PlistoriosLl 3R,e*v-ie"W" The State Historical Society of Missouri COLUMBIA, MISSOURI COVER DESCRIPTION: The front-cover illustration is a reproduc­ tion of George Caleb Bingham's portrait of John Woods Harris. Moving in 1817 from Madison County, Kentucky, to Thrall's Prairie in western Boone County, Missouri, Harris became a prominent merchant and agriculturalist. Harris experimented in agriculture and continually enlarged, improved and developed his farm. In 1873 the St. Louis Agricultural and Mechanical Association awarded Harris's farm the title of "Model Farm of Missouri." Harris also engaged in the mercantile business in Columbia, Rocheport and Middle Grove. He won election as Boone Coun­ ty's representative to the Missouri legislature in 1860 and 1864. Harris also served on the University of Missouri's board of curators. George Caleb Bingham, a friend of Harris, completed this portrait in 1837. Mrs. William Jackson Hendrick, a daughter of Harris, presented the portrait to the State Historical Society in 1923. The Harris portrait, along with fourteen other portraits, one landscape, two genre paintings, four engravings, two litho­ graphs and numerous sketches presently are being displayed in the Society's Art Gallery. This exhibit commemorates the 100th anniversary of Bingham's death. The State Historical Society Art Gallery is open to the public 8:00 A.M.-4:30 P.M., Monday-Friday, excepting legal holi­ days. MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW Published Quarterly by THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI COLUMBIA, MISSOURI RICHARD S. BROWNLEE EDITOR MARY K. DAINS ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAMES W. GOODRICH ASSOCIATE EDITOR Copyright © 1979 by the State Historical Society of Missouri Hitt and Lowry Streets, Columbia, Missouri 65201 The MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW (ISSN 0026-6582) is owned by the State Historical Society of Missouri and is pub­ lished quarterly at 201 South Eighth, Columbia, Missouri 65201. Send communications, business and editorial correspondence and change of address to the State Historical Society of Missouri, Corner of Hitt and Lowry Streets, Columbia, MO. 65201. Second class postage is paid at Columbia, Missouri. VOLUME LXXIV The REVIEW is sent free to all members of The State Historical Society of Missouri. Membership dues in the Society are $2.00 a year or $40 for an individual life membership. The NUMBER 1 Society assumes no responsibility for statements made by con­ tributors to the magazine. OCTOBER 1979 THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI The State Historical .Society of Missouri, heretofore organized under the laws of the State, shall be the trustee of this State—Laws of Missouri, 1899, R.S. of Mo., 1969, chapter 183, as revised 1973. OFFICERS 1977-1980 WILLIAM R. DENSLOW, Trenton, President •RUSSELL V. DYE, Liberty, First Vice President MRS. Avis TUCKER, Warrensburg, Second Vice President REVEREND JOHN F. BANNON, St. Louis, Third Vice President SHERIDAN A. LOGAN, St. Joseph, Fourth Vice President MRS. VIRGINIA YOUNG, Columbia, Fifth Vice President DR. NOBLE E. CUNNINGHAM, Columbia, Sixth Vice President ALBERT M. PRICE, Columbia, Treasurer RICHARD S. BROWNLEE, Columbia, Director, Secretary and Librarian TRUSTEES Permanent Trustees, Former Presidents of the Society WILLIAM AULL III, Lexington RUSH H. LIMBAUGH, Cape Girardeau ELMER ELLIS, Columbia GEORGE A. ROZIER, Jefferson City LEO J. ROZIER, Perryville Term Expires at Annual Meeting, 1979 JAMES W. BROWN, Harrisonville ALFRED O. FUERBRINGER, St. Louis RICHARD J. CHAMIER, Moberly JOHN K. HULSTON, Springfield ILUS W. DAVIS, Kansas City MRS. MARY BANKS PARRY, Columbia WILLIAM R. DENSLOW, Trenton ARVARH STRICKLAND, Columbia Term Expires at Annual Meeting, 1980 LEWIS E. ATHERTON, Columbia W. W. DALTON, St. Louis ROBERT A. BOWLING, Montgomery City * RICHARD B. FOWLER, Kansas City FRANK P. BRIGGS, Macon VICTOR A. GIERKE, Louisiana R. I. COLBORN, Paris MRS. JEAN TYREE HAMILTON, Marshall Term Expires at Annual Meeting, 1981 FRANCIS M. BARNES III, St. Louis W. WALLACE SMITH, Independence ROBERT S. DALE, Carthage RONALD L. SOMERVILLE, Chillicothe GEORGE MCCUE, St. Louis JOSEPH WEBBER, St. Louis ROBERT M. WHITE, Mexico EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The twenty-seven Trustees, the President and the Secretary of the Society, the Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, President of the University of Missouri and Chancellor of the University of Missouri-Columbia constitute the Executive Committee. FINANCE COMMITTEE Five members of the Executive Committee appointed by the President, who by virtue of his office constitutes the sixth member, compose the Finance Com­ mittee. WILLIAM AULL III, Lexington, Chairman LEWIS E. ATHERTON, Columbia ELMER ELLIS, Columbia WILLIAM R. DENSLOW, Trenton GEORGE A. ROZIER, Jefferson City LEO J. ROZIER, Perryville Christmas (lifts The giving of gift memberships in the State Historical Society, which includes a subscription to the MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW, has come to be an established part of Christmas with many members of the Society. The Society invites you to give this distinguished Christmas gift. The gift membership serves a multiple purpose. It extends interest in Missouri's