USA > Wisconsin > An illustrated history of Wisconsin from prehistoric to present periods : the story of the state interspersed with realistic and romantic events > Part 53
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
" Listen, listen to your brother! Far away from o'er the ocean To our land there flew a white-bird, And he brought and left behind him His pale brood upon our coast. Our good brethren, unsuspecting, Took them by the hand in kindness. But the great birds still kept coming, And they left by lake and river More and more of hungry white men. And our brethren, unsuspecting, Took them by the hand in kindness. Now the wigwams of the pale face Are as thick in this, our country, As the cones upon the fir. For this reason was the white man Grateful to his dark-hued brother-
Brought to him choice gifts in plenty : Black disease and fiery water Break his strength and haste his journey, As they say, 'to fields of bliss.' Brethren, do ye see yon storm-cloud, Gathering in its arms destruction,
Till it sends the bolt of thunder, Strikes to earth the giant oak ? Brethren, brethren, in like manner
Will the pale-face strike, remorseless! True! here rolls the wide green prairie Undisturbed by white man's foot. Here the sharp stroke of their axes Wakes no echo in the woods. But how long will this continue And they drive you from their pathway, Fell you as they cut the oak! Therefore, proud and mighty warriors, Listen, listen to your brother! Far to southward, I saw waving Field on field of golden corn. Blue up to the heavens rising I saw smoke of many wigwams; xvii
9
There our brethren, free and happy, Dwelt in peace, without grim warfare, And it seemed as if a blessing Rested on our people there. Soon, alas! soon I saw blazing Wigwams, and the fields about them,
Where in golden beauty shining Full of life and strength and vigor Grew the graceful, precious bread-plant, Ruined, bare, and all deserted! In the ashes I saw lying Half-burned bones of human beings- Of our brethren I saw none; But of whites I saw there many. Everywhere I found the pale-face- North and south and east, and westward They are wending now their way ! Mighty warriors, dark-hued brethren, Will you bear it? Will you linger Till these hounds drive you forever From the broad lands of your fathers, Or unite, and like the bison Trample them into the dust ? "
"Ugh !" came growling from the circle- While the thunder grumbled nearer, And the wild, fierce eyes were flashing Like the light'ning on the cloud Then As-kee-no, slowly rising, With an aspect, cool, contemptuous, Speaks : "Ye warriors all and chieftains, It appears to me, this Sachem, From the land of the Algonquins, Called himself the white man's brother Not so many months ago. For the welfare of our people Now he has great thought and trouble. Why this fervent zeal so sudden ? Is it that his pale-face master In the land across the water, Has awakened him from slumber, Sent to him long knives, and weapons, That he use them in his cause ? Well then, Pontiac may use them Or he may at will return them If he is no white man's tool. I, As-kee-no, will not hinder; But my brethren here I warn now Lest destruction come upon them, xviii
As it must from such a union. This my answer ! " -- And the thunder Gives o'erhead, a deaf ning peal. From the circle of young warriors, Gloomy, and with scowling visage, Quickly rises now Ke-ahsa, Speaks with firm but savage mien; " Let As-kee-no warn the weaklings !- When a boy still, I swore vengeance To the pale encroaching strangers- They who threaten our destruction ! All the joys of life are poisoned By their hand. They shall requite me For my years of care and sorrow. Hear me then, thou chief of Erie, If thou art in deadly earnest, Meanest war-war to the pale-face, I will follow thee, Algonquin -- Be it victory or death ! " And his warriors rise around him Shouting, "Victory or death !"- Then in passion, fierce but silent, Rises gray-haired chief As-kee-no; From the ground undigs the war-axe, Grimly then, Ke-ahsa facing, Quick he raises it to strike. Suddenly, like hell-jaws open'd, Spewing forth a fiery vomit, All the air burned blue with sulphur, And the earth beneath them trembled From the lightning's deadly stroke. Stricken by the bolt of thunder, Killed, before them lies As-kee-no. At his side, transfixed with horror, Kneels Ke-ahsa, pointing upwards.
