The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-05-10

Differed very slueh from Those Or tn.
- ---N

ana D0llIical cdnfasslng m The times
Of our fathers and grandfathers are
very different things An that Is
necessary now is for an orator or
candidate TO betake himself To
private car There surrounded bv
friends and supplied with every
luxury he IS as comfortable as if at
home in his study on Office. The
train moves off. and at frequent in.
terYa stops at a station where az
ready a crowd of people are gathered.
The orator steps TO the rear platform
OF his car, delivers a speech Of from
5 10 30 minutes, according 10 the
exigency OF the time table and then
glides onward Thus in the course
of two OF three days a great State
may be thoroughly canvass q, and in
the course of ten days a half dozen
States At important capitals a stop
is sometimes made over night. where
the orator addresses the people in a
vast hall amid the accessories Of
music and brilliant electric lights
In this manner a great political cam
palgn is now reduced to a matter OF
a lew weeks, where formerly II
dragged through many months ana
often extended over year
In the old times a political cam
paign was a serious labor 1t in-
yOlyed long and disagreeahle Journeys
on horseback OF in private vehicles.
The roads were bad and sometimes
impas able, while creeks and rivers
were bridgeless. To canvass con-
gressional district or q State was the
work Of months. The announce.
ment had TO be made weeks before
hand and a political meeting was as
notable an event as the coming Of
the circus. 1t is said indeed that
S. S. prentiss, one % the greatest
and most eloquent OF stump orators
once canvassed Mississippi In COM
pany with a circus, making an ar
rangement with the Snowman to
divide time 10 the advantage Of
roth, for prentiss was as attractive
a card as the show To these old
fashioned meetings farmers and other
good aud pat0riotic citizens would
come distances OF twenty 70 thirty
miles, bringing their families and
making a gala day of It, For this
was their only means OF gaining
political information or OF finding
out what their public servants were
doing The daily newspaper was a
thing unknown a d even the weeklies
were not circulated widely SO the
people lucked to the great political
gatherings to get news OF the world
and one or two such meetings would
last them a year
Such was stumpingN in the West,
thirty forty, aud nifty years ago be-
fore railroads brought the market 20
every farmers door and before the
telegraph gave him the news OF tie
world every morning. And as Ii was
10 the West so il had been Ia tho
East To-day Mr. Reed cGn start
from Portland IN Maine and In ten
days speak ia every important city
between there and Portland ore.
Within a period OF thiee weeks be
can speak IN every quarter Of the
United states and his utterances be
read at a million breakfast tables the
morning after In the days Of his
fathers It would have been a hercu-
lean task TO have travelled from Port
and TO New York in the same period
OF time, making speeches by th2
way
The tirst political tours Of impor-
tance 10 our history we're made by
I Washington in his first administra-
tion. His object was 70 increase as
Z far as possible the union sentiment
aud to acQuaint himself with the
condition and desire, ei the people Ia
various parts Of the country His
New England tour occupied a month
and his southern three months. lie
Travelled in his own coach, though
his entrance into the towns was
made on horseback. he himself
made no set speeches, but many we're
made by others and the union feel
ing was greatly strengthened.
James Monroe imadc Two extensive
/ Presidential tours with an ulterior
Z political purpose, so successfully in-
deed, that he was elected By the vote
Of every State FOR his second term.
Henry's Clay's journeys 20 and from
Washington almost invariably took
the form OF a political stumping
campaign, n0t that he wished il so
/ but because under the circumstances
he could not help it Travelling was
slow process in those days and was
rarely performed after nightfall and
wherever he stopped the people we're
wild to hear the silver tong HarrF
OF the West On some occasions hl
eutre Journey was a continued ora-
tiOn. On his way back 70 Lexington,
after Jackson's frst Inauguration, he
was received everywhere by crowds o-
enthusiastic admirers suppers din
ners aud balls were arranged for him
all along the line. and be had Tree
/ passage everywhere TaYerns stood
wide open. stages we're free and no
t1ll gate stopped him His course
was a triumphal march Thus early
did be commence his PreSidentiai
1 campaign for 1892 During tho
I next two OF three years he made long
ami extensive journeys south and
North aud addressed vast crowds