Campaign for General Smith

DESCRIPTION: "Kinderhoos, Kass, Kalhoun, or Klay, Kan surely never win the day" but "General" Smith can. Or "Come then, O Americans, rally to the standard of liberty"; trample the tyrant, "Then yon proud eagle to its height may soar, And peace,,, reign forevermore"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1945 (Journal of American Folklore LVIII)
KEYWORDS: political nonballad
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1844 - Presidential election of 1844, won by James K. Polk, in which Joseph Smith made a gesture toward running prior to his lynching
FOUND IN: US(Ro)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Cheney-MormonSongs, pp. 33-35, "Campaign for General Smith" (2 fragments)
Greenway-FolkloreOfTheGreatWest, p. 251, "(No title)" (1 text)
Roud #10814 and 10815
NOTES [209 words]: Although these appear to be separate songs, and Roud gives them separate numbers, they seem always to appear together, so I didn't see much point in splitting them.
The context, as pointed out by Cheney, is the Election of 1844, and the list of candidates indicates it was written before either party had made its nominations. "Klay" is of course Henry Clay, who had been one of the three anti-Jackson candidates in 1824 (coming in fourth in the electoral vote), then the "National Republican" candidate in 1832, then the Whig nominee in 1844. "Kalhoun" is John C. Calhoun, who had been Andrew Jackson's vice president (although they didn't get along any too well); he was never a major party nominee although he was often given consideration. "Kass" is presumably Lewis Cass, who would eventually be the Democratic nominee in 1848.
Which leaves "Kinderhoos." I don't think there can be any question but that this is a mistake for "Kinderhook," the home town of Martin van Buren, Andrew Jackson's hand-chosen successor in 1836, who was defeated for re-election in 1840 and wanted his job back.
It's ironic that the song seems to have no hint of the actual Democratic nominee of 1844, James K. Polk -- who was, to be sure, the prototypical "dark horse." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: ChMS033

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography