The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-06
FlcrlONs IN HISTORY.

frpm the 0hicugO eslotS.
American history Is full of Incidents
that ARE striking and at good interest.
Many Of these had their origin I'm the
of the day, bst there arr u goodly
number Of sayings that are masqnerading
i'm the name of history that owe their ex-
istence to the imagination or excellent
memoir Of our ~annalists, and are hut the
repetition of incidents and Expressions
that had a previous and foreign birth,
generally under dissimilar circumstances.
Am excellent instance of this kind at cx-
preston is tn be found i'm Wcbster's e'i-
logy upon Adams and Jefferson.
.Sink ar swim. live ar die" etc. In his
eulogy Webster makes Adams say:
"Sink or swim. live ar die, survive ar
perish, I give my hand and heart tn this
VOTE"
The probable origin of this saying in
webster's mind was the knowledge of u
conversation i'm liza between Adams and
Jonathan Scwell, in which Adams said:
"Sink or swim. live ar die, survive or
perish with my country il my unalterable
determinations"
This idea i'm turn probably had it's origin
from "a New England poem by Rev.
Nicholas Noyes, printed at Boston July ~,
1sus. i'm which occurs this line:
Then. sink or swim.
The phrase again occur ia Sir Walter
SCOTS fortunes of Nigel where Nigel
(blifaunt il represented as saying: "Live
ar die. sink or swim, Nigel Olifaunt, from
this moment. shall owe his safety" etc.
IL IL not prpieAtble tfiAt Slr NAIttr ctott
knew of the us. of the phrase by Adams,
or that he ever had read the poem by
Noycs. hut he probably got il from Peele
, T.o s a"I' or r' SWIM nsS 'T r. p n' uais: passib Ss
that Noyes also got il from Peelc, in which
case il would he one of the many instances
where am old idea occurs In new cirS.u1n-
stances and with changed applications:
"~Swapping horses while crossing "a
uted tn Abraham Lincoln during The war
was the u about wrapping horses while
crossing a stream" He probably said IL,
against "a popular clamor at that lime, but
il was not original with MIR. Lincoln. 1t
was a. new application of an old story
for October, 1864. Like most good story
~tellers, Mr.. Lincoln was more concerned
with the quality and its effectiveness for
the occasions than with its originality.
"A little more grape, Capt. Bragg. In
political campaigns the popular war cry
Is often of more value than a sound politi-
tho war cry popular have little reference
tn either truth or wisdom. Ihis was pc
which two particular saying were of great
help when the words actually spoken
would have been n hin,irancc.
The phrase, "A little more grape. Capt.
Bragg" was once "a political war cry and
helped tai elect a president. This is
Bragg own story. He related the Incl.
dents of thc battle up to "a critical period
and then goes ON: AT this moment l OH
served that the enemy were preparing to
charge lne tiAttcrv III Sutn nn11lbb.rS tllilt
I feared I would Ia captured, and so
ordered il Withdrawn. While %rctrcating I
saw Lieut.. Thomas ,aftcrward Gen.
Thomas, who Commanded a section,
suddenly unlimbcr his two guns and pre-
nars for action" S.i OF my ro asking him the
captain, get The battery into play and
save the day The advantage Of the pos
, "n1;n Strrsk me sx a" ,h Snt lima an ~. w S rnpid,y
were advancing and We opened fire at
very short range. The effects of the dis
fell back shattered aud broken. Al this
moment, when the report had hardly died
away, and the smoke still fingered about
came gaiiopine down., followed by his
staff. He wore Am old straw hat very
much the worse for wear: This. AS he
around his head, while he yelled out to
me-: That's right; give 'cm hell. Capt:
brnag" III. have poiishsd
force. IL only remains to say that the
polishing was done by Thomas B.
stall. hut acting also as "a correspondent
for one OF th.. New Orleans paners."
"Gcn. Taylor never surrcnders." Am
other phrase, used as u war cry i'm the
same campaign. was never spoken by
the party tn whom IL was attributed. That
phrase Was Gen. Taylor never surrrn-
On the night preceding the battle of
Buena Vista a council of war was held i'm
Zen. IayIOrs tent. IL WAS knOwn that
the Mcxicans would make an attack the
next day in overwhelming force. While
the council was deliberatiug il was an
nounced that "a messenger from the Next
can camp was without. 'Show him in,''
said the General, and accordingly the
Mexican, who had been blindfolded at the
outposts, was led in and the ~bandages re-
moved. He at once delivered his mes
sage, which was ''that the American gem
eral must he aware of the ~erwhelm
odds arrayed against him. that resistance
was hopeless and that he was invited by
Gen. Santa Anna. by N timely surrender
To avoid the of blood which
must he the result of u refusal" This
was delivered i'm Spanish, which Gen.
Taylor did not understand. He stood,
chatting with impaticnce, watching the
suave manne of the Mexican as the re-
sonant Spanish words rolled from his
lips. What does he say. Mai. Bliss
what does he say 2" Mai. Bliss AT once
translated il, and as he did so the Gen
erals look passed from pure astonislnlen
TO appalling rage, i'm which he turned Il
the astonished Mexican and blurted on
the was wont tn stutter friRhtfully wheI
San-t-ta Anna, f-f-from me tito go Z.
hell?" There was "A momentary pause
and Bliss gravely asked: "Do You desire
Gen. Taylor. to send that answer"
"N-n-no. sir. you may p-ptt IL in PIP
proper language. SIR"
"Iell Gen. Santa Anna.' said Bliss II
Spanish. turning To the Mexican officer
..ihat Gen. Taylor never surrrnders."
In that case. as In the other. the polisf
ing mp deprived Gen. Taylor's actual Lar
guaRe of "a part of its force. When Majo