The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-09-08
The LOG CABIN AND
HARD CIDER CAMPAIGN
Incidents of That Stirring Campaign as They I'm
pressed a thoughtful Boy, Now Grown Gray
in Honorable Service.

boy, j. the prefix that old men
are apt to use when they begin a
story, and 1t Is 70 natural they should.
because when I was a boy j. The
period q others OF a life time that
furnishes Incidents which are 10 be IN
deAoly fixed IN the mind and winch. IN
all after lie. VIII oftenest be remember
81 As much as We desired to be men.
When We were boys. We cant help loving
tEe boy period, now that we are getting
so lar away from II. indeed our happlcst
moments are when we wande- back 10
those scenes and those brighter prospects
winch, n boyhood. We're 50 lavIshly pre-
scented to the eager eye and the ingather-
ing mind.
SlXty-three years ago this writer was /
boy, with all Of d boys propensities to
see, hear and enjoy what was going on.
and the things he then saw were more
marvellous, the sounds sWeeter, ana the
people better than any things or sounds.
or people he has seen or heard or known
SINCE; upon the same principles that the
1lrst circus a boy sees Is always The best.
because the like OF 1t was never seen be
tore. The grand entry, the crack OF
the rlng-master's whip, the somersault
and Jest OF the clown, and the bareback
riding. SO wonderful when first seen. be-
come very tame affairs after awhile, not
comparing at all with what they were
when | was a boy and we ale bound
to conclude the whole circus business has
degcnerated. The first circus still holds
It's own, and all the aggregatlons and
combinations which the best shows can
get up do not hold a light TO it.
To the writer, Raleigh was a bigger
place siXty-three years ago than it is to-
/ flI " - r11a 500 r,ra o~tr +I,aa
or four thousand people living here whose
houses were scattered here and there III
groves. three or four churches; a market
house just built, about the size of an
ordinary wagon shelter; a dozen stores
or 50, on Fayetteville street, and as many
more on cross streets, with here and
there Il tailor shop, q shoe shop, a
coach shop or a blacksmith shop; two
hotels, the "Guion,' where the Agricul-
tural Department IS. and the Law
renee" where the post office now stands,
and the State House, | say it is true that
Raleigh, as to size, population and wealth,
was but a village then as compared with
It's present dimensions and pretcnslons;
vet, to the boy who came from the
country 1t was the biggest town he had
ever seen, and to his mind it was hard
to conceive how it could be bigger or
p~rettier. And to this day 1t IS difficult
for the old mar to convince himself that
his boyish estimates OF the city were
not correct; for, added to the other at
fractions, Raleigh had a cake and a
candy shop; also a soda fountain, from
which gushed the cold, sparkling soda
| water" which was the delight Of the
small boy, as it was the custom in those
days with the candidates to treat, on al
public occasions, either to cakes, candy, or
'sody."
Speaking OF candidates., re- .uds me
that slxtythree years ago the country
was stirred from Maine to the land OF
ahgators, by a presidential campaign
Martin Van Buren,, then President, was
the Democratic candidate, opposed b.
General William Henry Harrison, of Ohio
Unfortunately for them, and the fate o.
. their candidate, the friends of Van Buren
: referred to Harrison as living IN the back
Q woods, in a log cabin and drinking hare
cider, instead OF beng able to delgh
himself with the sparkling wlne; and
that he ate from wooden bowls witt
wooden spoons, and wore a coon-skir
cap, etc. 1t was just what the Wing,
: wanted to make campaign enthusiasm
and indeed they needed something, Tor
although General Harrison had made
some fame as the hero of Tippecanoe, i,
did not possess sufficient magnetism tt
: draw around him a successful following
even with John Tyler, of Virginia, as {
: running Iy4te Besides, Van Buren, haC
u made a good President, and being The
acknowledged protege of "Old Hickory
a it was regarded as morally certain h
q would be reelected. The worst thlnl
g the Wings could say against Van Burel
was that he was eXtravagant and as :
proof Of it, it was claimed that he dram,
his coffee with a silver spoon and haC
a silver teapot, cream pitcher. etc.
0 The Wings caught on to the idea o
o making an appeal to the poor peopl
e when it serves his purposes, a politician
+ delights in nothing better than to cal
himself a poor man, and speak of himsel
) as the poor mans frlend), by contrasting
the humble life of their candidate wit
the extravaganza and high living of Va
: Buren,. The Wing party, although tn
party of wealth, posed for the time as tn
poor mans party, and the public speak
ers advocating the election of Harrison
always referred to him as the candldat
: of the poor man. So, no sooner had tn
Democratic politicians s"ll that Harrlso.
lived In a log c"3A., Ian did the Wing
81 begin to say. told you SO. Harrison
is a poor man, AID the poor mans TREND
What further proof Is needed? Don
the Democrats say he lives III a 10
y cabin?" so, the people cried out, HUI
I Iah for the log cabin mani And the
II the issue was made between the poo
man in the log cabin, and the rich ma
in the White House; the one drInkln.
hard cider out of q wooden mug, the 9th
: e. champagne out Of a silver goblet
one drinking pot liquor out of q woode1
spoon and the other stirring his tea wit
a silver spoon.
The tariff and other issues, which ha
served to make the political cauldro
boil, IN other campaigns, were rclegate'
to back seats, and silver spoons, WoOdc
spoons, log cabins, coon-sklns and har
CIDER furnished the Wing campaigner
with that kind of oratory which mad
the strongest appeal to the poorer classe:
From the beginning of the campaig n Va
lBuren's friends were put on the defer.
sive. When the Wing orator would groV
eloquent in his praises Of "Tippecanoe an
81 Tv1ar too, aDd toll tho paOOIa hoy