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Show - - - ' 'lk lk ' ffieJftanlVho'o ffieJftanlVhoo 7I1mi1/J/w.o.d 7I1mi1Jwo.d 7I1mi1 J w.o.d wod / / t ' . t ' . to f ' ! : 2 o / / . / iH tf ( Tales andC and C & W - - - TS Traditio Tradition Tradition'V ns nsfrom 'V V 'VV ' < " /V V / . s7 s7row * /row row from / AnticanPohtrcai American Antican | Political Pohtrcai History FTittory Historyw HistoryfHANK . w , fHANK FRANK E . . HAGENEtMO HAGEN * * E1MO EtMO SCOTT WATSOH WATSOM WATSOMDARK WATSOHDARK DARK HORSEWITH HORSEITH HORSE WITH ITH PresIdent Roosevelt't Rooseveltt ' ' ' . rc- rc re- re rcnommatlOn renomination - nomination nommatlOn by the Democrats Democratsa a certainty certamty for a long time and the theselectIon theselection theselection selectIon of Governor Landon LandonI Landonstrongly Landonstrongly I strongly indicated for several severalmonths severalmonths severalmonths months before bcfore the Republican Rcpubhcan con- con conentlon contention con contention - \ tention entlon met met , , this wasn't wasnt ' a year for for"dark for"dark for"dark fordark "dark dark " horses " A "dark dark " horse horse"is horseis " IS American Amencan political pohhcal slang apphed applied apphedto appliedto appliedto to a man who is not generally generallymentioned generallymentioned generallymentioned mentioned as a candidate prevIous prevIousto previousto to a c convention nventJon but who wins wms the thenommatIon thenomination thenomination nommatIon nomination when the delegates delegatesfail delegatesfail delegatesfail fail to agree on one of the lead lead- leadmg leading . - ing IDg mg candidatesThe candidates candidatesThe candIdatesThe The phrase started as English Englishracmg Englishracing Englishracing racmg racing slang , originating in the thepractice thepractice thepractice practice by jockeys of dyeing dycmg black blackthe blackthe blackthe the hair of fast horses m In or or.er orer or-ler or ler ler . - to toenter toenter toenter enter them m in races under another andther anothername andthername anothername name and then clean dean up in m the thebetting thebetting bettmg betting The first recorded use of ofthe ofthe ofthe the term was in Benjamin BenJamm Dlsrae- Dlsrae Disrae- Disrae Disraeifs Dlsrael1's Disrae-li's Disrae li's lis - l1's l1s ifs ' 'The The ' The Young Duke , " published publishedm publishedin m in 1831 . In it he speaks of "a a " dark darkhorse darkhorse darkhorse horse , which had never been heard heardof heardof heardof of , rushing rushmg past the grandstand m msweepmg in insweeping in"sweeping insweeping " sweepmg sweeping triumph trlUmph . . " Gradually thc the thcuse theuse theuse use of the term was extended to toapply toapply toapply apply to any horse , regardless of ofIts ofits ofits Its color , . which won unexpectedly unexpectedlyand unexpectedlyand and similarly sunllarly it 1t was applied to tocandldatcs tocandidates tocandidates candldatcs candidates for public publ1c office officeAmerican officeAmerican officeAmerican American political pollbcal history af- af affords af affords . - fords a number of examples of ofdark ofdark ofdark dark horses capturing capturmg the Presi PresI- PresIdentIal Presi- Presi Presidential Presidential - - dential nomination nommatIon but only a very veryfew veryfew veryfew few of them have gone on to occu occu- occupy occu- occu occupy occupy - - py the White House In 1844 James JamesK JamesK JamesK K . K . . Polk of Tennessee won the Dem- Dem Democratic Dem Democratic - . ocratic ocrabc nomination nommatIO:1 nommatIO1 nominatioa : at BaltImore BaltImorewhen Baltimorewhen Baltimorewhen when there