The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-02
WARTIME DODGERS.
POLITICAL CARlCATuRES NOW IN A
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM.

Comic and Uncomplsmentary Allusions to
Abraham Observation-Disclosures Bearing
on the Confederary-Use of the Expires
sion up Salt River"
Enshrined i'll several huge scrapbooks.
and i'll the custody of Stewart Culin of
the University museum, Philadelphia
is the valuable collection of political
documents owned by the Numismatic
and Antiquarian society of Philadel-
phia. They relate to the period of the
civil war and that directly preceding it,
aD1 Include election posters, campaign
documents. political brochures, caricn-
lures, together with an exceedingly in.
teresting set of envelopes with patriotio
devices, such as We're used during war
times.
There is also n lot of Salt river tick.
cts" these, indeed, although of little
historical Importance, forming to the
casual observer one of the most enter
tanning divisions of the collection.
There have been several explanations
given of the origin of the slang political
phrase, Cup Salt river us applied to O
defeated candidate for election. One OF
the most likely of these is found in q
story that was told of Henry Clay dur
ing his presidential candidacy in 1889.
Clay. it is said. was to speak one even
ing at Louisville, KY, and in order to
reach his destination hired boatman
TO row him up the Ohio river. The lat
ter, however, happened to be u jackson
Democrat, and, pretending to lose his
way, steered the orator up Salt river, as
Il continent stream was called. and SO
spoiled tho meeting. Since that time
up Salt river" has become al synonym
for defeat, and it used to be considered
pleasantly to give u political opponent
& pass up Salt river Us Il prediction OF
political oblivion.
These tickets were freely used by both
parties and proved IA boon to the job
printers, who with great impartiality,
printed the cards for each side and sold
them on the streets for cent apiece
Some of the designs are indcscribably
coarse. some are witty, some are vulgar,
and the majority of them are crudely
printed.
The oldest in the collection dates from
Nov. 4, 1856, and is simple yellow
ticket ornnmentcd with rude wood
cut of n steamboat and bears the an
nouncement that the dilapidated steam
er OppositiOn-Captain Fremont, Pilot
Fillmore-will leave this day for the
head of Saline waters
AT little later period Salt river was
varied to Saline springs, and i'll 1868
the steamer Copperhead was pictured as
a snake. The same year pseudo rail
road ticket was printed which invited
the holder to accompany the peacemak-
er's excursion to Il quiet retreat on Salt
marsh, which was described as place
we'll adapted for copperheads, but no
other kind of snakes
The Democrats, too, used like de-
vices, and some very severe caricaturcs
were directed against Lincoln. A crude
design of this character represents
Columbia, looking not unlike wooden
jointed doll, kicking Lincoln, bag and
baggage, on board black steamer about
the same size rs himself, which is about
10 set sail on stream of printers ink
flowing up hill to the upper left hand
corner of the card This bears the date
of Nov. 10, 1864, and the motto in
scribcd upon it Is: For Salt river ON
the steamer Abolition; King Abraham,
captain; a. Johnson. pilot. The fate of
Abe, homcward bound via Salt river.
Another card issued In opposition to
Lincoln, which does not properly be-
long to this category, but is classified
with it III the collection, is got up like
a business card, which announces:
A. LINCOLN,
Attorney and Chancellor OF Law,
Springfield, III.
To Whom 1t May Concern
I My old customers and others ore no doubt
aware of the terrible time have had in cross
ing the stream and will be glad to know that
Will be back on tho side from which
started on before the 4th Of March next
when will be ready to swap horses dispense
law. make jokes split rails and perform other
matters in n small way.
A card printed III April Of the same
year is entitled 1.-The End Of JEFF
Davis" and depicts the Confederate
leader rs just disappearing up Il tunnel,
supposed to represent the underground
railroad.
Still another shows the public bell
man and advertises rs lost 1.-The old
codger, Democracy" who is described
i'll the text us wearing cotton suit Of
southern manufacture and IL soft hat
twined about with copperhead snake
An adoption of n comic English print
personifies the south us bclated tray
eler who lost his way i'll the rain, and
after tramping through mud and slush
encounters siSnpost pointed in tho
direction from which he had come,
which bears the legend. ITO Union"
upon which he excl,.ims, Lord a.
mercy! I'm going wrong and got tu
walk xvov bnrL ooai,