370 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
CHAPTER X.
POLITICAL.
THE JACKSON CAMPAIGN-THE HARRISON CAMPAIGN-LOG-CABIN RAISINGS AND CELEBRATIONS-ACCIDENT AT WILMINGTON-SONGS OF 1840-LATER POLITICS OF THE COUNTY - ANTI- SLAVERY FEELING, ETC.
DURING the political campaigns which occurred in the early history of the county of Clinton, there was little excitement and the heat of battle was not reached until 1823, early in the Presidential campaign which resulted in the election of John Quincy Adams in 1824. On one occasion-in April or May, 1823-a scene occurred, which is thus described by A. H. Dunlevy, of Warren County: "As court was in session, the friends of Henry Clay embraced the opportunity of calling a public meeting. For some cause, this was done by merely ringing the court house bell after court had adjourned and tea was over. The matter was probably understood among the Clay men, and hence the tap of the bell was sufficient to call them together. There were a good many Friend-Quakers in and about Wilmington, and they were generally the friends of Adams, and not wanted at the Clay meeting. So it was whispered at the time-how truly I know not. Old Judge Dunlavy, as he then was called, was also an Adams man, and it was said it was best to let him retire to bed before the bell was sounded, as he might come to advocate the claims of Adams, and thus interrupt the meeting. Such, at least, was the rumor next day. The bell was rung; the meeting organized by calling Samuel H. Hale to the chair, and appointing Benjamin Hinkson Secretary. Such is now (1875) my impression, though I maybe mistaken in the clerk. Both Mr. Hale and Mr. Hinkson were then advocates of Henry Clay, though afterward both took up Gen. Jackson, as many others did when they saw his great popularity. I have no fault to find with them in that matter, but I mention it since at this meeting they were both Clay men, according to my recollection. At this meeting a resolution was offered, I think by Isaiah Morris, favoring Henry Clay for the coming Presidential election; but just then old Judge Dunlavy made his appearance in night-gown and slippers. He had retired to bed, but, hearing the bell, suspected what was going on and hastened to be present. The Clay resolution having been read and seconded, it was open to debate or amendment, and Judge Dunlavy immediately moved to strike out the name of Henry Clay and insert that of John Quincy Adams in its place, and that meeting a second, he went on to give a sketch of the public life of Messrs. Adams and Clay, and attempted to show that of the two men, however eminent Mr. Clay deservedly was, yet Mr. Adams was better fitted for the Chief Magistrate of the United States. His speech was pretty long, and whether on account of the lateness of the hour, or from fear of the issue, it was adjourned without any vote. This is my recollection now after more than fifty years, though I may be mistaken in some important facts. I mention this meeting, however, more on account of the number present from other counties, whose opinions on the Presidential question were then pretty generally expressed in some way, though not by any formal speech. Thomas R. Ross was there, the friend of W. H. Crawford, of Georgia, who had been nominated by the Republican Congressional Caucus. Benjamin Collett, a distinguished lawyer, was also there,
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 371
and expressed himself for Crawford. Thomas Corwin was present, too, and the avowed friend of Henry Clay. John Alexander, of genii, and W. R. Cole, of Wilmington, were likewise there, the friends of Mr. Clay. Gen. Jackson had been mentioned in a few places, the winter before, as a candidate, but as yet little interest seemed to exist in Ohio in his favor, though it soon began to manifest itself in great strength. One man, as I recollect to have heard the late Gov. Corwin say the next day, was at that meeting, and passing round was heard to exclaim in a low, suppressed voice, `Hurrah for Jackson!' Whom he was I do not recollect, nor did I then know him personally; but he was the first man, it was said, who publicly avowed himself for Gen. Jackson in Clinton County."
