Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin - Chapter 3, 1880 (part 7 of 15)

From Denver, he returned not enriched by the work done for others, in time to devote his strength and brave heart to his country. At the age of fifty-four years, he offered himself as a private soldier to Col. Delaney, whose regiment was then in the State in camp. But just as he was leaving to take his place in the ranks, he received the appointment, through the aid of friends in power, of Lieutenant Colonel of the Eighteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, under Col. Alban. He was with this regiment in its first battle, so noted in the history of bloody struggles of the war, Pittsburg Landing. His men had not even received their full rounds of ammunition. In fact, the Eighteenth Wisconsin arrived at night, were pushed directly to the front, never having even fired a gun by file, and in the early morning was receiving the brunt of the first charge from the enemy. However, they fought well, and by 2 o'clock P. M., the- Colonel and Major were dead, Lieut. Col. Beall and Adjutant Edward Colman, now of Fond du Lac, severely wounded^ and the regiment cut to pieces. The youngest son of Col. Beall, Lewis Upton, seventeen years of age, was with his father throughout the whole fight, and showed himself worthy of his brave sire, whose coolness upon the field was remarked by oflScers and men on both sides. Lieut. Col. Beall was sent home to die, while his young son remained, proving himself a true soldier throughout the war, falling terribly wounded at the fatal storming of Petersburg, Va., dying at last after two years of unparalleled suffering with these wounds. Col. Beall, when he had only partially recovered, returned, against the advice of thfr surgeons, to his regiment, and was at the storming of Vicksburg, and in most of the battles in which the Army of the Tennessee took part before that event. After the capture of Vicksburg,. he returned home, and finding his health enfeebled by his old wounds and the Southern climate, he entered the Invalid Corps, and was given command of the rebel prison at Elmira, which,, uiider his charge, was noted for its cleanliness, and the prisoners have all testified to the humanity as well as justice shown them. At the close of the war. Col. Beall felt that his active work as a soldier was done, and too proud, as a "pensioner or in an office now unnecessary to the country, he resigned a position he might have held for years.

In 1867, he went with Col. Johnson, of Omro, to Montana, locating at Helena, and through his great frontier experience, soon became a prominent man in the fast-growing town. He at once took a leading interest in the welfare of the place, as he had nearly ten years before in Denver, and his well-known ability as connected with the history of Wisconsin, naturally pushed him into the politics of that Territory. This brought him into contact with George M. Pinney, then Postmaster at Helena and an editor.

Col. Beall. acting for the Government, charged Pinney with the acts of which the people of Helena complained, and afterward, as he entered Pinney's office, was shot twice by him. At Pinney's trial for the murder of Col. Beall, which Col. Meredith, commandant of the post, testified was a farce, and the jury an illegal one, he was acquitted.

To understand the character of Col. Beall, one should have known him personally, and should know well the history of the difierent elements which have made the varied American character.

For even among the diversified individualities produced by our peculiar American civilization, CoL Beall stands still unique and certainly unrivaled.

He was a "gentleman of the old school." His virtues were not of the austere type of New England ; his faults were not the glaring defects of the extreme South ; but if there be in character as in climate, a happy medium, then of such medium was Col. Beall a shining example.

His gentle blood, enriched by a long line of illustrious ancestors, gave a certain largeness to his whole being. So his generosity was always princely. His dignity was not too cold, thus repelling approach, but still too grand to permit familiarity. This largeness, so rare, made him above all meanness himself, and slow to suspect meanness in others.

William Stare occupies a prominent place among the illustrious dead, not only of Fond du Lac County, but of Wisconsin. He was born at Middleton, Conn., March 3, 1821, and was the youngest of eleven children. His father was a thrifty but poor mechanic, who died just before Mr. Starr was born, thus leaving him mostly the shaper of his own life and fortunes.

In 1829, when eight years old, Mr. Starr went to Lewis County, N. Y., then a new and sparsely settled country, and there lived on a farm with his stepfather for the next six years. He experienced many of the hardships of a pioneer life, occupied in clearing the lands of heavy timber, and in obtaining a scanty support. Neither could the advantages of a public school be enjoyed, nor could the boy be spared from hard and necessary labor to acquire a fair education. Still he seems to have improved to the utmost the meager opportunities furnished him for studying the common English branches, and became in them an apt and diligent scholar. He formed at this time the habit of learning the contents of his school-books in his leisure hours, after dinner, in the evenings, and on rainy days. He thus gratified, to some^jextent, his overmastering passion for reading. He literally devoured everything in the shape of books that came within hii reach. He always desired to become possessed of a complete education, a feeling in which his mother had a share. Therefore, at the" age of fourteen, he began school at the academy at Watertown, N. Y., dividing several of the following closely worked years [between books and severe labor on the farm. He preserved through his busy life the text-books used at this time, and at the time of his death, they were found neatly arranged among the choicest books of his library. They were free from rents, ink blots, dirt and broken covers. As difficult as the circumstances of Mr. Starr's life made the attainment of an education, he managed to go to the depths of classical branches, and through his busiest years did not relinquish the study and contemplation of mathematics, Greek and Latin. His earlier plan was to become thoroughly qualified for teaching, but after teaching two years in the public schools of Leyden and Watertown, N. Y., he resolved to abandon that vocation altogether, finding that he possessed ability of high order for managing large business enterprises.

It was then thought that the West afforded opportunities for gratification in this direction, and Mr. Starr, therefore, determined to emigrate to that section, which he did, landing at Kenosha, Wis., June 13, 1843. Not finding anything as anticipated, Mr. Starr opened a select school in Kenosha, July 5, of that year, in which were taught Latin and Greek, and all the higher English branches. Here he remained nearly two, years. Ilarly in 1845, he removed to Ceresco, now Ripon, where he opened a school, which was abandoned soon after for mercantile pursuits. In these he was wholly successful, as he was in managing the large farming and lumbering operations, in which he engaged later, and to which he gave some attention up to the time -of his death.

Mr. Starr was the second Postmaster of Ripon, holding his commission until March, 1850. He was a member of the Legislature in 1863-64, and also held various town and county ofiices, the duties of which were attended to with care and fidelity. He sought no offices, but always took a deep interest and an active part in all matters pertaining to local and State government and to the choice of public servants. His greatest labor, however, was in the educational work of Ripon' and Wisconsin, to which were devoted many of the best years of his life. ' A co-worker with Mr. Starr pays this tribute to his usefulness in that field of labor :

"In his connection with the Board of Rege^its of Normal Schools, he performed the most useful and lasting, work of his life. He was appointed a member of this board in 1^64, and three years after was elected its President. To this honorable and responsible office he was chosen annually thereafter by his associate Regents. His insight into educational problems and methods ; his rare abilities as a business man ; his careful and courteous regard for the opinions and preferences of others; his habits of close and independent thinking; his accurate judgment and his stern integrity of character, all qualified him for his leading position in the management of our normal-school enterprises, which must be classed among the most distinguished and suc- movements ever inaugurated by our State. It would not be appropriate in this article to describe the chaotic condition of the initial efforts of the State to create a normal-school system, when he became a member of the Board. We have not the time even to outline the operations of this Board for the past fourteen years in maintaining yearly our institute work, in the organization of the four Normal Schools, in the judicious expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the support of them, and in employing their Faculties and supervising their instruction and the progress of their pupils. A large share of. this varied and difficult work fell to him. His family state that he gave at least one-half of his time during all these years in attention to the duties of his position. He conducted for the Normal School Board an extensive ; he attended all the meetings of the Regents, as well as those of several of the important committees, serving generally as their chairman ; he frequently conferred with the Presidents and other teachers of the schools ; he visited them quite often, and inspected minutely their operations. His knowledge of every part of this gigantic system was complete and accurate. Quiet in his demeanor, modest in all his opinions, and never forward in presenting his plans, scarcely was a measure of any importance ever acted upon by the Board or its committees without consulting with him or without obtaining his approval. Few persons know so well as the older members of this Board how much the present efficiency of and the past success of our Normal Schools are due to his labors and judgment. I apprehend that none of us ever fully comprehended how great was the inmost satisfaction of his heart in witnessing the beginning and growth of school after school, and in supplying the means of high culture to so many youth in the State, who would be subsequently employed as teachers in our public schools. Several times in the past year, as I have conversed with him in reference to some feature of the schools, the work of some teachers therein, and the attainments of some classes under their instruction, I have' seen the large tears start in his deep-set eyes and roll down his undemonstrative face.

" His character is' so well known to the teachers of the State that I need not describe at length its traits. His interest in the passing events of the day was peculiarly prominent. On the railroad trains, at the hotels, and in his own home, unless employed by pressing duties, you would find him reading carefully the daily newspapers- While prostrated in his last illness, his entreaties to the attending physician to be permitted to examine the latest papers were really distressing. His love for some of the best works in our literature was permanent. He even cultivated the poetical spirit, and composed at different periods of his life some exquisite verses, showing remarkable smoothness of rhythm, deep and earnest feeling, and the most refined sentiments. His hatred of pretention and sham, and of duplicity and meanness, was prompt and in its expression. His self-forgetfulness and self-sacrifice in the administration of our Normal Schools were admirable. Associated with him for ten years in this work, I do not remember a single act or suggestion of his which could be interpreted as selfish. His judgment of men and their conduct was profound and just. A lady of culture and high social standing who was thoroughly acquainted with him said, while lamenting his death : ' I would prefer to have submitted to him above all human beings I have ever known, all the thoughts and acts of my life, and to abide by his decision.' He was thoughtful and independent in the formation of opinions, and possessed some of the dignity of an apostle and the firmness of a martyr in maintaining his ideas of right and duty. He required in all workings under his supervision the most conscientious fidelity, and he exhibited that exalted integrity in private and public life which was the natural fruit of a cultivated, pure, noble and upright spirit."

