from east to west. .The northern half of the state was sparsely settled, and comprised one congressional district. At the first election in this county William L. May, the Democratic candidate for congress, received seventy-three votes, and John T. Stuart, forty-four votes; a majority for May of twenty-nine votes. Mr. May was elected and served two years. His home was at Springfield.

Previous to 1840 the senatorial district of which Winnebago formed a part, included the entire Rock river valley, as well as a large tract below the mouth of Rock river. This vast area, extending from Dubuque almost to St. Louis, was entitled to one senator and two representatives in the legislature. The first election in Winnebago county for representatives resulted as follows: John Turner, seventy-four votes; Charles R. Bennett, seventy-three; Elijah Charles, thirty-four; James Craig, forty; L. H. Bowen, eight. James Craig and Elijah Charles were elected.

Under an early statute, presidential elections in Illinois were held on the first Monday in November. Ab the presidential election in 1836, only one hundred and fifty-eight votes were polled. This was an increase over the August election of thirtyeight votes. The Harrison electors received seventy votes, and the Van Buren electors, eighty-eight; a Democratic majority of eighteen.

In 1837 Harvey W. Bundy was elected recorder, to succeed Daniel H. Whitney, of Belvidere, who had become a resident of the new county of Boone. Herman B. Potter was elected county commissioner to succeed Simon P. Doty, of Belvidere. Charles I. Horsman was elected probate justice of the peace. Milton Kilburn had served as judge of probate the preceding year, under appointment. Nathaniel Loomis was chosen clerk of the commissioners' court; Robert J. Cross was elected county treasurer.

At the general August election in 1838, John T. Stuart, of Springfield, was the Whig candidate for member of congress. His Democratic opponent was Stephen A. Douglas, who was also of Springfield. Mr. Stuart received a majority of ninetythree in Winnebago county, and was elected. Mr. Stuart was perhaps the first prominent man to recognize the genius of Abraham Lincoln, and by the loan of books he had encouraged him to study law. Mr. Lincoln, after his admission to the bar in 1837, became the law partner of his benefactor. When Mr.

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Stuart began to receive political honors, he necessarily gave less attention to his profession. Thus the conduct of the business largely devolved upon Mr. Lincoln.

Winnebago county forged so rapidly to the front that in 1838 it was conceded one of the representatives in the general assembly, and Germanicus Kent was elected. Hon. James Craig was re-elected. Isaac N. Cunningham was elected sheriff of the county; Cyrus C. Jenks, coroner; Don Alonzo Spaulding, surveyor; Elijah H. Brown, commissioner.

In 1839 William E. Dunbar was elected recorder; and John Emerson, surveyor.

The presidential campaign of 1840 was one of the most exciting in American political history. The hero of Tippecanoe was the idol of his party, and no leader ever received a more enthusiastic support. Winnebago county had now become a Whig stronghold, and the party waged an aggressive campaign against the Loco-Focos, as the Democrats were then called. April 11th the Whigs held a convention at Rockford, and nominated a full county ticket. Among the local leaders of this party were Selden M. Church, Jacob Miller, H. B. Potter, G. A. Sanford, Isaac N. Cunningham. Democratic principles were championed by Jason Marsh, Daniel S. Haight, Henry Thurston, P. Knappen, J. C. Goodhue, H. W. Loomis, C. I. Horsman. Boone county had been organized from the eastern portion of Winnebago, and the western two ranges had been transferred to Stephenson. In the August elections the Whigs polled six hundred and thirty-seven votes, and the Democrats, two hundred and eighty-five. The total vote was nine hundred and twenty-two, with a Whig majority of three hundred and fiftytwo. Thomas Drummond, of Jo Daviess, and Hiram Thornton, of Mercer, both Whigs, carried the county by good majorities for representative, and were elected. I. N. Cunningham was elected sheriff; Alonzo Platt, coroner; and Ezra S. Cable, commissioner.

The presidential campaign overshadowed local issues. Mr. Thurston, in his Reminiscences, gives this interesting sketch of the stirring incidents of that year: "The sparseness of the population, the limited amount accessible of the current literature of the day, to which some of the settlers had been accustomed; the almost entire deprivation of the pleasures of social life among the older people, caused them to enter into a political or local contest with a vim which almost invariably became

personal before it was decided. When the fight was ended, the passions cooled down, and 'sober second thought' had resumed its sway, it frequently happened that both parties joined in a general pow-wow and celebration. It was so in 1840. The Whigs of this locality imitated the tactics so successfully practiced throughout the union. They had no cider, either hard or sweet, but they did possess in abundance all the paraphernalia used by the party in the populous parts of the country. They put up a log cabin in regular pioneer style, on the southeast corner of State and Madison streets, for political headquarters, profusely decorated with coon-skins and other regalia pertaining to the times; imported speakers from Galena, Chicago and intervening points; got up processions, and with Frank Parker blowing an E flat bugle, and China Parker a clarionet—neither of them having the slightest knowledge of music, and each blowing with might and main in a vain effort to drown out his companion—marched about the village wherever they could secure a following. The village drum was in possession of the Democrats, and consequently not available for Whig celebrations."