XI.
Where, a giant, Lake Superior Shoreward rolls his mighty billows On the rocks that, high and desolate, Hide rich veins of copper ore ; Where colossal rocky figures Bid defiance to the billows, Which, their wild, white signals waving, Hurl themselves in baffled frenzy 'Gainst their stern, storm-beaten brow, Pontiac and Chief Ke-ahsa Carry tidings to red men. xix
Where Lakes Michigan and Huron Lave the shores of sand and pine trees, Where Niag'ra pours his volumes Thundering down, to rise as mist, Pontiac and Chief Ke-ahsa Carry tidings to red men. Where the blood-soaked fields of battle
Furiously Lake Erie dashes, Where Ontario's liquid mirror Narrows to a foaming river,
Where in waves of fragrant flowers
Southward rolls the trackless prairie,
Where to eastward tower grandly Blue-enveloped mountain peaks,
Pontiac and Chief Ke-ahsa Carry tidings to red men.
Everywhere they urge rebellion,
Everywhere the hidden war-torch With their eloquence ignite.
Green in spring buds stand the forests,
And the white man in the fortress
Dreams not of the coming danger.
Basking in the genial sunshine,
Soldiers muse on distant loved ones;
Singing cheerily, the farmer Scatters seeds upon his acres,
And the traders deal and barter
O'er the counters with the farmers.
But within the dusky bosoms Of the red sons of the forest
Rages ceaselessly one impulse- That of hatred and revenge. Groups of half-clad, stalwart red men
Sing aloud their chants of battle,
Brandishing their murd'rous weapons, Furious, a band of devils,
Wild, they circle in the dance. From the blue enveloped mountains To the "Father of the waters" Comes a piercing cry of horror-
Witness of the red-man's vengeance
Flows the blood of countless whites. Of their best defended strongholds Nine are captured in the onslaught, And about the others dashes High the fierce, red wave of war! From the barns and from the houses, Flaring brightly, tongues of fire,
xx
Red, illumine nights of horror. Howling fury, crack of muskets, Hiss of arrows, stroke of war-axe, Groan of wounded, gasp of dying Mingled in a hideous chaos, On the shudd'ring breeze borne onward, Speak but of the cruel war fiend, Who in revelry now empties Scornfully the blood-filled cup.
XII.
Far removed in the blue distance, Like a troop of vanquished chieftains Stripped of their once gaudy mantles, Naked stand the forest giants. Where the red-breast and the blue-jay In the long bright days of summer,
Fed their little downy fledglings, Where suspended from green branches
Hung the nests of Orioles. All is bare now, dead and cold. Naught of leaf and naught of blossom!
But the pale down of the thistle, Like the soul of the dead summer Floats in silence through the air. Ev'ry tone sounds dull and muffled; Sadly falls the wave's soft music. In the forest calls the wood-dove, Calls, but hears no note in answer. Mockingly the quail is whistling, And the partridge sounds his drum-beat While the crows' harsh guttural croaking Is the herald of dread winter. On the hill, where in the spring-time The beloved one parted from her, Sadly stands young Nis-sa-was-sa ;- Fearful-eyed and heavy-hearted, When the strawberries were crimson Her young chief had gone to battle- Now the maize is ripe and golden, Still Ke-ahsa stays afar! Ah, who knows the hour of sorrow Which, since then, she spent in mourning ? But the helpful worth of labor Is well known to Indian women. And her ceaseless toil has helped her Bear her burden without moan. But to-day she lacks of patience, xxi
Heavily her fears oppress her And anxiety she can not Banish from her tortured mind. "Tell me not, O Nia-was-ka, Loved companion of my childhood, That Ke-ahsa will be here soon, Glory-decked, a mighty warrior, And what now my heart oppresses Then will change in me to joy .- Saw'st thou not, last night, how Wasa Painted red the cold, dark heavens? The mysterious constellation Speaks to me of coming woe ! Last night, too, the star I've chosen Fell from high, to die in night ! " Scarcely has she so far spoken To her good nurse Nia-was-ka, When a messenger approaches- Tired and gloomy, painted black; " Woe to us, O Nis-sa-was-sa ! Woe and sorrow ! For the pale-face Plucked the best fruit of the forest, Struck the bravest among men Woe ! Ke-ahsa lies in bondage, Pontiac in war is beaten, And the red man's cause is lost ! "
XIII.
