The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-08-22
DEMOCRACY OF MANLIUsl
A Splendid Demonstration!
5000 DEMOCRATS IN COUNCIL!
Grand Meeting and Pole Raising
at NAarseilleS!

did success. A week before the Republicans
had meeting and pole raising at which, after
a great deal of drumming and coaxing, they
had succeeded in getting an attendance of less
than three hundred, but which, in their usual
style of exaggeration, they had put down at
500. They raised pine and Eastwood pole,
got up in the style of schooner mast, about
80 feet in height. The Democrats Of the town
of Manlius looked on, and, although up to last
spring they had for years been by against i
in the minority, made up their minds that,
having beaten the Republicans at the polls
last spring, they could also beat their meeting
and raise bigger and finer libesty pole.
To resolve was to do. Posters were issued
for grand mass meeting and pole raising, to
take place last Saturday. Then suitable
committee went to the woods to find pole.
Being genuine Andrew jackson democrats,
they wanted no fancy ship mast Of pine and
Eastwood, but genuine hickory from the for
est. And they found one. A sapling was cut
IA inches in diameter 2 feet from the ground,
and straight as an arrow to the height OF 20
feet. To the top Of this another hickory sap
ling was spliced 60 feet in length. The repub-
licans looked on in wonder, and said there
weren't democrats enough in Manlius to
raise such pole. The democrats said, if there
were not, they could get help, as the republic
cans had done, from outside.
Saturday showed they had not reckoned
without their host. The hour of meeting was
O'Clock P. NJ. We reached Marseilles. in
company with rs Others on the cars, at lit
tie after o'clock, and found several hundred
people on the ground. The ditch was dug,
the rope and tackle on the ground, and all in
readiness for raising the pole. Half an hour
later, an immense train of wagons, not unlike
in appearance to one Of those monster trains
that used to follow the army in its long march
es, came winding along the bluff road from
the direction OF Seneca 1t was the Seneca
and Brookfield delegations. They were &C
companied by two military bands, and near
the head ofthc procession, moved large We
hicle, drawn by four white horses, upon which
arranged one tier above another in the form of
pyramid, rode 80 handsome young ladies,
beautifully dressed in white, each represent
ing one of the states of the Union, and bear
4 ing the name of the state on crown hat
band. The train moved past the upper town,
where the meeting was held, to the lower
town. Here it was met by other delegations,
from Grand Rapids, Mission, Rutland, SC.
About this time the canal boat also came in
| sight, bearing 472 democrats from Ottawa, &C
companied by Denhard's Band of Music. The
immense train now attempted to organize in
to procession, the vehicles in front, and DEM
ocrats on foot to bring up the rear. There
was not, however, room enough IN the half
mile of space between the lower and upper
town for the procession to stretch itself out,
and many of the wagons, as we'll as most of
those on foot, soon broke out of the line. As
it was, however, there were some $50 wagons,
and perhaps 500 on foot in the ine..
1t was full three o'clock before the excite
ment of welcoming such a procession, gaily
! set off with many beautiful banners and de-
vices; and the excitement of SO many happy
meetings and greetings ola crowd SO much
larger than had been anticipated, was sutfi-
GENTLY cooled down to be ready for business.
Then, however, the main business in hand
to wit, the raising of the monster pole before
them, was taken hold of in earnest. Mr.. E.
Barber, who seemed to have the chief direct
ion, could laugh now at the idea of not hay
ing enough help. There stood at least 5000
democrats by his side, with 5000 brawny arms
ready to take hold. The trouble Was, there
were too many anxious and ready to help.
The work would have gone faster if there had
been fewer. AS it was, 1t took until 5 o'clock
before the pole was fully raised There was
break or two in the tackle, but happily no &C
cident; only some unforeseen delay.
Finally, about O'clock, the meeting was
called to order, and the speaking commenced.
The speakers occupied the balcony in front of
the democratic head quarters, the people oc.
cupying the street and sidewalks below. It
was the best arrangement practicable, but of
course hard for speaker to make himself
heard by SO large u crowd
julius Avery, Esq, was the first to take the
stand. He congratulated the democracy of
Manlius on having drawn out go noble DEM
onstration, and drew from it an encouraging
augury for next November. Mr.. Avery spoke
about an hour, ably dissectng the radical
reconstruction scheme, then overhauling their
shocking management of the finances. and