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{{Short description|United States political term}}
In the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century, '''yellow dog Democrats''' were voters in the ] who consistently voted for ] candidates because of lingering resentment against ] from the ] and ] periods. The term arose from the notion that a Southerner would vote for a yellow dog before voting for a Republican.
{{Use mdy dates|date = February 2019}}
{{Use American English|date = February 2019}}
]'s wildness and its ginger coat led to its being called a "yaller dog", which in turn may have led to the expression "yellow dog Democrat".<ref name=":0" />]]
'''''Yellow dog Democrats''''' is a political ] that was applied to voters in the Southern United States who voted solely for candidates who represented the ]. The term originated in the late 19th century. These voters would allegedly "vote for a yellow dog before they would vote for any ]",<ref name = "Life May 21, 1956">{{Cite magazine | title = A Solid Leader for Solid South | magazine = LIFE | volume = 40 | issue = 21 | pages =31–35 | publisher = Time | location = Chicago | date = May 21, 1956 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=q0gEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34}} Page 34 "We're pretty much yellow-dog Democrats here," said an Arkansan last week, explaining the state would vote Democratic even if the party nominates a "yellow dog."</ref><ref name = "Yellow dog republican">{{Cite journal | last = Morton | first = Julius Sterling | title = In Old Times | journal = The Conservative | volume = 1 | issue = 5 | page =6 | publisher = Morton Print. Co | location = Nebraska City, Nebraska | date = August 11, 1898 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wv7mAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA60}}. The Republican party of Nebraska, when its nomination to a state office was equivalent to an election, boasted that it could run "a yellow dog" for Governor and beat the best and ablest Democrat named for that office.</ref> or, "vote for a yellow dog if he ran on the Democratic ticket".<ref name=":0" /> The term is now more generally applied to refer to any Democrat who will vote a ] under any circumstances. The ] and ], among other state parties, continue to use the ] to refer to committed members of the Democratic Party in the "Yellow Dog Club".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://scdp.org/yellow-dog-democrats/|title=Yellow Dog Democrats|date=2016|website=scdp.org|publisher=South Carolina Democratic Party|access-date=December 24, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mississippidemocrats.org/yellowdogsnew|title=Yellow Dogs|website=Mississippi Democratic Party|access-date=10 Dec 2017}}</ref>


According to journalist Ed Kilgore, Yellow Dog Democrats were Southerners who saw the Democratic Party as "the default vehicle for day-to-day political life, and the dominant presence, regardless of ideology, for state and local politics."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2014/11/12/bye_bye_blue_dog_democrats_what_the_end_of_conservative_dems_means_for_america/|title=Bye-bye, blue dog "Democrats": What the end of conservative Dems means for America|date=November 12, 2014|first1=Heather|last1=Digby Parton|website=Salon}}</ref>
==Etymology==

Historically, the term is correctly “yaller dog” and refers to the primitive canine native to the South Carolina woodlands and swamplands, now known as the ] breed, which has a coat that is predominately a yellowish color. The pronunciation most likely originates from the old English word “yellows” which referred to a disease of horses and cattle indicated by yellow eyes, lips, etc. It was often pronounced “yallers” and was used by ] in ], ''His horse sped with spavins and raied with the yellows'', according to John Russell Bartlett in Dictionary of Americanisms (1848). Many pronunciations of the American South are inherited from older forms of English, rather than indicators of ignorance as often characterized today.
The term "yellow dog" may be a reference to the ], a dog breed without European heritage and indigenous to the Americas (specifically the Southern United States).<ref name=":0">{{cite news|last=Hitt|first=Jack|title= D.N.A. Backs Lore on Pre-Columbian Dogs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/science/a-dog-that-goes-way-back.html|access-date=15 July 2013|newspaper=New York Times|date=15 July 2013}}</ref>


==History and usage== ==History and usage==
The phrase "Yellow Dog Democrat" is thought<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wais.stanford.edu/Politics/yellowdogdemocrats.htm|title=Yellow dog Democrats|website=wais.stanford.edu|access-date=2019-02-07}}</ref> to have first achieved popularity during the ] between Democratic candidate ] and Republican candidate ], when Senator ] (D-Alabama) crossed party lines and formally supported Hoover. Many Southern voters disliked several items on Smith's platform, as well as his ] faith, but still voted for him.
The first known usage to date of “yaller dog” in relation to Democrats occurred in the 1900 Kentucky gubernatorial contest which turned into quite a dogfight. Irvin S. Cobb wrote a first hand account in his book ''Exit Laughing'', published in 1941, now in Canadian public domain and authorized for academic and non-profit use. It details the saga of the Kentucky Governor ], who killed a man, exploited the split Democratic Party in Kentucky, and was assassinated in 1900, barely living long enough to take the oath of office.


