The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-12-15
WHITE WING PRAYER.
The Offering of a Democratic Chair
man in Colorado.

elected. A prayer that Edwin Croke,
mayor of Irwin, made in the nomi-
mating convention, must have done the
work. 1t is too good to be lost, and
the FREE PRESS reprints it as one OF
the gems of the late campaign.
Previous to the close OF the Demo
cratic county convention, EdwinCroke,
mayor of Irwin, arose, and all the del
egates reverenJly bowed their heads
while he offered prayer to Almighty
Cleveland. His voice was filled with
emotion, and the reporter found 1T
difficult to get every word. But here
it is:
"Oh, almighty and all-powerful
Cleveland, wnO art in Washington
when not fishing; thou who art the
father of Ruth aud Ruth's sister, and
Of Maria Halpin's boy Oscar, and the
godfather IF the Democratic party
{its father wouldn't own it if he were
here), we hail thy name as the great
political prophet Of the century; we
bow down before thee in humble pO-
litical obedience. When thou say'st
go, we go, when thou say'st come, we
come. We have no desire but 10 serve
thee. If thou Say'st black Is white, we
will swear to it and lick the everlast-
in stutfin out of the man VINO dis
puUe IL. When thou takeSt snuff, we
Will sneeze; when thou say'St free Sill
yer, we will echo thy words; when
thou say'St gold, then gold it is, We
are Democrats after the improved
modern type. Our business is to vote
the ticket, AMI vote 'er straight.
What is it to US whether we have free
silver or not? We are but dogs that
eat the crumbs that fall from our mas
ter's table. When the crumbs fall, we
wag our tails; when they don't fall,
we stand and Wait till they do. This
IS Democracy. This is the kind of
Democracy which elected thee, our
great and almighty Cleveland. Oh,
most adored master, we love thee for
what thou hast not done for US. We
love thee because thou art Cleveland.
We humbly surrender ourselves to
thee. Do with US as thou wilt. Tho
wheat is but forty cents bushel, we
love thee; though coGton is low, we
love thee: though business is dull, we
love thee; though thousands, millions,
are out of employment, we love thee;
though our children are clothed in
rags, we love thee; though our wife,
the dear companion of our bosom, is
scantily dressed and looks so shabby
that she can't go to church, we love
thee; though we are sinking deeper
in debt and poverty is knocking at the
door and hunger is staring US in the
face, we love thee still. This shows
our great faith and love for thee. Our
wives and children we are willing to
sacrifice, even as the HindOO mother
sacrifices her offspring by throwing it
under the crushing wheels Of the Jug
gernaut. Oh, mighty Cleveland! words
cannot express our love for thee! We
love our party, too. What care we
about the many promises made? We
know it promised free silver, and we
know it won't give it to US, but we
lied when we said it. We thought
then we had some manhood about us,
but we amt: we have no independ-
ence; thou, oh, mighty Cleveland, has
ali the manhood and independence in
the party. We are fools, liars, lick
spittles, mudSillS. We have no busl-
ness to want anything or to say any
thing. Last year we favored free sill
yer, and now we have to oppose it.
We favored it then because we
thought it was right; we oppose it
now, most adored master, because
thou telleSt US to. Amt we honey
of the first water? Did ever dog
serve his master more faithfully? Did
eyer dog get less for it? Oh, mighty
master, we are ever ready to serve thee
and party. ALI the pay we ask is tC
be patted on the back by some local
politician and called good Demo
craft. We amt got sense; we don't want
any, only enough to vote the ticket
1t don't take any sense to be gOOo
Democrat. What joyful thought
We don't have to think; we dOn'l
have to worry; our work is all mapped
out for US; all that is expected is tC
do as we are told. We THANK thee, oh
Cleveland, that we are Democrats; we
thank thee for the panic; we thank
thee for the idle men and women in
the land; we thank thee for low prices
we thank thee for the banks that have
busted and the thousands Of business
failures since thou hast come into
power; we thank thee for the hare
times: we thank thee for the clothes
our wife needs and can't get; we thank
thee for what thou hast done for the
banker, and what thou hast not done
for the people. We thank thee for al
these things because it is our duty al
good Democrat to do so. 1t may b.
against the grain, but we will TAX
our medicine; we will work our wive
to death, starve our children, sacrifice
our homes, cruelty liberty, and xii
prosperity, but will never go back OF
our dear old party and on thee, on
most adored Cleveland. Thou ART o
more account than all the rest OF u
put together. Thou knOwest NOR
than the south and west. Call u
fools, spit in our faces, wipe your fee
on US, we will love thee all the more
And now, our great political father
we leave us in thy care; do with us a
thou wilt. Kick silver into the mid
die of the next century, give NOR
privliges to the national banks, issu
more bonds, preserve the McKinle
bill, establish state banks, foSte
trusts, bribe congressman with pat
ropage, fish whenever thou careSt tC
and we will endorse everything tho
doest, carry Cleveland ROSTERS, cam
paign torches, and forevermgre sim
thy praises. Amen!