JUNE 1932 VOLUME XV NUMBER 4 PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN 11 111 III III I III IIIIIIIIII I I III I! Ml THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN is a state- aided corporation whose function is the cultivation and en- couragement of the historical interests of the State. To this end it invites your cooperation; membership is open to all, whether residents of Wisconsin or elsewhere. The dues of annual mem- bers are three dollars, payable in advance; of life members, thirty dollars, payable once only. Subject to certain exceptions, mem- bers receive the publications of the Society, the cost of producing which far exceeds the membership fee. This is rendered possible by reason of the aid accorded the Society by the State. Of the work and ideals of the Society this magazine affords, it is be- lieved, a fair example. With limited means, much has alre'ady been accomplished; with ampler funds more might be achieved. So far as is known, not a penny entrusted to the Society has ever been lost or misapplied. Property may be willed to the Society in entire confidence that any trust it assumes will be scrupulously executed. Tlllllllllllllll THE WISCONSIN MAGAZINE OF HISTORY is published quarterly by the Society, at 116 E. Main St., Evansville, Wisconsin, in September, Decem- ber, March, and June, and is distributed to its members and exchanges; others who so desire may receive it for the annual subscription of three dollars, payable in advance; single numbers may be had for seventy-five cents. All correspondence concerning the magazine should be addressed to 116 E. Main St., Evansville, Wisconsin, or the office of the State His- torical Society, Madison, Wisconsin. Entered as second-class matter, January 1, 1927, at the post office at Evans- ville, Wisconsin, under the act of August 24, 1912. VOL. XV 1931-1932 THE WISCONSIN MAGAZINE OF HISTORY PUBLICATIONS OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCON- SIN. JOSEPH SCHAFER, Superintendent and Editor CONTENTS OF VOLUME XV ARTICLES: PAGE JOHN B. SANBORN—The Supreme Court of Wis- consin in the Eighties 3 HIRAM D. DENSMORE— Rollin D. Salisbury, M.A., LL.D., A Biographical Sketch 22, 119 MARYD. BRADFORD—Memoirs 47, 182, 297, 446 ALBERT H. GRIFFITH—Lincoln Literature, Lin- coln Collections, and Lincoln Collectors .... 148 HERMAN J. DEUTSCH—Disintegrating Forces in Wisconsin Politics of the Early Seven- ties 168, 282, 391 GEORGE L. COLLIE—A Distinguished Son of Wis- consin: Thomas C. Chamberlin 263, 412 CLARA T. RUNGE — Frederick George Jacob Lueders, Naturalist and Philosopher 350 DOCUMENTS: California Diary of Charles M. Tuttle, 1859 ... 69, 219 Norwegian Immigrant Letters 356 EDITORIAL COMMENT: The Author of the "Frontier Hypothesis" 86 Hiram Moore, Michigan-Wisconsin Inventor . 234 Death of Professor Turner 495 THE SOCIETY AND THE STATE 104, 244, 370, 500 BOOK NOTES 113, 256, 380, 507 VOL. XV, No. 4 June, 1932 THE WISCONSIN MAGAZINE OF HISTORY PUBLICATIONS OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCON- SIN. JOSEPH SCHAFER, Superintendent and Editor CONTENTS DISINTEGRATING FORCES IN WISCONSIN POLITICS OF THE EARLY SEVENTIES .Herman J. Deutsch 391 A DISTINGUISHED SON OF WISCONSIN : THOMAS C. CHAMBERLIN George L. Collie 412 MEMOIRS OF MARY D. BRADFORD 446 EDITORIAL COMMENT: Death of Professor Turner 495 THE SOCIETY AND THE STATE . .Louise Phelps Kellogg 500 The Society as a body is not responsible for statements or opinions advanced in the following pages by contributors. COPYRIGHT, 1932, BY THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN Paid for out of the Maria L. and Simeon Mills Editorial Fund Income Previous numbers of the Wisconsin Magazine of History are indexed in the International Index to Periodical Literature to be found in many public libraries. EDWARD G. RYAN DISINTEGRATING FORCES IN WISCONSIN POLITICS OF THE EARLY SEVENTIES RAILROAD POLITICS HERMAN J. DEUTSCH ARMER Taylor, the successful candidate for governor Fof Wisconsin in 1873, was a much perplexed victor; his army had been very heterogeneous; to the defeated Republi- cans, it had been a host of the forces of darkness; further- more, the Reformers themselves were not certain of the political paternity of their colleagues. "The Governor is Democratic, the state officers [here?] Liberal, and the Legis- lature [war?] reform," wrote a well-informed Democrat.1 The speaker-elect of the new legislature, Gabe Bouck of Oshkosh, was not nearly so definite and not at all enthusi- astic about the support received from the sons of the soil. "They [the farmers] are not acquainted with human nature, suspicious, think every man that lives in cities or villages is a scoundrel. They take a newspaper, believe in and swear by it, the bigger the cocksbull story, the more likely to believe in it. A perfect abhorrence of being controlled, and yet al- ways controlled, and then by the biggest rascal and the least talent of the country. They are the capital stock in trade of the barnacles around every court house. To this must be added the influence of ignorant itinerant ministers."2 There NOTE that in the following footnotes all letters written to E. W. Keyes are on file in Keyes Papers; to Lucius Fairchild, in Fairchild Papers; to George H. Paul, in Paul Papers, and to C. Woodman, in Woodman Papers. These papers ,are in the Wisconsin Historical Library. 