Smyrna times., 1930-11-05
SMYRNA FIFTY YEARS AGO AS
REVAMPED FROM OUR FILES
ITEMS ABOUT SMYRNA FROM
SMYRNA TIMES, NOV. 8, 1880
Notes of Marriages, Deaths Real
Estate Deals and Matters of In
terest of Half Century Ago

terest of Half Century Ago
(The Smyrna Times has started
70 look back over its files and tell
what happened around the correspond
ing date of this issue. a half century
ago. We hope to make this a regular
weekly feature. If it does nothing else.
it will call to mind people and events
Of that day that should be interesting
10 the present generation. We hope
our readers will find it interesting and
that it will make the Times more eag-
eyly sought and read-Editor.)
Election Incidents-The day was
one of the best and the general
humor for an election was cores
pondingly pleasant. There was
some crowding at the polls in the
morning, but neither showing any
disposition to give way, they got
tired, especially after the town Of
ficers got out of the way, and
there was free access to the polls
the rest of the day. The differ
ence between the elections now
and thirty years ago was most
marked. An election then without
scores of drunken men and dozen
fights was considered a tame af-
fair. Yesterday there was neither
and if uncle Davy Hall were now
living his peace making fiddle
would be without a vaaction. The
closing of the bars has the main
credit for this, but the people have
advanced to considerably higher
grade in the scale of civilization.
There is another change however,
the other way, and very much to
the discredit of the growing intel
ligence. Then an Inspector was
considered worth only ten or a
dozen votes to his party. Now
with the manipulating of the cleo
tion laws, supplied tax receipts to
delinquents, etc, he is worth from
forty to fifty votes. Then, paying
a mans tax or the presentation of
a pair of boots or a coat was the
extent Of the corruption; now, pol
iticians of both parties seem to
have plenty of money and pur-
chase men like so many cattle for
twenty and thirty dollars each.
AS bad as this is, it is, however,
better than mode then in vogue,
namely, cooping drunken men or
getting them drunk from a free
barrel of rum. If a man is to be
corrupted, he had better go home
with the wherewith to supply his
family with meat for the winter
than with that which carries only
curses to his family and a head
ache to all. When the window
shut down at 5 o'clock there was
hurrah for Mr.. Bayard. The
hurrah for him instead of Gener-
ad Hancock or some one else on
the ticket was construed to be in
recognition of his hand in direct
ing the deal of the tate. Both
parties united in a fund to secure
the Associate press dispatches, the
Democrats at the Office of Lee
Cummins and ]. H. Bewley's store,
and the Republicans at their club
room, which was filled up to a
late hour this morning. The re-
turns kept the latter in a good
humor all the evening. Near II
o'clock however, dispatch was
sent over the wire signed by John
Kelly that New York had gone
Democratic by $4,000, whereupon
the Democrats came out with a
loud hurrah. A large number of
colored men who stayed up to
hear the news gave vent to their
happiness in singing, making, it is
said, some good music. Shortly
after two o'clock the news came
that. the Republicans had carried
about every northern State except
New Jersey, from which there
were few returns, that the offices
were shutting up and the people
were going home to bed, and SO
our people did likewise. The cleo
ton officers had an all-night job of
it, not finishing the count until
half-past four o'clock this morn
ing. When the polls closed yester-
day evening the Democrats claim
ed $50 majority and the Republi-
cans conceded them 140, but the
counting out showed it to be 127.
Neither raised a hurrah over it.
The Republicans protested against
receiving some thirty votes which
they considered not properly en-
titled and which were noted by the
Supervisor. There were only two
Greenback tickets voted The
Democrats, while feeling the dis
comforture on the result in the
Northern States, take comfort at
the victory in Delaware and the
two parties swap jokes very good
naturedly over the final outcome.
The Last of the Campaign.1The
last three days of the campaign in
this locality ended in drizzling
or soaking rain. Notwithstanding
the people turned out pretty well
TO the Hall meetings. The part
ing shot for the Republicans was
given by Honorable N. B. Smith
ers on Friday night in two and
...ff l. e.