Category Archives: Politics

20th Century, Democrat, Governors, Health, History, Intercession, Judgment & Counter-Judgment Cycle, Medicine, Minnesota, Politics, State Government

Governor Johnson Dies in Office 1909

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September 21, 1909

“John A. Johnson was the state’s first governor to die in office, following surgery.” *

My first question to You is; “Why do we exalt our political leaders?” Does a governor’s death hold more weight and import than one his constituents? Perhaps our Johnson’s death connotes the identification Minnesotans had with him; he was one of us.

Lord, thank You that Minnesotans did indeed relate with Governor Johnson! Thanks for the gift of empathy one feels for a fellow countryman. Thank You that we were created with a longing and value of our sense of place. Our geography imprints on our soul whether: city streets, a warehouse, open roads, or open fields.

We seem to own what our eyes often take in. A street we frequent becomes our ‘stomping grounds’. Hunter’s tend to know their woods “like the back of their hand”. May our leaders continue Johnson’s legacy of being “one of us”.

Good Governor of All, will You remember us when we lose a head of state, or maybe even a hero? Will You help us deal with losing a key leader or mentor in our lives? Will You honor the memory of Governor Johnson? Will You keep us from the extremes of guilt through creating a cult of personality around politicians, or neglecting to groom and constantly call forth the headship of the next generation?

* http://www.mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm

 

 

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20th Century, Crime, government, History, Intercession, Judgment & Counter-Judgment Cycle, Mayors, Minnesota, omnipresent history, Politics

“Shame of Minneapolis” 1901

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January 1901 to February 1903

“Dr. Albert Alonzo “Doc” Ames served four terms as mayor of Minneapolis. His fourth term began in January 1901 and ended with his resignation in August 1902 after a grand jury exposed the corruption in his administration.

In January 1903 McClure’s magazine published an article by nationally-known muckraking journalist Lincoln Steffens**** on the fight against corruption in Minneapolis. The story focused on Mayor Ames’ regime and how the work of the courageous grand jury led to his fall. He was convicted of bribery in February 1903.” * 

 “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 

Jeremiah 29:7 NIV **

Minneapolitans in 1901-1903 may not have been “carried into exile” like the children of Abraham, but they likely felt that Justice abandoned them. What does one do, when their hometown becomes corrupt? Even more accurate, what response should the public have when their leadership targets them for abuse, and opens the doors of the city welcoming crime?

“Mayor Ames’ actions lead to the conclusion that he was single-minded in his pursuit of control, and hungry for bribery. He made his brother Fred chief of police. He fired law-abiding police and replaced them with unqualified and criminally-minded officers. He released criminals from jail. He accepted and encouraged organized crime of all kinds in return for payment.” ***

Lord, hear our prayer! Our forbearers failed to see the character of Mayor Ames, or those he appointed. Some of our citizens participated in activities that enabled corruption. Will You forgive these offenses? 

Will You forgive the lust that welcomed and expanded prostitution in the city of Minneapolis? Will You forgive us our willingness to objectify women? Will You forgive us our impatience to find sexual oneness and satisfaction apart from a real relationship? 

The “johns” have given themselves over to misogyny, and the prostitutes have given themselves to misandry in response. We have accepted money for the denigration of our bodies. We have divided our spirits with strangers. We have divided our minds by making judgements that it is fine to pay women for sexual abuse, and conversely, to accept sexual abuse in exchange for cash. Forgive us these misbeliefs that do not honor ourselves, others, or You. As Your child shown mercy for his own lust, I disinvite the misogyny and misandry welcomed into Minneapolis during Mayor Ames era, and invite Your Spirit to free us to accept ourselves as men and women, and so become able to love the other gender in the present and future.

Lord, we are also party to another form of misplaced affection; the love of money.       

Gambling is the expectation of reward apart from work. In it, we participate in the self-injurious behaviors of excitement addiction and greed. Work informs our character with persistence, delayed gratification, and the reward that we produce or are part of a team that gives something of worth to society. We stunt our own growth by believing we should get something for nothing.

