Page:The autobiography of a Pennsylvanian.djvu/284

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A PENNSYLVANIAN

Just at this juncture appeared General George Weedon's Orderly Book, kept during the Revolutionary War, which I had undertaken to supervise and annotate for the American Philosophical Society and which was published by Dodd, Mead & Co., of New York. It gives the most complete record we have of the campaign of 1777 for the possession of Philadelphia. The publishers expected little demand for a book of interest only to scholarly investigators and they were much surprised to find that their whole edition was sold in a comparatively brief time.

Within a few days after the nomination, at the request of Mr. Charles W. Henry, I delivered an address at the dedication of the statue to Teedyuscung, the Indian chief, erected on the Wissahickon.

Robert E. Pattison became the Democratic candidate for the governorship. He had twice before been elected governor, had the prestige of unusual success in a Republican state, and was ready to tempt fortune for the third time. He was a man inspired by worthy motives, with rather limited views of life, possessed of respectable attainments, who had come within sight of the Democratic nomination for the presidency and who, if he could win in this campaign, might well cherish such prospects.

On the 1st of August I resigned from the bench in order to go upon the stump. This left me without a salary for about eight months, and for the first time in my life I was under the necessity of borrowing money in order to provide for family needs. The beginning of the introduction into the service of the public was likewise the beginning of the sacrifice of personal comfort. Along with Senator Penrose, I spoke August 20th at Fogelsville in Lehigh County, not far from Allentown, and there, in a sense, the campaign was opened. For the next two and a half months my only occupation was that of following out the itinerary prepared by the campaign committee, and making speeches, oftentimes three in the course of the day. Without much

268