" Bring me now the cursed red-skin ! " Says the stronghold's stern commander; And Ke-alısa stands before him, Hands and feet in iron bonds.
"Now, you dog, you Indian devil, Speak, and tell me why you fight us ? " Cool contempt in his expression; Proud, unbent, though sorely wounded, Quickly turns to him the chief :
"Tell me first, why the bold eagle Hates the sneaking brood of serpents ? Tell me why the bear and panther Live not peacefully together ?- Pale-face that is all my answer ! "
" Take away the cursed red-skin !" Cries the wrathful white commander, " And to-morrow morn at daybreak Hang him to the first best tree ! " Now alone with this grim sentence, Broods he in a gloomy dungeon, xxii
Till the deep sleep of exhaustion Closes fast his weary eyes. Still in wild, tumultuous visions Rises up the past before him. Youth's delight, and following sorrow, Then his love's short happiness, Din of battle, shouts of triumph, Treachery of his own people- In wild dreams he lives again;
See, it comes, the wave of white-men, Overflowing woods and plains ! Westward ! westward ! ever westward In despair his brethren fly. See, already gleam the mountains- " Manito! At last we're safe!" 'Tis illusion-diappointment. See, they come! And, slowly rising, The white wave engulfs the red man. Suddenly, as if by magic, Shiv'ring, numbed with cold and hunger, Lonesome stands he and forsaken In the streets of a great town. Round him whirring, whizzing noises-
How his heart grows faint within him! Stupefied, he looks and questions ; Ah, the language of his people No one here can understand!
Dizzy, feeble, clad in tatters, On he wanders through the city, And the children of the pale-face Make the butt him for their sport.
Ha! he wakes! A touch has roused him.
On his ear, confused with dreaming, Falls the name of Nis-sa-was-sa! It is she. Down drop the fetters; Softly, softly, still in darkness, He is led by soft hands onward.
Ha! What's this ? He stumbles forward
O'er the corpse of a dead soldier. Over him he sees the heavens- Greets the starlight-he is free! On they hurry! " Quickly, quickly, To the woods!" But, " Who goes there ?"
From a rough voice comes the question. They proceed. A shot! And, dying, In his arms lies Nis-sa-was-sa. " Fare thee well! O, my Ke-ahsa! With thy loved ones in Pa-neh-ma xxiii
I shall patiently await thee!" A last sigh, and she is dead. With his old undaunted spirit In defiance stands Ke-ahsa. From his wounds he tears the bandage, Lets the hot, red life-stream out. "Take me with thee, Nis-sa-was-sa! All my loved ones, we are coming- Hail, thou island of the blest!"
XIV.
I awoke. The chiming church bells Mingled with the rush of waters. All beside was calm and noiseless; Over me the silver crescent Peeped from milk-white, fleecy clouds; Breaking on the shore in music,
Sang the waves of days forgotten,
Sang of a once happy people, Proud and vain and weak as we are,
But now lowly in the dust.
Ever on the tree of mankind,
Ever, bud and fall the blossoms. They who here once lived and suffered
Long are fled and in their places, We, another race of people, Live and love and strive as they did,
Till, like them, by Time we're vanquished,
And our greatness but a name! Then be modest, all who listen To the sad lay of the billows;
It reminds you: All is vain !
GENERAL E. S. BRAGG.
CHAPTER LXVI.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR HOARD.
