualified electors, and as a matter of course a large number of negroes were elected to office-the most intelligent class. The most important offices, however, were filled by white men, some of whom were adventurers, and others southern Union men who had not borne arms voluntarily against the Govern- ment. Some of these officials proved to be dishonest and lent their official positions to corrupt practices. Under the new state legislation bonds in large amounts were issued to provide funds for setting the machinery of government in motion, and the proceeds of these securities were in some instances misused in a scandalous manner, much to the discredit of the northern men who had taken a prominent part in the reconstruction work. The Legislatures annulled all secession ordinances, ratified the new amendments to the Federal Constitu- tion, and elected United States senators. When this had been done satisfactorily, Congress began the work of restoring the former disfranchised whites to citi- zenship by relieving them of their political disabilities. First to receive this boon were all persons who had held no office, either civil or military, which included the private soldiers, under the so-called Confederate Government, and after a convenient season of waiting, the disabilities of a certain grade of civil and military officers were removed, and so on, until the leaders of the Rebellion and the influential persons connected with it were reached, when a new require- ment was added, making it necessary for the party desiring amnesty and enfran- chisement to make application by petition and a special act of Congress would be passed, removing their disabilities. A very few, who were regarded as the chief conspirators, or had been guilty of flagrant violations of the laws of war, were not offered amnesty on any terms, and there were a number in the class who were required to petition who refused to avail themselves of the privilege.

JOHNSON REPUBLICANS

In the Territory of Dakota, in 1866, the republican party was about equally divided between Johnsonism and radical republicanism, as it was termed, while the democrats to a man endorsed the President. This gave Johnsonism a decided majority and assured the election of a delegate and other officers from that party. The political campaign was formally opened about the middle of August by the calling of a territorial convention by the committee of the national union party appointed at the republican convention held in 1864, at which Mr. Burleigh was first nominated. The following is a copy of the official call :

There will be a territorial convention of the National Union Party of Dakota Territory held in the Town of Vermillion, County of Clay, on Thursday, September 6, 1866, at 2 o'clock P. M., for the purpose of placing in nomination, to be supported by the people, at our next general election, the following territorial officers, to-wit: One delegate to Congress. one territorial auditor, one territorial treasurer and three membes of the Territorial Board of Education, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before it. The several counties will be entitled to as many delegates in the convention as such county may have of representatives in the Legislature. The Territorial Committee respectfully recommends to the legal voters of the territory who are disposed to cooperate with the National Union Party to meet at the county seats of their respective counties on the Satur- day preceding the territorial convention and elect delegates to the same. By order of the Territorial Central Committee.

J. R. HANSON, Chairman National Union Central Committee of Dakota.

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Here follows a number of convention calls by the various counties; first, Yankton County :

A mass convention by the National Union Party of Yankton County will be held at the capitol building in the Town of Yankton, on Saturday, the 1st day of September next, for the purpose of electing delegates to the Territorial Union Convention to be held at Ver- million, the 6th day of September next, and to transact any other business that may come before the convention.

MANY CITIZENS.

The democrats had concluded to call no conventions of their party, but to join with the national union party on a Johnson platform in the conventions, and in the election of all territorial and county officers. This program was followed, and its effects will be observed in the proceedings following, where the old story of the lion and the lamb was affectionately illustrated-the republican lamb being largely concealed from view.

The following call was issued to the electors of Clay County :

The National Union Party of Clay County will meet in convention at the Town of Vermillion, on Saturday, the Ist day of September next, for the purpose of electing dele- gates to the Territorial National Union Convention to be held at Vermillion on the 6th day of September next. A full attendance is earnestly desired. By order of the committee, C. N. TAYLOR, Chairman.

The mass convention in Yankton County was duly held at the time stated. The convention was called to order by A. G. Fuller, who read the call, after which Henry C. Ash was elected chairman, and Dr. Franklin Wixson, secretary. The business of the convention having been stated by the chair, the convention at once proceeded with the election of delegates with the following result : John Stanage, Thomas Frek, John Lawrence, M. K. Armstrong, L. W. Case, C. G. Irish, W. N. Collamer, L. Congleton and Dr. Franklin Wixson. After which the convention adjourned.

