that Pottawattamie County had already been established prior to the campaign of 1848. On February 24, 1847, the General Assembly of Iowa passed an act entitled "An Act for the organization of Pottawatamie 16 and other counties". The act was, however, very general in character, in that it merely prescribed a method for the organization of Pottawattamie and other counties, although it named and dealt specifically only with Pottawattamie County. This act provided simply that "the country embraced within the limits of what is called the Pottawatamie purchase, on the waters of the Missouri river, in this State, be, and the same may be, temporarily organized into a county, by the name of Pottawatamie, at any time when, in the opinion of the judge of the fourth judicial district, the public good may require such organization.''17 Although the boundaries of the Pottawattamie Purchase,18 which by the above act became also the boundaries of Pottawattamie County, were not definitely prescribed, the country included within the newly created county of Pottawattamie embraced the greater portion of southwestern Iowa.

While an attempt was made in the early part of the campaign of 1848 to secure an order from the Judge of the Fourth Judicial District authorizing the organization of Pottawattamie County,19 this county was not actually organ

16 This is the spelling found in the act.

17 Laws of Iowa, 1846-1847, pp. 115, 116.

18 The date of this purchase is June 5 and 17, 1846. The territory thus ceded included all the lands claimed by the Pottawattamie Indians in Iowa.- See Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, Vol. II, pp. 557-560. See also Garver's map descriptive of this cession in his History of the Establishment of Counties in Iowa in THE IOWA JOURNAL OF HISTORY AND POLITICS, Vol. VI, p. 250.

19 For an account of the establishment and organization of Pottawattamie County see Garver's History of the Establishment of Counties in Iowa in THE IOWA JOURNAL OF HISTORY AND POLITICS, Vol. VI, pp. 411-416.

ized until September 28, 1848.20 In the meantime, Pottawattamie County remained an unorganized county and as such was, under the laws of Iowa, attached to the organized counties to the east for election, revenue, and judicial purposes, and was subject to division into townships for election and other purposes by the Boards of Commissioners of the respective counties to which the country included within Pottawattamie County was attached.

Early in the summer of 1848, Fitz Henry Warren, chairman of the Whig State Executive Committee and also treasurer of the National Committee, had a conference with William Pickett, traveling agent for the St. Louis Republican, the leading Mormon paper in Missouri.21 Nothing definite is known as to the subjects actually discussed at this conference; but in the light of later developments it is evident that the object of this meeting was the consideration of the Mormon vote in the ensuing election. Arrangements were entered into whereby Pickett was to secure the organization of Kanesville for election purposes. This object Pickett at once proceeded to accomplish.

Immediately after the conference with Warren, Pickett set out for Kanesville, arriving there about the 20th of May.22 The Mormons, anxious to secure a township organization for local government purposes, were persuaded to

20 This is the date given by Garver in his History of the Establishment of Counties in Iowa in THE IOWA JOURNAL OF HISTORY AND POLITICS, Vol. VI, p. 412.

21 The writer has been unable to determine the exact time and place of this conference. It is probable, however, that it was held in Burlington some time during the month of May. This conclusion is based on newspaper reports of the period and on House Miscellaneous Documents, 1st Session, 31st Congress, 18491850, Document No. 47.

22 Testimony of Evan M. Greene, printed in House Miscellaneous Documents, 1st Session, 31st Congress, Document No. 47, p. 36. Greene was one of the clerks of the election held at Kanesville on August 7, 1848, and later was ap pointed postmaster at that place. Greene testified that Pickett "came here about the 20th of May."

circulate a petition praying for such organization. Presuming, evidently, that Kanesville lay directly west of Monroe County, the following petition, signed by a number of Kanesville residents and dated June 12th, was addressed to the Board of Commissioners of Monroe County:

We, the undersigned, citizens residing near Council Bluffs, in the State of Iowa, ask your honors to grant us a township for the purpose of electing two justices of the peace and constables, as we labor under so much disadvantage from the want of legal authority in our midst, not having legal authority among us to authenticate an instrument in our necessary dealings and conveyances, or to take proper cognizance of those violating the law.

The election may be held at the council-house, in the village of Kanesville, and Charles Bird, Henry Miller, and William Huntington would be suitable men to act as judges of said election.23

Armed with this document, Pickett went to Monroe County; but before presenting it to the Board of Commissioners of that county he called at the home of James P. Carleton, Judge of the Fourth Judicial District. Pickett informed Carleton that he had brought a petition from Pottawattamie County asking for the appointment of an organizing Sheriff for that county24- hoping, apparently, for an appointment

23 This petition was included in House Miscellaneous Documents, 1st Session, 31st Congress, Document No. 47, p. 4. The Clerk of Monroe County certified on October 26, 1848, that this was "a true copy of all the petition there is in the office at this time".