The subject of this sketch died at his home in Ripon April 18, 1879. He was buried on Sunday, April 20, 1879, under the Episcopal burial ritual, of which Church he had been, since 1862, a faithful and devout member. He was taken ill while absent from home attending to the duties of his office, thus literally dying in the harness ; and was buried within a few rods of his beautiful home and the college in which he had taken such a deep interest.

An Indian Scare

In September, 1862, when everybody was thrilled with horror over the terrible Minnesota massacre, and trembling with apprehension lest similar outbreaks should occur in other localities, the cry was raised, no one can tell where or by whom, that the " Indians were coming." Several parties had recently returned from the Minnesota massacre, and their stories of those bloody scenes had been repeated, thought over and exaggerated by the people, until the very atmosphere seemed to be filled with apprehensions, and everything was ripe for just such an ungovernable stampede as followed. During a still night, in the month just mentioned, the sleeping but apprehensive inhabitants of the city of Fond du Lac were startled by the entry of scores of teams driven at headlong speed and loaded with men and women shouting, " The Indians are coming!" The stream of rattling vehicles began to enter the city from the direction of Taycheedah, but before morning they were pouring in from all directions and in all conditions. It was a scene of the utmost fright, confusion, apprehension and downright fear. Reputable men, breathless and convulsed with fright, rushed in with blood-curdling stories of what they had seen. Those coming from one direction said Pipe Village was burned ; others saw Treleven's mill in ashes ; others had seen the yelling savages setting fire to grain-stacks in the town of Byron, and Lamartine was swarming with red men who were burning and butchering indiscriminately as they swept toward the city. Everybody was frightened, wild, crazy, foolish.' No story was too unreasonable for credence - in fact the more horrible and unreasonable the in-coming reports were, the more eagerly the crazed populace seized upon them as true. There were in the city of Fond du Lac, on that wild, dusty September day, at least two thousand persona who had seen " Indians " in all the surrounding towns, and beheld grain-stacks, barns, houses and mills in ashes. Business was entirely suspepded and people were buying fire-arms, fortifying houses, and running wildly about with horrible and unfounded stories to help others' fears. At T. S. Weeks' gun-shop several persons were employed to sell fire-arms as rapidly as called for, and every iron with a hole in it was sold for whatever price first came into the minds of the clerks. Every hotel was crowded ; the streets were literally jammed with teams, wagons, buggies and vehicles of every conceivable sort. Ox teams were goaded by hatless farmers over the roads at their utmost speed, entering the city with distended eyes and parched tongues lolling out. The men took turns at the whip to urge their frightened but exhausted horses at still greater speed, while half- dressed women and crying children clung to the bounding vehicles. The sick were hustled in their beds into the lumber wagons, and jolted in the most reckless manner to the city at the highest attainable speed. Some thrifty farmers loaded bureaus into their wagons ; some brought along the best cow, and some hurried away with parcels of worthless household furniture, leaving valuables behind. No one stopped to eat, and the bruised and jolted children were crying about the streets for food. A cloud of dust hung over the city, and all the roads leading into it, and the smoke from several fallows was indubitable proof to the trild-eyed throngs that the savages were applying their torches as they advanced. Finally, as the burden of proof seemed to indicate that the Indians were advancing in the direction of Calumet, a party was sent out to make a reconnoissance. They reached Pipe Village by the exercise of rare skill in dodging the scores of teams that were rushing wildly toward the city, and finding there, an individual who understood the art of drawing beer, went on a spree and did not return for two or three days.

Out in a field on the "Waupun Road," a half-blood Indian was chopping. He worked steadily on for an hour, but finally the headlong rush of teams and people toward the city wrought upon his imagination .until he was as thoroughly frightened as his white brethren, and,, with ax in hand, ran toward the road to beg for a ride to some place of safety. This was more than the fleeing palcrfaces could bear. Here was a real Indian - bare-headed, armed with an ax and on the run ! The foaming steeds were more desperately lashed in the increased frenzy of fear, and the poor redskin, more thoroughly frightened than ever, got no ride.

Finally the " scare " died out, as it had nothing whatever but imagination to feed upon ; but the ludicrous incidents which transpired during that memorable day would make a book of respectable proportions. The hungry, dusty, exhausted crowds returned home, most of them declaring they had "just started " for the post ofiice, or to buy snuflF, or tea, or groceries, when they heard the Indians were coming ! Everybody felt sheepish enough after the affair was all over, but gathered bravely on the corners and related how tJiey never felt the least bit of apprehension. In the mean time, the gun-shop proprietors counted their money and went East tO' replenish their exhausted stock of fire-arms and ammunition.

There was no foundation for the various rumors afloat at that time, and all rational theories utterly failed to account for the indescribable scene of confusion, fright and excitement that ensued, as it was well known to all that a thousand Indian warriors could not have been mustered in the whole State. At the same time, people from every direction reported that thousands of savages had fallen upon their particular neighborhoods. But Fond du Lac County was not alone the afflicted. The malaria of fright reached every town and village in the State, and even invaded the brave precincts of the Capitol at Madison, the Governor ordering the Milwaukee militia to march to the rescue of surrounding villages, which was done, thereby affording material for many a gibe in the newspapers.

There are to this day scores of rusty guns and pistols hidden away in Fond duLac County, which have not seen light since that memorable September day, and which will remain in their secure retreats until the men who bought them at ruinous figures have gone the way of all the earth.

First Things

The first political meeting ever held in Fond du Lac County convened at the Fond du Lac House, September 10, 1838, for the purpose of deliberating in regard to the organization of the county.

The first house, already described, was built in March, 1836, of logs, by the Fond du Lac Companj, at what is now the corner of Brooke and Rees streets in the city of Fond du Lac.

The first death, which has previously been mentioned, was that of Fanny, wife of Colwert Pier, which occurred March 1, 1838. At her burial, which was the first in the county, Rev. Cutting Marsh, a missionary to the Brothertown Indians, pronounced the first funeral sermon.

The first frame house was built on what is now known as the Phillips' farm on Section 7 in the town of Empire, in 1838, by James Duane Doty.

The first religious sermon was preached in the log house belonging to Dr. Mason C. Darling in the settlement where Fond du Lac now stands, by Rev. Jesse Halstead, a Methodist, on November 17, 1839.

The first nominating convention was held at the raising of B. F. Smith's log house in Byron woods, in July, 1839. Three county commissioners, a treasurer and a register were nominated.

The second white child born in Fond du Lac County was Harriet La Borde ; the third John Denniston's girl ; the fourth Matilda de Neveu, and the fifth and sixth (twins) C. K. Pier and Mrs. H. R. Skinner.

The first election was held August 6, 1839, when county officers were elected. There was but one ticket in the field, and ballots were written on pieces of paper of various sizes and colors.

The first marriage was that of Alonzo Raymond to Miss Harriet Pier, September 26, 1838, the ceremony being performed by John Bannister, a Justice of the Peace.

The first bridge was built by soldiers from Fort Winnebago in the fall of 1836, across the East Branch of the Fond du Lac River near Forest street. This was a real " stringer " bridge. A few weeks before, the same soldiers made a " log way " over Seven Mile Creek in Lamartine ; over Rock River in Springvale and Grand River in Metomen.

The first dwelling-house built by an actual settler was of logs on the Pier farm in the town of Fond du Lac, by Edward Pier, early in 1837. It was the second building of any kind in the county. The third building and second built by an actual settler was by George White in 1837, in the town of Calumet.

The first cow was brought from Green Bay by Edward Pier in 1838. The first pigs were purchased of the Brothertown Indians in the fall of 1837. They were stolen by the Indians. No pork raised by the settlers was eaten by them until early in 1839.

In May, 1845, the Baptists organized a church society, and in July of the same year the Congregationalists organized a society under Rev. Stephen Peet.

The first grist or flouring mill was built by Henry Conklin in 1841-42, on Section 7 in the town of Empire. The first saw-mill was begun late in 1837 by a Mr. Drake and another, and finished in 1838 by Dr. M. C. Darling, on Section 16, which is now just within the city limits of Fond du Lac.

The first hotel was the " Fond du Lac House," by Colwert Pier, opened in 1836 at Fond du Lac. The second was also called the " Fond du Lac House," opened at Fond du I^ac in 1838 by Dr. M. C. Darling. Both were of logs.

The first school was taught by a Miss Harriet Harding, from Hingham, Mass., in 1840, in Edward Pier's log residence, just south of the present limits of Fond du Lac City.

The first fountain was discovered by Theodore Conkey, on the corner of Main street and Western avenue, in the city of Fond du Lac, in the summer of 1846.

In 1838, as already noted, a post ofiice was established at Fond du Lac. The first mail was brought to the place February 5 of that year. The mail was carried for some time, once in two weeks, from Green Bay, by a half-blood Indian, on foot. Colwert Pier was the first Postmaster, but was succeeded the following year by Dr. M. C. Darling.

The first cheese in Fond du Lac County, made by a resident, was the work of Mrs. Reuben Simmons, in the summer of 1840, when, besides doing all the housework, cutting and making clothes for a family of seven, and assisting in milking, she made a cheese weighing from thirty to fifty pounds each day, only having the assistance of a girl some six weeks.

