"History of Decatur County and Its People" Volume I

Prof. J. M. Howell and Heman C. Smith, Supervising Editors

The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, Chicago IL, 1915.
 
Chapter XV ~ Politics in Decatur County
Pages 182 - 189
When the County of Decatur first became a definitely organized territory of the State of Iowa, there were but two great parties in power in the country — the democratic and the Whig. Decatur County generally favored the former of these. This obtained especially in state and national issues, but, however, in the affairs of the county there was a different status. Until the year 1858, or until the occurrence of the Civil war, a political candidate for a county office depended largely upon his personal popularity and known ability rather than upon his particular party affiliation. The people willingly supported the man whom they thought best, although the majority were possibly adherents of the opposite faith. With the opening of the war, though, it became necessary for each man to be either a supporter of the Government or a secessionist; there was no middle ground. A man claiming to be strictly neutral would be considered doubtfully and very probably hostilely. After the struggle with the South the personal side of county campaigns again became evident, although in not such a pronounced manner as before. It is today that a worthy man may be successful in his home county politics even if his party is not the party of the majority of the people.
 
Historical And Political Reminiscences of Decatur County
By An Old Politician

Possibly the political history of Decatur County does not differ materially from that of the other counties of the state, but it will not be denied that our political campaigns have been more of the strenuous variety, mainly because the two parties have always been very nearly even in numbers. The democratic organization has ever been under the strictest discipline and led by shrewd and in many instances unscrupulous leaders. In no other county in the state is the opposition more alert and aggressive, and under such circumstances republican victories are only won by united effort and under a wise generalship. Both parties have always charged the other with machine rule, and bandying back and forth the epithets "boss" and "ring" are prominent features of every campaign.

Party lines were not closely drawn in our county prior to the presidential campaign of 1856. The pioneer settlers were too busy building homes and cultivating fields to attend the caucus and convention, and candidates for office were selected almost solely with reference to their personal popularity. A county seat fight which over-shadowed every other issue, prevailed for several years prior to the location of the county seat in Leon in the spring of the year 1853. Voters divided into the east and west sides and candidates on the east side ticket were generally successful as the members of that faction were more numerous.

Quite a number of pioneers settled in the southern part of Decatur County prior to 1840. Among them were the HAMILTONS, HATFIELDS, STANLEYS, McDANIELS, LOGANS, SCOTTS, MILLERS and BURRELLS. Allen and Andrew SCOTT arrived in the year 1836. Immigrants settled in the southern portion of the county because the boundary line had not been located and that section was supposed to have been in Missouri.

Allen SCOTT, who then resided near the present site of Davis City, was indicted by the grand jury of Buchanan County, Missouri, for selling whiskey to the Indians. The prosecution was not pushed, however, for the settlement of the boundary line question followed very soon after.

Prior to this settlement which occurred in 1853, a number of slaves were held in the southern part of the county. In 1852 John McDANIEL owned George, a colored man, and Mr. DUNCAN who lived near Lineville, owned a number of slaves. George died in slavery and was buried in the Pleasanton cemetery where a neat monument has been erected to his memory.

The first court case (mentioned elsewhere) was tried by Judge William McKAY. Judge McKAY'S knowledge of law was limited and he was strongly addicted to the use of intoxicants.

Samuel FORREY came to our county in 1855 and began to practice law in Leon. He organized the republican party in this section and was the first person who made republican speeches over the county. Up until the time he was appointed judge he was influential in the selection of county candidates and practically dictated the platforms of the party organization. Judge FORREY was born in Columbia, Penn., in 1825.

Party lines on sectional issues were more closely drawn in 1856 than ever before. The republican party that year conducted its first national campaign with its first national standard bearer, Col. John C. FREMONT, popularly known as the pathfinder. The republican party was in process of formation and practically absorbed the strength of the old whig organization. The main issue was, of course, the slavery question.

At the election in 1856 Decatur County polled 650 votes and Buchanan received 240 plurality. There was a strong know nothing sentiment in Hamilton Township and it cast a majority of its votes for Millard Fillmore. The county continued strongly democratic for many years, although in 1860 the republicans carried the most of the county ticket by small majorities. It may not be out of place in this connection to venture the opinion that the county always has been really democratic from the commencement of its history down to the present time.

The campaign of 1856 brought into the limelight of publicity a young man of more than ordinary ability who afterwards became a successful soldier, an able lawyer and jurist, a millionaire and a member of the United States Senate. When nominated for the Legislature by the district composed of the counties of Decatur and Wayne, Thomas M. BOWEN had not obtained his majority, though he has commenced the practice of law at Corydon. He was a native of Iowa, gifted as a speaker, a handsome, well-formed young man. After serving one term in the Legislature he lived successively at Bedford and Clarinda.

