Jasper County, Missouri - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 21 of those read), 1912

County Politics

The **Boy8 in Blue" - **329'' Presentation to Col. W. P. Cloud- Campaign OP 1882 - 1884-8 - ^Local Option Election 1887 - Court House Elections - Campaign op 1888 - ^Webb City Democbatio Flambeau Club - County Schools in the 'Eighties - J. M. Stevenson 1887-93 - The Jasper County Teachers' Normal.

The presidential campaign of 1880 was a most exciting one. The tariff question was a prominent factor and many members of the Greenback party voted with the Republicans on account of the peculiar interest of the miners and sheepraisers in that issue. Col. J. W. Campbell of Carthage, a prominent member of the Greenback party, went back to his old love and took with him many of the Greenbackers.

Shortly before the close of the campaign a fusion was effected between the Republicans and Greenbackers which resulted in a combination ticket being elected. Colonel Cloud, the Republican chairman, pushed the work of organization and led his party to victory, the Republican-Greenback county ticket being elected by 1,200 majority. The important features of the fusion were as follows: The Republicans supported Ira S. Haseltine of Greene county for congress, and placed on their ticket I. C. Hodson for member of the county court. Western district of Jasper county, and J. M. Ralston for assessor. The Greenbackers, in turn, supported M. C. McGregor of Carthage for circuit judge.

One of the important factors in this campaign, locally, was the ^^Boys in Blue'* - a political marching dub formed at Carthage by CoL J. W. Campbell, which participated in and created much enthusiasm at the Republican Rally and in Republican rallies all over the country, appearing at Carthage, Webb City, Joplin and other places. The organization numbered some 600 uniformed men and was officered as follows: FiEU> AND Staff Officers.

The following^ composed the successful county ticket : Circuit judge, Hon. M. C. McGregor; representative, D. A. Preston; prosecuting attorney, T. B. Haughawout; collector, Harry Hubbart; assessor, J. M. Ralston ; treasurer, A. H. Caffee ; surveyor, Kos. Elliott ; public administrator, Isaac Fountain; coroner, Barney Bristow; judges county court, (East district), J. I. Hall, and (West district), I. N. Hodson; sheriff, R. M. Roberts.

After the election the Republicans of the county presented Colonel Cloud with a gold headed cane as a testimonial of their appreciation of the efficient work he had done for the party. The Carthage Banner makes the following mention of the presentation in its issue of November 25, 1880.

To-day, the 329th day of the year, a number of the personal and poUtlcal friends of Col. Cloud took possession of his office, found him absent, sent a committee in search of him, found him after an hour's search, and proceeded to the business of the hour. Among those present we noticed Col. Campbell, Mr. Cooper, MaJ. Moore, Capt. Tuttle, Capt. Buckbee, John BrownsUl, T. A. Wakefield, Henry Miller, Prof. Cabot, Mr. Cholwell, T. B. Haughawout, W. C. Bates, J. D. Clarkson and Mr. Chase.

Col. Campbell advanced to the front and In a few very appropriate remarks, presented to Col. Cloud a heavy and very finely engraved gold watch, and solid gold chain and charm, purchased from Messrs. Cooper and Kirke at one hundred and fif t^r dollars. On the inside case is the following inscription :

Col. Cloud was visibly affected when the costly gift was placed in his hands, and his response was at times almost overcome by his feelings. He had been kept in ignorance of the intention of his friends and was completely taken by surprise. He returned his thanks in a happy manner and distributed the credit which had been ascribed to him, impartially among his party associates all of whom he regarded as having done their duty, and that he had done nothing more. The Colonel has endeared himself to his friends and richly merits the confidence which their actlop to-day implies. The Banner congratulates him upon his success, and the party upon his chairmanship.

-The "829" engraved on the watch refers to the 829 delegate* to the National Repub- Hcan committee who voted for General Grant for a third term for the prertdency. and who loyally «ipported Garfleld after hi. nomination. Colonel Cloud had be«i originally a Grant

In 1882 the Democrats and Oreenbaekers joined in the organization of a party which was known locally as the Anti-Monopoly party and elected the greater portion of the county ticket by small majorities.

The following were the successful candidates, the figures. given being their majorities: Circuit clerk, I. C. Hodson, Anti-Monopoly, 325; recorder of deeds, J. P. Newell, Anti-Monopoly, 449 ; county clerk, John N. Wilson, Anti-Monopoly, 83; sheriff, R. M. Robens, Republican, 256; prosecuting attorney, T. B. Haughawaut, Republican, 83; probate judge, W. H. Kilgore, Anti-Monopoly, 375; county treasurer, W. S. Carson, Anti-Monopoly, 277.

