The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-09
RELICS SHOWNOF
 PAST CAMPAIGNS Novel Exhibits Shown in
 War Department THE CAMPAIGN OF 1S44 First Photographic Report of Baltimore Convention Caused Amusement in Washington When News
 papers Issued Extras
THE CAMPAIGN OF 1S44
nx C. F. STEWART


 Washington, October S.-(Special.)-A very interesting political relic of the presidential campaign of 1s44 Is on exhibi- tion at the war department and shows that electioneerng methods of the pres ent day are not so far different from those of the old days of "befo de wah" when the whigs and the democrats used to make things lively in their intense struggles before the people for the priv- lege of saving the country. This relic of old days is one of the campaign ban ners of Henry Clay and T. Frelinghuysen, the whig candidates for President and vice president, who were defeated in the contest by James K. Polk and George M Dallas, the standard bearers of the demo- cratic party. The old flag was the prop erty of the late John McMurdy of Ship pensburg, Pa, and was carried by him in political processions during the pres- dential campaign of 1S44 It is torn and faded. but it's lettering and characters are clear and legible.
 Animals Always Popular
 In this country animals have always been popular as symbols of political par ties. For instance this is shown in the present use of the elephant, the donkey and the bull moose. The raccoon, com monly dubbed the coon was the em- blem of the old whig party. That must have been before the colored brother got his sobriquet of coon and any way he didn't cut any figure in politics in those days-it was before he was very much of an issue. In the election of 1s4o the whigs were successful at the polls with William, Henry Harrison as their leader, and the "coon'' as their emblem The emblem was supplemented then, how ever, by the log cabin, as a personal tribute to Harrison So in 1Si4, the whigs were evidently feeling pretty "cockey" and proudly displayed the "same old coon The doggerel beneath the coon was sufficient in itself, however, to lose them the election, even if the name of the candidate for the vice presidency did not The verses ran:
 'The moon was shining silver bright The stars with glory crowned the night. High on a rail- that same old coon, Was singing to himself, this tune:
 Cfar de kitchen
 Hurray Hurray
 For Henry Clay"
 or course ''coons" may sing but it is some stretch of the imagination that one should call for the kitchen to be cleared, in addition doing the applause staff for Henry Clay.
 First Photographic Report
 The old flag also revives the memory of tina use to which the electric telegraph was put in connection with the reporting of the proceedings of the convention at Baltimore that nominated Clay and Frel- inghuysen. The telegraph at that time was very new thing. Few people would believe that the movement of a bit of metal in one city could be made to record an intellgible signal at the end of wire in another city far away Professor Morse, the inventor of the tele- graph, had almost starved to death in his efforts, finally successful to get Con gress to appropriate the small sum of $3o,OOO to construct the experimental line between Baltimore and Washington. The convention met in the former city which was connected with Washington by a telegraph line-the only one then in the world. Many persons in Washington, in- cluding politicians and congressman and government officials went over to Balti- more to the convention. After the nomi- nation they returned to Washington by traln Even the railroad then was new and the rapid transportation of the steam cars was regarded with more or less awe.
 On arriving in Washington, great was the amazement of the delegates and oth- CTS to hear the newsboys crying the names of the nominees. The returning Washingtonians were beseged and be- sought for confirmation of the newspaper reports which the people having no faith in the telegraph were convinced were fakes. The nomination of Clay was anticipated, but that of Freinghuyseu. not so we'll known, was unexpected When 1t became known generally that the news had actually been received by wire in advance of the swiftly moving train the public was at first amazed and then convinced. The telegraph was then for the first time established in the minds of the people as success, and the members of Congress who were progressive enough to vote for the ap- propriation for building the line were vim dcated, though they had been jeered and condemned to defeat for useless waste of the peoples money.