24 Testimony of Judge Carleton given at Iowa City on March 6, 1850, printed in House Miscellaneous Documents, 1st Session, 31st Congress, Document No. 47, p. 120. The writer doubts whether Pickett did in fact have in his possession such a petition. Judge Carleton did not say that he saw the petition in question but that Pickett "came to my house with a petition signed by a number of persons, representing that he and the petition were both from Pottawattamie county, the petition praying for the appointment of an organizing sheriff for said county." Carleton stated that he refused to appoint Pickett on the ground that he had already appointed a Mr. Townsend for that purpose. Townsend did not, however, effect an organization for Pottawattamie County, a fact for which it is difficult to offer an explanation except perhaps that Townsend, who was a Democrat, felt certain the inhabitants of Pottawattamie County would support the Whig ticket and that therefore it was politically expedient to postpone the

whereby he would be able to organize Pottawattamie County independently. Carleton, however, refused to make the desired appointment. Defeated in this plan, Pickett went to Albia, the county seat of Monroe County and presented the same document to the Board of Commissioners. No one else being present at the time who knew anything about the location of Kanesville, Pickett explained that he believed Kanesville to be due west of Monroe County.25 The Board of Commissioners thereupon issued, under date of July 3rd, an order granting the request set forth in the petition.

Ordered by the board of commissioners of the county of Monroe and State of Iowa, that that portion of country called Pottawatomie county, which lies directly west of Monroe county, be organized into a township, and that Kanesville be a precinct for election purposes in said township; and that the election be held at the council-house in said village, and that Charles Bird, Henry Miller, and William Huntington be appointed judges of said election, and that the boundaries of said township extend east as far as the East Nishnabotna.26

Pickett, appearing to be very anxious to reach Kanesville in time to give the proper notices for holding the election, the Clerk of Monroe County requested a man named Townsend (who had accompanied Pickett to Albia) to prepare the organization of that county. This was later charged against Townsend. Whatever explanation may be given, it appears from the records examined that Townsend advised Pickett to see Judge Carleton and in the event of his failing to secure the appointment as organizing sheriff to proceed to Albia where the Board of Commissioners of Monroe County was then in session. This Pickett did, accompanied by Townsend, and he secured the order. As a matter of interest, Judge Carleton did later appoint Pickett organizing sheriff for Pottawattamie County. This appointment, however, was not made till August 28th — three weeks after the general election. Pottawattamie County was organized on September 28th-in time for the county to participate independently in the presidential election of 1848.

25 Testimony of William Townsend, printed in House Miscellaneous Documents, 1st Session, 31st Congress, Document No. 47, pp. 63, 64.

26 This order is incorporated in House Miscellaneous Documents, 1st Session, 31st Congress, Document No. 47, pp. 4, 5.

notices which the Sheriff of Monroe County authorized Pickett to post. Pickett lost no time in returning to Kanesville, where he arrived some time during the early part of July. The order of the Board of Commissioners of Monroe County was duly executed; and Pickett, during the remaining weeks of the campaign, "used his utmost exertions in favor of the election of Daniel Miller and of the Whig ticket generally."27 For these services Warren paid Pickett the sum of one hundred and forty dollars.28

EFFORTS OF THE WHIGS TO SECURE THE MORMON VOTE

In the meantime other agencies were employed by the Whigs for the control of the Mormon vote in the coming general election. On June 24th, Elder Orson Hyde, who was the leader of the Mormons in Iowa, left Kanesville for the eastern part of the State.29 It appears that Hyde had two principal objects in view in undertaking this journey (1) a conference with Fitz Henry Warren concerning the political situation and the measures necessary to insure a Whig victory; and (2) the purchase of a printing press for the purpose of establishing a newspaper at Kanesville.

Hyde arrived in Burlington in the first week of July, and had a conference with Warren. Although it is not known definitely what arrangements were entered into between these two men,30 it is evident that a satisfactory agreement

27 Testimony of Evan M. Greene, printed in House Miscellaneous Documents, 1st Session, 31st Congress, Document No. 47, p. 36.

28 Warren acknowledged the payment of one hundred and forty dollars to Pickett for his services and traveling expenses, in a letter which appeared in the Burlington Hawk-Eye for August 31, 1848. This letter was printed in House Miscellaneous Documents, 1st Session, 31st Congress, Document No. 47, p. 56. 29 Testimony of Orson Hyde, printed in House Miscellaneous Documents, 1st Session, 31st Congress, Document No. 47, p. 45.

30 Leading Democratic newspapers later charged that Warren gave Hyde a draft for one thousand dollars on Washington in return for the latter's active and open support of the Whig ticket. This alleged "corrupt bargain" will be considered in the following pages of this discussion.