The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-09-04

IN the mother country.
: Blake Delaraf was one time canvasF-
ing Andcyer. His attorney, who es.
poused hiak nauee, sent him the fol-
lowing bill, after one of his contests:
stTo being thrown out Of the win
dow Of che GsoEgeS Inn, Andover; TO
my leg being thereby broken; to sur
Reon's Dill and loss of time and bust
ness -aiii III the service of Sir Francis
Delaral, 9500."
Our own pistol-shooting, betting,
wheelbarrow- w-trundling, and other
moro or less deadly or fatigueing
methods of forwarding the issues OF
elections, are cut other methods OF
sdisputing election controversies. =
Elections are healthy, active,
thorough ventilations of mems cha
racters.' Opposition makes known
the history, qualifications and short.
comings Of. candidates, and discusses
their cnpdcity or incapacity to f1ll
Office. Let abuses be alleged as
much as any one can desire in the
method of election; ut most, they
can only redoundito the disfavor OF
candidates, not to the Office or to the
method of their election.
CAN means are fair in war;" has
passed into corresponding axiom at
the hustings, that all is fair in eLec-
tioneering. Men who would eschew
an uptruth as they would death, and
who would sooner die than viIlify the
character of any man, do not scruple
to traduce on the hustings. on mere
hearsay, the character of an oppo-
nent.. Scarcely any Billingsgate
ribaldry is here adjudged to be too
gross or indecent. Our every day
experience proves this. So, too, it
ever was in the old country; as any
one can see by referring to Sir Jonah
Barrington's Memoirs, A. D. 1903.
Office can, therefore, be gained only
by passing through the severe ordeal
of public and unsparing criticism
and vituperation.
1t has often been q matter of as
tonishment to me that women have
not taken more active part in our
elections. In the days of Fox, the
first ladies of England were the great
canvassers of the time. They could
be seen wooing votes from door to
door with the brush in their hats. So
now, no one can step into the streets
without seeing the miniatures of Sey-
mour and Blair on the breast of every
gdn,in.
It may appear to some persons
that, in olden times. the hustings
stood for far longer time than they
do at present. Thus, in 1784, the
polling lasted, in Westminster, from
April LIST until the 18th of the follow
ing month. But, the truth is that,
nowadays we are occupied in our
elections for even longer time; be-
cause then electioneering and polling
went on pa,i paSsm and lasted during
the same period of time, whereas we
canuass and poll afterwards.
AS to the lampoons and squibs
used in elections, they are as ancient
as political contests. Every one
knows scores of them. One of my
maternal ancestors was worsted by
Fox and Hood on the strength of the
following ditty sung at the hustings
in London:
"The gallant Lord Hood to his country is
' dear, .N n-
His voters, like Cha,ley's, make excellent
cheer,
But who has been able to taste the small
beer
r. '- OF Sir Cecil Wray?
Then come every free, every generous soul,
That loves a fine girl and full flowing
bowl .Hl.D..
Come here in body, and all of YOU poll
'Gainst Sir Cecil Wray.
In vain all the arts of the court are let
The electors Of Westmin- ter never will
choose
To run down a Fox and sot up goose
Like Sir Cecil Wray."
Sir Cecil, no doubt, made great
mistake in not propitiating the SEN
sitiye stomachs of his John Bull con-
stituents. Small beer and other such
like taps are, and always were, most
potent canvasses. This reminds me
of DIR. Johnson's advice to his subse-
quent biographer, Boswell, when he
wrote: zone thing I must enjoin
you, which is seldom observed in the
conduct of elections; I must enh'eat
you 10 be ScrupulouS in tie use Of strong
liquors" The doctors advice may
yet be most adyantageously addressed
to our canvassers, but we doubt its
efficacy; when men feel strongly they
are apt to drink strongly.
Let MS hope, in conclusion, that