Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-08-11
DRIFT.

Bouehtop, M IN in d Co., OF ID ,stop, have
lust published two handsome volumes that
IRE most timely end important In view o,
he political campaign that is before us, and
promises 70 be characterised by such pecu.
isr fentUres. The first II the nineteenth
volume Of the series OF "Americsn States.
man," 30 ably edited by John T. Morse,
Ir., and 10 on Martin Van Buron, By Ed
ward M. Shepard the other IL Q volume OF |
Political Essays, by James Russell Lowell, |
Ill OF them, excep! the last, dating from
period not less than twenty years ago.
therefore oil the more Interesting and Inn.
portant, historically and politically, TO say
nothing OF the permanent literary value
and interest every ything has that comes from
the pen Of our greatest poet, most scholarly
critic, and foremost ependent statesman.
The very flrst chapter OF Mr.. Shepard's
biography arrests attention by its broadly
philosophical, calm, judicious and alto
gsther mas'srly survey of American poll.
tics when Van Buren's career began" l
cannot refrain from quosing . paragraph or
two, merely to show the spirit OF tho chapter
and Of the whole book. "If one were to
Judge the political temper Of the American
people," says Mr.. Shepard, "from many OF
our own writer's, and still moro II he were
TO judge II from the observations even OF
intelligent and friendly foreigners prior TO
1861, he would believe this temper to be
sordid, mean, noisy, bosstfui, and even
cruel. But from the war OF 1872 with Eng.
land to the election OF Buchanan In 1866, the
American people had been doing aprofound
organic, Democratic work, Meantime
many had seen no more than the
unsightsd, the mean and trivial, the mslo
dofo1s details, which were moro incidenn
and blemisbes of hidden and dynamic
operations Unimaginative minds usually
fail TO see the greater and deeper move
ments of politics - we'll as those of scieuce.
In the puolic virtues then maturing there
ley the ability long and strenuously to con-
duct an enterprise tho greatest which
modern times have known, and an extra
ordinary popular capacity for restraint and
discipline. In these virtues was sleeping
tremendously national spirit which, with
cost and sacrifice not tn be measured by the
vast figures OF the statlsiician, on one side
sought independence and on the other saved
the U UniOD,-an exalted love OF men and truth
and libsrty, which, ait r sli the enervatons
on pecuniary pros psrity, endured with pa
uence bardshirs and losses, and The .iess
heroic but often more dangerous distresses
Of tax stion,-st the North smagnanimity in
victory unequaled In the traditions OF
men, and 1T the South composure
and dignity and sbsencs OF either bitter
u
q defeat far larger treasures than could
have como with victory. But these were
not effects without q cause. In thOm all
WAS only tho fruit, the normal fruit, OF the
political habits, ideals, traditions, whose
carly and unattrsctive disorders ha ! cha
grined many Of the best OF Americans, and
had seemed so natural TO foreigners who
feared or distrusted q Democracy. There
hAd been forming, during forty or htty
years OF q certain raw unloveliness, tho Pc
cuiiar and powerful self-reliance OF a people
whose political Independence meant far
more than mere separate government. "
Asthe coming campaign Is to bo largely
reminiscentisi, 1t may be interesting to
look back al some OF the peculiar features
OF the campaign Of 1910, when Van Buren,
and General William Henry Harrison were
the opposing candidates do hope how.
ever, that The pre- ent campaign IL not
going to be characterized Ms that was,
according to Carl SchufZ In his life OF
Henry Clay, by "more enthusiasm and
less thought" thsn any other that had gone
that In this too the canvass OF lSSS Will re-
semble that OF 1910, though there arc hOme
hopeful signs to the contrary.
Inotice that there nave been some radical
changes on some points In the positions Of
the two parties For example In lsiO Gen.
| eral Harrison "denouncsd as slander the
charge that he was an abolitlonlst, or that
the vote he had given against snti.slavery
restrictlon N in Missouri had violated his con.
science" Van Buren,, on the contrary was
all his lie personally against slavery,
though no weakly yielded this principle to
the demands OF his party. Harrison, further,
"declared for the right OF petition, which
indeed nobody disputed; but no did not
say what course should be taken with the
anti-siavery petitions, which WAS the real
question to be answered. The discussion
by tho citizens Of the free states WAS not, III
| said, sanctioned by the constitution me.
thinks,' he said ut Dayton, Ishear a soft
voice asking, arc you IN favor OF paper
money! u M and to that there were
shouts OF applause ;"
The Democratic party at the convention
in Baltimore May 3, 1910. had among lis
delegates men like John A. Dix, Hannibal
Hsmlin and Slmon Cameron, after wards
leaders In The Republican ranks. "There
was an air of dependency about the con-
vention," says Mr.. Shepard, "for the en-.
thusiasm over log cabin and hard cider
WAS already abroad. But the convention
without wavering ANNOUNCED Its belief in q
limited federal power, In the separation OF
public moneys from banking institutions (;
by the nation, to the federal assumption of
state debts, to the fostering OF one industry Y
30 as to iniure another, to raising more
money than was required for necessary
expenses Of government, and to q national
bank" There Ii good deal Of consistency y
with these principles In the ST. Louis plat
form.
Here Is sentence from q stump speech
OF Henry Clay, which has often been heard
since, and will often be heard again, though
people don't believe In such nonsense any
longer. Ii Is used simply ss q kind OF po-
liticsl "psdding." BY tho mere fact OF uar.
rison's election, he said, without refer
encs to the measures OF his ad min istration,
confidence will Immediately revive, credit
be restored, active business will return,
prices OF products will rise ana the sople
will feel and know that, instead oil their
| servants being occupied In devising meas
ures ior their destruction, they will be as
siduously employed In promoting their
welfare and prosperity"
The whole campaign WAS one OF bun.
combe and lingo This helped to make It
very picturesque, however. "Mettings
were measured by acres Of men. They
gathered on the field OF Tippecanoe. Revo.
lutionsry soldiers marched In venerable
professions. Wives and daughters came
with their husbands and father. There
were the barrel OF cider, the coon skins and
the log cabin with the live raccoon run.
ming over II aud the latch string hung out (;
Tor Harrison had told his soldiers when Il.
left them, that never should his door bs
shut, or the string OF the latch pulled in 4"
Van Buren, on the other hand WAS repre-.
sented "with an aristOcrstic snser upon
his face, seated In nn English Carriage,
la lg fat, "a
spoons bought for the White House, - &c,
Suoh is the clap.lrap and nonsense W lih