A Perpetual Calendar ... Almost a numismatic Item
BillJones
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This piece is from the 1884 presidential campaign. It is a perpetual calendar that was issued on behalf of Republican Party candidates James G. Blaine and his running mate, John Logan. The disk in the center rotates in the middle so that the days of the week can be matched up with the date of the month.
From 1860 to 1908 James G. Blaine was the only Republican presidential candidate who failed to win at least one term in the White House. Many Republican professionals loved Blaine, but to put it modern, PC terms he was ethically challenged. Blaine had taken money from the railroad industry, and gentlemen named James Mulligan had the goods on him with a stack of letters that proved Blaine had been on the take while he was a member of Congress. At one point Blaine had written a note that ended with the instruction "Burn this letter!" The letter had not been burned, and it came back to burn Blaine in a big way.
The coup de grace to the Blaine candidacy came in one day, October 29, 1884, just before Election Day. That morning a protestant minister, the Rev. Samuel Burchard, stated in an address to church leaders:
“We are Republicans and don’t propose to leave our party and identify ourselves with the party whose antecedents have been rum, Romanism and rebellion.”
The "three R's, rum, Romanism and rebellion, were a direct slap at the Irish Catholic population and by night fall the Donkey Party was handing out leaflets that spread the word about this gaff.
That evening Blaine met a group of well-healed business supporters for a lavish dinner. After their repast, Blaine retired to a private room to solicit campaign contributions from wealthy supporters. Once more the Democratic Party newspapers covered the story which became known as the "Boodle Banquet." A political cartoon showed Blaine and his friends living it up as they feasted on rare delicacies while a destitute family peered at them through a window in the street out in the cold.
The election was very close, and the outcome boiled down to who won New York State. Since Blaine's opponent, Grover Cleveland was from the Empire State, he should have had the advantage, but Cleveland had troubles of his own. During the campaign it had come out that Cleveland had fathered a child out of wedlock, and Cleveland had also made bitter enemies out of members of New York's Tammany Hall because of his efforts to oppose public corruption. After tense week of counting votes Cleveland won New York by a margin of 1,149 votes out of 1,167,169 votes cast.
Blaine blamed his loss on the weather and the "run, Romanism and rebellion" quote. He wrote:
“As the Lord sent upon us an A$$ in the shape of a preacher and a rainstorm to lesson our vote in New York, I am disposed to feel resigned to the dispensation of defeat which flowed directly from the those two agencies.”
After the election the Republican Party supporters issued this token that summed up their frustrations.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
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Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
Excellent post. Bill, what does the "BEEF" refer to on the second token?
Very cool item.
<< <i>Excellent post. Bill, what does the "BEEF" refer to on the second token? >>
"Beef" refers to Grover Cleveland who was a big, heavy man who enjoyed eating lots of sausages washed down with large quantities of beer. He would hold the record as the heaviest president until William Howard Taft took office in 1909. Taft tipped the scales at over 350 pounds and once got stuck in the White House bathtub much to his embarrassment. The tub was replaced that a gigantic fixture that could three workmen.
This 1888 campaign token, which shows Cleveland's double chin, gives you an idea as to how big he was.
When I first saw the first pic I thought it was an oriental piece.
I assume it's brass. Looks like gold.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress