quote:

The practice of "treating"--plying voters with liquor and food--was widespread and, though practiced discreetly, became an indispensable component of an election campaign. These election treats always included large quantities of rum punch and other liquors, and often sweets such as cookies and ginger cakes. Some candidates took the practice a step further, hosting outdoor picnics for the public and providing barbecued bullocks and pigs--the first instance of American campaign barbecues.

Treating was expensive, but because Virginian officeholders were drawn almost exclusively from the upper class, the candidates generally paid for the gifts out of their own pockets. In the 1758 election for the House of Burgesses, for example, George Washington spent 35 pounds, 6 shillings to purchase "28 gallons of rum, 50 gallons and one hogshead of rum punch, 34 gallons of wine, 46 gallons of 'strong beer,' and 2 gallons of cider royal," a generous ration for a district that contained only 391 voters.