History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 19

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042

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The new congress did not go into session until a year after the election, and meanwhile Judge Park's condition had become much worse, and he then knew that his days were counted; that his life would ebb away before his contest would be decided, although he knew, at least was satisfied that it would be decided in his favor, but he withdrew the contest to die in peace. He closed his eyes on the 4th day of June, 1884, only a few weeks after the withdrawal of his contest against Isaac Stevenson.

Judge Park had received in Marathon county, 2,493 votes; Isaac Steven- son, 896 votes ; and John Ringle was elected senator over F. M. Guernsey by a majority of 375 votes in the counties of Marathon, Shawano and Waupacca, which then constituted the 21st senatorial district. The Democratic candidate for member of assembly, J. E. Leahy, was elected, and the whole Democratic county ticket was reelected, with John Werner as sheriff in place of R. P. Manson, who as sheriff, was by law ineligible for reelection.

In anticipation of a heated political campaign, R. H. Johnson, the owner and editor of the Central Wisconsin, the only Republican newspaper then in Marathon county, converted his paper in a daily in 1883, and engaged Arthur Dodge as editor. Dodge was a keen political writer, well versed in political warfare, and the Central was a by far better daily than the city could really afford, by which is meant that Mr. Johnson must have lost money in the venture. But he was postmaster at the time, and it may be that hope of political preferment was one of the leading motives in undertaking the costly change. The paper rendered yeoman service to Blaine and Logan in the cam- paign of 1884. Not to be outdone, Mr. E. B. Thayer, of the Wausau Weekly Review, purchased the old long-established Pilot, combined the two weekly papers, and issued a daily in 1884; so that Wausau had the convenience of

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having two daily papers when it could hardly afford one. The Daily Pilot ceased soon after election, but the Central continued for a few months longer, but it too could not exist, and both were reduced to weekly editions.

The political events of 1884 were the most exciting in Marathon county. The lumber business at Wausau and in the whole Wisconsin valley had largely increased; factories had come, and with them a greatly enlarged population in cities as well as counties. The nomination of Blaine and Logan had been enthusiastically received by the Republicans, not less so than the nomination of Cleveland and Hendricks by the Democrats: The Democrats were the first to open the campaign in an informal way by receiving with acclamation the returning delegates and the body of citizens which had attended the national convention at Chicago. Clubs were formed, local speakers were heard in every town and village, and both parties vied with each other in arranging for meetings.

Among the local speakers, M. A. Hurely and Neal Brown, the latter hav- ing come to Wausau as a practicing lawyer in 1880, took prominent part; with them was L. A. Pradt and W. H. Mylrea, young attorneys. L. A. Pradt had formerly resided in the town of Holeton and was well acquainted, especially on the "Line," and W. H. Mylrea had come to Wausau the previous year and was in partnership with C. V. Bardeen. Each of these men men- tioned made his mark in the history of Marathon county, and even in a larger sense in after years. Of the business men who took a prominent part for Blaine and Logan was C. S. Curtis and J. E. Leahy, James McCrossen and A. Stewart. Curtis had come to Wausau in 1880 and erected his sash, door and blind factory, which under his management became the largest industrial concern in Wausau; J. E. Leahy was a great admirer of James G. Blaine, and in supporting him followed his own former inclinations. Another active worker in the Republican field was K. S. Markstrum, a young man who came from Sweden in 1874; a painter by trade, with a good school education, who took to politics like a duck to water. He was appointed deputy revenue collector in 1881. He spoke fluently English, German and Scandinavian, with an ability as a mixer which gave him a large personal acquaintance in the county. The Democrats succeeded in keeping up their organization with hard work and sacrifices. They felt the loss of J. E. Leahy and J. C. Clarke, who had sold out and commenced life anew on a tobacco plantation in Virginia.

B. G. Plumer, W. H. Knox, D. L. Plumer, F. W. Kickbusch and J. Gens- man were the business men who took the most prominent part on the Demo- cratic side, with John Ringle, District Attorney C. F. Eldred and Louis Mar- chetti looking after the organization.

