The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-05-09
Attorney F. y. Judson Recalls In,
~teresting History of MissOuri's
Progress as a State.
AFTER CLOSE OF CIVIL WAR.
Pluck and Enterprise of a Sturdy
People Retrieved Fortunes
That Were Lost in Con
tiict, Speaker Says.

At the Missouri Historical Society last
night Attorney F. N. Judson delivered an
interesting address on Governor b. Gratz
Brown. for whom he served as private sec
Rotary. II was enc of the regular course Cf
lectures conducted by the society. Mr.. judi
son said in part:
THE annals of Missouri are not dull. The
central State of the Union. 1t is distinctive
ly neither Northern, Southern, Eastern nor
Western, and its history includes several
periods of exceptional interest, which are
intimately associated with the stirring
events enacted in the great drama of cur
national history.
The acquisition of the Louisiana Terri
tory, whereof Missouri was a part. is soon
to be as one of the great
events of our national life. The admission
Of Missouri into the Union as a State in
1870 was the occasion for the Missouri COM
promise, which marked the beginning Of the
slavery agitation, which convulsed the ma
ton for nearly half 4 century and ended
in civil war.
The Democratic party dominant in the
State had been disrupted on the slavery
question into Benton and anti-Benton fac
tons several years before the division OF
the national party at Charleston The pre-
dominant sentiment OF the State was con-
sentative A large majority of the Demo
cratic party supported Douglas. as against
Breckenridge in 1850 and Missouri was the
only State to give Douglas its full electrai
vote.
One of the War Senator'S.
Several years before this b. Gratz
! Brown. then a member of the Missouri Cen
eraI Assembly, had made a speech on emaa-
cIpation. He was a Senator from 1866 10
1861, and was one Of the original leaders
of the anti-slavery movement. He was
elected Governor by a union OF the liberal
Republicans with the Democrats.
He strongly recommended the revision
and reform of the revenue laws. and in
this respect more important changes We're
made than in any previous period in the
history of the State. The income tax i'm
posed in the Civil War period was aboi-
ished. the poll tax which had been in force
since the beginning of our statehood was
repealed, and has never since ~reappeared
in our State-taxing system.
some of His Important Acts.
Among the most important legislative
acts during the administration may be
noted the following: The registration sys-
tenn was reformed to conform to the recent
constitutional amendment, effectively abol-
ishing the disabilities imposed by the Con-
stitution of 1865. A bureau of geology was
established, and the Office of State Geolo-
gist; the necessary legislation for erecting
the Union Station and connecting it with
the Eads bridge. nearing completion, was
enacted: the Merchants Exchange was au-
thorized TO form a corporation and erect
an eXchange building; q Board of Guardians
for the State charitable and penal institu-
lions was established: the township organ
ization act, extending the privilege Of
township organization, where voted by the
people in any county. was passed.
Governor BROWN Mds watnir interested
in the educational progress of the State.
and important legislation in that cause was
enacted during his administration. Under
fhA laol nF Sapotnr pn1i,aO n how'd Sa.,, -
Sl66,00 was authorized for the benefit of the
State University for its agricultural and
mechanical departments. and $500 addi-
tional for the School of Mines at Rolla.
these bonds representing the amount of
stock held by tie State in the old State
Bank. and also representing what the State
had received under the act OF Congress for
establishing schools of agriculture.
He took the strongest position on the