The Cairo bulletin., 1904-07-02
AN OLD TIME ELECTION
Fun at the Expense of Law
and Civilization In
Cairo.
BY Nose 3. tiarreIl. !


As the pending pre- idential election
promises to be warm one, a truthful
account of Cairo,s participation in
| 1S4S may prove interesting even
should it fail to serve as a warning
or guide.
was yet minor, but a more ear
nest supporter OF Taylor and fillmore
could not be found in township H.
range l. west. Cairo was the polling
place, and the election was held in a
room in the rear of b, Shannes US
saloon ana drug store-the old gentle
man. at that time. acoeptably filling
the position of druggist, saloonkeeper,
Justice IL the peace and postmaster.
The saloon wa filed with a noisy
crowd from early morning until night
fall and it is not much out of the way
ID say that enough whiskey and ale
we're drank to drown every voter pres
emit
The judges and clerks of the cleo
tion were active participants in the
carou ais. as well as the drinking. and
the Judge or clerk who declined an
invitation TO drink was seized, drag
gaa 10 the counter and Convinced
that ii would not do to disregard the
amenities Of election day
Electioneering was active and PER-
sistent. and. under the ruling of the
judges that (let him lie where he may
no American citizen should be denied
the privilege Of voting for president)
the deck passengers on the three IT
four steamboats, at the wharf added
over 100 names to the poll list. The
precinct contained about so voter
and not more than - of these were
Wings As the outcome showed that
90 votes had been cast for Taylor and
Fillmore ana 90 for Cass and Butler,
ii IS not difficult to determine which
lie pronted most by the questionable
voting
The judges and clerks brayely re-
listed the effects of their frequent
potation- until about O'Clock in the
afternoon. when they became hail
FELLOW well met" with everybody The
day was cald and both the saloon
AMI polling place were oyerhcated
the repeated libations Of the crowd
soon produced the effect of hilarious
There was not single
fight during the dIy, but about .
o'clock Judge Lewis, a tall muscular
black smith. came out # a general
5cufflc with the long tails Of his blue
blanket oyercoat torn squarcly ar at
he waist line. leaving him in an alb
,urdly short jacket, instead Of q trail /
ng overcoat. The registering iun Of
destroying each other hats soCn fol 1
owed. ana not less than a dozen Of |
he funny fellows" went home hat
ess. In the eyes Of sober men the |
7holc thing was disgusting and alb 4
torrent. but the participants, recall /
ng the occasion years afterwards. &c /
Jared that they never had mcrricr 1
line in all their lives.
The next issue g the Cairo Delta /
curcd the election Judge and clerks
n a singing. unmerciful manner the
ii'or declaring that the carrying on
sould have disgraccd gang Of Dig
or Indians or drunken H0ttntots.
Constable =. Corcoran replied 10 the
ditorS criticism. Re confessed that
the boys' were a little hilarious at
ines. and that the impulse TO share
4 the merriment was little too
trong for the election officials to mas
pr. but" continued Mr. Corcoran,
the ballot box wa sacrealy guarded,
nd every vote placed TO the credit
I the candidate for whom T. was
asst The election. upon the y hole,
as quite as orderly and as fairly
as any ever held In Cairo.
The editor took the concluding sen
nee as a text. and the lamp0Oning
e administered TO the officials and
afro voters formed a model piece of
,orching denunciation. quite as cx-
operating 10 its victims as It was
leasing to the orderly and law abid-
u ont i1er.