The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-23
A RURAL REPUBLICAN, HAS A
DREAM
And it Converts Him to Tilden.

And it Converts Him to Tilden.
To the Editors of The Argus SITE
..I had dream the other night, when
all around was still, " and want to tell
it. / had been to. political meeting
where the merits of both parties had been
freely discussed, and being considerably ex-
cited whenI went to bed Ifell into troubled
sleep. ard | thought, as [ was passing
along the road, beheld, in the distance,
q large crowd assembled around some OBJ
Iiect. AS came nearer, l saw blanket
spread over the object, and this blanket
was covered with stars and embiems. till
| IL shone and elittered like some priceless
gem Tn fact. il was some time before l
could muster courage to attempt to lift this
cover. and see what was underneath. But as
soon as I had lifted one corner, voice.
| hack in the crowd, commanded me to,
ston | turned round and recognized ia
the crowd B. Butler, Morton. Conklne,
Blaine. and many other Republicans; ana
| I dreaued that Butler was swearing
and that Blaine was weeping, and that
the rest of the Republicans looked sad
and detected. | asked. 10 astonishment'
l"What is the matter?' The old kepub-
lican horse is sick, and we are AFRAID he
| is going to die, said Blaine. with sob.
"Where is the horse, | asked. he is
under that cover" said Blaine. Take
off the cover, said L. and give him
air. 1T won't do to let tie people see
him. as he is, whispered Conkling.
"Are you a Republican, said Morton.
Il am" said |. But while we we're talk,
ing some sly Democrats slipped up and
uncovered the old horse, and the multi
tude of boxers on, who had seen him
as he was 10 his prime, uttered cry OF
disgust, and lett the assembly. So
4 turned around and louked, aud never
iu my life had beheld suca spectacle
! The old horse lay there struggling fol
breath. His eye was dull and liteless. anG
: he was all covered with sores and corruD
ton, aud ] dreamed that one of thes,
sores was salary grab, and another was
, post leadership, and another was crooked
soh,sky, and another was-but | forbear
, it is impossible for me to recall all, for i
: would make an alm 5st endless list An,
! then | dreamed that the Republican
began to enquire among themselves
"What shall we do for the oil,
horse2'' And Conkling said, GIVE
him SOME hays" but there was tax
in the hay and it stuck in his throat
, Then along came Wheeler and they aske,
him what was to be done. He said
Cover him with government bonds-ther
is no tax on them 1t was done. an
some thought he looked better. The
they gave him some bran and it revive
!. him. Then Butler and Ingersoll wave
' the bloody shirt, and / must give Bain
i credit, for he shook the tail of it lively be
fore him and shouted reform. and the CT
was so strange and new that it startled th
: old horse to his feet. But no sooner ha
S he taken few steps than they all mad
: rush to get on. Keep off,
!. cried 'he is rode to death now
t 1--WE Won't have horse we can
: ride" they said, and they all scramble
to get a place on the old horse
: and Blaine got pushed off. and as he wen
, Itumbling down he grabbed the old hors
4 by the tail and hung on. The horse too
4 a few feeble steps; III vain did Butte
n swear; in vain did Ingersoll wave tn
! bloody shirt--his race was run-his door
! was sealed-one groan, one cenyulsiy
shudder, and he fell, dying of his ow
: corruption.
: Then the Democrats gathered in soli
' phalax. In the cold damp earth they du
/" him grave and laid him down to his la;
!, long sleep, from which there is no wakin
!. for any Republican horse. Then the
!, sang a funeral dirge, the last verse fwhie
v was as follows:
Now to the dark and silentliomb,
In so row We resign him,
70 And with the cypr, s. bending DER
: To infamy consign him.
e There let4tim lie beneath the load
II E OF his own impertect:on, f ## F#
And o, we pray gracious God,
Grant him no direction.
Then they rolled in the clods of tn
l. valley and that old Republican horse wa
:. no more.
1t AT this !iuncture wakenad. my drea,
was ended-the vision had fed; and nov
/ with malice toward none but with charit
e for all, | remain. Yours, for Tilden az
{ Reform
NICoDEMUs OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
u Rnra hock Island Co., Ills, Oct. 20, 1876.
d Burbank. the elocudonist and charact.
1t reader, who drew such rousing hou.
here last winter, is to lecture here c
i, Saturday evening for the Athletic Ciul