Gold Spoon Oration
Encyclopedia
The Gold Spoon Oration, also called "The Regal Splendor of the President’s Palace," was a political speech given in the US House of Representatives by Charles Ogle
(Whig
-PA
) on April 14–16, 1840. The speech reviled then-President
Martin Van Buren
for his supposedly luxurious lifestyle in the White House
, while idealizing Whig presidential candidate William Henry Harrison
as a homespun man of the people; compare the idiom "silver spoon
".
Shortly after delivering the speech, Ogle had tens of thousands of copies printed and circulated around the nation as campaign literature. Historian
s, journalist
s and politician
s consider it one of the premier political attacks in American history. Many also rank it as one of the most amusing speeches ever delivered in Congress
. The speech is almost coincidentally the most complete inventory of the objects and furnishings of the White House for that time.
It was claimed by the Trenton Emporium that what was published was not the speech made by Ogle. The paper claimed that the published speech was edited multiple times and stuffed with fabrications developed by other Whig Party members.
In the presidential campaign of 1840, Democrat
Martin Van Buren, eighth president of the United States
, met strong Whig opposition to his supposedly "royal lifestyle." Van Buren continued to entertain Europe
an dignitaries in an elegant manner after the collapse of the economy
in 1837. Van Buren's rather dandyish style and refined tastes did make an easy target for Whig attacks. More impartial historians have pointed out that, while Van Buren did enjoy the latest fashions from Manhattan
, he purchased such personal items with money from his own pocket and spent little public money on the White House. Van Buren did make needed repairs and refurbishments as well as redecorations to the presidential residence.
Ogle, however, had taken the floor to campaign for William Henry Harrison, the Whig presidential candidate, not to discuss presidential finances in an impartial manner. Ogle announced that $88,722.58 had been appropriated by Congress for the White House since the Democrats had taken control of the presidency (though only $11,806.22 was appropriated during Van Buren’s term). By the second day of his speech the galleries were packed to capacity. Laughter and sarcastic comments from the floor and the galleries were common during the speech. The disruptions continued after Ogle left the floor and several other members, many of them Whigs like him, took the floor to defend the president and apologize for Ogle’s behavior. However, the speech proved effective in defining Van Buren as an out-of-touch aristocrat
, and Harrison was elected to the presidency in November, 1840 — only to die in office a month after his inauguration.
"The survey of smooth lawns and gently sloping meads, covered with rich coats of white and red clover and luxuriant orchard grass, made no delightful impression on their eyes. No, sir; mere meadows are too common to gratify the refined taste of an exquisite with sweet sandy whiskers. He must have undulations, beautiful mounds, and other contrivances, to ravish his exalted and ethereal soul. Hence, the reformers have constructed a number of clever sized hills, every pair of which, it is said, was designed to resemble and assume the form of an Amazon's bosom, with a miniature knoll or hillock on its apex, to denote the nipple."
Charles Ogle (politician)
Charles Ogle was an Anti-Masonic and Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Charles Ogle was born in Somerset, Pennsylvania. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1822 and commenced practice in Somerset...
(Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
-PA
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
) on April 14–16, 1840. The speech reviled then-President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
for his supposedly luxurious lifestyle in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, while idealizing Whig presidential candidate William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
as a homespun man of the people; compare the idiom "silver spoon
Silver spoon
The English language expression silver spoon is synonymous with wealth, especially inherited wealth; someone born into a wealthy family is said to have "been born with a silver spoon in his mouth". As an adjective, "silver-spoon" describes someone who has a prosperous background or is of a...
".
Shortly after delivering the speech, Ogle had tens of thousands of copies printed and circulated around the nation as campaign literature. Historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s consider it one of the premier political attacks in American history. Many also rank it as one of the most amusing speeches ever delivered in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. The speech is almost coincidentally the most complete inventory of the objects and furnishings of the White House for that time.
It was claimed by the Trenton Emporium that what was published was not the speech made by Ogle. The paper claimed that the published speech was edited multiple times and stuffed with fabrications developed by other Whig Party members.
Description
Ogle took the floor of the House of Representatives on April 14, 1840. For the better part of three days he addressed the House, sitting as a committee of the whole, about the "regal splendor of the President’s Palace." His words over those three days would snowball into a political campaign like no other.In the presidential campaign of 1840, Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Martin Van Buren, eighth president of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, met strong Whig opposition to his supposedly "royal lifestyle." Van Buren continued to entertain Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an dignitaries in an elegant manner after the collapse of the economy
Economy of the United States
The economy of the United States is the world's largest national economy. Its nominal GDP was estimated to be nearly $14.5 trillion in 2010, approximately a quarter of nominal global GDP. The European Union has a larger collective economy, but is not a single nation...
in 1837. Van Buren's rather dandyish style and refined tastes did make an easy target for Whig attacks. More impartial historians have pointed out that, while Van Buren did enjoy the latest fashions from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, he purchased such personal items with money from his own pocket and spent little public money on the White House. Van Buren did make needed repairs and refurbishments as well as redecorations to the presidential residence.
Ogle, however, had taken the floor to campaign for William Henry Harrison, the Whig presidential candidate, not to discuss presidential finances in an impartial manner. Ogle announced that $88,722.58 had been appropriated by Congress for the White House since the Democrats had taken control of the presidency (though only $11,806.22 was appropriated during Van Buren’s term). By the second day of his speech the galleries were packed to capacity. Laughter and sarcastic comments from the floor and the galleries were common during the speech. The disruptions continued after Ogle left the floor and several other members, many of them Whigs like him, took the floor to defend the president and apologize for Ogle’s behavior. However, the speech proved effective in defining Van Buren as an out-of-touch aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, and Harrison was elected to the presidency in November, 1840 — only to die in office a month after his inauguration.
Excerpts from the speech
"An old soldier Harrison, who, to rescue thousands of women and children from the scalping knife of the ruthless savage, freely abandoned all the endearments of home and family, endured the icy and piercing blasts of northwestern winters, wading through the deep and cold waters and black swamps of Michigan and upper Canada, sustaining, at times, an almost famished nature upon raw beef, without salt, and often periling life on the field of battle? Poor simple-minded old veteran, he was, no doubt, foolish enough to believe that, having given the best energies of his body and mind in youth, manhood, and mature age, to serve and defend the honor, the rights, the property, and the lives of his fellow-citizens, he would at least, in common courtesy, be entitled to their respect, if not to their love and gratitude.""The survey of smooth lawns and gently sloping meads, covered with rich coats of white and red clover and luxuriant orchard grass, made no delightful impression on their eyes. No, sir; mere meadows are too common to gratify the refined taste of an exquisite with sweet sandy whiskers. He must have undulations, beautiful mounds, and other contrivances, to ravish his exalted and ethereal soul. Hence, the reformers have constructed a number of clever sized hills, every pair of which, it is said, was designed to resemble and assume the form of an Amazon's bosom, with a miniature knoll or hillock on its apex, to denote the nipple."