The Portland daily press., 1872-06-19
POETRY.
[For the Press.l
What He Thought of it.


Old farmer John came stumping i'll,
The toilsome day was DER,
He hung his hat upon the peg
Behind the entry door.
He took his stiff old cowhides off
And put his slippers on.
He always knew what comfort was,
Did sturdy farmer John.
He had his tea two hours ago,
The sun an hour high,
The dame had set the dishes up
And put the table by.
"Well mother, now for rest" said he
And drew his armchair higher.
''These damp May nights is kind o'cold,
guess III start fire."
The cheerful blaze went crinkling through
The seasoned oak and pine;
The dishes ON the dresser shelves
winked back their answering shine.
''Here father, here's the paper come,
1t amt been opened yit,
Now read me what they're doin of
An I'll set down an knit. r.
The Weekly Argas, spick and span,
Once fair white paper-well
They linked it over-but I'll wait
And let the farmer tell
He gave nestle in his chair,
He crossed his other knee,
Put on his spectaeles and sighed
In pure felicity.
"Well, here it is, the same old sort,
stealin' left and right,
What Grant don't take the others does,
They've stole an awful sight.
Crowdin' the South, gougin' the North
An runnin' up the taxes.
An Congress dom nothin', 'thout's
TO grind one mothers axes
"Lib'ral Republican! What's that?
Them terms don't seem to marry;'
Said mother John, you might as well
Say liberal Old Harry"
"Well, anyway" said farmer John,
'They've had their great convention
Over to Cincinnati, that
We've heard the paper MENTION"
"And here's their names, why gracious sakes
Is these the lib'ral men?
Half on 'em dead and buried once
And now dug out again.
A ballotin' for President!
Les see-I vow! why reilly!
As sure's you live they've done 1t now
An put up niger Greeley"
81 s'pose they want-but there! no use,
Pm an old Democrat;
1t amt my fight-I can afford
To let 'em have their spat"
And SO he turned the paper Ger
And looked at the inside.
His eyes were open well before,
But now they're open wide.
He held the paper arms length off,
He drew it to his eye,
He could not twist those CAPITALS
From SC" and so forth "Y."
Nor could he squint the "Horaee" out,
No getting clear of that
A stunning Argus heading, for
A staunch old Democrat.
won't rehearse his scornful words.
ooh show! swan! vump'
And twenty others full as bad
From ''gorry" through to "snum."
HE can't a. changed his politics,
Why 'twasn't long ago
He give us Jesse every time,
The argus told us SOL
"An' here they're praisin' of him up
guess, to stan all that
"Twould take what should CALL" Che swore)
"a lib'ral Democrat
The next the argus folks'll do
I'll bet pair o'breeches,
lfthis's the way they're goin' to act,
They'll print old Summers speeches.
1--WE took the argus forty year,
I've readi it through an through,
1t never preached no doctrine yit
But what knowed twas true.
It's told square democratic truth,
That's good enough for me,
But what it's drivin' at this hitch
Be darned i'll can see.'
He laid the paper In his lap,
His eyes grew moist and dim,
The knitting needles ceased their click
In sympathy with him.
No sleep got farmer John that night,
No wink of sleep got he,
And what he'll do about the case
We'll have tO wait and 600