On the breaking out of the Civil war he entered the Union army and was promoted rapidly on account of his soldierly qualities. He was the friend and protégé of James LANE of Kansas and at the close of the war he was a brigadier general commanding. Having been mustered out of the military service he began the practice of his profession at Little Rock, Arkansas, and was soon afterwards made one of the judges of the Supreme Court. At the expiration of his term of office he was appointed governor of a western territory where he served several years and then located in New York City. Having lost all he possessed in speculation he returned to Arkansas, but finding the republican party out of power he remained but a short time, and finally located in Colorado. He began to practice and soon became a district judge. He made some remarkably lucky ventures in mining property and was soon reckoned among the wealthy men of that state. His election to the United States Senate is within the memory of all.

The democratic ticket in 1856 was constituted as follows: senator, John W. WARNER; representative, Thomas M. Bowen; clerk, George T. YOUNG. The republican candidates were: M. DUNCAN, senator; George A. HAWLEY, representative; Samuel FORREY, clerk. Dr. Samuel DUNN was an independent candidate for clerk.

A series of joint discussions were arranged between the opposing candidates and in pursuance of said arrangement meetings were held at Garden Grove, High Point, Funk's sawmill, Decatur City, Leon and Pleasanton. The meetings were well attended and all of the candidates participated in the discussion except Doctor DUNN.

At the Garden Grove joint debate R. D. KELLOGG, afterwards a major in the Thirty-fourth Iowa Infantry, made an attack on Mr. DUNCAN and charged him with bringing slaves into the state. Samuel FORREY replied that Mr. DUNCAN'S course showed that he was a good anti-slavery man inasmuch as he had set his slaves free by bringing them into the State of Iowa.

Mr. BOWEN usually paid special attention to his dress, but during this campaign his attire was so seedy that it attracted attention. Before the Decatur joint debate occurred I. N. CLARK and other democrats went to BOWEN and suggested that he improve his dress, as it hardly comported with the dignity of his position and to the one to which he aspired. BOWEN replied that the clothes he wore were the best he had and intimated that if they were not satisfactory he was willing to accept a donation. So the democrats chipped in and bought a new coat for BOWEN in order that he might present a creditable appearance for his joint debates.

The candidates traveled from one meeting to another on horseback. The joint debate in Leon was held in a building on the lot on which is now located the Advent Church. The entire democratic ticket was elected that fall by a good majority. The campaign was an educational one, free from personalities and charges of rings and bossism.

In the olden times the duties of the county treasurer and recorder were performed by the same person. The two offices, however, were separated in 1860 by provisions of law. The first treasurer and recorder was John BROWN who served in 1852. Abner HARBOUR served in the same capacity in 1853 and his successors in office were John JORDAN, Rev. Ira B. RYAN, Samuel C. CUMMINS, and J. C. PORTER.

John JORDAN served from 1854 to and including the year 1857. He was the father of Charles JORDAN later of Enid, Oklahoma, who served as deputy treasurer under Doctor THOMPSON. John JORDAN was a man of more than average ability and accomplished in business matters. He became a prominent member of the Methodist Church and was always a zealous democrat. He was a fair representative of a large class of democrats in the county who never ceased work for their party. Mr. JORDAN was considered quite wealthy at one time, but lost his wealth during the hard times of 1857. He owned the REED farm north of Davis City.

The first recorder of Decatur County was Luman N. JUDD who served in 1865 and was elected as a republican. He also served as county judge. He was a brother of Norman B. JUDD, one of the founders of the republican party and who probably was as anyone to insure the nomination of Lincoln for the presidency. Lu- man N. JUDD was a fine looking man whose abilities were marred by his eccentric conduct. He served in the Union army during the Civil war.

J. C. PORTER served the county as treasurer during the years 1864 and 186.5. He was succeeded by S. C. THOMPSON who served from 1866 to 1871. W. W. ELLIS was recorder from 1860 to 1868 and W. J. SULLIVAN from 1869 to 1876. George T. YOUNG was clerk of courts from 1856 to 1862; Nathan PERDEW during the years 1863 and 1864; Francis VARGA during 1865 and 1866; and Ed K. PITMAN from 1867 to 1870.

George WOODBURY was sheriff from 1860 to 1863; Ira B. RYAN in 1864 and 1865; and then WOODBURY was re-elected and served from 1866 to 1869.

