POLITICS IN 1897

In 1897 the republican county convention convened June 30th. Prior to the convention there had been a spirited contest between R. G. Clark and J. O. Lenning, candidates for representative, but on Clark's securing a majority of the delegates, Lenning withdrew from the contest and Clark was nominated by acclamation.

At this convention there were eight candidates for treasurer. They were E. I. Johnson, O. Ostrem, O. U. Miracle, G. S. Neel, J. A. Stover, George Streever, O. A. Cragwick, J. E. Sogard.

From the first ballot, Miracle led all his competitors but could not secure a majority, so finally withdrew, throwing his entire strength to J. A. Stover, who received the nomination. This nomination was received with great dissatisfaction, not so much on account of the personality of Stover as on account of the manner of his securing the nomination. Charges were openly made that Miracle had "sold out" and that Stover's nomination was the result of a deal, and the belief that these charges were true, contributed largely to Stover's defeat at the following election.

W. H. Sinclair was renominated for sheriff. W. F. Cole was renominated for superintendent and Fighting "Bob" Russell was again nominated for surveyor. O. J. Larson received the nomination for supervisor from the 2d district.

There was also a spirited contest for delegates to the senatorial convention. J. H. Richard and M. H. Brinton were candidates and Richard won out and secured the delegation.

The senatorial convention convened at Webster City, July 28, and each county presented a candidate. On the first baliot, J. H. Richard of Hamilton received. sixteen votes, Joseph Wallace of Hardin received nineteen votes, J. E. Rowen of Wright received sixteen votes.

The balloting continued without change until 3,468 ballots had been cast, when Richard withdrew and Wallace received the vote of Hamilton county and was nominated.

This year the democrats nominated: for representative, J. N. Maxwell; for treasurer, Peter Mathre; for sheriff, Lee Greiner; for superintendent of schools, H. M. Lucas; for coroner, Dr. Byron Lewis; for supervisor of 2d district, John Carey.

The election furnished a general surprise to the people. Peter Mathre, the democratic candidate for treasurer, was elected by 300 majority. The rest of the republican ticket was elected.

This year the "Wasp" was established at Williams by W. H. Hellen and Jesse Gouge became associate editor of the Graphic Herald at Webster City.

EVENTS OF 1898

In January, 1898, the Tribune, Wasp and Graphic-Herald made sharp attacks on the board of supervisors charging irregularities in the management of the county finances. The board was defended by the Freeman. In the controversy, the republican politicians were divided into factions. That opposing the board was

known as the "Bolter's Ring" and that defending it was known as the "Hog Combine." While a great deal of noise was made and much smoke and dust stirred up, the only substantial irregularity disclosed was that members of the board, while doing committee work, had charged the regular mileage allowed by law and in addition thereto had paid from the county funds, the bills for livery used in making the trips for which the mileage was charged.

The matter was taken to court and an order was made directing the members of the board to return to the county the sum collected for livery in cases where mileage was charged. During this controversy, Jesse Gouge was editor of the Graphic and distinguished himself as an unusually witty and forcible writer. In connection with this controversy his reference to the "whole board" as the "hole bored" will long be remembered with a smile by those who read the newspapers of the county at that time.

The controversy over the board was followed by the indictment returned by the Grand Jury against W. H. Hellen charging him with criminal libel. The cause of the indictment was a vicious personal attack upon Fred Barkhurst, editor of the Stanhope Mail. Hellen was a sympathizer with the "Bolter's Ring" while Barkhurst received his political inspiration from the "Hog Combine," so the indictment of Hellen was immediately branded as a case of political perse

cution.

The trial of the case was held in March, 1898, and the jury returned a verdict of "not guilty."

The breaking out of the Spanish-American war, attracted the attention of the people away from politics for a short time, but it was for only a short time, for during the latter part of the month of May, the Tribune sprang the Barber-Olmstead sensation and the flames of local politics were again fanned to a white heat.

THE BARBER-OLMSTEAD SENSATION

George C. Olmstead was county attorney, and George Barber had been his client, in a suit in which Barber's wife had secured a divorce.

Barber had about $4,000 and during the trial of the divorce case had turned this money over to Olmstead and then swore on the witness stand that he had lost it in Chicago. Olmstead had paid Barber money at different times but finally by the use of his knowledge of Barber's perjury secured a settlement for about $250 while he still owed him about $3,000. Barber, when he recovered from the first effects of his "scare" employed J. L. Kamrar to bring suit against Olmstead to recover his money.

The story was featured in a most sensational manner, by the Tribune which had been antagonistic to Olmstead's political friends, and this caused the Freeman to rush to his defense. Charges were freely made that the Barber suit was a political conspiracy to ruin Olmstead because he as county attorney had urged the indictment of W. H. Hellen for libel, and was working against C. D. Hellen, who was a candidate for the postoffice at Webster City. Indeed the fight between the Freeman and the Tribune had grown so bitter that the Freeman was, on impulse, ready to oppose any cause the Tribune championed or defended any transaction that the Tribune assailed.

The Barber-Olmstead case was tried at the February, 1899, term of the district court.

Judge Weaver delivered an elaborate written opinion covering every phase of the case in a most complete and comprehensive manner. His judgment was that Olmstead owed Barber $2,744. At the close of the trial Judge Weaver appointed N. B. Hyatt, A. N. Boeye and Wesley Martin as attorneys to commence proceedings to disbar both Olmstead and J. F. Howard and at a later term, Olmstead was disbarred and Howard suspended.

The republicans in 1898 nominated W. H. Weir for clerk, A. A. Cook for recorder, John A. Berggren for auditor,. A. N. Boeye for county attorney, O. A. Hall for coroner and C. D. Doolittle for supervisor from 1st district.