The national union party of Todd County was organized September Ist at a mass convention held at the residence of Charles Mccarthy, in Spring Lake, Todd County, Dakota Territory. On motion of General Todd, Dr. Joel A. Potter was elected chairman, and Charles McCarthy, secretary. Doctor Potter, on taking the chair, addressed the convention in a brief and appropriate speech, alluding to the object of the meeting and urging the importance of harmony.

General Todd then stated the object of the meeting more fully, stating that it was proposed to organize the national union party of Todd County. The general then moved that the meeting endorse the platform of principles adopted by the national union party of the country at the Philadelphia convention, which motion carried. On motion of John Dillon, Esq., the convention proceeded to elect an executive committee of the party in Todd County, which resulted in the choice of J. B. S. Todd. Charles McCarthy and Luke Lavery. Delegates to the territorial convention to be held at Vermillion, September 6th, to-wit: Joel A. Potter. John Dillon and Jonathan A. Lewis, were then elected, when the conven- tion adjourned.

Conventions were also held in Union, Clay, Bon Homme and Charles Mix counties, and delegates elected. The Philadelphia platform was uniformly endorsed.

THE TERRITORIAL CONVENTION

The territorial convention of the national union party was held at Vermil- lion September 6th. The convention assembled in the schoolhouse, and was called to order by Capt. Nelson Miner, of Clay County. Hon. John W. Turner, of Clay, was then elected chairman, and Charles E. Hedges, of Charles Mix, and O. F. Stevens, of Union County, secretaries. A committee on credentials was appointed, consisting of John Lawrence, Yankton; Nelson Miner, Clay; and

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O. F. Stevens, Union, that later reported the following persons entitled to seats in the convention :

Todd County-Joel .\. Potter, John Dillon, Jonathan A. Lewis. Charles Mix County- James Somers, John J. Thompson, Charles E. Hedges. Bon Homme County-Hugh Fraley, John Brown, Jacob Rufner. Yankton County- John Stanage, John Lawrence, Thomas Frick, Laban H. Litchfield, L. W. Case, W. . V. Collamer, C. G. Irish, Leonidas Congleton, Dr. Franklin Wixson. Clay County-Capt. Nelson Miner, N. V. Ross, M. McCue, G. W. Pratt, W. Russell, C. Larson, John W. Turner, P. H. Jewell, A. A. Partridge. Union County- 1). M. Mills, J. R. Wood, Michael Curry, William Gray, J. Broulette, D. Chaus- see, O. F. Stevens, C. P. Heath, R. Mchan, William Walters.

This report was adopted.

A committee of nine was then appointed to draft and report resolutions, made up of the following delegates: Joel A. Potter, Charles E. Hedges, Hugh Fraley, Doctor Wixson, W. N. Collamer, P. H. Jewell, John W. Turner, D. M. Mills and C. P. Heath. The organized counties were all represented on this committee, who after a brief absence returned and reported the following :

Resolved. That our political creed is briefly and yet fully expressed in the declaration of principles adopted by the National Union Convention at Philadelphia on the 16th of August last, which resolutions we heartily endorse and declare to be the chief and corner stone of the National Union Party of Dakota.

Resolved, We hold that each state and territory has the right to prescribe the qualifica- tions of its electors, and we are opposed to any alteration of our laws on the subject of suffrage.

Resolved, That the nation owes a lasting debt of gratitude to the soldiers and sailors of the late war for the suppression of the rebellion, and in the bestowal of public patronage, preference should be given them, and as a partial tribute for their services the Government should donate to each of those who have fallen in the service, or have been honorably discharged, or to their legal representatives, 160 acres of land, and justice to those who entered the service in the early part of the war demands that immediate provision should be made for a full and impartial equalization of bounty.

Resolved, That in behalf of the best interests of the citizens of Dakota Territory we are opposed to the bestowal of any political patronage belonging to the territory upon non- residents.

Resolved, That our delegate in Congress be requested to present no man's name for a federal appointment who does not cordially support the Philadelphia platform.