In 1884 the Republicans and Greenbackers in the state joined forces and nominated Hon. Nicholas Ford of St. Joseph for governor. The Greenback party did not nominate a full county ticket, but the members generally voted with the Republicans who elected their ticket with the exception of the two candidates for the legislature and the candidate for

The following were the successful candidates : sheriflE, John C. Bailey, Joplin; collector, Robert H. Hottle, Sarcoxie; prosecuting attorney, William Robinson, Webb City; county commissioners, J. M. Ralston, Madison township, and W, B. Halyard, Joplin; assessor, Ashcraft (D), Webb City ; county clerk, Jesse Rhodes, Carthage ; surveyor, K 0. Miles, Joplin; public administrator, Isaac Fountain, Oronogo; representative (Eastern district), William Randal (D) ; representative (Western district), S. H. Claycomb (D).

The vote on president was as follows: Blaine, Republican, 4,128; Cleveland, Democrat, 3,311. It will be remembered that at this election Cleveland was elected president the first time and the Democrats of the county, as elsewhere, went wild with excitement; jollification meetings were had in every city, town and hamlet W. H. Phelps of Carthage was this year chosen as one of Missouri's delegates to the national convention of the Democratic party and supported Cleveland for the nomination.

1886 was an oflf-year. Nothing especially out of the ordinary occurred during the campaign and a mixed ticket was elected, each of the two great parties securing a part of the important ofSces.

reelected ; presiding judge, county court, J. M. Werks ; associate justice, Eastern district, Wesley Ralston; associate justice. Western district, C. J. Hubble; representative Eastern district, C. M. Etter; representatiye, Western district, David Hopkins ; coroner, Jesse Adams.

At the session of the general assembly for 1887 the Local Option law now on the statute book was passed and Jasper county was one of the first counties to vote on the question of forbidding the sale of liquor in the county. The temperance people made a vigorous schoolhouse campaign and won by a majority of 1,514.

Joplin, Webb City, Carterville and Carthage were not included in the totals as, under the terms of the law, they were not included in the territory affected. Carthage voted on the proposition and also shut out the saloon.

Twice during the 'eighties the people voted on a proposition to build a court house and each time the proposition was voted down. At the first election the proposition was defeated by Joplin because of the belief that the appropriation would not be sufficient to construct a suitable building at Joplin. The county also voted almost solidly against the issue being opposed, especially in the eastern district, to two court houses.

At the second election in 1887 Webb City defeated the proposition, it being their idea to have a criminal court at that place. The vote at the second election was ''for," 1,813; ** against," 3,116.

The campaign of 1888 was by far more interesting than the last one and in point of excitement was more lively than any other election of the decade.

The following was the presidential vote : Harrison, Republican, 4,523 ; Cleveland, Democrat, 3,685; Streeter, Union Labor, 985; Pisk, Prohibition, 68.

The following county ticket was elected: representative (Eastern district), John Flannigan, Republican; representative (Western diisk trict), Joseph Fountain, Republican; sheriff, J. C. Miller, Republican; collector, L. M. Murphy, Republican; prosecuting attorney, J. H. Dryden, Democrat; judge Eastern district, Thos. McNalley, Republican; judge Western district, C. J. Hubbell, Republican; treasurer, John Garland, Republican; coroner, J. W. Stemmons, Republican; assessor, W. C. Cohenour, Republican; surveyor, Gteorge Bradford; public administrator, Isaac Fountain.

In each of the presidential campaigns the two old parties usually held half a dozen or more great rallies at some point in the county, and in these the manoeuverings and displays of the organized marching clubs always creates excitement and helps to stir the enthusiasm of the members of the party to the highest pitch.

We noted in our chapter on the 'seventies the excitement caused by the Hayes Light Guard and in this article, in narrating the happenings of the campaign of 1880, the enthusiasm caused by the marching club known as the *'Boys in Blue." In the campaign of 1888 there appeared an oi^anization known as the '*Webb City Democratic Flambeau Club,'' which has been an important factor in every campaign from that time to this, the body never having been disbanded.

The oflScers of the club were: Captain, A. A. Heulett; first lieutenant, D. R. Mock ; second lieutenant, W. S. Chinn ; first sergeant and secretary. Dr. McBride; bugler, E. E. Spracklin.

The Club had an attractive uniform of white duck with red helmets, leggings and other trappings to match. The Company numbered one hundred and fifty men and by nightly drills during the early part of the campaign they became a splendidly drilled organization and whereever they went set the crowd of spectators wild with excitement. During the eleven campaigns in which they have participated they have marched in almost a hundred demonstrations.