Mayor Ames opened our city to this form of greed. Will You forgive those who have loved reward apart from work both past and present? As Your son who has been shown mercy for his own hatred of work, I disinvite gambling from the city of Minneapolis. I invite Your Spirit into our labor. Let us receive the gifts of character in store for us! Let us be glad in how our work gives and serves and benefits others! Let the innovations of our work in Minnesota bring a better life to all humanity, and be a reflection of Your Mind and Muscle! Will You be our unfailing Justice?

* http://www.mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm

**http://biblehub.net/search.php?q=jeremiah+29%3A7

*** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Ames 

****An excellent article by Iric Nathanson about the man who brought Ames down; Mr. Lincoln Steffens. https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2013/12/goodwin-s-bully-pulpit-spotlights-shame-minneapolis

***** How does gambling affects the brain? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933850/

 

 

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20th Century, government, Governors, History, Intercession, Judgment & Counter-Judgment Cycle, law, Minnesota, monopoly, omnipresent history, Politics, railroad, State Government

Van Sant Becomes Governor 1901

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January 7, 1901 to January 4, 1905

“Samuel R. Van Sant takes office as the state’s 15th governor on January 7, 1901. He began his career as a riverboat builder on the Upper Mississippi. As Minnesota’s fifteenth governor, he led the fight to brake the runaway powers of the railroads.” * 

Read an excerpt of what it meant to be a “trustbuster” in his era?

“The second was the establishment of the State Board of Control to take on the railroad monopolies. The old riverboat captain didn’t have much love for his main competition on the iron rails. He particularly detested the Northern Securities Company run by James J. Hill and J.P. Morgan. The jovial riverboat captain turned out to be a very determined trustbuster. Van Sant’s battle soon turned into one of the biggest court dramas to ever come out of Minnesota in this suit to dissolve the Hill-Morgan railroad monopoly. He soon won the backing of President Teddy Roosevelt under the newly passed Sherman Antitrust Act. In 1904 the Supreme Court, by a vote of 5 to 4, upheld the determination that the Northern Securities Company was an illegal restraint of trade and the trust was broken up.” **

Father, thank you that Van Sant fought the monopolist powers of Minnesota in his term. His experience with the Northern Securities Company underscores an achilles heel of free markets; highly successful companies may eventually eliminate the competition in their fields and form monopolies or oligarchies. The most sought after form of land transportation of the North Star state was controlled by just two men; James J. Hill and J. P. Morgan. 

You have given us clues in the Bible regarding property rights and ownership. Tribal allotment of specific geographic territories are described in the book of Joshua. All  descendants of the sons of Jacob had land based on birthright. Land could be bought and sold, more like leased, but only for a fixed number of years until the Jubilee.

The Year of Jubilee described in Leviticus 25:8-13 is a year of pardon, for personal sins, debts, release of slaves, and a return of tribal property. So, we currently practice ownership of property, but do not have a system for forgiveness whether personal, labor, or property-based. Some may argue that bankruptcy fulfills this role, but is incomplete when compared to the model of the Pentateuch.

Although the Supreme Court upheld the position of the people regarding the railroad monopolies, we have no universal reset button for society like You describe! How do we enact Your standards in modern society? We hold property, but are not tied to specific geography on the basis of our tribes unless we are Native Minnesotans. We are disconnected from the land, and from each other! Is it because there is so little forgiveness in our modern system based not on wealth, but debt? 

That said, Merciful One, do not let us be vain towards the successful, or return shrewdness with the counter-judgment of punishment! Will You forgive Minnesota its bitterness towards Morgan and Hill, and their company? Will You forgive them their “drive to power”? Most cannot relate to the unchecked influence of men like Morgan and Hill, but perhaps they can relate in a smaller way. If we have the power to change everyday situations in our favor, will we use it? Or misuse it? 

Father, will You forgive us when we look expectantly and only to our system for justice? We are vapors that dissipate in a day! You are the only unchangeable personality in the universe. You are self-content and not subject to bribery. Your integrity allows us to enter into justice if we are open to self-examination as well as other-examination! 

