1884 DW-GC-1884-11 / Grover Cleveland Campaign Token WM 28mm NGC MS 62

Description: 1884 DW-GC-1884-11 / Grover Cleveland Campaign Token WM 28mm NGC MS 62A great writeup of this piece as it appears on Cointalk by John Milton;"Beef Takes the Presidential Chair March 4, 1885" In 1884 the Democrats won the White House for the first time in 28 years. From 1860 when Abraham Lincoln defeated three opponents to 1880 when James Garfield narrowly defeated Winfield Scott Hancock, the Republicans had won every race. In 1884 one of the Republican’s favorite candidates, James G. Blaine, lost to Grover Cleveland. Prior to 1882, Cleveland had never held an elected office higher than county sheriff. In 1882 Cleveland was elected mayor of Buffalo, New York. In 1883 he was elected Governor of New York. The following year he won the Democratic presidential nomination and was elected president. This meteoric rise irritated many Republicans, and they expressed their frustrations on a political medalet.The obverse of the piece, which is a little larger than a quarter, features a Buffalo at the top which stands for Grover Cleveland's home town. Below the buffalo is the phrase, "Beef takes the presidential chair March 4, 1885." "Beef" referred to Clevland who was large 'beefy" man and may have been a sly comment about his intelligence. March 4 was the presidential inauguration date until 1936 when it was moved to January 20. Below these words is the phrase "R.R.R. did it." This referred to a speech that the Reverend Samuel D. Burchard gave just before the election in New York City.Burchard declared: "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." This statement was a direct insult to the Irish Catholic community. The Democrats pounced on it before Republican candidate Blaine could repudiate it. In less than 24 hours the Democrats were passing out “Rum, Romanism and Rebellion” leaflets in Irish neighborhoods . The preacher's intemperate language cost the Republicans many votes in the state of New York and with it, the election. The reverse of the token features a bird's body with the head of Grover Cleveland atop it supported in the air by a snake. The words "united South" are written on the snake. This referred to the support that Cleveland and Democratic candidates received from the southern states for much of the 19th through the 20th centuries until the Republicans initiated their "southern strategy" in the mid 1960s. The snake recalled visions of "copperheads" which was the name given to northerners who supported the southern cause during the Civil War. The bird might have been symbolic of the rooster which was the symbol for the Democratic Party from the 1800s to the 1930s. On either side of this image is the phrase, "I say nothing because I have nothing to say," which may have been another swipe at Cleveland's intelligence.There are three more comments at the bottom of the design. "Renegade Press" probably refers to the widespread reporting of the unsavory deals that James G. Blaine had made with the railroad industry during his political career. "Free Traders" refers to Cleveland's opposition to the protective tariff which was an issue that divided Republicans and Democrats throughout the 19th and most of the early 20th century. Republicans believed in protecting American companies from foreign competition while many Democrats advocated tariffs for their revenue function. Finally "Dependents" probably referred to the many office seekers who would benefit from a Cleveland victory, although there were just many Republicans who would have benefited from a Blaine victory.Shipping to US only via USPS Priority mail with tracking number I do offer combined shipping. PLEASE wait for my invoice before making payment if you buy more than 1 lot.Satisfaction assured and enjoy your purchase

Price: 224.95 USD

Location: Blairstown, New Jersey

End Time: 2024-11-07T16:04:13.000Z

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