‘Military Tract’ plan helped settle western Illinois

Bill Knight column for 1-7, 8 or 9

The War of 1812 is arguably one of U.S. history’s “second-tier” conflicts. Compared to the American Revolution and the Civil War, two World Wars and the Vietnam War, the War of 1812 almost seems like a footnote. Indeed, many historians regard it as largely a senseless war sparked by the British Empire’s interference with U.S. shipping and the seizure of American sailors, as a war that ended as a draw (if not a U.S. defeat).

Oddly, 204 years ago this week, 4,700 mostly untrained militia fighters, Choctaw Indians, rural whites and free Black men defended New Orleans against about 8,000 British troops in that war, which had been mostly fought to a stalemate until Britain defeated Napoleon in Europe and moved military resources to North America. Having burned the unfinished U.S. Capitol, Britiain aimed to choke U.S. ports such as New Orleans, which would have given Britain control of the Mississippi River.

In the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson led the upstart Americans in a half-hour clash on Jan. 8, 1815, decimating the redcoats with artillery, and British troops suffered 2,034 casualties while Americans lost just 62 soldiers. It was a resounding victory for the young nation, but since that was when news from Europe took a month to reach the western hemisphere, it happened weeks after the Treaty of Ghent ended hostilities.

Despite that unusual “ending,” if it weren’t for one of the war’s other factors – Congress’ massive land giveaway to veterans to encourage pioneers to move to the country’s sparsely populated frontier (specifically, western Illinois) – the region undoubtedly would have taken years longer to settle.

            Approved by Congress on May 6, 1812, the Military Tract law encouraged enlistment as well as settlers. Technically offering “patents” for “bounty land” issued to War of 1812 veterans, Illinois’ Military Tract grants covered an area that included all of the present counties of Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Pike, Schuyler, Stark and Warren, plus parts of Henry, Bureau, Marshall and Putnam counties, totaling some 5.4 million acres (about 8,400 square miles) – about 3.5 million of which were determined by surveys in 1815-1816 to be fit for farming.

            “Before Fulton County was formed, and before Illinois was admitted to statehood, the U.S. government set aside a vast region of land in Illinois for veterans of the War of 1812,” wrote John Drury in his 1954 history of Fulton County. “This Military Tract lay between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

            “Any veterans of the War of 1812 could have a free quarter-section of land [160 acres] if he wanted it,” Drury continued. “A lot of veterans sold their ‘prairie quarter’ for $100 or less, while others traded theirs for a horse, a cow or a watch.

            “Often, a ‘land shark’ would turn up as the owner and demand an exorbitant price for a tract that the settler had cleared, cultivated and on which he had built a home,” he added.

            Land records from the 1800s are sketchy, especially since such speculators were involved.

            “Issuance of the patents was one factor that drew people of disparate cultural backgrounds of the Northeast and the Central/South to Illinois,” said Melissa Calhoun, a McDonough County genealogist. But “many veterans didn’t want to move to Illinois, so they sold their patents, often to land agents, who in turn sold to speculators, often in the East.”

In fact, 4th Infantry soldier Theodore Sargent (whose family said he did get a Tract land grant) initially settled on the wrong acreage in the Canton area and had to vacate, according to Drury. Sargent eventually relocated and helped found Farmington in present-day Fulton County.

Still, it worked. Not formally established until 1823, Fulton County for years included virtually all of the state north of the Illinois River, but its only real communities were Canton, Lewistown, Rushville and inhabited areas around Fort Clark (Peoria) and Fort Dearborn (Chicago).

Today, there are 80-some graves of War of 1812 veterans throughout Fulton County, according to research by Mason County resident Herb Stufflebeam. Certainly, many of them and their descendants benefited from the government program, a positive outcome from a negative episode in U.S. history.

‘Shutdown? Shut up!’

Bill Knight column for 1-3, 4 or 5, 2019

Dizzying distractions can make everyday Americans dismiss or ignore the government shutdown, but while it’s tempting to think, “Fine! Government should leave us alone anyway,” there are real consequences to regular people and conflicts of interest that spell trouble.

