Mower County, Minnesota - Chapter 49: Early Political History, 1911

Story of Early Political Parties and Contests Told by Jacob N. Nicholsen - East and West Side Fights - Nominees and Results of Elections in Antebellum Days - War Time Politics - Exciting Days for Mower County.

The early political history of Mower county is interwoven with her general liistory. It is exceedingly difficult to winnow out those facts which rcliilo solely to llic politics of the community Avithout taking witli Ihciii ;i iiiiiss of related information.

1855 - There had been no election in the county prior to the year 1855, so it may with reason be said that the history of county politics begins with that date. The Sixth Territorial Legislature in February of that year had established the boundaries of the county. On July 25, both the Republican and Democratic state conventions were held at St Paul. In the Republican convention Mower and Freeborn counties were entitled to sixteen delegates but only one was present and voted. It was not a question of Republican and Democrat that agitated the voters of the county in that day, for the Republican party had only just been born. In fact, it was not a question of politics anyway that interested the voters, but rather the question of East and West; whether the east side of the county or the west side should control the county. The east side put forward as their candidate for the territorial legislature one W. B. Covell, a Democrat. The west side pinned their faith to A. B. Vaughan, a Republican. Under a tree at High Forest the polls were spread and when the ninety-seven were counted it was found that A. B. Vaughan had received a majority of the votes. Mr. Covell, however, made the return to the register of deeds at Houston, and from him received a certificate of election and thereupon qualified, was sworn in and took upon himself the duties of the office.

1856 - In 1856 Governor Gorman appointed the first board of county commissioners and they met at Frankford on April 7. George White and Phillip Howell were present. William Russell vras absent. It was their duty to locate the county seat. Whether they performed that duty or not is perhaps a question - it is discussed elsewhere in this volume. The proceedings of the county commissioners and the actions of the county seat removers failed to take the county seat question wholly out of politics for some time thereafter. Even after the seat of the county government had been permanently located at Austin, an attempt was made to have it removed to Ramsey. Two tickets were before the people at the general election, which was held on October 14. The "People's Ticket" was put up by the westsiders and a "Union ticket" by the eastsiders. The candidates on these ticket were as follows: People's ticket: Representative, J. M. Berry; register of deeds, R. L. Kimball; sheriff, J. B. Yates; treasurer, S. P. Bacon; surveyor, N. P. Todd; commissioners. W. B. Spencer, G. H. Bemis, H. C. Blodgett; judge of probate, A. B. Vaughan ; coroner, 0. Allen. Union ticket : Representative, T. H. Armstrong; register of deeds, W. B. Covell; sheriff, J. S. Pierson ; treasurer, G. P. Covell ; surveyor. M. K. Armstrong ; commissioners, William Spencer, C. F. Hardy, N. Goodsell ; judge of probate, C. J. Felch; coroner, J. Pierce. There were about 375 ballots cast. The People's ticket was successful tiu-oughout except for the office of county surveyor - Annstroug beiny elected to that office by a majority of 74. The other Union candidates were defeated by about forty to fifty votes. The Ciist side had heretofore been more favored in the distribution of ottiees, but now it passed to the west side, Avhere the majority in number has remained ever since. All but two of the olticers elected at the election of 1857 were from the west side, whereas previous thereto the east side had all but two or three. The list of the candidates at this election discloses many names whicii were of considerable importance in the subsequent i^olilical history of the county. J. M. Berry, the successful candidate for representative, was not a jMower county man. His home at the time of his election was at Lanesboro in Fillmore county. He subsequently removed to Faribault, in Rice county, which he represented in the state legislature of 1863. He was raised to the Supreme bench in 1864, and held that position until the time of his death in 1889.