* http://www.mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm

**Tuma, John. “Let’s Not Go Backward.” Conservation Minnesota March 2012 Web. 22 Jun. 2013. http://www.conservationminnesota.org/news/headlines/lets-not-go-backward/

*** More flavor on Governor Van Sant? https://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_minnesota/col2-content/main-content-list/title_van-sant_samuel.default.html

 

 

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19th Century, Governors, History, Indian, Intercession, Judgment & Counter-Judgment Cycle, Minnesota, Native Americans, omnipresent history, Politics, State Government, Treaties

Lind Becomes Governor

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January 2, 1899 to January 7, 1901

“John Lind takes office as the state’s 14th governor on January 2, 1899. Lind, an outspoken political maverick, campaigned zealously for adoption of a more equitable tax burden, enlightened concern for the sick and poor, and direct elections of state officials. Although most of his efforts to change society failed, Lind paved the way for subsequent reform and Minnesota’s transition from an agrarian to an industrial society.” * 

Thank You for the struggles of John Lind. Thank You for all Minnesotans’ who have bucked at the limitations of the two-party system. Thanks that his heart was tender to others that wrestled with the industrial giants of their time, and usually lost.

Why this struggle? The people knew Minnesota had riches: excellent dairy pastures, productive farmland, timber, iron ore and minerals, thousands of lakes, and a waterway that crossed half a continent. What was there to complain about? Commodities are valuable if they can reach the markets that have need for such resources. What if the “middlemen” ate them alive with storage fees, transportation costs, and sales commissions? Or what if the laws of one’s business were written by giants for giants?

Lord, I don’t know many details of these Lind years, but I see this conflict as a worthy subject to acknowledge to You. Will you forgive our judgements of the land hunger of the giants of timber, iron, farmland speculators, and railroads that began on January 2, 1899 and still prevail? Will You also forgive the land hunger of Minnesotans’ that displaced the Anishinaabe (Chippewa, Objibwe)? Below is an excellent local source on these First Nations.

“Anishinaabe Reservations

The seven Anishinaabe reservations include: Grand Portage located in the northeast corner of the state; Bois Forte located in extreme northern Minnesota; Red Lake located in extreme northern Minnesota west of Bois Forte; White Earth located in northwestern Minnesota; Leech Lake located in the north central portion of the state; Fond du Lac located in northeast Minnesota west of the city of Duluth; and Mille Lacs located in the central part of the state, south and east of Brainerd.

All seven Anishinaabe reservations in Minnesota were originally established by treaty and are considered separate and distinct nations by the United States government. In some cases, the tribe retained additional lands through an Executive Order of the President. Six of the seven reservations were allotted at the time of the passage of the General Allotment Act. The Red Lake Reservation is the only closed reservation in Minnesota, which means that the reservation was never allotted and the land continues to be held in common by all tribal members. Each Indian tribe began its relationship with the U.S. government as a sovereign power recognized as such in treaty and legislation. The Treaty of 1863 officially recognized Red Lake as separate and distinct with the signing of the Old Crossing Treaty of 1863. In this treaty, the Red Lake Nation ceded more than 11 million acres of the richest agricultural land in Minnesota in exchange for monetary compensation and a stipulation that the “President of the United States direct a certain sum of money to be applied to agricultural education and to such other beneficial purposes calculated to promote the prosperity and happiness of the Red Lake Indian.” The agreements of 1889 and the Agreement of 1904, Red Lake ceded another 2,256,152 acres and the Band was guaranteed that all benefits under existing treaties would not change.”

Will You forgive the Anishinaabe their land hunger for tribes that they may have displaced? We seek Your judgement and restitution for our losses. You are the Master of Apportionment! We all are but temporary occupants of Your lands! Will You give us Your sense of mercy and justice towards our neighbors whether past, present, or future?

Will You forgive our claim to Your land also known as Minnesota? Will You forgive our claim to Your intellectual property: air, water, plants, minerals, animals, weather, day, night, and people? You have given enough for all! You let us play with Your building blocks! Let us be worthy builders! 

Father, help us deal with our pain that drives our anger. You have said in Ecclesiastes that there is:

“3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; “

We often see anger as only negative, or as the expression of an emotion that separates us. Yet, it is the expression of anger that often lets others know that our boundaries have been crossed. There is an anger that is mad at separation.

