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The war for, the Union was in progress during the political campaign of 1861, and issues, growing out of the war, were forming. The Republicans were first to meet in convention, assembling at Des Moines in July. They put in nomination a State ticket and adopted a platform heartily supporting the government in its assertion of the right to coerce, denouncing the doctrine of secession, maintaining the supremacy of the Constitution, and declaring in the most forcible language, that the Rebellion should be put down at any cost.

The Democratic State Convention passed resolutions also, unequivocally condemning the action of the seceding States, but declaring it to be the legitimate results of the teaching of the "irrepressible conflict," and also denying in toto the right of the government to perpetuate the Union by force of arms. State sovereignty was endorsed, and the opposite doctrine declared to be fraught with disastrous consequences.

Never, perhaps, in the history of Cass county, was there a more hotly contested election than this. Many of the legal voters were absent in the field and the vote was necessarily light, and S. J. Kirkwood, the Republican nominee for the office of Governor, had in this county, a bare majority of one, in a total vote of 343. For member of congress, representative and senator in the General Assembly of the State and nearly all of the county offices, the Democrats swept the field in Cass county.

The Union army had met with several reverses during the year 1862, and a gloomy feeling pervaded the minds of the people, having its effect upon the canvass for State officers. The Democrats met in convention at Des Moines, and adopted a platform in which they declared in favor of using all constitutional means for the suppression of the rebellion, and opposed to any scheme of confiscation and emancipation; opposed to a suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, declaring the superiority of the white over the black race, and opposed to the purchase of the slaves. The Republicans, in their platform adopted at Des Moines, resolved that it was the duty of every man to help maintain the government; condemned the course of secession sympathizers, and asked all favorable to giving the national administration honest support, to co-operate with them. In this county the vote was lighter than usual, and the campaign, to a large extent, devoid of much interest. There were two tickets in the field, a regular Republican and a People's. Every candidate on the Republican ticket was elected, receiving a majority of from thirty to forty in a total vote of 178, on the home vote.

The Democracy of the State met in convention at Des Moines, the 8th of July, 1863, and nominated a State ticket. Questions growing out of the conduct of the war still afforded matter for issue between the parties.

The writ of habeas corpus had been suspended by the President; martial law had been declared in some of the States not in rebellion, and the proclamation of emancipation had been issued. These measures the Democracy in convention and by resolution opposed, while the Republican convention, which convened June 17th, favored each.

In Cass county the campaign was devoid of interest. There were two tickets in the field, a regular Republican and a People's, and a much larger vote was polled than any time since the presidential election of 1860. The Democrats made no nomination for the office of superintendent of schools, and G. M. Smith, the sole nominee for that office had the suffrages of both parties. The total vote was about 310.

In 1864 Abraham Lincoln was re-nominated by the Republicans; associated with him on the ticket was Andrew Johnson, the Union Governor of Tennessee. The Democrats put in nomination Gen. George B. McClellan for the presidency, and George H. Pendleton, of Ohio, for the vice-presidency. The Republicans of Iowa held a convention at Des Moines, July 7, and adopted a platform confirming the re-nomination of Abraham Lincoln, paying high tributes of praise to the loyal soldiers and soldiers' wives who were daily making sacrifices that the Union might be saved. The Democratic State convention met at Des Moines, July 16, selected a State ticket, but adopted no platform. A peace convention, however, was held at Iowa City, August 24, which adopted resolutions denouncing the war and its further support, and rejecting the equality of the negro with the white man. This was the darkest period of the war, and although the feeling was intense, yet it was not manifested so much in the campaign as usual.

In Cass county there was no material increase in the vote, which amounted to a total of 342. On all National and State officers the party lines were strictly drawn, the majority of each standing in every case, at fifty-two in favor of the Republican nominee. For clerk of courts, William Waddell had no opposition, and polled one hundred and thirty-seven votes, Henry Temple, nominee for recorder, David A. Barnett, county judge, and H. Dennison, on the Republican ticket were all elected.

The Republicans were first in the field in 1865, meeting in convention at Des Moines, June 14, nominating a ticket and adopting a platform. The Union Anti-Negro Suffrage party met at the capital, August 23, and nominated a ticket, and adopted a platform in which they endorsed the administration of Andrew Johnson; that they were opposed to negro suffrage; that the soldiers of the late war deserved well of their countrymen, and that their sympathies were with them. The Democrats met in convention the same day, but made no nominations, the party supporting the Soldiers' ticket, as it was known. Not much interest was taken in the campaign in Cass county, except on local offices. The total vote polled was three hundred and eighty two. Both parties, in local politics, had full tickets in the field. D. A. Barnett was elected county judge; Wilkins Warwick, treasurer; V. M. Bradshaw, sheriff; Albert Wakefield, surveyor; by small majorities ranging from thirteen upwards.

The campaign of 1866 was fought on the issue of reconstruction in the southern States. The Republicans in convention resolved that the people who subdued the rebellion, and their representatives in Congress, had the right to re-organize the States that had been in the rebellion. This was denied by some of the Republicans and the entire Democratic party. The conservative Republicans, or those who were opposed to congressional action, met in convention and nominated a State ticket. The Democratic convention adopted a platform, nominated two candidates, and resolved to support the ticket of the conservatives. The Republican State officers received a majority of seventy-nine in this county. The Republican county ticket was elected by a trifle larger majority. The total vote was about four hundred.

The general issues dividing the parties in 1867 were about the same as in 1866. In this county the Republicans were victorious.

The year 1868 brought with it another presidential campaign. The Republican National Convention met at Chicago, and placed in nomination Ulysses S. Grant, the victorious Union general, associating with him Schuyler Colfax of Indiana. The Democratic National convention nominated Horatio Seymour and Francis P. Blair, Jr., for president and vice-president. The financial question began to be a leading issue, especially with reference to the payment of the bonds in coin or greenbacks, the republicans favoring the payment in coin, the democrats opposing. The latter also, by resolution, favored the abolition of the nationalbanking system, and the substitution of United States notes for those of national banks. This was opposed by the republicans.

The campaigns of 1868, 1870,and 1871, were devoid of much interest, and were but repetitions of the results of previous years, as a glance at the official vote in this chapter will show.

Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass, February, 2025 from: "History of Cass County, Together with Sketches of Its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens" , published in 1884, Springfield, Ill: Continental Historical Co., pp. 324-326.