1857 - The legislature had authorized a special election to determine the location of the county seat. That was held on June 1, and Austin Avas the place designated. The east side electors cast their votes for Brownsdale. M. Berry had put through the territorial legislature a bill to cut off the twelve north sections of ranges 14 and 15, thus eliminating the voters of High Forest from the county seat contest, which occurred nine days after the enactment of the bill into law. On July 6, pursuant to the vote of the electorate, the county commissioners, by resolution spread on its records, located the county seat definitely and permanently at Austin, Avhere it has ever since remained. A constitutional convention was called in 1857. Each representative district was entitled to two delegates. This was held to mean two delegates for each representative and two delegates for each member of the council. The constituional convention was particularly important at this time on account of the slavery and anti-slavery agitation. Mower county, with Houston and Fillmore, constituted the Eighth district, and it was entitled to fourteen delegates. The two conventions, holding sessions in either wing of the capitol and finally adopting the instrument of identical wording as the constitution of this commonwealth, l)elongs to the general ratlier than tlic political history of the county. The representatives from tliis district seated in the Republican wing were as follows: Alanson B. Vaughan, Clark W. Thompson, John A. Anderson. Charles A. Coe, N. P. Colburn, Joseph A. McCann, IT. A. Billings, Charles Hanson, H. W. Holley, John Cleghorn, A. H. Butler, Robert Lyle and Boyd Phelps. The Democrats coufcstcd Lylc's seat, claiming that at least thirty-nine vdhi-s ot Ficchoin cniinly liad crossed the imaginary line that marked its eastern boundary and that by their votes Lyle was elected fraudulently over Thomas Armstrong. Armstrong was seated in the Democratic wing on August 11, but was not on the original role of that body. James C. Day was the fourteenth delegate. He was the only uncontested Democrat from this district, and Avith his brethren of the same political faith he occupied a seat in the Democratic convention. In the general election of 1857 the following named persons were elected to county offices: Clerk of court, J. E. "Willard; treasurer, A. S. Everest. Everest had arrived in the county in March of that year. These men were all from the west side. On the state ticket the county divided into Republican and Democratic camps but the county ticket was a geographical one.

1858 - The Republicans put in nomination for the various offices the following men : Senator, H. C. Rogers ; representative, S. Bostwick ; register, D. Blakely ; sheriff, G. W. Bishop ; surveyor, C. E. Carter ; auditor, D. B. Johnson ; coroner, O. Allen ; probate judge, no candidate. The Democrats also had a ticket in the field, as follows : Senator, W. B. Covell ; representative, 0. B. Morse ; register, E. AV. Ford ; sheriff, J. B. Yates ; surveyor, J. P. Jones ; auditor, Isaac Smith ; coroner, Joseph Richards ; probate j,udge, G. M. Cameron. The Democratic candidate for probate judge had no opposition and was elected. Otherwise the whole Republican ticket was successful, with a majority of about 125 out of 670 votes.

] 859-1860 - The sources of information shed no light upon the political situation in these two years except barely to register the names of the newly elected officers. In 1859 T. J. Lake was elected treasurer; Ormanzo Allen, auditor, and C. J. Short was appointed county attorney. In 1860 Solomon Snow was elected register of deeds; E. D. Fenton, sheriff; R. A. Sherwood, clerk of court, and Robert Lyle, judge of probate. The census of the county taken in 1860 disclosed 3,216 inhabitants. In December of that year "The Minnesota Courier" put forth its initial number and was for some time thereafter of considerable importance in the politics of the county. The Mower County "Mirror" had been tirst published in 1858. The Courier was a Republican journal through and through and din-ing the time of the Civil war was an ardent supporter of the administi*ation.

1861 - Between the election of 1860 and January, 1861, there appear to have been two claimants for the position of clerk of court. The books were in the actual possession of the Democratic claimant until shortly after New Y''ears in 1861, when Lyman Sherwood, tlie Republican claimant, obtained possession of the books and thereafter held the office. On August 29, the Republican convention was held at Frankford. There was practically no opposition to any name proposed other than that of L. A. Sherwood for clerk. He received twenty-one votes, and B. F. Jones, editor of the Courier, received twenty. Jones in his next newspaper issue claimed that he had not been a candidate. The nominees of the convention were as follows: Representative, S. AV. Bostwiek; representative, H. C. Rogers; judge of probate, Robert Lyle ; treasurer, Sylvester Smith ; clerk of court, Lyman A. Sherwood; county attorney, Calvin Short; coroner, O. Alien. The "Union" party had a state ticket in the field, but it Avas withdrawn by the state central committee in September, leaving only the Republican and Democratic tickets in the state contest. On September 25 a call was issued for a Union mass meeting to be held at Brownsdale on the 28th. It bore over a hundred and fifty signatures. This convention put the following persons in nomination: Representative, H. H. Shook; representative, P. C. Shetfield; treasurer, T. J. Lake; clerk of court, B. F. Jones; court commissioner, J. T. Sargeant; county attorney, G. M. Cameron; county commissioners, Adam St. John, J. W. Gregg, and G. T. Angel. The vital portion of the platform of this convention was contained in this plank: "Resolved, That we, the people of Mower county, in mass convention assembled, do hereby abandon every party line and all party differences and rally upon the one common platform, to urge an unflinching prosecution of the war, to save every inch of our country's soil, to save every letter of her constitution and every principle of her sacred liberty." Jones, the nominee of this convention for clerk of court, declined to run; Lake, its candidate for treasurer had previously announced himself as an independent candidate, after having been defeated for renomination in the Republican convention. Hints of bad business methods and a "reasonable doubt" as to correctness of fees collected by the treasurer were used against Lake. The whole Republican ticket was elected.