The first coroner's inquest, or such an imitation of one as could be had without legal forms or printed statutes, was held in the latter part of June, 1838, over the body of a Mr, May, whose wife, now deceased, afterward became the wife of Joseph King, now of Fond du Lac. Mr. May, ' who was a large, powerful man, had been engaged by Dr. Darling to come to Fond du Lac and operate the saw-mill, afterward known as the Clark mill in the town of Fond du Lac, and had started on foot from Green Bay. He ate breakfast at Wright's Hotel, in what is now Wrightstown, Brown Co., with G. deNeveu, now living in the town of Empire. He then ate but little and his voice sounded hollow and husky. He walked like one under a great burden of weariness, getting on slowly, calling for water, of which he drank unusual quantities, at nearly every house in Stockbridge. He walked still more heavily and wearily at Stockbridge, as though each succeeding step must be the last, and three days afterward was found dead against a tree by Narcisse Baudoin, a mail carrier, in Section 3, town of Taycheedah. As Baudoin was passing along he discovered a scent in the air which he recognized as putrefying fiesh, and on making a search found the dead man in an advanced state of decomposition, owing to the scalding heat of the June sun, to which the corpse was fully exposed. He told his story at Fond du Lac, and Dr. Darling, Luke La Borde, and others mostly Indians, went to the spot, when, with Mr. White, of the town of Calumet, something like an inquest was held. Mr. May's watch and papers were found and identified, and the body buried where it was found, as it could not be removed. His hands were stained with strawberries, showing his last earthly refreshment to have heen this delicious wild fruit, which grew in profusion in the vicinity of where the body was found. This was the second death and second burial of a white person in what is now Fond du Lac County. Mrs. May, his wife, had reached Fond du Lac Village a few days previous to his lonely death.

The first deed known to have been executed for land lying within the present limits of Fond du Lac County, was a deed of quit-claim, dated July 30, 1835, from Peter Paquette and Therese, his wife, to Barley Follett, all of Brown County, in consideration of $1,000 - conveying " all that section, parcel and tracts of land situate, lying and being on the River Fond du Lac, near the southern extremity of Lake Winnebago, known and designated by the survey made by the United States as Section 10, of Township 15 north, and Range 17 east." This deed was acknowledged on the 17th day of August, 1835, before M. L. Martin, Notary Public. It conveyed 640 acres of land, the south half of which now lies in the heart of the city of Fond du Lac. The first deed recorded in Brown County, of land lying in what is now the county of Fond du Lac, was dated two days subsequent to the one just mentioned. It is as follows:

Know all men by Ihese preaanta : That I, Louise Jarvis. of Green Bay, in the County of Brown and Territory of Michigan, in consideration of the sum of one hundred dollars to me in hand paid by Maxim Garvies, of the same place, the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge, have bargained, sold and quit-claimed, and by these presents do bargain, sell and quit-claim unto the said Maxim Garvies and to his heirs and assigns forever, all my right, title, interest, estate, claim and demand, both at law and in equity, and as well in possession as in expectancy of, in and to, all that certain piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being, in the County of Brown, and Territory aforesaid, bounded and described as follows, to wit: On the east side of Winnebago Lake, being the undivided one-fourth part of lots numbered one and two, in the northeast quarter of Section 27 (twenty-seven), in Township 17 (seventeen), north of Range 18 (eighteen) east, in the Green Bay Land District, and containing seventy-eight and eleven hundredths acres of land more or less, with all and singular the hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the first day of August, in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-five. her mark In presence of [the words, " the undivided one-fourth part of," interlined in the fifteenth line before signing] Solomon Juneau, Joseph Dickinson. Tekihtoey of Michigan, County of Bkown - ss.

Be it remembered, that on the first day of August, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirtyfive, personally came before me the undersigned, the within-named Louise Jarvis, known to me, and acknowledged that she executed the within deed for the uses and purposes therein expressed.

Abstracts Of Assessments

Following are the abstracts of assessments of the several towns, cities and villages in the county of Fond du Lac, as returned to the County Clerk, for the year 1879, under the provisions of Chapter 106, of General Laws of 1869 ; also the average valuation of the items in detail of personal property, and average price per acre of farming lands, together with the aggregate valuation of all property for 1879 :

Fabuing Lands

In 1846, there were no returns made of personal property. In 1849, Auburn returned on personal property, and in 1857, none was returned from Eden, Friendship, Marshfield and Osceola.

The State census of 1855 showed a total of 24,784 ; a special count in 1856, 25,085 ; State census of 1865, 42,029; and of 1875, 50,241 inhabitants. It is to be regretted that the Federal census of 1880 (so soon to be taken) cannot be given in this connection.

The total tax levied in Fond du Lac County for all purposes, in 1877, was $283,691, on an assessed valuation of $13,94L027. In that year, the assessed valuation of Milwaukee, Dane, Rock and Waukesha Counties exceeded that of Fond du Lac, but the Assessors did not make their returns on the same basis. The tax, however, in Fond du Lac County was exceeded only by Milwaukee, Winnebago and Dane Counties.

The distances to points within the county, from the city of Fond du Lac, are : To Brandon, 18 miles ; Calumet Harbor, 12 ; Calvary, 11 ; Dundee, 18 ; Eden, 8 ; Eldorado Mills, 10 ; Lamartine, 7 ; New Cassel, 15 ; Oakfield, 9 ; Ripon, 20 ; Rosendale Station, 10 ; Saint Cloud, 15 ; Van Dyne, 8 ; Waupun, 20.

The distances to points within the State, from the city of Fond du Lac, are : To Appleton, 37 miles ; Beaver Dam, 32 miles ; Beloit, 118 ; Berlin, 34 ; Burnett Junction. 25 ; Clinton Junction, 108 ; Fox Lake (by way of Minnesota Junction), 42 ; Fort Atkinson, 66 ; Green Bay, 67 ; Harvard Junction, 114 ; Janesville, 85 ; Jefferson, 60 ; Juneau, 31 ; Kenosha, 96 ; La Crosse (by way of Watertown Junction), 195; Madison (by way of Milton Junction, 109 ; Milton Junction, 77 ; Milwaukee, 63 ; Minnesota Junction, 28 ; Neenah and Menasha, 30 ; Omro (by way of Ripon), 40 ; Oshkosh, 17 ; Prairie du Chien (by way of Milton Junction), 207 ; Princeton, 39; Portage (by way of Minnesota Junction), 69; Racine, 88; Sheboygan, 42; Watertown, 46 ; West Bend, 29 ; Winneconne, 44 ; Green Lake, 26.

Miscellaneous Statistics For

The uninterrupted prosperity and success which have attended the various branches of and industry in the county of Fond du Lac, from its earliest settlement to the present day, the change from an almost unbroken wilderness to a rich and populous county, in the brief space of time, naturally lead the mind to contemplations of deep interest and inquiry with regard to the condition which the- progressive energies of its people will work out in the future. We have only to examine the resources of wealth which the county naturally presents for improvement - the strength, skill and aptitude of the people to lay hold of natural advantages And convert them to the most profitable form. In order justly to appreciate the energies which have been put forth by the early settlers in this county, the results of which are so attractive to the. traveler, it should be borne in mind that the county of Fond du Lac was not settled by capitalists bringing large amounts of money to expend in subduing and cultivating new lands, hut almost exclusively by men who were linable to purchase farms in the old States - whose physical and mental energies constituted their funded wealth. This was the capital invested in the settlement and improvement of the county - a currency not subject to fluctuatipns.

The pioneers were men of independent minds and efforts, whose activities were controlled by the dictates of their own judgments. The bosom of the earth, teeming with fertility, was spread out before them. It is to the labor of, its people that we must look for nearly all of the wealth of the county.

It is universally admitted that the surest index of the progressive energies of an agricultniral community is discovered in the condition of its roads and schoolhouses. The light of science to illuminate and invigorate the natural powers, and the facilities of communication which tend to develop the social nature of man and bring into visibility the various interests by which he is connected with society - as these are appreciated, cultivated and brought into constant use, the vital energies, the enduring strength, and substantial wealth of a community are advanced. If we adopt this general rule in the county of Fond du Lac, and take the condition of its public roads and schoolhouses as a criterion of its advancement in intelligence and wealth, we shall find that it has few rivals in Wisconsin..

Whatever road the traveler may select in the county, he will not progress far on his journey without having his attention attracted by a district schoolhouse, erected upon a pleasant spot. He will observe that it is neatly finished and painted, and that it is - such is the rule, though there are exceptions - surrounded by shade-trees, and has a nice playground for the children. If he enters this little seminary, he will find the interior judiciously and tastefully arranged, and furnished with blackboards, maps, charts and the most approved apparatus for aiding the pupils

* H. A. Francis died daring hi'a first year in office, and his deputy, John PeacocK, ran in' NoTember, 1865, without opposition, receivine .2,025 votes. The court declared him elected for a term of two years, thus throwing the election of Sheriff into the odd years.

in their various studies. The laws of Wisconsin make liberal provisions for the support of its common schools ; and, in this county, they are generally well applied.

The roads on the prairies are always good in dry weather ; but, from the looseness and of the soil, they become, in wet weather, muddy, and it is difficult to transport heavy loads over them. In the openings and timber-land, the soil lying more firm and compact, the roads are less liable to become bad. Considering the nature of the soil, Fond du Lac County can boast of as excellent roads as are to be found anywhere in the State.

