Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 November 1884 — FORTY YEARS AGO. [ARTICLE]

FORTY YEARS AGO.

| The Widow of President Polk Describes the Election of 1844. [Nt*\v York Telegram.] Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 3. The issues in the present canvass are so near allied to and akin to those pending forty years ago in the memorable canvass when James K. Polk was elected to the Presidency that your correspondent obtained to-day from Mrs. James K. Polk, widow of President Polk, some of her reminiscences of the contest in 1844. Mrs. Polk, during the life of her husband, passed many years in Washington, while he occupied positions of honor and fame and finally became an inmate of the White House itself and the head of the Nation. During his administration Mrs. Polk was his Prime Minister in everything in counsel, and was such a helpmeet as was fitted to stand by the side of the first ntan in tho Nation. It was her custom to daily read the newspapers, interesting herself in all matters per - taining to national affairs, and such articles as she felt that her husband should note personally she marked for his persual, in this way keeping up with all the political issues of the day and uniting herself to her husband by all the ties of congeniality which a loving, noble and intelligent woman could form for herself.

Mrs. James K. Polk passed her eighty-first birthday in September last, and still has left to her that mental vigor which has always characterized her. In health she is somewhat feebly, though she occupied her peW yesterday in the I irst Preshyibrian Church of this city, of Which she is a member, and united with the congregation in the communion of the Lord’s Supper. To see her one would declare her in perfect health, and the probabilitiee are that her dajs will yet be long. She has a horror to be inierviewed, though she will always talk readily to your correspondent whenever asked to discuss any important questonisof the day. She entered her handsomely furnished parlor with a firm step when your correspondent called on her that refuted her fourscore years, and extended her a hearty greeting that told of the warm cordial ity that won her friends in the White House and wherever she is known.

» In answer to a queston relative to the political excitement now and that of the canvass which preceeded Mr. Folk’s election, she said: “So many years have elapsed since that important event that the facts have almost faded from my memory, and then, too, being the wife of one of the parties most interested, the excitement was kept far away from me. You are aware at that time our home was in Columbia, Tenn., a small village, and we had no railroads and no telegraph system.’ “What were the questions then agitated; do you now remember?’

“Oh, yes; the question then, as now, was largely about the tarifi. In that particular, the two canvasses forty years apart are very similar *» hen another point of similarity I remember was that without the vote of New York Mr. Polk could not have been elected, and we were naturally very anxious to hear from that State. The ticket was ‘Polk and Dallas,’ and the battlo cry was ,Polk, Dallas and Texas.’ ’ “Texaar “Yes, the acquisition of Texas was another issue of the canvass. Of course there were some opposed to it—there is always somebody opposed to everything. There was never another canvass, save perhaps that immediately preceding the war, tlat equaled it in fervor.’ ,

“Was there more excitement than at the present time?’ “Well, all the inforrrmtion I

have of the present canvass is what I glean from the newspapers and from what my friends tell me, and I judge that the feeling now is as a calm May mofning to the turb-. ulent restless storm of excitement in those days. Every district had its political military company of organized troops, which, if seen now, would alarm the people to the very verge of madness. Since the candidacy of Mr. Buchanan the canvass has always been too one-sided to create any excitement, except- when Mr. Tilden and Mr. Hendricks were candidates and perhaps now.

‘Yon see, my increasing age has toned down my ardor in such matters, though * always take an interest, a deep interest, in State and National affairs.

TOW YORK HAS TO BE CARRIED. “Even tnen it was necessary to the success of the ticket to carry New York. Pennsylvania was secured by the nomination of Mr. George M. Dallas for Vice President, and he carried his own State. 1 regard the acquisition of Texas and the results following the Mexiean War—that is, the adding of California and New Mexico in the territory of the United States—as among the most important events in the history of this country, and that tact is becoming more and more apparent. The country was advanced by these acquisitions, and has ever since reaped benefit from them.’ “Was the tariff the leading quasi on in that canvass*’ . “That was one of the questions; a tavifi for revenue only was what the Democrats desired, while the Whigs contended th;ut the higher the tariff the cheaper the goods. Another queston was concerning United States Banks, which it was desired to dispense with in favor of State Banks.’

“How did Mr. Polk receive the news of his election?’ “There being neither railroad nor telegraph, naturally the news was not flashed to us nor all over the Union as soon as would now be the case. The news was received here at Nashville at night, and a party of friends took buggies and drove to Columbia, a distance of forty miles, and arrived there about 2 o’clock m the morning, Mr. Polk was at home when ho received the inteligence, and there was afterwards a grand demonstration; of course, not at that hour, as it was late.’