The resolutions were adopted as the platform of the national union party of Dakota.

On motion of L. H. Litchfield, the convention then proceeded to make nomi- nations by acclamation.

John Lawrence moved that the convention nominate Hon. Walter A. Bur- leigh for delegate to Congress. Carried unanimously.

On motion of D. M. Mills, D. T. Gore, of Union County, was unanimously nominated for territorial auditor; and on motion of John Lawrence, M. K. Armstrong was unanimously nominated for territorial treasurer.

On motion of D. M. Mills, William Walter, S. A. Bentley and Hon. John W. Turner were unanimously nominated a territorial board of education. The following resolution was then unanimously adopted by the convention :

Resolved, That the unwavering course of our delegate in Congress, his firm adherence to the patriotic policy of the President of the United States, his hearty endorsement of the Philadelphia platform, and his earnest and untiring efforts in behalf of our territory, and in relation to the Indian affairs in the Northwest meet both our cordial and sincere approval, and we call upon the citizens of Dakota, who have its best interests at heart, to cooperate with us in securing his election.

On motion of 1 .. H. Litchfield the following territorial central committee was then appointed : J. B. S. Todd, chairman ; Chas. P. Heath, Union County, secretary ; Laban H. Litchfield and Samuel Morrow, Yankton County ; D. M. Mills, Union County; Hugh Fraley, Bon Homme County; P. H. Jewell, and A. A. Partridge, Clay County ; and Charles E. Hedges, Charles Mix County.

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On motion of Jolin Lawrence, the proceedings were ordered published in the Union and Dakotian, at Yankton, D. T .; and then on motion of Charles E. Hedges, the convention adjourned.

The adjournment of the convention was followed by many demonstrations of enthusiasm, and the "dyed-in-the-wool" democrats and the "black republi- cans" greeted one another in the most cordial manner. It was a happy occasion, and the exuberance of good feeling found expression in an impromptu ratifica- tion meeting, held soon after adjournment in the open air. Doctor Burleigh gave expression to his appreciation of the action of the convention, and reviewed the political situation in a very able and interesting speech. He was followed by General Todd, the "wheel horse of the democracy," who, after extolling the wisdom and patriotism of the Philadelphia convention, referred to Dakota politics. He said he had fought and opposed Doctor Burleigh in the last cam- paign to the best of his ability : but now he proposed to stand by him and aid his election by every means in his power. Politics he knew made strange bed- fellows, but this was a time when the animosities of the past should be for- gotten, and a cordial greeting extended to all who were willing to put their shoulders to the wheel and work for the great national cause.

TIIE CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICAN PARTY

We now come to the action taken by those in Dakota who did not endorse the policy of President Johnson, but who supported the congressional plan of reconstruction. This sentiment, up to August, 1866, found expression through no party organization, as none existed, hence a new organization became neces- sary if Congress was to have any support in Dakota. This being the situation, Hon. W. W. Brookings, of Yankton, set to work during the summer for the purpose of bringing an organization into the field that would combat the national union party and show to the country that Congress had supporters in Dakota, and it was generally believed that Mr. Brookings was willing to accept from the new organization the nomination of delegate to Congress. It was not thought that Mr. Brookings anticipated a victory for his new party at that time, as the time intervening before election was too brief to permit of a thorough can- vass of the territory, and an intelligent discussion of the differences between the contending parties, and these were not at this time well understood by the great mass of voters, and were regarded by a large number as simply a choice between two plans, either of which would satisfactorily accomplish the same end. Mr. Brookings, however, went forward with his work; his first move was the calling of a mass convention, at Yankton, of those who sustained the congressional plan of reconstruction. This convention was called to meet at the capitol building on the 14th of August, 1866, for the purpose of electing delegates to a territorial convention to be held at Vermillion, August 27th follow- ing. All who endorsed the congressional plan of reconstruction, were cordially invited to participate in the convention. In accordance with the call the mass convention assembled on Wednesday, the 14th of August, when Mr. Brookings called the convention to order, and Bucklin Wood was elected chairman, and Charles F. Rossteuscher, secretary; after which, on motion of Mr. Brookings, nine delegates were elected to represent Yankton County in the territorial con- vention, namely,-W. K. Brookings, Jacob Brauch, W. E. Root. A. L. Hinman, Cras. F. Rossteuscher, Bucklin Wood, P. H. Risling, Washington Reed, Ole Sampson.