Political Pakties

The Democratic Party. - Fond du Lac County, the city of Fond du Lac, and fully half the towns in the county, are Democratic. When the county was first laid out, and even before it was regularly organized for purposes of government, the Territory of Wisconsin, as well as the United States, was in the hands of the Democrats. Therefore the prominent men who settled within its limits at that time, as well as those who came with Federal appointments, were Democrats. This naturally and inevitably made the county Democratic, and the first newspaper, first Postmaster and first Sherifi" were Democrats. The first member of Congress, after Wisconsin became a State, Dr. Mason C. Darling, was a Democrat, and the county has always since that time been represented in Congress by a Democrat, except in 1855, 1856, 1857 and 1858, when Charles Billinghurst had a seat in that body. Up to 1856, when the Republican party became active, the Democrats in the local campaigns generally elected their candidates, except in 1847, when the Whigs elected every county officer. Since the birth of the Republican party the local and county offices have been divifded between the two parties, though the Democrats have generally been most successful. On State and National questions, the county has never failed to give a Democratic majority, except for Zachary Taylor, Whig, and Lincoln and Grant, Republicans. In 1868, Grant's majority for President was 268 ; but no Republican candidate for President or Governor has received a majority in the county since. The Board of Supervisors, with one or two exceptions, before the death of the Whig party, has always been largely Democratic. The towns are about equally divided, but the cities of Fond du Lac, Ripon and Waupun generally elect a majority of eight or nine Democratic Supervisors. Before the formation of the Republican party, the Democrats generally elected their candidates for State Senator and their members of Assembly, though the Whigs were successful in two or three campaigns. But during the time when Fond du Lac County was a part of Brown, or when with Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Brown Counties, or with Brown, Calumet, Manitowoc, Marquette, Portage, Sheboygan and Winnebago Counties, it constituted one district, the Democratic party was nearly always successful.

In 1872, however, the county was divided in such a manner as to become part of the Eighteenth Senatorial District on the east, and constitute the Twentieth District on the west, instead of constituting one complete district, as formerly. Since that time only the towns of Calumet, Taycheedah, Marshfield, Forest, Auburn, Osceola, Eden and Empire, in the Eighteenth District, have been represented by Democratic State Senators, while the balance of the county, or the Twentieth District, never fails to elect a Republican Senator.

Of the 133 members of Assembly elected by Fond du Lac County, 62 have been Democrats. These have nearly all been elected by the eastern portion of the county, the western portion only occasionally choosing a Democratic Assemblyman.

Since the election of Hazen R. Hill, of Ripon, for Sheriff" in 1875, the Democratic party has been losing ground. The beginning of this decline of party strength was owing in part to the formation of the Greenback party, aided later by the dissensions and dissatisfactions in its own ranks. In 1878, E. S. Bragg carried the county for member of Congress by 207, only onequarter the usual majority at such elections ; but the members of the county ticket were all elected at that time, except James Russell, candidate for Clerk of the Circuit Court. Notwithstanding these partial defeats on local issues, the county is still Democratic, and the public patronage has been secured by the Democratic papers much more than half of the time. Promi- nent among the Democrats of Fond du Lac County! who have been honored with ofiBce, are Mason C. Darling, a member of Congress in 1848 and 1849 ; John B. Macy in 1852, 1853^ 1854 and 1855 ; Charles A. Eldredge, a member twelve years, from March, 1863, to March, 1875, and Edward S. Bragg, two terms, from 1876 to 1881. Samuel W. Beall was Lieutenant Governor from 1850 to 1851, and in earlier and later days many important federal appointments have been given to Democrats. Among those were Maj. J. Thomas, United States Marshal ; S. M. Smead, United States Assessor ; Peter Rupp, member of Board of Directors for Northern Hospital for the Insane ; Augustus D. Bonesteel, United States Indian Agent, and D. R. Curran, Register of the Land Office at Menasha for three years. Alexander W. Stow was elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ; Maj. J. Thomas was a Delegate to the Baltimore Convention ; Edward S. Bragg, to the Charleston Convention ; Warren Chase was a member of the first and second Constitutional Conventions, and S. W. Beall, a member of the second.

There went out of the_ county, as Democrats, many good officers and privates to the rebellion of 1861-65, among the former of which were Edward S. Bragg, a Brigadier General, and the highest in rank of any Fond du Lac soldier of his party ; Gerrit T. Thorn, N. S. Gilson, Thomas H. Green, A. Kettler, S. O'Kane, John Maginnis, S. W. Beall, Edgar Conklin, M. Mangan, Roswell M. Sawyer, who was Adjutant General of Sherman's army, and others.

The Democratic party has survived all changes and maintained an actual majority from the first organization of the county down to the present time, notwithstanding the State and nation have been under Republican administration during the last two decades (with exception of W. R. Taylor, Governor of the State in 1874-75). The spasmodic breaks made to form Free- Democratic, Union-Democratic, Liberty and other parties, which drew heavily from its ranks, the actual formation of the Greenback party, which cast 1,687 votes in 1878, and the few family dissensions, have not destroyed its hope or organization.

The Whig Party. - The records from which to prepare a history of the Whig party in Fond du Lac are very meager ; and if they were not, its history might briefly be told so far as length of days or party achievements in this county are concerned. But whatever there is should be preserved, for many of the -" old line " Whigs were either Abolitionists or firmly set against any further extension or protection of slavery, and therefore composed the mass - with their intimate cotemporaries, the Free Democrats - of the early Republican party. The Fond du Lac County Whigs made very little stir until 1845 and the early portion of 1846. They were then made up of the common people - had few leaders or political workers, for the reason that all offices of trust and emolument were within the gift only of the Democrats, and there was no encouragement for office-seekers and politicians to belong to any but the Democratic party. There was no success possible for the Whigs at first, because those who espoused similar principles were divided into several parties, such as the Libertyites, the Free Democracy and scattering political evangelists who, although they opposed the straight Democrats, offered no help to the Whigs. In 1846, the Whig, Free Democratic and other parties of congenial political views, united at the polls to a greater or less extent, and at the spring election of 1847 elected every county officer, one or two members of the Assembly - then known as Representatives - and seven out of twelve Supervisors. The popular majority was about fifty, though in the fall the Whigs gave a larger majority for John H. Tweedy, who was elected Whig Territorial Delegate to Congress. In 1848, the Whigs divided the local offices with the Democrats, being less successful than in the previous campaign. But Zachary Taylor, the first Whig President, was elected that year, and, in the spring of 1849, removed John A. Eastman, Democrat, and appointed Samuel Ryan, Whig, in his stead as Postmaster of the city of Fond du Lac. Mr. Ryan was the first person to receive a Federal appointment in Fond du Lac County which did not go to a Democrat. The opposition press at that time generally referred to the Whigs as " traitors," and an uproar was inaugurated at once over the appointment of Mr. Ryan, the attacks being directed at both the President and his appointee.

In 1849, the Whigs elected four out of eighteen Supervisors, after which they were not generally successful, though they sometimes succeeded in dividing the town offices with the Democrats, and, in 1852, 0. S. Wright, Whig, was elected County Treasurer over T>. R. Curran, Democrat. In 1854, Charles Billinghurst was elected to Congress, and was re-elected a second time. He had heen a Whig, but was tiot elected wholly by that party. The election of 0. S. Wright, in 1852, was the closing chapter in the history of the Whig party in Fond du Lac County.

The prominent members of the Whig organization were J. M. Gillet, Sam Ryan, Eli Hooker, Gilbert M. Lee, C. M. Tompkins, G. de Neveu, Moses M. Gibson, Oscar Pier, Edgar -Conklin, H. C. Giltner, J. A. Truesdell (who was once the Whig candidate for Secretary of State), Henry Conklin, B. F. Moore, George McWilliams, Timothy L. Gillet, 0. S. Wright and others, all of whom were prominent rather as citizens and business men than as politicians. The Whig newspapers were the Whig, by J. M. Gillet ; the Republican, by Sam Ryan, and the Fountain City Herald, by Royal Buck.

The Republican Party. - It is not a little remarkable that the Republican party has been able to achieve such successes as the historian finds upon record, when all the facts are taken into consideration. Nearly two decades before the birth of what is now the Republican party, the various offices in Fond du Lac County were held by the Democrats, who had a clear and decisive majority at the polls. This was natural, as when the county was first organized and during several years thereafter, the Territory was in the hands of Democratic appointees, and nearly all new-comers, especially if they had any ambition to attain to public position, would join with the dominant party, which was Democratic. In this natural manner, the county became strongly Democratic, and except when the people voted for the Whigs in 1847, and, later, for Lincoln and Grant, has always remained so on all State and National questions. In an early day, H. C. Giltner cast the only Republican vote in the town of Marshfield, and when the town of Calumet cast more votes than the village and large town of Fond du Lac, there were only from two to five Republican votes returned, and other towns were nearly as destitute of Republicans. Notwithstanding these facts, the Republican party, on whose pages are inscribed the names of Lincoln, Garrison, Sumner and Grant, as well as the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, was born in the county of Fond du Lac - was christened in this original stronghold of Democracy. Its record has therefore been a creditable one. It supports six Republican newspapers, and of 133 Members of the Assembly chosen since the organization of the State Government, 71 have been Republicans, or in opposition to the Democrats, if elected before there was such a thing in name as the Republican party. Edward Pier was the first Republican State Senator, elected in the fall of 1855, since which time the county has always chosen Republican Senators, with the exception of E. L. Phillips, in 1859, George W. Mitchell, in 1861, and Edward S. Bragg, in 1867. Thus, while the Republicans have hardly secured half of the offices - though during twenty-four years there were more Republican than Democratic Sheriffs - they have always been well represented in the Legislature.

