Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-03-13
between Howard Center and the point

between Howard Center and the point
selected by the eommissi oners. A
series OF very amusing events occur
red during the county seat campaign.
To capture the Alton vote, the How
ard Center people provided a social
banquet and dance to be given at the
residence of Patrick McGrane. Thos.
P. Davies and the writer made ar
rangements to attend. We drove over
to Pettibone IS, leaving our team there,
and Pettibone hitched up his team,
taking US two, together with Martin
Grover, James Hall, G.. w. Ostrander
and himself in the sleigh, for the ban
quet and dance, fully offsetting IN
numbers and influence with the Alton
people, the Howard Center dele CATION.
The banquet was served about miG-
night and was followed by some speech
making, u. O.. Preston appearing in
behalf of Howard Center and the
writer forthe commissioners location.
After setting forth the advantages
claimed for the location on the bluff,
he alluded to the political attitude of
the Howard Center crowd, always op.
ponents to the democratic party, the
opposition to Which, previous to the
republican party, then about three
years old, was the Know-Nothing
party, party of sworn hostility to al.
lowing foreigners to vote and who
pIofessed to, believe that every Irish.
l1nan's vote was for sale, and the price
they had fixed upon the vote of Alton
township was the dance and ba, quet
they had provided and of which We
had just partaken, but that his ex.
perience with the Irish had been that
an lrishman never sold his vote, nor
an Irish woman her virtue. This
sentiment brought forth a storm Of
applause, and at the election, few
days later, victory for the commits
sioners' location.
| The morning Of the election the
polls in New Oregon were opened ats
O'Clock so that those who were to at
tend the polls in other towns could
vote before going. The writer and S.
M. Cole were sent to Paris. The eltc-
tton was held at the house of Pt ter
Nilsson, near the Merry farm. Sever
Al of the voters of the township were
in favor of Howard Center, and among
Them one Of the Flaherty boys, whose
home was in Paris but who was at
work by the month in Chickasaw
county, on which ground his vote
was challenged, the question OF his
right to vote being left to the writer,
I who promptly decided that he was en-
titled to vote, even though in his
opinion he was about to vote wrong.
To see that there was no illegal vot-
ing done in New Oregon o. A. Bunker
vas sent from the Center. Jake
Hammond and some of the boys who
knew Of his weakness for "black strap"
took him to Jake's shop, where they
had him all the live long day, drunk
as lord. Ofcourse the election was
honestly cond ACTED, the center Of pop:
ulation won for the COMM ssioners'
location, enethe bluff, and none of
Winnesheik county voted.
Once again the bluff won. The
writer in 1879 procured signatures Of
a majority Of the electors Of the coun.
| ty asking a vote on the removal Of the
county seat from the bluff to Cresco,
and the question of removal was sub.
mittea by the board of supervisors for
the general election, but the people
who had signed the petition were SO
| deeply interested in the election of
Mr.. Hayes for president that they
neglected to vote on the proposition
to remove the county seat to Cresco
and the bluff won second victory.
After this the corporate limits OF
Cresco was extended so as to take in
the court house site on the bluff, and
on the legal fiction that the hoard Of
supervisors might remove it from one
place in the corporate limits to an.
other, it was located in Cresco.