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Political
Livingston County, Illinois
(Transcribed by: Teri Moncelle Colglazier)
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1875
Pontiac, Ill., Nov. 4, 1875 - The votes for county officers were counted this afternoon and given B. F. Hotchkiss, Republican, 118 majority for Surveyor and Joseph H. Stitt, "Reform," whatever that means, 34 majority for Treasurer. Two years ago the "Reformers" carried Livingston County by 1,100 majority. Another year the Republicans will breing out a full vote and carry the county against any Democrat in the nation for 600 to 1,000 majority. The proper officers met this evening and accepted the new Court House from the hands of the contractors, Messrs. Colwell, Clark & Co., who have done a splendid job. It was built of pressed brick, with stone trimmings, at the contract price of $62,000. The fixtures, heating apparatus, etc., will cost $11,000 more, making $73,000 in all. I do not understand how it could be done for these figures. It would ahve been cheap at $90,000. It is very large, almost filling the square in a north south direction, and is firmly built from bottom ot top. It is free from gingerbread, is plain, solid and well arranged for the uses to which it is to be put. Pontiac is making very rapid progress. No less than nine solid brick fronts are going up on Mill, Madison, and Washington streets, all fronting or near the public square. Those of L. E. Payson, James Remick, and one or two others, are very fine. Two or three other brick stores have recently been completed, making the business center of Pontiac present a very fine aspect. On all sides the town is filling up with elegant residentces. There is some complaint of "hard times" here, but a stranger can see no reason for such complaint. In the Reform School are 180 pupils, and when your correspondent saw them an hour ago at least 150 of them were in the capel very busy at their books. The old workshops int eh main buildinga re being fitted up for schoolrooms, adn the boys will soon be able to study to better advantage, as there will be only two teachers in a room instead of four, as studying is now arranged. The building has recently been repainted inside and outside and Dr. Scoulier has great regard for the health and comfort of the boys. Everything about the premises looks neat and wholesome. A large crop of corn was raised ont he Reform School farm this season and about 1,200 bushels of potatoes. More vegetables of every kind were raised than can be used on the premises. The management of this school seems to be in the best of hands. C.
1877
The brother-in-law and cousin will have no place in President Hayes' administration. The Tribune's Washington correspondent says: -- Among the unsuccessful candidates for the United States marshalship for the Northern District of Illinos was Mr. Stillwell of Livingston County. He was admitted to a private audience with the president and presented his papers. The president looked them all carefully through and then looking Mr. Stillwell full in the face, said, "Your papers are unexceptionable; there is nothing in your record which does not seem to show that you are fully qualified for the position; but there is one insuperable objection to your appointment to any federal office -- this is, your wife is a favorite cousin of Mrs. Hayes." Mr. Stillwell left the presidential office convinced at last that the fact which many thought would insure his appointment had rendered his defeat inevitable.
1887
Mr. Samuel K. T. Prime of Dwight, Livingston County, Illinois, has addressed a circular to sundry and divers persons, in which, amoung other things, he says: "I have recently returned from New York City, where I have had a consultation with the members of the executive committee of the American Free Trade League. I have consented, on my part, to aid them in their philanthropic effort ot restore and build up, if possible the home and foreign trade of the United States, which has, in a great measure, been lost by the policy which this country has pursued drung the last twenty years ont he questions of revenue. I do not care at all anything about your politics. All I want to know is, if you are disposed to aid and assist the cause of tariff reform. The country never was riper fro such an agitation than at the present. The American Free Trade League wishes to form local organizations of five or more persons in every town in the West. They wish to influence political action in the direction of sending men to Conrgress who will vote for reduction of the tariff." Mr. Prim's declatation, "this work is purely a labor of love on my part," is accepted in good faith. It is the quality of his knowledge not the purity of his zeal that concerns the public, to which he addressses himselfr. What part of "the home and foreign trade of the United States, which has, in a great measure, been lost by the policy which this country has pursued during the last twenty years or twenty-five years. Or does Mr. Prime wish his readers to believe that the 50,000,000 of people who inhabit