Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-07-19
A PIG CAUSED THE WAR OF 1872

II
By Willis J. Abbot, in 81. Nicholas for july
It all happened in this wise: Two cit
liens of Providence, R. l., fell into a
most unseemly discussion on account of
the lawless trespassings of pig owned
by one of them. The aggrieved party
possessed very fine garden, in which
it was his custom to spend his hours of
leisure, wedding, grating, and trans
planting the flowers and vegetables in
which he delighted. But often, as he
entered his garden in the evening, his
ears would be saluted with grunt and
a rustic, and the fat form of his neigh
bor's pig might be seen making hasty
flight from the garden in which it had
been placidly roofing all day.
In high dudgeon the gardener sought
his neighbor and complained of the pigs
frequent visits, declaring that little
time spent in repairing the pig-sty would
restrain the animals rowing prOpensities.
But to this the owner of the pig respond
ed that if his neighbor would keep his
rickety fences in proper repair, the pig
might take its daily airing without
temptation, and the garden would not
be endangered.
Repeated misdeeds on the part of the
pig famed the smoldering fires of dis
sension into the flames of open hostility.
At last the crisis came. The owner of
the garden, rising unusually early one
morning, discovered the pig contentedly
munching the last of a fine bed of tulip
bulbs. Flesh and blood could stand it
no longer. Selling a pitchfoEk which
lay near at hand, the outraged gardener
plunged its sharp tines into the hapless
pig, and bore the body, thus fatally i'm
paled, to the sty, where it met the gaze
of It's owner an hour or two later. There
after it was war to the knife between
the two neighbors.
Now, what had all this to do with the
war of 1872? The answer is simple
The two neighbors belonged to the po-
litical party known as the FederalistS.
Through all the outrages that Great
Britain inflicted upon the United States
while seamen were being impressed,
American vessels stopped on the high
seas, and while every possible indignity
was being committed against the flag of
the United States, the Federalists re-
manned friendly to Great Britain, and
contested every proposition for the dec
laration of war.
But the Democratic party was eager
for war, and as British oppression be-
cine more unbearable the strength of
the Democrats increased. 1t so happen
ed that the election district in which the
two neighbors lived had been about
equally divided between Democrats and
Federalists, but the latter party had al
ways succeeded in carrying the election.
But in 1911 the owner of the garden
was a candidate for the legislature on
the Federalist ticket. His neighbOr had
always voted that ticket; but now, with
his mind filed with the bitter recollec-
tion of the death of his pig, he cast his
ballot for the Democrat. When the bal
lots were counted the Democrat was
found to be elected by a majority of one.
When the newly elected legislator took
his seat, his first duty was to vote for a
United States senator. He cast his vote
for the candidate of the Democrats, who
was also elected by a majority of one.
When this senator took his place in the
United States senate he found the gues-
tion of war with Great Britain pending,
and after long and bitter discussion it
came to vote. The Democrats voted
for war, and the Federalists against it.
AS result of the voting, war was de-
clared-again by majority of one vote.