In 1828, the date of Jackson's first election to the Presidency, political excitement ran high in the country, and in this county the battle was contested stubbornly by the opposing parties. The Whig ticket was headed "The People's Ticket," and bore the motto, "Agriculture, domestic manufactures, and eternal improvements the road to wealth, independence and happiness." John Quincy Adams and Richard Rush were the candidates for President and Vice President on the Whig ticket, and the names of electors on the same for Ohio were Jeremiah Morrow, of Warren County; Peter Hitchcock, of Geauga; William Ruffin, of Hamilton; James McBride, of Butler; Joseph C. Hawkins, of Preble; Benjamin Whiteman, of Greene; John Smith, of Highland; Duncan McArthur, of Ross; William Kendall, of Scioto; Ralph Osborn, of Franklin; Isaac Van Horn, of Muskingum; John Patterson, of Belmont; John McLaughlin, of Jefferson; William Fogel, of Stark; Aaron Wheeler, of Ashtabula; Ebenezer Lane, of Huron. At the head of the Democratic ticket were the names of Andrew Jackson and John C. Calhoun, and the motto was, "This administration shall be put down, though it were as pure as the angels that minister at the right hand of God." The electors on this ticket were Ethan Allen Brown, of Hamilton County; George McCook, of Columbiana; William Piatt, of Hamilton; James Shields, of Butler; Henry Barrington, of Miami; Thomas Gillespie, of Greene; Thomas L. Hamer, of Brown; Valentine Kiefer, of Pickaway; Robert Lucas, of Lake; John McElvain, of Franklin; Samuel Herrick, d of Muskingum; George Sharp, of Belmont; Walter M. Blake, of Tuscarawas; Benjamin Jones, of Wayne; William Raynes, of Trumbull; Hugh McFall, of Richland. Allen Trimble was elected Governor over John . Campbell; Isaiah Morris was beaten for Congress by William Russell, in the Clinton District; Samuel H. Hale, of Wilmington, was elected to the State Senate, the opposing candidates being Isaac Collett, John Alexander and Jonathan Seamans; Thomas Hibben was chosen to the Legislature over Benjamin Hinkson and Eli Gaskill; Robert Reese was elected Sheriff of the county against Amos T. Sewell, William Millikan, John Hempstead and James Howe; Aquila Jones and John Crihfield were candidates for County Auditor, and the latter was successful; Israel Woodruff beat Peter Borden and James Craig for Coroner, and John Lewis was chosen County Commissioner as the opponent of Elisha Thomas. The Democrats carried the day. But one of the candidates on the tickets of that year is left, and that is Dr. A. Jones, still a resident of Wilmington; the others have all passed away from earth.
The next great political campaign was that of 1840, when Gen. W. H. Harrison was elected to the Presidency. Everybody was enthusiastic. It was he year of hard cider and log cabins and great political gatherings-the later such as had never before been seen in the history of the county. "Coonskins" were stretched on, the outer walls of the cabins, and occasionally a live raccoon was perched on the ridge. Appropriate mottoes were adopted, and pugs for the times were written by every one who could make a rhyme. The
372 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
poetry in these songs was so deeply hidden that it could not be discerned, but many of them were exceedingly popular, the greatest favorite being the one entitled "The Log Cabin," called also "The Buckeye Log Cabin Song," written by Otway Curry, of Union County, Ohio, February 23, 1840. It was as follows, sung to the tune of "Highland Laddie:"
Oh, where, tell me where was your buckeye cabin made?
'Twas built among the merry boys that wield the plow and spade,
Where the log cabin stands in the bonny Buckeye shade.
Oh what, tell me what is to be your cabin's fate?
We'll wheel it to the capitol and place it there elate,
For a token and a sign of the bonny Buckeye State.
Oh why, tell me why does your Buckeye cabin go?
It goes against the spoilsmen, for all its builders know
It was Harrison that fought for the cabin long ago.
Oh who fell before him in battle, tell me who?
He drove the savage legions and British armies, too,
At the Rapids and the Thames and Old Tippecanoe.
Oh what, tell me what, then, will little Martin do?
He'll follow in the footsteps of Rice and Stewart, too,
While the log cabins ring again with Tippecanoe.
Another one began thus:
Oh, what has caused this great commotion-motion-motion
The country through?
It is the ball a-rolling on
For Tippecanoe and Tyler, too,
For Tippecanoe and Tyler, too;
And with them we'll beat little Van-
Oh, Van I a used-up man
And with them we'll beat little Van.
Still another, entitled "Tippecanoe Raisin'," was as follows, and also very popular:
Come, all you log cabin boys, we're goin' to have a raisin';
We've got a job on hand that we think will be pleasin';
We'll turn out and build old Tip a new cabin,
And finish it off with chinkin' and daubin'.
We want all the he log cabin boys in the nation
To be on the ground when we lay the foundation;
And we'll make all the office-holders think it amazin'
To see how we work at old Tippecanoe's raisin'.
