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When "Old Rough And Ready" Campaigned Bay St. Louis
Several times KNOW YOUR COAST has touched upon Zachary Taylor, one of the six presidents of the United States who has been a guest of Pass Christian, and we have mentioned how his son Dick Taylor, while convalescing in a wheel chair at ??The Pass? wooed and won the beautiful Myrtle Bringer. Today we?ll bypass the Pass and recount an anecdote | about ?Old Rough and Ready? iwhen he was campaigning for 'President and stopped at Bay St. Louis to make s political speech.
After 40 years frontier military service fighting the scattered Indian tribes of the West and South, la career as yet untouched by glory, Zachary Taylor had been sent to hold the disrupted border between Texas and Mexico just after annexation. He had been attacked by the Mexicans and, in spite of poor preparation and poorer planning, had won three smashing victories that put him and the i Mexican War in the nation's headlines. Whereupon, the nation, after ignoring him for practically all his life suddenly raised him to the rank of genius and the politicians began making moon eyes in his direction.
A quarrel with the administration turned him into a Whig and and another opportune victory, won after most of the regular army 'troops had been taken from his command, made him a hero and a martyr and the proper material 'for a winning presidential candi-jdate.
After the Mexican War, General Taylor, then in his sixties, would gladly have returned to his poor rundown plantation and forgotten all about high office. Even as it was, Taylor seemingly did everything possible to injure his political chances. He continually refused to consider himself a party man. He let it be known on all occasions that he was not fitted for office
and that he did not think a military man should be President.
But the dearth of available men was too great. Taylor was a popular hero. He was well liked by tue soldiers because he endured all hardships with his men and never tried to show his authority for its own sake. He exposed himself to danger in battle and by personal bravery often made up for lack of preparation before engagement. Even though he announced that he ?would not serve if the good people were impudent enough to elect him? the Whigs made him their candidate, and southern votes drawn from the Democrats and a Democratic revolt in New York elected him the eleventh President of the United States.
During his campaigning which he did against his will he spoke at Bay St. Louis. For the occasion a speaker?s stand and improvised benches were hastily constructed under the oak trees at the head of Ulman Avenue. ?Zachary? as his Coast friends affectionately called him was a tall, sinewy, angular man in his sixties given to much gesticulation when orating. He frequently pounded the boards of the improvised rostrum with his masterful fist.
This persistent pounding combined with leaning his long frame out over the speaker's stand, flim-sily built for only one day?s use, caused the platform to collapse. The speaker, the stand, occupants and pink lemonade all went down in a heap.
?Old Rough and Ready,? skinned and angry, arose from the struggling mass of assorted humanity and gave vent to such profanity as never before or since has scorched the air of Bay St. Louis.
Although he lost his dignity, he lost not a vote. Literally speaking he had come down from his political pedestal and had mixed with the commoni?esple. rnpynunt 1957 Ry Kay M VhompMm