The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-06
THE LOG CABIN AND
HARD CIDER CAMPAIGN
Incidents of That Stirring Campaign as They Inn
= pressed Thoughtful Boy, Now Grown Gray
in Honorable Service.
(By Rev. R. H. Whitaker, D. d.

period of all others of a life time that
furnishes incidents which are to be in
delbly fixed in the mind and which. IN
all after life, will oftenest be remember
ed. AS much as we desired to be men,
when We were boys, we can't help loving
the boy period, now that we are getting
so far away from it; indeed our happiest
moments are when we wander back to
those scenes and those brighter prospects
which, In boyhood, were so lavlshly pre-
scented to the eager eye and the ingather-
ing mind.
Sixty-three years ago this writer was
boy, with all of a boys propensities to
see, hear and enjoy what was going on,
and the things he then saw were more
marvellous, the sounds sweeter, and the
people better than any things or sounds,
Or people he has seen or heard or known
since; upon the same principles that the
first circus boy sees is always the best,
because the like OF it was never seen be-
fore. The grand entry, the crack of
the ring masters 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 l was a boy" and we are bound
to conclude the whole circus business has
degenerated. The first circus still holds
its own, and all the aggregations and
combinations which the best shows can
get up do not hold light to it.
To the writer, Raleigh was a bigger
place sixty-three years ago than 1T is to-
day. 1t is true there were only three
or four thousand people living here whose
houses we're scattered here and there in
groves, three or four churches; a market
house just built, about the size OF an
ordinary wagon. shelter; a dozen stores
or so, on Fayetteville street, and as many
more on cross streets, with here and
there a tailor shop, shoe shop, a
coach shop or blacksmith shop; two
hotels, the 'Guion," where the Agrlcul-
tural Department is, and the Law
renee where the post office now stands,
and the State House; l say it is true that
Raleigh, as to size, population and wealth,
was but village then as compared with
its present dimensions and pretenslons;
vet, to the boy who came from the
country it was the biggest town he had
ever seen, and to his mind it was hard
to conceive how it could be bigger or
prettier. And to this day 1t IS difficult
for the old man to convince himself that
his boyish estimates of the city were
not correct for, added to the other at
fractions, Raleigh had 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 all
public occasions, either to cakes, candy, or
''sody.''
lc
that sixty-three years ago the country
was stirred from Maine to the land OF
aligators, by presidential campaign.
Martin Van Buren,, then President, was
the Democratic candidate, opposed by
General William Henry Harrison, of Ohio.
Unfortunately for them, and the fate of
their candidate, the friends of Van Buren,
referred to Harrison as living in the back
woods, in a log cabin and drinking hard
cider, instead of being able to delight
himself with the sparkling wine; and
that he ate from wooden bowls with
wooden spoons, and wore a coon-skin
cap, etc. It was just what the Wings
wanted to make campaign enthusiasm
and indeed they needed something, for,
although General Harrison had made
some fame as the hero of Tippecanoe, he
did not possess sufficient magnetism to
draw around him a successful following,
even with John Tyler, Of Virginia, as a
running mate Besides, Van Buren, had
made a good President, and being the
acknowledged protege of "Old Hickory
it was regarded as morally certain he
would be reelected. The worst thing
the Wings could say against Van Buren,
was that he was extravagant and as a
proof of it, it was claimed that he drank
his coffee with a silver spoon and had
silver teapot, cream pitcher, etc
The Wings caught on to the idea of
making an appeal to the poor people
(when it serves his purposes, a politician
delights in nothing better than to call
himself poor man, and speak OF himself
as the poor mans friend, by contrasting
the humble life of their candidate with
the extravaganza and high living of Van
Buren,. The Wing party, although the
party of wealth, posed for the time as the
poor mans party, and the public speak
ers advocating the election of Harrison
always referred to him as the candidate
of the poor man. So, no sooner had the
Democratic politicians said that Harrison
lived In log cabin, than did the Wings
begin to say, 1--WE told you so. Harrison
is a poor man, and the poor mans friend.
! What further proof is needed? Don't
\ the Democrats say he lives III a log
bin?" so, the people cried out. "Hur-
for the log cabin mani And then
% issue was made between the poor
q in the log cabin, and the rich man
- the White House; the one drinking
hard cider out of wooden mug, the 9th
e. champagne out of a silver goblet;
one drinking pot liquor out of wooden
spoon and the other stirring his tea with
a silver spoon.
The tariff and other issues, which had
served to make the political cauldron
boil. in other campaigns, were relegated
to back seats, and silver spoons, wooden
spoons, log cabins, coon-skins and hard
cider furnished the Wing campaigners
with that kind of oratory which made
the strongest appeal to the poorer classes.
From the beginning of the campaign Van
Buren's friends were put on the defer.-
slve. When the Wing orator would grow
eloquent in fis praises of '"Tippecanoe and
Tyler too and tell the people how
economically the government would be