Knox County, Illinois - Chapter 19: Temperance, 1878

The general use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage by all classes and the direful consequences of its use prevailed throughout the county. There was nothing, however, in the custom of drinking peculiar to this county. In the absence of positive knowledge, we rather incline to the belief that for a long time it was less prevalent here than in other places, yet the " ardent " was freely used.

Although the evils of intemperance are still deplorable, a material change in the custom of drinking has been effected. Good men and bad men indulged in it then. The whiskey-jug was thought an indispensable help in the harvest-field or at house-raisings, log-rollings and corn-huskings; nor was the decanter, with its exhilarating contents, generally wanting at social gatherings.

A man meeting a friend near a tavern invited him to the bar to " take something," and any one was wanting in hospitality if he did not "treat" his visitors.

Liquor bought by the gallon, and even by the barrel, was kept in families for daily use. Before partaking of breakfast, the glass was passed around, to give an appetite. When bittered with some herb or drug, it was used as a sovereign remedy for most of the ailments flesh is heir to, and often as a preventive. Liquor being kept in the early country stores, some merchants were wont to treat their customers, especially when making large bills, and often beforehand, to sharpen their appetite for trading. Happily, these habits have become obsolete among the better classes of society, and it is hoped will never be revived.

While intemperance largely exists, it is evident it has, within the last 30 years, greatly decreased. We do believe that according to the population there are less than one-fourth as many drunkards in the connty as there were at an early day. This leads us further to declare that we do not believe the efforts put forth by temperance people have been a failure in times past.

That organizations have lived and flourished for a while and then gone down, prove nothing. All these organizations are but human instrumentalities, and are brought forth by the necessities of the hour.

Their design is to accomplish a certain purpose apparent at the time. It is not to be expected that they will be as enduring as the hills, or, like the church, so strong that " the gates of hell shall not prevail against them." If they accomplish a good work, for the time being, well and good. If it is found that there is a radical defect in their organizations necessitating a change, let it be made, and let us not imagine, because they are defective and have not accomplished all the good their most sanguine supporters anticipated, that nothing has been done. All over the country can be found sober, honest and good men, who, but for the efforts put forth by the members of some temperance organization that has ceased to exist, would now fill a drunkard's grave. Then we would bid God-speed to every effort of temperance men and women, knowing that as temperance increases our country will become more and more prosperous.

Many of the early settlers of this county would have their " bitters," and thought nothing of the harm it did. Indeed, the first license ever granted by the Commissioners' Court was for keeping a saloon. They charged only two dollars for the license, when a few days afterward a man paid ten dollars for a license to sell general merchandise. This would indicate that they considered the saloon a greater public benefit than the dry-goods and grocery store.

The only signs these fellows ever needed were for the taverns. They were gotten up in a crude way, but none could mistake the reading thereon, which generally was " Whiskey and Oats," or "Entertainment." Such signs would often be seen hanging from little log cabins.

The " Horse iZo?\spital," blazoned with red paint on the sides of a cabin in the rural districts, will be remembered by many an old citizen. Whiskey was generally sold for cash; all other goods on credit. Of course it was not expensive then, as we find for a long time it was sold for 12-| cents a pint, this price being established by the County Commissioners. When some of the fellows wanted to get on a tear, and had no money, they would manage some way to get the whiskey. A man living in Knoxville, bv the name of Lafferty, played a novel scheme to get whiskey. He, with five or six of his friends, wanted to go on a spree, and had no cash to buy whiskey with, but genius provided. Lafferty got a jug that had contained whiskey, but was now empty. He put some water in it from the public well, and then went to a grocery and called for a quart of whiskey, telling that the boys wanted to go on a tear, but didn't have quite enough whiskey. The whiskey was drawn, and Lafferty picked up the jug and started off without saying a word about paying for it. The proprietor told him to come back, as whiskey was cash. Lafferty said lie had no money. ""Well, yon can't have the whiskey, then," was the reply. Lafferty appeared mad and stepped hack, telling him to take his d - d old quart of whiskey. This was done, when immediately L. visited the public well, again putting in more water, then went to another place and called for a quart, had it drawn and again emptied back. Again he went to the well for more water. By this time he had his jug half full of pretty fair whiskey, but not strong enough; so he went into a third place and called for a half gallon, stating that he had some, but not enough. The whiskey was drawn, and again L. started for the door, without paying for it. As he expected, they made him come back, and took from his jug a half gallon. He again appeared mad, but it was just what he wanted to be done, and when he left the third store he had a half gallon of as good whiskey as the merchant had poured back into the barrel from the jug. This was a first-class article, and the boys were thus afforded a rare chance for a good drunk, after the most approved st37le.

