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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 5, 1904)
Jane 5, 1004. bers of th legislature were among th ' bank organisers and voted Tor each other's bills. The secUonal fight between the North Flatte and South Piatt regions start thJs year and rages with Increasing vio lence. In 1856 the census counted 10,716 people In the territory. The legislature charters another crop of wild cats. The great busi ness of Nebraskans Is staking out town sites and swapping lithographed paper. . The Missouri river front is platted thick with future termini of Pacific railroads. This Is Nebraska's first "boom" how many since are sadly remembered? The year 1857 was full of Incident for the little frtnga of settlements along th Mis souri, which constituted Nebraska. The legislature chartered six more banks. Gov ernor Izard vetoed the acts. Two of them, those for th Bank of Tekatnah and Dank of DeSoto, were passed over his veto. A dozen more asked for charters. Borne of those when refused organized and issued their paper money anyway. There was a bank for every thousand people and $750 authorised banking capital for every man, woman and child. In the fall the crash oama. The banks broke with no assets. The loss to the peo ple who held their paper was esti mated at $480,000. Town lots sank below the cost of surveying. The legislature passed a bill removing the capital to Doug las. Lancaster county, a paper town. Gov ernor Izard, vetoed the bill. December 9, 1857, the legislature met again In what proved the most exciting session ever held. An Otoe county member Intro duced a new bill removing the capital. Th Omaha people were finding It very ex pensive to kill off these bills. They, there fore, announced that no bills of any kind would be allowed to pass until the capital removal bill was withdrawn. On January 7, 1858, a free-for-all fracas in the legis lature between the Omaha members and others followed. The majority of both bouses the next day assembled at Florence and remained there in session the balance of the legal term of forty days. W. A. Richardson of Illinois th champion of the Nebraska bill In the house, arrived as governor on January 11. He declined to recognize the Florence legislature and after passing numerous bills, among them one to remove the capital to Neapolls, & paper town on the Platte, the legislature adjourned. On March 23 Secretary of State Cuming died and July 12 J. Sterling Mor ton was appointed by President Buchanan to fill the place. The year 1858 witnessed the first organiza tion of political parties In Nebraska. Be fore that all had been democrats. The "black republican nigger lovers" as they were universally styled, were held in. great contempt but held their first advertised meeting to organize on May 27 at Omaha. It was a private meeting and none were admitted except those wanted. An extra session of the legislature was held to trans act necessary business left undone by the breakup of the regular session. The re publicans first appeared In this session under the leadership of Samuel Daily and T. M. Marquett. The prohibitory law was replaced by a license law under republican championship, the object being to gain the German vote, which was considerable. The first board of agriculture was organised and the flret homestead .exemption law passed. Territorial warrants sold as low as 30 and 40 cents on the dollar and the Universal complaint is that taxes cannot be collected. August 16, 1858, Governor Richardson re signed and hastened to Illinois, where his friend Douglas was making the fight of his life against Abraham Lincoln for the senate, with the Buchanan administration bushwhacking Douglas. Under these cir cumstances Richardson could not hold of fice under Buchanan. His successor . was Samuel W. Black of Pennsylvania. The feud between the North and South Platte sections which had raged for several years now reached the white heat of seces sion. The South Platte people held meet ings at Nebraska City and Brownvllle and resolved to cast their lot with Kansas. They memorialized congress to annex the . country to Kansas and elected twelve dele gates to the Kansas constitutional conven tion, among them Robert W. Furnas. The delegates were admitted to the floor, but tho Kansans by a vote of 29 to 19 decided against changing their boundary, and North Platte and South Platte still contend for mastery in Nebraska conventions. The first republican territorial convention was held at Bellevue August 24, 1859, and Samuel Dally nominated for congress. The platform declared for an act to prohibit slavery in Nebraska, for a free homestead law, for a Pacific railroad and for the ex tension of political privileges to foreign born residents. The democratic convention declared for pretty much the same program. With the reference to slavery omitted and a plank favoring statehood added. In the election which followed the democratic re turning board gave Estabrook, democrat, the certificate of election and the repub lican house at Washington gave Daily the scat. The Pawnee war In July, 1869, was caused by Pawnees stealing from settlers near Fontanelle. Two hundred militia under General Thayer chased the Pawnee trail up the Elkhorn four days, took them at tattle Creek, Madison county, and captured the camp without firing a shot TITE ILLUSTRATED HEE. December 6, 1S5, the legislature met and was told by Governor Black that Nebraska had about 60.000 people and was ready for statehood. With a little economic sense as many a Nebraska politician since he recommended a stringent usury law as a remedy for high rates of Interest and ve toed a bill passed by the legislature pro Ubitlng slavery In th territory. The leg islature submitted the first proposition for forming a state government to the people and voted a bonus of 20,000 acres of land to establish a line of steamboats on ths Piatt river. In March. 