1889-1891.
Biographical Sketch of Governor Hoard .- Principal Events.
WILLIAM DEMPSTER HOARD was born at Stockbridge, Madison county, New York, on the 10th day of October, 1836. His father was a Methodist circuit rider. His early life was passed in common schools, and his education was such as is usually derived from that class of schools. He settled at Oak Grove, Dodge county, Wisconsin, at the age of twenty-one, and worked upon a farm, but three years later moved to Lake Mills, Jefferson county.
He enlisted in May, 1861, in the Fourth Wisconsin infantry, Company E, but on account of his health was dis- charged in July, 1862. After recuper- ating a short time, he re-enlisted in Com- pany A, First New York artillery, as a private, and served until the close of the war. He then returned to Wisconsin, and established a nursery business at Columbus, but afterwards returned to Lake Mills, where he published the "Jefferson County Union." In 1870, he was appointed deputy United States marshal. In 1872, was elected ser- geant-at-arms of the state senate, and in 1873 removed to Fort Atkinson, where he has since resided.
Governor Hoard is indeed a self-made man. Starting without any capital, he has worked his paper up to that standard that it is useful to the community as well as financially productive for himself. It is almost entirely due to Mr. Hoard's efforts that the Jefferson County Dairymen's Association was organized in the year of 1871, then the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association, and, lastly, the Northwestern Dairymen's Association.
After the demand of the dairy department in his paper became so great, Mr. Hoard decided to issue a new paper devoted entirely to that branch. He called it " Hoard's Dairyman," and throughout the country it is now consid- ered the best authority on all such matters.
529
530
HISTORY OF WISCONSIN.
It was in the spring of 1888, that Mr. Hoard, without any solicitation on his part, was nominated by the Republican party for governor of Wisconsin. He made many speeches during the campaign, and everywhere he received favorable comments. He was elected by a plurality of twenty thousand two hundred and seventy-three votes, but two years later he was defeated by George W. Peck, whose plurality was twenty-eight thousand three hundred and twenty.
Of Governor Hoard's administration nothing but good can be said. Con- scientious, careful and upright, he did his duty in a manner that led to his re- nomination in 1890, with George W. Peck as his opponent.
EVENTS OF 1889.
The thirty-ninth session of the Wisconsin legislature convened at Madison, January 9, 1889, and adjourned April 19, 1889, after a session of one hundred days.
The state senate was organized with Lieutenant-Governor George W. Ry- land as president, Charles E. Bross, chief clerk, and T. J. George, sergeant-at- arms. The assembly was organized with Thomas B. Mills as speaker, E. D. Coe, chief clerk, and F. E. Parsons, sergeant-at-arms.
Governor Hoard's inauguration brought to the capital the most influential members of his party, as well as a sprinkling of the liberal Democracy through- out the state. His inaugural address, which was delivered to the legislature Thursday, January 10, 1889, is characteristic of the man, and shows deep re- search into the internal affairs of the state.
The governor's record of the state's finances, compiled from the reports of the secretary of state and state treasurer at the close of the fiscal year, Sep- tember 30, 1888, is as follows :
PUBLIC FINANCES.
Balance in treasury, October 1, 1886 .$ 736,720 24
Receipts of state treasury for the biennial period .. 5,460,996 10
Disbursements for same period. 5,447,072 82
Balance in treasury, September 30, 1888. 750,702 44
General fund.
304,139 09
School fund.
151,241 85
School fund income 26,469 92
Normal school fund
85,218 10
University fund 39,241 61
Agricultural college fund. 74,957 98 Drainage fund 49,035 54
Delinquent tax fund
948 95
Deposit fund 10,903 63
Redemption fund 16 75
531
WISCONSIN'S STATE GOVERNORS.
St. Croix & Lake Superior R. R. trespass fund
2,067 46
St. Croix & Lake Superior deposit fund. 408 02
Wis. R. R. Farm Mortgage Land Co. fund.