Old Dr. Bowman, who was one of that kind of physicians who carried large saddle-bags, filled with tin cups, weeds and calomel, thrown over his horse, partook freely of this half gallon of watered whiskey, and got rather top-heavy. His old horse stood hitched on the square. The boys (there were boys in those days, and mischievous ones, too), tied the tail of the doctor's horse to the rack. The doctor finally went up to his faithful animal and got on, without noticing the condition of its tail. He got well seated in the saddle and then started off. The horse turning rather suddenly, the doctor fell to the ground, pulling his immense saddle-bags off on to him. "When these fell upon him the old fellow yelled out, "Murder! murder! enough! enough!" He supposed some one had jumped upon him and was pounding him. These and similar stories are told by the pioneers.

Robert Hendricks built the first water-mill in the county, on Court creek, six miles from Knoxville. This was a great place for many a year. lie afterward turned the mill into a distillery, and when he made the first barrel of whiskev, he came to Knoxville to get some of the boys to go down and have a spree. Six of them went, to have a big time, but after drinking the barrel of spirits they were still not drunk. The disgust pictured on the countenances of these men when they came back and gave their opinion of Hendricks' whiskey, was very amusing.

At the first 4th-of-July celebration held in Knoxville, when all were gathered around the sumptuously spread table and the blessings pronounced, glasses or gourds were filled and in hand ready to be drank at any toast that might be offered. Calling upon a minister who was present, he arose and offered the following: "The Temperance Cause: may it, like the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, roll on and on until it shall envelope the whole earth." Who could drink after such a toast? Profound silence reigned for a moment when, in a stentorian voice from the other end of the table, came: "A rolling stone gathers no moss." Up went the gourds, and down the contents. One lady cried out, " Fill me up a second, on that."

At a meeting of the citizens of Knox county, held at the courthouse Wednesday, March 29, 1854, in pursuance to a call of Parker Earle, agent of the " Main Law Alliance of Illinois." The meeting was called to order by W. H. Holcomb, President of the " Knoxville Temperance Society."

On motion, it was voted unanimously, "That it is expedient that this meeting do now proceed to organize a Count}7 Main Law Alliance." Accordingly the society was organized, a constitution, framed and adopted, and the following officers elected: W. H. Holcomb, President; Yice Presidents - A. C. Wiley, Galesburg, Stephen S. Buffum, Salem; William Maxwell, Abingdon; David H. Frisbie, Henderson; John Becker, Victoria; and E. A. Ellsworth, Elba; Secretary, John G. Sanburn; Treasurer, George A. Charles.

As early as 1849 strong feelings on the temperance question were manifested. The direful effects of the use of intoxicating liquors were no less heart-rending than at the present time. The societ}T of " Sons of Temperance " was doing a glorious work in the reformation of inebriates, about this period. The people of Henderson were awake to the destruction going on in their midst by this hydra of intemperance. Accordingly, during the summer of 1849, a series of meetings were held to devise means for the suppression of the traffic. Many strong resolutions were passed in opposition to the sale and use of ardent spirits. As these were the first we have any record of, we quote a portion of the resolutions adopted at a general meeting:

2nd. That every law-abiding citizen, every individual, who has the least spark of kindly feeling or philanthropy in his composition, is in duty bound to exert his influence to the utmost extent that it can be legally carried, to put a stop to the sale and use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage in this community.