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It was a hurrah campaign from beginning to end. Torchlight proces- sions were in vogue nearly every week for the last four weeks before election, each party vieing with the other in the number of torches carried. Rockets and red lights were much in evidence to arouse enthusiasm, but little argu- ment. In first class speakers the Democrats easily overmatched the Repub- licans. The Blaine Club opened its campaign with a torchlight procession and a meeting in the splendid new opera house (since burned), with Lucius Fair- child a candidate for United States senator, as speaker ; the Democrats replied with a bigger procession and ex-Senator James R. Doolittle as orator. His audience was much too large for the opera house and he spoke from the band stand at the courthouse square. Then the Republicans made much of Joseph Brucker, whom they had brought in the county to stump the German towns, who posed as a businessman, because he had a little excelsior mill in Medford. He, too, had a great torchlight procession in the city of Wausau, and spoke in the large skating rink, being introduced as the "silver tongued pinery boy," but the Democrats has no difficulty in replying with home- speakers. The Republicans held many meetings with the local talent address- ing the voters, M. A. Hurley, Neil Brown and L. A. Pradt; but had only ex-Governor Fairchild and Colonel Goodwin from Milwaukee, while the Democrats had James R. Doolittle, Gen. E. S. Bragg and A. K. Delaney. Nevertheless the campaign was carried on without animosity, as appears from this incident : One evening there was a great Blaine procession ; Scandinavian clubs and others from outside the city were in line, besides all city clubs. It was really a very well arranged affair ; there were at least one thousand men in line marching in good order, with music and flags galore. Mr. Conrad Althen stood outside his store, on the sidewalk on Jackson street, to look it over, being himself in sympathy with it, and so were his clerks, all looking on, leaving the store empty. When the procession had passed and Mr. Althen returned to his office, he found to his great surprise that somebody had emptied his safe of the cash on hand, and in telling the story in a sort of laughing way, told it thus : Well, I went out to count the Republicans in line, and while I was gone, some d- Democrat came in and counted my money. He was laughed at some more and told not to take so much interest in Repub- lican processions, but should rather honor the Democrats with his attention. The best of it was, that he was in the habit, and done so that evening, to deposit all the cash received until 4 o'clock in the bank, so that there was only so much in the safe as was received after that time. Of course nobody thought the thief could ever be caught and he was not.

Isaac Stevenson was the Republican nominee for congress, and the Demo- 12

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crats nominated James Meehan of Portage county, also a lumberman, in opposition to him. At the time of Meehan's nomination at . Grand Rapids, there were two torchlight processions there, one for Cleveland and Hen- dricks and one for Blaine and Logan. A train of fourteen box cars, filled with torch bearers, went down to Grand Rapids to help their brethren of Wood county to make a show of strength against the combined Blaine and Logan clubs of Wood county, Stevens Point, Amherst and Plover. The Wausau clubs took all their campaign wagons along with them on a flat car, and also their gun to make noise, which they did not fail to do, and they did outnumber the other side.

At the Democratic meeting the speakers were John W. Cary, W. C. Sil- verthorn and C. F. Eldred. The Republican meeting was addressed by W. T. Price, a lumberman and good speaker, and member of congress from the adjoining eighth district.

There was a clash between the two processions which looked very serious for a minute or two, but they separated and no harm was done. Republican papers afterwards said that the Democratic torchlight procession had broke up the Republican meeting. But the fault was probably on both sides. W. C. Silverthorn was the Democratic candidate for attorney general, and was kept busy on the rostrum all over the state, but his name nevertheless materially strengthened the Democratic ticket in the county.

In the election, Marathon county gave the following vote :

To Cleveland and Hendricks 3.358

To Blaine and Logan . 2,144

To James Meehan for congress 3,434

To Isaac Stevenson for congress 2,144

When Cleveland's election became assured on Thursday afternoon follow- ing election day, there was a huge bonfire half way up the east hill, which was still unoccupied at that time. The whole Democratic county ticket was elected with the exception of sheriff, for which office William Kickbusch, Republican, was chosen, all officers having been reelected, except B. J. Pink, who was nominated in place of C. F. Eldred for district attorney as a Democrat and elected.

There was a reaction in 1886. The bomb throwing on the Haymarket square in Chicago in May of that year and the so-called labor riots in Mil- waukee about the same time had some influence in favor of the Republican ticket.

