York County Democrats celebrate in 1882
This account below is only one of several from the November 28, 1882 York Gazette recounting celebrations around the county of recent Democratic election wins.
Democrat Robert E. Pattison had won the election for Governor, but not by much, over James A. Beaver. A candidate by the name of John Stewart, running on an Independent Republican ticket, seems to have pulled enough votes away from Republican Beaver to give Pattison the win. The Democrats may have also been celebrating other local wins.
The Gazette piece is credited to the Hanover Citizen, another staunch Democrat newspaper. The report reads:
DEMOCRATIC JOLLIFICTION IN HANOVER.—The Democrats of Hanover and vicinity had a torch-light procession and general jollification on Friday evening, the 7th inst., in honor of the grand victory achieved at the late election. By 7 o’clock Fountain Square was well filled with people and promptly at that hour the procession started, headed by the Hanover Band. The second section was headed by the Hanover Drum Corp. The Heidelberg and Penn Township delegation, headed by the Moulstown Band, brought up the rear. In all there were nearly 1,000 persons in line. The banners bore humorous and unique inscriptions, but nothing vulgar or offensive to even the most solid Republicans. A decidedly good feature of the affair was a “float” upon which was a true representation of labor and industry. Perhaps a dozen men were hammering plaining and working on the float. It took several hours to pass over all the streets, and it is a great satisfaction to state that not a drunken man was seen in the crowd nor a single disturbance occurred during the whole parade. The entire column was under the marshalship of Col. R. M. Russell, with a number of aids, and much credit is due these gentlemen for the success of the demonstration. All along the line of march Democrats had their houses and places of business illuminated. In Fountain Square the Central Hotel was particularly brilliantly lighted. The whole affair was a grand success, though many people from town and country were prevented from participating on account of the inclemency of the weather.—Citizen.