4,577 95
Allotment fund.
916 54
Manitowoc & Calumet swamp land fund.
559 º5
Total as above
750,702 44
TRUST FUNDS.
" The several trust funds of our state are shown to be in the following con- dition :
At Interest.
In Treasury.
School fund.
$2,966,273 85 $151,241 85
University fund.
190,341 89
39,241 61
Normal school fund.
1,458,693 58
85,218 10
Agricultural college fund.
226,781 00
74,957 98
Drainage fund
49,035 54
$4,842,090 32 $399,695 08
STATE DEBT.
" The public debt of the state, which was created in 1861-1863 for the purpose of maintaining the integrity of the Union, should serve as a constant reminder of what it cost Wisconsin, in part, to preserve a republican form of gov- ernment. This debt was converted into certificates of indebtedness to the several trust funds, and the amounts owing September 30, 1888, were as follows : " School fund. $1,563,700 00
Normal school fund
515,700 00
University fund. 111,000 00
Agricultural college fund.
60,600 00
STATE ACCOUNT WITH GENERAL GOVERNMENT.
The governor, in his able message, in speaking of the state's affairs with the general government, said that the war tax levied by the general government against this state had been paid, and that there was due the state upon the set- tlement the sum of $8,409.43, which amount had been collected from the gen- eral government and paid into the state treasury.
In referring to our financial affairs with the general government, the gov- ernor said : " Mr. George W. Burchard, who was appointed as agent of the state, succeeded in collecting from the general government $19,282.29, on ac- count of rejected and abandoned war claims. These claims had been rejected by the government years ago, and the amount thus collected is a clear gain to the state. Mr. Burchard also succeeded in securing, during the past two years, patents from the general government to the state for 21,746.21 acres of swamp lands, and 41,779.88 acres of indemnity lands."
532
HISTORY OF WISCONSIN.
WAR TAX.
It is confidently expected that congress will soon refund to the states all the actual money paid on account of the direct war tax levied in 1861. The amount due Wisconsin is $446,535.41, and was paid by the state as follows : By credit of allowances on war claims. $264,247 65
By credit of allowances for swamp land indemnity 141,878 05 By credit of allowances for five per cent. of sales of public lands, 40,409 71
When received these amounts should be transferred and paid as follows :
To the general fund. $264,247 65
To the normal school fund 70,939 º3
To the drainage fund 70,939 02
To the school fund. 40,409 71
Charitable and penal institutions, the Chronic Insane, the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics, state fish interests, agriculture, the Wis- consin Dairymen's Association, railroads, the National Guard, and our edu- cational interests, all received due attention in the message.
The worthy governor, in his message, so ably discussed the state's interest under the following head, that we reproduce the same, verbatim :
" THE WISCONSIN DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION.
" Our dairy interests are fast becoming of the highest importance to the financial well-being of the state. When it is understood that the milk product of Wisconsin is worth annually over $20,000,000, and the state is taking rank as one of the foremost among the states of the Union in the prosecution of this industry, ample justification can be found for the appropriations which have been made to this association. It is to this organization that credit is largely due for the spread of such information as has enabled the state to so. greatly prosper in this particular, and I would recommend an appropriation to the same of $2,000 for each of the years of 1889 and 1890.
" In connection with this subject, I desire to call your attention to the necessity of more practical legislation against the manufacture and sale of fraudulent imitations of butter and cheese, and the sale of adulterated milk. Our present laws are found practically inoperative, because of the fact that there is no well-established agency in existence to secure their enforcement. The sale of imitation butter and cheese visits serious injury upon both con- sumer and producer. Upon the consumer, because he is not acquainted with the fraudulent character of the compound. He buys and eats what he sup- poses is pure butter and cheese, when the contrary is true to a large extent. Especially is this the case in hotels and boarding-houses. The law gives him no guaranty of the true character of his food.
533
WISCONSIN'S STATE GOVERNORS.
