Antedating of "Play the ---- Card"

[Laurence Horn]

At 5:34 PM -0400 8/3/08, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
>Mr. Gladstone's statement yesterday as to the intention of the
>Government to bring forward a measure for amending the purchase
>clauses of the Land Act, and also the Labourers' Act, has taken the
>public by surprise. ... It is said that the change of intention on
>the part of the Cabinet is due to pressure brought to bear upon them
>by their Liberal friends in Ulster, who wish to play the land
>purchase card at the elections.
>Times (London), May 22, 1885, p. 10
>
>It seems that the origin of this usage may relate to the Ulster /
>Gladstone nexus.
>
>Fred Shapiro
>
Hmmm, that is an early one.  Wonder what became of the land purchase
card--played once too often perhaps.  The reporter, Paul Vitello,
seems not to have made it into the Week in Review with his piece on
the race card.  Maybe it's old hat by now.

Thanks to Fred, Jesse, John, and Grant for help pushing back the
barriers of knowledge, or ignorance as the case may be, on the race
card.

LH

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