Middletown transcript., 1908-08-08
TELLS OF FORMER DAYS
Great Mass Meeting on Dover Green
Attended BY State Politicians

Attended Dy oLdte FOIlliCIdnS
WILMINGTON, July 25th.-In August,
1874, went with my father to the DEM
ocrat meeting at Dover. In those days
each hundred organization had what they
called boat-Wagon, or campaign wagon,
which went loaded to the mass meeting.
They would start in the upper hundred
and fall in the regular order as they pro-
ceeded in the direction of the meeting
point and on that occasion by the time
they got to Smyrna, which also had a
wagon, there was a considerable pro-
cession of wagons, to say nothing OF the
great number of carriages which usually
went.
l recollect that James Moore took his
own wife and Eldad Lore's wife-Chief
Justice Charles B. Lore's mother-and
went down the afternoon before, driving
one of his own and Mr.. Lore's horses,
which was a dandy, flea bitten, bobtail
grey.
When it reached Dover the procession
proceeded around the Dover Green and
Uncle Jimmie Moore appeared on the
scene in the capacity Of marshal of the
day, riding Mr.. Lore's handsome horse,
and wearing blue sash trailing almost
to the ground, cutting quite figure. It
all had a very bewitching effect on me,
for | thought it was the prettiest sight
I ever beheld, and it would not be con-
sidered a mean thing, in this, our day,
of modern ideas and improvements. l
would have it understood that they had
Ane horses and fine looking men in those
days-as noW-and Uncle Jimmie was
one of them. Proudly sitting on that
bohtailed grey, Uncle Jimmie was well
on the scene, With his long hlne sash
he cut quite a dash around old Dover
Green. l recoilect that George W. Cum
minis furnished four splendid bay horses
for the Smyrna wagon. James <. Polk
and George NJ. Dallas were the Presi'
Dental and Vice.Presidential candidates.
All the way down the road you could
tell farmers" politics by the banner
hung on the front gate, or by the kind
of wood the flag pole was made of. II
Democrat, the pole must be hickory,
but if Whig any other kind of wood
was used. On our way home somebody
ran into Charles Beaston-Judge Coch'
rams grandfather-=and broke his car.
riage down so that he could not proceed
farther with it. He got into my fathers
carriage with US, till we got to Smyrna
where he got another carriage,
The two opposing parties in those day;
went to greater lengths to make display
or to boost their respective interests than
| they do now. They would drive from
all parts of this county to attend a mass
meeting at Dover, and they would con
test every inch OF the ground on election
day, but there was no talk of stuttine
ballot boxes or OF counting anybody out
Sometimes they would take knock
| down or black one another's eye.
reoollect on one election day at Black
bird. two very stout men got into a jan
in a crowd about the window, and ont
of them clawed the other in the face
but there were no blows struck. Afte
the push was over one of them huntet
the other up and heard him say, "Ike
what did you claw me in the face for?'
and be said, 81 did not" 'By Golly, i
looked like you, and ! want to tell yo,
you must mind how you go when yo
do that. Why I'd ring your head off th
same as a chick, and you'd look prett
running around here with no head. eth
other man did not resent it, but the i'm
preston was that it was an accident, tina
he had not intended to "do the man.
They were both powerful men.
/ | learned all the campaign songs, whicI
were many, and commonly sung at tn
political gathering, and when riding i
the campaign wagon. Elias n. Moor
was one Of the greatest singers there ian
he is singing yet.
WILLIAM ANDREW HUKILL.