was a deadlock be- be between between be between - tween ex President Martin Martm Van VanBuren VanBuren VanBuren Buren , asking askmg a second term . , and andLewIs andLewis andLewis LewIs Cass of Michigan In the theelectIon theelection theelection electIon be he defeated Henry Clay Claythe , the Whig Wlug candidate , , and becamo became becamothe becamethe becamethe the first "dark dark " horse ' " ' President PresidentAgain . . Again Agam in m 1852 the Democrats as- as assembled assembled as assembled - sembled m Baltimore Baltlmore to choose choosethell choosetheir choosetheir thell their " standard bearer and agalll again agalllLewIs againLewis againLewis LewIs Cass was a leading leadmg candi candi- candidate candi- candi candidate candidate - - date with James Buchanan Buchanm . : of ofPennsylvama ofPennsylvania ofPennsylvania Pennsylvama Pennsylvania and Stephen A ADouglas ADouglas ADouglas Douglas , the "Little Little " Giant " of 1111- 1111 Illi- Illi Illinois 1111n01S Illi Illinois - nois n01S , furnishing furmshmg the principal prmclpal oppo oppo- opposIhon oppo- oppo opposition opposition - - sition sIhon But again agam there was a dead dead- deadlock deadlock deadlock - lock and when at last the tide tidebegan tidebegan tidebegan began to turn to toward , , ard Bng BrIg Gen GenFranklm GenFranklin GenFranklin Franklm Franklin Pierce , again agam there was wasa wasa v/asa v asa / a stampede and this "dark dark " horse horse"from horsefrom " " from New Hampshire was nomi nomI- nomInated nomi- nomi nominated nominated - - nated In the election electlon he defeated defeatedthe defeatedthe defeatedthe the Whig candidate . , Gen Wmfield Winfield WmfieldScott WinfieldScott WmfieldScott Scott , under whom he had served servedm servedin servedm m in the Mexican MeX1can war . . As for the Republicans in m 1876 1876they 1876they 1876they they passed up their strOI strongest strongestman strongestman 'gest gest 'gestman ' man , James G Blame Blaine of Mame Maine Mameand , , and his h1S principal opponent , , 0 P P.Morton PMorton . . Morton of Indiana and gave the thenomma thenomination thenomination nomma nomination bon to Gov R B Hayes HayesOhio's HayesOhios , , OhIO'S OhIOS ' * ' favorite son , " who defeat defeat- defeated defeated defeated - ed Samuel Tilden , tt ti tt-e tt e - e a DemocratIc DemocratIccandIdate Democraticcandidate Democraticcandidate DemocraticcandidateIn candIdate candIdateIn In 1880 they turned down Ex- Ex ExPresident ExPresident Ex-President Ex President - - - President Grant's Grants ' bid for a l s : thIrd thIrdterm thirdterm thirdterm term , again agam passed over Blame Blamefalled Blamefailed Blamefailed falled failed to rally to John Sherman of ofOhIO ofOhio ofOhio OhIO , another strong contender contenderand , and finally selected another Buck- Buck Buckeye Buckeye Buck-eye Buck eye - - eye "dark dark " horse-Gen horse Gen horse " - - Gen James A . A A.Garfield AGarfield . . Garfield The most recent recenttepubhcan -tepub-hcan tepub hcan - _ tepub- tepub tepubhcan tepubbean - - - hcan bean "dark dark " horse " to win wm the nomination nom nom- nommatlon nomination - ination matlon and election was still an- an another another an another - other Ohloan-Sen Ohloan Sen Ohioan-Sen Ohioan Ohioan - Sen Warren G GHardmg GHarding GHarding Hardmg Harding who was chosen after the theLO.den theLowden theLow LO\.den LO.den LO .den den Lowden \ . den and Wood deadlock at the theChIcago theChicago theChicago ChIcago convention m 10 in 1920G 1920 1920G G . 