The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-06-30
OUR POST-BELLUM YEARS
REMINIsCENCES OF An OLD VIR-
GINA MOUNTAINEER.
The Partisan Confess FROM 1910 to 1880.
with References to the Principal Lead
els Of the Two Great Parties.


| In tnc DOt pOnllcdl VI iycl
| beiIum years IN Virginia, scarcely ever Ia
any reference rade 10 The merry conflicts
| OF our fathers before the war. Ana
| yet some or them were III the intensity
| OF partisanship as nerce, angry, pltter
ana relentless as any that have occurred
| since reconstruction OF the Union.
Without aspiring TO the dignity or at
| teml ting the mInutae OF the HISTORIAN
/ but rather In the role OF the evening
story-teller ensconcei In his own chimney
| corner, garrulous, II you please, but az
| truthful as a reliable memory may war
| rant, 1 propose now to tell OF partisan
contests from 1870 10 $50, with Drlei rcL-
/ erences to the principal leaders OF the
two great parties-W mig ana Democratic
| In WI gini 1.
From 1893 to 1870 party politics, IN my
| early boyhood ana beyond my memory,
| were somewhat chaotic and In formative
| stage ri development, with the DemOcra-
| C., however, more united and cohesive
| than their opponents OF various shad - OF
| difference, aud thus easily securing the
| election. first Of General Andre" JACK son,
| and then Martin Van Buren, as President
| of the United states over dlscordant,
| hut otherwise formidable opposition. The
! great financial panic Of l~i, which was
| asCrlbed, whether justly or unJnsily,
| don't matter to the effect OF the leading
| measures Of these Democratic admins
! traitOus that had been IN power Tor
| twelve consecutive years, intensified and
| unified popular discomfort ana opposition,
| eliminated IN he first national WING on
| yentioE IL 1910 90 nominate ticket in
opposition to the reelection OF Van bu-
ron.
The choice easily fell upon General VIII
| liam Henry Harrison, whose services III
| defending. as soldier, ana olBahllihb
| as a civilian the great States northwest
! of the ohio river a non-poltlcian 10
| certain degree made him the most dsat-
| able man upon whom to unite an those
| opposed 10 Van Buren,. ~ -
| Tradition has Il that so grained were
| f41 it- la
eral Harrison with the aid OF the IT
| ginia delegation In the convention hau
| given them, to win the nomination lD'
| their fayorife that they offered 10 noili-
| nate for Vice-President any man the
| Nirginians might agree upon. III was saiu
| only two names We're cOnsldertn ny tn..
delegation when they conIerISu at in0rlsS,
| themselves-4Jo John Tyler ana onapnia"
| Johnson; and on taking the vote lylei re-,
| celved majority OF only one vote anu
| being presented as the thus asceIlalheu
choice OF the delegation TO tne co .i.',,i
| ton Mr. Tyler was Unanimously loini-
| mated for Nice-President. II ms ltail.
| tion be true and I have nOreas0n 10 uouut
| II. as IL was current in Virginia during lnc
| canvass OF 1872. u SHOWS tHal -i ~, la, a
| dents reached that exalted position ny =,
| majority If one vote at some peIlod lh
| their lives. Thomas IA. behton, ~ q
| brief memoir OF the life OF Andre" Jach,
| aon. on whose military stan ne server
| as aide saws: jackson being a major
| general In the Tennessee mlhtla' inaue -
by majority of one vote. TOW ilu .sn
| depends on one YOte' New orleans, nc
| Creek campaign. and an thelr =, ~
| ouerces date from that one vote ipen-
| ion evidently means that one or thcsc
| consequences" was the presidency 10
| eight wears. and no doubt 10 Is true. John
| Tyler defeated Virginias grea.ese i o,j !,
| nv all odds OF J D. by one vote, anu IL
| made him President. and Hayes III 1lc
| famous or rather Infamous, elSnt 70
seven" electoral commission No,S;i la ono
all so well remember, peat ~. r3nt
| vote and thereby became fr'sii II. nut
| I am wandering from the cahpalsn VI
| 1910 in Virginia. the hottest IN soIle IL
| spects ever saw. The very oVyS 'o ,y'
part in It. not as voters. pue 10 me-, mp The
| orators in a way 10 "wnOop up tne
| voters The voters were not then relative
| lv SO large portion Of the popuia'ioh' ~
| thew now are, and they No,tu III ~.
