On the Field of Battle

The presidential campaign and the instruments of struggle. – The Democratic Square. – Indignant Bourbons. – The Republican fortress. – The torchlight procession of Africa. – The position of the colored race in politics. – Crude violence. – Fluctuating chances. – The merits of the Republican party toward the nation. – A picture of prosperity.

After the nomination of candidates, the political movement known characteristically as the “presidential campaign” appeared in all its scope. This is indeed a campaign and is conducted according to all the rules of developed strategy. The parties stand opposed to one another like two hostile camps with their leaders at the head and wage a fierce struggle, employing all means, both permitted and forbidden, simply to capture prisoners from the opposing camp and triumphantly announce that, they say, “our regiment has grown.” As instruments of struggle there first appear entire campaign literature. A whole mass of brochures appears, with one’s own candidate depicted as the embodiment of all seven virtues, while the other is portrayed as such a monster of vice that the genius of the dark realm would shudder before him. Sensational pamphlets and brochures rain down from all sides, and politicians-turned-composers compose special battle hymns, which are sung and performed by orchestras at rallies. Portraits of candidates in the millions are distributed throughout the country and given out as advertisements, and above all the main streets are hung enormous banners on which appear the figures, names, and various sayings of the campaign heroes. In the “headquarters” the doors are constantly open for rallies and amateur orators, and grand processions with torches and banners take place through the streets. Speculators open special shops for the presidential campaign and loudly announce the richest assortment of “campaign instruments” – banners, flags, torches, portraits, and special campaign costumes – “brilliant and impressive, and yet the cheapest in the world.” The parties are even divided spatially, and regarding various squares in New York one can say with certainty which is Republican and which is Democratic.

In the very center of the city lies a fairly expansive “Union Square.” In the middle of the square a powerful fountain springs up, at the corners stand bronze statues of the “fathers” of the republic, and along the sides run the wealthiest streets of the city, led by Broadway, or New York’s Nevsky. Here is the main seat of the state’s democracy. Hotels, restaurants, and public halls here are in the exclusive possession of Democrats, and across all the exits from streets onto the square are stretched banners with portraits of their candidate General Hancock. Their rallies take place here and here too is the main mechanism directing the entire presidential campaign of the Democratic party. In a large hotel, Democrats occupied eighteen rooms in which telegraph machines constantly worked, continuously checking the pulse of the nation in all its parts and directions. Passing once in the evening through the square, I was struck by a strange sight. One house presented an entirely solid mass of light and across its wall ran and twisted the gigantic shadow of a human figure. Coming closer, I made out the portraits of the Democratic candidates (for president and vice-president), and understood what was happening. This was a Democratic rally. To attract attention to it, the Democrats covered the entire front of the house with cloth, behind which they lit many candles and lamps that merged for the outside viewer into one continuous mass of fire, so that the entire house was like one enormous lantern. The shadow running across it was nothing other than the shadow of the orators who in turn occupied the podium, artificially enlarged to gigantic proportions. As the fateful November drew closer, this monstrous lantern was lit more and more frequently and the shadows danced more and more energetically upon it. The dancing of shadows, however, does not always mean an actual rally. Sometimes, coming to the hall following the shadow, you find only some buffoon who for hire or of his own inclination performs oratorical gestures completely before empty chairs, merely letting it be known that “the campaign is not standing still, agitation is not sleeping.” Meeting halls are scattered throughout the city, and it is interesting to attend them to see with what energy politician-orators fight for their candidates and what exquisite epithets they bestow on hated opponents. At these private rallies, ordinary orators develop and regurgitate for the common people what was said by the main leaders of the party at some general rally, and therefore these latter meetings are of more interest to the observer of political life.