1800, there were cast 2.094 votes for statehood and 1732 votes against. Th South Platte voted for It, but Douglas and Sarpy counties turned the proposition down. Th United States oer.ous gaw Nebraska 28,811 population and real ad personal property worth $9,131,061, Th territorial .election for delegate in congress was th historic race between Dally and J. Ster ling Morton. Tbe veto of th homestead blli by President Buchanan had lost th democracy so many votes that although Morton made a phenomenal campaign on a platform in favor of th homestead bill the vote as first canvassed showed Morton 2.957, Dally 2,943. Subsequently Governor Black threw out the returns from Niobrara precinct and gave a certlficat of election to Dally. The republican majority in con gress kept Daily. In his seat, after hearing Morton make his first and last speech on the floor, a fiery phlllippio against th men who had beaten him. New Tear's day, 1861, Governor Black celebrated by sending In a voto of another bill prohibiting slavery In the territory on the ground, chiefly, that the Dred Scott decision and the Louisiana treaty forbade It. The legislature promptly passed tho bill over his veto, both republicans and democrats voting therefor. There were re ported to bo fifteen slaves in Nebraska at this time. Soon after this Governor Black resigned, was made colonel of the Sixty second Pennsylvania, and was killed while leading his troops at the battle of Gaines' Mill. On May 15, 1861. Governor Alvln Saunders arrived from Mt Pleasant, la., and with Algernon S. Paddock as secretary of state began the first republican administration. The war was on and the First Nebraska, under Colonel Thayer, went to the front In August, making an honorable name at Fort Donneison, Pittsburg Landing, Corinth and elsewhere. The Second Nebraska, under Colonel R. W. Furnas, was mustered in 1863 and took a prominent part In the Sioux campaign, ending in the battle of Whltestone Hills. January 1, 1803, the homestead law went Into effect, and the first homestead In the United States was taken by Daniel Free man In Gage county. On December 2, 1863, ground was broken at Omaha and Council Bluffs for the Union Pacific rail road. The long contest was ended. Ne braska was to have th first transcontinen tal railroad. April 19, 184. congress paasJ an enabling act to permit Nebraska to form a state constitution and enter the union. After preliminary skirmishing the . issue was Joined at the polls June 2. 1866. The democrats nominated Morton for governor and opposed statehood. The republicans nominated David Butler for governor and advocated statehood. The vote was 3.938 In favor of statehood and 3,838 against. The republican ticket was elected with one exception. So close was the elnctlon that the throwing out of a single precinct. Rock Bluffs, In Cass county, which gave a democratic majority of fifty-eight, changed the entire result, giving the repub licans control of the legislature, when otherwise the democrats had control. The ground alleged by tho republican board which threw out the precinct was that the election board locked the ballot box and took It with them to dinner. No fraudulent voting was set up. A contest was made, but the republicans stood to gether, seated the republican members of the legislature, and sent two republicans, Thayer and Tipton, the tho United States senate. Instead of two democrats, Morton and Poppleton. . That election dinner in Rock Bluffs precinct cost the. democratio party dtar Just as Nebraska territory was a political storm center In congress, so was Nebraska Ep """" ' IfS 4 ,ftg f ' I iMnP.WV U.'-S.TlWliwilS-rTTff mSTnw.ahrfi.Tv. " I state destined to be. Th constitution adopted In 1866 followed the old land marks and limited suffrage to "white males." The radical republican members of con gress, led by Sumner and Edmunds, de manded that the word "white" bo stricken out. After a prolonged debate congress agreed to admit Nebraska on the funda mental condition that Its legislature agreed by solemn public act that there should be no denial of suffrage or of any other right to any person, by reason of race or color (except Indians not taxed). President John son at once vetoed ths bill. Congress passed it over th veto. Th Nebraska legislature. In special session February 21, M67, agreed to th condition Imposed, and on March L 1867, tbe proclamation of An- TERRITORY OF NEBRASKA FROM MM TO IMS. A PART ADDED FROM WA8HINOTON TERRITORY. B PART ADDED FROM UTAH TERRITORY. drew Johnson mad Nebraska a member of th federal union. Tfcsj State of KebraskalSdT-ltMM. There is left but briefest apace to sum marts th development of the state. The significant events fall naturally into the division of decades and will thus be grouped. That first period witnessed ths triumph of the South Platte section In th removal of the capital to a raw prairie on Salt creek, but Omaha had gained mor than the capital could take away from It In th terminus of the Union Pacific rail road. It witnessed the enactment of the herd law which subordinated stock raising to farming and promoted the filling up of the eastern half of the state with a com pact farming population. On tho other hand, the discovery that cattle could graze and keep fat the year round upon them converted th high tabla lands and valleys of the western half of the state into a great stock range, upon the heels of th disappearing buffalo. Th first Pacific rail road was completed across the continent May 10, 1869. The Burlington was built to Kearney in 1872 and the St. Paul road up the Logan valley. The material progress of the state was promoted and a cosmo politan coloring given Nebraska life by the settlement of great cblonles of Russians, Swedes, Bohemians, Danes, Irfch and Ger mans upon our soil, which, with smaller ones of Poles, French and Italians, have made their mark upon our institutions and Industries. Arbor day was Instituted in 1872 and the Timber Culture act becam law two years later. Politically this period saw the state become reliably republican, the great Interior counties filling up with persons of that faith, the river counties being the only communities where the dem ocratic party maintained a hold a state of affairs