the United States today buy less goods in the home market or export less goods to the foreign markets than the 30,000,000 who inhabited it twenty years ago? Or does he wish it ot be believed that because the American workman gets at least 20 per cent more for his labor now, as a result of "the policy which this country has pursued for twenty years past on the question of revenue," than in 1860, that therefore he is worse fed and clothed? Or is it because prices of railway freights on grain and other mechanise have fallen from 41/2 cents to little more and sometimes less than 1 cent per mile per tone that Mr. Prime argues a decrease in the volume of home and foreign trade? Or it is because the ratio of grain consumed in the United States during the past twnety years ahs increased from 32 to 52 bushels per capita that he augurs evil? Or is it because the National debt, which was enormous twenty years ago, is not virtually extinquished, in so far as it has matured, that he is fearful of the future? Or is it because, "by the policy which this country has pursued for the last twenty years on questions of revenue," the workman or small farmer can, and does by for $15 a suit of clothes of such quality as were utterly beyond his reach twenty years ago that Mr. Prime is dissatisfied? It is because "store clothes" have supplanted "home-made jeans" in the country districts that Mr. Prime is disquieted? It is a return to the spinning wheel and hand-loom in the farm kitchens that Mr. Prime seeks after? Do the wheels of the buggies in which the farmers' adolescent sons and daughters drive up to church on Sundays or to the county fairs in the fall grate unpleasantly on Mr. Prime's ears? Does he want to return to the good old ox-sled or the farm wagon? Or is he fearful of the demoralizing effect of the "imported" carpet which has basnished its rag predecessor from the homes of the less wealthy classes? Or is the increasing frequency of the piano and organ in the homes of those who depend on toil for their living indicative of decay of home trade and prosperity to Mr. Prime? Mr. Prime should lift up his eyes and see and behold and consider how many more comforts every industrious and honest and healthy person in the United States enjoys to-day than persons of a like social condition enjoyed twenty years ago. No "home or foreign trade" worth keeping ahs been lost "by the policy which this country has pursued for the last twenty years on questions of revenue." Many new trades have been created by it, more have been doubled in volume by it, and some have increased a hundred fold. "The policy," etc., may not be absolutely perfect, but that it is vastly nearer perfection than any other policy which the country has ever adopted is proved by the almost incredible increase in the volume of all trade, home and foreign, which has been manifested concurrently with is operation.
1891
Fight for Supervisors. Lively Campaign in Livingston County, Illinois, for the Offices. Fairbury, Ill., April 5 -- The hottest spring township campaign in the history of Livingston County is going on now. The fight is over the political complexion of the county board of supervisors. The present board is Democratic and they have an excellent record left in making radical changes by reducing salaries and other matters which saved the taxpayers of the county large sums of money. But as the county always has had a republican board until the last, the old party is leaving no stone unturned to seize the offices once more.
1900
B. Hodges, Fusion candidate for the state senate from the Twenty-eighth district comprising Kearney, Phelps and Harlan counties. Bartholemew Hodges was born in North Carolina in 1845, moved with his parents to Indiana in 1853, and in 1875 to Livingston County, Illinois. In the spring of 1887 Mr. Hodges came to Nebraska, locating in Harlan county, subsequently moving into Phelps county where he has resided near Atlanta for the past five years. During his residence in Illinois Mr. Hodges was a member of the board of supervisors of Livingston County five years. He was a member of the Harlan county board for four years and is at present a member of Phelps county board, having been elected last fall. Mr. Hodges has always been engaged in farming and stock raising. Politically he was formerly a democrat, later allied himself with the greenbackers and subsequently affiliated himself with the people's party.
1915
Many Illinois Counties Carried by Prohibitionists - East St. Louis, Ill. April 6 -- The dry forces were victorious in most of the Central and Southern Illinois cities where local option elections were held today. The women divided their ballots almost evenly between the two issues. Centralia, Ill., wet for 60 years was voted dry. Cullom is the only town remaining wet in Livingston County. Santon Township was the only wet spot in Champaign County, was voted dry by the women's vote. The wets were victorious in Murphysboro by a majority of 715. The women's vote was 1,059 dry, 1,009 wet. The men voted 881 dry and 1,645 wet.
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