state elections viva voice. ana lneis " no
| we're recorded as cast, ana we nau ~
| cheating nor bribery in eiecl Ito, 1'a.
| only freeholders. or heads ot larlr,o
| having taxes on 500 worth OF P.v lR,,or
| co,Ild vote. But ali the same men; women
| and children all took great ihter,,ss1 J."
that first great 'Hurrah! campaign.
81 PLAYED The BONES. :"
In my own county about a dozen YOUNG
| mcn-I. I'm my eighteenth year llie 1870 1870
est of The Iot-fitted up siX-horse Na .,
-. % ailded and gatidy as Barnum used
ling afterwards to head the procession
| ~ ssth. greatest show on eaftn III Slotnl.
ing tho towns and cities OF 'is SIM,
| enough We had six fine heis,s, 49,
oeous with housings and plumes; we nau ,,
horses and fiddler. and hass-iu i or
| c9strnets homemade. or poiancu -
ribs each about six inches long, anf 80
,,n3S' ha,~een The fingers Of both hands
| o. 70 ha brought together with louh'
| rvthmfc click TO emphasize ihe Ndlla-
tions OF tune in the more nius vttt,, e,iec
trumpets. and drums OF our w ny ~ 7
| Club" played the bones ihas"''0' d.
| could play nothing else. ,,.,,,,, como ~,
MS the politically disobedlent SOILS
"Old Hickory Democrats, ace MINE i o Jul,
| selves wiser than our sires IN our uds
and generation" whilst they looked on
Win mingled disgust and pity, rather
| than open rest rtment, as tnat Noist
| have been denying US the nirlntiSnn ~ os
| nrOspectiVe freemen 10 thlnk anu 20 80
We pleased. so long as we did no harm
Tor two or three months we went AROUND
I'm great style 10 all the wing spedsA-
| ings'' in the county. and once or tWiCS
| ont of H. The stars and stripes noa' "a
over MS from a jointed, small iagstan AT
| the forward end OF our wagon ps "a, .
| drivers perch. The legend on the he ,-l
| Of the flag read thus. II fIuilnus
fr,nn " ..'rippeeanoe and Tyler too our
campaign songs were printed IN a pocket
| pamphlet called a yallef-kFer, ~
| stiff paper back being yellow in.color i ne
| whole country was wild with Doi.lrai
| excitement and interest. but as RUE
Inc campaign was good-natured and con-
| Quoted with gentlemaEly courtesy ann
as good-naturedly as differences or opin-
| ion NAV always be discussed by sensible
| men. having in view but one, and tnat a
common object-the good OF the country.
| II men ever "cussed" each other IL was
on the plan OF the old Charlotte county
| PLANTER. who had "rolled" his tobacco
cron TO Petersburg, whore an incompe-
tent and naughty inspector condemne1
| and burnt II, under the law when that
| weed was currency" on his way home
he met a neghbor coming along with MS
| crop. 49,. 49,. ..,
What luck had you with the inspec-
tori" said the newcomer
burnt IT,"
II cussed him about as long as haa
| breath TO swear"
They parted; but a week later No got
| home with badly battered face, and
met No. l. and said:
Look here: / thought you told me you
cursed that Internal Inspector
We'll: did" 4
80 did | when he condemned my tohac-
co: bur see my face. The scoundrel pitch
| ed into me and beat me till could hard
~ get up. How did II happen he didn' [
| beat your
"Oh. easy enough. waited I'll ] was
eight miles out OF Petersburg before
begun 10 curse him."
SO II there was any serious cursing OF
Wings by Democrats in 1870 or vice versa
suppose they waited until they were
some distance apart. At least, never saw
a fight or heard bad words amongst the
speakers All were heightened, courteous
Al 11ff ina n nd