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For governor, Gilbert M. Woodward, Democrat, received in Marathon county 2,608, and Governor Rusk 1,923 votes.

Isaac Stevenson was reelected over John Ringle to congress; and the county offices were divided between the parties, the Democrats electing : N. A. Healy, for sheriff ; A. W. Schmidt, for register of deeds ; Hugo Peters, clerk of circuit court; B. Gowan, surveyor, and Charles Quandt, coroner. The Republican candidates elected were: John W. Miller, county clerk; William Kickbusch, county treasurer, and W. H. Mylrea, district attorney. Henry Miller, Democrat, was elected as member of assembly.

President Cleveland's veto of the dependent pension bill, and his message recommending a reduction of the tariff gave the Republicans the issues for the next campaign.

There was some notable shifting in the voting population on the tariff issue in both parties, but the Grand Army of the Republic took strong ground against the president, and no doubt brought about his defeat. On the tariff issue the Democratic party in Marathon county gained a young attorney, who had already taken a prominent part in politics. It was Neal Brown, who declared for Cleveland and tariff reform, and became one of the staunch- est advocates of his election. The Republicans brought up John F. Scanlan from Chicago to make the opening address in the opera house, and his speech was thought to have made much of an impression, especially on the citizens of Irish extraction, who were nearly all Democrats.

Neal Brown was chosen by the Democrats to reply at the same place without much delay. This meeting was the great Democratic demonstra- tion in that campaign. The opera house was splendidly lighted, the stage was made a veritable exotic garden, the Hon. R. P. Manson, one of the most, if not the most popular lumbermen, was chosen to preside, and everything was done to make the first appearance of Neal Brown on the Democratic forum a memorable event. He was received with loud acclamation and his address was an excellent and eloquent presentation of the Democratic position on the tariff. Mr. Scanlan had quoted statistics until his hearers had got tired, as showing good and bad times under high and low tariff, and replying and referring to the same statistics, Mr. Brown said that according to Mr. Scan- lan's notion, when whiskey was low in price times were good and when whiskey was high, times were bad, and it may be, said Mr. Brown, that these facts may have influenced Mr. Scanlan's notions as to what were good and bad times.

This good-natured sally at Mr. Scanlan's expense, as well as many other humorous references to Republican arguments, kept the whole house in excel-

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lent humor, and the Democratic canvass had been very successfully inaugu- rated in 1888.

Cleveland received 3,358 votes to 2,144 for Harrison. The Republican nominee for congress, M. H. McCord, was elected over his Democratic com- petitor, General Early, of Chippewa county.

Under the new apportionment, Marathon county was divided in two assembly districts, and both districts went Democratic, electing Joseph Chessak from the first, and M. P. Beebe member of assembly of the second district.

For county officers the Democrats elected M. E. Manson for sheriff ; Hugo Peters, clerk circuit court; A. W. Schmidt, register of deeds; P. F. Curran, surveyor, and Charles Quandt, coroner; C. F. Eldred, district attor- ney, and J. R. Bruneau, treasurer. Of the Republican candidates only John W. Miller for county clerk was elected.

1890.

There was a new issue in 1890 brought on by the disposition of Gov. W .. D. Hoard not to make concessions to a popular demand for the repeal of the so-called Bennett Law. This act was passed by the legislature in 1889, and seemingly gave the state some sort of supervision over private and parochial schools, in the teaching of the English language. Such at least was the claim made by the religious denominations, having parochial schools, and they were quick to resent the interference of the state. It cannot be honestly denied, that the law squinted that way.

The Democratic party in their state convention declared for the repeal of the law, the Republican convention only for an amended act, thus making up the issue, which went into history as the "Little Red School House" cam- paign because the Republicans had taken up as their cry "For the little red house," meaning the public schools, and the Democrats as their answer, "For all the schools."

When the votes were counted, the election turned out a veritable land- slide to the Democratic party. George W. Peck, Democrat, was elected gov- ernor over W. D. Hoard, Republican, by a plurality of 28,320. Both houses of the legislature had a Democratic majority, and William F. Vilas was chosen by them as senator in place of John C. Spooner whose term expired Thomas Lynch was elected member of congress for the ninth congressional district over M. H. McCord, the sitting member.