However, the term did not originate from the election of 1928, and there were earlier recorded usages. It was used by ] in an 1848 speech on ] of General ], whose Democratic opponent was General ]. Lincoln derided Cass as one of several recent Democratic presidential candidates in the mold of ] by saying:
Mr. Cobb relates —


<blockquote>A fellow once advertised that he had made a discovery by which he could make a new man out of an old one, and have enough of the stuff left to make a little yellow dog. Just such a discovery has ] popularity been to you . You not only twice made President of him out of it, but you have had enough of the stuff left to make presidents of several comparatively small men since; and it is your chief reliance now to make still another.<ref>Lincoln Speeches, Abraham Lincoln, Penguin Civic Classics Series</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>“the most devastating retort I ever did hear. It was delivered by Theodore Hallam, a battered-looking, hard-hitting, hard-drinking, little Irish lawyer, and an ex-member of Morgan's Rangers — and that for nearly half a century qualified a man for social and political distinction anywhere in the border South and particularly in Kentucky. Despite a high, strident voice, Hallam was perhaps the greatest natural orator in a state of natural orators and had a tongue pointed with a darting, instantaneous wit.”</blockquote>


In the run-up to the ], African-American journalist ] of ], in his paper '']'', used the term to refer to Republicans in the West who, he wrote, "would vote for a yellow dog out there if he was named Republican."<ref>"Democrats?" ''The American Citizen'', June 17, 1892, p. 1</ref> In 1893, the ''Kansas City Journal'', a Republican newspaper, criticized "This thing of voting for 'yaller dogs', and expecting them to turn black-and-tan after the election,"<ref>"The Farce Over", ''Kansas City Journal'', March 2, 1893, p. 4</ref> with reference to Missouri voters always voting for Democrats, then being surprised at their allegedly invariable corruption.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}
<blockquote>“Hallam lived in ], where Goebel likewise lived, and as a comrade in war and an ally in peace of Colonel Sanford, the Conservative whom Goebel pistoled to death, he hated Goebel mightily. Having bolted when Goebel seized the gubernatorial nomination by craft and device — and at the last moment, by open violence — Hallam promptly took the stump against him and went about over the troubled commonwealth joyously sowing dragons' teeth and poison ivy.</blockquote>


In the ] in ], Theodore Hallam was criticized at a Democratic Party meeting for first supporting ], then campaigning against him. The critic pointed out that Hallam earlier had said "if the Democrats of Kentucky, in convention assembled, nominated a yaller dog for governor you would vote for him" and asked "why do you now repudiate the nominee of that convention, the Honorable William Goebel?" Hallam responded:
<blockquote>The seceding wing of the party picked on Hallam to open its fight, and chose the town of ] as a fitting place for the firing of the first gun, Bowling Green being a town where the rebellion inside the ranks was widespread and vehement. But Goebel had his adherents there, too.</blockquote>


⚫ <blockquote>"I admit," he stated blandly, "that I said then what I now repeat, namely, that when the ], in convention assembled, sees fit in its wisdom to nominate a yaller dog for the governorship of this great state, I will support him— but lower than that ye shall not drag me!"<ref>], ''Exit Laughing'', Bobbs-Merrill, 1941.</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>I could fairly smell trouble cooking on that simmering-hot August afternoon when Hallam rose up in the jammed courthouse to begin his speech. Hardly had he started when a local bravo, himself a most handy person in a rough-and-tumble argument, stood upon the seat of his chair, towering high above the heads of those about him.</blockquote>


⚫ There are indications that the term was in widespread and easily understandable use by 1923. In a letter written in ], Tennessee, by W. L. Moore of ], on May 9, 1923, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, Moore writes:{{citation needed|date=August 2009}}
<blockquote>"I allow I want to ask you a question!" he demanded in a tone like the roar of one of Bashan's bulls.</blockquote>


