Evening journal., 1897-04-19
WARTIME DODGERS.
POLITICAL cARlCATURES NOW IN A
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM.


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,
and include election posters, campaign
documents, political brochures, carica-
lures, together with an exceedingly in
teresting set Of envelopes with patriotic
devices, such as were used during war
times.
There is also 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, "Up Salt river" as applied to a
defeated candidate for election. One Of
the most likely Of these is found in
story that was told Of Henry Clay dur
ing his presidential candidacy i'll 1882.
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 a Jackson
Democrat, and, pretending to lose his
way, steered the orator up Salt river, as
a continent stream was called, and so
spoiled the meeting. Since that time
up Salt river" has become a synonym
for defeat, and it used to be considered
pleasantly to give political opponent
& pass up Salt river as a prediction of
political oblivion.
These tickets were freely used by both
parties and proved 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 indescribably
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 q simple yellow
ticket ornanented with a rude wood
cut of steamboat and bears the an
nouncement that the dilapidated steam
er pposition-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 in 1868
the steamer Copperhead was pictured as
a snake. The same year a pseudo rail
road ticket was printed which invited
the holder to accompany the peacemak-
er's excursion to a quiet retreat on Salt
marsh, which was described as "place
well adapted for copperheads, but nc
other kind Of snakes. "
The Democrats, too, used like de-
vices, and some very severe caricatures
were directed against Lincoln. A crude
design Of this character represents
Columbia, looking not unlike a woodel
jointed doll, kicking Lincoln, bag anC
baggage, on board black steamer abou
the same size az himself, which is about
to set sail on a stream of printers inl
flowing up hill to tho upper left hanC
corner Of the card. This bears the dat'
of Nov. 10, 1854, and the motto in
scribed upon it is: "For Salt river OF
the steamer Abolition; King Abraham
captain; A. johnson, pilot. The fate o.
Abe, homeward bound via Salt river. I"
Another card issued in opposition Il
Lincoln, which does not properly be
long to this category, but is classified
with it in the collection, is got up lik
a business card, which announces;
A. LINCOLN.
Attorney and Chancellor at Law,
Springfield, Ill.
To Whom It May Concern -
My old customers and others nro no douh
aware of the terrible time have Mad in cross
asrtI1 sf,I fs.1
will be back on the same side from which
started ON or before the 4th Of March next
when / will be ready to swap horses, dispens
law. make jokes, split rails and perform othe
matters in a small way.
A card printed in April Of tho sam
year is entitled "The End of Jei
Davis, " and depicts the Confederat
leader as just disappearing upa tunnel
supposed to represent the "undergronn
railroad.
Still another shows the public bell
man and advertises as lost "the ol
codger, Democracy, who is describe
in the text as wearing a cotton suit {
southern manufacture and a soft ha
twined about with q copperhead snake
An adoption Of comic English pril
personifies the south as a belated tral
eler who lost his way in the rain, an
after tramping through mud and slus
encounters signpost pointed in I'll
direction from which he had cCn,
which bears the legend "To Union
upon which he oxclGims, Lord
morcyl I'm going wrong and got
walk way back again. f"
More stinging is the sign in whic
the north and south are depicted as lie
and jackass, and labeled. lone of l
must conquer. To this class belon,
the designs in which the gallows figur
as the end of the Confederates an
those in which the devil is shown
inspiring the southern gentry. Rather
witty conceit is the motto applied to Il
Union flag, "These colors won't run,
as well as that in which The coils Of
rope form a deaths head, which is i
beled, 1.-The end Of secession. Phil
delphia Record.
She Seemed Familiar.
An English paper tells story Of Il