The Republicans carried the county for Lincoln and Grant, when they were candidates for President, and carried the city of Fond du Lac and town of Eldorado for W. E. Smith, for Governor, in 1879. Among the more prominent members of the Republican party who were officers in the rebellion were Charles S. Hamilton, a Major General, ranking the highest of any Fond du Lac County soldier ; James T. Conklin, Quartermaster of Sherman's army ; David E. Wood, 0. H. La Grange, Edward Colman, J. H. Hauser, Bertine Pinkney, Alexander White, Hiram S. Town, Kelsey M. Adams, M. Ewen, Colwert K. Pier, George W. Carter, George Perkins and others who held commissions.

Among those who have held other offices and positions of trust are C. S. Hamilton, appointed United States Marshal, by Grant ; Orin Hatch, United States Assessor ; 0. H. La Grange, Superintendent of the United States Mint at San Francisco ; Howard M. Kutchin, State's Prison Commissioner and Collector of Internal Revenue for the Third District ; Walter T. Coneys, who was Edwin M. Stanton's Private Secretary ; Henry L. Cordier and George W.

Carter, Wardens of the State's Prison ; David Taylor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin ; and Mason Brayman, Governor of the Territory of Idaho (Mr. Brayman lived across the line in Green Lake County, but owned, edited and published a newspaper in Ripon). W. H. Hiner, of Fond du Lac, was a Presidential Elector in 1876.

The campaigns carried on by the Republicans have always been vigorous and strong, and so effective as to secure some of the offices which, from the popular majority held by the Democrats, would naturally be expected to fall to them rather than the Republicans. Their record is therefore one of which they feel pi;oud.

National Oreenbaek Party: - The first Greenback doctrine ever listened to in Fond du Lac County was in a speech made in Opera Hall ' in the fall of 1874, by W. W. Field, then Secretary of the State Agricultural Society. At the Presidential election of 1876, sixty-seven votes were cast in Fond du Lac County for Peter Cooper, Greenback candidate for President.

The first party organization waS formed about the middle of September, 1877. A Senatorial Convention for the Eighteenth District met in Fond du Lac, with D. Lyons, of Empire, Chairman, and Mr. McKenna, Secretary. Gustav de Neveu was nominated for State Sen-, ator. In accepting the nomination, he said : " If elected, I will not place myself on record in the interest of money or railroad or other rings, and will do nothing in the way of begging votes, spending money, or buying cigars or whisky, to secure my election." The next Saturday and Monday, conventions were held for the Third and Second Assembly Districts, nominating James Fitzgerald and W. P. Amadon, candidates. In the afternoon of that Monday, a County Convention was held in the Court House. Dr. John Wiley, of 'Empire, was nominated for Sheriff, and J. V. Harter, of New Cassel, for Superintendent of Schools. The latter gentleman declining, the County Committee placed on the ticket the name of Ed McLoughlin, the choice of the Democrats. Mr. McLoughlin and Mr. Fitzgerald were elected. There were 520 Greenback votes cast in the city of Fond du Lac. In 1878, David Giddings received 1,687 votes in Fond du Lac County for Congressman. The canvass was vigorous, speakers being sent to every school district in the county. In the spring of 1878, Orin Hatch was elected Mayor of Fond du Lac by the Greenbackers and Democrats, and John Bell, of Byron, William Wiley, of Empire, and P. /Greening, of Lamartine, were chosen Supervisors by the Greenback party. In the fall, the Greenbackers nominated William Wiley for Register of Deeds ; Mr. Zimmerman for Treasurer ; John Bell for County Clerk; I. R. Sanford for Clerk of the Court; D. W. C. Priest, District Attorney ; Jacob Haessley for Surveyor and Isaac Orvis for Coroner. Jacob Haessley being on the Democratic ticket also, was elected. In the fall of 1879, H. W. Morris was the Greenback candidate for Sheriff, and Miss Anna Burke for County Superintendent of Schools. But they received only a small share of the votes cast. The Greenback organ, .the People's Ghampion, had suspended, and interest in the party seemed to have been at low ebb. Nearly all the "clubs " had disbanded at the beginning of 1880.

Among the leaders of the party in Fond du Lac County were Hiram Morris and John Bell, of Byron ; J. J. Kelly and Dr. Eidemiller, of Osceola ; Henry Hayes and Dr. Vandervoort, of Eden ; John W. Hall, of Forest ; William Wolf and Dr. Paule, of Marshfield ; David Giddings, Gustav de Neveu, Dr. Wiley, G. W. Hersey, John Meiklejohn, of Empire; J. Schmitz, of Calumet ; Isaac Orvis and M. Foley, of Oakfield ; William M.' Jones, F. F. Zimmerman and W. P. Amadon, of Waupun ; Jerry Griffiths, of Eldorado ; F. R. and J. H. Stewart, of Rosendale ; C. B. Seward and W. M. Lockwood, of Ripon ; Joel N. McSchooler, of Ashford ; and of the city, acting as leaders, were John Nichols, A. M. Blair, H. E. Connitt, D. W. C. Priest, J. R. Tallmadge (the song singer), A. Moody, John Burke, 0. P. Bowe, Spencer Palmer, J. M. Wells, J. L. Colman, Orin Hatch, L. F. Stowe, Caleb Miller, James Fitzgerald, Charles Chandler, George Hunter, A. G. Purdy, Henry Scolar, A. Raymond.

Other Political Parties. - In 1848, the Free Sellers appeared with considerable strength as a political element in Fond du Lac County, giving their support to Martin Van Buren for President. They did not do much in the way of securing local offices, generally coalescing with the Democrats if any coalition was made. In 1849, John Bannister, of Fond du Lac, was the Free

Soil candidate for Lieutenant Governor, but was badly defeated -with the balance of his ticket. The Free Soil party claimed the right of Congress to regulate slavery, and was anti-slavery in its principles. It also demanded the freedom of the soil to actual settlers, there being at that time no pre-emption or homestead laws, except temporary ones. The party was not successful in Fond du Lac County campaigns, and when the Republican party was formed its members generally became Republicans, though there was a Free Soil party organization maintained in name until the rebellion.

The Free Democracy was the name of an organization composed of those of the Democratic party who opposed slavery. It was never successful as a party, although it maintained an organ, the Western Freeman, by J. A. Smith, and weakened the Democratic party so that "fusion" or compromise candidates were occasionally elected.

The Prohibitionists have maintained a party organization in Fond du Lac County during several years, but have never succeeded in electing any of their candidates. Their cardinal principles are prohibitory liquor laws, such as will put a stop to the manufacture and sale of all intoxicating liquors. The Ripon Free Press is their organ, and T. D. Stone, I. N. Woodruff, C. F. Hammond and 0. B. Judd the leaders of the party.

There was also a secret organization - the Know Nothing party - whose motto was, "Put none but Americans on gu^ard." As Fond du Lac County was the home of very many foreigners of nearly all nationalities, the Know Nothings were considered odious by a large class of citizens. Nevertheless, it is said they controlled the offices of the county during two or three campaigns by maneuvering in such a manner as to secure places for a portion of their candidates on each of the two principal tickets. The party deliberations were conducted with great secresy.

The Liberty Party was organized in the latter part of 1844 in this county. At a convention held at Waupun in 1846, the party platform set forth that its members should vote for no man for public office who was " a slave-holder, apologist for slavery, or who was in political alliance with slave-holders, or who would not make the protection of the inalienable rights of man his first duty. " The convention was largely attended, the leaders bring Rev. Dana Lamb of Rosendale, M. S. Barnett, Isaac M. Stowe, Alexander Carpenter, J. B. Judd, Rev. D. C. Vaughan, John Hall, C. J. Allen and Warren Morley. The party held conventions, passed resolutions and nominated tickets regularly until 1848, when most of its members joined the Free Sellers, never having achieved a victory at the polls.

Ripon College

The first enterprise of a public character in what is now the city of Ripon, was the founding of an institution of learning. It was commenced without population, without money and without a charter, in the fall of 1850, by four or five men - not more. It was determined not to wait for a session of the Legislature in order to obtain a charter ; time was precious. A temporary organization was effected under a general law, which was never designed for any such thing, but which, it was thought, might be made "to hold water" - and it did - until a charter could be obtained in proper form. A subscription paper was pushed around, when there were not a dozen men, all told, to touch it ; when there was little property and less money in the country, and when merchants in this region were actually refusing to receive wheat on accounts, at 25 cents a bushel ! Such was the condition of things when " Brdckway College" afterward " Ripon College," which name it still retains, was established.

When there was little to be seen upon the high ground surrounding the valley, in which clustered the houses of the little village of Ceresco, except the rolling prairie in all its native breadth and beauty, dotted here and there with groves of oaks and poplars ; when as yet streets and houses were few, and the inhabitants not more than a few score ; the far-seeing citizens began the movement to establish here an institution of learning of a high order. The national census of the year before had set down the total population of the new and rising State, then only three years old, as 305,391, and it was rather to provide facilities for the higher culture of the thousands that were, it was seen, soon to people the fertile lands, than to meet the limited wants of the existing population, that the enterprise was begun. There were then only two colleges in Wisconsin, and they had an attendance of only seventy-five students. The people who had selected this beautiful spot for their homes, worldly wise, and, let us hope, actuated by noble motives, resolved to make the place distinguished as a seat of learning and a center of culture for all time to come.

Contributions of money and land* were made, and during the summer of 1851, the stone walls of the first college building - now East College - were erected. The funds on hand being already exhsiusted, a new effort had to be made, and later in the season, the roof was put on. The money was wholly furnished by the people of Ripon, and considering their very limited resources, their contributions were liberal. Some who had no money to give, furnished materials or their own labor. One who assisted in the erection of this building, writes thus of its progress until it was inclosed:

" The ground for the first building was staked out in a snowstorm by three men, who together were probably not worth $15,000, and no part of that in ready money. Still, the contracts were made ; the walls of the building were pushed up, the timbers - hauled by teams over the worst of roads, from Winneconne - were put in, the roof was lifted on to them, finally the windows came into position, and the most wonderful thing about it was, it was all paid for." At this stage of advancement, the enterprise halted for a time.