Not far from the square stands a spacious building of the “Academy of Music,” as Americans call their opera house. In the early days of August of last year, the “Academy” was the site of enthusiastic celebrations: the “Bourbons,” as Republicans for some reason call their opponents, held a solemn rally for the final ratification of the “Cincinnati ticket” or General Hancock as the Democratic candidate for the presidency. The hero of the evening was the famous Democratic veteran Tilden. Democrats to this day maintain that they won in the presidential campaign two elections ago and that their candidate Tilden is the lawfully elected president of the United States, while President Hayes was an impostor installed in the White House through base deception by the Republican party. Tilden himself fully shared this opinion, considered himself the lawful president of the nation, as he directly stated in his speech at this rally. In the event of the election of the Democratic candidate Hancock as president, Tilden, according to rumor, intended to arrange an original demonstration: he would go together with the newly elected president to Washington and in the capacity of the actual president would hand over the White House to him as its lawful owner and master. If this is not an invention by Republicans mocking the old man, this would be a characteristic fact testifying to how inflamed is the rivalry between the parties and how much the presidency matters to Tilden, for the sake of securing which, according to the admission of the Democrats themselves, he spent from his immense wealth some twenty-five million dollars. After making enough noise and celebrating, the Democrats did not fail to solemnly compose and present to Republicans a bitter pill in the form of the following resolution, interesting in terms of characterizing the political relations between the main parties. “The Democratic party at its solemn rally determined: that the Republican party, through its long abuse of power; through its political dissolution and official corruption; through its special legislation in the interests of enormous monopolies; through the squandering of public money in the form of subsidies to giant corporations; through the criminal distribution of 296,000,000 acres of public land, constituting nearly a quarter of all public holdings and covering twice the area currently under cultivation in all states and territories; through its ruinous and suicidal policy regarding the nation’s commerce; through its malicious stirring up of passions and hatred born of the past civil war; through its constant and growing efforts to concentrate power granted to individual states in the hands of the federal government, thus encouraging the “third term” faction and its leaders in their plot to seize absolute power; in short, the Republican party through its abuses in all branches of government – has lost the confidence of the people, and therefore must hand over its power to the Democratic party, as the true representative of the people’s will.” Such, in the opinion of the Democrats, is that party which for the last twenty years has held the nation’s government in its hands. An assessment, it must be said, not flattering to the ruling party. How, even under such a government, does the sky not fall and do the foundations of the earth not tremble?

While the Democrats pronounced a death sentence on their opponents, these latter in their turn abandoned themselves to celebrations on another square in the city, Madison Square. There, at the junction of Broadway with the most fashionable street of the capital, Fifth Avenue, lies the most extensive and wealthy hotel in the city, the “Fifth Avenue.” This hotel represents a veritable fortress of Republicanism. Its extensive corridors are constantly filled with Republican politicians. Here Republican telegraph machines worked, eavesdropping on echoes of the raging campaign; here took place consultations of the party leaders, from here agitation was conducted throughout the nation, and here Republicans gave a solemn reception to their chosen one, General Garfield. The reception was brilliant, speeches were delivered by select orators, and General Garfield himself gave several brilliant speeches. One of his speeches concerned the political position of the “colored race” or simply Negroes. Negroes, as freed from slavery by Republicans, remain faithful to the Republican party; they always vote for the candidate of their liberators. As their numbers are quite large, they constitute an extraordinarily strong pillar of support for the Republican party. Perhaps the Republican party even owes its long dominance in the nation to this black legion. Democrats understand this, and therefore despise and oppress Negroes with all their hearts, and call Republicans themselves “black monkeys” because of the color of their allies. Republicans for their part do everything to maintain their influence over the black race, and for this sometimes even sacrifice justice. Some time ago in New York, a Negro was sentenced to hanging for the murder of a woman committed with the purpose of robbery. The Republican government of the state was ready to pardon the criminal, but public opinion expressed itself against the pardon with such energy that the government did not dare to act against it, and the Negro was hanged. Subsequently, a young Italian was also sentenced to hanging by the court for the murder of his wife, whom he caught with her lover. Here public opinion sided with the criminal, and a petition for his pardon was signed by tens of thousands of city residents. American law is extremely severe with murderers and always demands death for death – the excuse of “abnormal state of mental functions” is not permitted. But in this case justice required showing mercy to the young man, who had the misfortune to marry a dissolute woman, whose conduct drove him to crime. The Italian consul interceded for the condemned man, and the press loudly spoke out in favor of his pardon. But it was all in vain, and – the Italian was also hanged. The reasoning by which the Republican government was guided in this stubbornness consisted solely in the fact that, by not pardoning the Negro, it could not now pardon the Italian: otherwise what would his allies, the Negroes, say? Thus the poor Italian fell victim to political intrigue.

In the evening of the same day, the dark-skinned sons of Africa arranged a magnificent torchlight procession in honor of General Garfield. Despite their status as American citizens, Negroes in their outward behavior and in their development have not gone far from their African brothers. Some naïve wildness shines through entirely from under their American clothes. One had to see with what naïve importance they now marched through the streets, carrying burning torches and singing warlike Negro songs. The curious “campaign uniform” in which they were all now dressed seemed to fill them with immeasurable pride, and they marched with unfeigned seriousness to a military beat, widely grinning their African faces when street boys cried out to them – “bravo.”

