The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-14
oLD-TIME GEORGIA ELECTIONS.
"reminiscences of a Man who Saw
Them

"reminiscences of Man who Saw
Them.
The law turned us loose on the birds
last week, election this week and the
Lord knows what next week.
This Is plenty for old folk, and eth
er one would naturally carry us back
to the olden timeS-to birds in the old
times and to old-time elections. We
took it on ourselves to watch the cleo
ton and we are willing to admit that
they are fairer now than in the olden
times and far more decent. In the
days when wings and democrats We're
about equally divided in Georgia there
was neither honesty nor decency in the
securing and holding what was then
known as the floating vote" Get
some old man to tell you just how men
used to be ''penned' like cattle before
all the elections of any Importance.
In those days half family might be
democratic, the other half wing. There
was division then and the most ener-
getc effort. The best citizens thought
it all right to furnish money for politi-
in penning votes before election. 1t
was a species of Kidnapping and the
most disgraceful scrambles took place
over these voters on the day that they
were to cast their ballots, and you need
not conclude that all the "floaters"
subject to this outrage were men from
the scums of life. Any man who was
unfortunate enough to be caught in his
cups to the extent that he might be got
inside of one Of their places for hold
ing these f1oaters would never escape to
go free. Sometimes it would happen
that the other side would steal them
by some means from their places of
confinement, but it, only meant that
they would be transferred to another
place of the same kind.
In this day of making pictures for
the newspapers it would be sight
more beautiful than anything now in
existence for the artist to have got into
some of the halls where these voters
We're kept and have given it to the
readers just as 1t was. Once having
got a fellow in their place they had
him. have seen large halls with these
Along down the center were buckets of
whskey with dippers and negro wait
ers were there to watch for any rest
1essness among the "floaters," with or
ders to drench them if they refused to
imbibe voluntarily. There was plenty
to ca. If the drunken men could eat,
and there was no rough treatment save
to keep them in q stupor till they had
been voted After their ballots We're
cast they We're dismissed like dogs
this is one dark spot in the history of
the old south. We have no such meth
DDS in these days, but we might if the
vote was close and perhaps they do
have in states where elections are close
between the two graf parties.
But everything was not bad in con-
nection with the campaign of the olden
times. There was friction that made
men bright and created patriotism
among the masses Liberty poles were
erected, each party striving TO get a
cole higher than the opposition. At
he raising of these poles was the place |
% see the flash of intellect and the
Wild craze of craftsmanship. Atlanta |
las had some great days in recent |
years, but she has never had a greater |
lay than when Fillmore came. All the |
space north of the carshed TO Decatur /
treet was vacant then and it was in |
his vavant space that they undertook
O raise Fillmore pole. 1t was the |
ongest pole ever known, and there
we're some mighty long ones in those
lays. After cutting off hundred or
wo feet of the pole, they at last got it |
aised. Towering above everything /
Yer known in the way of a pole all
Fillmore men were wild and there was
n anxious waiting for the train that
would bring Mr.. Fillmore to the meet
ng.
Amid all this enthusiasm over the
ole when they pulled the rope fixed
or the purpose the flag refused to !
nove. There was a hitch hundreds of
Get up the pole aud never a way could