The act of incorporation of "Brockway College," as it was agreed to call the new institution, was approved January 29, 1851. The original incorporators were David P. Mapes, Ezra L. Northrup, Alvin B. Bovay, Warren Chase, John S. Horner, Jehdiah Bowen, Almon Osborn, Asa Kinney, Edwin Lockwood, Dana F. Shepard, Alexander B. Beardsley, William S. Brockway, Edward L. E-unals, William Starr, and the president of the college, ex officio. The design and purpose of the corporation was declared to be " to found, establish and maintain at Ripon, in the county of Fond du Lac, an institution of learning of the highest order, embracing also a department for preparatory instruction." The buildings of the institution were to be located on " Out Lot No. 4, in the village of Ripon," and the annual income from all property belonging to the college was not to exceed $10,000.

The site of the new institution embraced at this time but a single acre of ground, fronting east upon Ransom street, and lying principally just south of the present site of the Congregational Church.

The next summer, the Trustees, having exhausted their scanty means on the unfinished building, and seeing the need of enlisting some religious denomination in the enterprise, sent a proposition, by the first minister of the Congregational Church of Ripon, Rev. F. G. Sherrill, to the " Winnebago District Convention of Presbyterian and Congregational ministers and Churches," to adopt the institution. They ofi'ered to transfer to the convention all the property of the college for the nominal sum of $400, on condition that the building should be finished, so far as necessary for the purpose, and a school opened in it early in the summer of 1853.

The churches of this region being then very weak, the convention did not deem it practicable to raise the money required, and requested Rev. J. W. Walcott, then the-minister of a church at Menasha, and a member of the convention, to buy the property for the convention, pledging itself to take it as soon as it should be able to pay him for it. In accordance with the request of the convention and at the solicitation of the Trustees, Mr. Walcott bought the property on the 20th of November, 1862. He enlarged the grounds of the College by the purchase of some adjacent land, chiefly from A. B. Bovay and J. Bowen, until, at one time, the College grounds embraced nearly the whole square upon which the buildings are situated, together with some adjoining land. From Mr. Bovay, he obtained between two and three acres, constituting the

* The College lot - " Out Lot No. 4, in the Tillage of Bipon " - was coDveyed to the Board of TruBteesof Brockway College, May 13, 1851, by David P. Mapes and Kuth Mapes. "It required much labor," writes one who was early ideniified with the institution, "to dispose of the stock of the College, but determined minds said it should be done, and it was done. I recollect going to one of our best farmers, Almon Osborn, for a subscription to the College, and he put down $25. Proud of so liberal a donation, I went to his next neighbor, Julian KiTers,and presenting the subscription paper, said : "Your neighbor, Osborn, has put down $25." Scanning the list a pioment, he remarked, " Well, put me down for $30." He was not to be outdone by his neighbors. He burned lime from his quarry and drew it to the site of the building, in order that the foundation walls of the first edifice might be laid.

southeast portion of the present campus, and from Mr. Bovren he bought about seven acres, forming the southwest portion, and extending westward to the cemetery line. From other owners he purchased that part of the grounds upon which stand Middle College and West College, and the row of lots not now belonging to the College, which bound the present College territory on the north, and front upon State street.

During the winter, some of the upper rooms of the building were finished, together with the halls. The College was opened for academic studies in the ladies' department June 1, 18-53. The students attending during the first term were: Jane A. Bowen, Sarah E. Brown, Katie ,^ Clinton, Margaret Harris, Maria Harroun, Elida Huntington, Charlotte M. Mapes, Charlotte Masten, Mary J. Pedrick, Josephine E. Russell, Imogene Shepard, Augusta R. Scott, Jane H. Scott, Janette Taylor, Augusta Wentworth and Mary M. West. The school, during this term, was under the superintendence of Miss Martha J. Adams. On the 1st day of September of that year, M. W. Martin opened the male department. The names of the students during this term were: A. A. Atwell, E. D. Babbitt, Henry L. Barnes, T. W. Caster, John S. Bowen, E. K. Brown, G. D. Hance, A. W. Horner, J. M. Judd, F. Masten, Z. A. Pedrick, L. Strong, L. S. Shepard, Luther Spalding, Moses Swift, R. A. Rew, Cyrus Wakefield, A. C. Wedge, A. G. Wedge and D. J; Wedge.

In October, 1853, J. W. Walcott arrived and assumed control of both departments as Principal of the institution. Alvan E. Bovay afterward gave instruction in mathematics.

The first Trustees were: J. W. Walcott, D. Sabin, A. E. Bovay, A. Osborn, A. B. Beardsley, E. L. Runals, D. P. Mapes, T. B. Bobbins, J. Bowen, W. Brockway, W. Starr, A. P. Mapes and E. L. Northrup. Officers : J. W. Walcott, President ; E. L. Northrup, Treasurer ; A. E. Bovay, Secretary.

A writer in 1854 speaks thus of "Brockway College :" " Toward the close of the year, in a gentle snowstorm, two men might have been seen staking out the location for the first college building, amidst the half-suppressed jeers of the faithless.

" The novelty, the boldness and the utility of the enterprise ; the tireless efforts of a few determined spirits ; the unequaled beauty of the location, all united to attract the sympathy and munificence of the surrounding country. The enterprise succeeded beyond the most sanguine expectations of its most earnest friends.

" On the west side of the village of Ripon is an elevation of about ten acres of land. This eminence is covered with shrubs and underwood, with occasional oaks which thicken westward, and at the distance of twenty-five or thirty rods mingle with the growth of thick forest trees which spread over nearly two hundred acres. The middle of this elevation is nearly circular, about one hundred yards in diameter, smooth and level, and has an altitude of over thirty feet above the surrounding country. Upon this hill, at the exact spot staked out by the two grim determined men in a snowstorm, stands Brockway College [the East College of the present day]. It is a beautiful stone edifice, presenting its four equal fronts to the four cardinal points of the compass.

" Upon all sides, Green Lake Prairie spreads its rich, rolling surface, like a boundless garden ; checkered, striped and dotted with little groves of underwood and oak openings ; while its streams are fringed with forest-trees. The traveler, as he approaches Ripon from any direction, will have, as he crosses the high wave of the prairie, a full view of a front of Brockway College at a distance varying from six to eight miles. If the liveliest imagination could be clothed with creative power and give form, substance and vitality to its most brilliant paintings, it could only mar the beauty which the Almighty Builder has crowned this spot for a public edifice - a city of light set on a hill. The College lands include the whole of the ten acres."

In February, 1855, in accordance with a resolution of the Convention, a new charter was obtained, naming as the new Board of Trustees the following gentlemen, designated by the Convention : Ezra L. Northrup, Jehdiah Bowen, Jeremiah W. Walcott, Silas Hawley, Dana Lamb, Bertine Pinkney, Charles H. Camp, Harvey Grant, Sherlock Bristol, and the President of the College, ex officio. The new charter increased the limit of income of the College to $20,- 000, and conferred some other enlarged powers, particularly with regard to establishing a normal course of study and other courses, and with regard to holding lands adjacent to " Out Lot No. 4."

The Board was organized under the new charter in March, 1855. A writer in July, 1856, says : " Brockway College has a charter, but only the preparatory male and female departments are in operation. The building now erected is of stone. The school and recitation rooms are finished with butternut, oiled and varnished. The desks are of the same material. The moral influences exerted over students are of a high character. There are two distinct departments in the institution ; young ladies and gentlemen, however, recite together in certain classes. Instruction is given in all the higher English branches, and in such classical studies as are necessary to fit young men and women for college."

In 1857 (February 21), the College grounds and the building were conveyed to the Board by warranty deed, from Mr. Walcott. During this year, a liberal subscription having been obtained for that purpose, a second building, now Middle College, was erected. Its erection, however, exhausted the limited means of the Board and left it deeply in debt ; and the financial disasters of the country in that year afiected its resources very severely. For about five years the institution struggled with great financial difficulties, in consequence of which, at the opening of the rebellion, the school was for one year suspended. Many of the students enlisted in

Eipon College

In 1862, the Convention and steadfast friends of the College rallied, and a subscription topay the debts of the institution was so far successful that the Trustees re-opened the school, and in September of that year, Prof E. H. Merrell assumed the charge of it. This gentleman was, in 1862, but recently graduated from Oberlin College, and has been longer connected with the College than any other of the corps of instructors. He was assisted by efficient lady teachers.

The school grew so rapidly, and its prospects seemed so favorable, that in April, 1863, the- Trustees began the organization of a permanent faculty for regular college instruction. Rev. William E. Merriman, of Green Bay, a graduate of Williams College, was elected President, and E. H. Merrell was elected Professor of Languages. At the annual meeting of the Board in July following, the President entered upon his duties, and the policy of the College was defined. At the opening of the term in September of that year, the first college class was formed. Before that time, the institution had only been a high school. It now began its career as a regular college, with a preparatory department attached. During that first college year, the debts of the institution were all paid, the library was begun, and amendments to the charter were obtained, changing the name to Ripon College, and granting some additional privileges.

* The school was suspended during the first ye»r of the rebellion, and, in 1862, a subscription was made to paj the debts of the institution ; the school was re-opened in September. Many of the youni? men who had studied here previous to 1861, no doubt went into the Union army, but of them, as identified with the College, there is no record.