0 O . P . PERHAPS pERHAPS ERHAPS you never heard of a ayoung ayoung ai young printer prmter named T . . B BDowden BDowden BDowden Dowden . , but he was the man who whomade whomade whomade made G 0 P . a synonym for theRepublican the theRepublIcan theRepublican RepublIcan party . In 1884 , the year that the Republi Republi- Republicans Republicans Republicans - - cans finally nominated nommatcd James G GBlamc GBlame GBlame Blamc Blame for the Presidency , young youngDowden youngDowden youngDowden Dowden applied apphed for work at the theCmcumah theCincinnati theCincinnati Cmcumah Cincinnati Gazette and got It it itAbout . . About 2 30 o'clock oclock ' one mornmg morning morningjust , Just before the Gazette went to topress topress press , Dowden took from irom the thecopy thecopy copy hook a piece of copy marked"Must marked"Must marked"Must markedMust "Must Must " go Jll jn ) n ten lmesIt lines lmes It " He soon soonfound soonfound soonfound found himself hunsel ! m ill dlfficulty"My difficulty"My difficulty dlfficulty difficulty"My ' ' Old OldParty OldParty OldParty "My My " copy ends with W1th 'Grand Grand Party ' and I have two words v.ords vords . left leftover leftover leftover over after ' I've Ive ' set the ten hnes lines lines"he lineshe , " he told the foreman of the shop shop"What shopWhat , , "What What " shall shaH I do do7 dog ? " "Throw Throw " 'em em ' away and use your yourmtclligence yourintelligences yourintelligence mtclligence intelligences ' " exclaimed e'CclQlmed eCclQlmed ' the fore fore- foreman foreman foreman - man impatiently unpahently "No No " , want waitl walt ! ! Cut Cut'em Cut'em Cut'em Cutem 'em em ' short . . , . get 'em em ' in m some somev.ayJ someway somewayl v.ayJ vayJ way . ! Abbreviate Abbrevmte 'em em ' " So Dowden Do.den Doden , . went back to his case caseand caseand caseand and the next morning mornmg the Gazette Gazettecame Gazettecame Gazettecame came out with this sentence on onthe onthe onthe the front page ' "The The 'The " ' Hon James JamesG JamesG JamesG G Blame will address the meetmg meeting meetingon meetmgon on 'Achievements Achievements ' of the GOP ' . . " At the meeting meetmg that night the theRepubhcan theRepublican theRepublican Repubhcan Republican candidate was conclud conclud- concluding concluding concluding - - ing a two hour speech when a VOIce VOIcefloated voicefloated voicefloated floated down from the gallery : "Why Why "fVhy fVhy " don't dont ' you tell us somethmg something somethmgabout somethingabout somethingabout about GOP and what it did ? " "Why Why " , my friend , " retortedBlame retorted retortedBlame retortedBlame Blame , "I've Ive " ' ' been talking talkmg about aboutGOP aboutGOP aboutGOP GOP all evening evenmg The , word , ord Gop Gopcontams Gopcontains Gopcontains contams contains the initial ID1bal letters of the theGrand theGrand theGrand Grand Old Party and that is 15 its 1ts of- of official of official . - ficial and abbreviated abbJevlatcd : name " name " The audience roared with laugh laugh- laughter laughter laughter - ter , but BIainc Blame didn't didnt ' crack a asm asmile asmile that he hehad hehad hehad sm smile e He little hUle realized reallZed had given glven cuirency CUlrency currency to an expres expres- expression expression - . sion \ which hlch would become a famil faniil- faniil faniilnar { familiar am . - iar 1ar nar trademark to nu.11Jons-a nu.11Jonsa nu.11Jons nu11Jons a millions-a millions . millions - a trade trade- trademark trademark trademark - mark attached toe7 to e7 e7major major politi pohtl- pohtl pohtlcal politi- politi political political - - cal party by a hurried hurned young print prmt printer . ' er cr en named T . B Dowden @ Wcatcrn Western Newspaper N w papcr Union . I I |