proud history, adds members to the Society, expands the influence of the REVIEW, and provides the recipient with an esteemed magazine rich in facts about Missouri and Missourians, which conveys pleasure throughout the entire year. With each membership which you designate as a Christmas gift, the Society will send a card to the recipient. The card will give your name as the donor of the Christmas gift membership. Please send names and addresses for membership to: THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI, HITT AND LOWRY STREETS, COLUMBIA, MISSOURI 65201, on or before December 15, with enclosed check. Annual member­ ship dues are $2.00. AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE The editorial staff of the MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEWV asks that members of the State Historical So­ ciety of Missouri, who are moving or have moved to a new location, please inform the Society of changes of address, as soon as possible. To remail a returned issue of the REVIEW under new postal rates is very expensive. In addition to elim­ inating this costly procedure, the immediate notifica­ tion of a change of address will enable the member to receive the REVIEW at an earlier date. Changes of address should be sent to: State Historical Society of Missouri Corner of Hitt and Lowry Streets Columbia, Missouri 65201 THE FLOYD C. SHOEMAKER HISTORY AWARD The State Historical Society of Missouri takes pleasure in announcing the seventh round of compe­ tition for the Floyd C. Shoemaker History Award. This $250.00 annual award was created by the late Mr. Shoemaker, the long-time secretary of the Society, for the advancement of Missouri history in the universities, colleges and high schools throughout the state. The annual award alternates every other year between junior class students in Missouri colleges and universities and senior high school students. The 1980 award of $250.00 will be presented for the best article written by a fully enrolled junior classman in a Missouri college or university. The award will be presented at the 1980 annual meeting of the Society in Columbia. Articles nominated for the award must relate to the history of Missouri, either to events or person­ alities. The maximum length of an artiole is 5,000 words, and a bibliography must be included. Each college or university must select a panel of judges to nominate its best article. Only one article may be submitted from each college or university. Articles may be submitted from each branch of the University of Missouri. Each article will be judged against other nomina­ tions by the Department of History of the University of Missouri-Columbia. Articles submitted for this award will become the property of the State His­ torical Society of Missouri. The prize-winning article will be considered for publication in the MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW. The final date for submission of articles is July 1, 1980. They must be sent to the State Historical So­ ciety of Missouri, Room 2, Elmer Ellis Library, Hitt and Lowry Streets, Columbia, Missouri 65201. CONTENTS THE DECLINE OF RADICALISM AND IT'S EFFECT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION IN MISSOURI. By Arthur E. Lee 1 MISSOURI AND MONOPOLY* THE 1890S AS AN EXPERIMENT IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. By Steven L. Piott ...... 21 THE WORLD OF MAKE-BELIEVE: JAMES MILTON TURNER AND BLACK MASONRY. By Gary R. Kremer 50 EARLY MOVIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON COLUMBIA. By Joe E. Smith 72 HISTORICAL NOTES AND COMMENTS News in Brief . 86 Local Historical Societies 88 Gifts 103 Missouri History in Newspapers 109 Missouri History in Magazines Ill Erratum 115 In Memoriam 116 Editorial Policy 117 BOOK REVIEWS 118 BOOK NOTES 121 SALEM UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Inside Back Cover The Decline of Radicalism and Its Effect On Public Education In Missouri BY ARTHUR E. LEE* The election of 1870 marked a watershed in Missouri politics. Since the Civil War, the Radical Republicans had controlled the executive as well as the legislative branch, and laws dating from that period reflected Radical thought. By 1870, however, a group of moderates within the party had become vocal in its attempts to liberalize Republicanism. Unsuccessful in their efforts, these Republicans, led by St. Louis publisher Carl Schurz, bolted and nominated their own slate of candidates in 1870. Headed by B. Gratz Brown, this slate received the endorsement of the nearly defunct Democratic party, and Brown easily won election over the incumbent, Joseph McClurg. Instead of coalescing with the •Arthur E. Lee is an instructor of American History at Madison High School, Madison, Nebraska. He has the B.A. degree from W7ayne State College, Wayne, Nebraska; the M.S. from Mankato State University, Mankato, Minnesota; and the Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia. 1 2 Missouri Historical Review liberal Republicans, however, the Democrats fielded their own slates at the local level, and succeeded in seating five congressmen to the Radicals' three and the Liberals' two. Between them, the Democrats and the Liberals controlled the state legislature after 1870.1 Brown's administration produced no significant changes in the Missouri school code.