Hurrah! hurrah! for Harrison and Tyler,
A neat log cabin and a barrel of hard cider.
On the 80th day of next October
We'll take some hard cider, but we'll all keep sober;
We'll shoulder our axes and cut down the timber,
And have our cabin done by the 2d of December;
We'll have it well chinked, and we'll have on the cover
Of good sound clapboards, and the weight of poles over,
And a good wide chimney for the fire to blaze in;
So come on, boys, to old Tippecanoe's raisin'.
Hurrah! hurrah! etc.
Ohio will find the house tog timber,
And Old Virginia, as you'll remember,
Will find the timber for the clapboards and chinkin' ;
'Twill all be first-rate stuff, I'm thinkin .
And when we want to daub it, it happens very lucky
That we have the best of Clay in Old Kentucky;
For there's no other State has such good Clay in
To make the mortar for old Tippecanoe's raisin'.
Hurrah! Hurrah! etc.
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 373
For the hauling of the logs, we'll call on Pennsylvania,
For their Conestoga teams will pull as well as any;
And the Yankee States and York State, and all of the others
Will come and help us lift, like so many brothers;
The Hoosiers and the Suckers and the Wolverine farmers
They all know the right way to carry up the corners;
And every one's a good-enough carpenter and mason
To do a little work at Tippecanoe's raisin.
Hurrah! hurrah! etc.
We'll cut out a window and have a wide door in;
We'll lay a good loft and a first-rate floor in;
We'll fix it all complete for Old Tip to see his friends in,
And we know that the latch-string will never have its end in.
On the 4th of March, Old Tip will move in it,
And then little Martin will have to shin it.
So hurrah, boys, there's no two ways in
The fun we'll have at Old Tippecanoe's raisin'.
Then hurrah! hurrahl for Harrison and Tyler,
A nice log cabin and a barrel of hard cider.
The glory won by the ambitious rhyrners of 1840 would scarcely bring laurels to the brow of a genuine poet, but they were content to know that in a large measure the result of the campaign was due to the songs which their wearying labors had brought forth; and knowing that "the end crowns the work," they, were happy. The Democrats endeavored to create enthusiasm by also writing campaign songs, but the rule in that case would work but one way, and they were in the end defeated overwhelmingly.
The great campaign of 1840 was more exciting, perhaps, than any other in the history of the country, and called forth more articles from the press of an exceedingly enthusiastic nature than had ever been known before. Slander, abuse and vilification entered the arena and marshaled their forces for the fray, and in the course of the fight delivered many hard blows. A bitter dose of sarcasm was administered on both sides and the enthusiasm of the people broke forth in song, with generally little respect for rhyme or meter, to say nothing of grammar or elegance of diction. The Harrison ticket in Clinton County was headed: "The People's Ticket: The union of the Whigs for the sake of the Union." The principal names on the ticket were Gen. William H. Harrison, for President; John Tyler, of Virginia, for Vice President; Thomas Corwin, for Governor of Ohio, and Jeremiah Morrow for Congress. The Baltimore ore American, a prominent Van Buren paper, in speaking of Harrison, said: "Give him a barrel of hard cider, and settle a pension of $2,000 a year, and our word for it he will sit the remainder of his days contented in a log cabin." From this it is supposed originated the terms" log cabin" and "hard cider," used so often during the campaign. We append a few more of the song that were sung, the first one being written in the measure of Yankee Doodle."
Come, here's a health to Harrison,
The old log cabin farmer;
When he commands the Ship of State,
The Tories cannot harm her.
CHORUS:-Yankee Doodle, fill a mug,
A pewter mug of cider,
When he commands our gallant ship,
No evil can betide her.
Old Tip's the man, we guess, as how
The people all unite in;
He's "sarved" them true in council hall,
He's,, "sarved" them well in fightin'.
CHORUS.
374 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
When Washington sent Wayne out West
The war to put an end on't,
He took young William by the hand
And made hum first "leftenant."
CHORUS.
And we old soldiers recollect,
When war clouds gathered o'er us,
He marched us on to victory
And always went before us.
CHORUS.
When Johnny Bull came to the Thames,
Twas Harrison that met him;
And for his glorious fight that day
The people won't forget him.
CHORUS.
His patriotism no man doubts;
His principles are "starten"
They were proclaimed at cannon's mouth
In Eighteen hundred thirteen.
