Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-11-24
GEN. AUGUSTUS g. DODGE
a Sketch of Gne OF the Eminent Hen or The
C0uatpu

| death of Gen. Augustus g. Dodge, which
occurred at his home at Burlington, Iowa,
last Tuesday. The death of such man is
worthy of more than passing notice,
especially in this locality, which he
has always befriended. Gen. Dodge
was in the United State Senate when Gen.
Sibley was delegate from the territory of
Wisconsin, asking to have the territory of
Minnesota established. By a strange an
| omaly, when Wisconsin was admitted as a
| state, the state boundaries did not quite
cover all of the territory of Wisconsin, and
hence there was territorial government
represented by Gen. Sibley at the same time
the state governmentwas in existence. While
Gen. Augustus Dodge was senator from
Iowa, his father, Henry Dodge was sena-
| tor from Wisconsin. Minnesota did not
even exist at that time as territory, and
Gen. Sibley found great difficulty in get
ting the territory established. He
enlisted the aid of both Gen. Dodge
and his father, and they proved
warm friends at critical time when the
struggle for the original existence of Min
| nesota was III progress. In after years
Gen. Dodge never missed an opportunity
to aid Minnesota, and by his death we
| have lost friend who placed our welfare
only second to the state which he repre-
sented directly. A Chicago paper gives
the following sketch of his career:
| Augustus G. Dodge was born in st. Gene
| We've, Mo-, January q 1912. Early in life he
lmmlgrated to the state of Iowa, and his life is,
1 : he coi1
| last fifty years. He was a delegate in congress
when Iowa was still territory; he was the first
United States senator from Iowa after its adj
| mission into the Union, he was once candidate
| for governor, and at its recent semi-centennial
| at Burlington he was one of the very few per
sons present whose residence in the state cover
ed a half century. He was the son of Henry
| Dodge, who served vii great credit in the
Black Hawk war, was governor of Wisconsin
| territory, delegate to congress, and a senator
| from Wisconsin from 184S to 1857.
| When General Dodge removed to Iowa, that
state, as well as the present states of Minnesota
| ana Wisconsin, were grouped together and
known under title of Wisconsin territory, and
so it continued until the year 1883. The gem
eral and Others favored distinct territorial
government, and in the fall of 1887 the Question
of separate territor. al organization for Iowa
began to be agitated. A convention was called
at Burlington, which petitioned congress to or
| IL.
settle the boundary line between Wisconsin ter
ritory and Missouri. The legisla ure then in
session joined the petition. Congress on June
| IL, 1888. approved the bill authorizing the
organization of Iowa territory, to take effect on
the 4th of July following. Ex-Gov. Robert
Lucas, OF Ohio, was appointed governor of Iowa
territory by President Van Buren,. and imme-
dlately on his arrival issued a proclamation for
an election of members of the first legislative
assembly, and dividing the territory into suita-
| BILE districts for that purpose The election was
held Sept. 10, 1888, and the legislature, in ac-
cordance with the governors proclamation. met
at burlington on the lst day of November of
| that year. The first session of the legislature
| was stormy one, the question as to where to
| locate the seat ofgovernment giving rise to much
| excitement The friends of central location
| favored the plan of the governor. - s
| recommended In his message-namely, the an
| polntment of commissioners with a view to
making central location. The extent of the
| future state OF Iowa was probably then not
thought of, and central location at that time
| meant some situation central in the small east
| ern strip Of Iowa then cleared of Indian titles
Inc southern members were in favor of Bur
llngton, but finally withdrew that place, and
III tied on Mount Pleasant. The party for a
central Location finally succeeded, and the CAPT
tai was located at Iowa City. A delegate to
congress was elected in 1913, and the new terri
| tory was fully organized. Among the govern
| ment appointments which followed was that of
ten. Dodge to be register of the United States
land office at Burlington. By act of congress
June IL, 1883, the lands which had been pur-
chased OF the Indians were brought into market,
and land offices opened both in Burlington and
Dubuque. Congress provided for military roads
and bridges, which greatly aided the settlers.
who were now come in by the thousands, to
make their homes the fertile prairies of
lowa-the beautiful land. The fame of the
| county had spread far and wide; even before
| the Indian title was extinguished many were
| crowding the borders, impatient to cross over
and stake out their claims on the choicest spots
| they could find in the new territory. Gen.
Dodge did land Office business in more senses
| than one. immigration into the territory was
rapid; in less than decade he saw it increase
from 5,VVo In 1888 to population of nearly
10000.
Gen. Dodge retained this Office until 1s4l.
when his popularity had become such that, on
the eve of another election for congressional
dc egate, his name was wildly mentioned for
the position. His election by handsome ma
jority followed, and from 1871 to 1s47 he repre-
sented the new territory in the national legisla-
ture. During this period the territory had in
creased from population of $4,000 to 10000,
and It's admission into the Union began to be
sgltated. Congress made provision, by an act
approved March 1845, for its admission rs n
state with boundaries at variance with those
finally established. In 1874 a constitutional
convention had been held in Iowa CITY. and
constitution framed which embraced bounda-
ries taking In much of the southern
portion of Minnesota. The people
disapproyed of the reduction of
these boundaries by congress and rejected the
constitution. In le46 congress proposed the
present boundary line, a constitution was
framed and accepted, and on December 2S, 1916,
Iowa became state. During this Legislation
Gen. Dodge had proved an able and interchangeable
representative of the territory, and soon after
being clothed with the sovereign dgnities of the
state, it elected him to higher Office choosing
him for United States senator, an Office which
he filled with much credit from 1913 to 1855. |
subsequently he received from President Pierce |
the appointment of minister to Spain, an honor
which he resigned. He was delegate also to the |
Chicago convention of 1864, to the National |
Union convention at Philadelphia of 1866. as |
well as the New York convention of 1863 OF |
late ears Gen. odge has lived qnietly at Bur /
linSton, where he was greatly respected and be-
loved.
SALTWATER GL0RULES.