In Marathon county George W. Peck received 3,500 votes ; W. D. Hoard, 1,391 votes; Thomas Lynch, Democrat, 3,426 votes; M. H. McCord, Repub-

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lican, 1,490 votes, and the Democrats also elected Thomas O'Connor and Neal Brown as members of the assembly and their whole county ticket with little varying majorities, to wit: August Martin, sheriff; William J. Gehrke, county clerk; J. C. Berg, county treasurer; C. F. Eldred, district attorney ; Edward C. Kretlow, register of deeds; Hugo Peters, clerk circuit court; P. C. Werle, surveyor; Charles Quandt, coroner, and F. A. Strupp, school superintendent.

The Democratic party was then well entrenched not only in the solid South, but in the northern states as well and looked confidently forward to the next presidential election.

1892.

That year marks the high tide of Democratic ascendency in state and nation, from which it steadily declined. The dissensions in the Republican party continued under President Harrison; the Mckinley tariff act, the attempt to pass the force bill, so-called, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which satisfied neither the bi-metallists nor the gold standard men, with the final breach between Harrison and James G. Blaine plainly showed that there was no complete unity in that party.

Simultaneously with the passage of the Bennett law, in Wisconsin, sim- ilar laws were enacted in some western states, for instance, in Illinois and Ohio, which were repealed when the Democrats came into power on the pledge to repeal these laws, which established a friendly feeling between the leaders of that party and the religious denominations having parochial schools, which asserted itself in the presidential election nearly to the same extent as it had in the state elections of 1890, although the national leaders of the Democratic party insisted that it was the position of the Democratic party on the tariff solely and alone, which gave them their victories in 1890, and they felt confident that the people would sustain them to the same extent in 1892.

In Wisconsin as well as in Illinois and Ohio, the Democratic party was in possession of the state governments. In Wisconsin the administration of Gov. George W. Peck was very commendable. It had carried out its promise in repealing the obnoxious Bennett law; it had carried through the supreme court to a successful conclusion its cases against the former state treasurers for the return to the state of the interests paid to them by banks on state deposits which they kept as their own. It had thereby established the principle that interests on state money deposited in banks belonged to the state. The amount recovered by the state from the last two state treas-

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urers amouned to something like $300,000 alone. Taxes were reduced, and the state was growing in population and wealth. Under those circumstances the state Democracy entered into the compaign of 1892 with the full con- fidence of holding its strength, in which it was not disappointed.

It had good leaders in Senator William F. Vilas and Gen. Edw. S. Bragg, who was as popular as Senator Vilas, even more so by the older members of the party. A United States senator in place of Philitus Sawyer was to be elected by the next legislature, which gave particular zest to the Democrats to carry the state, and General Bragg was supposed to be the logical candi- date for the place as the foremost Democratic statesman next or as the equal to Vilas. There was a spirited canvass, the Republicans nominating Col. J. C. Spooner much against his will for governor, who made a strong can- vass against great odds, and was defeated, but left at least his party united for the future.

The vote in Marathon county was :

For Grover Cleveland 3.791

For Benjamin Harrison 1.959

For Thomas Lynch, M. C .. 3.761

For Myron H. McCord, M. C 1.937

For Governor Peck 3,820

For John C. Spooner, Republican candidate for gov- ernor . 1,90I

Thomas Lynch was re-elected to congress, as well as the Democratic state ticket, both assembly districts in Marathon county were carried by the Dem- ocrats, electing A. B. Barney of Spencer and John Ringle of Wausau, as also the entire Democratic county ticket, to wit: Adolph Salzmann, sheriff ; William J. Gehrke, county clerk ; J. C. Berg, county treasurer; C. F. Eldred, district attorney: Edward C. Kretlow, register of deeds; Hugo Peters, clerk of circuit court: P. C. Werle, county surveyor ; Charles Quandt, coroner, and F. Strupp, school superintendent.

The election for United States senator did not pass off as wished by the rank and file of the Democrats. Gen. E. S. Bragg received the most votes in the caucus, but lacked a majority, Alexander Mitchell of Milwaukee being a strong competitor, with Col. J. H. Knight of Ashland a third candidate.

