Audrain County, Missouri - Chapter 18: Political History and Official Record, 1884

Chapter 18: Political History and Official Record

From 1836 to 1846, or during the first ten years of the county's history, party politics wielded but a slight influence in the local government of the county. While it is true that many of the first settlers from the earliest days possessed well defined political views and tenets, and were thoroughly partisan upon all questions pertain¬ ing to national or State elections, an indefinite number of candidates were usually permitted to enter the race for the respective county offices, and the one possessed of superior personal popularity generally led the field and passed under the wire in advance of all opponents.

In the early days it was not at all unusual to meet the energetic candidate for the sheriff's office, the treasurer's office, or the candidate who aspired to represent the people in the State Legislature, astride his horse groins: from settlement to settlement to meet with the voters of his county at their own firesides, to sleep beneath their humble roofs, and sup with them at their family boards, to compliment their thrifty housewives, and to kiss the rising generation of little ones.

The historian would not dare draw upon his imagination to supply the stock of rich, rare and racy anecdotes, molded and circulated by these ingenious canvassers, or to describe the modes and methods by them adopted to increase their popularity with the people. There was then no press, as now, to perpetuate daily events as they trans¬ pired. Many of the maneuvers and capers, successes and failures, with their pleasures and sorrows of forty and more years ago in this county, are hidden from us by the shadows of time. Darkness inter¬ venes between us and many sayings and doings of by-gone days, and could we but penetrate that darkness and gather them in, they would shine out upon the pages of this history " like diamond settings in plates of lead." In vain have we tried through the lens of individual recollection to ferret them out. We could not do it. Our dis- couraged fancy dropped the pencil and said 'twas no use. We could not paint the picture. A little consolation may be found in these lines : -

In some of these early campaigns the various candidates for a sin¬ gle office, and sometimes those running for the different county offices, would travel together from settlement to settlement throughout the county. Every camp-meeting, log-raising, shooting match, and even horse race occurring in the county during the season preceding elec- * tion, was a favorite resort for the electioneer, and every honorable device was adopted by each candidate to develop his full strength at the polls.

For many years after the settlement of the county, no political conventions were held, and the result was that a number of candi¬ dates entered the race for the same office.

Until 1854 or until the organization of the Native American party, the county was nearly evenly divided between the Whig and Demo¬ cratic parties. The candidates for the Legislature generally brought out the votes of both parties, and upon several occasions the canvass was so close that the vote resulted in a tie - the difference at no time being very great. After the Native American party came into exist¬ ence, the Democratic party gradually became the dominant political organization of the county, and has continued to hold this position until the present time (1884). During the late Civil War, because of the " Ousting Ordinance," the Drake constitution and the test oaths, which were enforced by the State government, which was at that time in the hands of the Radical party, the Democratic party of the county was not in power. Of that period, Hon. S. M. Edwards in his brief but elegant sketch of Audrain county, says : -

From the central position of Mexico it was regarded as the military key to all North-east Missouri, and was seized early in the war, and was held during the whole period of the bloody conflict with forces of the United States government - varying from a company to a brigade. The court-house, the churches, and many private buildings were seized and occupied as barracks, as depots or prisons. Common soldiers were billeted upon private families, and large assessments were arbitrarily made on all suspected of sympathy with the South without even the plea of a military necessity. Unoffending citizens were shot down in the presence of their families. The foulest mur¬ ders went unquestioned, and the whole period of the war to the peo¬ ple of this county was a prolonged night of nameless horrors. The officers elected by the people went out under an act of the first con- vention, which imposed on all officers of government new and strange oaths of loyalty. Under the new regime , John P. Clark, J. B. Mor¬ ris and B. P. Ritchie were justices of the county court, with one George Yeiser, a sort of deputy provost-marshal, for their clerk, and John W. Gamble was appointed sheriff.

The civil administration was but the echo of military will. Con¬ scientious officers, who were willing to discharge their duties, dared not do so, unless in full accord with the party in power.

In 1862 James Harrison was elected to the Legislature ; John B. Morris, Norman Lackland and B. P. Ritchie, justices of the county court, B. L. Locke, clerk county court, John P. Clark, circuit court clerk, Amos Ladd, sheriff.

