May 16, 1860.—Now that the frolicking is over and there is plenty of time to read the papers, I find much to trouble and alarm. This is a Presidential year and already there are indications of a hot fight. Brother Junius is an Old Line Whig and Father and Buddy are Democrats. They almost quarrel over their different views. Everett and Bell are the Whig candidates, while Breckinridge and Lane are ours. General Lane is our cousin and we feel an interest in his success, but there are others in the race also and nobody can tell how it will be decided.
Lincoln and Hamlin are the Black Republican candidates. This seems to be a new political party and, as near as I can come at it, they have two objects in view, the freeing of the Negroes and the downfall of the South. I am only a child but reading the papers, that is the way it seems to be.
The Convention was held in Charleston, South Carolina, and there was great excitement, the Democrats were not satisfied at putting out a good strong ticket but brought out another, Stephen A. Douglass and Herschel V. Johnston. I cannot remember which name comes first. Father regrets deeply that they should have done this, for, he says, it will weaken the chances of the Democrats.
Mattie is so cute; because her father is a Whig she says she is a Whig too, she shakes her golden curls and turns up her pretty little nose when Cousin Rob and I sing Democratic songs, one especially, sung to the tune of “Benny Havens, Oh:”
“Hark from the tomb a doleful sound,
We hear a mournful yell,
Old fogies shout discordant notes
For Everett and Bell.”
This to Mattie is like shaking a red rag at a bull, isn’t it too funny? I mean to read the papers every day and keep up with the news.
Half an hour later. Just as I was closing my diary Father, who was lying on the couch in the library where I was writing, said: “What is my baby writing? It has brought a real grown-up frown to her face.” I gave him the book to read, he did not say a word for awhile and then he said, “You are getting to be quite a politician. I didn’t know you felt such an interest,” and then he talked to me for some minutes concerning the campaign, which was even now upon us and he told me to come to him whenever there was anything I could not understand. He thought well of the plan of reading the newspapers. He said it was the duty of men and women to keep themselves informed in all matters concerning the welfare of the country.
Susan Bradford is 14 years old when this entry was made.