CHORUS.
Our office holders laugh and sneer,
And say he's poor-'od rot 'em!
But we old farmers at the polls
Will vote for him next autumn.
CHORUS.
We know he's honest, upright, true,
And if he's poor, no wonder;
Unlike our present men in power,
He does not live by plunder.
CHORUS.
The public money in his bands
He always justly paid out,
And never took a cent for self
Like Billy Price or Swartwout.
CHORUS.
'Tis said he wears a homespun coat,
And smokes a shortish pipe, sir,
And when he takes you by the hand,
He gives you an honest grip, air.
CHORUS.
Let Amos Kendall tell his lies;
Let British Tories reason;
The people all expect to see
Him President next season.
CHORUS.
The following, from the "Log Cabin song book," was sung to the tune of "Rosin the Bow."
Come ye who, whatever betide her,
To freedom have sworn to be true,
Prime up in a mug of hard cider,
And drink to old Tippecanoe.
On tap I've a pipe of as good, sir,
As man from the cock ever drew;
No poison to thicken your blood, sir,
But liquor as pure as the dew.
No foreign potation I puff, Sir,
In freedom the apple tree grew,
And its juice is exactly the stuff, sir,
To quaff to old Tippecanoe.
PAGE 375 - PICTURE OF S. T. MOON
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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 377
Let "Van" sport his coach and outriders,
In liveries flaunting and gay,
And sneer at log cabins and cider -
But woe for the reckoning day!
Following are two campaign songs, air "Bonnets of Blue," the former of which was composed by a deaf and dumb gentleman, who was a passenger on the canal boat "Robert Burns" during a trip from Columbus to Portsmouth.
TIPPECANOE SONG.
The voice of the nation has spoken;
The tyrants all shake in their shoes;
The scepter of Martin is broken-
He shrinks at the glorious news.
CHORUS:-All hail to the glorious West,
Log cabins and yeomen to you;
The land of the brave and the blest,
And home of old Tippecanoe.
The political valley of death
Surrounds his vile minions of power;
Their slanderous, pestilent breath
Is hushed like the storm of an hour.
CHORUS.
The cooks of the kitchen, aghast.
Hear their knell sound far from the West,
And fear that their dishes at last,
Will poison "the greatest and best"
CHORUS:-Then hail to the glorious West,
Log cabins and yeomen to you
The land of the brave and the blest
And home of old Tippecanoe.
A SONG.
Here's a health to Tippecanoe!
Here's a shout to Tippecanoe!
And he that won't drink to the pride of North Bend
Is neither a wise one nor true;
It's good for the people to rule;
It's base to be led by a few ;
It's good to stand up for the popular choice
Then shout for old Tippecanoe!
Hurrah for old Tippecanoe!
Hurrah for old Tippecanoel
It's good to cheer him who has often cheered us,
Then shout for old Tippecanoe l
Here's a health to Tippecanoe!
Here's a shout for Tippecanoe!
Here's a health to the chief who was never yet beat,
Three rounds for the honest and true l
Here's luck to the hand that will toil!
Here's luck to the seed that is sown
Who's a poor man himself is a friend of the poor,
And values their rights as his own.
Then shout for old Tippecanoe!
Hurrah for old Tippecanoe l
It's time to turn out all the profligate herd,
And put in old Tippecanoe.
Saturday, May 9, 1840, was a day long to be remembered in Wilmington. various parts of the county enthusiastic Whig meetings had been held (and were continued throughout the campaign) and it finally occurred that the r
378 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
followers of Harrison determined to have a log-cabin raising and a grand time at the county seat. The Clinton Republican of May 16, 1840, says: " Saturday last was a glorious day for Clinton. Although the morning of the day was unfavorable, considerable rain having fallen, and the clouds betokening a storm from their rapid moving, yet, notwithstanding all this, the people came in from all quarters to assist in raising a cabin in honor of the man who has been taunted and ridiculed by demagogues and silk-stocking aristocrats. The immense gathering, the soul-stirring patriotism, and the out breaking enthusiasm took all by surprise. It confounded our opponents, and plainly demonstrated the firm hold the `log cabin' candidate has upon the hearts of the people. We wished that every voter in the county could have witnessed the exciting scene and participated in the joy of the vast multitude. One thousand people were present, and it was the largest gathering which had ever been seen in Wilmington. They would have caught a spark of the fire that seemed to burn in every bosom, for all was joy and hilarity."
