Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-20

caused runs on banks, leading to bank
suspensions, and sometimes to total
wrecks of banks, and reduced a large pcr-
ton Of the people to poverty. In such
cases the people lay the blame on the party
in power, and in the state elections in the
fall Of 1897. and in the congressional can
vass Of 1888 the democratic party lost
ground all over the country. There was a
slight business rally in 1899, but it lasted
only a short time, and during the cam
paign of 1910 the general business condi-
tion was almost as serious as it had been
in the acute period of the CONFUSION in
1887.
Though the whig party was only half
a dozen years old at that time, having
been formed in 1884, it made a canvass in
1910 which has been memorable ever since
for it's activity, tumult, picturesque fea-
lures and enthusiasm. 1t Is memorable
also for the large number OF great speakers
which were marshaled on the whig side
These included Clay, Webster, Everett OF
Massachusetts, Thomas Corwln of Ohio
Sergeant s. Prentiss, a Yankee from Mis-
sissippi, William Campbell Preston Of
South Carolina, John j. C~rittenden of Ken
lucky, George Evans of Maine, John Bell
Of Tennessee and Emerson Etheridge of the
same state, Willie p, Mangum of North
Carolina, Joshua r. Giddings of Ohio and
many others then prominent. These orators
spoke in many places, and although the
country was not mapped out for political
purposes as thoroughly as It is now, and
although the facilities for travelling were
rather crude, the field from New England
to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico
was covered by them with a good deal of
a A. 80
worthy Of the reputation OF the speakers.
The audiences were measured by the acre,
and the professions attending the demon
STATIONS were computed by the mile. A
wing rally at Bunker Hill, which was ad-
dressed by Webster, Everett and others,
numbered 1900 persons. New York, Phila-
dclphla, Baltimore and other eastern
towns had gatherings which ran up to
600 or $1,000. But the largest of the cam
paign was that which took place at Day
ton, in the candidates own state, in which
the candidate himself appeared and made
a short speech. To these gatherings per-
sons came from distances ranging from ten
to 100 miles, and as many OF them travelled
on foot. on horseback or in wagons, they
were, IN some cases, two or three days on
the journey each way. No such outpour-
ings Of the people took place in any pres!-
dental campaigns before or since, The
i. nearest approach to this canvass Of 1910 in
p!cturesqueness and in spectacular features
were those of 1886 and 1860, on the re9ubn-
can side.
Log Cabin a Campaign Feature.
BY a fortunate piece Of political stage
play the convention which nominated Har-
rison. and which met in Harrisburg in De-
cember, 1889, eleven months before the
election, called a gathering of the whig
young men to assemble in Boston in May,
$40, about the time when the democrats
were to meet there to renOminate Wan
Buren,. Wings went there from every state,
to the number Of many thousands. That
ancient political convention city Eever had
so many strangers within its gates before
as &. had during those early days of May,
1870, when both wings and democrats gath
cred there simultaneously. And just be-
fore this cate a little inspiration to tho
wings was handed out 10 them by one OF
the enemy. This was in the shape OF a
suggestion by a democratic paper that
somebody ought 10 give Harrison a los
cabin and a barrel of hard cider, and he
would be content to remain IN the little
Ohio town where he resided, n would
let men who knew and cared something
about running politics run the political af-
fairs Of the country. The wings seized
on the idea, and log cabins, with men
wearing coon skin caps and drinking hard
cider. became the leading features in the
Harrison professions. At the Baltimore
gathering Of May these features made
their first appear ance, and they became
the accessories Of every whig parade al
over tho country from that time 10 the
Of the campaign. Singing, too. IL a