The democrats nominated J. W. Lee for clerk, Charles Gerber for recorder, Nels Fardal for auditor, George Wamback for county attorney, T. F. Desmond for coroner and R. B. Wyckoff for supervisor, Ist district.

The entire republican ticket was elected.

During the year an examination of the book of ex-Treasurer W. H. Dygert showed a shortage of about $800. Dygert, though abundantly able to do so, refused to make the amount good on the ground that he had never taken the money, and that to pay it would be to admit that he had wrongfully taken it. The matter was taken to court and finally adjusted, the shortage being practically all accounted for by errors in bookkeeping. Those who investigated the matter were satisfied that Dygert had never taken a cent that did not belong to him and that he was entitled to a complete vindication so far as any moral wrong was concerned.

In February, 1899, T. LeRoy Evans sold the Graphic Herald to W. J. Pilkington, who at once assumed editorial charge.

In 1899 the republican convention convened at Webster City July 1st. An important step then taken was to adopt a resolution favoring the primary system of nominating candidates for office.

R. G. Clark was unanimously renominated for representative. There were eight candidates for sheriff and the first informal ballot stood as follows: C. L. Zublin, 20 votes; J. H. Shaffer, 25; N. H. Bawden, 92; Will Cavana, 13; George W. Black, 17; John K. Wyatt, 122; H. I. Thompson, 15; W. L. Sinclair, 2. On the fifty-eighth ballot, J. H. Shaffer received fifty-eight votes and was nominated.

John E. Fardal was nominated for treasurer, L. N. Gerber for superintendent, O. A. Hall for coroner and E. E. Fox for surveyor.

In October, 1899, the bitter fight between the Freeman and Tribune came to a sudden end. A stock company composed of leading men of both factions of the republicans, purchased both papers and consolidated them. On November 1st, the Daily Freeman-Tribune made its appearance. J. D. Hunter was editor and president, C. D. Hellen was business manager and vice president. W. F. Hunter was associate editor and D. L. Hunter was secretary and treasurer.

TWO IMPORTANT REFORMS

Two most important reforms have practically revolutionized the politics of Hamilton county. The first was the adoption of the Australian system of voting. Under the old plan in vogue for so many years, each political party had

tickets printed containing the names of its candidates. The enterprising political worker caught the voter before he reached the polls, thrust a prepared ballot upon him, then followed him to the polls and watched to see that it was safely deposited. The timid voter was thus intimidated. Many schemes were devised to beat the politicians. A favorite one was designed to secure the voter a secret ballot. The voter would prepare his ballot before he reached the polls and safely deposit it in his vest pocket. During the excitement attending the voting he expected to surreptitiously extract his prepared ballot and deposit it without being seen. But this plan sometimes miscarried. Often times he extracted the wrong paper and many strange documents thus found their way into the ballot box. The passage of the Australian ballot law, however, insured to the voter, the private expression of his opinion at the polls and transformed the polls from a place of excitement, contention and sometimes riot, to a place of quiet and dignity, for no electioneering was allowed within 100 feet of the voting place.

The other important reform is the adoption of the primary election plan which displaces the caucus and convention and secures the nomination of officers by the secret ballot of the members of each political party. This plan has made the packing of caucuses and the manipulation of convention matters past history.

We have not attempted to carry the details of our political history beyond the beginning of the twentieth century, preferring to leave the work of recording the events now fresh in the minds of all to some future historian.

CHAPTER XIII

CITY POLITICS

WEBSTER CITY INCORPORATED-NO PARTY POLITICS ALLOWED-A CITY OF THE SECOND CLASS-THE WATERWORKS-SOLDIERS HOME PROSPECTS-J. D. RISTE ELECTED COUNCILMAN-MOVING THE POSTOFFICE-THE MARKET SQUARE-ELECTRIC LIGHTS-CITY POLITICS-A BLOW AT THE CITY SCALES-ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT COMPLETED—THE FIRST NATIONAL MOVES-THE POSTOFFICE MOVED AT

LAST THE CLARK-YOUNG CONTEST CONTRACTION NOT ALLOWED THE 5000

MARK REACHED THE CITY SCALES FIGHT-THE FIFTH WARD.

WEBSTER CITY INCORPORATED

The first town in the county to become incorporated was Webster City. The question of incorporation had been more or less agitated for over ten years, and one or two votes had been taken upon the question but a majority had always opposed it. It was not until the fall of 1874 that the question carried. On the 22nd day of October, 1874, the election of city officers resulted in the selection of the following officers: Mayor, L. L. Estes; recorder, B. F. Miller; trustees, Captain G. H. Soule, George Hathway, George Shipp, R. E. Fairchild, and W. S. Worthington. The council appointed W. J. Covil as city attorney and W. W. Collins as city marshal. No street commissioner was appointed then, but the road supervisor of the district in Boone township was supposed to have the right to work the roads within the corporation. The error was discovered however, when the city council raised the age limit under which able bodied citizens were liable to work poll tax, from 45 to 50. The attempt to enforce this order was made by the road supervisor, when it was discovered that he had no authority whatever to work roads inside the corporation and a good many persons escaped road poll tax altogether that year, as it was too late to appoint an officer and serve notices before the expiration of the time in which notice should have been served.

NO PARTY POLITICS ALLOWED

In politics, Webster City has been for fifty years non-partisan in its city politics, and all attempts to subject the city to party control have been rejected. In the spring of 1880, the republicans attempted to take control of the city government and nominated a straight republican ticket. The "Fusionists," composed of greenbackers, democrats and all others who were opposed to injecting party politics into the city government, nominated an opposition ticket.