1862 - March 1, Mr. Smith, the treasurer, obtained possession of the books from Mr. Lake. Lake had threatened to hold them until compelled to turn them over by process of law. It was claimed that lie was some H^B,000 short in his accounts. IMr. Lake had on hand Illinois and Wisconsin bank bills, state script, town orders, etc., in the revenue funds, and these were not passing at par. The county commissioners offered to stand one-half of the loss on these items and Lake to stand the other half, but that ho declined to do. The commissioners ordered suit brought against Lake, but before the papers were served the difficulty was adjusted by Lake accepting the terms offered by the commissioners. On August 7 a Republican county convention was held at Brownsdale. Austin, Lansing, Udolplio, Red Rock, Frankford and Adams were rej^resented. ^Messrs. Bostwiek, Rogers and

Suow were elected as delegates to the Republican convention, which was held at Owatonna, and which nominated William "NVindom, of Winona county, for representative in congress. The regular Republican party now styled itself the Union Republican party. A Union Repi;blican county convention was held at Austin September 26 ; the nominees were as follows : Representative, B. D. Sprague; representative, S. P. Bacon; register of deeds, Soloman Snow ; county auditor, Ormanzo Allen ; probate judge, Robert Lyle ; court connnissioner, D. B. Johnson, Jr.; county surveyor, J. T. Jones; sheriff, E. D. Fenton. The Democratic convention was held at the same village the day following; its nominees were as follows: Representative, William Buck ; representative, Thomas Gibson ; register of deeds, H. H. Vale ; county auditor, J. M. Wyckoff ; sheriflf, A. D. Brown ; court commissioner, Alonzo Patchin ; judge of probate, Robert Reed. A Union county convention irrespective of political parties was held at Brownsdale October 11. Its call was signed "by request of many citizens." It put this ticket in the field: Representative, A. B. Vaiighan; representative, J. M. AVyckoff; register of deeds, Sachett Seers ; county auditor, G. M. Cameron ; sherilf , James T. Sargent ; probate judge, H. I. Parker ; court commissioner, B. F. Jones ; surveyor, J. P. Jones. A public letter from L. N. Griffith to G. M. Cameron and a reply from the latter, stating that he would perform the services of county auditor for a salary of $250 per annum, instead of the $500 Avhich had been paid, brought on an interesting and entertaining newspaper correspondence mainly between Mr. Cameron and C. J. Short. At times it was considerably more pointed and personal than polite. The election resulted in a general Republican A'ictory.

18(33 - August 19. tlie state convention was held. The call covered "the Republican and all other unconstitutional Union men who are earnest and honest supporters of the administration." Mower county had two votes out of 129. The Republican county convention was held at Fraukford August 12. It put in nomination the following candidates : Senator, B. D. Sprague ; representative, Royal Crane; representative, Augustus Barlow (botli from Dodge county); treasurer, Sylvester Smith; c(mnty attorney, 11. R. Davidson : county commissioner, J. E. Robinson. Le Roy sent two delegations. The convention seated one-half of each delegation and allowed each to select its own delegate. The Democrats called their county convention for August 15. at Austin, to elect delegates to attend the state convention at St. Paul. Their nominees for county officers were as follows: Senator, V. P. Lewis; r'^presentative, Jolin Fulton; representative, James M. Rider; treasurer, John Af. Wvckofl'; attornev, O. B. TVIorse : court commissioner, E. Beldin. The Republican ticket carried ill.? election by about five to one. There was no People's ticket in the field. In Lyle and Nevada there wasn't a Democratic vote cast.

.1864 - The Republican county convention Avas held at Brownsdale September 1, with ten precincts represented. The party was now designated as "Union," "Union Republican" and "Republican Union" as well as "Republican." It placed the following named men in nomination: Representative, Royal Crane; representative, C. D. Tuthill ; register of deeds, E. A. Hudson; auditor, Ormanzo Allen; sheriff, W. F. Grummon ; attorney, C. J. Short; probate judge, Robei't Lvle; court commissioner, E. B. Crane; surveyor, A. B. Vaughan. On the first formal ballot for register of deeds Hudson and Soloman Snow tied. The Democratic county convention was held at the same place two days latter. Its nominees Avere the following : Register of deeds, L. R. Hathaway; auditor, 0. B. Morse; sheritf, J. F. Smith; probate .iudge, Benjamin Carll ; attorney, G. M. Cameron ; court c*jmmissioner, li. Stewart. Soloman Snow came out as an independent candidate for register of deeds and was successful. Otherwise the election was solidly Republican. The Republicans were usually known as "Union" and the Democrats were st.yled "Copperhead" by their Republican opponents.