The first big showdown between President Trump and the Democrats, who take control of the House this week, the shutdown stems from President Trump demanding $5 billion for a wall that he repeatedly promised Mexico would pay for. Democrats offered $1.3 billion for border security – without a wall.

The shutdown has sent 380,000 federal workers home on unpaid “furloughs,” and another 420,000 must work without pay. Nine departments are most affected – Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Housing & Urban Development, Interior, Justice, State, Transportation and Treasury – as well as agencies such as NASA and the Forest Service. And the workers aren’t all in Washington, D.C. In fact, according to governing.com, of the 2 million full-time federal employees, 79 percent of them are outside the Washington area. In Illinois, 1,838 workers are in the U.S. Department of Transportation, 1,398 in Agriculture, 1,219 in Justice, 927 in Homeland Security, 924 in Treasury, 580 in Commerce, 326 in HUD, 262 in Interior and 64 in State.

Many workers and those who rely on public services are feeling increasing anxiety from the deadlock. National parks are closed; a Manhattan federal judge suspended work on civil cases involving federal lawyers (including lawsuits in which Trump is a defendant).

Many federal workers could eventually get back pay, but independent contractors won’t.

“As many as 2,000 subcontractors in federal buildings, including janitors, security guards and cafeteria servers, won't be compensated,” reported Li Zhou in Vox. “Contractors are paid directly by companies that can’t bill the government for services when it’s shut down. Because these companies won’t get paid, they aren’t able to pay their workers."

This week,

* the Department of Agriculture must delay some direct payments to farmers to help make up for losses suffered because of Trump’s tariffs and ongoing Trade Wars;

* Trump threatened to seal the Mexican border, tweeting, “Either build the wall or close the border,” which would shut off not just asylum-seekers, but commerce ($30 billion per month with Mexico, the nation’s third-largest trading partner), and the threat came days after the announcement that $10.6 billion in aid will go to Mexico and Central American nations to address problems contributing to people fleeing those areas);

* Trump’s annual for-profit New Year’s Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort reportedly is requiring the Secret Service to spend more than $50,000 in taxpayer money, another conflict of interest;

* further, Trump (citing concern with the federal budget) signed an executive order freezing pay for federal employees, canceling a modest 2.1 raise percent scheduled to take effect this month; and

* finally, Trump said “many” furloughed workers have no problem with the shutdown, adding that “most of the people not getting paid are Democrats,” yet the federal Office of Personnel Management on Dec. 27 communicated with affected workers that they might appeal to landlords and other creditors for consideration or do odd jobs to make ends meet.

“Just in case anyone still thinks a partial shutdown over a holiday weekend is harmless, think again,” said Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union. “Your friends and neighbors around the country who work for the federal government are already showing signs of financial stress.”

Polls show most Americans blame Trump and don’t consider a border wall a priority. A Reuters/Ipsos poll reported that 47 percent hold Trump responsible, with just 33 percent blaming Democrats. And according to a Business Insider poll, only 19 percent of respondents said a border wall would be "the best use" of $5 billion; 81 percent said a better use of the $5 billion would be on health care, education or infrastructure.

Elsewhere, oddsmakers at the online gaming company BetDSI predict a shutdown of about two weeks and eventual funding for border security of $1.8 billion.

On Capitol Hill, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said she’ll get a bill passed in the House to resume operations, but Republicans still control the Senate, and there’s still the Extortionist-in-Chief.

“If the president wants to gamble, perhaps he should go back to running casinos,” said Paul Shearon, president of the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers. “A casino is where it’s commonplace for chips to be tossed around. Gambling with the lives of federal workers is not acceptable.”

No one should shut up; our voices must cry out.

Remembering the escapist films of ‘swords & sand’

Bill Knight column for 12-31, 1-1 or 2

Roman emperor Lucius Aurelius Commodus (who claimed lineage to Hercules and defeated gladiators in public bouts) was assassinated at the age of 31 on Dec. 31, 192, so it’s a timely to recall Hollywood’s cinematic nod to ancient civilizations – of sandals and Vandals, tunics and togas, places of colonial rule and scandal, revolts and reforms, bread and circuses – brutal societies built on blood.