A dinner of ham, corn dodgers and hard cider was served to the hungry ones at 2 o'clock P. M., and after it was over, Capt. Joseph Parrott, a Revolutionary soldier, and a subsequent member of Harrison's army, delivered an address as follows: "I served under Harrison, and was close by his side, and know that he was a brave General. I frequently hear Harrison called a cow ard, and that he was never in danger; this is not so. He was too brave for a General. He placed himself in the hottest of the battle, and in the most imminent danger, urging his men on with the eloquence of a Washington, for liberty. Gen. Harrison a coward! Sirs, I feel my blood boil when a charge so false is preferred against the man who protected our Northwestern frontier from an inveterate foe. Language is inadequate to express my opinions in regard to the men who are so lost to all reason and a sense of respect for an individual who rendered our country invaluable services, while those who now slander him were, in the days that called me to the battle-field, rocked in their cradles, and about whose bravery they know nothing. I have fought under Washington and Harrison. I knew the courage and bravery of the former, and I feel proud in saying that the latter was not his inferior in point of courage or bravery. But let these slanderers go on. The country knows his worth, and it is appreciated by every lover of liberty. The day is near at hand when an injured and insulted people will place him where his merits and claims and qualifications justly entitle him, a day I long to see; and I hope my Maker will prolong my existence to witness and assist in redeeming the country for which I spent my best days, and placed under the guidance of the soldier, statesman and the honest man-William Henry Harrison."
The speech is not entirely grammatical, and its construction is not indicative of the accomplished scholar, but it was undoubtedly earnest, and certainly went straight to the mark. Capt Parrott was then a very old man
Following the address of the Captain, which was loudly applauded, Eli Gaskill, a farmer and pioneer, spoke in the following strain: "I am pleased to see so many of the neighbors turn out to old Tip's raisin'. It is a good sign; it is a sign that he is willing to help his neighbors. A good neighbor will always have good neighbors. It was always the case with old Tip. I have been acquainted with the character of old Tip a long time-near thirty years. I recollect a great deal of work that he has done in the Western country. He once undertook a very large, difficult and dangerous job for Uncle Sam away out along the Northwestern frontier. There was a cabin to be raised at the rapids of the Maumee, and a great deal of hard work to be done. Many of us volunteered to help him. He accepted of the help of some; others he thanked and told them that he had not provisions and other means of using them well,
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 379
that he could dispense with their services at that time. He, however, got through with the job very much to his own credit and to the satisfaction of his employer. It has been the case in all his undertakings. He is now about to undertake another and difficult job. We have every confidence in his skill, industry and perseverance. We feel grateful to him for what he has done, as well as the disposition to aid and encourage him for the future. For that purpose we have met together to raise him a cabin. The log cabin is emblematical of the humble simplicity of old Tip. It was lately introduced by a city dandy in derision of our Western candidate for the Presidency.
Old Tip and his friends know how to turn it to account. They will build him a cabin
With logs at the end and logs at the side,
Just forty feet long and thirty feet wide;
With the corners all founded on blocks,
And they, like his principles, firm as the rocks.
"We will now proceed to the erection of the cabin."
The log cabin song beginning, "Oh, where, tell me where was your log cabin made," was then sung, and the cabin was at once begun. The many competent hands made the work fly, and by 4 o'clock a log cabin 40x35 feet was up and covered, and the township meeting was held in it upon its completion. The meeting then adjourned, and the assemblage dispersed on horse and foot and in wagons, singing as they went. The day had been pleasantly spent, and order had been preserved. The Wilmington Democrat and Herald of May 15, 1840, had also an account of the proceedings, written in a somewhat sarcastic vein, which compared the enthusiastic supporters of Harrison to the ancient Trojans, Jews, Egyptians and Romans, who erected walls, arches, or other monuments commemorating events in their history.