4th. That we conscientiously deem the man who can be so dead to the interests of his fellow-man as by the sale of ardent spirits to scatter crime of the darkest dye, disease of the worst class, and death in its most dreaded forms upon community, broadcast, to be no less morally criminal in the sight of God, and to be no less so in the sight of man, than he who hires his neighbor to steal for his benefit, or who scatters contagion that he may reap a harvest therefrom, or murders for hire.

5th. That we deem it inexpedient for any friend of morality and good order to visit "Buck Lick" [the most noted groggery in town], except for moral or benevolent purposes.

6th. As it is publicly known that certain office-seekers in this precinct and elsewhere are in the habit of furnishing ardent spirits as a treat for the purpose of securing their votes,

At the first temperance meeting a committee was appointed to circulate a paper in order to ascertain how many were opposed to the traffic and the number in favor of it. The committee reported that out of those called upon, which included all over 13 years of age, 110 were opposed to the sale, one in favor, and fifteen refused to sign at all. These papers were then placed in the hands of a committee of ten, appointed to call on the liquor-sellers, and request them to desist with the traffic. All the satisfaction obtained from the dealers, of which there were two, was, that they would sell none in less quantities than by the quart, and that they would not suffer the liquor to be drank upon their premises. As it always has been in eveiw other place, it took a long, hard struggle to free Henderson from these groggeries.

Since those early Henderson meetings, and the arrival of the Galesburg colony, the temperance cause has been strongly agitated. It has been blessed with seasons of prosperity, and again, at times, but little interest has been manifested and felt.

In regard to temperance, the Galesburg colony were, in this respect as in many others, in advance of their age. They introduced a temperance clause into their very title-deeds; and the old First Church is to this day a temperance society, every applicant for membership being strictly questioned as to his temperance principles. The very first winter of 1836, while still in Log City, the temperance ball was set rolling in Knox county.

will remember that in those days a journey from Jacksonville over bad roads, bridgeless streams, and trackless prairies, was something more than a few hours' ride in a pleasant railroad coach - and a grand temperance meeting was held in an unfinished house. Knox county had never heard of such a thing before, and " Yankees" and " Suckers" came from far and near to attend, the latter considerably puzzled and astonished at the strange doctrine preached.

In February an enthusiastic mass-meeting was held in Henderson. There were other meetings throughout the county, and July 4th of the following summer a grand Washingtonian celebration at Knoxville This was the first time the earlier settlers (those who were here before the Galesburg colony came) had been reached to any extent. Many who had before been hard drinkers now signed the pledge, and, with their families and descendants, have been stanch upholders of the temperance cause from that day to this.

Some eight or ten years later there was a general interest throughout the State on the subject of prohibition. Knox county, of course, "shared in the interest, and meetings were held by Mr. Parker Earle and others. Notwithstanding the absence of all law on the subject, public opinion had up to this time kept liquor out of Galesburg, although, much to the annoyance of the colonists, it was occasionally sold beyond the outskirts of the village. Five or six years later there was another temperance excitement. Indeed, from the winter of 1836 the temperance element has been more or less active, particularly in Galesburg, where the sale of liquors was not legally licensed until 1872, and then but for one year until 1876.

All through the county much has been accomplished at various times, noticeably by Mr. Pease, " the Blind Apostle of Temperance," who has been for more than thirty years an active worker in the temperance cause in Knox county.

Nor must we forget to mention good old Father Gilbert, who was particularly interested in the children, and who often circulated pledges through the schools. The great crusade wave, which in the winter and spring of 1874 swept over Ohio and the adjacent States, was felt in Knox county.

