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Episode 4: A Pleasant Busy Summer
Transcript
[0:00-0:17] Theme Music Intro- an 1880 campaign march for Garfield, sourced Library of Congress
[0:18-0:20] Music continues to play and fades out while a female voice speaks: Chapter 4, A Busy Yet Pleasant Summer [0:20-1:04] A Male voice: “During the campaign, with its cares and anxieties, its labors and fatigues, its slanders and assaults, there was for him one perpetual fountain of sunshine and comfort in the love and endearments of home and friends. . .The campaign was continually relegated to the little office, a building appropriately detached from the house. At all other times and places, one was reminded of a quiet, simple happy country home. At the table, the master of the house was the ruling spirit. Fun, fact, fancy, reminiscence, quotation, anecdote flowed from his lips in variety and profusion.” —A. F. Rockwell [1:05-1:32] A Female voice narrates: The summer and fall of 1880 were exciting, challenging, and always interesting for the Garfield family. The numbers tell one story—the impressive total of visitors who came, speeches given, newspaper columns and magazine articles published. Perhaps more revealing, however, are the individual stories that made it a busy, yet pleasant summer. In this chapter, we will share some of our favorites. [1:33-1:55] transition music Fisk Jubilee Singers song, “I Got A Home In-A Dat Rock”
[1:56-5:37] A different female voice reflects: James Garfield’s presidential nomination had not come to him the way his wife Lucretia had envisioned, but she still felt great pride in the outcome that made her husband the Republican candidate in 1880. Lucretia’s carefully worded letter, written-on June 13, 1880 to her older boys, Hal and Jim, who were attending St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH, demonstrates her pride, concern, responsibility, and advice – commingled. Consider being the mother of teenage boys, away from home, who were not always as careful and discreet as you would hope! Her warning was not necessarily to simply dodge train accidents, but to avoid saying or doing anything that may reflect badly on their father: “My Dear Boys, This past week has been all so strange and unexpected to us that I have scarcely known how to write to you, nor can I even now express by letter what I feel. For many reasons I am glad and happy that this high honor has been conferred on your Papa, …and my heart if full of gratitude that he could receive the nomination in the way he did. You have undoubtedly seen the papers giving full account of it all, and I will leave all that I would say to you about it until you are home with us. The time is getting very near now and my heart is full of prayer that you may be permitted to come safely home to us. I feel almost like cautioning you against accident as I used to when you were little boys, and when the time comes for you to start home I shall think of you all along the way, hoping you will take no risks. I am sure you are working with new zeal and earnestness to honor your Papa as he has honored you. If I were to write for hours I could not begin to tell you of all the rejoicing and enthusiasm which has been, and is still poured around us, but neither your Papa nor I are unmindful of the new responsibilities, and especially the increased anxieties which the coming campaign will bring, nor the added cares and exertions of the next four years should your Papa receive the election. I know your Papa will do all in his power for good, and I hope he may never fail to honor the place he fills. . . . With love and hope to see you soon, from all here, I am Your Loving Mamma, Lucretia R. Garfield” Was their mother perhaps also concerned that her warning letter might become public? James and Lucretia had “an affectionate partnership” that had included politics. Her role was one of supporting her husband’s endeavors, listening to his points of view, encouraging, suggesting, advising. And, she became politically savvy enough to never say or do anything that would publicly embarrass him. Garfield never had to worry about her. In fact, he often praised her for her diplomatic, discrete nature saying: “I have been singularly fortunate in marrying a woman who has never given me any perplexity about anything she said. I have never had to explain away words of hers… She is perfectly unstampedable…”