practically true to this day. This decade, however, witnessed the first anti monopoly movement, the first farmers' or ganization in the grange which laid a foun dation for future developments In that line. The Staje university and Normal school began their work. Grasshoppers, drouth and financial panic visited the state In 1873-75, and with them the hardest times Nebraska has ever seen, for there was less accumulation of means to carry the people through the crisis. A new constitution was submitted In 1871 and defeated, largely be cause K permitted the taxation of church property and made railroads pay damages for right-of-way regardless of benefits con ferred. A constitutional convention met' In Lincoln May 12, 1875, and adjourned June 12, 1875, after framing the present organlo Instrument which was adopted by the peo ple October 12 by a vote of 30,:02 for and 5,474 against. The population grew from 122,933 In 1870 to 452,022 In 18S0. Wealth In creased from $fi9,OCO,000 to $386,0O0,CO0. Ths Pawnee, Otoe and Ponca' Indians were re moved from the homes of their fathers to new reservations In the Indian Territory. The great northwestern part of the state was surveyed and described In the news papers. It was the period of pioneer or ganization In our history. The great feature of Nebraska life In the decade 1880-1890 was the settlement of the plains. Moved by a mighty common Impulse tho homesteaders broke through the slowly retreating cattle range line and filled ths land, even to the mountain tops of Sioux and Kimball counties. This was not accomplished without friction nor wholly without bloodshed. It was a splen did panorama of frontier life, for with it went ths extension of the Northwestern rallrond to Chadron nnd the Black Hills, the completion of the Burlington , to Den ver and to th Big Horn country, th drlving of herds of elk and doer and ante- lope before the advancing lines of settle ment along with the groat cattle outfits, Nebraska was settled to Its farthest bor der. The second great feature of economlo life In this period was the creation of a groat stock market and packing center at South Omaha. With this great Indus trial development there came In the lulter part of the decade the second grent "boon)" In our history another era of paper town sites and additions, or high speculative fever, of farm loans, of wild enterprises. The political history was quiet and un eventful. The state grew more strongly republican. The anti-monopoly movement died away, a railroad commission law being enacted to help put It to sleep, High license liquor law was passed In l&il and woman suffrage defeated at th polls In 18SX. Ten years of material growth, of speculative prosperity and conservative government prelude to the storm. .Th population increased from 450,023 to LO&fUilO, as shown by a census universally admitted to have been stuffed 20.000 to 100,000 names. Wealth grew from $3,O0O,000 to L275,O0,O0O, according to the figures of the United Btates census. While population doubled weulth had trebled. Much of. this vast Increase In wealth was, however, fictitious speculative values and the conversion of cattle range Into ISO-acre farms and corn fields into town lots. Tho bard times that followed caused much of it to evaporate, and, in fact, there was a shrinkage for several yeurs in th real as well as th assessed value of th state. But, spit of all, this was th decade of Nebraska's greatest expansion. As the great future of Nebraska society between 1880 and 1890 had been the peopling of the plains, so the great feature in th decade that followed was their depopula tion. Two severe drouth years, 1890 and 1894, swept away the bulk of the corn crop in the entire state.- In the plains region a succession of dry seasons drove back the line of general farming 200 miles toward the Missouri river, leaving a battle field covered with deserted homes and aban doned fields. Again, as in the grasshopper day 8 of 1874-5, appropriations were mad by the state for relief and seed. Companion with this physical conflict came the most complete political revolution the state has ever known. In a single year a new party arose, elected a majority of the legislature and reached the climax of Its victories In 1896 by carrying Its whole state ticket, a majority of both houses of the legislature and four members of congress. Radical agitation took the place of conservative stagnation. Whatever the faults of th period, it will long be remembered as - a time of popular awakening of a political life which filled the goblet and effervesced at the brim. The changes of years and the effort to harness this young radicalism with reactionary nnd conservative elements wrought Its defeat, but it left on the stat ute book in the Australian ballot law, ths free text book law, the maximum railroad rate law, the school land lease law and other acts the impress of Its thought. Th whole community, conservative as well as radical, was moved toward public and municipal ownership. Three, yes four, industrial discoveries changed Nebraska agriculture In this period. The first was the establishment of winter wheat as a staple crop, the sec ond the extension of alfalfa culture, th third the development of creamery dairy ing, the fourth, the beginning of sugar beet production. To these a fifth rulght be added systematic Irrigation. What Is probably the last Indian war for all tlm occurred on the Nebraska border In 1890 1891. After twenty-five years of struggle the popular effort to fix railway rates or regulate the operation of the roads was abandoned with the abolition of the State Railroad commission In 1901. tinder both republican and opposition administrations It had been controlled by th roads and this led to its elimination. The steady ex tension of the function of both state and local governments, as evidenced In the In crease of state Institutions; In the addition of bureaus, such as labor statistics, gam commission, state library commission; in the additional conveniences of more cul tured life demanding more parks, paving, (Continued on Pag Ten.)