New-York tribune., 1879-12-21
THE RECoRDoF FIFTY YEARS.
"REMINISCENCES OF A JOURNALIST.
BY CHARLES 7. coNGpoN.
Tur rIRST DFCADE CONCLUDED.


POLITICAL oNTRovERsiEs-DEMocRArs AND
rxprRAusrs-IHE ELECTION OF JOHN QUINCY
ADAMS - JOHN ADAMS AND FRANKLIN - TIE
ANrr-NAsoxIc rxcfrEMENr-wIILrAM CULLEN
BRYANT EARLY RrApING RALPH WALDO
EMERSON.
When came to look over file of my fathers
newspaper the other day for the sake of refreshing
my memory. was more surprised to lind how little
there in IL than to discover how little 1t was IN
itself. In that day of small things subscribers
must have been easily satsGed-purchasers there
were none. The news from Europe when there was
any. was usually about six weeks DID, or even older
OF editorial comment upon men and things there
was plenfiful lack. There were very few COM
munications fortunately for most of them
were far from interesting. The advertising
amounted 10 nearly nothing at all. There
was column devoted TO some patent
medicine-the cstholicon. | think il was called
with fierce looking cut of Hercules making mat
tiers disaereeabe for the Hydra. which went in
week after week for several years-indeed. l sns-
pect long after wretehed experimenters had ceased
to swallow the fluid abomnation. l never could
find out that got any thing for the insertion OF
this long announcement, and / was so angry at
what regarded as a double swindle, that l con-
ceved prejudice against patent medicines
which has lasted me to this day, anu
IL still as vigorous as The stuff
was kept for sale by an old Quaker
apothecary, who drew teeth for six cents
each and in the of juvenile extractions always
gave the money back again 20 sooth the weeping
child Our printing Office had few excitements
and these few were far between. One Summer day
we were all hoored by a stroke of lightning. but
this ont of respect for the memory of Franklin we
considered to be rather privilege than otherwise
Another day. Federalist pulled the nose Of Dem
ocrat opposite our office, and the excitement for
time was tremendous; but things settled down
into the old, dead calm speedily. The tedium OF
the sleepy town was occasionally broken by the
arrival of a nenagere a crcus. Ahl never shall
Iforget how eagerly / anticipated the advent of
one exhibition which we were fairly warned would
consist onls OF the American Eagle, in a living
state, and captured do not remember where. L
had never seen the proud Bird of Freedom except
upon flags documents, with bunch of arrows
in one claw an olive branch in the other, and
scroll with the legend, 1" Z Pluribus, etc" That
was the kind Of eagle which l expected
to see. and cheerfully paid six and one
quarter cents TO see and dld not by any manner
of means. For passing the box-ofice which was all
out of DOORS into the pavilion which was stable.
in one corner and in a dirty cage l saw not the
fierce gray bird" with shield suspended from his
neck but something dropping and disagreeable,
moulting and miserable. and looking exceedingly
like conyaescent hen. 1t was dreadful disillu-
sion. Ii he could only have spread himself little,
it would have been some consolation, but he
couldn't The child of the air hadn't space to do II n
The hcat of them was before my time little abated
but there was a plenty Of stories of almost
savage political controversies. The embargo had
almost ruined the business of the town. The Brit
ish fleet came and destroyed whatever the embargo
had left. Jeferson's French proclivitcs, real and
supposed. gave catch words and nicknames which
lasted long after the Master of Monticello was at
rest The little town opposite ours was full of Dem
ocrats and il was called Corsica after Bonapartes
birthplace, and may be so still sometimes
well remember several Jefersonians and
MadisOnians who dubbed citizen this
or citizen that and who were charged with
holding Danton and Robespierre in the most affec
tionate esteem. The pulpit rung with political
preaching. bad in style, worse IN temper and any
thing but pacific in its influences My grandfather,
who was a regular blne-ght Federalist, saw his
party grow small and the other party larger with
feelings of wrath which he did not make the slight
est effort being a peppery old gentleman, 70 dis
guise. One day at town meeting he was tainted
with the growth Of his natural enemies IN number,
something after this fashion; "Well, Captain C.,
there was time W ben there only two or three
Democrats IN town but there is plenty OF them
here now" My revered ancestor was equal to the
occasion. Yes" ne retOrted, and there was
time when there was only one devil In the internal
regions but there is plenty of them there now"
This was considered rather a neat retOrt and came
down to Us traditionally as evidence of the family
presence of mind important occasions.
Apropos of politics, am sometimes inclined 10
believe that the zeal aud earnest interest in them
of the American citizen has not little abated.
Our contests do uot to passiOnatelY bitter,
as the old ones were; aud think that the number
of the Indifferent is at least, not growing smaller
We had but a melancholy evening of II when the
news came that General Jackson had been elected
10 The Presidency, and that John Quincy Adams
was defeated My impression is that cried having
arrived at the mature age of eight years, and un-
derstanding such things much better then than 1
have since or for that matter do now. had
strong impression not only that the Republic
would 90 % ruin, but that general Ignorance would
nrevsil- that no new books would be printed. that
public schools would be abolished, that universal
poverty would ensue, and that the whaling business
especally would TO an end. Why
should not have been thus melancholy when my
elders and betters made perfect hypochondracs OF
themselvesi / doubt If any public man was ever
more thoroughly hated than General Jackson was
then in Massachusetts. We even named eutane-
ous COMPLAINT contracted in harbers' shops after
that much admired and much abused hero. Then
there was a particularly disagreeable square-toed
boot which we called the Jackson Mr.. Adams paid
ms visit not long after and, beng always IN search
of sights went down TO the pier TO see him land.
Ithougnt him fearfully old and shaky but he lived
long enough after for to write his obituary no
tice in my own newspaper. was one of great
tail of BOYS who followed the good man
10 his hotel He had some infirmity of
the eyes, and my impression was that
he was shedding tears at the enthusiastic
character Of attentions. j was introduced to