" The producer is greatly injured, in that his market is destroyed and that largely through fraud. His business aids greatly in building up the state. In Wisconsin alone there is a hundred millions of dollars invested in the dairy business, all of it taxable for the support of the state. It would seem, then, to be nothing more than common justice that the state should protect the pro- ducer from competition based on a cheat. Several of our sister states, notably Iowa and Minnesota, to meet this evil and injustice, have each established a commission with the necessary powers and means conferred by law for the suppression of the fraudulent manufacture and sale of imitation butter and cheese as well as the sale of adulterated, impure or diluted milk. In Minne- sota the work of the commission has been mainly devoted to the suppression of fraud in the sale of dairy products. The following table, showing the result of the investigations of the official chemists of that state, is, however, a most sig- nificant argument in favor of the organized effort of society against such wide- spread and rapidly increasing adulteration of the food of the people:
NAME OF ARTICLE.
Number of
samples.
Number
adulterated
or injurious.
Number of good quality.
Milk
540
184
356
Cheese,
60
16
44
Cream.
19
19
None.
Butter.
12
None.
12
Flour.
15
None.
15
Bread.
12
None.
12
Cream of tartar.
29
18
9
Bicarbonate of soda.
8
4
4
Baking powder. Tea ...
20
5
15
Coffee, ground.
IO
7
3
Coffee, unground, in packages.
4
3
I
Mustard.
22
18
4
Ground spices
81
64
17
Vinegar.
34
25
9
Cider.
IO
IO
None.
Sugar.
50
None.
50
Colored sugars.
20
15
5
Confectionery
57
33
24
Honey.
IO
4
6
Maple sugar.
10
5
5
Maple syrup.
IO
8
2
Lard ..
20
8
12
Olive Oil.
6
4
2
Total
1,084
470
614
25
20
5
THE BENNETT SCHOOL LAW.
The Republican legislature at this session passed the compulsory educa- tion law, which is generally known as the " Bennett School Law." Under
534
HISTORY OF WISCONSIN.
this act every parent or other person, having under his control a child between the ages of seven and fourteen years, was required to cause such child to at- tend some public or private day school, for a period of not less than twelve weeks in each year. The penalty fixed for neglect of such duty by the parents or person having custody of such child was a sum not less than three dollars nor more than twenty dollars for each offense, and a failure for each week or a portion of a week under the act constituted a distinct and separate offense. A like penalty was also imposed upon any person having control of a child who evaded the provisions of the act by a willful statement concerning the age of such child, or the time such child had attended school. Under this act all children within the state between the ages of seven and fourteen were, in fact, placed in the custody and under control of the various boards of education.
The act also authorized such school boards to prosecute in their official names, and the fines and penalties, when collected, were to be paid to the school treasurer of such city, town or district. Under the act, any child between the ages of nine and fourteen years, who, without leave and against the will of his parent, guardian or other person, habitually absented himself from the school to which he was sent or directed to be sent, was deemed a truant child, and was liable to be committed in the same manner as dependent children for a term not exceeding two years.
Under Section IX. of this celebrated statute, children under thirteen years were prohibited from working in factories, shops, mines, stores and other places of business or amusement, except upon a permit, granted by the county judge in the county where such child resided.
Perhaps the portion of the act which was most keenly felt in many parts of the state was Section V., which reads as follows :
"No school shall be regarded as a school under this act, unless there shall be taught therein, as a part of the elementary education of children, reading, writing, arithmetic and United States history, in the English language."
The Bennett law was in many cases wise and beneficial, but the objec- tionable features of the act, which virtually took the control of the child from the parents and placed it under the management of the various school boards, was considered so detrimental to the interests of the people that the whole act was condemned. The passage of this law by the Republican legislature was without doubt one of the principal causes of the overthrow of the Republican party in the state at the November election of 1890. This law was promptly repealed by the Democratic legislature in 1891.
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.