Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-08-02
THE COUNTRY HOME


they can be after it was all over.
| have been occupying a sick bed, more
or less, for more than five long weeks, listen
ing to the cock-strokes in good many
weary, almost sleepless, nights. To keep
from thinking about my own condition /
was in duty bound to think Of outside things.
could read the headlines in the papers,
morning and afternoon, and i'll this way kept
pace with current events, and had some
thing to think about.
And now it is all over, and the fuss and +
fury has subsidized 1 can understand that pol +
itics may adventure under various names,
but it is always prepared to kiss and
make up" when the sine die has been pro-
nounced.
I was little girl, in 1874, when the Polk .
and Clay campaign was fought out. There
were only weekly newspapers, and each party
read its own newspaper and cussed-no,
criticized the other side by word of mouth"
My folks were rampant Wings and honestly |
beiived that Harry of the West was the /
biggest man who ever lived in the United /
States, Washington not excepted. Mr.. Clay
made a short visit to Augusta and was ex-
pected to appear in Madison, Ca, but
couldn't get there.
The Democrats had much to say about
Clay, as a political trader, also a gambler
and horse racer. According to the popula-I
ton in Georgia I doubt if there was ever
or since. 1t got into churches, into faminB, I
and "played the mischief" for awhile, but
the waves ceased to roll so high and finally
we were going along in placid waters.
The Mexican war came along, and the vol
unteers were both Wings and Democrats but
it was not popular war and the Democrats
made some mistakes and Zachary Taylor,
who politician, but claimed by the
Wings, went to the White House 'in a
jiffy." But he was the last of the Wings,
IL
CANT gentleman and a clean man, could not
be reelected. My father, a disgrunted
Wing, said the Democrats had always to dig
up some candidate without a record-so
Franklin Pierce made the trip.
1 watched the campaign of 1856 with
exceeding interest. The Know Nothings1
were in pann view and at the start seemed
to occupy the middle of the road, but they
went to defeat, carrying the last of the old
Wings down with them. | have in my pos
session little pamphlet issued by the Know
Nothings in Georgia, call signed by many
scores of the most prominent men in GeOr-
gia, to hold America for the Americans.'
But some screw worked loose, or some cog
slipped out, and the effort got tangled with
Union vs. Secession until James Buchanan
the successful choice of the Democrats
in 1856 He was said to be northern man
with southern principles. Then the countryI
divided north and SOUTH and the campaign
of 1860 was the most fateful one in our his
tory.
The Democrats met in Charleston, S. c.
and, as | recollect, the only presidential con-
vention ever held in the south up to that
time.
Hon. Ben Butler of Massachusetts, was al
leading figure, and the south was there with
it's old war horses. Calhoun had died, but
spirit OF notification was much alive. Day
after day the leaders wrangled and finally
adjourned without a nomination.
Ac 1hnr tL1 -
in hostile state of mind, and some of the
leaders, like w. L. Yancey, quit for good. Il
An adjourned convention in Baltimore
came and resulted in the nomination OF!
Stephen A. Douglas and Herschel V. John-I
son, of Georgia, indorsing border sover-
eighty"
In the meantime Bell and Everett ticket
was put forth, and the Secessionists nomi-
mated Breckenridge and Lane, of Oregon.
Douglas came to Georgia and delivered an
address at Kingston, Ga. My Husband Dr.
FELTON,, attended the speaking. (Women were
not expected to go to political speakings, and
[ have always regretted l did not venture to
go) Mrs. Stephen A. Douglas made the
tour with her candidate husband, and the
listeners were quite pleased at her beauty
and political condescension. She was repre-
sented to me as handsome and elegantly
dressed at that time.
Why Kingston selected I do not re-
member, when Rome and Gainesville were
larger towns with decidedly more people
with political ambition.
Hon. A. III. Stephens was committed to the
Douglas ticket, as he and Ex-Governor John
son were close friends and in a manner,
neighbors.
The November election day came all too
quickly. With three Democratic tickets in
the field and one Republican ticket it waa.}
as easy as falling off log" Mr.. Lincoln
election was a foregone conclusion.
To the disappointment of defeat the southy
ern Democrats added the determination to
secede. 1t flew over the southern states like
fire in dead grass. We discredited our un-
preparedness. The army of the Federal
Union remained on the north side. Promi-
nent army officers, like General Lee, finally
resigned, and the inevitable happened
bloodshed!! Fratricdal strife.
After the armies organized there was no
time and no place to reconsider or COM
promise. The most pronounced effort for
such purpose came at the Hampton Roads
conference, and so long as I live I will be
(and remain) impressed that Mr.. Lincoln
was anxious to stop hostlities long enough
for a thorough understanding as to the fact
that the south had it's defeat at Gettysburg
and all that happened later was a sacrifice
of human life and a bitter tragedy of I'M
restrained passion and political hate.
In conclusion, l was called over the phone
by one of the finest men in Georgia, who
said there was one unanswered prayer in
Madison Square Garden. I asked what it
was He replied: "The Republicans were
continually praying that McAdoo would be
nominated"
It's hard to please all the folks, all the
time isn't it?
later by the rafting of the door-knob ard
a low voice speaking her name