⚫ <blockquote>I am a Democrat from inheritance, from ] and principle, if the principle suits me. But I have passed the yaller dog degree.</blockquote>
<blockquote>One-third of the crowd yelled: "Go ahead, Black jack!" The other two-thirds yelled: "Throw him out!" and a few enthusiastic spirits suggested the advisability of destroying the gentleman utterly, and started reaching for the armpit or the hip pocket, as the case might be. Despite the heat all hands were wearing their alpaca or their seersucker coats which, if you knew our sturdy yeomanry in those parlous days, was a bad sign.</blockquote>


⚫ ==See also==
<blockquote>With a wave of his hand Hallam stilled the tumult.</blockquote>
* ], a caucus of ] of the Democratic Party who identify as moderates or ]
* ], a ] ] (used in the mid- and late-20th century)
* ]
⚫ * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==References==
<blockquote>"Let it be understood now and hereafter, that this is to be no joint debate," he said in that high-pitched shrill voice of his. "My friends have arranged for the use of this building and I intend to be the only speaker. But it is a tenet of our faith that in a Democratic gathering no man who calls himself a Democrat shall be denied the right to be heard. If the gentleman will be content to ask his question, whatever it is, and abide by my answer to it, I am willing that he should speak."</blockquote>
{{reflist|30em}}

<blockquote>"That suits me," clarioned the interrupter. "My question is this: Didn't you say at the Louisville convention not four weeks ago that if the Democrats of Kentucky, in convention assembled, nominated a yaller dog for governor you would vote for him?"</blockquote>

<blockquote>"I did," said Hallam calmly.</blockquote>

<blockquote>"Well, then," whooped the heckler, eager now to press his seeming advantage, "in the face of that statement, why do you now repudiate the nominee of that convention, the Honorable William Goebel?"</blockquote>

<blockquote>For his part Hallam waited for perfect quiet and at length got it.</blockquote>

⚫ <blockquote>"I admit," he stated blandly, "that I said then what I now repeat, namely, that when the Democratic party of Kentucky, in convention assembled, sees fit in its wisdom to nominate a yaller dog for the governorship of this great state, I will support him — but lower than that ye shall not drag me!"</blockquote>

So, ironically, the first known use of “yaller dog” was directly aimed at a Democrat by a Democrat.

⚫ There are indications that the term was in widespread and easily understandable use by 1923. In a letter written in Huntland, Tennessee by Mr. W. L. Moore of Kansas City, Missouri, on May 9, 1923, on the occasion of his 90th birthday and now a web-based genealogical document, Mr. Moore writes:

⚫ “I am a Democrat from inheritance, from prejudice and principle, if the principle suits me. But I have passed the yaller dog degree.”

Logic suggests that the term originated in the environs where “yaller dogs” made their habitat, namely South Carolina. Therefore, for the term to have come to use in Kentucky by 1900 and in Tennessee by 1923(or even North Carolina where Mr. Moore sometime abided), sufficient time must be allowed for the term to have migrated. So far, no historical documentation of an original quotation indicating an individual declaring his preference to vote for a yellow dog rather than a Republican, or only because the canine might be the named Democratic contender, has been located.

The term gained national prominence during the ] when many Southern voters disliked several items on Democratic candidate ]'s platform (as well as his Catholicism), but voted for him regardless.

⚫ ==See also==
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]


==External links== ==External links==
* http://www.yellowdogdemocrat.com/history.htm * http://www.yellowdogdemocrat.com/history.htm
* http://www.merrycoz.org/voices/bartlett/AMER10.HTM * http://www.merrycoz.org/voices/bartlett/AMER10.HTM
* http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/exitX16.htm
* http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~marisa/hrmoore.letter.html


{{DEFAULTSORT:Yellow Dog Democrat}}
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]
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Latest revision as of 22:43, 6 October 2024

United States political term

The Carolina Dog's wildness and its ginger coat led to its being called a "yaller dog", which in turn may have led to the expression "yellow dog Democrat".

Yellow dog Democrats is a political term that was applied to voters in the Southern United States who voted solely for candidates who represented the Democratic Party. The term originated in the late 19th century. These voters would allegedly "vote for a yellow dog before they would vote for any Republican", or, "vote for a yellow dog if he ran on the Democratic ticket". The term is now more generally applied to refer to any Democrat who will vote a straight party ticket under any circumstances. The South Carolina Democratic Party and Mississippi Democratic Party, among other state parties, continue to use the phrase to refer to committed members of the Democratic Party in the "Yellow Dog Club".

