Johnson County, Missouri - Chapter 11, 1881

Chapter 11

The first election for state officers in Missouri was held on Monday, August 28th, 1820. The state officers at this time consisted of a governor, lieutenant-governor, one representative in congress, and senators and rep¬ resentatives of the general assembly. , The number of the latter the con¬ stitution provided should be fourteen senators and forty-three representa¬ tives.

As we have seen before, the state was not admitted to the union, at the time of this election- The question of admission, however, was virtually settled and upon the ultimate result of the application the election was held. It resulted as follows: governor, Alexander McNair; lieutenantgovernor, William H. Ashley; member of congress, John Scott.

Historical Sketch Of Missouri

John Scott is worthy of more than passing mention. He, it will be remembered, had since the expiration of Rufus Easton's term of office, constantly held the position of territorial delegate. He had ably repre¬ sented the people in advocating the act of admission and as an argumenta¬ tive speaker and sound statesman had won distinction in the national councils. The first election held as above stated, had a double office to perform in selecting not only a representative for a remainder of a term of congress chen existing, but also for the succeeding term. To both positions Scott was elected almost unanimously, and in fact he held his office until 1827. He was a man of education and talents and is to be remembered as one of the leaders of his time.

The general assembly elected, met in St. Louis, September 19, 1820. James Caldwell, of Ste. Genevieve, was elected speaker of the house, Wm. H. Ashley was president of the senate. j

The first work of the legislature was the appointment of three supreme judges, each of whom was to hold office until sixty-five years of age. The following are their names: Mathias McGirk, John D. Cook, John R. Jones.

The next duty performed was the election of two United States sena¬ tors: David Barton and Thomas H. Benton. Barton being very popu¬ lar, was elected without opposition. But Benton had five competitors Ballotting brought no result, and in the hopes of changing the tide, the legislature importuned David Barton to choose his colleague. Barton favored Benton, who, though he was personally unpopular, having fought and killed, in a duel, a son of one of the members, received thus a large number of votes. Still he had not enough to elect him. Every effort was put forth, and finally when only one vote was lacking, Thomas H. Benton was elected by having a sick member, Daniel Ralls, brought into the hall upon his bed, being unable to move, and receiving his vote. Ralls soon afterward died, and as a mark of respect to his memory, the legislature called Ralls county after his name.

During the session, the following counties were organized: Callaway, Chariton, Cole, Gasconade, Lillard, (now Lafayette,) Perry, Ralls, Ray and Saline. The seat of government was fixed at St. Charles until October 1st, 1826, when it was removed to Jefferson City.

The year of 1824 saw many presidential candidates in the field: Adams, Clay and Jackson were the most prominent. Missouri, for the first time, felt an earnest interest in national politics. Her voice for the first time was to be heard within the august councils of the already far-famed union, a free and independent power. The number of candidates in the field for president projected the idea that the electoral college would make no choice, and that it would therefore devolve upon the house of representa¬ tives. This feeling made the canvass for member of congress in Missouri heated and exciting. Three candidates were before the people, but John Scott, so long their servant and efficient officer, was elected. Time showed that the grave duty of choosing a president, did devolve upon the house - of representatives, and also that the choice of the people was not mis¬ placed.

the gubernatorial honors. Bates was successful, succeeding McNair as the second governor of the State. Mr. Bates had held many offices, both civil and military, and discharged the trusts imposed in him faithfully and well. He was a citizen of St. Louis. His term of office, as the highest ruler in the growing state, was short, his death, of pleurisy, occurring sud¬ denly, August 1st, 1825.

Abram J. Williams, president of the senate, filled the office until Sep¬ tember, when, at a special election, John Miller was elected governor and Benjamin H. Reeves, lieutenant-governor.

In 1824-25 the constitution provided for a revision of the laws of Mis¬ souri. Two distinguished citizens - Henry S. Geyer, speaker of the house of representatives, and Rufus Pettibone, one of the supreme court judges, had been appointed to make the revision, subject to the approval of the general assembly. They did their work carefully and intelligently, and on February 11, 1825, the assembly passed an act providing for the publica¬ tion of the laws in two volumes, with scarcely an ^Iteration of the work of the revising committee.

Age lends majesty to the historic figure. The serenity of life after long years of action is sublime. And the hero of hard-won battles becomes the patriarch of peace. Moving among us, silently, these characters weave a spell over the wasting strifes that make the sum of many a human life, and temper our hearts to reverence.

