President Rutherford B. Hayes Tours the Midwest

Rutherford Birchard Hayes
(1822-1893) was a distinguished Ohioan who trained as a lawyer, served as an
officer in the Civil War with the 23rd Ohio Regiment, was elected to the U. S.
House of Representatives, and was a three-term Governor of Ohio. He was an abolitionist,
a Whig turned Republican, and was elected President in the highly controversial
election of 1876, serving one term. He was a compromise candidate, winning the
nomination on the seventh ballot. Unfortunately for him, the Democrat Samuel J.
Tilden won the popular vote. Three states sent two sets of election results to
Congress which set up a commission and awarded the disputed votes to Hayes,
thus winning the Electoral College by one vote. Fearing another Civil War, the Democrats
agreed to the result if troops were withdrawn from the South, thus ending
Reconstruction, disenfranchising black voters, and ushering in an era of white supremacy
in the South.

As President during this turbulent
post Civil War era, Hayes had to deal with unrest, competing policy issues, and
civil service (patronage) reform, which was very unpopular. As all Presidents do, he toured the country
stopping to give speeches in various locations.

Quincy newspapers at that time were
very political. Partisanship was expected and not questioned by readers. The
Quincy Whig praised Hayes and the Republicans while the Quincy Herald favored
the Democrats. As late as 1879 some newspapers were still reporting the
election as “the steal.”

While touring the Midwest in 1879, President
Hayes visited Quincy in September. The papers dutifully reported all his stops.
The other big news in September 1879 was General and Mrs. Grant touring
California, Yellow Fever in Memphis, and the Illinois State Fair which took
place September 29 to October 4. There was an apparent rivalry between Quincy
and Springfield and competing fairs with the Springfield newspaper saying,
“Quincy is a nice town, and will doubtless have a big fair, but … Col Fisher
received information yesterday that President and Mrs. Hayes… and others will
certainly visit the state show.”

Quincy officials were informed three
days prior that the Presidential party would leave Chicago on the Chicago,
Burlington, and Quincy Railroad and arrive on Tuesday, September 23 for a few
hours visit before leaving for Hannibal. There he would change trains to the
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad and continue to Kansas. A local committee was
formed consisting of the Mayor, four retired Civil War officers, and six prominent
Quincy citizens. They planned to greet the President at the train at 4:00 pm,
escort the presidential party to the Tremont Hotel and host a dinner in his
honor. Further arrangements included a reception and speeches in Washington
Park.

The special train from Chicago was
decorated and had a portrait of the President on the front of the engine. It
made stops at Aurora, Plano, Earl, Mendota, Princeton, Kewanee, Galva,
Galesburg, Bushnell, Macomb, La Prairie, and Camp Point. The stops were brief,
some caused by minor engine trouble, but everywhere the train was met with
enthusiastic crowds and brief speeches were given. The President was
accompanied by railroad dignitaries, journalists, General W. T. Sherman, and Lieutenant
General Phil Sheridan, among others. Members of the Quincy reception committee
decided to travel to Camp Point and join the President. The train arrived in
Quincy two hours late which interfered with the plans to honor President Hayes.

People lined the route from the
train depot to the Tremont Hotel on Hampshire as this was the first time a
sitting president had visited Quincy. There was a procession of military units,
bands, and carriages. From the balcony on the hotel, General Tillson introduced
President Hayes and Generals Sherman and Sheridan. The President spoke briefly,
then General Sherman reminded the crowd he had visited four years before
saying, “He knew no better spot on earth for men of honesty and industry than
Quincy. He hoped that those who reside here and own the soil appreciate its
advantages,” according to the Daily Herald account of the visit. Both generals
were greeted with cheers but talked little as they were “talked out” after so
many stops between Chicago and Quincy.

According to the Daily Herald “The
dinner [at the Tremont Hotel] was perhaps never surpassed in Quincy and was
highly complimented by the visitors and members of the press.” The entire visit
of the presidential group lasted a little over two hours before they departed
for Hannibal. In Hannibal, several members of the group left, including General
Sheridan to return to Chicago. General Sherman stayed with President Hayes to
continue the tour to Kansas. The stop in Hannibal was not as congenial as the
stops had been in Illinois according to newspaper reports.

“The good little town of Hannibal, …behaved in so disorderly
a manner on his [Hayes] recent visit that the General of the Army considered it
necessary to appear on the platform of the rear car and inform the crowd, in a
manner which reflected but little credit on him, that he was a fighting man,
and if proper respect was not shown the President of the United States, he
would indulge in a little fighting on the spot,” reported the Daily Herald on
September 26, 1879. The article goes on to say that the office of the President
should be respected. Not everyone in Hannibal was happy about that brief visit.
The editor of the Hannibal Courier wrote, “This stain should be wiped out and
the best way to do so is to invite the presidential party to stop in this city
on their return next week… Can we do
this? Let all attend the meeting at the Court House tonight and undo the harm
which has been done our city.”

A delegation from Hannibal boarded the presidential train at
St. Joseph on September 30th for the return trip to Hannibal to
speak to the President. The Daily Herald reported,” A halt of two hours was
made at Hannibal, and the inhabitants of that place did all in their power to
honor the President.”

Sources

“Col. Ingersoll’s New Party.”

Quincy Daily Herald

, September 2, 1879, 2.

“Coming to Quincy.”

Quincy
Daily Herald

, September 21, 1897, 1.

“General News.”

Quincy
Daily Herald

, September 30, 1979, 4.

“Guests of Quincy.”

Quincy
Daily Herald

, September 24, 1879, 1.

History.com Editors, “Rutherford B. Hayes.”

Kreitner, Richard, “The Election From Our Past That Blares a
Warning for 2020.”

The Washington Post

, September
11, 2020.

Quincy Daily Herald,

September
26, 1879, 2.

Quincy Whig

,
September 4, 1879, 4.

“When the Nation’s Great in Past Eras Spoke in Quincy.”

Quincy Herald Whig

, October 30, 1960, 9.