Grant Poetry: 1880

LITTLE DROPS.

Little Streaks of Lightning, Little
Nubs of News, Make the Sleep-
iest Husband Get up
and Peruse.

Little Canuk Councils, Envy in
Their Wigs, Ostracise Our
Cattle, and Like-
wise Our
Pigs.¹

Little Sailor Alfred Compliments
Our Acts², Oleomargarine is
Liable to Tax³.

Little Mississippi, Has a Small Cy-
clone, Twenty-Two are
Slaughtered; Num-
ber Hurt Un-
known⁴,

And the Little Minutes, Humble tho'
They be, Bring us Near the
Time of President

U. S. G.

(The Argus, 28 April 1880.)

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Grant Poetry: 1880

MORE BESIDES.

It's Bad Wid Livers Wake and
Woite, but Dennis Kearney
Has 'em¹; He Backed Square
Down in Frisco Town
and Straddled the
Bloody Chasm²

Chicago's Mollies Resoloot, if More
Pigtails They Find, They'll
Murder Every One, and so
They Will, Just in
Their Mind³.

An Indian Scare Up Big Horn Way,
Has Raised the Very Deuce.
The Frightened Folks are
Fleeing to the Valley
of the Goose⁴.

At Fifty Off He Was, You Bet
Our Favorite Maiden Aunt,
His Father Kept a Leather
Shop, His Name Was

U.S. Grant

(The Argus, 17 March 1880.)

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Grant Poetry: 1880

In 1880, Ulysses S Grant planned for a third presidency; he was very close to being the Republican candidate for the 1880 election, but James A Garfield was chosen instead. Here in Fargo, however, the newspaper The Argus threw their hat into Grant's ring, and expressed their support by composing short poems, with topics taken from the headlines of the day, and culminating in a comment on Grant. Be sure to check the footnotes; they explain the poem's references. I've got a bunch of 'em, I'll share as I transcribe. Yes, the poems were laid out this way:

CHEERFUL.

The Erie Canal has Busted Its

Straps¹—Gladstone Receives a

Knocker²—About a Score off

Scotland's Shore are

Swept to "Jones's

Locker."³

The Dismal Swamp's in Fearful

Blaze⁴—Hatch, Red Men Largely

Collars⁵—The Town of Hull,

Its Loss in Full, is

Several Million

Dollars.⁶

John and Jim, Those Champions

Grim⁷, Believing Their Chances

Scant, Will Come Home Yet,

and Hedge, You Bet;

Wagging Their

Tales For

Grant!

(The Argus, 23 April 1880.)

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