Will You bless Governor Lind for expressing this kind of anger; the anger at injustice? Lind was known for having a temper. According to an article on the front page of the Moose Lake (Minnesota) Star on January 17, 1901: “Ex-governor John Lind after having freed himself from the duties of governor last Thursday walked down to the Dispatch office in St. Paul and administered to Editor Black a well-deserved licking. For a one armed man John Lind can make some telling blows once in a while.” *** 

* http://www.mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm

** http://www.indianaffairs.state.mn.us/tribes.html

*** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lind_(politician)

 

 

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19th Century, Governors, History, Intercession, Judgment & Counter-Judgment Cycle, law, Minnesota, omnipresent history, Politics, Prayer, Social Studies, State Government

Clough Becomes Governor 1895

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January 31, 1895 to January 2, 1899

“Lieutenant Governor D. M. (David Marston) Clough becomes the state’s 13th governor on Jan 31, 1895, when Governor Knute Nelson resigns to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. Clough’s first administration was notable for the ratification of significant amendments to the state constitution, including those establishing a Board of Pardons, withdrawing the right of aliens to vote, and authorizing municipalities to frame “home rule” charters. During his second term, narrowly won in 1896, the legislature raises taxes on several private industries and enacts child-labor laws.”* 

Governor Clough seems to be a reformer,** and it is no wonder given the times he lived in. The Panic of 1893, started in European markets, and spread to the United States until 1897. It rocked everything, but Minnesotans probably felt it most in commodities: lumber, ore mining, farming, and the rails that delivered it all.

Changing the rules during the game is a delicate business, let alone the constitution of a State. The volume of changes Clough enacted suggests his reforms were supported by the people. But what is the spiritual weight of even one of these reforms?

Establishing a Board of Pardons may suggest a few motives. Minnesotans experienced the ‘power plays’ of economic interests; the farmers vs. the railroads, the individual landowner vs. the lumber barons, etc. Perhaps the Board of Pardons appealed to their sense of mercy to neighbors who experienced this type of injustice. Where there is favoritism under the law, hopelessness and bitterness are not far behind.

Here is where we appeal to You! As a Minnesotan, will You forgive us the anger and bitterness stemming from this era in the fields of lumber, mining, farming, and transportation? Will You release the justly offended parties from the weight of being right? Will You free the powerful from their offense of misusing their power to strip the rights, property, and humanity from those they opposed? 

Eternal Father, one can still perceive the sadness of the Range, of Duluth Harbor, of small towns, farms, and Indian reservations where these conflicts arose. Will You change this atmosphere of the heart? Will You restore lost hope, property, and inheritances? Will You give favor to these specific peoples and geographic locations?

Will You bless the inheritance of Governor Clough, whether directly to his family of origin, or those who share his vision? Will You keep us from swinging to extremes? Will You help us stop the cycle of offense/counter offense, judgment/counter judgment?

***An Inventory of His Gubernatorial Records at the Minnesota Historical Society 

 

 

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19th Century, African American, History, Intercession, Judgment & Counter-Judgment Cycle, Minnesota, Politics, Republican, women

1892 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis

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June 7, 1892 to June 10, 1892

“The 1892 Republican National Convention was held in Minneapolis and was also the first convention where women were allowed to be delegates. Mrs. Therese Alberta (Parkinson) Jenkins, delegate from Wyoming, cast the first vote by a woman for President. Wyoming had granted full suffrage for women at statehood in 1890.” *

Politics, in practice, is often a game of solidifying one’s base and fracturing the support of political opponents. One seeks to heal and forgive, while the other actively fragments relationships and maintains a grudge?! Although there will always be those who are honestly committed to their principles, most often, the duplicitous ‘win-at-all-cost’ partisans seem to be the norm. 

Rules and procedures are put in place to ensure that conventions are fair. However, those who know the rules often use them to beat up those who don’t, or those who simply trust in the integrity of their party. It’s like watching a board game played by children; the worst child will change the rules until he wins! 

Jesus, show me what You see. I have limited vision of this convention, but am not unfamiliar with the Republican Party. Help me dredge what is crucial, and leave the rest of the silt at the bottom of the river.