Large mass-meetings and temperance prayer-meetings were held in Galesburg, and on election day the ladies visited the polls, and the anti-license ticket was carried; and it is said that, although there was intense excitement, the city election was never before conducted with such order and quiet. During the following winter Francis Murphy gave a series of temperance lectures in the city. The most pcrmanen result of his work was the formation of a Baud of Hope, under Miss Mary Allen West. This band is now organized in three divisions, and numbers more than five hundred children.

In February, 1874, was organized the "Woman's Christian Temperance Union," with Mrs. M. Wait, President; Mrs. II. S. Hurd, Secretary, and Mrs. Job Swift, Treasurer. This society has. worked widely and successfully, holding regular weekly meetings and arranging mass-meetings, gospel-meetings, lectures, etc., and has always had a large membership. Similar societies have been organized in most of the towns in the county.

The Galesburg Union in the spring of 1875 opened " Temperance Coffee Rooms" on Prairie street. These rooms were for three years the headquarters of the temperance work of Galesburg and vicinity. Prayer-meetings were held here each Sunday afternoon, other meetings and sociables during the week, besides much individual work among drinking men and their families being done.

In December of 1877, through the efforts of Dr. Henry A. Reynolds and some noble men and women of Galesburg and throughout the county, a very great interest in the temperance cause was awakened.

A great temperance tidal wave seemed to pass over the entire country during that year and the earlier part of 1878. Everywhere temperance meetings were held. The blue, red and white ribbon were seen attached to almost every coat and adorning almost every lady. The grand wave was at full tide in this county during this period. The intensest enthusiasm prevailed. The whole heart of the community, the cultured and refined, the degraded and depraved, rich and poor, one and all were actuated and moved by one mighty pulsation of common interest in the great work of temperance and reform. The rather conservative city of Galesburg was moved as it had never been before. The clergymen as a unit entered heart and soul in the work and with glowing, anxious hearts, winning words and personal influence assisted in the labor of love. Earnest work was the motto of all. Those who were moved by tender, loving sympathy in their hearts for fallen humanity, as well as those who had felt the pangs of intemperance in their own experience, worked in harmony and unity side by side. All minor differences and distinctions were lost sight of, and on every hand men of all classes met as brothers laboring in a common cause. So great was the interest and so general that within six days over 6,000 individuals signed the pledge, very many of them coming up from the very depths of intemperance and the degradation

Noble, earnest Christian women were the prime movers in this great work. It was their constant pleadings, their prayers and work for months and even jea,rs previous that started this grand move and kept it up until a continent felt its power. Knox county can boast of true, earnest Christian women, those who in the face of obstacles which would have intimidated most men or women have never halted or faltered in their labor of love. They have suffered coldness, indifference and even reproach from those they had reason to expect better things. Still in the language of the Apostle Paul they have said "None of these things move me," and have earnestly and prayerfully labored on.

In the early part of 1878 Sheldon W. Allen of Galesburg gave the use of a fine large room on the ground floor in his building on Prairie street to the Women's Christian Temperance Union for a period of twenty-five years, the only proviso being that it shall be used at all times for the principles of temperance and morality. This room, which is 24 by 72 feet in size, had been previously leased by this society and used for three or four years, Mr. Allen donating lioerally toward this. That Mr. Allen is a thorough temperance man and that he cannot be drawn away from his convictions and principles of temperance by pecuniary inducements is evinced by his generous actions in donating this room when he could have rented it at handsome figures. A party wanted it for the purpose of carrying on a billiard saloon and offered $800 a year for it, yet he firmly refused him. Three men were sent to induce Mr. Allen to change his decision, but he was as firm as an adamantine rock in his determination not to permit his property to be used for what he regarded as immoral and wrongful purposes. The last man that called was a particular friend of Mr. Allen. He urged the folly of throwing away $800 a year, and brought every conceivable argument to bear upon this strict temperance man, and when through received the following determined answer: "Go down town and bring all the preachers in the city up to plead with "me, and yet I will not be moved in my purpose not to rent my room for such uses." When we reckon the amount of this donation to the temperance cause we find it assumes vast proportions. Basing our calculation upon the room renting for $500 per year, which he has been offered for legitimate and unobjectionable business purposes, we find he has given $12,500. Counting interest at 8 per cent, on this sum we find the amount swells to $13,500. This

