The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-12-28
"REMINISCENCES ORA FAMOUS CAM
l-PkIGN.


singing aud other enthusiastic demonstrations
as a part of Presidential campaigns, moves US to
say that persons whose memory does not reach
back TO lsiG can have but faint conception Of
political enthusiasm under full head of steam.
We were 80 fortunate, if it may be so termed, as
to have reached an age, in that year. at which
we begun TO take interest in political mat
tiers, although not old enough to understand the
principles aud merits, aud have distinct recol-
lection of the scenes Of the famous campaign.
Perhaps the impressions then received were
what have caused us to take such an interest in
politics ever since. The campaigns of 1856 and
1860 were but tame in comparison with that one.
The campaign of l5I4 bore some resemblance TO
it, but fell far below it, even with Henry Clay
as the candidate for President.
While the enthusiasm and excitement of 1870
extended all over the country. the centre of its
intensity was in the States of Ohio, Indiana and
Kentucky. Gen. Harrison had been Territorial
Governor of Indiana, a resident of Ohio, and
had commanded Kentucky troops in the Indian
wars at the beginning of this century; therefore,
all those States claimed him their Own, aud
were equally enthusiastic for him. Men, women
and children were politicians, and for months
nearly all business in manner abandoned
in the political mania. Men spent their time
attending conventions aud rallies. women filed
up tho professions and little boys and girls sang
Harrison songs. The meetings were such
indeed-th- people turning out 10 them almost
masse. On these occasions, the professions
were often miles in length. Log cabins were
raised on wagons, all manner Of mechanical puT-
suits were represented at work in the procession,
nud girls dressed TO represent all the States
and as emblems Of various kinds pertaining To
political and national matters. Almost eyery
little town had It's log cabin, typical of the
Gen. Harrison had resided in during pioneer
times. This cabin invariably had punche0n
floor, and a clapboard roof held down lev poles
n chimney Of sticks piastered with mud; sin
gle window and door, the latter with the old
time wooden latch, and the latch-string always
ont. On the outside, close TO the door, elevated
on n couple of logs, sat a barrel of hard cider
tap; and in front of the house usually stood a
buckeye pole from the top of which ioated the
flag of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too"-Tippecanoe
having been name applied to Harrison, in hon
Of his routing the Indians at the battle of Tip
pecanoe; and Tyler being the candidate for
Vice-President, nominated through one of those
mistakes several times repeated since, of putting
ting some contrary element.
The primitive iaich-string spoken Of above,
is perhaps something to younger read
ers, who were not raised in the backwOOds, and
digression h may not he amiss. The cabins
of the pioneers had doors made Of puncheOns or
rough boards nailed together. aud hung on
wooden hinges, and Fastened with wooden
latch attached to the door by n peg, and
dropped into A. notch ur catch fastened to the
logs at the side of the door. On the inside, it
only necessary To lift the latch 10 open tn,
door: bnt from the outside, this, of course could
not he done. Therefore. a small hole was bored
through the door, few inches above the latch,
leather Tawhide thong attached TO the
latch, and passed through the hole to the ont
side. BY pulling this thong string, which
was called the la;ch-strius, person the ont
side could raisc the latch and open the door.
When the end Of the string pulled in the
door efIectually locked from the outside
When the pioneer told his friends that they
*ould always find the latclI-strIng hanging out,
il signIlicd that they would always he welcome
% the house.
In the campaign of lSI0, the most eloquent
Wing orators we're not only constantly on the
stump--(s term derived from the fact that in
early days speak, sometimes stood upon the
stump of tree for rostrum)-bu even women,
in many eases, made speeches Some of these
-iikr1Trd Harrison nHtO a secfnd Christ, who had
come To save the country. In this campaign,
many ilitrrate men, having good lungs and glib
tongues, made themselves famous orators and
singers-for IN this campaign was inauguTat,d
the system If campaign singing. This is why
fha Il s,,t
man, in pnriicular, cuiues to our mind He was
known as John ". Bacr, the Buckeye Black
smith. lie was Il blacksmith. harErneGing away
on his anvil. somewhere in the region Of Chilli
cothe, Ohio when the excitement of 1870 u,olv-
I'D him. He was stout, TnStrrug fellow, with
an imnreGse pair Of lungs, that would hold as
much wind as his bellows, and was a fine singer
withal. He started out, and for the remainder
af the season the ashes were cold in his forge
lie was in demand every ywherr. He would make
rattling speech, and then he would sing Tip
peeanoe song Ne orator ia the land had sErh
influence. lie was wanted at every meeting
and his services were valsable. He was a mcm-
orablc landmark throughout Central Ohio. that
\ wear. He figured in small way. in the same
= capacity, in the campaign of lSIi, but no: with
the same success in lSiJ. We do not know
what became of him, Int hu is doubtless dead.
this many long year. II was in that year that
that John Greinrr, the celebrated campaign song
writer, first bccam" known to fame
In the campaign ot I-4a. a Democratic orator
might wei! never have Irrn born. The DcuI-
ocrsts held meetings, aud scut out their best or
stors, but the meetings were miserable failures.
Tne Buckeye Blacksmith some such msn
would take The crowd aNay frnm the, best Dem
ocratic speaker in America. 4 discussion Of po-
litical issues WIS dul! entertainment The peo-
pie were wild for Harrison. and nothing cunl,i
turn them.
Poor Martin NsHBnTcn. while d"a6t aIisto-
cratic by birth and education, got the ini bene-
fit of it. II said he wure any hU; silk
I. stookinSs; he Was pictured in rnush wool-cuts
Nas riding in fine caTriagr with liytried negro
+ driver. One Charles Ogle, of Pennsylvania
l made a campaign speech, in which he charged
thaI VanBuren Esrd gold spoons or his table
Osle was known ''Spooncy G.lr," ~ long az
J he lived. But ISLANDERS were also got up against
Harrison, and he was accused of all surts of
!, fpeauness. Among others, it was charged that
D. had dressed in his wife5 petticnats for safety
in time of danger. But these stories generally
reacted upon their "ri=inators. ana did them
i who circulated the prtricoat story. and he was
ever afterwards known as "Pitticoat Allen"
iptense bitlsIE"S. sarailrtis and there was per-
taPs more fral bad blood than inrirg ANY ram
higysipce-
was high oid time for political preachers
some cases, the Gospel temporarily sus-
ended, for the public interest all in politics
J in Western Ohio aud Eastern Indiana. Arthur
". Elliott, n Methodist preacher, hrrame famous
as !, Harrison sinmrt sNInd drew crowds almost
~ See tse adrrrti.ru,cut o1fTr Tom Corwin.
White Cloud, Nhe hare large amoI r>on. that hr
her for sale. both grccn and seasane,.l and the
Csre Cor sale. y "i c"un-
laugh w,'sir'i irenI, corn crop on ;he'"r took
the br~ q nfies east Of Brcnner fsr saL- ant
chaE'ni I,S5tsnri.ac. Esqairr of the
~'aor 81 Cr. l.rlsss, =.
n All OF Dr A.v Baac's ,,r-,Iicincs TO be 4
AID. c. Sinclair s. Bros, Troy, kansas
rE The largest suppIy OF native Iuu,f,r II, ,o,,,