The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-10-11
SARGE PLUNKETT
ENTERS INTO CHAT ABOUT POLL
TICS AND POLITICIANS,
How the "Floaters" Were Gagged and Fed
and Then Marched to the Polls and
Voted, in the Olden Times.

COckleburS will soon be ripe, then comes
frost-keep your eye on 'em to tell when
frost will get here.
The season that's upon us is called tine
saddest of the year" If it be truly the
slddest time of year in general, how much
more is 1t so in years of great elections.
The whole country is stirred up on poll
tics and you needn't write nor talk about
anything else and expect to be heard or
needed. 1t has always been thusly to
great extent but in the oldcn times a
little variety was thrown in TO spice
things-they don't want no splicing these
days. Politics straight is what they
all want and ito be in it" at all l must
enter.
But 1 don't want to talk about present
politics, I'll tell you of old-time politics.
so it is politics it will do.
When Willard Fillmore came to Georgia
before the war to stump" the state there
was just about such Il feeling against him
as was shown against Weaver, and 1t
took hard work to keep him from being
devoured when his train moved up TO the
old carshed in Atlanta.
AT the last great democratic convention
before the war the city of Charleston
was wild with confusion and nearly every
fellow you met had his head tied up, or
a black eye, and sons We're against fathers
and fathers against sons, and brothers
were throwing bad words at
one another and the cOnven-
ton went to pieces in its wildncSS, and
the after part filed the air with hurrahs
for Bell and Everett and Breckenridge and
Lane through all the south, while Abe
Lincoln up north looked on ut the light
with q serene smile and took i'll the pot
at last.
Them were wild times. Just think of
old Ben Butler being Il great democrat
and voting at every ballot in that great
convention for jefferson Davis as the
nominee Of the party for president of the
United States. Spoons. Spoons
But we all know the result of the split in
that conventional is back of all that
like to talk. and of the small matters.
ANYBODY can tell you of Toombs and of
Cobb. and Of Stephens, and of Ben Hill
and Joseph Il. Brown when it was first
learned that he was able to take care
of himself" but it is not every one that
will tell you of the methods of them
times. that goes to show that politics
have ever been tainted with a degree Of
unscrupulOuSneSS.
Then as near on the time for an election
as we are now. the workers of the two
old partieS-whigs and dcmOcratS-wOuld
be stirring night and day. If in Atlanta,
for instance, they would have halls hired
In all parts of the city. To these halls
would be gathered what was known as
the floating vote" These halls were
well proViSiOned and plenty to drink-the
'flOatcrS' reyeled in plenty for two weeks
or more before an election. to he kicked
out like the dogs they We're after their
vote was in the ballot box
The scramble for the possession and to
hold these ''fioatcrS" was exciting beyond
anything seen in politics at this time. The
ltlliS where they We're stored away had
TO be closely guarded Eight and day. 1t
was not sufficient to lock the doors, for
the opposite party would come with lad
ders and reach the windows. entice the
"foaterS'' to desert and vote them in their
own ranks.
Rowdy scenes were enacted by OppOS-
ing parties i'll the ScramhleS about these
halls for the possession of their men. But
the idea prevailed that the longest pole
was entitled to the pcrsimmon' aud all
shook hands in friendly mood when the
election was over. What 4 sad c0mmen-
tary on the methods of them old times
when we reflect that it WAS upon an Occa-
sion Of this sort that poor Edgar a. Poe
lost his life. Drunk and Il stranger i'll
the city of Baltimore he fell in with the
'fi0aterS," marched from polling place to
polling place and made to repeat and
at last left 10 die unWept and unknown.
But all of old-time politics was not bad.
There were Il class Of scholarly gentle
men, men who hut for their modcsty
might rank along with statesmen. These
went upon the huStingS and in their hon
orable bearings set examples worthy Of
Georgia and GeOrgians. Bob Griff, as
he was familiarity called. is one of these
I happen to call to mind. There were many
others. HcrSchel Y. Johnson, too. comes
TO my mind as one of these very able,
modest and gcntlemanly politicians, and
yet | can remember when this good man
had TO defend himself yehcmcntly against
being branded as Il traitor to the demo
cratic party.
But then as now. when the election day
had passed all cooled and the world still
wagged along, friends once more, and all
hard things forgot till next time. SO in
Georgia l hope TO see a quick
return to pleasant things. Let
us have something besides % politics"
politics" all the time and such a singing