The chairman then, on motion, appointed a county central committee con- sisting of Jacob Brauch, W. E. Root and .A. L. Hinman, who were instructed to issue an appropriate call for a territorial convention.

An address was then made by Mr. Brookings, in which he took the ground that the rupture in the national union party was so serious and based on such irreconcilable differences, that any compromise was impossible. President John-

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son had practically surrendered himself to the direction and control of the democratic party. He pointed out that the national union party of Dakota, heretofore substantially the republican organization, had through its committee surrendered the territorial democratic party ; hence the true and straight repub- licans found but one course open to them, and that was to start anew and organize the republicans in a party of their own under their own proper name. That the delegate to Congress, Doctor Burleigh, elected two years previously by the republicans, had joined hands with the President in his crusade against the republicans in Congress, and could no longer be entrusted with the standard of republicanism. That Congress had provided the only safe policy and plan of reconstructing the states lately in rebellion, and upon the success of this policy the hope of future peace and the development and prosperity of the whole country, was based.

The convention then adjourned.

On the day following the Yankton County Convention the subjoined call was issued :

All republicans and others who endorse the reconstruction resolutions of Congress are invited to send delegates to a territorial convention to be held at Vermillion on the 27th day of August, at 12 o'clock M., to nominate a candidate for delegate to Congress, also territorial treasurer and territorial auditor. The ratio of representation to be one delegate for each member of the Territorial Legislature. This convention is called at the request of many republicans throughout the territory and by a resolution passed unanimously by a Republican Union Convention of Yankton County, held at Yankton on the 14th inst.

Yankton, D. T., August 15, 1866.

JACOB BRAUCH, W. E. ROOT, A. L. HINMAN,

Committee appointed by Yankton County Convention to issue a call for a territorial convention.

Mass conventions were held in the several legislative districts but their pro- ceedings were not published and no record has been preserved.

The territorial convention was held at Vermillion, August 27, but the pro- ceedings were not published, and no record thereof can be obtained, except the comments of the two newspapers then printed in the territory, both of which were unfriendly. W. W. Brookings was nominated for delegate to Congress; N. H. Schooler for territorial auditor and Aaron Carpenter for territorial treas- urer, and a central committee appointed with Jacob Brauch as chairman.

During the same year it became necessary in compliance with law to elect members of the Legislature and county officers, and the ordinary course of holding nominating conventions in each organized county was pursued; in all the counties where the regular republican committees called conventions the democrats attended in such numbers as to outvote those republicans who favored the congressional party. One result was that the democrats nominated the legislative tickets, though giving a partial representation to what was termed the Johnson republicans; the conventions, however, acted under the title of the national union party.

The House of Representatives chosen was made up of a majority of the Johnson republicans and democrats. The title of the new party organized under the leadership of Mr. Brookings and Colonel Moody was "the republican party." The council members elected in 1865 held over.

The election was held on Tuesday, October 9th. There was but one voting precinct in Yankton County, and the polling place was the capitol building. The reader, who can call to memory the names and faces of the Yankton politi- cians of thirty-five and forty years ago, will find in the illustration of this event, on an adjoining page, a view of the first capitol building, and will be able to recognize about the thirty or more electioneerers, a number of the pioneers. The Australian ballot had not been introduced at that time, and tickets were sup-

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plied by the party committees. Mr. Brookings is conspicuous; Mr. Bramble is easily distinguished; Mr. Ash can be identified; Hon. A. M. English is there- he was elected a member of the Legislature. It was a national union year and former democrats carried off most of the honors. L. W. Case is visible, as also is Judge Presho, who can be easily recognized.

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History of Dakota Territory, volume I, Part 76

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920 Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1198

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1198