The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-09-02
NORTHUMBERLAND. TAYLOR
The Stirring Scene Is Described
by an Eyewitness.
SURPRISED IN, A GRAIN FIELD

Sturdy Old General Was at Work in
His Farm Clothes When NOtifiCa-
ton Committee Arrived and Gave
Him the First News of His NOmi-
nation for President.
There is at least one instance on
record where a presidential notifca-
ton committee really brought to the
nominee of a great political party
his first knowledge of the honor con-
ferred upon him. Today the cerc-
mony of notification is hardly true t.
name. A committee of one delagate
from each state travels to the home
of a candidate and amid demOnstra-
lions of great enthusiasm officially
notify the modest recipient of a ma
tons favor of a fact which he had
known from the very first 1t is
ludicrous, but grown-ups, as we'll as
children, sometimes need amuse-
ment. The effort is not all wasted,
however, as the occasion is seized
upon in each instance for the oppor-
tunity it affords to debate the poll
ticians Great speeches are made by
members of the committee and by
the blushing candidate. 1t costs
thousands of dollars to carry the
news to BILLY" for instance, but
campaign managers like to have the
first gun well loaded; and notifica-
tion day is really the official begin
ming of the great quadrennial scrap. |
In the old days though a notification
meant just that and nothing more.
Capt. Wilson H. Daniel of Jasper,
Ind, inventor and author, now near ,
ly IS years old recently recalled his
experience of 1848, when he was
present and witnessed the notifca-
ton of Gen. Zachary Taylor, which |
took place in the latter part of June
or the first part of July of that year
The Captains Story.
The national convention of Wings |
met in Philadelphia some time in |
June, 1848, and On the third ballot |
nominated Gen. Zachary Taylor, |
old Rough and Ready" as their |
candidate for the presidency over |
Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and Gen |
Scott. And some time later, during |
oats harvest, while that frontier col |
Onel, who had not voted for 40 years, |
was working in his oat fed and talk |
ing to Capt. Daniel of old days and |
of happy days he had spent at Camp |
Salubrity the notification commit |
oh prI - i
landed right near where "Old |
Rough and Ready" was working and |
talking, and really notified him, that
is, gave him the first information he |
had of his nomination
In the summer of 1913 l was |
passenger on board the Alhambra,"
said Capt. Daniel in relating the story
of his experience Before landing
| had been told by the captain that
we would land at Taylors plantation
just below the town OF Rodney, in
the state of Mississippi, to take on
wood. We were there for several
hours, and as soon as ! landed | saw
Gen. Taylor, with whom | had got
acquainted at Camp Salubrity some
years before, just across the road
IN an oat field, where he and several
negroes were at work grading and
binding oats.
The general wore a broad
brimmed, lOw-crowned white felt
hat blue blouse, no shirt and blue
pants. His feet were encased in
homemade boots. His hands and
face We're covered with dirt and black
from oats. When I called and said
Hello, General he at once recog-
nized me, and as was his custom,
hailed me by saying, Hello, Wheels
man
He came over to the fence and