Evening journal., 1913-07-21
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Political POrtent That
Failed TO Make GOOd
By Holland.

"lu 1S44. when was just heginn-
ing TO take. as a young man. a great
interest in politics. the campaign for
the election of President with Henry
Clay as the Whig candidate and
James Is. Polk as the Democratic
candidate, was an especially excitng
and peacefully turbulent political
presidential canvass said the late
Judge Noah Davis afterward mem
her OF Congress and later the judge
who tried William n. Twoed--tO me
a year or two before his death.
Everybody thought the presiden-
tial battle would be won by the vote
Of New York State. Henry Clay was
tremendously popular in New York.
The Whig party at that time was
thought TO be even more united than
was the case four years earlier,
when William Henry Harrison was
the Whig candidate for President
Great meetings we're held all over
the State / remember the Whig
campag gn songs which. J think, were
even better than the songs written
and sung I'm the Fremont presidential
campaign of 1866. u looked for a
time as though Henry Clay would get
a majority in New York State OF at
least 10000 over Polk. the Demo
cratic candidate for President. All
the Omcns we're reported to forecast
the election of Clay. / remember
that in my part of the State, in the
Rochester district, some wizards re
ported that they had forecas the
election, through their magic manipu-
lation of witch-hazel wands. think
It is safe TO say that at no presiden
tial election was there more super
stition. more consulting Of the oracles
of the times than in this campaign
Of lS44.
There was one omen reported
from New York city the story OF
which spread all over the state and
[ created tremendous enthusiasm. a
monster Henry Clay all-day picnic
barbecue and outdoor massmectine
had been arranged and was TO be
held IN a grove near Fort Lee. which
was one of the important strategic
points ON the Hudson River during
the Revolutionary War.
MANY thousand persons assembled
there. lust when the massmcetine
was at its climax there suddenly
sailed out from the Palisades of the
Hudson River a magnificent eagle
The bird poised aloft and then poised
itself far up toward the skies, occa-
sionally Slowly and very gracefully
and without apparent motion of ths
wings circllne around and around
that great company
"Thc bird attracted the attention OF
everyone. II diverted those who were
listening to the campaign orators. II
was everywhere regarded as mag
nificent symbol OF approaching vic.
tory for Henry Clay
"lt was the chief event of that
gathering. Throughout the State the
Wings were told that the election
Of Henry Clay was assured. The
American eagle had scared alof
over the greatest Whig gathering
/ New York had ever known. remain
| ing there until the meeting was over
"Yct. after all Henry Clay was de
feated simply because James G.
Rurney. the Abolition candidate FOL
President drew away from th'
| Wings Just enough votes To enable
Polk 10 get a plurality of about 5,O0O
~ was aftorward told that tn
happy augury of the eagle poiSinl
] tN'I AIf w iAh erAN'i i't1 NNNiN Wv
dOuhtcdly have come TO successful
! conclusion If some inhuman sports
man had not shot and killed that hir,
! so that It's benign influence was dis
/ sinated. do not know how tru
this is. but II was the universal OK
plantation Of the failure Of tho por
tent Of victory which rho eagle has
! furnished that great company"
Copyright. 1913. by F. 4. Edwards
All TiEhts reservedl.
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards viii tell O
"Tho Law Office of the Famou
Charles O'Concr.'