The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-03
- IS FAu-ss zaa A~TAaals.
A Virginia EtectIon of kenriy Sew
enN Years ~


Then there was 10 precinct elections
al voted at the court house of the county,
a1d rscI uoxe. Ii va. before the day OF
bahots. For a week or two before ele<-
ton day it was the general custom Tor
the i~lliterate, who l need not say were
the poor, who had 80 newspapers 10
read. TO 20 TO their weather. and better
informed ueighbors, and ask them how
they sho"ld vote. They considered that
there " . nothing mean or degrading 10
this, anu that their Weather n~elEhbors
were better informed than themselves
would not mis.eai them, aud had no mo
tive to do 80. : There were no expansions
or contraetiou> of the currency, enabling
wealth or cunning to rob poverty and ig-
norauce OF teil-won ga,us- There was
mutual conf fence between mau aud man.
Money wa loaned aud borrowed between
neighbors without the use Of a pen. Ia
the country the taking of interest va
rare. anu its exscilou made the receiver
unpopular. There were no large manu-
factories, where the boss drove his EN-
pIoyees to the polls. like sheep 10 the
shamhlse, and voted them. All voted
openly aud aloud, without the in%terven-
ton OF the speaking ballot. The candi-
dates sat on the magistrates bench above.
The Sheriff stood at the clerk ; table be
low called every voter 10 come.and 40"
he voted. The favored candidate lnva-
riahly bowed 10 the freed who gave hlm
his vote, ana sometimes Thanked hlm III
words. An over the court house were
u.en and boys with pens aud black paper,
who kept tally, aud could at any moment
tell the vote which each candidate had
received. \ closely contested election
was as exciting and anlmatlng a a horse
race. When a candidate tell behind, h;s
friends, ike fox hounds TO which the fox
has gwen the slip, ran about the court
green, ~rallying supporters 10 push mn
ahead. Aud, to use a sporting phrase.
il would be nip and uck throughout
the day. If a vote was challenged all
tho, was necessary was TO refer to the
record of deeds OF land. None but free
holders voted then, and think II was a
BLACK Friday when this was changed.
Who ever heard Of ~trecholders enactlng
uninst or oppressive laws? Early IN the
day several vehicles, generally OK carts
drove up loaded with liquors, mostly
toddy from peach or apple brandy, or
West Indie rum, in barrels, from which
the upper head for convenience sake was
soon knocked out. Although the TAR,
mers used some Tatfy New England
RUM at other times, they scorned 1t on
election day it was too mean Tor that
day. Arriving at the ground, the bar
tender made "a square pen about a yard
high, on the outer sides of which planks
were placed on which to ret the tumb-
iers. They sometimes used gourds Tor
dippers, as crockery was apt to get bro
ken by the Jolly crowd of drinkers. Now
this wholesale treating may have been
wrong but it was open and above board
nothing sly or hypocrltIcal lbout 1t.
and was this less Objectionable than the
present system of button holing votes,
and taking them one by one into saloons,
through back doors? When the fur
grew fast and furious, and the bar tender
could not furnish tbs toddy fast enough
| have seen men Jump over INTO the raj
pen and help themselves from the opeI
barrels by ~>cooDing the liquor up witt
the bruins of their hats. and | nave beer
told although | never saw that tha'
they sometimes took off their shoes anC
used them as dippers to drink from. The
election over and the result prOclalmeC
by the Sheriff from the court house
steps, forthwith the successful candidate
were snatched up, hoisted eacn one OF
the shoulders of two stalwart fellows,
with two more behind to steady them
and carried thus to the tavern Tin those
days there were usually but one taverI
at a court house, where there was a free
treat for all, at the candidates charge
and when the noise and fun reached 1t:
1,n,,x prht domino on tho mIsahIaf
loving young men would perform a ccre
mony which was called raking the courl
green. By this time all sober folks haC
gone home, leaving none but old soaker:
on the green. Trundle bed cords were
tied together-three or four strong boy.
I'VE lave called them so) took hold each
end of this long line and ran SO as tt
sweep the court yard. OF course the
line tripped up and laid fiat every one il
its track. Aud oh, my what fighting
then took place. Every one OF those
thus upset thought his nearest neighbol
had done it, and pitched in upon him
| have myself seen nine fights going OF
at the same tune. Remember that these
men were iuddled so that they could no
clearly distinguish between a shoe sole
and bed cord striking their ankles. Thi.
concluded election day programme. Blu
| forgot to place in its proper regime the
chatting between %contendlng factions, il
which oft-tlmes the rear candidates wer,
included, and which was by no mean,
the least amusing part OF the days do
ings. The people, as a general thing
voted by neighborhoods, and of course
in squads, each following a leader "a
leader, mind, not a boss or driver anc
as they approached the polls some of q
rival clan would exclaim There goes
the brass ANGLES, the copperas breeches
the yellow jackets, etc, etc Some
times, There goes DR.. Jones' gang, O
Col. Smiths" This was delivered il
good humor and taken in good part. IL
an election for Congress, when Genera
Pegram and DR.. Jones we're the candi-
dates. Jones came to Dinwiddie, which
was the last county in the district tc
vote, some 800 votes ahead. The coun
ty ha0 never before voted that number
aud Jones considered his election safe.
But the people turned out en- ntasse anc
voted for Pegram. When his vote ap.
preached Jones, his Jones' excitemen,
was intense, and it was said he cheweC
up halt a pound of tobacco. Whilst hi.
Jaws were thus rapidly working, a fel
low cried out Ny God, see how thai
old man ; mouth Is ginning cotton!'
w. O. GREGORY.