Sinopsis

The "hard-cider" frolic of 1840—The issues—Swartwout and political
corruption—The demand for a change—Character of Gen. Harrison—
Personal defamation—Mass-meetings and songs—Crushing defeat of the
Democrats—First appearance of the slavery issue in politics— Pro-slavery
attitude of Harrison and Van Buren—Events favoring the growth of antislavery
opinion—Clay and Mendenhall—Texas annexation and John Tyler.
Through the influence of early associations, I began my political life as a
Whig, casting my first presidential ballot for General Harrison, in 1840. I
knew next to nothing of our party politics; but in the matter of attending
mass-meetings, singing Whig songs and drinking hard c...