[5:38-5:55] transition music Fisk Jubilee Singers song, “I Got A Home In-A Dat Rock” [5:56-8:44] The first female voice narrates: In the spring or early summer of 1880, the Cleveland Leader Printing Company published a slim volume of poetry entitled simply: Prof. Cassius Marcellus Clay Zedaker’s BOOK OF POEMS The author is described in the sub-title as “The world renowned Shakespearean Elocutionist, Poet, Sweet Singer, Composer of Music and Writer of Plays, of Youngstown and Warren, Ohio. Now residing in Cleveland.” The “Professor” introduces himself with a short biography at the beginning of the book: Two years ago I was engaged doing menial labor in a sawmill…But my talents and abilities demanded a higher sphere of life. I felt that I was spired and destined to walk in the higher circles of elocution and poetry. . . In this short time, by the aid of my marvelous natural abilities and inspiration, I have far outstripped all the schools and colleges, the poets and painters of ancient and modern times, and the celebrated actors and orators bow at my feet and recognize me as their superior and teacher. . .Had I been content with mediocrity, the world would never have been dazzled with my effulgence of the rays of light emitted and darted from my treasure house of intelligence and inspiration. . . In August, the esteemed Professor travelled around northeast Ohio, declaiming, and presumably, trying to sell books. He made an overnight stop at Little Mountain, a summer resort community for wealthy Clevelanders, just a few miles from Lawnfield. There, he said, “I had the pleasure of dancing upon the evening of my arrival,” and he “composed a poem of fifteen verses on the beauties of the place.” The next day, shortly before lunchtime, Professor Zedaker arrived at James Garfield’s front door, and presented the General with a copy of his “poem book.” Zedaker admitted that he and the presidential candidate had never met, but that “each knowing other by fame before this,” Garfield invited him to dinner. After their meal, the professor was, in his telling, “invited to declaim and sing, from which I delivered the Wild mountains an original oration, and sung two original songs—Lucy’s Lamb and the Shenango River. I found the General in good health and quite cheerful.” That evening, Garfield recorded his feelings about the visit: “The soi disant “Professor” Zedaker of Youngstown, Warren and Cleveland came and dined, and then gave us the most amazing exhibition of egotism I have ever seen.”
[8:45-8:59] transition music Fisk Jubilee Singers song, “I Got A Home In-A Dat Rock” [9:00-12:15] A male voice reflects: Throughout the summer, but particularly in the months of August, September and October, Garfield delivered brief speeches from his front porch, to gatherings large and small, composed of men and women - and children - white - and black. The Garfield and Arthur marching band was often present on the lawn, at the ready to play songs written to praise Garfield and charge the atmosphere with excitement. Reporters were ever present to record the scene. At the appointed time, the candidate would emerge through the tall double doors leading from the vestibule of the house and onto the porch, there to be greeted by the head of a visiting delegation of farmers, businessmen, veterans, teachers who had come to see and hear him. The remarks of that head of delegation would be answered by Garfield's own, usually lasting no more than six or seven minutes. He spoke in broad terms, often philosophically, and inevitably, his comments were received by bursts of applause. Well, one afternoon, the story goes, Garfield addressed a large crowd that covered his front lawn and spilled out into the street. He received the usual shouts of approval from the assembly gathered before him. Then came a moment of silence, and during that moment of silence, somewhere along the fence, a young voice suddenly cried out, "Hurrah for Hancock!" "Hancock" was General Winfield Scott Hancock, the Democratic nominee for president. Hancock was a Union general, like Garfield himself. It was a smart move on the part of the Democrats to nominate a Union general in 1880. Now, there was a reporter present, who walked over to a small boy. "Don't you think that was the wrong thing to say to a gathering of Garfield supporters my boy? What's your name son?" And the boy looked up at the report and replied, "My name is Abram Garfield!" He was the general's seven-year-old, playing a joke on his Papa. His mother, who was standing next to him, whisked him away, as the crowd roared with delight. His Papa had a good laugh, too. The question is, was young Abram's little joke spontaneous or inspired? In the mass of family letters in the Garfield Papers at the Library of Congress is one written to James Garfield by his son, Jim, shortly after Garfield's nomination. Jim, and his older brother Hal were students at St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H. In the course of the letter to his father and the family at home, Jim commented that Nellie Gilfillan, daughter of a family friend, had written a letter, at the top of which she wrote, "Hurrah for Garfield!" We can imagine Jim's letter being read aloud to all the family gathered in the parlor one evening. And we can imagine that maybe, just maybe, Nellie Gilfillan's cheer for his father was the source of Abram's little joke! [12:16-12:36] transition music Fisk Jubilee Singers song, “I Got A Home In-A Dat Rock”
