Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-06-19

FRIDAY MOTN1NG,
ORIGIN OF LOG CABIN AND HARD
CIDER"

The loco focos never made a greater mistake
than when they attempted to excite the ridicule
of the country against General Harrison on ac-
count of his poverty. They now see their error,
and turn their shafts in another direction, and
try to excite the prgudices of the poorer classes
against him, by falsely declaring that he is pos
sesscd of great meahh. The log cabin has sud-
denly changed into a palace the hard cider with
which the old hero was said to be content, has
canting hypocrites who started the cry, in deri-
sion of Gen. Harrison's humble condition, with
long-drawn, sanctimonious faces, are now preach
ing about the immortality of building log cabins,
and arc amazingly alarmed at the demoralizing
tendency Of the doctrine that in this land Of lib
erty, a man may, without permission from gov
ernment, drink a glass of cider with his dinner!
| And these. be it remembered, are the same in
dividuals, who, but yesterday, were literally lap
ping ~potations of whiskey from trenches dug
around hickory poles But our object in abiding
to this subject now, was simply to refresh the
recollection of our readers as to the origin of
the term, and to again explain why the people of
tlllS lldllOu are IdllN III dlouiu pC w ,"piii,
and administering broken doses, harder than hard
cider, to this administration
The sneering allusion to a I" log cabin and hard
CIDER" originated with the Baltimore Republi-
can, and was for a few weeks copied by the loco
foco papers generally. The Washington cor
respondent of that paper, after abiding to Gen.
Harrison's condition in life, his age, his "pover-
ty,' and the "menial" service he submitted to,
performing the duties of County Clerk, &c,
wound up an article with the following flourish;
"Give him a barrel of HARD CIDER, and settle a
"pension of two thousand a year upon him, and
"my word for it, he will sit the remainder of his
"days in his LOG CABIN, by the side of "sca-coal'
fire, and study moral philosophy"
This was so exceedingly happy an idea, that
the editor of the Republican had to repeat it in
another column. Accordingly we find the follow
ING editorial paragraph in the same paper:
"a rRorosIrIoN.-It was proposed, some time
%.since, that Gen. Harrison should be presented
g with a barrel of HARD CIDER, on condition OF
"his retiring from the field as a candidate for the
"Presidency.'
About the same time, the Washington cores
pondent of the Evening Post made the important
discovery that Gen. Harrison was a poor man
and gave vent to his rcpublicanism in the follow,
ing strain:
/ "Gen. IIarrison's poverty has awaked the
"sympathy of the ladies' of this District, ant
t "they are now at work getting up a subscription
"to supply the war worn hero with a suit O
"clothcs. If you have any old shoes, old boots
, sold hats, or old stockings, send them on, AM
i "they will be forwarded to the 'hcro of Mort
Bend"
The Boston Post undertook to prove that Gen
Ii. was a tinker" and travelled about the cour
try mending tea pots; whilst another Jealous Va
Buren, paper expressed great alarm, lest Zone i
the commoncst walks of life" should be elevi
ted to the Presidency.
+! "Shall it be said that the man of knowledge-tl
statesman, and true republican Wan Buren, is throw
aside for one in the commoncst walks Of life, (Harl
son)'-UeStfeH Spectator.
For a few days, these, and a score or two
similar contemptuous paragraphs went the CT
cult of the Tory papers. In the mean time, Il
people got hold OF it. Their pride was arouse
at this ~palpable attempt to ridicule Gen. Ilarl
sons humble pretensions, his retired life, h
simple habits. His friends resented it. The
marked this language Of contempt for rural lf
for farmers drink, for log cabins, and adoptc
"hard CIDER" and clog cabin" for mottos
their banners, under which they are ready
fight the battle against corruption in high place
u and expel the mel from power who are squa
- dering the public money and running the cou
Nh try. The issue is now made--log cabins al
hard cider, against gold spoons, French finer