May 22, 1840, a large mass convention for the Fourth Congressional District, composed of the counties of Warren, Clinton and Highland, was held at Wilmington, and it was estimated that 10,000 persons were present. Local committees had been at work for several weeks before the convention, and when the day arrived the people flocked from every direction, on foot, on horseback, in wagons, in log cabins, and in immense canoes on wheels, drawn by six horses each. Banners. flags, coon-skins and kegs of hard cider were carried, campaign ballads were sung, and martial music aided to swell the noise. Warren County sent three large canoes and one log cabin Nathaniel McLean, of that county, was President of the meeting, and Thomas Corwin was the orator of the occasion. Fifty delegates from each county were present for the purpose of nominating a candidate for Congress, and, having met, they agreed upon ex-Gov. Jeremiah Morrow to fill out the unexpired term of Thomas Corwin, and also for the ensuing full term, Corwin having been nominated for Governor. J. Milton Williams, of Warren County, had made a speech in Wilmington the night before the convention, and declined to be a candidate for congress. A sad accident occurred at this convention. By the premature discharge of a cannon, two delegates from Highland County, named Philip Thurman and Eli Holeman, were killed, being struck by the rammer and terribly mangled. Thurman left a wife and four children; Holeman was unmarried. The accident was said to have been caused by the carelessness of the person loading the gun.
When the fight was at last over and the votes were counted, it was found that the hero of Tippecanoe, Fort Meigs, and the Thames was successful, and his supporters rejoiced. The strain upon him had been too great. however, and he lived but a single month after the reins of the Government had been placed in his hands.
It is said that in 1847, when the Whigs were casting about for Presidential
380 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
timber, there were but six men in Wilmington who favored the nomination of Gen. Zachary Taylor. One of these men was Judge R. B. Harlan; the names of the others are not now recollected. Many members of the party looked upon the General only as a fighter, a Southerner, and a slaveholder, and one who had never, to a great extent, taken part in politics. He was nominated and elected, however. and nearly all, except the " immortal six," as they came to be known, were wonderfully surprised. As a partial coincidence, it is related that in 1840, upon the nomination of Stephen A. Douglas by the Democratic Convention, there were six Democrats in Wilmington who declared Douglas to be a bogus Democrat, refused to support him, and said that John C. Breckenridge was the true representative of the National Democracy. In the light of subsequent events it is possible these men were willing to retract that statement.
The great campaign of 1860 was stubbornly contested and we find in the papers of that year notes of warning from men who believed the South was only awaiting the defeat of the Democratic nominees to throw down the gauntlet of war and plunge the country into a state of anarchy. the election determined the choice of Lincoln and Hamlin. In the midst of dangers they were inaugurated, and a little over a month after the latter event, the sullen boom of the guns of the Rebellion which had been trained against Fort Sumter awoke the Nation to a startled realization of the true condition of affairs. The earnest admonitions of the far seeing ones had been proven not founded upon idle fears, and war was upon the land. Happily, the country was plucked as a brand from the burning, and after four years of war, "Peace spread her wings ' neath the banner of stars." Clinton County had become strongly Republican in her political sentiments, and that condition of things remains unchanged to the present. The Republican majority in the county, on a full vote, is about fifteen hundred, although it varies according to the importance of the campaign and the enthusiasm of the people.
THE ANTI-SLAVERY MOVEMENT.
Through very many years the feeling against slavery grew more intense in the region north of the Ohio River, and by 1840 this feeling was almost universal in all civilized countries. In that year, the first "World's Anti-slavery Convention" was held in London, and James G. Birney, subsequently candidate on the Liberty ticket for President of the United States, was one of the Vice Presidents of the Convention. The agitation extended throughout Clinton County, which lay so close to the slaveholder's territory, and lines of the famous Underground Railroad passed through it from South to North. Wagons were made with tops and curtains, the latter buttoning down closely, and in these vehicles people attended the numerous anti-slavery conventions and carried fugitive slaves away in them whenever occasion offered. An organization was formed known as the "Clinton County Anti-slavery Society, "and in the Clinton Republican for December 10, 1842, is an account of one of its quarterly meetings when Wright Haynes was President, and James Linton, Secretary. Resolutions were offered and speeches made by B. C. Gilbert, A. Brooke, J. O. Wattles and S. Brooke, which were all published at length. In February, 1842, an Anti-slavery Convention had been held in Wilmington, of which Perry Dakin was President. A Central Committee was organized for Clinton County, and among those elected to serve upon it was Eli McGregor. In the same year, the Abolition or Anti-slavery party nominated a State ticket, on which Leicester King was the candidate for Governor. The candidates on this ticket received sixty-seven votes in Clinton County. King was nominate again in 1844, and the county gave him 218 votes. In 1846, Samuel Lewis,
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 381
for the same position, received 392 votes in Clinton, and in 1848, it is thought the Liberty party did not nominate a separate ticket. In 1850, however, a ticket was put in the field, upon which the name of Edward Smith appeared as candidate for Governor, and Clinton County gave him 350 votes. Samuel Lewis wis was nominated in 1851 and 1853, receiving in the former year 268 and from the latter 839 votes from Clinton. The strength of the party steadily grew from this time until 1854, when the Republican party was organized, and in 1855 and 1857, Salmon P. Chase received respectively 1,440 and 1,848 votes from this county. In 1859, William Dennison received 1,721 votes, and in 1861, the Republican candidate received 2,081 votes. From a small beginning, the men who opposed slavery-men who were almost persecuted for their views-grew in power until they finally caused the overthrow of slavery in the United States and established the grand principles to which they had adhered when they were in a hopeless minority.