Gladiators originated at Roman funerals (“losers” were to accompany the deceased in the afterlife), and gladiator contests debuted in Rome about 264 B.C., becoming so popular the practice lasted some 600 years.

Movies’ swords-and-sandals spectacles were once a Hollywood mainstay: big-budget costume epics, low-budget melodramas and goofy comedies. Epics range from “Quo Vadis” and “The Robe” to “Cleopatra” and “I Claudius.” Cheap versions include “Roland The Mighty” and “Son of Cleopatra,” and comedies include “A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to The Forum” and George Clooney’s 2016 romp “Hail Caesar!”

A prominent figure from the heyday of swords-and-sandal movies was Steve Reeves, an ex-Mr. Universe and Mr. World who left bodybuilding for a 14-year acting career. He arguably peaked in 1964 (when Reeves’ “Last Glory of Troy” was released, along with others’ “Triumph and The Ten Gladiators,” “Colossus and The Amazon Queen,” “Challenge of The Gladiator,” “Gladiators 7,” “Lion of Thebes, “Revolt of the Barbarians,” and “Coriolanus: Man Without a Country”). But Reeves disliked movie-making, once commenting, “I found acting very stressful.”

Still, the films were an escape for many moviegoers.

These 10 films are a good cross-section of such adventures on video or online:

“Ben-Hur” (1959). This Academy Award-winner stars Charlton Heston as a Jewish prince who’d befriended a young Roman (Stephen Boyd) who grows up to be commander of the Jerusalem garrison trying to find Jewish patriots, especially Jesus Christ. Ben-Hur won’t cooperate and is enslaved. After getting freed, he discovers his sister and mother were slain and eventually agrees to drive a chariot for an Arab sheik he befriended, defeats Messala, and discovers his family alive. It’s credited with spawning the early ‘60s rash of historical epics, from “El Cid” to “King of Kings.”

“Colossus and The Amazon Queen” (1964). Two gladiators no sooner return from the Trojan War than they’re tricked into sailing to a mythical island populated by fearsome women who need males as mates. Rod Taylor stars.

“Demetrius and The Gladiators” (1954). Victor Mature and Michael Rennie reprise their roles from “The Robe” in this sequel co-starring Susan Hayward, Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine and Richard Egan.

“The Fall of The Roman Empire” (1964). Emperor Commodus returns, portrayed by Christopher Plummer in an impressive epic directed by Anthony Mann. Also starring are Sophia Loren, James Mason, Stephen Boyd, Mel Ferrer, Alec Guinness and John Ireland.

“Gladiator” (2000). Directed by Ridley Scott, this stars Russell Crowe as General Maximus, hand-picked by a dying emperor to help restore Rome’s republic but condemned by the Emperor’s ambitious son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Maximus escapes execution but he’s enslaved and his family slaughtered. Gradually, he becomes a gladiator and eventually faces his nemesis in the Coliseum.

“Gladiator of Rome” (1963). Ex-Tarzan Gordon Scott stars as a Roman prisoner who builds up his strength during a 14-year prison term with a childhood friend, the princess and rightful heir to the empire’s throne, and leads a revolt against the usurpers.

“The Last Days of Pompeii” (1960). This Steve Reeves vehicle was one of his best performances and co-stars Fernando Rey in a tale about a heroic Roman soldier stationed in Greece who tries to save condemned Christians.

“The Revolt of The Slaves” (1961). Rhonda Fleming stars as the snotty daughter of a Roman aristocrat who mistreats a Christian slave, discovers the meaning of the faith, and converts during a time of persecution.

“Slave Girls of Sheba” (1963). This “sexy gladiator epic” co-written by Sergio Leone stars Linda Cristal (TV’s “High Chaparral”) in an adventure about a hero and beautiful slave girls saving a condemned patriot.

“Spartacus” (1960). Kirk Douglas starred in Dalton Trumbo’s adaptation of Howard Fast’s historical novel about Rome’s real-life slave revolt of 73-71 B.C. Director Stanley Kubrick effectively balances big-budget battle scenes with poignant moments of intrigue, drama and tenderness. It features Laurence Olivier and Charles Laughton as haughty Romans, Jean Simmons as a romantic interest, and Tony Curtis as a houseboy slave who escapes servitude.