Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-03
"reminiscences Of the Early Days Of
the Republic.
SLOW METHODS OF RECEIVING NEWS
Exciting Period Just Prior to the
Civil War.
THE PRESENT CAMPAIGN

DIS luey 10 HOW, anu often d week OF IiOFS
elapsed before the result was known. Then
the uncertainty caused much uneasiness,
and 1 believe business was generally fiat
about those times. Indeed, when the axiom
| that To the victor belong the spoils' was
| recognized the majority of the few hundred
office holders regarded the election SIS a
| turning point in their lives. 1 have heard
| some of our merchants of those days as
| cribe the dullness of business to the depart
| ment clerks, who were obliged to save their
money to enable them to return home,
should they be on the losing side. And, as
a rule, the politics of the government Off
Gals was well known, but few taking the
| trouble to hide their colors, and when the
wings and democrats held platform meet
irgs it was not difficult to find speakers in
| the departments
II may say that those who held no
once, who had no ak to grind. were
more more outspoken than the average bust
recall must have injured their trade, for
more than one store displayed the political
em lt,l OF the proprietor. Where Wash
Williams Is now located l have heard the
rooster crow as emblematic of the coming
triumph OF the democracy, and a dead
| coon represented the fate of the whig
| party.
Wanted No Wing Money.
THE merchant then in business there was
-N-AS"AA ~ sup q Sdic upon nearing a GUS
toner announce whig sentiments The
merchant would remark that he did not
want any wing money. Though such was
the case with his sales he had no objec-
ton to receiving what had been waeered
| against his candidate, and on more than
one occasion the day after the election had
been decided he would be seen out collect
| ing MS BETS and would return with a hat
full of bills. AS he counted them he would
remark: 1 told the blamed fools how IT
would be- but they wouldn't believe me- -"
In answer to an intimation that a talk
| on the election of Jackson and others
said:
That was in 1928, and I was then too
small to understand or observe election re-
| some days after election day before the
| decision was known to a certainty, and
| though there were no political clubs here
| there was much excitement and many bon
| fires were lighted when 1t became known
that Old Hickory and Calhoun had tr-
| umphed over Adams and Rush.
| The opposing parties were the demo-
| Gratis and the national republicans and
the few thousands of Washingtonians,
many feeling that Jackson had been badly
| treated when the preceding election was
| thrown into the House and decided in favor
of John Quincy Adams. The office holders
We're uncertain, too. as to holding their
| places.
| Il learned my trade in the old Intelli-
eencer afterward and being interested in
elections l have looked over the files of
| that period l find that November II the
excitement was beginning to disappear and
the 14th the paper said: The election is
| over
| How did we receive the news? Wen,
| there were the post Office and newspaper
| offices, the hotels and stage Offices as well
as the steamboat wharves. Pony express
stage coach and steamboats, brought the
returns. There were no railroads nor tele-
graph then, but the voting was not
uniform in all the states and as many of
the states elected their officers in October
the result of the presidential election was
| easily conjectured.
| jackson Democrats Organize.
| when Jackson and Adams ran some days
elapsed after the Tuesday next after the
first Monday In the month of November
| before it was fully admitted that the for
mer was the coming executive. 1t was in
this campaign that the Jackson Democratic
| Association was organized.
when the Jackson-Clay campaign came
on, in 1892 the veteran remarked, Il was
more observant, and my father, brothers
and other relatives being active I did not
want for teachers in politics. This was
quite an exciting time, for opposition to the
| old general was rampant here. Neverthe-
| less, the Jackson Democratic Association,
having it's headquarters at the Franklin en-
| CINE house, held up their end. Though dis
|
disorder, and this result was due to the
fact that there was but little parade.
1.-The next campaign, which resulted in
the election of Van Buren, over General
Harrison and Others said the veteran,
was in 1886, and there was not much fuss
about it, and though it was little Van
against the field and nearly every one here
conceded the election over Harrison we
had over a months suspense. December
3 the Intelligencer gave Van Buren, 13:I
electoral votes and the opposition-Harrlson,
II. L. White Of Georgia, Daniel Webster OF
Massachusetts, and W. P. Mangum of South
Carolina-119 and said: 1T is very gem
orally believed that Mr.. Van Buren, is
elected. If we live till next Christmas and
know who is or who is not elected Presi-
dent of the United States.
| Though Mr.. Van Buren, was elected by
the people the candidate for the second
electoral votes and was chosen Vice Pres
ident by the Senate. This was probably
the longest political campaign we ever
had. Mr.. Van Buren, was a candidate for
| reelection in 1910 and Gen. Harrison OPP
posed him. This was lively campaign, in
which the Washington people took much
interest, and 1T was a regular hurrah on
both Sides The whigS had a log cabin on
| the avenue near the market, on the walls
of which the skins of coons and other ami
mails were hung, and barrel of hard cider
was kept on tap. There was frequent
sang 'Tippecanoe and Tyler, too 'Umsey
Dumpsey Killed Tecumseh.' and other cam
| paign illusions.
THE democracy met at the Franklin en-
CINE house, 18th street and Pennsylvania
avenue, and put up a hickory pole, on
which names of the nominees appeared,
and during the season there were many
democratic professions. Pokeberries We're
used in festooning stands and in coloring
| On one occasion a wagon for the band, on
| going to barbecue, was drawn by four
nilk-white horses going out. which on the
| return were colored red with poke Juice
| This party made use of the chicken cock
and dead coon, while the wings showed the
rooster on his back and live coons. In this
election the result was soon known, for
from the state election results each party
figured that the two larger states-New
York, with AZ votes, and Pennsylvania, with
30 votes-would decide the contest and No
| vember 8 the word came that % votes from
the first-named state and 1S from the Sec
| ond had been secured for the whigs,, the
| latter by but few hundred majority This
| result set the wing element wild with Joy,
| and there were meetings held at the log
| cabin near the market; there were process
sfors night and day, In which were borne
cabins, transparencies. dead cocks anG
I've coons.
Administration Unpopular.
1.-THE administration of Mr. Van Buren,
| aryt he