1865 - The Union county convention Avas held at Austin September 1. The nominees Avere : Representative, C. J. Felch ; representative, D. B. Johnson, Jr.; treasurer, Sylvester Smith; clerk of court, L. A. SherAvood. The Democratic convention AA-as held at the same time and place and put in nomination: J. i\L Wyekotf for representative ; Armando Sprague for representative; Martin Litchfield for treasurer; James B. Clark for clerk of court. Henry C. Rogers, of IMoAver county, was the Union nominee for secretary of state. The Union candidates Avere elected.

1866 - In March, Judge Lyle resigned from the office of probate judge. The county commissioners approved Ormanzo Allen to fill the vacancy. Lyle resided on a farm south of Austin eight or ten miles and the traveling necessary to carry liim to his post of duty was tiresome to him. He had been a good officer so far as a layman could fill a judicial office. On February 7, an antimonopoly convention was held at St. Paul. It was presided over by T. H. Armstrong, of High Forest. The main object of the convention was to obtain loAver freight rates on the river boats and to hurry the construction of railroads in and into this state. On September 5, Sherman Page entered into the office holding position of tlie state by being appointed to the office of superintendent of schools at a salary of $400 per year. He assumed office iu October. Practically his first move was to eutcr iuto a newspaper controversy with Joseph B. Tallman, his predecessor, in reference to the October teacher's institute. At Le Roy, on September 15, the Republican party held its county convention. There were contests for half the places, but it apparently engendered no ill feeling. The convention nominees were as follows: Representative (west side), D. B. Johnson, Jr.; representative (east side), C. J. Felch; register, S. Snow; auditor, IT. M. Allen ; sheriff, D. J. Tubbs ; attorney, E. 0. Wheeler ; probate judge, Orraanzo Allen; surveyor, J. P. Jones; court commissioner, Ormanzo Allen ; coroner, D. 0. Allen. The party designation was now Republican only^ - the word Union having been dropped, but it was still used in the newspapers as part of the party name. The word Union was not eliminated from the politics of the day, for the Democrats promptly adopted it as their own, and called their convention under the name of "Conservative Union Party." It met at Austin September 22 and placed in nomination the following candidates: Representative, Andrew D. Brown; representative, Wallace Brownson; register, Simon P. Stewart ; auditor, 0. B. Morse ; attorney, A. A. Wright ; probate judge, J. M. Vandegrift ; court commissioner, Ormando Sprague. Both representatives were from the west side. Resolutions approving the ease of President Johnson were adopted. The election on November 6 was preceded by political apathy and resulted in a clear Republican victoiy in the county of about four to one.

1867. The fall elections resulted iu sending D. A. Shaw and E. K. Proper to the legislature and Sylvester Smith was elected county treasurer.

1868. The new county court house entered into the politics of the year. D. J. Tubbs, of Austin, was the contractor and $6,450 the contract price. Considerable feeling manifested itself in reference to the contract and its performance. The court house and the Austin school house were the cause of many rancorous debates - on the streets and in the press - and assisted materially in dividing the voters of Austin into the two camps which for some years after waged continual warfare on each other. A wide breach opened between Mr. Page, the school superintendent, and the school board, and the controversy waxed warm indeed - to the detriment of the school and its work. The Mower County Transcript entered the field at Lansing in April and plunged boldly into the political arena. April 25 a Republican club was formed at the county seat, not for the purpose of fostering the interests of the party in general but rather for the purpose of controlling the coming charter election at Austin. Following the one came anotlier. Attempt.s wei-c made to liririiioiiizc the two organizations, but the attempts proved futile. The result was that the Democrats made a clean sweep in the charter election, excepting only the minor office of civil justice.

