The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-10-26
OLD TIME POLITICS
When Feelings Were Bitter and
Partisan-ship Ran Riot

know the meaning of the word enthu.
siasm, as applied to the times we used
to have in the old campaigns, years
/ ago." asserted Squire J. w. Laffol.
lette, justice of the peace.
81 have seen two political meetings
in progress at the same time in that
old square over there" said the vet
eran, pointing to our new quiet and
peaceful park. And almost every
meeting was the scene of big fight
with many a broken head"
Then, growing reminiscent, the
| Squire offered the following, in sup
port of his statements:
81 remember one occasion it was
back in the early days of the cam
paign of 1860. the year of Lincoln's
election over Stephen A. Douglas. All
those were the warm times, with the
war clouds gathering and the excite
ment attendant. Feeling, ran high,
and aside from bitterness attached to
I local political activity, the very air
was charged with explosive spirit.
Both parties organized early and
every township and village was di-
vided.- Man, woman and child took
sides and each day added fuel to the
flames. Early in August of that
year, may be it was earlier, the re-
publicans began to whoop her up,
lively like, and kept the democrats
in hot water. But the democrats, not
to be outdone came back every time
by ways and means not calculated to
lessen the intense feeling. The re.
publicans had flag pole raising and
made big TODD They got huge
pole and erected it on the west side
of the park and from the top of the
great high mast fioated the stars and
Hamlin. People gathered for miles
around and the raising was a great
event. Big Speeches and parades
and shouting and feastng The old
town was fairly overrun. You must
remember our town was not like it is
now and maybe the crowds looked
bigger then. But, any way the dem
ocrats were green with envy. They
had to do something that would off
set the republican advantage. Party
leaders determined they would have
a pole raising to lay the republican
rally in the shade and make it appear
mere side show to the big circus.
Mind you, we had some democrats
q 10 Of -,
days and they were all. fellows who
believed in making o noise. They
secured this county for a pole that
would overtop the one raised by the
republicans. They looked near and
far but without success. In the
meantime the word was passed around
about what the democrats were going
to do and they had to make good to
do up the republicans. When they
could not find the pole they manufac-
tured one by splicing a couple of tall
timbers they found somewhere out
in the brush and hauled the big stick
to town. They hired old Wesley
Mettler to drag it in and it took four
yoke Of oxen, pulling might and main
to get the thing to town. They were
to plant in on the east side of the
square about in front of the Downing
hotel, the old Madison house of that
day. That polt measured full one
hundred and fifty feet and the repub-
licans were sure looking glum. Word
was carried to the ends of the county,
up and down river and across country
about the big pole raising and what
the democrats intended to make of
the republicans.
And say, seemed like all the demo-
Gratis in the whole state of Iowa
swarmed here on the date of the rails
ign to rub it in on the downcast Lin
colnites. Douglas stock went sky
high like that pole was going. Why,
even the Burlington Hawk-Eye sent
man all the way up here to see the
fun. They brought some fellows
from Des Moines to make the big
noise, and all Ottumwa and Eddyville
were here. All. it was some crowd.
Details for the raising had been made
beforehand. The flag pulley and hal
yard were in place. Tackle for the
raising of the heavy pole had been
hitched about one hundred feet above
the base. This was tied over the
flag halyard binding it close and tight
to the pole.
The day arrived and the people
came. Excitement ran rampant
Nothing had been unlocked and the
plans worked smooth as grease. 1t
was a mighty undertaking to get the
pole upright however and the time
consumed only Increased the excite
ment of the crowds.
I'm addition, to. this jam and mob
OF democrats, the, republicans were
all out and on hand. They thought
that as long as they were to be buried
they might as we'll attend their own
funeral, and there they were, hosts
of them, swelling the throng. don't
believe / have ever seen more people
gathered in one mass about the pole.
Up went the pole and into place,
properly guyed and secured and UP
went the lusty shout that could have