The clubs that were formed over^the county at this time and since have been active and energetic from the first. Under their supervision temperance meetings have been held in the smaller towns and country neighborhoods, Messrs. G. V". Dieterich, George Alden and Eugene Welch of the GalesbnrgClub being particularly active in this work. Through the instrumentality of these meetings many temperance organizations have been formed and many drinking men have been induced to sign the pledge, and the red ribbon gleams from many button holes, lighting homes hitherto dark from the shadow of the gin shop.

The Galesburg'Club established reading rooms on the corner of Main and Prairie streets, and to this building the W. C. T. U. has since removed. Quite a successful temperance movement was orsanized in Copley and Victoria townships by Mr. J. W. Temple, present Supervisor of Copley, in the fall of 1877. He planned and put into execution what he calls "The County District Temperance Organization." The plan includes a very strong pledge, which all the members sign. Weekly evening meetings in the district school-house arc held, where the programme includes music and literary exercises as well as temperance speeches. We believe that every school district in these two townships, and some in adjoining ones, are now organized and the work is still going on.

The following communication from J. W. Temple, of Copley township, to Miss Mary Allen West, of Galesburg, gives a history of the progress of the temperance work through the county at the present time.

Miss West: - In compliance with your suggestion I will write you a brief sketch of our progress in extending our new organization. We have steadily increased the rolls of members in every society and added to the number of societies since I wrote you last. Our own. school district has enrolled about 140 members, and as yet not one of the signers of the pledge has violated it, as far as we have heard, although many had fallen into the habit of drinking before. The Victoria society numbers between 80 and 90 members. At the Maxey church we have organized a very flourishing society, of about 80 members, which will soon be largely increased, I understand. This is one of the most religious and intelligent communities in the county, and moreover is noted for their excellent choir, - and their singing adds unusual charms to the meetings of the society. At the Hubbell school -house (No. 16) in Victoria we have a flourishing society; and and I had the pleasure recently of assisting to organize a very promising association at Truro Corners (the Parker school-house). This is a live community, and will push forward any work they undertake. Its president, Mr. J. W. Parker, is a gentleman of education and energy, whose influence for good in that community will be felt in this movement. We have about 400 names enrolled already in our organization, which is yet in its infancy. I cannot urge the importance of this movement too strongly on the people of the county. It seems to me, from the experience we have had and the readiness with which the people fall into the movement, that there only needs some one to lead off in every towTn, to assist in their organization, to soon have societies under successful operation in every school district in the county. I have no doubt, with a success no greater than we have made thus far in this locality, there can be ten thousand names enrolled among the county districts : even fifty to each school district would give nearly if not quite that number. If, as is generally admitted, the hopes and the glory of every nation rest on the virtue and intelligence of the country people, certainly any movement calculated to advance the cause ot temperance and morality in the rural districts must command the favorable attention of all who wish well to their country.

I especially wish to commend the experiment of uniting iyceum exercises and music to these societies. They attract, amuse, and instruct the young, and are in themselves a real blessing to communities that lack other sources of interest. Our school-houses have not sufficient capacity to contain the crowds who flock there to listen to and take part in debates and other exercises, and while, of course, the temperance reform is kept prominently in view, and the pledge presented at each meeting, and badges worn by the members, to keep the object of the association a paramount idea at all times. The opportunities afforded for social reunions and intellectual improvement would in itself well pay for the work of organizing these societies.

Our constitution makes it our duty to furnish aid to any community wishing to form societies under this form of organization ; and I will cheerfully give what assistance I can in furtherance of such object, by furnishing copies of our pledge and constitution, etc., to those who wish to try the experiment. The Held is a large one : who will become pioneers in this work? Can we not make such a success in Knox county as will ensure the example spreading over the whole State? The experiment is well worth trying.

