Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-04-03
AMERICAN POLITICAL SLANG

I
White House, was afforded opportuni-
ties for observation OF political doings
in those stirring times and thus speaks
with authority on the origin OF many
expressions still in use in current po-
litical life Major Truman declares
that while many of the slang express
sions used in the United States are
called "Americanisms," most of the
latter have been bequeathed us from
early English literature, and away
down that line from Shakespeare to
Dickens; and some OF our most COM
mon applications have been adapted
from the Bible itself. But an exception
may be made regarding our political
slang, nearly all of which Is strictly
Original; and few or none Of our presi-
Dental campaigns have been carried
through without the production OF
some new political slang terms of more
or less effectiveness. Indeed, to go
back only few presidential terms,
no future treasure house of American
English words will be complete with
out the "mugwump" of 1884. 1t seemed
expressionless and far fetched, as first
applied-by someone never strictly
traceable-to those republican goody-
goodys who broke away from Blaine
and helped elect Cleveland, and no sat
| isfactory conclusion was ever arrived
at concerning its prosody and etymol-
ogy.
In 1894 the nickname of "locofocos"
was given to the adherents OF the
democratic party throughout the Unit
ed StaUes, who followed the course OF
a majority of the members of Tam
many Hall, who, when the lights were
turned on them during tumultuous
meeting, kept right on with their pro-
ceedings by chickering's from locofoco
matches until candles were procured.
About the same time the members Of
the more radical wing of the New York
democracy received the derisive name
of "barnburners," chasing them with
lot of lawless incendiaries, who for
many months vented their spite on
the owners of large grain and corn
lands in the Mohawk and Oswego val
leys by burning their barns.
Along in the 40s came the terms
"abolitionists" and "freesoilers," as APP
piled TO the growing anti-slavery ele-
ment in the North; and about the
/ same llllt llit VI uOu6h
faces" as applied to pro-slavery men
| of both parties in the North, and that
of "fre-eaters," applicable to pro-
slavery orators and newspaper editors
of the South. Regarding the term
"doughfaces" there has always been
some difference of opinion as to its
photography and meaning, but Hon.
George Blackburn once said in po-
litical speech that John Randolph, in
referring to these Northern dema-
gogues. from his seat in congress,
branded them as 'doefaces.' Randolph
spelled the ford d-o-e-face in allusion
to the timid, startled look of that ami
mar which is said to shrink from the
reflection of its own face in the wa
ter"
During the Civil war rebel sympa-
thizers in the North were termed
"copperheads," after one of the mean
est and most venomous of snakes. II
was Mr.. Lincoln who said that mot
all democrats are copperheads, but all
copperheads are democrats" lmme-
diately after the war those republic
ans who went South and were elected
TO office were called "carpetbaggers,"
and all natives who affiliated with re-
publicans were derided by the South
ern people generally as "scalawags.
Probably more political slang grew
out of the campaign of 1870 than of
all the others that preceded it, and
the bari of money" "bulldozing," Wis
ting statesmen" solid South" "stal-
warts shotgun policy" nineteen
rebel brigadiers," counting out" re
turning boards" nephew of his uncle"
and some others belong to that mo-
mentous year.
A few years afterward Congressman
Flanagan, of Texas, contributed to our
political Americanisms What are we
here for?" and Thomas y. Watson, of
Georgia asked Where am | at?" But
Senator Quay, of Pennsylvania, added
a phrase to political literature that
will reach a good old age when he
wrote to a friend: You do your part
and | will shake the plum tree"
1t was in 1876 that We first heard of
The dark horse" Mr. Hayes having
been trotted out as that equine indi-
vidual. There have been many at
tempts to hunt up the pedigree of the
dark horse in politics, and the follow
ing has been generally the most salts
flying; A few years "befo' de wah"
there lived in Tennessee a trading
horse Jockey who had coal black
stallion, almost a thoroughbred. He
entered this horse in a country race
meeting where he was not known and
where the natives heavily backed two
or three favorites against him. Old
Judge McMinamee. the turf oracle of
that part of the state, was one of the
judges of the meeting, and when he
was told how the stranger was fool.
ishly betting on his horse, he looked
at the stallion and said: Gentlemen,
there's a dark horse in this race that
will make some of you suffer before
supper"
That imaginary stream called salt
river" up which defeated candidates
are supposed to be rowed, is one of
the most felicitous of all our political
Americanisms, although its authorship
is unknown. The caucus" was first
used in 1925 Elbridge Gerry, a demo
cratic Massachusetts politician of the
latter part of the eighteenth and the
early part of the nineteenth century,
was accused of having instigated the
first division of states into congress
sional districts without regard to the
natural order and conditions in order
that his party might succeed; thus,
"gerrymander."
Probably the greatest excitement,
next IN the Civil war orr country has