[12:37-15:23] A female voice narrates: The citizens of Mentor had gotten used to the excitement of a presidential campaign in their midst. But this night in late September was different. U. S. Grant, hero of Appomattox , and the four Senators who led his unsuccessful bid for a third presidential term, were coming to town to visit General Garfield! Earlier that day, Grant and Senator Roscoe Conkling of New York had spoken at a giant Republican rally in Warren, Ohio—Grant spoke for about seven minutes, Conkling for over two hours, and neither mentioned the name of the party’s standard-bearer. Then they boarded a special train to Mentor for a courtesy call on the Garfields. It was raining when they arrived, transported from the station in two carriages escorted by Garfield Guards bearing torches to light the way, and trailed by about 200 townsmen and women, and the usual complement of newspapermen, hoping to get a glimpse, and perhaps an introduction to the former president. James and Lucretia Garfield stood side by side, greeting the dignitaries on their front porch. Once indoors, Garfield formally introduced his wife and mother to the delegation and a light meal and coffee were served in the dining room. After that, some of the gentlemen adjourned to Garfield’s upstairs study for cigars and conversation. Reports of that interlude quickly took on a life of their own. Garfield recorded that “I had no private conversation with the party, but the call was a pleasant and cordial one all around.” Conkling supporters, some of whom were not even there, insisted that a deal had been struck—the agreements that they understood had been made at the Fifth Avenue conference were, they claimed, ratified by Garfield and Conkling that drizzly evening, in what stalwart newspapers would call The Treaty of Mentor. In his boss’s defense, private secretary Joseph Stanley-Brown said, “I was present during the entire period of the meeting and there was never a moment when the Conkling group were closeted with the General nor was there ever presented any opportunity for such a bargain.” Within the hour, the whole party was back on the front porch, where Ulysses Grant declared, “Citizens of Mentor, I am glad to meet you tonight.” Conkling also spoke a few words to the people gathered on the lawn. Only Senator John Logan of Illinois mentioned their host by name, calling him “our illustrious friend, General Garfield, who we expect to make the President of the United States next November.”
[15:24-15:49] transition music Fisk Jubilee Singers song, “In Bright Mansions” [15:49-18:30] A different female voice narrates: Near the close of the campaign on October 28th, shortly after noon, a special train brought 200 people from Portage County, Ohio – the area where James and Lucretia had attended the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute together and where their relationship blossomed, where they both taught and he became the principal of that college, where they married at her father’s farmhouse on the Hiram hill and started life together at Mrs. Northrop’s boarding house, where the first of their seven children were born. Judge Luther Day made the address from the group, a very touching and beautiful one. Garfield responded from his front porch. He spoke of the memories that filled his mind as he saw former classmates, former pupils, and the venerable men, who, twenty-one years ago, in the town of Kent, launched him upon the stormy sea of political life. He recalled that in 1861 he and Judge Day recruited young men in the old church in Hiram for the first units of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment that would participate in the Civil War. “How can I forget all these things, and all that followed? How can I forget that twenty-five years of my life were so braided and intertwined with the lives of the people of Portage county, when I see men and women from all townships standing at my door? I cannot forget these things while life and consciousness remain. No other period in my life can be like that. … …I look into your faces and draw from you such consolation as even you cannot understand. Whatever the event may be, our past is secure, and whatever may befall me hereafter, if I can succeed in keeping the hearts of Portage county near to me, I shall know that I do not go far wrong in anything… Ladies and gentlemen, all the doors of my household are open to you. The hand of every member of my family is outstretched to you, our hearts greet you, and we ask you to come in.” Assuring these visitors that their loyal support was more precious than a jewel, the candidate invited the entire group into his home. Later he wrote in his diary, “There were so many old neighbors and friends that Crete had her first cry in public while receiving them.”
