Wide Awake Poem by Central New York Editor and Teacher

Almon H. Benedict, A Wide Awake Poem; In Which Are Recounted The Political Death and Burial of the Unlamented Buchanan; and The Wanderings of the Little Giant In Search of His Mother: In It Are, Also, Briefly Set Forth the Merits of Honest Old Abe, Our Next President. Printed Pamphlet. Cortland Village, NY: Edward D. Van Slyck, 1860. 16 pp., 5 1/4 x 8 1/4 in. In this long poem, Almon H. Benedict, a newspaper editor and teacher in Cortland in central New York, criticizes outgoing president James Buchanan and northern Democratic presidential nominee Stephen A. Douglas. He also extols the virtues of Republican nominee Abraham Lincoln. Excerpts"Around, what varied scenes we view -The bright, the dark, the strange, the new:Our crops are good, our Banks are sound,While thrift and comfort smile around.No wasting pestilence hath spreadIts gloomy horrors over head;From golden mines and prosperous tradeFull many a princely fortune's made;No foreign port our commerce bars,All court our glorious stripes and stars." (p4)"Well, now, as my story runs, (so says my Muse,)Buchanan was groaning with fits of the blues.He called his physicians, both learned and grave,From the land of the bludgeon, the home of the slave.But they all turned away, discouraged and sad,And, looking hard up, like the last run of shad,They sighed for the contents of Uncle Sam's purse,While their patient was growing alarmingly worse.He knew very well he must soon yield his breath,And die a most wretched political death:For after next March, never more, among men,Shall Jemmy be thought of, or mentioned, again." (p6)"This giant, though small, was a muscular mass,With a flexible tongue and a forehead of brass;Could excite with his gestures, persuade with his mouth,In a speech for the North, or a speech for the South; -Was all things to all men - a human chameleon;Could exhort like a preacher or swear like a felon;At one time could laud, and could e'en 'canonize,'Then send to perdition a famed compromise;Could higgle, could wiggle and dodge like an eel,And hammer and clamor and crawl for repeal.The hobby, the burden, the glory of Doug -His sine qua non - was his squatter Humbug!Now lo, this young giant - this babe of the West -In his best bib and tucker, nice breeches, and vest,Would take an excursion, for something or other;'Twas said that he journeyed in search of his mother.His movements were rapid, and rather erratic -By railroad and steamboat - terrene, and aquatic -He sped through the valleys, he clambered the mountains,He came to the clam-bakes, and stopped at the fountains;He blustered, and blabbered, and waddled about,His mother scarce knowing her darling was out!" (p8)"If any are doubtful just let them attend,We'll mention the means to accomplish our end:In a smart, thriving town, far away to the west,With good, honest people, dwells Abra'm, the blest.No beauty, 'tis true, but often the case is,There's greatness of soul with the plainest of faces.Though not like the rover - so oily and pliant -He's more of a statesman, he's more of a giant!And all who best know him are ready to own,He has a sound head, and a MIGHTY BACKBONE!He's a first-rate debater, deals capital blows,As his gassy antagonist very well knows:With his legal acumen, if jurists are frail,He can mend every gap with a logical rail;With his tongue for a wedge and his brain for a maulHe can split sham Democracy down, very small!He can walk through a shag-bark, demolish an oak,And slippery-elm Douglas subdue with a stroke;He hates all oppression, is trusty and bold;Has never been purchased - CAN NEVER BE SOLD!He springs from the people, he's not a vile tool;He's not a mere upstart - he's nobody's fool;A good honest worker, quite likely he'll view usEntitled to freedom, nor say he'll 'subdue' us;He'll never fly into conniptions and panics,And call us his 'mud-sills,' and 'greasy mechanics!' -In short, if we've rights, and we don't wish to lose 'em,We'll find there is SA. (See website for full description).…