In 1825 a champion defender of human liberty visited the land. His brain and blood had been given without scant that America might be free. After years of prosperity had passed, he came to revisit the states he had loved so well. This historic figure - this battle-scarred hero - was Mar¬ quis de Lafayette.

With the ivy coronal of sixty-eight years clustering about his life - and when the dark shadows were fast lengthening toward the east - he came, and met the gratitude of a faithful nation and the glad reverence of thou¬ sands of humble hearts. He visited each of the twenty-four states in the union. His journey was a "triumphal march." Everywhere he was received with an ovation.

On the 29th of April, 1825, he reached St. Louis from New Orleans. A most enthusiastic reception was tendered him - thousands of people greeted him everywhere. Public balls and banquets ruled the hour, while private hospitalities were unbounded.

The first general assembly that met in Jefierson City was in 1826. It was numerically the fourth. At the time of admission, congress granted four sections of land upon which to locate the capital, and the constitution provided that it should be upon the Missouri river, and within forty miles of the mouth of the Osage. The commissioners, after much wrangling, finally settled upon Jefferson City.

Of late years an effort has been made to submit to the people a consti¬ tutional amendment providing for the removal of the seat of government to Sedalia, Pettis county. At the two last sessions of the legislature this bill, to submit an amendment, has failed to pass. It was, no doubt, a wise selection, originally, to place the capital at Jefferson City - it then being the center of the state and an accessible point - but a period of settlement and progress covering fifty-five years have wholly unfitted it for the purpose. The buildings, too, are far behind the times. A few more years will, no doubt, make the removal a matter of history.

The building was a rectangular brick structure, two stories high, without any architectural beauties. The representatives occupied the lower story, the senators the upper. An anecdote is told of a representative who presented his credentials to the secretary of the senate. "This belongs to the lower house," said the clerk. "Where is that? " asked the gentleman. "Downstairs." "Why," said the man, "I saw them fellows there, but I thought it was a grocery."

This building was destroyed by fire in 1837. The Cole county court house was then used until the completion of the present capitol in 1840.. This structure was erected at a cost of $350,000. It is beautifully situated upon a bluff of the Missouri river, and commands a most picturesque view of the wild river, and the opposite time-scarred rocks and low-lying lands of Callaway. Bayard Taylor is said to have pronounced the scene one of surpassing interest.

1828 saw at hand a state and presidential election. Thus far little atten¬ tion had been paid to national politics. But history records this cam¬ paign as one of the most virulent and bitter contests ever witnessed. Adams and Jackson were the candidates. Local politics began to assume color from the national, and sharp lines of party issue divided and dis¬ tracted the people. An electoral ticket of three was appointed by each side, and the most strenuous efforts made toward election. It is stated that the Adams party polled 3,400 votes, and the Jackson party 8,272, making the total vote of the state at this time 11,672.

John Miller was re-elected governor, Daniel Dunklin was successful over four opponents for lieutenant-governor, while Spencer Pettis after a close contest was elected representative in Congress.

A singular fact has lately come to light as a part of the unwritten his¬ tory of this time. The state had but lately been admitted to the union, and the fires of the slavery agitation were fast becoming'extinct. Slavery no longer affected politics, but there seems to have been growing a feel¬ ing of repugnance to the institution. The idea of gradual emancipation seems to have taken hold of the public leaders of the day, among whom were Benton, Barton, Shackleford and Wilson. The Missouri Historical Society has preserved among its archives an autograph letter by the lat¬ ter, in which the scheme is set forth:

In 1827, (I believe it may have been in 1828), I was one of those who attended a private meeting in that good old state, when about twenty of us, claiming at least to be party leaders, about equally representing every district of the state, of about equal numbers of democrats and whigs. Colonel Benton and Judge Barton were present. One object that brought us together was, to consider how we should get rid of slavery in Missouri. We unanimously deter¬ mined to urge upon all candidates at the approaching election, and resolutions were drawn up and printed, (in secret) and distributed amongst us, with an agreement that on the same day these resolutions, in the shape of memorials, were to be placed before the people all over the state, and both parties were to urge the people to sign them. Our combination, too, then had the power to carry out our project.

But the resolutions never saw the light. A New York fanatic was said to have entertained negroes at his table and among his daughters; and the public feeling in Missouri was imbittered to such an extent against the movement thereby, that it was determined then to make no effort toward emancipation. If this could only have been carried* out, what a hideous carnage might have been saved the young republic! But acci¬ dent often rules the course of mighty events.