I had on hand a great many skins, and so, in the month of February, I
packed a horse with them, and taking my eldest son along with me, cut
out for a little town called Jackson, situated about forty miles off. We
got there well enough, and I sold my skins, and bought me some coffee,
and sugar, powder, lead, and salt. I packed them all up in readiness for
a start, which I intended to make early the next morning. Morning came,
but I concluded, before I started, I would go and take a horn with some
of my old fellow-soldiers that I had met with at Jackson.
I did so; and while we were engaged in this, I met with three candidates
for the Legislature; a Doctor Butler, who was, by marriage, a nephew to
General Jackson, a Major Lynn, and a Mr. McEver, all first-rate men. We
all took a horn together, and some person present said to me, "Crockett,
you must offer for the Legislature." I told him I lived at least forty
miles from any white settlement, and had no thought of becoming a
candidate at that time. So we all parted, and I and my little boy went
on home.
It was about a week or two after this, that a man came to my house, and
told me I was a candidate. I told him not so. But he took out a
newspaper from his pocket, and show'd me where I was announced. I said
to my wife that this was all a burlesque on me, but I was determined to
make it cost the man who had put it there at least the value of the
printing, and of the fun he wanted at my expense. So I hired a young man
to work in my place on my farm, and turned out myself electioneering. I
hadn't been out long, before I found the people began to talk very much
about the bear hunter, the man from the cane; and the three gentlemen,
who I have already named, soon found it necessary to enter into an
agreement to have a sort of caucus at their March court, to determine
which of them was the strongest, and the other two was to withdraw and
support him. As the court came on, each one of them spread himself, to
secure the nomination; but it fell on Dr. Butler, and the rest backed
out. The doctor was a clever fellow, and I have often said he was the
most talented man I ever run against for any office. His being related
to Gen'l. Jackson also helped him on very much; but I was in for it, and
I was determined to push ahead and go through, or stick. Their meeting
was held in Madison county, which was the strongest in the
representative district, which was composed of eleven counties, and they
seemed bent on having the member from there.
At this time Col. Alexander was a candidate for Congress, and attending
one of his public meetings one day, I walked to where he was treating
the people, and he gave me an introduction to several of his
acquaintances, and informed them that I was out electioneering. In a
little time my competitor, Doctor Butler, came along; he passed by
without noticing me, and I suppose, indeed, he did not recognise me. But
I hailed him, as I was for all sorts of fun; and when he turned to me, I
said to him, "Well, doctor, I suppose they have weighed you out to me;
but I should like to know why they fixed your election for _March_
instead of _August_? This is," said I, "a branfire new way of doing
business, if a caucus is to make a representative for the people!" He
now discovered who I was, and cried out, "D--n it, Crockett, is that
you?"--"Be sure it is," said I, "but I don't want it understood that I
have come electioneering. I have just crept out of the cane, to see
what discoveries I could make among the white folks." I told him that
when I set out electioneering, I would go prepared to put every man on
as good footing when I left him as I found him on. I would therefore
have me a large buckskin hunting-shirt made, with a couple of pockets
holding about a peck each; and that in one I would carry a great big
twist of tobacco, and in the other my bottle of liquor; for I knowed
when I met a man and offered him a dram, he would throw out his quid of
tobacco to take one, and after he had taken his horn, I would out with
my twist and give him another chaw. And in this way he would not be
worse off than when I found him; and I would be sure to leave him in a
first-rate good humour. He said I could beat him electioneering all
hollow. I told him I would give him better evidence of that before
August, notwithstanding he had many advantages over me, and particularly
in the way of money; but I told him that I would go on the products of
the country; that I had industrious children, and the best of coon dogs,
and they would hunt every night till midnight to support my election;
and when the coon fur wa'n't good, I would myself go a wolfing, and
shoot down a wolf, and skin his head, and his scalp would be good to me
for three dollars, in our state treasury money; and in this way I would
get along on the big string. He stood like he was both amused and
astonished, and the whole crowd was in a roar of laughter. From this
place I returned home, leaving the people in a first-rate way; and I was
sure I would do a good business among them. At any rate, I was
determined to stand up to my lick-log, salt or no salt.
In a short time there came out two other candidates, a Mr. Shaw and a
Mr. Brown. We all ran the race through; and when the election was over,
it turned out that I beat them all by a majority of two hundred and
forty-seven votes, and was again returned as a member of the Legislature
from a new region of the country, without losing a session. This
reminded me of the old saying--"A fool for luck, and a poor man for
children."
I now served two years in that body from my new district, which was the
years 1823 and '24. At the session of 1823, I had a small trial of my
independence, and whether I would forsake principle for party, or for
the purpose of following after big men.
The term of Col. John Williams had expired, who was a senator in
Congress from the state of Tennessee. He was a candidate for another
election, and was opposed by Pleasant M. Miller, Esq., who, it was
believed, would not be able to beat the colonel. Some two or three
others were spoken of, but it was at last concluded that the only man
who could beat him was the present "government," General Jackson. So, a
few days before the election was to come on, he was sent for to come and
run for the senate. He was then in nomination for the presidency; but
sure enough he came, and did run as the opponent of Colonel Williams,
and beat him too, but not by my vote. The vote was, for Jackson,
_thirty-five_; for Williams, _twenty-five_. I thought the colonel had
honestly discharged his duty, and even the mighty name of Jackson
couldn't make me vote against him.
But voting against the old chief was found a mighty up-hill business to
all of them except myself. I never would, nor never did, acknowledge I
had voted wrong; and I am more certain now that I was right than ever.
I told the people it was the best vote I ever gave; that I had supported
the public interest, and cleared my conscience in giving it, instead of
gratifying the private ambition of a man.
I let the people know as early as then, that I wouldn't take a collar
around my neck with the letters engraved on it,
MY DOG.
ANDREW JACKSON.
During these two sessions of the Legislature, nothing else turned up
which I think it worth while to mention; and, indeed, I am fearful that
I am too particular about many small matters; but if so, my apology is,
that I want the world to understand my true history, and how I worked
along to rise from a cane-brake to my present station in life.
Col. Alexander was the representative in Congress of the district I
lived in, and his vote on the tariff law of 1824 gave a mighty heap of
dissatisfaction to his people. They therefore began to talk pretty
strong of running me for Congress against him. At last I was called on
by a good many to be a candidate. I told the people that I couldn't
stand that; it was a step above my knowledge, and I know'd nothing about
Congress matters.
However, I was obliged to agree to run, and myself and two other
gentlemen came out. But Providence was a little against two of us this
hunt, for it was the year that cotton brought twenty-five dollars a
hundred; and so Colonel Alexander would get up and tell the people, it
was all the good effect of this tariff law; that it had raised the price
of their cotton, and that it would raise the price of every thing else
they made to sell. I might as well have sung _salms_ over a dead horse,
as to try to make the people believe otherwise; for they knowed their
cotton had raised, sure enough, and if the colonel hadn't done it, they
didn't know what had. So he rather made a mash of me this time, as he
beat me exactly _two_ votes, as they counted the polls, though I have
always believed that many other things had been as fairly done as that
same count.
He went on, and served out his term, and at the end of it cotton was
down to _six_ or _eight_ dollars a hundred again; and I concluded I
would try him once more, and see how it would go with cotton at the
common price, and so I became a candidate.