Major KELLOGG was representative in 1860, Capt. John ANDREWS in 1864, T. H. BROWN in 1866 and Colonel PECK in 1868.

C. G. BRIDGES of Decatur City served as state senator from 1864 to 1868. BRIDGES could make a fair speech and was recognized as a man of ability. He was admitted to the bar and practiced law for a time at Decatur City. He was prominently identified with a railroad project which was to have been built from Duluth to Des Moines, then to Kansas City via Decatur and then on to Galveston. Considerable grading was done on the line between Decatur and Terre Haute. BRIDGES died several years ago in Kansas, having left the county shortly after his term of office expired.

In the pioneer days the republican party had but a slender following in the county and no conventions were held until the Civil war, when the party received many accessions.

In the old days the republican party was controlled by Samuel FORREY, Dr. John P. FINLEY and George W. HALE and year after year these three men met together and selected the candidates for the county ticket. Generally the tickets were very shrewdly made up and the party grew stronger until victorious at the polls in 1864. In 1862 Mr. HALE caused to be selected as republican candidate for clerk of the courts I. P. MARTIN, who was at home fresh from the battlefield of Shiloh where he was severely wounded. Mr. MARTIN had always been a democrat and went to the polls that fall and cast a straight democratic ticket. Not long afterwards, however, he experienced a change of heart and was always afterwards known as a staunch republican.

The political campaign of 1871, though not commencing until September, was one of the most acrimonious ever known in the history of the county. For the first time the existence of a courthouse ring was claimed and that the democratic party was dominated by a machine used for the benefit of an office-holding faction of the party. The democrats held their county convention September 2d and nominated the following ticket: Auditor, George BURTON; representative, Dr. S. C. THOMPSON; treasurer, George WOODBURY; sheriff, C. T. FRAZEE; county superintendent, E. S. BUFFUM; supervisor, Jacob HINER; and Mr. JENNINGS for surveyor. John W. WARNER and Doctor THOMPSON delivered addresses which elicited much enthusiasm among the faithful.

The republicans held their convention a week later and there was a good attendance, every township being represented in full except High Point. Candidates had previously announced themselves in the columns of the Journal. The ticket selected was as follows: F. TEALE, representative; Francis VARGA, treasurer; R. E. DYE, auditor; E. J. SANKEY, sheriff; J. L. HARVEY, superintendent of schools; A. B. STEARNS, supervisor; L. H. NORTHRUP, surveyor; J. S. HORNER, coroner. A County Central Committee was then selected as follows: P. O. JAMES, Albert TEALE, H. G. STILES, A. M. POST and E. W. CURRY.

In the campaign which followed both parties made desperate efforts to win the victory. The democratic organ, called The Pioneer, was edited by the late Ed PITMAN and he made a vigorous defense of his party. The democrats had control of the offices and their officials were charged with incompetence and boodling. Acting in the capacity of county attorney at this time was J. B. MORRISON, a lawyer of more than ordinary ability and a lifelong democrat. He joined the republican party and threw the weight of his influence against the democratic ticket.

The following is an extract from a letter written by Mr. MORRISON shortly before the election: "I have no quarrel with Colonel BURTON, but as the attorney of the county, I say to the people that I believe that there is some mismanagement. The taxes have been too heavy. I believe that illegal taxes have been placed on the books and collected off of a confiding public. The yoke has become so heavy that it cannot be borne longer. No official shall dodge responsibility and secure another election by calling 'mad dog' and then distracting attention in another direction. Our county has lost a thousand dollars or more by his mismanagement of road matters. Any man that will deny that will make a certificate that is untrue or scratch a record. I do not oppose the auditor on personal grounds, but because in common with others I want an investigation of the affairs of the county, as conducted in this office. He admits the accounts of the school funds were not correctly kept, because he could not deny it. The auditor of state sent a man here who straightened him and his books both out. Couldn't come that game with the Des Moines chaps. If the school fund has been wrongfully kept, may there not be something else wrong?"

The election occurred on the 10th of October and resulted in the success of the entire republican ticket.

It must be acknowledged in the light of subsequent events that the republican charges were entirely justifiable. There existed a political machine, with official incompetence and peculation, and the public interests demanded an entire change of officers. Fortunately the people acted none too promptly. The logical outcome a continuously organized ring is invariably prejudicial to the interests of the people. It means official incompetency and graft.

Rings have existed more or less ever since these days described above. Where there is politics there will be factions in either party, one undergoing the accusations and criticisms of the other. The solution and remedy is not yet in sight.
 
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