Isaac S. Morris, a former resident of this county, but now editor of the Miami Helmet, at Piqua, Ohio, has recently written a letter to Mrs. Judge Harlan, of Wilmington, in reply to a request to furnish information on the subject of Anti-slavery in Clinton County. The following is the letter:
PIQUA, OHIO, 5, 21, 1882.
MY DEAR FRIEND :-I have been trying ever since I received thy letter to look back over the years of the past more than thirty years ago, to my old county, and cal1 up in response to thy request the men who labored in the anti-slavery cause, and the circumstances connected with that momentous period in our country's history. As I was not old enough to take part as a voter through but the closing part of that period, period, prior to the formation of the Free-Soil party, with Van Buren at its head, my memories are not so vivid as to enable me to write what would be reliable history of the rise and progress of the movement in my own township-Chester. Yet I do remember some men who were prominently connected with it, and whose names would. form a part of any history of anti-slavery that might be written of Clinton County. My impression is that Clark Township, with Aaron Betts and Christopher Hiatt at the head, took the lead, perhaps, in the county. These belonged to Fairfield Quarterly Meeting of Friends, and the sentiment grew among this class of people very rapidly in the doctrines of George Fox, William Penn, John Woolman and others to "bear a faithful testimony against slavery," it was apart of the religion of the Quakers to testify against this great evil. But nearly all of the men belonged to what was then known as the Whig party, and it took years to convince many of them that to "bear a faithful testimony" they must vote right-vote their principles. 1 well remember that when James G. Birney ran for President, the large majority of Friends in Chester, as well as all other anti-slavery men, said that to vote for Birney was to vote against the Whigs and elect the Democrats. This was the feeling when Harrison ran in 1840, Clay in 1844, and Taylor in 1848. But the seed had been sown, and through all these years, in Chester Township, was carefully nurtured by such men as Seth Linton, Dr. Abram Brooke, Abram Allen, John L. Thompson, John Hollin, Elihu Oren, Amos Davis, and others whom I do not now call to mind. Through no little obloquy and some persecution, these men, with others like them all over the try, led the forlorn hope that finally grew up into the great Republican party which, with Lincoln at its head, destroyed the great evil. I remember that at Abram Allen's and also at Dr. Brooke's the fugitive slave always found food and shelter and safty. And I think that either of these men, or either of their excellent wives, Katy Allen or Elizabeth Brooke, would have endured any hardship rather than to have betrayed the sable men and women who trusted them. They were of the same spirit as Levi Coffin in Cincinnati, Isaac F. Hopper in Philadelphia, Lydia Maria Child in New York. and William Lloyd Garrison in Boston. They were ready to be sacrificed for principle. They believed that the black men had an inalienable right to life and liberty, and they proposed by all their actions and teachings to uphold that right. How well I remember when they were jeered at as Abolitionists. How well I remember that there were men who were opposed to slavery in principle who scoffed at them and said they could never accomplish anything. But they believed the right and the truth would triumph, and they imperiled their own name and in order to embrace these high principles, even though it was at the greatest personal sacrifice. Of course there were many others from 1850 on who joined in helped to make the large vote for Fremont in 1856, and that helped to elect Lincoln 1860, but in our own township it was these men whom I have mentioned who
382 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
led the way. As I come to think of it now, Thompson, Hollin and Linton did not live in Chester, but they acted in concert with those I have named, to build up and establish the great fundamental truths and doctrines that have so signally triumphed since.
