The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1899-01-21
A FAMOUS BIG CHEESE,
PRESENTED TO THOMAS JEFFERSaN
: AT HIS FIRST INAUGURATION.

Gilt TO ITeSluS1b va I" 1AAAASS
Pie Weighing Seventy POunds-Jeffer-
sons Cheese Turned the Scale'at 1000.
One of the features Of the holiday
eason at the national capital was the
,ut of mammoth mince pie,
ling fully seventy pounds, to
PRESIDENT. It IS the work of a
ker, who embe,, shed the upper
rust with the Anne lean coat of arms
n raised dough. Of course the gift
woke the "reminiscences Of the Wash
ngton historian, relates the Sun. Of
he many Presidential gifts which the
mammoth Mckinley pie inspired him
to mention, perhaps the most inter
esting was the huge Cheshire cheese
that fell to the lot Of Thomas Jefer
son, was delivered to him ON the day
If his first Inauguration, and was cut
IN the presence of great men and
foreign Ministers. = weighed 1900
pounds.
"My grandfather, who lived to be
an old man." he said, remembered
to the last o conversation which he
had with Jefferson. The topic was
and was brought up by an in
cident ofthe heated political campaign
of 1900. Mr.. Jefferson seemed to-
wonder at his own ignorance of
cheese and cheesemaking.
"'It is the only subject I can now
recall he said to my grandfather,
that I never had a desire to investi-
gate, though I have gone to great
trouble to learn about things OF less
human concern. I should have es-
capped some trouble if I had given to
the study of cheese the timeI devoted
to an estimate of the weight of the
This referred to the
charge that he had attacked the Bible.
Il have no antipathy to cheese, con-
tinued Mr.. Jefferson, at least when
it is fresh aud mild and not inhabited
by mites-American cheese, / mean, ;
said this patriot, who was accused Of
French tastes, and I have more than
once made a dinner exclusively of
cheese and crackers. But it is not q
passion with me- q
1.-The campaign that opened in the
summer of 1800," continued the Dis
trict historian, "was the most excit-
ingS partly because of it's scandals, in
the early history of American politics.
0hn Adams was President and wanted
,econd term, but his ambition was
posed, not only by Jefferson, the
leader Of the opposition party, but
also by Alexander Hamilton, the
recognized leader of Adams's own
party, the Federal. as soon as the
election Of Jefferson seemed prob
ability, everything was. done to
arouse religious prejudice against
him. The Rev. DR.. John NJ. Mason
wrote a pamphlet with the title,
The Voice of Warning to Christians
on the Ensuing Election in which
Jefferson was condemned as On in.
tidel on the strength Of his Notes on
Virginia He had, according to DIR.
Mason, attacked the Bible and dis,
puted or denied the possibility Of the
flood. In more than half the pulpits
Of New England he was stigmatized
as an ATHEIST or French infdel and an
ardent admirer and follower of the
unspeakable Voltaire.
Gall this feeling against Jefferson
makes it the more remarkable tina
Elder John Leland, of Cheshire, il
Massachusetts, should have come ou
SO stoutly for him. Elder Leland hat
been q warm admirer of the Sage O
Monticello, and his sense of justice
was outraged by the unwarranted as
saults made On him. He took off hi
coat and did not rest until everybod.
within reach of his influence had beer
brought over to hearty support Of JEFF
ferson, the church people especially
When it was known that Jefferson hat
been elected, it was resolved to Civ
expression to the satisfaction of tn
people of the town. Elder Lelan'
called on every COW owner of tn
vicinity to contribute not less thai
one quart of milk or its equivalent il
curd on q certain day Tor the construc
ton of q mammoth cheese Of the kin
that had made Cheshire famou
throughout the Commonwealth an
even beyond its borders. 1t was de
signed to put this on strong WACO
and haul it to Washington, 800 mile
away, and present it to Jefferson o
the day of his Inauguration.
Captain John Brown, the patric
who first discovered the treason
Benedict Arnold, was the owner of tn
biggest cider press in the distric
This he devoted to the making of th
cheese. For an undemonstrative pee
pie they made the event interesting
On the appointed day every maj
woman and walking child in the tow
and for miles around formed in pr
cession and marched, singing an
cheering, and nearly all carrying pal
OF milk, to Captain Browns mill Q
the hill, Here q great hoop was mao
and into it was poured the rich foc
of milk. Then the woman who we,