The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-07-03
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of people, until at last thousands would be in
the procession when halt would be made,
and the stump speakers would display an
eloquence which has now quite gone out OF
date.
TO describe the excuses and enthusiasm OF
that day is impossible. One one occasion, in
Tennessee, Parson Brownlow straddled the
roof of cabin while on its journey, with
coonskin in one hand, which he was pretend
ing to eat, and III tho other cupfuil OF hard
cider. When asked what he was dong ne
replied, in blasphemous vein; that he was
partaking of the wing sacrament. whenever
the procession would reach place where
there was but o wagon track in the woods,
hundreds of men with axes would cut away
the trees so that the cabin might pass through.
Ono of the best public roads in Pike county,
Alabama il said to owe its existence to work
done unon an occasion like this. A good story
is told of the log cabin which did duty for the
wings of Muscogee county. A party OF
democrats asserted that tho cabin
was but seventeen feet square. This was in
dignantly disputed by the wings, who knew
that it was eighteen. a bet OF five hundred
dollars was made, and next day was designated
for taking the measurement Late that night
the democrats went out to whore the cabin
was standing, and, taking it to pieces, cut Off
all tho trnhers Just one foot, and by rubbing
the new ends with mud, gave them an old APP
pearance The logs were then carefully laid
back in place, and no one would know that the
cabin had ever been touched. 1t was not until
after the election that the wings found out
how 1t was that they had lost their money.
TWO DOLLARS A DAY AND ROAST BEEF.
The wing orators, who wore sent into all
parts of the country, made most extravagant
charges against Van Buren,. They charged
that he had the white house tables furnished
with gold spoons and had surrounded himself
with all Kinds of royal pageantry. During
this camps gn and ever afterward Van Buren,
wast the Best hated man i'll the United States.
The burden of all the speeches made was that
if Harrison was elected every laborin9 man
would get two dollars day and roast beef for
dinner Thousands of them believed 1T I'M
plicitlv. and when it failed to meterialize it
was accounted for, i'll perfect good faith, be-
cause of the death of tile man through whom
! it sto have been brought about.
1t is impossible for one, in these days OF
newspapers, to form any idea OF the power
welded by the stump orators OF that period.
1t was the mid-era between the generation
which had felled the original forest and that
which was reaching out into the new era OF
civilization There was no newspapers to
fell with all the force of original presentation.
Boldness of statement, and the knowledge
that no more than an equally bold denial could
come, made the speakers defiant One OF the
most noted of these speakers was Ephram IL.
Foster, of Tennessee Georgia was we'll supplied
with orators Alexander II. Stephens supported
Harrison, as also did Toombs John MoPher-
son Berrien, VIM. G. Dawson and &c. A. Ms
bet On the democratic side were Walter t.
Colouitt,< Hcrscheh V. johnson, Governor
Charles Mcdonald, George W. Towns and
Others When these men met, with no dis
agreeable reporter in the way, words flew fast.
A feature of tho campaign which distin-
guished it from all others, was the intense
personal interest taken in it. Every man felt
it his duty to lay aside work and canvass for
Harrison. Farms went untitled and shops were
closed up, in order that business of state might
be- attended to. Ladies, the proudest In the