Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-08-11
2nlitital.
Political Catch-Words.

There was in the days of Jefferson, a
Virginia politician named Haynes, who
was violently opposed to the statesman
of Monticello, to all his words, and to all
his works. People speak of political ex-
citements now as if the heat in which
they are waged were unparalleled. But
if our fathers land grandfathers) are to
be credited, in the good old days of the
Federal and Democratic parties there
was quite as much violence as now, and
a great deal more of "honest hatred. p
Neither did there come the lull after the
contest that makes people now forget
politics between election days. Use
breeds habit in a nation as well as in a
man. We have become accustomed to
party warfare, and it is the wonder of
the world how violent party feeling cools
down, and Democrats and Republicans
fraternize. In the old days it was not
SO. To return to our anecdotes: Jefferson
and Haynes had the travellers fortune to
ride together, each being mounted
They were personally unknown to each
other. Politics furnished the theme of
talk, of course. Haynes dressed down
Jefferson in furious style; and the sage,
partly amused and partly provoked, de-
Tended Jefferson--tL at is to say, himself
with Just force enough to incite the
other to the extremity of wrath and evil
speaking. At length they reached the
road that led to Monticello. Jefferson
courteously invited the stranger to ride
home and dine with him. why that
is Jeffersons place." said the other,
"Yes," replied j., my name is Jeffer-
son." My name is Haynes" said the
conscience stricken stranger, and dashed
off at speed which provoked such fit
of laughter on the part of Jefferson as
materially aided his digestion. From
that incident came the saying, once
common and still sometimes heard, MY
name is Haynes" OF course the spea-
ker applies it to himself, when he has
by any blunder made his departure ne
cessary.
Elbridge Gerry, one of the signers of
the Declaration, was a Democrat, and
prominent politician. in Massachusetts.
He was Governor of that State, and
leading man with his party. The news.
papers would have you believe that po-
litical strategy" approaching to sharp
practice is modern invention. Facts
show that our predecessors knew some
thing about these things. The Demo-
Gratis under the teaching of Mr.. Gerry
cut and carved election districts in such
a way as not to help the Federalists at
any rate, and not to exhibit any mag
unanimous degree of fair play. The Fed
eralists invented the word Clergyman
dering" to describe the process. Ser
rymandering" is a Democratic practice,
and all it's cognates belong to the same
school.
Reading speech of John Bright's, we
find him saying to the electors of Bir-
mingham: "What would you think of
the liberated negro in the Southern
States coming forward to vote for any of
the copperhead faction?" Now here is
word not only adopted in this country,
but transported for use beyond seas. We
are sorry to say that Mr.. Bright might
find more than one CELEBRATED negro"
doing that very thing; and we are not
surprised to hear that the people of the
same color mob and maltrest such re-
creants. 1t is wrong, certainly; but that
the new dark citizens should do what
they have noticed to be common white
practices is not wonderful.
Larceny from smoke-houses being the
topic, we once heard a man once jocu-
larly ask sable wag, "What is the rea-
son, Cupid, that you darkies steal so?"
"Bless yer heart, boss" said Cupid. "de
darkies is bound to do what dey see de
white folks alters doin'." But to return
to our snakes. Everybody now knows