Abstract

An English View of The Late Campaign

This article presents information on a descriptive account given by an Englishman who landed in the U.S. for the first time in the middle of last year's Presidential campaign. It is opined that the two months between August and November in any Presidential campaign, and especially in such an unusual one as that of 1884, do not afford the most favorable opportunity for a stranger to gain a clear and accurate idea of how Americans "work their political institutions." The visitors first observation was the familiar one that "one of the great peculiarities of the U.S. is the absence of any leisure class. Every man is in business; no matter what fortune he may accumulate he continues in business," and at election time "every one is drawn into the fray, and ordinary business comes to a standstill."