Jacob Miller was the most popular among the local Whig orators. He was familiar with the vernacular of the westerner, and drew his illustrations from their daily life. At the close of a harangue he would sometimes produce his fiddle and scrape the "Arkansas Traveler." The whole assembly joined in a general break-down, and the orator of the day was borne in triumph on the shoulders of his friends to the nearest bar.

The presidential election occurred in November. The Whigs cast seven hundred and sixty-eight votes in the county, and the Democrats, three hundred and twenty-one; total, one thousand and eighty-nine; Whig majority, four hundred and forty-seven. Abraham Lincoln was one of the five Whig candidates for presidential elector in Illinois. The facilities for communication were so meagre that the official vote of the state was not known in Rockford until late in December. A messenger from the capital, with the official vote of the state, passed through Rockford ten days in advance of its publication in the Chicago papers, and communicated, it is said, the news to the prominent men of the Democratic party, in each village, for betting purposes. Illinois was one of the seven states that elected Van Buren electors. This vote may have been intentionally kept back by the Democratic officials at Springfield.

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Through a technicality in an alleged non-compliance with the law, the legality of Mr. Cunningham's election to the office of sheriff in August was questioned; and he again appealed to the voters at the November election, and received an emphatic endorsement.

The Rock River Express of December 4th published this advertisement in display type: "For Salt River, the steamboat Van Buren, only four years old, will leave on the 4th of March next, for Salt River. For freight or passage, apply to the White House. Hypocrites will be in attendance to amuse the passengers free of charge." The local campaign closed with a "Harrison ball," at the Washington House, February 9, 1841. On the evening of March 3d the Democrats gave a Van Buren ball "in honor of the able and enlightened administration of Martin Van Buren."

April 4, 1841, just one month after his inauguration, President Harrison suddenly died. The event filled the country with sorrow. At a meeting of the citizens held in Rockford on the 19th, a committee, which represented both political parties, was chosen to submit resolutions on the death of the president to a mass-meeting of the citizens. These resolutions were unanmously adopted.

In the spring of 1841 a bitter local fight was made on the election of justices of the peace in Rockford precinct. The candidates were Dr. Haskell, Peter H. Watson and John T. Shaler. Two justices were to be elected; but to satisfy all aspirants, it was proposed to elect later a third justice for the precinct. The business did not require another justice, but it was thought such an arrangement would be politically convenient. The court, however, held that the election of Mr. Watson was illegal, and no third justice was ever elected in the precinct.

A congressional election was held in August, 1841, instead of the preceding year. The candidates were John T. Stuart and J. H. Ralston. Winnebago county cast four hundred and ninety-three votes for the former, and two hundred and twentythree for the latter. Mr. Stuart was re-elected. William Hulin was elected county commissioner.

In 1842 Judge Thomas Ford was elected governor by the Democrats. That party in Winnebago county nominated the following ticket: Senator for Winnebago and Ogle counties, James Mitchell; for representative, John A. Brown, editor of the Rockford Pilot; sheriff, John Paul; commissioner, Spencer

Post; coroner, Nathaniel Loomis. The Whigs nominated Spooner Ruggles for senator; George W. Lee, reprsentative; G. A. Sanford, sheriff; Isaac M. Johnson, commissioner; Harvey Gregory, coroner. Mr. Lee withdrew, and Darius Adams, of Pecatonica, was substituted. The official vote of the county for senator, representative and sheriff was as follows: Ruggles, four hundred and sixty-nine; Mitchell, four hundred and ninety; Adams, five hundred and forty; Brown, three hundred and seventy-six; Sanford, five hundred and fifty-nine; Paul, one hundred and twelve. Spooner Ruggles, Darius Adams, Spencer Post, G. A. Sanford and Nathaniel Loomis were elected to the respective offices.

By the act of March 1, 1843, the state was divided into seven congressional districts. The first election under this apportionment was held on the first Monday in August of the same year. Under this apportionment, Winnebago and Hancock counties were in the sixth district. Hancock county was the seat of the Mormon settlement, under the leadership of Joseph Smith. The Mormons generally voted the Democratic ticket; and with their support, Joseph Hogue, of Galena, was elected member of congress. His Whig opponent was Cyrus Walker, of McDonough county. At the county election Ezra S. Cable was elected commissioner; William Hulin, recorder; S. M. Church, clerk; Bela Shaw, probate justice; Ephraim Wyman, treasurer; Volney A. Marsh, school commissioner; Duncan Ferguson, surveyor.

The presidential election of 1844 was scarcely less exciting than that of four years previous. The Whigs carried the county for Henry Clay, the idol of the party. The Whig ticket received five hundred and forty-six votes; the Democratic, three hundred and sixty-eight; a majority of one hundred and seventy-eight for Mr. Clay. In August Mr. Hogue was re-elected member of congress, over Martin P. Sweet, of Freeport. The Rockford Forum of August 14th denounced the apportionment act, which placed the Mormon stronghold in this district, and thus legislated it into the Democratic ranks. Anson S. Miller was elected member of the legislature; Anson Barnum, sheriff; Artemas Hitchcock, coroner.

In 1846 Thomas J. Turner, of Freeport, Democrat, was elected member of congress over James Knox, of Knox county. Wait Talcott received two hundred and twenty-six votes as the candidate of the Liberty party. Anson S. Miller, of Winnebago,