Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-11

the cabin because it spoke OF the border
land of the advancing Union, and the
heroism of the men who pressed back the
aboriginal tribes to make way for eiEiliza-
ton. There was no necessity for cam
paign banner in Grants time: his deeds
needed no banners or symbols for their re-
call, but his Let us have Peace" and 81
viii fight it out on this line" were power
full aids TO campaign enthusiasm. The
"Old Gray Horse" in the campaign of
1S4S, spoke of the grand old soldier,
Zachary Taylor and his ride to the halls of
the Montezumas at the head of victorious
Americans, while his order to Captain
Bragg for little more grape" became the
campaign stimulant.
We do not recall that there was any
material rallying symbol or catch-line in
1856 for Buchanan, though that feeble old
statesman's wonderfully long and driven
white neck-cloth might even more appro-
priately and more tastefully have been
adopted as a party banner than Mr.. Thur
mans flaming and more suggestive cotton
kerchief can be now. The tow-line and
the canal-boat served as symbols for the
Garfield campaign because they spoke OF
the possibilities that open to American
youth, and which that candidate demon
strated point toward the highest station
from even the tow path of the canal.
There was an effort TO accommodate a
rhyme to give some Importance to Vice
Presidential nominee, in the campaign cry
of Tippecanoe and Tyler too" and also
in the rather strained effort to invest the
candidacy of Breckenridge with some
vigor by shouting, after the manner of OK
teamsters, for -" Buck and Breck."
The political friends of neither Polk,
Cas- nor Pierce were able to find any raj.
lying symbols or to construct catching
couplets or enthusiastic phrases for their
campaigns. Jackson was more fortunate
sold Hickory's" contest for first place
IN the nation put hickory walk.
ing-stick into every Democratic hand
General Mcclellan, in his hopeless con.
test with Lincoln in 1864, was consider
ably aided by the popular nickname Lit.
tie Mac" just as General Sheridan would
have been by the sobriquet "Gallant
Phil +" had he ever "run for office. Gen.
eral John A. Logan, who ran with Mr.
Blaine, had the fortune to favor his friends
with a nickname for use in his behalf ir
Black Jack" while his principals friend.
felt compelled to draw upon the seal o.
the State of Maine for banner word ir
Dirigo," though Colonel Ingersoll, in 3
rhetorical flourish, had given a fctitiou:
title to the candidate, drawn from forced
historical parallel, that served large pur-
pose in the contest with Mr.. Cleveland
The latter went into his campaign, as now
without furnishing any notable battle-cry
for his followers or giving them oppor.
tunity to draw upon his personal charac.
teristics for political fetch, and the
same may be said of Mr. Hayes and Vice
Presidents Arthur, Hamiin and Fillmore
Andrew johnson, running for the Vice
Presidency, was much aided by the refer.
ence to the "tailor's goose indicative
of his struggles in passing from the trade
of the needle to high political trusts-but
it has been rare for any characteristic Of
Vice-Presidential candidates to be drawn
upon to furnish campaign cries or regalia
The danger in such cases always resides in
making the secondary candidate the more
prominent in party enthusiasm.
In all this matter of party banner and
battle-shout a mere chance happening, an
accident, an incident trivial in itself, OF
an event, or saying, or characteristic of i'm.
portance, or again, of no Importance, may
determine the campaign watchword and
fashion the party symbol so that there i:
no law Of the case for these political vent:
for partisan enthusiasm. The cries have
ranged from the noblest sentiment to
meaningless wordiness, and the symbol:
from coon upon pole to rail-splitter';
maui and wedge; from a mug of hard cider
and log cabin to a gnarled walking stick
from an implement of trade to an eccen-
tricity of costume. And since the most
recent symbol is Of that class it recalls the
campaign in which Greeley's old white
hat and long cream-colored coat played SC
important part, until Mast turned the
honest campaign symbols into weaponry
by pinning to Mr.. Greeley's comfortable
coat tail tag labeled " B. Gratz Brown"