Senator Brown and Assemblyman John Ringle voted in the caucus for Colonel Knight, seeing that their votes could not give Bragg a majority and in the hope that by staying with the third candidate they would prevail upon

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their co-supporters to go to General Bragg when the general break-up would come. But the deadlock lasted a long time, and when the final break-up came, Messrs. Brown and Ringle voted for Bragg, even when they saw his defeat staring them in the face. The other member from Marathon county had consistently voted for Mitchell against the strongly expressed wish of not only the Democrats of the county, but the people without regard of party as well. Alexander Mitchell was in Milwaukee a very popular man; he had generously spent large amounts of money for charitable and humani- tarian purposes, which was rightly or wrongly construed against him, inas- much as he had not done much else to endear him to the party. He was elected through the efforts of a lobby from Milwaukee in his favor, and charges of corrupting the vote of members of the assembly and senators were made, but no proof was ever offered on that score. Nevertheless it gave the Republican party a chance to hurl the cry of corruption upon their opponents 1894.

In 1893 a financial panic not unlike the panic of 1873 paralyzed business. It is not within the scope of this book to attempt to analyze the causes of the disturbance, but the fact must be mentioned. It began with the failure of the great banking house of Baring Brothers in London in previous years, had spread over Europe and South America and made itself felt in this country.

The distress following in the wake of this panic was not near so severe in Wausau as in other parts, especially in the crowded factory and tenement districts of the country, and farmers were less affected than any other class. It is true that lumber shipments ceased entirely for a while; that mills were shut up for a time; that many men were consequently out of employment ; but municipal works undertaken at that time here at Wausau in that period tempered to some extent the rigors which otherwise would have been more seriously felt.

The party in power was of course held responsible for the business stag- nation, and the year 1894 witnessed a complete political revolution in Mara- thon county as well as everywhere else. The Democratic party seemed to be swept out of existence in the nation. It had elected 244 members to the house of representatives in 1892, but in 1894 only 104, and these almost without exception from the Southern states. The Democratic majority in Marathon county was nearly wiped out.

The administration of George W. Peck in the state was a splendid suc- cess. It had in final judgments for the benefit of the people in money and judgments, which were absolutely good, the sum of a little over $600.000,

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all against ex-treasurers for interests on bank deposits which these treasurers had received from the banks and kept. It had been honest and economic and was free from bossism. But it had to suffer for the business depression, together with the national government.

George W. Peck, Democrat, for governor received in Marathon county, 3,272 votes; William Upham, Republican, for governor, received in Mara- thon county, 3,049 votes; Thomas Lynch, Democrat, for congress, re- ceived in Marathon county, 2,765 votes; and Alexander Stewart, Republican, for congress, received in Marathon county, 3.557 votes and was elected the first member of congress from Marathon county since Walter D. McIndoe. It is a curious fact that Alexander Stewart after the death of W. D. McIndoe succeeded to his mill property and also to congress, which latter event, how- ever, took place twenty-two years after McIndoe's death.

The eastern assembly district of Marathon county elected George Wer- heim, Republican, and the western district, Robert Plish, Democrat; the county officers were divided between the two parties, the Republicans elect- ing their candidates for district attorney, A. L. Kreutzer; Theo. Beste, for sheriff ; Gustav Braeger, for county clerk; and the Democrats, Carl Paff, for county treasurer; Edward C. Kretlow, for register; Hugo Peters, for clerk of circuit court, and John F. Lamont, for school superintendent; Dr. D. Sauerhering, coroner, and William N. Allen, county surveyor.

Another Wausau citizen was elected to an important state office, William H. Mylrea, for attorney-general of Wisconsin.

In canvassing the county A. L. Kreutzer took a prominent part and laid the foundation for his fine public career.

The county clerk, Gust. Braeger, died soon after election, and the county board filled the vacant place by electing William Gehrke, who had been defeated in the election.

1896.

In the years from 1894 to 1896 business had revived to some extent, but was still far from being satisfactory. The Wilson tariff bill had been passed, and manufacturers were almost a unit in naming it as the cause of the hard times. Others laid it to the financial condition, especially to the contraction of the currency, which undoubtedly had taken place under Cleve- land's administration, and the unconditional repeal of the silver purchasing clause of the Sherman act, and it was apparent that both of the great political

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History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 19

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1042

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042