In 1866, three years after the permanent organization of the College, the institution had outgrown its accommodations, and the next year the third College building, now West College, larger and better than either of the others, was erected and occupied.

The title of the College grounds and buildings is perfect, and the property wholly unincumbered. It has been built up mainly by the Congregationalists and Presbyterians. A majority of its Trustees have been ministers or members of Congregational Churches, and the Board has the confidence of that denomination. Although the College is under such influ^ ences and looks to the churches for support, it is not sectarian. Its privileges are open to all on the same terms.

It is the aim of the institution to provide for the liberal education of young men and women and to keep its methods of instruction in harmony with the most enlightened views of education. It aims also to furnish a thorough preparation for the pursuit of college courses, and to provide a sound practical education for such as may desire to fit themselves for commonschool teaching or for business. Its purpose is also to make the expense of pursuing a course of liberal study as low as is consistent with a high degree of excellence in its results, and thus to keep a liberal education within the reach of young men and women of limited means. It is likewise the earnest purpose to conduct the institution on distinctively Christian principles, and to have it pervaded with a strong and healthy moral and religious influence. While aiming at the best results of intellectual training, its instructors will ever ibear in mind that character is more than these, that the development of character is an essential part of the work of an educational institution, and that there is no sound basis of character except in Christian principle.

The institution is divided into the following : The College, the Preparatory School, the English Academy, and the School of Music. In the College two liberal courses of study - the classical and the scientific - ^have been arranged, each extending through four years. The course of preparation for the classical course extends through three years ; that for the scientific course through two years. The course of study in the English Academy extends through three years ; it is intended to provide the essentials of a good English education. The courses of study in the School of Music extend through two years each. Besides these courses of study, a musical and literary course has been arranged for such students as may desire to pursue an extended course in music, and at the same time acquire a liberal culture in other directions. It comprises a preparatory course of three years, and a college course of four years. These courses of study are open to students of both sexes. Ladies reside with the lady teachers, in a separate building ; but students of both sexes are instfucted in the same classes, enjoy the same privileges, and may take the same degrees.

The College grounds include nearly twelve acres, centrally situated, on high ground with a rolling surface relieved at intervals by native oaks and other shrubbery. The grounds, and particularly the buildings, are visible at great distances in all directions. There are three College buildings, all of stone. East College is fifty feet square and three stories high, with a cupola. It contains four recitation-rooms, the cabinet, the reading-room, an apparatus-room and several rooms for students. Middle College is one hundred by forty-four feet, three stories high, besides the basement and the attic, which are finished throughout. This is the ladies' building ; it contains, in the basement, the college boarding hall; on the main floor, teachers' rooms, parlors and office ; in the upper stories, apartments for young ladies, hall of their literary society, and their gymnasium. West College is eighty by fifty feet, and four stories high. It contains the chapel, the library, the general office, recitation-rooms, the hall of the young men's societies, the gymnasium and rooms for young men. The buildings aflbrd rooms sufficient for the instruction of 460 students, of whom about 200, with several teachers, may reside in the buildings. These structures are plain and unpretentious, having been erected at the least possible cost consistent with sound construction ; but they are serviceable and comfortable.

In 1868, the College, through its President, made application to the Directors of the " Society for the Promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education in the West," to adopt Ripon College as one of its beneficiaries, and to assist it with funds from the East, so far as may be necessary for its equipment and endowment. The application was granted, and a large part of the present endowment fund has been obtained at the East through the personal solicitation of President Merriman.

Since the organization of the institution as a College, in 1863, it has been operated mainly upon its own earnings. Up to 1868, the teachers received nothing but the income from tuition. The College has never had a paid agent, and every dollar contributed to it has been used in building up the institution without diminution for raising money or for current expenses. It is the purpose of the College to pursue the same severely economical policy; that is, to spend nothing given to it in operating it, but to use every donation in augmenting its permanent means of instruction.

The College library contains more than 4,000 volume?. The cabinet has been increased in size, and furnished with new cases for specimens ; about 4,000 specimens have been received during the year 1878, and the present facilities for storage and exhibition are good. Cases have also been provided for the botanical specimens, so that there is now a good herbarium.

The new building - the Laboratory - recently erected, furnishes better facilities than ever before for the Chemical and Astronomical Departments. It contains a chemical laboratory, a chemical lecture-room, an apparatus-room, and a room designed to accommodate the fine transit telescope and chronograph that have recently come into the possession of the institution. A fine astronomical clock has recently been added, and a considerable amount of apparatus from Germany, together with a supply of chemicals.

There are three literary societies : One for gentlemen of the Preparatory School and English Academy ; another for gentlemen of the College, and a third for ladies. The societies have well-furnished halls, and afford their members valuable means of voluntary improvement.

Mi's. John W. James, of Boston, gave fl,000 for the encouragement of English composition in the College, the interest of which is annually distributed in prizes, for the purpose intended by the donor. Mrs. James has recently added $500 to the previous benefaction. The late Rufus Dodge, of Beaver Dam, Wis., left the College a legacy of f 5,000, as a permanent fund to aid young ladies of limited means in getting their education. The interest of this fund is distributed annually among such students as the testator provided for.

All the departments of instruction are now well organized and filled with competent instructors. During the year 1878, besides the improvement made to the buildings, valuable additions have been made to the library and cabinet. The endowment subscription is paid in and well invested.

The department of music aims to provide thorough instruction in playing the piano-forte, in solo and chorus singing, and in musical theory, including harmony, counterpoint, and the elements of form and composition. Its instructors seek to lay such a sure foundation in technics as shall insure the progress of the pupils, and make it possible to introduce them to the works of the best composers. The true appreciation and interpretation of real works of art are steadily kept in view.

Until the organization of a permanent College Faculty, begun in 1863, the following were the instructors in the various branches taught in the institution : J. W. Walcott, A. E. Bovay, M. W. Martin, Miss Martha J. Adams, Miss Elizabeth P. Smith, Mr. G. B. Cooley, Mrs. Mary Chapin, Miss Martha J. Leonard, Miss Orphia J. Leonard, Mr. J. G. Evans, Ira Bushnell, Miss M. J. Childs, M. H. Stemple, C. 0. Bailey.

The names of those who have been members of the Faculty since the organization of the College, in 1863, are: Rev. William E. Merriman, A. M., President, and Professor of Mental and Moral Science; Edward H. Merrell, A. M., Professor of Greek ; Rev. William H. Ward, A. M.,

Professor of Latin, Natural Sciences and Physical Training ; Mrs. C. T. Tracy, Superintendent of the Ladies' Department, and Instructor in Mathematics and Botany ; Miss Julia R. Hosford, Instructor in Latin and French ; Mrs. Frances E. Woodrow, Instructor in Rhetoric, Physiology and Higher English Studies ; Rev. M. Montague, A. M., Professor of Rhetoric ; Daniel Merriman, Professor of Natural Sciences: Rev. Oliver Sloan, A. M., Professor of Mathematics; Mrs. L. M. Beach, Instructor in French and German; Theodore Wilder, A. B., Professor of Mathematics; Justus N. Brown, A. B., Professor of Latin ; Miss Frances E. Durand, Instructor in Higher English Studies ; Miss Luthera H. Adams, Instructor in Mathematics ; William M. Bristoll, A. M., Professor of Latin ; Joseph M. Geery, A. B., Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature ; John C. Fillmore, Professor of Music ; Lyman B. Sperry, M. D., Professor of Chemistry and Natural Science ; Miss Martha E. French, Instructor in Higher English Studies ; Mrs. Frances E. Wilder, Instructor in French ; Erastus 0. Beach, A. M., Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy ; Carlos A. Kenaston, A. M., Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy ; Miss Kate A. Bushnell, Principal of the Ladies' Department ; Rev. John P. Haire, A. M., Professor of the Latin Language and Literature ; William G. Ballantine, A. M., Professor of Chemistry and Natural Science ; Mrs. Minerva B. Norton, Principal of the Ladies' Department ; Cyrus G. Baldwin, A. B., Professor of the Latin Language and Literature ; George C. Duffie, A. M., Instructor in English Studies; Henry B. Miter, A. B., Instructor in Latin ; Rev. James A. Towle, A. B., Professor of the Greek Language and Literature; Herbert G. Denison, A. M., Principal of the Preparatory School and Instructor in Greek ; Alvah H. Sabin, S. B., Professor of Chemistry and Natural Science ; Lyman F. Brown, Professor of Music ; Miss Sarah A. Barnes, Preceptr.ess ; Dwight F. Stillman, Professor of Music ; Mrs. Lucretia H. Kendall, Preceptress ; Miss Laura W. Ladd, Instructor in Latin. The present Board of Trustees and Faculty are as follows :

Trustees - Rev. Edward H. Merrell, ex officio; C. M. Blackman, Esq., Whitewater; Rev. F. B. Doe, Ripon; Rev. Joseph F. Dudley, Eau Claire; Rev. E. Y. Garrette, La Crosse; Allen P. Harwood, Esq., Ripon - Term expires with the collegiate year, in June, 1880. Hon. William C. Allen, Racine; F. S. Eldred, Esq., Janesville; Storrs Hall, M. D., Rosendale; Rev. Arthur Little, Chicago, 111. - Term expires with the collegiate year, in June, 1881. Jehdeiah Bowen, Esq., Ripon; Hon. Llewellyn Breese, Portage City; W. C. Hamilton, Esq., Fond du Lac ; Hon. E. D. Holton, Milwaukee ; Hon. Willard Merrill, Milwaukee - Term expires with the collegiate year, in June, 1882.

