Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-10

the preSldentlal election OF lB4O was
fought without an issue. The opposi-
ton to the dominant Democratic party
was made up of SO many diverse ele-
ments that it was impossible to adopt
a platform uponswhich all could unite.
Therefore the Wings passed up the
making Of platform, nominated war
hero and set about campaign of
clamor with victory as its only object.
When the Democratic convention
tried to nominate a Vice President to
run with Van Buren,. there was a hope
less split. Vice President johnson had
been elected to that position by the
Senate. The opposition had not for
gotten its grudge against him. The
convention adjourned without choosing
a vice presidential candidate. This led
the Wings to remind the country that
the Democrats could not agree on a
candidate. which brought the retort
that it was better to agree on issues
and disagree on men than 1t was to
agree on men and be split hopelessly
over principles.
Remark Swung Election.
There have been two occasions In
the history of the presidency when an
unfortunate remark by the opposition
gave a party its cue and swept it into
the White, House. One of these was
when the editor of a Baltimore paper
wrote of William Henry Harrison that
If he were given a barrel of hard
cider and pension of $4,000 a year
he would sit content by his sea coal
fire in his log cabin in Ohio the rest
of his days and study moral philosophy.
That settled 1t. What finer oppor-
tunitty could there be for an appeal
to class prejudice? The Wings took it
up and straightway it became the log
cabin and hard cider campaign, a
campaign in which war hero was
simply sung and shouted into the pres
idency.
The Wings held their national con-
vention the first week in December
1889. Henry Clay was again in the
race, but his FreemaSonry weakened
him in the East and his tariff views
hampered him in the South. Clay
wanted to be President, but he early
announced himself to be for the man
who had the best show to win. He
wrote that If his name should create
any obstacle to union and harmony
then away with It," Clay led on the
first ballot, but Harrison was nominal
ed on the third John Tyler was NOM
mated for Vice President-it was claim
ed as result of deal over Virginia
senatorship. He and William C.. Rives
were candidates for the senatorship In
1889. Clay agreed with Tyler that If
he would leave the Senatorship to
Rives. he would use his best efforts to
put Tyler into the vice presidency. If
this we'll attested story be true Tyler
became President simply by giving up
what seemed a losing fight for sena-
torship.
Log Cabins on Wheels.
The Wings worked themselves into
a fine frenzy over their candidate. They
built log cabins on wheels with hunks
in them for travelling. campaigners;
cities and towns had Wing cabin rails
ings and housewarmings. Miniature
cabins with a barrel of hard cider and
coon skin nailed on a piece of plank
by the door were everywhere in EVIL
dence.
Contrast with the simple life of this
man of the people" exclaimed the
Wings, that of the court of Van Buren,,
with its ruffied shirts, its dainty clothes,
satin chairs and damask sofas. Listen
to the fawning minions of power cast
ing sneers at the venerable hero Of
Tippecanoe on account of his poverty.
Hear them urging against him that he
is only a clerk in county court. He
who has fought more and harder bat
Ties than any other warrior now living
in the United States (this notwith-
sanding Jackson was alive), who was
governor of the Northwest territory, a
Representative In Congress, United
States Senator and Minister to
foreign court has come out of all these
offices poor, Had he been as un-
scrupulous as they, he might have been
as rich as Jackson and as aristocratic
as Van Buren,"
In attacking Van Buren, they ex-
claimed from every busting, What do
you think of the democracy Of Presi-
dent who sleeps on French bedsteadS,
wclSs on Royal Wilton carpets, eats his
pate de foie gras from silver plates with
forks Of gold, dips his soup la Refine
with gold ladle from a silver tureen
and rides in a gilded maroon coach Of
British make?"
Harrison Takes the Stump.
The Democrats complained that they
could not get the people to listen to ar
gument or reason. At last they jumped
into assailing Harrison. Keep 1t before
the people" they said. that Harrison
supported the odiouS alien and sedition
laws; that ne wore the black cocKade,
that he voted for selling white men into
slavery, a law that would make it pos
sihle for free negro to buy Revolu-
tionary hero and to administer 80 laShes
If the latter attempted to escape. Keep
it before the people that as Governor of
Indiana he cut out all citizens from the
right of suffrage who did not own so
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