Iowa Highway Ends (etc.)

Spring 1885 was approaching, and Iowa’s 5th Congressional District election of 1882 was still in dispute. Republican James Wilson had been declared the winner, but Democrat Benjamin Frederick was still fighting for it, and won the seat outright in November 1884. However, the previous Congress had months of work ahead, including the restoration of the rank and pension of former president Ulysses S. Grant.

On March 3, 1885, just before the end of the session, Wilson cut a deal. He would leave his seat if the Democratic-controlled House (overwhelmingly Southern Democrats, mind you) would pass the Grant bill. From an editorial in the March 6 Traer Star-Clipper:

The Frederick-Wilson case and the Grant retirement bill occupied the last hours of Congress. Frederick was seated. The Republicans could have prevented the result, but Wilson rose in his place and said that rather than have General Grant kept from the retired list, himself and friends would sacrifice the seat. The Grant bill was passed and signed by the President. The outcome of both bills is hardly to be reprented [sic] by Republicans and certainly will not make Democrats feel proud. If Frederick was duly elected his party had the evidence and power to seat him in the early part of the session; and if Grant deserves retirement now, he has done nothing since the Democrats refused to show him honor to entitle him to their esteem at this late day. In sacrificing the seat (which it was plain he could have held in spite of the Democrats), after having fought for it so manfully, that America’s beloved general might be partially rewarded, James Wilson has performed an act that will reflect credit and honor on him as long as graceful acts are recognized.

“An Act to authorize an additional appointment on the retired-list of the Army” gave Grant his pension. Wilson got recognized for his statesmanship and — understatement alert — later continued his career in public service. Frederick got the entire term’s salary for one day of service and then was re-inaugurated for the next Congress.

Less than two years later, Frederick resigned and unresigned after situations sparked by the 1886 redistricting involving postmaster nominations in both Grundy County (which he technically never represented) and Johnson County (which was pulled out of the 5th District). Republican editors of papers in the area had much more verbose and fiery things to say, and the Star-Clipper going off on him (PDF) is an entertaining read.

This is what Iowa’s 11(!) congressional districts looked like for the elections of 1882 and 1884. The 5th District is in orange. A mid-decade redraw after a special census in 1885 created a new map that would be used through the 1930 midterms. For more, see this page.

James Wilson, Traer’s most famous resident, served three nonconsecutive terms in Congress as a Republican. The first two were 1873-77, and that’s when he got the nickname “Tama Jim”, to distinguish himself from Iowa Sen. James Wilson of Jefferson. His third term came somewhat involuntarily. He attended the 5th Congressional District convention in Cedar Rapids in the summer of 1882 to show support for a friend. But as time dragged on and no candidate emerged, he was pressured to put his hat in the ring, and eventually agreed.

“But,” said the Traer Star-Clipper later, “he worked against such opposition as no candidate in Iowa ever had to combat. He believed that people had a right to decide whether a prohibitory clause should be engrafted into the constitution of the State, and he said so. This manly stand brought to the aid of his opponent the organized and powerful whisky element. As if this was not enough, he had to face shameful unfaithfulness in his own party, and the combined opposition succeeded in cutting his majority down to 23 votes. He was declared elected and took his seat.” (March 13, 1885)

Wilson’s opponent, Benjamin Frederick, refused to accept defeat and took his challenge to Congress. A subcommittee heard the challenge in June 1884 and then nothing happened — for the duration of the session. It was somewhat academic, as Democrats held an overwhelming majority in the House, but the situation remained officially unresolved.

Wilson was behind the creation of a law in 1884, and of course it was agriculture-related: “An act for the establishment of a Bureau of Animal Industry, to prevent the exportation of diseased cattle, and to provide means for the suppression and extirpation of pleuro-pneumonia and other contagious diseases among domestic animals.”*

*The “pontoon wagon bridge” planned for Dubuque in the immediately preceding act was abandoned two years later in favor of what became the Wagon Bridge — the original Mississippi River crossing for US 20.