To illustrate the popularity of this organization as a political marching club, we relate the following incident which occurred during the campaign of 1892: The Democrats of Columbus, Kansas, had planned to close the campaign with a monster rally on the Saturday night before the election, Saturday in a farming community being the day best fitted to get the people to town. The Webb City Flambeau Club was invited to lead this great procession, but had declined on account of its being Saturday night. Those living in the mining community will readily understand what Saturday night is, in tt business way, to Joplin, Webb City, and Carterville.

The Columbus Democracy were greatly disappointed at the declination of the Webb City Flambeau Club and sent a committee to ur^e the attendance of that celebrated organization, but Captain Heulett said that it would be impossible to get together enough men to make a creditable showing, as fully one-half would receive their week's pay after 5 o'clock - and the business men themselves could not afford to leave their stores.

R. A. Long, the great lumber dealer, then a resident of Columbus and chairman of the committee on parade refused to take ''no" for an answer, and on Saturday morning, the day of the rally, a second committee came from Columbus to Webb City bringing a personal and urgent letter from Colonel Long, the letter among other things stating that there would be a special train at the Memphis depot at 7 o'clock to carry the Webb City Flambeau Club to Columbus and that the parade would be held pending their arrival. At this third appeal Captain Heulett called his officers and a few of the members to his store for consultation and it was agreed that if sixty men would promise to go that they would take part in the parade. Six men with bicycles started out to see the members; they went to the stores, shops and mines, and at noon reported that seventy-five men had agreed to go. Mine operators were seen and asked to pay off the men as early as possible; the good wives were commissioned to do the week's trading; as early as half -past six the club had started toward the depot and at 7 o'clock, when the train pulled out 125 members were on board.

The division superintendent gave them a clear track to Columbus and the special seemed to hit only the high places and steamed into Columbus at twenty minutes after eight. The train was hardly at a standstill when the clear notes of Colonel Spracklin's bugle sounded **fall in," and in less than five minutes the pride of Jasper county's Democracy was at the head of the column and leading the southeast Kansas Democratic cohorts, ten thousand strong, through the streets and among the public squares of Cherokee county's seat of justice. After the parade the Webb City Flambeau Club were served a sumptuous repast by Colonel Long, who was the marshal of the day.

This club has contained on its roster quite a number of prominent men to whom political honors have come, among them: Congressman James A. Daugherty ; Ex- Attorney General E. C. Crow, Ex-SheriflE Ab. Rich, and Ex-Mayor E. E. Spracklin.

S. A. Underwood, who had served the county as school commissioner since 1877, retired from the superintendent's office at the spring election of 1883, declining to be a candidate for reelection, and was succeeded by J. H. Frank, one of the strong rural teachers who resided in Carthage.

Mr. Prank continued the policies mapped out by Mr. Underwood and kept up the high standard of the county schools. Mr. Frank was a famous walker and thoroughly enjoyed the exhilarating exercise of a country stroll and during his term of office, as a matter of choice, made nearly all of his visitations on foot.

At the spring election of 1885 Philip Arnold of Joplin was elected county school commissioner. Mr. Arnold paid especial attention to spelling and penmanship and a marked improvement in these two branches was noted. At the close of his first year as superintendent Mr. Arnold made a strong address before the County Teachers Association on the subject of uniformity in text books and compulsory education, setting forth at length the almost insurmountable obstacles of classifying the rural schools - ^with the great variety of text books in use.

Mr. Arnold was succeeded in 1887 by J. M. Stevenson of Carthage, and his administration was marked by the introduction of the County Normal.

Perhaps the most important happening in the public school history of the county during the 'eighties was the organization of the Normal, a summer school for teachers of the county, instituted by J. M. Stevenson, county superintendent, in 1887-93. During the ten years this county Normal was conducted it was a great benefit to the teachers, for it brought to their door a summer school with advantages equal to any of the state normals; for the same course of study pursued at the state institutions was in use and the instructors were from the best which the county and state could furnish.

The first session of the County Normal was begun July 29, 1887, at the high school building in Carthage, and was attended by 220 teachers and students. Among the instructors were Superintendent Stevenson, Superintendent Hawkins of Nevada, E. E. Dodd of Carthage, Superintendent Bray of Clarence, Mo., V. L. Vawter of Medoe, and J. E.

One of the features of the Normal was its Literary Society. At the first Normal Literary in 1887 J. E. Locke, then principal of the Smithfield school, was chosen its president, and set the pace for a high standard. At the 1888 meeting Miss Izora Scott, teacher of elocution at Fort Scott, who was one of the instructors, was the president of the society, and in 1889 W. M. Wharton, afterward county superintendent, guided the destinies of the literary. The Normal News, a weekly paper read before the Society, was one of the most enjoyable features of the program. Its editorials on school management and its local witieisms were much enjoyed.