To begin, I thank You that one day, You will bring Your government to earth, and we will see real peace! Thank You that You cannot be double-minded, or attempt to create something good with false motives! You are the summit of integrity because You are perfect in contentment! You resist all bribes because there are no possessions that finite beings can give to the Eternal “I Am”!

Your names in the Bible describe your character, and they include both male and female attributes. Men and women are both made in Your image. Thank You that we finally began to recognize this fact politically on June 7, 1892! Will You bless this day, those who participated, their opponents, and their heritage? 

Will You forgive the dominant male pride and ego in the politics of Minnesota, its parties, and conventions? Conversely, will You forgive the bitter counter-judgments of women whether past, present, or future? Men want to lead like men, women want to lead like women, and we both fail to recognize Your wisdom and glory in the other at times! We fail to see Your hand of leadership in the other because we do not recognize  its style or legitimacy. Have mercy on our judgments of our fathers’ strength of love, and our mothers’ tenderness of love!

Bless the heritage of pioneers like Mrs. Therese Alberta (Parkinson) Jenkins. Bless her commitment and bravery. Forgive the scoffing her ears heard, the contemptuous faces she saw, and the judgments of her motives. Will You reverse the curses of this convention of 1892, and may we receive Your future insights whether housed in a male or female messenger?

**To read more, see: http://www.mnopedia.org/event/republican-national-convention-june-1892

***Another wonderful article about the convention? Read “African Americans and the 1892 Republican National Convention, Minneapolis” by Iric Nathanson

http://collections.mnhs.org/mnhistorymagazine/articles/61/v61i02p076-082.pdf

 

 

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19th Century, Democrat, Governors, History, Intercession, Minnesota, Politics, State Government

Merriam Becomes Governor 1889

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January 9, 1889 to January 4, 1893

“William R. Merriam becomes the state’s 11th governor on January 9, 1889. As governor, Merriam was a thrifty executive who was more interested in limiting spending than in legislative reform. The most notable legacy of his administration was the adoption of the Australian ballot system, which allows citizens to vote in comparative privacy.” *

Thank You for the work Merriam did for the state of Minnesota. Thank You for a governor that limited spending, made voting private, and also helped establish the census.Remember the good done by this man and bless his memory!

Jesus, our election season is upon us. I dread the level of contempt and contention within my own party! I dread that we are so stratified that we tolerate a party system, I dread that we are so stratified that we tolerate a party system, or still believe it necessary to our liberties. Read John Adams’ quote below:

“There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution. This is, to my understanding, a major root of bitterness that unnecessarily divides our society.”* 

I concur with President Adams, this is a major root of bitterness that unnecessarily divides our society.

As your child, I acknowledge to You that we have judged our brother’s political and leadership choices. We argue without the intent of sharpening and testing ideas. We banter and bash each other into compliance, but  do not serve each other in submission. The strong win, and the weak lose. 

We have offended Your righteous order by choosing separation from our “naive”, “heartless”, “brainless”, “racist”, “sexist”, “classist”, “homophobic”, “Islamophobic”, neighbors. I ask that You choose to remember these words of judgment no more. Forgive our one word dismissals of our neighbors. Today I ask that we as a people will receive words from You to heal our personal relationships, and overflow to our state.

Most of the time, most of us would rather shout down our verbal opponent, shame him or her into compliance, than dare ask ‘Why’? Would it be so wrong to see it from an opponent’s view: “Why do you believe “X” will benefit our state? Please tell me about your views.” I ask You the “Why?” question Lord! Why are we so stubborn to cling to our own ideas, and fail to trust enough to allow them to be strengthened by scrutiny or testing?

We have hidden our hearts from each other Lord! We have held on to anger and fear and resentment. We have loved winning the argument through emotional manipulation! We have loved winning the argument through framing the meaning of facts! Will You free us from this heritage of division that comes through the channel of political party and elections?

  I thank You for the freedom of conscience that we inherit because Governor Merriam chose to introduce the Australian system of ballots cast in secret. We are protected, in the voting booth at least, from scorn and forces of external manipulation! We can anonymously reveal our inward thoughts! Again, bless this freedom, bless Australia, and the memory of William Merriam!