According to journalist Ed Kilgore, Yellow Dog Democrats were Southerners who saw the Democratic Party as "the default vehicle for day-to-day political life, and the dominant presence, regardless of ideology, for state and local politics."

The term "yellow dog" may be a reference to the Carolina Dog, a dog breed without European heritage and indigenous to the Americas (specifically the Southern United States).

History and usage

The phrase "Yellow Dog Democrat" is thought to have first achieved popularity during the 1928 presidential race between Democratic candidate Al Smith and Republican candidate Herbert Hoover, when Senator J. Thomas Heflin (D-Alabama) crossed party lines and formally supported Hoover. Many Southern voters disliked several items on Smith's platform, as well as his Roman Catholic faith, but still voted for him.

However, the term did not originate from the election of 1928, and there were earlier recorded usages. It was used by Abraham Lincoln in an 1848 speech on the presidential campaign of General Zachary Taylor, whose Democratic opponent was General Lewis Cass. Lincoln derided Cass as one of several recent Democratic presidential candidates in the mold of Andrew Jackson by saying:

A fellow once advertised that he had made a discovery by which he could make a new man out of an old one, and have enough of the stuff left to make a little yellow dog. Just such a discovery has Gen. Jackson's popularity been to you . You not only twice made President of him out of it, but you have had enough of the stuff left to make presidents of several comparatively small men since; and it is your chief reliance now to make still another.

In the run-up to the 1892 presidential election, African-American journalist C. H. J. Taylor of Kansas City, Kansas, in his paper The American Citizen, used the term to refer to Republicans in the West who, he wrote, "would vote for a yellow dog out there if he was named Republican." In 1893, the Kansas City Journal, a Republican newspaper, criticized "This thing of voting for 'yaller dogs', and expecting them to turn black-and-tan after the election," with reference to Missouri voters always voting for Democrats, then being surprised at their allegedly invariable corruption.

In the 1899 contest for governor in Kentucky, Theodore Hallam was criticized at a Democratic Party meeting for first supporting William Goebel, then campaigning against him. The critic pointed out that Hallam earlier had said "if the Democrats of Kentucky, in convention assembled, nominated a yaller dog for governor you would vote for him" and asked "why do you now repudiate the nominee of that convention, the Honorable William Goebel?" Hallam responded:

"I admit," he stated blandly, "that I said then what I now repeat, namely, that when the Democratic Party of Kentucky, in convention assembled, sees fit in its wisdom to nominate a yaller dog for the governorship of this great state, I will support him— but lower than that ye shall not drag me!"

There are indications that the term was in widespread and easily understandable use by 1923. In a letter written in Huntland, Tennessee, by W. L. Moore of Kansas City, Missouri, on May 9, 1923, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, Moore writes:

I am a Democrat from inheritance, from prejudice and principle, if the principle suits me. But I have passed the yaller dog degree.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hitt, Jack (July 15, 2013). "D.N.A. Backs Lore on Pre-Columbian Dogs". New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  2. "A Solid Leader for Solid South". LIFE. Vol. 40, no. 21. Chicago: Time. May 21, 1956. pp. 31–35. Page 34 "We're pretty much yellow-dog Democrats here," said an Arkansan last week, explaining the state would vote Democratic even if the party nominates a "yellow dog."
  3. Morton, Julius Sterling (August 11, 1898). "In Old Times". The Conservative. 1 (5). Nebraska City, Nebraska: Morton Print. Co: 6.. The Republican party of Nebraska, when its nomination to a state office was equivalent to an election, boasted that it could run "a yellow dog" for Governor and beat the best and ablest Democrat named for that office.
  4. "Yellow Dog Democrats". scdp.org. South Carolina Democratic Party. 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  5. "Yellow Dogs". Mississippi Democratic Party. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  6. Digby Parton, Heather (November 12, 2014). "Bye-bye, blue dog "Democrats": What the end of conservative Dems means for America". Salon.
  7. "Yellow dog Democrats". wais.stanford.edu. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  8. Lincoln Speeches, Abraham Lincoln, Penguin Civic Classics Series
  9. "Democrats?" The American Citizen, June 17, 1892, p. 1
  10. "The Farce Over", Kansas City Journal, March 2, 1893, p. 4
  11. Irvin S. Cobb, Exit Laughing, Bobbs-Merrill, 1941.

External links

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