June 24 the Republicans held their county convention at LeRoy for the purpose of electing delegates to attend the district convention at Owatonna. The county was divided between Dunnell men and "Wilkinson men. These diflt'erences had become pronounced prior to the town caucuses and much ill feeling was engendered. Frankford had gone so far as to send two delegations to LeRoy. The convention was apparently in the hands of the AVilkinson men and the temporary organization was perfected by them. The Bunnell men outvoted them on the question of election of a permanent chairman, but the temporary organization refused to give way to the majority. Inflammatory speeches with taunts and threats soon broke up the body, so that it Avas unable to work. The Bunnell men withdrew from the school house convention and called their own meeting to order in the depot. Each elected its own set of delegates to the Owatonna convention, and at Owatonna the fight was renewed. The credentials committee declined to pass on the merits of the claims of the two contending factions. After six hours of rancorous debate on the floor of the convention, after the "lie" had been passed and even blows exchanged, the Bunnell delegates elected in the rump convention Avere seated. M. S. Wilkinson, however, was on the thirty-seventh ballot nominated -for representative. In the depot convention at LeRoy caustic resolutions were passed; among them was one pledging work and votes against Sylvester Smith, the county treasurer.

In the Bemocratic county convention, held at Austin July 28, for the purpose of electing delegates to the district convention, there were but four precincts represented. The factional fight at LeRoy was carried into the regular fall Republican convention, which was held at Lansing September 16. One faction met in the school house and the other in the church. The school house contingent contained the same faction which had held the LeRoy convention in the school house and the church organization was the LeRoy depot faction. The nominees of each faction were as follows: School house - Auditor, II. ]\L Allen; register, J. T. Williams; attorney, C. J. Shortt ; judge of probate, C. F. Hardy; surveyor, II. S. Burke ; coroner, Orlenzer Allen ; sheriff, Allan Mollison. Church - Auditor, W. G. Telfer; register, George W. Robinson; attorney, J. E. Robinson; probate judge, J. P. Jones; surveyor, L. M. Gaskell; coroner, T. H. Sherman; sheriff, J. M. McKee. The Democratic county convention met at Austin October 2, with every precinct represented. Its nominees were as follows: Auditor, J. M. Wyckoff; register, L. R. Hathaway; probate judge, 0. B. Morse ; attorney, G. M. Cameron ; surveyor, A. D. Brown; coroner, P. C. Berry. Hathaway was elected register of deeds, otherwise the nominees of the Lansing school lioiise convention were successful.

1869. Smith, the county treasurer, was under fire, and on March 16 his resignation was accepted. Litigation later arose in respect to his official conduct. Two years later the board of county commissioners ordered suit brought against him on account of money converted. October 15 the Republican county convention was held at Adams. The Page and anti-Page fight which occupied the boards in Mower county politics had now become serious. The Page faction claimed to be a reform movement and only sought office for the purpose of purifying the county politics by ousting the "ring."

The nominees of the convention were "Reform" men and were as follows: Representatives, W. G. Telfer, H. A. Brown; treasurer, J. S. Irgens; clerk of court, John F. Atherton; court commissioner, E. 0. AVheeler. Sherman Page was elected chairman of the county central committee.

On the same day the Democratic convention was held at Austin and placed in nomination the following men : Representatives, G. M. Cameron, L. E. Pearce ; treasurer, J. M. Wyckott' ; clerk of court, C. J. Paddock; court commissioner, E. B. Clark. L. A. Sherwood ran independent for clerk of court. The election was a close one and the two parties obtained even honors. Cameron and Brown were sent to the legislature. Irgens was elected treasurer; Atherton, clerk. Clark was returned as being elected court commissioner by a plurality of one vote, but E. O. AVheeler was sworn in and held the office.

1870. The political complexion of the tickets were now Page and anti-Page. The Democratic ticket resolved itself into a "People's" ticket, in opposition to the Republican ticket which was known as a Page ticket. The Republican convention Avas held at Brownsdale October 11 and nominated the following men : Representatives, H. W. Page, W. G. Telfer ; auditor, J. P. Williams; register of deeds, G. W. Robinson; sheriff, A. B. INIeiggs; probate .judge, Jesse Rose ; attorney, L. Bourgard ; surveyor, G. W. Clough. The People's convention was held the day previous and nominated the following: Representatives, A. E. Peck, A. D. Fairl)anks; auditor, H. II. Shook; register of deeds, J. D. Allen; sheriff, Allan jMollison ; attorney, G. M. Cameron ; probate judge, L. N. Griffith; coroner, W. L. HoUister; surveyor, P. D. Vaughan. Bunnell was elected to congress over his Democratic oppoiu^nt, Buck, by two to one, but all the county nominees on the Republican ticket met defeat. The campaign had been a mudslinging one, the most scurrilous articles were published in tin- papers and each party most bitterlj' denounced the other. It was a part of the Page and anti-Page tight which continued through the impeachment of Judge Page and even until his removal from the state some time thereafter, and which is handled elsewhere in this work.