1 George B. Smith to Lucius Fairchild, Madison, May 1, 1874. 2 Bouck to George H. Paul, Oshkosh, August 22, 1873; September 13, 1873. 392 Herman J. Deutsch [June was in fact some reason to believe that the governor-elect was a very appropriate though not fortunate leader of such a horde; for according to some, he embodied their very weak- nesses. "Farmer Taylor is a great institution. He is cer- tainly very new in his place, not a graceful or genial man. He don't always know what to do, and don't always know who to ask, and if he does ask, he immediately becomes sus- picious that the advice given is for some ulterior or sinister purpose. In other words, he is very ignorant, and as a nec- essary and natural consequence, jealous and suspicious, and I frankly say I do not regard him a success, and I am not singular in this"* Showered with gratuitous advice the new Gracchus was in a serious quandary: but in the selection of his major-domo, he was quite fortunate. George H. Paul, the editor of the Milwaukee News, had a good grasp of pub- lic questions and a forceful style which did credit to Taylor's state papers. That neither the statesman nor his good man Friday had complete discretion in outlining their public poli- cy is revealed in two excerpts of letters to Paul which suggest the possibility that there was a close affiliation of some of the Reformers with the railroad interests who had been so de- termined to undermine Washburn's prestige, as the out- going governor had charged.4 "The R R Cos must allow us at this time and under these circumstances to get up though conservative yet a strong anti-monopoly document to fulfil the expectations of the people. ."5 In the communica- tion which followed, he wrote: "Recommend R. R. Commis- sioners under circumstances feel impelled to suggest & c [sic] because the people seem to demand them yet put in a saving clause by saying in States where tried they have not been eminently successful (am constrained to say) you dress 3 Gregory to Lucius Fairchild, Madison, March 11, 1874; similar E. E. Bryant to Fairchild, Madison, June 14, 1874. 4Washburn to C. Woodman, Madison, November 4, 1873. 5 Taylor to Paul, Cottage Grove, November 26, 1873. 1932] Disintegrating Forces in Wisconsin 393 it up."6 Paul did a good job in dressing up the executive message with saving clauses which were climaxed with, "I am constrained to say, that this experiment has not thus far realized all the beneficial results anticipated." Among ten general propositions, one was of real pertinence, namely, the revision and modification of classification and rates subject to state authority.7 In their designs to straddle the railroad issue, the Re- formers had not, however, reckoned with their defeated ene- mies, who though temporarily stunned by defeat, lost little time in their preparations to rehabilitate their political for- tunes. What better strategy could there have been than to abscond with the issue which had served the victorious clique so well but was now, like the Moor who had done his duty, peremptorily dismissed. By a railroad bill, thoroughly satis- factory to the Grangers, one could outreform the Reformers and at the same time furnish a most unsavory dish of crow for the new administration.8 Should the Republicans, furth- ermore, allow one of their number to vote for the repeal of the Graham Law, all would be in readiness for a love feast with the dissenters at the next canvass.9 The constitutional aspect of railroad control offered no obstacle in Wisconsin which, like many midwestern states, at the time of drafting their covenant, had had the foresight to obviate the complications created by the Dartmouth Col- lege case,10 by inserting a clause which forbade the legisla- 6 Taylor to Paul, December 7, 1873. 7 William R. Taylor, January 15, 1874, in Wisconsin Legislature, Senate Journal (Madison, 1874), app. 21-23. 8 James M. Brackett to Keyes, November 18, 1S73; William L. Utley to Keyes, Racine, November 16, 1873. • Utley to Keyes, op. cit. See writer's "Yankee-Teuton Rivalry in Wiscon- sin Politics of the Early Seventies," Wisconsin Magazine of History, xiv (March, 1931), 262-282.