The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-10-20
The Campaign Hat.

The popularity of the Rough Rider hat
among Republican managers in the pend
ing struggle between Mckinley and
bryan recalls to the old-rimer the pic
turesque side OF many bitter political
fights in years gone by. Since the cam
paign of 1864, which resulted in the re-
election of President Lincoln, distinctive
hats have frequently figured as tthe
badges Of pariisans. In 81, while the
cruel war was still in progress. and
when the vital Republican issue was the
preservation of the Union and the up
holding of Lincoin's administra ion,
campaign clubs were organic d through
out the North and were called Wide
Awakes-" Every town had it's company,
and some of the larga cities had sew
/. eral All the young Republicans were
active "Wide-Awakes" in those days,
and all the old fellows were honorary
members
The campaign hat of the wide
Awakes" was a slouch of black felt It
hadn't as wide a brim as the Rough
Rider hat of today, but it was just as
serviceable. It was really the army hat
of the Northern cavalryman in the Civil
war. The Southern cavalryman wore a
hat similar in shape. but of gray color.
Just as the black felt hat Of the Wide
Awakes was borrowed from the army.
so was the Rough Rider hat of the
present campaign.
Since Lincoln's time every fourth year
has seen Republicans and Democy ats SAL
lying forth with hats of such shape or
color or bearing such an emblem as 10
distinguish members of one party from
those Of the other. Often the style has
been adopted from some incident in the
life of a s5opular candidate, as immedi-
ately after the Civil war. when Gen.
Grant was the standard bearer Of the
Republicans for eight years, the popu ar
campaign hat for Republicans was the
oilcloth cap, which, in shape, resembled
the hat worn mostly by infantrymen all
through the rebellion. 1t had leather
visor, but no brim, and being made IL
brilliant colors it showed off to good
effect in torchlight parades.
These caps continued to be popular dur
ing the Hayes and Wheeler, and the
Garfield and Arthur campaigns. In
those years many Republican clubs all
over the country were known as Boys
in Blue. Zouaves were also organized.
They affected the red hat and tassel of
the Turk, but the oilcloth cap was far
more popular than all its rivals.
In the Blaine campaign 1t was the
proper thing for Republican campaign
ers to be known as Plumed knights, and
many hats were worn so trimmed that a
Republican could be identified as far as
he could be seen.
The Harrison campaign brought out
the famous tall white beaver, which was
worn by William Henry Harrison, grand
father of Benjamin, and which in conse-
quence was popularity known as grand
fathers hat" 1t recalled ''Tippecanoe
and Tyler, too of 1910, and together
with the log cabin made the campaign
of 1883 a most picturesque one.
-Four years ago many of the campaign
clubs wore helmets resembling those of
militiamen. There were gilded helmets
for Republicans, and silvered helmets for
Democrats, but the gilded helmets were
most seen, as the well-remembered issue
that year was money, and the yellow
color was proclaimed everywhere by
sound money clubs as the badge of vic
tory.
1t might be supposed from the custom
of Tammany to adopt Indian nomencla-
ture, and some Indian habits, too, that
this prominent Democratic organization,
when out on the warpath, would affect
the feathered headgear of the red man
Not so, however These braves love the
high and shiny silk hat. wnicn, when
worn together with ed-striped shirts
green cravats and diamond studs as b g
as hickory nuts, completes an effective
uniform either at chowder party or in
a torchlight procession.
Probably the Rough Rider clubs, with
their sombreros, in the present campaign
will go down in history as have the
Wide-Awakes, the Boys IN Blue. the
Plumed Knights and the Sound Money
clubs of the past, whose mission was to
arouse the interest and enthusiasm OF
the people. Certainly without them many
a holly contested political battle would
have lacked much in picturesqueness,
and the influence of the campaign hat
would have been undiscovered A hat
Is only a hat, except when identified with
a great cause. Then it becomes an in
spring emblem.