[18:31-18:44] transition music Fisk Jubilee Singers song, “In Bright Mansions”
[18:45-21:02] A male voice reflects: James Garfield's front porch campaign reminds us of the commitment of the Republican Party, and its 1880 standard bearer, to the civil and political rights of African-Americans. Four sources offer us that reminder: a column published in the New York Tribune, a letter written by Lucretia Garfield, the candidate's wife, a reminiscence written decades later by Joseph Stanley-Brown, Garfield's secretary during the campaign in Mentor, and James Garfield’s diary. Joseph Stanley-Brown's manuscript sets the scene admirably. "In the closing days of the campaign,” Stanley-Brown began, "when the autumn chill was in the air and the days in northern Ohio were chiefly gray and depressing, the... Fisk Jubilee Singers from Fisk University asked to come and sing to the nominee." E.V. Smalley's Tribune article takes it from there. The singers had performed in nearby Painesville a short time before. Realizing, on the morning of September 30, that they were very near the home of the Republican nominee, they requested an opportunity to make a short visit. The impromptu visit was organized, and in a letter to her son Hal, then studying in New Hampshire, Lucretia Garfield left an account of it. Friends and neighbors familiar to Hal, Dr. Robison and his family, the Tylers, and the Aldriches next door, were among the hastily gathered guests. Soon, according to the Tribune, the small contingent of the Fisk Jubilee Singers was gathered “around the parlor piano.” Meanwhile, in an adjacent hallway, a brief, private exchange took place between General Garfield and his secretary. "My boy, I am going to say a word to them if it kills me," the Republican nominee said to his aide. Stanley-Brown was ready. With notebook in hand he soon had it against the wall and began describing the dramatic scene as it unfolded before him. The "melodious," "vibrant" rendition of mournful spirituals soon had many in the comfortable and cozy room in joyous tears.
[21:03-21:14] transition music Fisk Jubilee Singers song, “In Bright Mansions” [21:15-24:08] The same male voice continues: When the singing stopped, Garfield stood up, and leaning against the fireplace, with "his hand resting lightly on the mantel," he began quietly, as if in conversation with his guests. "My friends, for my family and myself I thank you for this visit and for the songs you have sung. ...You have sung before kings and princes. You have sung to the meek and the lowly... I hope and believe that your voices are heralding the great liberation which education will bring to your lately enslaved people...” Then suddenly straightening himself up, he closed his brief remarks with the following words delivered in clear, ringing tones, “And I tell you now, in the closing days of this campaign, that I would rather be with you and defeated than against you and victorious.” Momentarily, the gathered guests sat in complete silence. Then came the sound of hushed murmuring, signaling approval of General Garfield's remarks. Imagine the scene - the presence of black people in the home of a prominent white politician. Imagine them singing "their longing for liberty." Imagine the offering of coffee and fruit that followed, symbols of welcome and the gratitude, of which James Garfield's diary informs us. Imagine him offering his support to those who, at that moment represented "the aspirations of a race out of place." The leader of those black performers was Mr. Frederick Jeremiah Loudin. He was, like Mr. Garfield, a native of Ohio. He had been, at one time, a student of Mrs. Garfield. Now, imagine Mr. Loudin replying with equal dignity to the encouraging and humane sentiments of the Republican nominee for President in that year of 1880. Mr. Loudin said "I have no words to express my own feelings and the feelings of those who are associated with me. ...We are with you… we are with you even in this struggle, even as we were in the bloody conflicts that closed, it seems, but yesterday... I believe that the records do not bear an account of any traitor to the Government of the United States with a black skin... and I can only say, from a full heart, God bless you and give to you success."
[24:09-24:40] transition music Fisk Jubilee Singers song, “In Bright Mansions”
[24:41-25:35] Female voice speaks while the music fades: The music you have heard in this episode of a Fickle Current is courtesy of the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. To learn more about the modern Fisk Jubilee Singers, you can visit their website at www.fiskjubileesingers.org
Thank you for listening to A Fickle Current, a podcast about the political career of James A. Garfield, twentieth President of the United States. This podcast is a production of James A. Garfield National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park System, located in Mentor, Ohio. For more information about the podcast, podcast transcripts, visiting the site, special events and more, please visit our home page at www.nps.gov/jaga.
Description
On this episode of the podcast, A Fickle Current, Rangers and Volunteers will share some of their favorite stories and ancedotes from the Presidential Campaign of 1880.
Credit
Rebekah Knaggs, Todd Arrington, Joan Kapsch, Debbie Weinkamer, and Alan Gephardt
Date Created
09/26/2020
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