* http://www.mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm

**https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Adams

 

 

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19th Century, Agriculture, Governors, History, Industry, Intercession, law, Minnesota, omnipresent history, Politics, Republican, State Government

McGill Becomes Governor

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January 5, 1887 to January 9, 1889

“A. R. McGill becomes the state’s 10th governor on January 5, 1887. During his term he recommends a revision of the railroad laws pertaining to transportation, storage, and grading of wheat; the watering of railroad stocks; a simplification of the tax laws; regulation of liquor; abolition of contract prison labor; establishment of a soldiers’ home; and creation of a Bureau of Labor Statistics.” *

“Transcript

Office of COUNTY AUDITOR, Marshall County Warren, Minn. March 16th 1887 Gov. A. R. McGill St. Paul, Minn. Honorable Sir: I enclose herewith Application from our County for Seed Grain, showing Number of Applicants and Amt of grain desired. We have allowed no one applicant to exceed the Maximum limit of $75.00 worth of grain, although many applied for much larger amounts. You will notice that the average am[oun]t we have allowed each applicant is only about $55.00 worth. We trust that you will allow our County a sufficient apportionment to cover the amount which we have asked for, as these applicants are certainly in needy circumstances. Trusting that our application is all correct and that there will be no delay in getting our apportionment, I am Sir Respectfully Yours, W. F. Powell Ch Bd. of Co. Commissioners Marshall County W. F. Powell. Co. Aud. 

(March. 16th 1887 Matters relating to applications for seed grain relief)” **

Lord, this doesn’t seem like a man whose governorship aroused much controversy at first glance. However, each change in law impacted a powerful coalition or group of Minnesotans. Changing law often seems to use an element of force to exert authority. But how do You view the elimination of law from an eternal perspective?

From what I gather about local perceptions of Governor McGill, he had a mixed reviews. On one hand, he had to mediate between the powerful lobby of the rails, yet gain concessions much needed by Minnesota interests’: farming, lumber, and mining. 

So what did he accomplish, and did he find a middle path?

“During his tenure, a state normal school was established in Moorhead; the improvement of state railroad laws was promoted; iron ore was discovered in the Mesabi Range; liquor regulations were supported; and a state school tax was sanctioned.” ***

Will You forgive our bitterness that comes with new laws whether local, state, or federal? Will You forgive us for the anger we have felt over the perceived loss of freedoms, liberties, and or benefits to us or our business? The state may attempt to take away rights that are not theirs, and give rights that they do not possess in the first place. 

Lord, help us find the middle ground! Will You forgive our usurpation of the other man’s inalienable rights, and teach us how to better protect them in the future? May our civic laws never surpass our privilege to love You, the Lord our G-d, our neighbor, and ourselves!

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14 ESV ****

* http://www.mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm

** http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/mhs/id/624/rec/

*** https://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_minnesota/col2-content/main-content-list/title_mcgill_andrew.default.html

****http://biblehub.com/colossians/3-14.htm

 

 

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19th Century, Governors, History, Intercession, Minnesota, Politics, State Government

Hubbard Becomes Governor

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January 10, 1882 to January 5, 1887

“Lucius F. Hubbard becomes the state’s 9th governor on January 10, 1882.

Hubbard forcefully urges government intervention in public health, corrections, charities, railroads, agriculture, and commerce, and the legislature complies by increasing the state’s regulatory and licensing powers. His second term lasts three years, in accordance with a state constitutional amendment to have state, county, and federal biennial elections all coincide.” * 

 

Lord Jesus, what do You think of government force and intervention? Emotionally, I am grieved when I read of “government intervention”, but maybe I’m imbalanced in that skepticism. Intercession is also a form of intervention, and I’m not skeptical of that, or of Your example through Christ. “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:25 NIV ** Help me see what You see, gather more information, and guide my prayers.

First, I thank You for the blessings of the governorship of Lucius F. Hubbard. May You bless Him, his generations, dwellings, and property with grace and truth. Will You bless the real, the good, that he envisioned in guiding the state of Minnesota?  

