The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-08-27

MRS sKINNER'S REPORT.
Mr.. Elt0r-Sur: I'm'e President. !
didn't intend 10 say anything about il, but
Ebcn he lowed that "news travels fast,
and in all probabiiteee you'de hear Off
out there Ia Chicago, anyway, ~ | think
| might as well speak about il myself.
Course ainte President of the United
States or President Of u bank, but Pres
idrnt ola w. G.. Il. u. Eben he lowed
he'd rather he President of the United
States, cause there = mors mummy into il.
Now, Mr. Editor, when Eben said that,
Use completely nonplusscd. The idee
that nv Ebcn, whose aliurs been the
sole of homer and principel, should put
mummy ahead of both, AMI duty la, was
big dose Ia swaller, and wondered
and wondered what was getting into the
mans head; and finely laid il Ia his
bcIongin Ia the Republican party. Now
f,bcu, and Ia, for the matter of that.
was brung up Republicans, and were
taut Ia believe that il there was any
principel or homer anywhere on urth, il
was in the ReDublikin party. But il
does seem To me that every one
must see that there is II wide difference
between the Republican party that was
and the Republican party that now is
Won see that they have got so greedy
reaching away ahead after places of hi
position, and big fat offices with lots of
| mummy into 'em, that they have lost site
of the grand old principles for which
! our four lathers font, bled, and dide.
Well, ventured to tell Eben so, and sug-
gesled that possibly his sistern was get
| ting little tainted. and my, he flew
| right often the handle, and said "the
| Republican party was good enough for
| his father, and he guessed il was good
enough for HIM, and he should vote that
as long as there was party Ia vote for. "
well" SAYS 1, "Eben Skinner, You
go right Oh and vote your Republican
ticket, and III draw II pen picture OF
what that party has dun for its country.
| Faint no dreamy, fanciful picter con-
| Tered up in the brane, but its live
| truth and realitee that can't be gam
saved or denide. Well, firstly, az Broth
or Hide says they have dug great,
deep, black pitfali, for the feat of the
Young and unwary, not one, Eben Skin
ner, bnt hundreds upon hundreds, as
thick as spatter, all over the broad land
| Now in the very mater Of things these
great pitfalls or presipices will he walled
| Ebn, what that suntin was? No YOU
did not The more shame for you. You
are off the same peace of thousands oil
other men, and if Won would no
tee these places a little closer you
| would never east Il vote with either al
the old parties agln. Well. around the
| top il II rO of rocks. They are round
and smooth, and CLASSY, and on these
rocks is printed in brite culered letter.
the word 'plsdsure.' Well, the neckst re
of rocks set ont little further, and they
have some ruff corners, and sharp edges
and printed on them you'll find the
| word 'deLOuchery' DO you ever stop tC
consider, Eben skinner, what that word
means To this nashun? Wen, sir, il
means that girls and wimmin who are
pure and good to-day, may he Il hiss and
n hy-word on our streats Tomorrow. II
means, SIR, houses so rocking with fill
that an American citizen who is true Il
God and home and native land cam
find words in the English language Will
which to express his disgust AMI abhor
renee. ID means, in short, everythin;
that is evil. Nothing that is good. An,
40 this pitifull pitfall goes on all the way
down the bottom. Every rO of rocks il
Il little more Jagged, the corners Il little
| anu u
and printed thereon in startling dstinc
ton, you will find the words: Want
woe, misery, poverty, disgrace, dis
honor, shame, sin, crime, grief
sorrow and remOrse, and great men,
more that ! can't mention just now
And on the rocks i'm the bottom, whicl
are slharper'in a 10 edged sword, you
will find printed IN the blud of it's vic
Tins, the words 'distreckshun' and
'deth.' Now, Eben skinner, any one il
their sober senses would suppose tn,
| great and glorious Republican party
would at least stick up II board nea
these places, and mark dangerous ont'
il. But they don't do any such thing
On the contrary, for n few paltry dol
lars they allow all manner of allure
ments To he placed there To draw mel
aud boys on To ruin, and then fold thei
| hands and listen To the tramp, tramp, q
an army of men and see them marcl
madly on right over the presipice down
over the Jagged rock to distreckshun and
deth. | tell YOU, Eben skinner, if i
| warn't no one but the men Pde say
sarves them right. But attached To eacl
man, by ties stronger than deth, is al
average of at least three human soles, i
/ not more, and there you see hanging on
| them terribell rocks the forms of wives
| with babes i'm their arms, and mothers
with torn and bleeding hearts, and sis
| tcrs, Ia, are there, and little helpless
| children with their tender fingers
bruised by the rock of want, and woe,
and poverty, looking up with besecching
| eyes and gestures of entreaty, and
pleading i'm voices that would melt
| the heart of a stone: Come down and
and lift us out! Come down and
Il "a
| bands! Come down and help us or we
perishp and there sits the great giant
| who, with one sweep of his powerful
arm might not only lift up the fallen
| but might also sweep away these hell
| holes, and thus save others from falling
| And once i'm great while when his own
interest demands it, he turns Il listening
| wear, and lac SAYS: ooh yes. I'll come
l down. | Ante got time To attend to the
| matter now, but I'll come some time.
| Aud does he 60? No sir. lie keeps right
on promising, and he keeps right ON
| dig.in' pitfalls for your boys and you
cant see II.
well" says Eben, "ou boys ainte in
( any danger"
/ @No," says ], "it's naybor Jones' boys
L to-day, and it Mdy be ours Tomorrow,
| and when you see them standing on the
brink, with bleary Use and bloted faces,
! don't You blame the boys, Eben Skin
ner, but brace right up like Il man, and
| lay the blame on the father, who, after
years of experience, voted that these
| pits should be dug for the nntried feet
of their children. ] tell you Eben Skin
ner, it's II solemn thing To see Il protest
| christian get down onto his gnees ON
| Sunday and pray lead us not into temp
II 40 l,.,tI aIi,rne no from nuil "A
then march right up 10 the poles on
| Monday and vote for the very evil that
| he's praying to he delivered from. And
| | can Just imagine what our Father who
/ art in Heaven will say when he meets
| them at the Judgement: ooh, consistency
I thou art indeed u jewel. ! took little
children into my arms and blessed them.
| Thou, with thy unwise and greedy legis-
| lation hast made life burden and de-
grcdashun II were far better that Il
mill stone were tied about thy neck. ,
Course they may not be the exact words,
but CESS there won't he much differ
ence in the meaning. But here Eben
he skipped out and heard him tramp
ing up and down the front porch, and
felt that sorry for him could have cride
knew he had deep seated love for
the old party, and still he could not up
hold il in doing such II great wrong.
faint much use in II mans trying To
love and encourage thing that he cant
respect. And guess Eben came to
that conclusion, cause he marched into
the house and banged his fist onto the
tabnl, in Il way that made me jump near
ly ouicn my skin, and the old WALLER cat
flew out door like her tale was fire,
aud says he, 81 don I never vote the
Republican ticket agn. If the grand