The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1884-11-21
FORTY YEARS AGO.
The Widow OF President Polk
Describes the Election
of 1874.

Mrs. James X. Polk of Nashville,
T.nn., widow ot President Polk,
~ss iuter.ie~ed recently in regard
to the election OF 1874 % compared
With that OF 1884. Mrs. Polk said:
$50 many years have elapsed
since that impartaht event that the
tacts have almost faded from my
m-mory, and then, ton, being the
silr OF one of the parties interest.
ell, the excitement was kept far
away from me. Yon are aware
thai at that time our home was at
Columbia, Trnu., a small village,
aud Ne had no railroads aud no
telrgraghic system
"Whal were he questions then
agiralr,l; do you now rrmemberf'
.Oh! yes; the Question then, Is
now, Was largely about the taritf.
In that particular, the two capsass-
rs forty years al'art are very siml
lar, Tnrn, another point Of simi.
larit, | rrinrInl~r MAS that with.
o.i The vote OF New YORK Mr.. Polk
could not have beeu elected, and
W. we're naturally very anxious to
hear f,um that State. Tue ticket
VAS Polk aud DaIl.s,' aud the ba'.
tie cry WAS Polk, Dallas aud
Texas.''
"T-xaST
ayes, the acquisition Of Texas
WAS another issue ot the canvass.
OF course there were soipe opposed
10 il-th-rr is alw ays somebody Oh
posed to everything. There was
never anoi her canv .ss, sive per.
hal,s that imnriiatel, preceding
the war, that equalled it in tervor.'
aWas there more excitement
than II the present time r.
"wrll, all thr information | have
OF the present canvass Is What l
CLEAN from the newspapers aud
from what my fiirnds tell me, and
| Judge that the feeling nov 10 y
calm May morning to the turbulent,
restless storm ot excitement im
tboe days. Every district had
it's ,~ltical military company OF or
ganiz-d troops, which ii se.u now
would alarm The people TO the
verge OF madness. Since the candi.
,lac, Of Mr.. Buchanan the CANVASS
has always been too one sided to
create amy excitcment,except when
Mr.. Tildrn aud Mr. Hendricks
wrrp candiiates,and perhaps now"
"You see, my Increasing age hss
toned down my arslor In such mat.
tiers, though / always lake an IN.
tsrrs,. u deep interest, Ia state and
national affairs" p
"E,en then IL MAS necessary to
thu success OF the ticket to carry
New York. Pennsylvania was 80.
cured by th. nomination ot Mr..
George VI. Dallas tor vice. .presi.
dent, and he carried his own state.
| regard the acquisition Of Texas
aud the results following the Mex
ican war-that Is, the adding of
California aud New Mexico in the
territory Of the Unilel States--as
among tue most important evepts
| in the history OF the country, and
that tact is now becUmlng more aud
more apparent. The couatry was
advanced by these aquisitions, and
has ever since reape,i beuett from
lhrn,'
"Was the tariff the leading ques:
tion IN that Canvasstn
THAT was ore OF the questions |;
u ta,iff Tor revenue only was what
the ID mocrats desired, wuile the
Wings contrnded that the higher
the tariff the cheaper ihr goods.
Another question vas concernIng
United States banks, which It was
,iesiirtto dispense with in favor OF
Stale bauks.'
"How did Mr.. Polk receive the
news Of his lection r.
"There being neither railroad nor
telegraph. ma urally the news was
moi flashed 10 us or known all over
the Union ~ soOi as would now be
tue case. The news was received
here at Nashville ut night, aud n
party OF tricnds tnok bnggies aud
drove TO Columbia, n distance OF
forty miles, aud arrived there
aimnt 2 o'clock In the morning !.
Mr.. Polk was Al home when he re!
cei,Sd the intelligence, aud there
was afterwarl \ grand dpmunstra.
tion; Of course none at that hour,
IN II was 40 lair."