While I feel, my dear friend, that I have not answered thy request as desired ; yet. taking the part I did, l have given the best recollections I have ; and if there should be any special question that it might be thought I could answer, I will yet be glad to do so if it is possible. Please accept this very imperfect scrap as the best I can give now, and believe me as ever thy friend, I. S. Morris.
Mr. Morris speaks of Abraham Allen as being a worker in the cause in Chester Township, which is erroneous in the latter respect, as he resided near Wilmington. He was an earnest and zealous supporter of the Anti-slavery movement, and his house was one of the numerous stations in the county on the Underground Railroad, over which so many fleeing fugitives passed on their way to freedom and happiness. Among his associates in the work were Jonathan Hadley, Thomas Hibben, Eli McGregor, Thomas Wraith, John Work, and many others. The excitement became so great that even religious societies were affected, and about 1843-44, a split occurred in the Methodist Episcopal Church, which resulted in the organization of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, a strong Anti-slavery denomination. The latter society purchased the old school building at Wilmington and fitted it up for a house of worship. Rev. Mr. Voucher was an early minister in this church, which continued its meetings until the results of the great civil war removed the cause of separation, when its members mostly returned to the parent church.
In Clark Township, Aaron Betts and Christopher Hiatt worked in harmony with David Sewell (of Vernon?), and encountered great opposition. It is related that on one occasion, when some traveling Anti-slavery speakers were stopping overnight at Mr. Hiatt's, the manes and tails of their horses were trimmed close by the pro-slavery citizens of the neighborhood. Such action certainly did not reflect credit upon the perpetrators, and helped to lessen any popularity their cause might ever have enjoyed.
In Chester Township, one of the strongest Abolitionists was John Grant, of New Burlington, who identified himself with the Liberty party upon its organization in this section. His right-hand supporters were Allen Linton and Amos Compton, Sr., and numerous good deeds are related as having been performed by these men. Dr. Brooke, of Oakland, was wonderfully zealous iu the Anti-slavery cause, and on his land was erected a large building which received the name of Liberty Hall, in which enthusiastic conventions were held, and prominent men were speakers on numerous occasions. Oakland was one of the best known points during the years through which the controversy continued.
Elihu Oren was the principal Underground Railroad station keeper in Liberty Township, and his station was often full of refugees on their way to Canada. Hon. Jesse N. Oren, in his history of Liberty Township, when speaking of these refugees, says: "They usually took passage in Abram Allen's ' Liberator,' a large curtained carriage made for the purpose. and were driven by the light of the stars toward the land of premise." Other adherents of the cause in Liberty were Joseph Coat, Abel Beven and Dr. Watson, at Painterville, and Samuel Haines, D. S. King, Andrew Strickle. W. M. Waln, and others in other localities.
Thomas Woodmansee, a pioneer of Washington Township, was one of the original Anti-slavery men of Southern Ohio, and also enjoyed the privilege of keeping a station on the famous thoroughfare several times previously mentioned.
Anecdotes of the days of which we write could be multiplied to an almost unlimited extent, and volumes could be written, if necessity required, without
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exaggeration. Many people who are living in Clinton County. could relate tales would be equal to those with which Harriet Beecher Stowe made Uncle`s Cabin interesting, and if space permitted, they might be incorporated here but it is only aimed in this article to give a synopsis of the work performed.
As is often the case with other great movements, the Anti-slavery excitement gave many people who. had a natural inclination toward fanaticism to inaugurate a singular custom. So intense was the feeling against slavery, that many became strongly opposed to using anything which had been produced by slave labor, and while some went only to a certain extent, others took advantage of the opportunity offered and went so far as to discard tea and coffee and restrict themselves to the use of Graham bread, made in the simplest manner. The change from the more luxurious mode of living was so great that it operated with fatal result in some instances, and one whole family in the neighborhood of Wilmington was nearly blotted out because of its adherence to the new regime. Fortunately for the county, the Grahamite mode of living did not continue long in favor, and the memory of it at this day gives rise to speculation upon the proceedings of those who adopted it in the days gone by.
Slavery has been blotted out from the American Republic. No longer are Underground Railroads necessary, and no more are anxious owners of human flesh continually crossing the border seeking for runaway property. The blighting curse has been eternally lifted, and the sun shines upon what the fathers of the land intended it should be but did not live to see it become so -a free country.