The Atlanta constitution., 1900-11-12
PlUnkotf SLotf0r

written for The Weekly constitutional
The law turned us loose on the DHos
last week. election this week and the ASoiu
knows what next week.
This IS n plenty for old folk. and either
one would naturally carry us BACK 10 'he
oIden times-to birds in the Old times
and to old-time elections. We TOOK =
on ourselves to watch the eiectioh an"
We are willing TO admit tfat they are
falrer now than in the oide1 times ana
far more decent. In the days when wings
and democrats were about equally divided
i'm 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 no"
men used to be ''penned' ike cattle De-
fore all the elections of any Importance.
In those days half a family might De
democratic the other half whig- Tnero
was division then and the most energetic
effort. TIE best citizens thought u all
right to furnish money for political pur-
poses and good men lent a hand in pen
ming voters before the election. II was
species of KIDNAPPING and the most dis
graceful sc-ambles took place over these
voters on the day that they were to cas-
their ballots, and yea need not concidde
tba+ All the 'hoaters' subject to this out
rage were men from the scuTns OF IRE
ANY man who was unfortunate enough
to be caught IN his cups to the extent
that he might be got inside OF one OF the'r
places for holding these fioaters would
never escspe to go free. Sometimes =
would happen that the other side woulo
steal them bv some means from their
place of confinement. but II only mean
that they would he transferred 10 an
Other place Of the same kind
In :his day Of making pictures Tor the
newspapers II would sight more beau
tiful than anything now in existence for
the artist 10 have got into some OF u'+
halls where these voters were kept ana
have given II to the readers Just IS i
uas once having got q fellow in their
place they had him have seen large
halls with these voters laying on the
hoo- all around. Along down the center
were buckets of whisky with diDpers and
negro walters were there 10 ~atcn TOT
any restIessness among the hoaters'
with orders 10 dTench them II they re-
fused to imbibe voluntarily mere VIZ
plenty to eat If the drunken men conio
cat and there was no rough treatment
save to keep them in stupor III theE
be1 bee, voted. Afte- their ballots were
cast they were dismissed Ike coss-thi-
is one dark spot in the history Of the oid
south We have no such methods II these
davs. but we might If the vote was close
and Derhaps they do have in states where
elections are close between the two gfea-
parties.
But everything was not had ~ cohhec-
ton with a campaign OF the olden tliiie7-
There was friction that made men brish-
and created natriOtism among the masses
Liberty poles were erected, each party
striving to get pole higher than the o.
position. AT the raising OF these poles
was the place to see the fash or intel
lect and the wild craze Of partisansnip
Atlanta has had some great DAYS IN Re
cent years. but she has never had 2
greater day than when Fillmore came All
the space north Of the carshed 10 De
catur street was vacant then and Il wa
In this vacant space that they undertook
% raise a fillmore pole. II was the long
est pole ever known. and there were some
mighty long ones IN those days After
cutting off a hundred o. two feet OF the
pole, they at last got Il raised. Towering
above everything ever known IN the Way
Of a pole all Fillmore men were Wild ana
there was an anxious waiting FOR the
train that would bring Mr.. Fillmore 10
the meeting
Amid an this enthusiasm over the pole
when they pulled the fope fixed for tho
purpose the flag refused 10 move. There
was hitch hundreds Of feet up The po-e
and never way, could be devised % cor
rect that hitch. When all hope had about
6eparted from the Fillmore men a gen
tleman STEPPED forward with lady upon
hl sarm and volunteered 20 CLIMB the pole
and correct the erro-. HObson. nor
Wheeler. nor Dewey nor any Of them
were ever any greater heroes than tEls
man was among the Fillmore men Of thai
occasion. WI en- he had pulled OF hls
shoes and got ready he made quick step
TO the ledy--she was his w.fe-kissed he
and squeezed her IN one loving ernbrace
and up the pole he started Up, up. til
every man held his breath The pole
quivefed and cracked and the wisest
screamed for him 10 go no higher. But
he went higher. He went too high, ano
he fell
There was never a death IN Georgia. 7
venture. that had such a cooling effect
upon a crowd Tomos was there al his
best and he was doing al that he could
20 make Filmore's visit a failure. Many
great men OF Georgia We're there and they
al had their wild following. Mr. Fill
more dared not leave his tain but when
that man fell from that pole. in an In
stant every heart was meited in sympa-
thy. Tombs turned all his pockets into
the hat that was passed around for the
wife OF the dead man. thousands were
made Up IN q Few minutes.
But. after all, ] wish 10 say Tor the
announcement Of the generation that
politics Is carried on with fun as much
dlcency and order as il used TO be- IL
not more and this is saving a rigat
smart ior there are precious few things
as good IS they used 90 be.
I watched the hunters after the part
ridges last week The birds have no
showing, but. when come TO think about
IL, they never Gid have. In The older
times there We're not such guns as they
have now nor there was no such number
of trained dogs. but we had tgaps an0
cOops which were about as destructive
m one weeks time there is the greatest
difference In the birds OF the field an5
woods. They are wild now TO what they
wete then and seem 20 know that meu
are after them. They smell the powder
and KNOW are anxious. but il VIII dc
them no good, men viii nuut them out
wherever they go. and man IS about as
cruel as a cat. SARGE PLUNkETT.
a Domestic Disagreement.