The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-07-12

| Ross. When three cheers Tor the BUCK
eve State had subsidized, Ross requested
the company 10 be quiet until he had
sung three stanzas, and then join in if
they liked. BY the time the third chorus
was reached, the whole audience struck
in with Undesirable effect.
From the FHil,tdelphja Lc7gcr.
What has become of the old cam
paign singing that used to cnliycn Pres
idential contests, as far back as the
days of 'Van-Van was a uscd-up man., -
and when "Tippecanoc and Tyler too
went over the county, with popu'or-
ity that only ':Moody ard Sankey,"
later, could attempt to rival? Then,
likewise, were the days OF "A little
more cider, too,' and "Have YOU heard
the news from Naine?' But before
these. even, the Democrats chanted-
I'VE dedicate the hickory tree
To jackson and TO Liberty
and sang '''Thc Hunters of Kentucky
at their "ox-roasts" and barbeCues.
1t appears to lie uphill work to try
to revive campaign songs, as the patches
of hating rhymes in the va ious ''or-
gans" now show. Nobody would think
of singing such mouthfuls of verse,
however enthusiastic he might lie for
the plumel knight: such lines would
stick, like any other feathers, in the
Threats of the crowd. Blaine rhl mes
with Maine. and wane, and swain, and
Pa,ne, Zone of the other tcllows) end
Logan with slogan and brogan, yet not
| this richness, any more than the fitness
of Randi 'rnuf1rnn, y = national at
fairs will give us campaign singing as it
used to be in the days when such taking
war-songs were hung to ''Oid Rosin the
Bow" There is music IN the air.
was deceptive, often enough, yet it lent
itself, as did scots wha hea," to the
duel of Wing and Democrat on either
side. The rectal that Santa Anna
lost leg" did much for General Scott.
and against the united romance Of
John and Jessie" in the Fremont cam
paign, it was amazing that an old bach
elor like Mr.. Buchapan could stand and
prevail. The amount Of personal en-
thusasm and lungs that the young men
of 1860 put TO the service of cold
Abe when Dixie itself was sung to
the campaign dittics by ''Republican
In.inCibles" seems ?ltogethcr Il van
ished quantity.
1t must be that the war, with its fine
roll of genuine ''battle-songs," has made
all efforts in political singing seem quite
poor and empty since. At all events
neither Mr.. Hayes nor Mr.. Garfield
nor Mr.. Tildcn nor General Hancock
had any hing of a musical accompani-
ment, even though 'glees' and cam
PAL. | music had been written by the
acre in their behaves. This shows a
real tdemark of change Mass meet
ings do not reach such a pitch now-a-
DAYS as in the 1910 to 1880 contests
for the White House. There are mum
bers of voters who never heard how
"Maine went" Gtc.. flor Governor
Kent" as the wer-jubilant words can
tered through the rough rhy mes of the
olden times and where are the Young
ladies who would be seen alfayine
themselves for any candidate with blue
ribbons, as their standmothcr5 and
grand-aunts did as they sang, 'Wc'rt
the a;rls of 1870" in the fervers Of
their youthful enthusiasm. No Young
person would call herself - SRI of $50
for any political favolite whatever nol
a~e the questions Of the modem cam
paign for the Presidency manageable
for music, poetiJ or noisy enthusiasm
Perhaps it was in the veij childish
ness of the nation that it sung and I'M
sung mel. = measures. Perhaps the far
higher chords that were struck from 90
to 'o5 drove this sort OF partisan note
and the chord Mr.. Tcnnyson white:
about, ''out of sight" In any event
it seems to be gone. We shall have
parodies, no doubt. Tramp, tramp
tramp, the boys are marching" or the
indefatigable industry of John Brow i:
body will be fitted to jaw-breakins
verse, which will fall fiat, because Of the
odiousness Of comparisons with thei
former bulthens.
The issues of the present canvass are
plain prose. They are not easily pu
into rhythm nor yet rcvilins. Yet il
one way what si-cation can be NOR,
stirring than the honest desire of Amer
lean heal,s to find the representative
man? Pa',y u.es and ties are veal
before this resolve, and it is precisel,
the voters who do not sing, but thinl
and weight with just scales, who vii
make the music and the certainty O
the C2Tyass.
A Wonderful Cui :.