Next, will You cover over any sins he may committed against You or our people through the extension of governmental authority? Lord, so often we try to manage our lives, our environments, and others through control. We take away the decision making power of others’ when it is deemed unwise, unjust,  or even simply unpleasing to us. We put up barriers, often unnecessarily, to even the expressions of others opinions before we clearly understand them. Lord have mercy on our impatience, and failure to clarify! Christ have mercy; we can be too quick to judge! 

Eternal Father, Eternal Mother, Eternal Savior, Eternal Counselor hear this petition: Forgive our lack of understanding that willful force quashes the good message, the life-giving message You have planted in our brothers’, our sisters’ , our mothers’, and our fathers’! We often centralize and streamline decision making because we are fearful, or do not want equal relationships with others. Make us a humble, respectful, honest, and understanding people. May our leaders reflect the graciousness and truthfulness of Your nature!

* http://www.mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm

** http://biblehub.com/hebrews/7-25.htm

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19th Century, Agriculture, farming, Governors, History, Intercession, Jesus, Leadership, Minnesota, Natural Disaster, Politics, State Government

Cushman Becomes Governor

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January 7, 1874 to January 7, 1876

“Cushman K. Davis takes office as the state’s seventh governor. During his single term as Minnesota’s seventh governor, Cushman K. Davis confronted a menace that threatened to ruin the state’s farm economy. A five-year-long grasshopper plague began in 1873, and Davis’s offer of aid to farmers whose crops had been devoured by invading locusts represented an early form of state-sponsored disaster relief.” * 

“The state, governed by three different men during the grasshopper plague years, also failed to provide adequate relief to affected farmers. Under governors Horace Austin and Cushman K. Davis, the state provided small sums of direct, state-funded relief, but the governors focused their efforts on encouraging charitable giving to the cause. Unlike his predecessors, Governor John S. Pillsbury did not call for any direct, state-funded relief for farmers. Elected in 1876, Pillsbury believed that poverty was a fact of life on the frontier and that providing relief would make farmers dependent on the state. Instead, Pillsbury focused on efforts to eradicate the grasshoppers. This included a controversial bounty measure that required every able-bodied man in affected counties to destroy grasshopper eggs for one day a week, for five straight weeks.

In the summer of 1877, the grasshoppers left just as quickly as they had arrived. An April snowstorm damaged many of their eggs, which encouraged farmers to redouble their efforts to destroy the grasshoppers. The surviving grasshopper eggs hatched, but by August, the grasshoppers had flown away. Many attributed the end of the grasshopper plague to divine intervention, since Governor Pillsbury had proclaimed April 26 a day of prayer, after receiving many requests to do so.” **

I’m first thunderstruck by two facts jumping off the page at me: that Cushman spearheaded state charity, and that a day of prayer is recorded as an action point. Will You guide me to ponder these notions? Will You give some insights as to how to intercede?

To the first point, it seems quite unusual for a Republican of this era to use state-funded relief. Cushman appears to be a man of principals, but not so rigid that he fails his constituents during such dire times of need. Will You bless him, and his commitment to the survival of his fellow man? Will You keep balance in this constant teeter-totter of public versus private charity within the souls of our leaders? If taxes were gifts, we would give them for Christmas. If charity is coerced, the heart disengages, and it no longer is charity but, perhaps, extortion. Have mercy on our “mercy”! 

It’s curious to me that politicians sometimes endorse prayer as an action point. Many leaders currently would see the endorsement of prayer as a failure to adequately separate “Church and State”. (Help me probe this a little longer!) Yet we condition our minds and spirits through repetitive thoughts daily; we listen to songs over and over, view movies again and again, and repeat instructions internally to project us past sales objections. (I know these are quite random, but perhaps they are also a form of prayer?)

I’m grateful to You, the masterful inventor of every grasshopper, for Your beautiful destruction of our security. Will You forgive our barriers to seeing the heart and mind conditioning, (aka “prayer”), as a legitimate response to the plagues of our lives? Will You make us flexibly rigid in our principals enough to love our neighbor as they experience heartache and misfortune?

** https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2013/06/winged-menace-minnesota-grasshopper-plagues-1873-1877

 

 

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