The election of 1864 was a mockery and a fraud. Armed soldiers guarded the polls, and while actual violence was not used, many good citizens either from disgust refused to vote, or from intimidation were prevented. At this election, W. D. H. Hunter was elected to the Legislature - Amos Ladd, sheriff.

When the war closed the condition of affairs was but little im¬ proved. The largest part of the citizens were, under the infamy known as the Drake constitution, disfranchised. At the instigation of men who had long lived among us, who had grown fat upon our farmers, our ministers were indicted by partisan grand juries, and arraigned as common criminals before the courts of the country for the crime of preaching the gospel of Christ without first paying reverence and doing homage to the loyalty of the party in power. School-houses were closed to every teacher who had sympathized with the South. Former friends and neighbors were estranged - farms stripped, and in many cases abandoned, and the whole people impoverished.

In 1866, notwithstanding a most villianous registration of the voters had been made by violent partisans, notoriously in the interest of their party, still the Democrats succeeded in electing fair and liberalminded men to all the offices in the county.

Election Of 1840

Although the county of Audrain was not so densely populated as its neighboring counties in 1840,- yet that election was of remarkable political excitement between the Whigs, with Gen. Harrison as their Presidential candidate, and the Democrats, who were as wildly excited in behalf of Martin Van Buren, who had beaten Harrison in 1836. At no time in the history of the United States were the people generally roused to such a pitch of political excitement as during this memorable campaign. A reference to the newspapers of that period will convey some idea of the frenzy which raged ; but the actual scenes which were witnessed beggar description. Men, women and children, for some months before the election, which occurred in November, seemed to have little else to engage their attention. Every village had its log cabin and tall Whig pole, representatives of the Whig party, whilst the hickory poles loomed up emblematic of Gen. Jackson and the Democratic party. Mighty crowds were assembled in the log cabins to hear inflammatory speeches and indulge in potations of hard cider, while the Democrats met in council at their headquarters, heard and made speeches, etc. All parties sang and drank during the campaign quite as much as was necessary, and considerably more. It was the commonest event to meet hundreds of farmers' wagons loaded with from 15 to 20 of both sexes, singing and roaring as they wended their - way to some point agreed upon, where they were to listen to the elo¬ quence of some great party leader and exhibit their patriotism.

Political Watchwords

" Tippecanoe and Tyler, too," was the Whig watchword, accom¬ panied by promises of " $2 per day and roast beef " to every work¬ ingman under Harrison's administration.

Among the influential Whig politicians who took more or less in¬ terest in the elections, from 1837 to 1850, were James Harrison, F. P. Canterbury, W. L. Wayne, John P. Clark, J. B. Morris, Robert Calhoun, William N. Campbell, R. C. Mansfield and John P. Beatty. These gentlemen were great admirers of Henry Clay and Whig prin¬ ciples.

The Democratic leaders were James Jackson, A. B. Tinsley, John Turner, J. C. Canterbury, Richard Lee, Dr. William H. Lee, Caleb Williams, Martin Oslin, John R. Croswhite, and others of more or less prominence who resided in different portions of the county. About the year 1850, or 1852, an attempt was made to organize another county out of a portion of Boone, Montgomery and Audrain, which was to receive the name of Bourbon. Saling township was to be taken from Audrain and attached to the new county. The scheme, however, did not succeed. In 1870, or 1872, another attempt was made to organize a new c 4v, to be named Orrick, after Hon. John C. Orrick, of St. Charles coTmty. This effort, like the first, was a failure.

Probate Judges. - The Probate court came into existence as an in¬ dependent tribunal in 1872, probate matters having theretofore been under the jurisdiction of the county court. George B. Macfarlane, (first judge), 1872; S. M. Edwards,4 1874.

1862 - John B. Morris, Norman Lackland, B. P. Ritchie, appointed in the place of W. D. Sumner,1 who went out under the test oath. 1864 - Norman Lackland, B. P. Ritchie, John B. Morris.

1 W. D. Sumner was elected one of the judges of the county court in August, 1860, but failing to subscribe to the test oath, his seat became vacated in December, 1861.

The recorder's office became a separate and independent office in 1870, it having been theretofore connected with the circuit clerk's office.