“You constantly assert that Negroes are incapable of free political life and that they are simply a flock of sheep driven by the Republican whip,” I said to my friend, a zealous Yankee Democrat. “Look at what an organized force they present, with what proud self-awareness they glorify their candidate. And the acquisition of these uniforms and the organization of the procession costs something… And where there is expense for a definite purpose, there, consequently, is an idea, a common enthusiasm.”

The Democrat grimaced somewhat angrily and nervously.

“If you are not joking, then you are cruelly mistaken,” he said. “This procession more than anything shows that they are a senseless flock of sheep, and confirms the truth that slaves forcibly freed remain slaves even in freedom. Do not think that the organization of this procession belongs to their own initiative. Not at all. These are soulless puppets manipulated by Republican intrigue. The uniforms, torches, musicians – all of this was given to them by Republicans. To them belongs only this stupid braggadocio: and it is naturally explained by the fact that the participants in the procession are paid two dollars a day by Republicans. The black race is a curse on our nation, and it will lie upon us as long as Negroes serve as a dead instrument in the hands of the Republican party.”

“Just as the Irish serve in the hands of the Democratic party,” I wanted to remark to the Democrat, but refrained from such impertinence.

At the present time, however, Negroes no longer constitute such a reliable legion for the Republican party as formerly, and some of them proudly call themselves Democrats.

“You black monkey – Negro!” once cursed a restaurant patron at a colored waiter who had short-changed him by a few cents.

“I am not a Negro!” exclaimed the colored gentleman in fury.

“Who then are you, black dog?”

–I–am a Democrat! he cried out even more energetically, and the terrible whites of his eyes flashed on his black face.

Regarding the “black beasts,” Democrats do not show much courtesy, and readily turn them into Democrats. Once there occurred a characteristic case that greatly alarmed the entire Republican world. In the southern state of Alabama, voting was taking place. The numerous colored population there, of course, stood for the Republican candidate. But the Democrats managed to quickly turn them to their side. Under the pretext that the Negroes were “intimidating” white voters and thereby forcing them against their will to vote for the Republican candidate, the Democrats (in one district) put out white militia to protect the latter. Relying on it, they immediately turned the black into white. During the actual balloting, suddenly someone turned off the gas jet, and darkness reigned. The leader of the colored population, who was observing the balloting, with horror rushed to the table, trying to seize the ballot box, but in vain – his hands swept across the surface of the table: the box had vanished without a trace. While in the terrible confusion they managed to light the fire again, the box appeared once more, but now filled with Democratic ballots. The majority, of course, turned out to be for the Democrats, and they triumphantly burst into their battle hymn: “For Hancock ring the bell!” – and drowned out the cry of the “colored leader,” raining down upon the Democrats all the curses that exist in human speech, both African and American.

Thus proceeded the presidential campaign. Politicians already tried in advance to weigh the relative chances of the candidates. Most of them, of course, depending on which party they belonged to, ardently proclaimed the victory of their candidate and the certain defeat of the opponent. Politicians from the Republican club of “railway employees” displayed a curious picture at their doors. Two trains racing at terrible speed are rushing toward the magnificent building, above which is written: “White House.” One train is already braking on the rails before the very door of the house, and from the car General Garfield, self-satisfied, peers out with his vice-president Arthur. The other, on the contrary, has jumped off the rails and bounces over rough terrain, and from the car twisted in horror and despair are the figures of the Democratic candidates Hancock and English. Democratic politicians, of course, had different sorts of pictures in their clubs. But there are also “independent politicians” who judge impartially.

Under the first impression of the nomination by Democrats of General Hancock as the presidential candidate, public opinion regarded this “knight without fear and reproach” with such sympathy that, apparently, the chances strongly and irrevocably inclined in his favor. There was no end to the celebrations in the Democratic camp, numerous bets in the tens of thousands of dollars were announced – that Hancock would be elected president, and there grew in society the thought that it was time to change the government, take it from the hands of Republicans and hand it over to Democrats. But gradually his chances wavered. The fact was that the Democratic party, fully confident of its success, began to abandon itself more to celebrations than to work, and important omissions were made in the organization of the campaign. Meanwhile, the Republicans with increased energy began and conducted the campaign and succeeded in the first months of the campaign in turning the chances in their favor. And the thought of the necessity of changing the government began to fade and weaken. At the present time, the nation has reached an unprecedented degree of prosperity, and the people do not like to change a government under which they are flourishing.