CHAPTER III
The
people then living in Osceola County in 1871,
did not often get together, only as a neighborhood
would gather for social purposes. There were
not many in the county in 1871. The county
was sparsely settled. It was
"The
first low wash of waves, where soon
Would roll a human sea."
The
first meeting of the people was held at Abraham
Miller's place, near Sibley. It was called
for the purpose of establishing mail facilities,
and to provide for bringing the mail from
Le Mars to Shaw's store, then near Ashton.
This was the ostensible purpose, and mail
arrangements were provided for, but back of
it all there were a few political schemes,
and several ambitious aspirants for office
at the coming election who wanted to look
the crowd over, get acquainted, and try to
make the usual favorable impression in order
to succeed in making a harvest of votes. If
a yankee should be cast away on a desolate
island, the first thing he would no doubt
do, would be to divide the territory into
election precints, and the next thing to call
a caucus. The people of Osceola then were
strangers to each other, and while other things
may have been left behind them at the old
home, the great feeling of sovereignty, realization
of the fact that each was an individual citizen
and could vote and hold office, were a part
of nature, and in this respect they were alike
without even a formal introduction. Abraham
Miller was chairman of the meeting, and
Cyrus M. Brooks, secretary.
The next meeting
of the people was held on the 4th day of July,
1871. It will be noticed that the first organization
of Osceola was brought about by act of Woodbury
County Board of Supervisors. Osceola was then
a part of Woodbury for judicial purposes,
and, under the law, for all other also, so
that Woodbury's act constituted a division
of territory. In other words, Woodbury set
Osceola up in business for itself. As provision
had been made in the Woodbury County proceedings
for the election of Osceola County officers
at the general election in 1871, it became
the duty of Osceola County people to fix upon
somebody to fill each of the offices, and
to prepare candidates for them who should
be in the field for
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election. The order for the
election of officers was made in June, 1871,
and as July 4th was approaching, it was thought
best by the people of Osceola County to meet
on that day, and celebrate with the usual
exercises and at the same time nominate candidates
for County offices.
The outside world
was full of glory and enthusiasm, the air
was filled with noise and pyrotechnics, and
the voices of American orators were sounding
the distinguished valor and heroism of our
canonized ancestors. The little band of Osceola
County settlers met together with a quaker
quietness, comparatively speaking. They had
their lunch baskets and were socially agreeable,
but the cannon, the fire cracker and fire
works were conspicuously absent. The meeting
was held on A. M. Culver's claim on
Section 24, Township 99, Range 41, and was
called and intended, as before stated, not
only to observe and recognize the great American
holiday, but also to place in nomination candidates
to fill the county offices at the first election
to be held in October, 1871. At that time
none knew each others qualifications, except
where men had come from the same neighborhood
in other parts of the country. The men to
be nominated and elected were to have the
trial of service, were to be weighed in the
balance, and given the opportunity to prove
their fitness, or to be found unworthy of
the trust that was imposed in them. H.
G. Doolittle was chosen chairman of the
meeting and _________secretary. A few patriotic
remarks were made and the meeting proceeded
to make its nominations. The following named
persons were put in nomination:
| Treasurer, E. Huff |
| Recorder, D. L. McCausland. |
| Sheriff, Jeff Cutshall. |
| Superintendent of Schools,
Delily Stiles. |
| Clerk of Courts, Cyrus
M. Brooks. |
| Auditor, _________McDonald.
|
|
Supervisors,
|
{J. H. Winspear. |
| {H. R. Fenton. |
| {George Spaulding |
|
Holmon Township Trustees
|
{Robert Stamm
|
|
{W. W. Webb
|
|
{Frank Stiles
|
|
{H. R. Hayes
|
There
was present at this meeting, including all,
about one hundred. The business and visiting
were ended the latter part of the afternoon
and the people dispersed.
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It might be well to follow these nominations
to the election which followed in October.
At this election there were no contentions
of political parties. The contest involved
no controversy, except individual success,
and there was no regular opposition ticket.
There were independent candidates, however,
and the nominated ticket was not wholly successful.
A. M. Culver was elected Treasurer
as an independent candidate over E. Huff,
the regular nominee. F. M. Robinson
was an independent candidate for Auditor,
and himself and the nominee, McDonald,
were a tie on the election. This tie had to
be decided by drawing lots, and the drawing
resulted in favor of Robinson, so that
Robinson, became the Auditor. John
Beaumont was the independent candidate
against McCausland, but McCausland
was elected. When the time to qualify came,
McCausland was away teaching school,
and the board in January, 1872, felt inclined
to declare the office vacant, and appointed
John Beaumont, Recorder. Afterwards
McCausland sent his bond, and upon
his return, had some little trouble to get
possession of the office, but finally obtained
it. Cutshall and his independent opponent
both tied, and when the drawing was to take
place neither were present, so the board on
January 3, 1872, appointed Frank Stiles.
There was at this
time under the organization only three township
in the county, and this October election was
held in Goewey Township at the house of E.
Huff; in Holman Township at A. M. Culver's
house, and Horton Township at the house of
H. R. Fenton.
The final outcome
resulted in the following named persons filling
the places:
| Treasurer, A. M. Culver. |
| Recorder, D. L. McCausland. |
| Auditor, F. M. Robinson. |
| Clerk of Courts, Cyrus
M. Brooks. |
| Surveyor, M. J. Campbell. |
| Coroner, J. D. Hall. |
| Superintendent of Schools,
Delily Stiles. |
| Drainage Commissioner, John
Beaumont. |
|
Supervisors,
|
{J. H. Winspear. |
| {George Spaulding. |
| {H. R. Fenton. |
There
were cast at this election in all at the three
polling places, ___votes.
The County was
now fully organized, and the Board of Supervisors
had their meeting January 1, 1872.
John L. Robinson
[NOTE:
Click on image to see larger size.]
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The
proceedings of the board during the first
year of its administration are told in another
part of this book and we need not here recited
them again. The record and the unwritten history
of this first year, and a part of the second
year, shows that a few unprincipled men came
to Osceola County for the sole and only purpose
of plunder. These few gathered some friends
around them—really had a party—many
of whom had no share in the spoils, but were
made to believe that the leaders were only
doing what the good of the County demanded,
and that the opposition were indignant because
they were out of office and not in.
There is a certain
stubbornness in all our natures, which we
often assert, sometimes in the wrong direction,
just because some trivial thing has thrown
us with this side or that, and occasionally
conviction itself will be suppressed by a
stand first taken and stubbornly kept. These
two parties each had their friends, and were
about equally divided, the reform party, however,
being mostly in the country outside of the
town. Once allied with one side or the other
it seemed difficult to change, as it is now
difficult to go from one political party to
the other when we have once identified ourselves
with that of our choice. Some of the people
in 1872 and 1873 who joined themselves with
the boodlers were not—we will be charitable
enough to admit—boodlers with them. There
were honorable exceptions, strange as it may
seem. George Spaulding, who was one
of the County Supervisors first elected, and
served with Fenton and Winspear,
lives in Osceola still, and is a man highly
respected. He has held office in Goewey Township,
the place of his residence, several different
times, and is now on the School Board. Mr.
Spaulding is looked upon as a man of integrity
and a good citizen. He was made to believe
that his co-members of the board, though inclined
to extravagance, were working for the best
interests of the County, and it is conceded
that Mr. spaulding acted conscientiously in
his official acts, and though now he may see
some things upon which he would vote differently,
he felt at the time that his action was right.
He would now be voted for with the full confidence
of his fellow citizen.