Faculty - Rev. Edward H. Merrell, A. M., President, and Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy ; Joseph M. Geery, A. M., Professor of English Literature, Rhetoric and Political Philosophy; Carlos A. Kenaston, A. M., Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy; Cyrus G. Baldwin, A. M., Professor of the Latin Language and Literature ; George C. Duffie,

A. M., Principal of the English Academy; Rev. James A. Towle, A. B., Professor of the Greek Language and Literature; Herbert G. Denison, A. M., Principal of the Preparatory School and Instructor in Greek; Alvah H. Sabin, M. S., Professor of Chemistry and Natural Science; Dwight F. Stillman, Professor of Music; Henry B. Miter, A. M., Instructor in Latin ; Mrs. Clarissa T. Tracy, Instructor in Algebra and Botany ; Irene I. Wilcox, Instructor in Painting and Drawing ; Mrs. Lucretia H. Kendall, Preceptress ; Prof. Joseph M. Geery, Librarian; Prof. Carlos A. Kenaston, Secretary of the Faculty and Registrar of the College; Prin. George C. Dufhe, Assistant Treasurer.

The Alumni of the College are as follows : Class of 1867 - Luthera H. Adams, B. A., Harriet H. Brown, B. S., Mary F. Spencer (Thayer), B. S., Susan A. W. Saulsbury*, B. S. Class of 1868 - A. Jerome Chittenden, B. A., Emily S. Cook, B. A., George C. Duffie, B. A., Lyman B. Everdell, B. A., Myron W. Pinkerton, B. A., J. Horace Tracy, B. A. Class of 1869 - Caroline D. Chittenden (Turner), B. S., Isabella S. Cragin, B. S., George M. Steele,

B. S. Class of 1870 - Daniel de Loss Bathrick, B. S., Josiah B. Blakley, B. A., Eunice E. Durand (Lyman), B. S., William Sylvester Holt, B. A., Ella E. Mapes, B. S., Rosa B. Olds

Chapter Yii

A Divorce Refused - Origin of the Republican Party - Old Settlers' Club of Fond du Lao County - Common Schools - Literature and the Fine Arts - Fond du Lac County's War Record- a Retrospect.

Soon after the erection of Green Lake into a separate but small county, the people of Ripon began to agitate the matter of dividing Fond du Lac County and joining the western tier of towns on to Green Lake County, making Ripon the county seat. The matter has been agitated in various ways several times since, but only once has it been submitted to popular vote. The test has been made in the County Board whenever the question of a new Court House or the erection of other county buildings has been raised. The people of Ripon always favored a division for the reason that it would benefit their city to have the county seat located within its limits, and the people of Fond du Lac always opposed the division for the reason that the smaller the territory in any county the higher will be the taxes necessary to maintain a county government. Finally, in 1859, the Legislature passed the following bill, at the instance and through the exertions of Alvan E. Bovay, then member of the Assembly from Ripon :

An Act to annex t part of the County of Fond du Lac to the County of Green Lake. The People of the State of Wtsconsia represented in Sunate and Assembly do enact as follows :

Sbction 1. Township number 16 north, of Kunge number 14 east, embracing the territory of the town and city of Ripon, is hereby detached and set off from the county of Fond du Lac and attached and annexed to the county of Green Lake.

Sec. 2. This act is hereby submitted to a vote of the people of Fond du Lac County in the manner following : That is to say, on the Tuesday next succeeding the first Monday in November next, an election shall be held in the several towns and wards in said county, at which election any qualified elector of said county may vote " for detaching Ripon," or "against detaching Ripon," on a separate ballot written or printed, to be deposited in a box used only for such ballots ; such election shall be held in the several towns and wards during the same hours of the day as the election which is held for other purposes on that day, and the votes of the towns and wards severally, and of the whole county, shall be canvassed in the same manner as the votes for State Senator are canvassed in Fond du Lac County, and said canvass, when so made, shall be recorded by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors of said county in his office, and a certified copy of the same shall be forthwith forwarded by said Clerk to the Secretary of State, to be filed in his office.

Sec. 3. The Sheriff of Fond du Lac County is hereby authorized and required to give notice of the election mentioned in the preceding section, by publishing a notice of the same for at least three weeks previous to said election, in at least two weekly newspapers of said county.

Sec. 4. If a majority of all the votes cast at such election in said county on this subject shall be " for detaching Ripon," then this act shall be in full force and effect from and after the 1st day of December, 1859.

This bill was no sooner approved than the work of securing its adoption by popular vote was begun. The vigor of the campaign was astonishing. The Western Times, published at Ripon, declared the division should take place for the following reasons :

" Our commercial relations have all been severed from Fond du Lac by the erection of the Milwaukee & Horicon Railroad. We are obliged to travel fifty miles by rail or twenty-four by wagon, requiring two days, to transact the smallest item of county business.

" Owing to the great dissimilarity of soil in the eastern and western towns, it has been, and will continue to be, a very difGcult matter to equalize the assessments of the two localities satisfactorily.

"We regret exceedingly the bitter warfare that must inevitably follow from the refusal of the citizens of Fond du Lac to consent to a peaceful separation. Having exhausted every other means to obtain a peaceable separation, we are now fully resolved to fight for it, and, if we do not conquer in peace, we shall be much mistaken in the result."

The scheme was defeated, although by no decided majority. The people of the western tier of towns, especially Ripon, exhibiting a most extraordinary capacity for voting. The whole number cast November 8, 1859, was 5,315, of which 2,604 were " for detaching Ripon," and 2,711 against the proposed separation. The year 1859 was jocularly referred to afterward as the one in which " Ripon granted universal suffrage."

Origin Of The Republican Party

The Republican party of the United States originated, both as to organization and name in the town of Ripon, in this county. " One of the earliest, if not the earliest, of the movements," says Henry Wilson, " that contemplated definite action and the formation of a new party, was made in Ripon, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., in the early months of 1854. In consequence of a very thorpugh canvass, conference and general comparison of views, inaugurated by A. E. Bovay [Alvan E. Bovay], a prominent member of the Whig party, among the Whigs, Free- Soilers and Democrats of that township, a call was issued * * * fQ,. ^ public meeting to consider the grave issues which were assuming an aspect of such alarming importance. The meeting was held on the last [day] of February, in the Congregational Church. It was largely attended by persons of both sexes from the town and surrounding country. It was a meeting solely for the discussion of principles and comparison of views. * * * ]ijjg burden and drift of the speeches were the hopeless subserviency of the national parties to the behests of the slaveholders, the necessity of abandoning them, and the proposed policy of constructing a party from the materials thus set at liberty, with such as could be persuaded to leave the Democratic party for a similar purpose. A resolution was adopted that, if the Nebraska bill, then pending, should pass, they would ' throw old party organizations to the winds, and organize a new party on the sole issue of the non-eytension of slavery.' "

" A second meeting was held," continues Mr. Wilson, " on the 20th of March, for the purpose of organization and for the adoption of such preliminary measures as the inauguration of the new party required. By formal vote, the town committees of the Whig and Free-Soil parties were dissolved, and a committee of five, consisting of three Whigs, one Free-Soiler and one Democrat, was chosen. ' The work done on that evening,' says Mr. Bovay, ' was fully accepted by the Whig and Free-Soil parties of all this section immediately, and very soon - that is to say, in a few months - by these parties throughout the entire State.' A State Convention was held in July, by which the organization of the party was perfected for the State, a majority of the delegation was secured for the next Congress ; and a Free-Soiler, Charles Durkee, was elected to the Senate of the United States. At the meeting of the 20th of March, Mr. Bovay, though stating his belief that the party should and probably would take the name of - Republican,' advised against such a christening at that time, and by that small local body of men. He, however, wrote to the editor of the New York Tribune, suggesting the name, giving his reasons therefor, and requesting him, if his viesvs corresponded with his own, to call the attention of his readers to it in the columns of his paper. Thus early did the men of that frontier town inaugurate a movement which was destined to sweep and control the nation, and which did sweep the country, and change entirely the policy of the government."*

Careful investigations in the city of Ripon more than confirm the opinion of the late Vice President of the United States - Mr. Wilson. Facts have been sought from original sources - from living witnesses - from documentary evidence - all bearing upon this interesting and important movement, and all prove beyond question that Alvan E. Bovay first suggtested the formation and name of the political party of the United States known as the Republican party ; that several of his neighbors whose names are hereafter given powerfully aided him in its first organization in Ripon - cordially co-operating with him iii the inauguration of the new party.

" I had been a Whig, but the Whig party was then dead. Its defunct condition was not generally realized, but it was dead nevertheless. It had been routed horse, foot and artillery in the fall of 1852. That battle was its Waterloo. No party could outlive such a terrible slaughter of its innocents as that was.

" The leaders could not marshal their troops ; could not anywhere bring their forces into line ; in short, the party was dead, though not dissolved. Moreover, the country no longer took any interest in the old Whig issues. The slavery question dominated everything else. Nobody talked or thought any longer about protection to American industry. It was slavery in the States, slavery in the Territories, the Fugitive Slave Law, and the refrain was ever slavery, and nothing else. There was one great, overshadowing, pro-slavery party - the Democratic ; there must also be one great anti-slavery party to antagonize it. The logic of history demanded it. Such a party had become inevitable. The Whig party was not this party, and could not be. It had outstayed its time and its usefulness ; it was an anachronism. It had become an obstruction, an impediment, a nuisance. But how to get the organization out of the way - that was a rather formidable question. It stood there a great, useless, lifeless thing, awaiting some possible political earthquake, which would be violent enough to shake it to pieces. And the earthquake came. v