Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1885-07-01
Old Settlers Meeting

1 ~--'
county Old Settlers association was
held in Wintermute's grove on Thurs
day of last week. The location IS wei
known and is one of the most haauti
full and pleasant localities in the Wes
Mr.. Wintermute entertained the com
pany in y most royal MANNER, giving
his guests possession of everything
upon the premises, not even excluding
his strawberry bed. The weather was
pleasant, all conditions were favorable
and nothing occurred to mar the un-
interrupted pleasures of the day. The
dinner was an elaborate one. Eatables
of the most delicious kind existed in
apparently incXhaustible quantities.
The Morris Silver Curnct band fur
nlshed the music.
Owing to illness, Hon. II. NJ. Rich
ardson, President, was unable to be
present and at the business meeting
ofthe association Charles Wintermute
was chosen to preside in his stead.
The call of the roll showed the follow
ing members to be present:
p. Frisby, Austin Thomasson, J. d.
Good, John Coleman, n. A. Nilsson,
Andrew Satter, Frank Wahldieck,
Michael Calvin, Henry Baldwin,
Samuel Larson, HI. B. Wolff, o. c..
Hanson and Charles Wintermute.
! The officers tor the ensuing year are
as follows:
Charles Wlntermute, President; j.
d. Good, Vice President; o. G. Han
son, Secretary; P. Frisby, Treasurer.
Obituary Committee,-S. Larson, H.
B. Wolff and Thos. Thomasson. Com
mittee on arrangements,-A. Satter,
Thomas Thomasson, Austin Thomas
son. Mrs. J. D. Good, Mrs. P. Frsby,
and Mrs. III. Baldwin.
The Obituary committee reported
the death of Jacob Baker and Susan
Jordon during the past yea.
The next meeting of the association
is to be held on the last Thursday of
June 1885 in Austin Thomasson's
grove in The town of Framnas.
The annual address was delivered
by G.. E. Darling and was enthusiasts
tically received. Among other things
Mr.. Darling said: Isuppose of all the
old settlers here to-day, there are but
few, that would have ever seen this
county had it not been for certain
enactment of congress that was APP
proved and became a law May 10th,
1862. I say, do not suppose you
would have ever seen Stevens county
if it had not been for an enactment
approved on that day, and what l
mean is this: Had not Congress seen
fit to pass what is commonly known
as the homestead law you would never
have sought home so far from the
confines of civilization as this county
was in 1866 & 1867. That law and the
benefits that were to be derived there
from was the great lever that moved
the vast wave OF civilization westward
from the Mississippi and scattered
the settlers all through the woodland,
and all over the prairies of Minnesota
and Dakota. find from somewhat
extended examination of the records
of the office of the Register of Deeds
of this comfy thatall most all Of you,
who came here made your first en-
tries OF land under the provisions of
that act. do not find as rule that
you have entered land either under
the preemption or timber culture acts
since but that in most cases what you
then entered is your entire land hold
ing today. This is the rule, there are
of course exceptions. Now, I also OBJ
serve this fact; that those who came
here early and settled upon the public
domain in good faith and have stood
by their farnls through good report
and through evil report, through flood
and hail and drouth, and grass
hopper pestilence are gradually
but surely attaining into q modest
though a sure competency. This
regard as also q settled and indisput-
able faot And regard it as but an
illustration Of the old maxim that "a
rolling stone gathers no moss" but
that patience and perseverance over
comes all obstacles" And 1 have
many thanks to give those of you here
to-day, who were, with your absent
comrades, brave enough and perse-
vering enough to make it possible for
us who came few years later to find
a home and to be able to keep it after
we had found it. I am indeed glad to
stand in the presence of and address
those whom [ consider my superior
in physical and moral bravery and
who were stout hearted enough to
stand by and make it possible that
Stevens County could boast of being
one of the great stock producing
counties of this great state within the
short space of IS years. We are not
81 years old yet, if you remember, and
yetyet we stand side by side and shout
der to shoulder with may an older more
populoGs, and more accessible county.
We are now for the first time Gin my
opinion, based ON q residence here of
nearly years. on the upward turn,
and the battle with life for bread and
for raiment. T fully believe, is as
good as won. l believe in glorious
future for you and for me as residents
of this county and I am eonv'-
that If you will bat lot tho tbrosh;no
..iachine agent and the self binder
man go by your door without an or.
der and!will allow no butchers knife
to cut the throat of any of your neat
cattle before they are three years old,
that you will yet believe that the
muniflcentgrant Of land made by the
36 Congress was not made in vain,
but that Won will vet attest to tha;r