Ribbon clubs and temperance societies have been tunned all over the county. Flourishing organizations exist at Log City and Soperville school districts, Henderson township, and in many other places.

Much temperance work has also been done in the public schools of the cities and towns. Many teachers have taken the Band of Hope pledge to their schools, and in some instances all of their pupils have signed it. This pledge is as follows:

"Trusting in God to help me keep this pledge, I do solemnly promise to abstain from the use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage, wine]or cider included ; from the use of tobacco in all its forms, and from all profanity."

There is no means of knowing how many children throughout the county are thus pledged, but the number must be very large. Many instances could be related showing that the children understand their pledge and keep it, under sore temptations. One member of the Band, while visiting in England, had wine urged upon him b}r his mother and other friends, under circumstances which made it exceedinglv hard for him to refuse; but he remained true to his Band of Hope pledge. Little Percy Smith, when dying from the injuries received from a railroad train, in the summer of 1878, was urged to to take brandy to strengthen him, but steadily refused, saying, " I am a Band of Hope boy, and cannot touch it." An amusing incident occurred the first summer. One of the Band boys had taken the pledge out to a country neighborhood and was urging a young friend to sign it. "Just wait till after harvest," replied the boy, " and then I will sign." "Why not before?" asked his friend. "Well, you see, in harvest we have to work so hard that we can't help swearing." At last, however, he was persuaded to sign, and report says that he did as much work that harvest, and did it as well as ever before, and without a single oath.

It is said that one of the city churches was induced to give up the use of fermented wine at the sacrament, by finding that a boy whom they believed to be truly converted, was deterred from uniting with the churcti because he felt that the use of fermented wine, even at the table of the Lord's Supper, would be a violation of his Band of Hope pledge.

History will some day turn to Galesburg as the starting point of the new system of temperance work among children, which was inaugurated by Stephe R. Smith, long known throughout this part of the State as a journalist of some repute. Mr. Smith is a native of Virginia, was prepared for college at William and Mary, and graduated with honor at a leading Northern institution. He was for some time a newspaper correspondent at Washington, and has since edited various publications in this county, but unfortunately indulged too freely in the cup. He reformed, and recently has taken the platform for temperance. His son Percy went with him, and intended going to G-alva on June 16, 1878; but on the 12th he was thrown from the cars, and in a few days died from the injury received. Before his death he asked his father to take his blue ribbon and his little sister Jessie, and go to the children with temperance. His father accepted the mission and organized temperance societies in many parts of Iowa and Illinois, and perfected a system of juvenile work now popular. The sad story of the boy's death, associated with his simple temperance pledge, seems to reach the children better than the old way, and to make an impression upon the youthful mind not soon forgotten. These juvenile organizations bear the banner of the dead boy, and are known as " Perc}7's Band of Hope," distinguished by numbers and pledge cards, for each State. These cards are embellished by a lithograph likeness of the little speaker, and contain the pledge and a brief account of the boy's death. Mr. Smith and his little daughter organized the first Percy Band in Iowa, at Davenport, Aug. 10, 1878, and the first one in Illinois, at Coal Yalley, Aug. 7. A Band was organized Sept. 21, at Galesburg. Master Leonard Camp was elected temporary Chairman, little Lillie A. Johnson, Secretary, and Miss Mary Hibbard, Treasurer. Subsequently Miss Carrie Elliot was chosen Matron. On Saturda}' afternoon, Oct. 12, the children of Knoxville were organized into a Band, Mrs. Waddle being chosen Matron, Miss Mary Sanburn, Secretary, and Miss Minnie Koons, leader of the choir. On Monday afternoon, Oct. 14, a Percy Band of 130 children was formed at Wataga, with Mrs. Albert Slater as Matron, Miss Mary Roberts, Secretary, and Miss Lillie Driggs, leader of the choir.