The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-03-01
DEMOCRATIC PRAYER %
Supplication Offered by
a Colorado Man to President
Cleveland.

only IN mat II charges fltSlueHt NieEe-
land and the Democratic party with
being responsible for everything that
has happened since his inauguration,
regardless OF circumstances. 1t IS
taken from the Gunnison, Colorado,
Tribune, and purports to have been
given birth under the following con-
ditions:
Previous to the close of the Demo-
cratic county convention Edward
Corke, mayor of Irwin, arose and all
the delegates bowed their heads while
he offered the following prayer to
Almighty Cleveland:
Oh, almighty and all powerful Cleve-
land, who art in Washington when
not fishing thou who art the father of
Ruth and of Ruth's sister, and the
godfather of the Democratic party (lts
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 political
obedience. When thou sayest go we
go; when thou sayest come we come.
We have no desire but to serve thee.
If thou sayest black is white we will
swear TO it and lick the eyerlastin'
stuffin' out Of the man who disputes 1t.
When thou takest snuff we will sneeze;
frea
echo thy words when thou sayest gold
then gold it is. We are Democrats
after the improved modern type. Our
business is to vote the ticket and we vote
her straight. What is it to us whether
we have free silver or not? We are
but dogs that eat of the crumbs that
tall from our masters table. When
the crumbs fall we wag our tails when
they fall fast we wag faster; when they
don't fall we stand and wait until they
do. This is Democracy. This is the
kind of Democracy that 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 Cleve-
land. We humbly surrender our
selves to thee. Do with us what thou
wilt. Though wheat is but forty cents
a bushel we love thee though cotton
is low we love thee though business is
dull we love thee; though, 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
shabbily dressed and can't go to church
we love thee ; though we are sinking
deeper in debt and poverty is knock
ing 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
juggernaut. Oh, mighty Cleveland,
words can not express our love tor
thee. We love our party, too. What
care we about the many promises 1t
made? We know it promised US free
silver and we know it won't give it to
US but we will stick to the party. We
know we said if it did not do the things
| it promised to do we would leave it,
but we lied when we said it. We
thought then that we had some man
| hood about us, but we haven't. We
have no independence. Thou, oh
mighty Cleveland, hath all the indie
pendence in the party. We are fools,
liars, lickspittles, and mudsills. We
have no business to say anything or
want anything. Last year we favored
free silver but this year we have to
oppose it. We favored it then because
we thought it was right. We oppose
it now because thou, most gracious
master, because thou tellest US to.
Amt we honey of the first water?
Did ever dog serve his master more
faithfully? Did ever dog get less
for it Oh, mighty master, we are ever
ready to serve thee and party. All
the pay we ask is to be patted on the
back by some local politician and
called good Democrat. We haven't
got any better sense. We don't want
any, only enough to vote the ticket.
1t don't take any sense to be good
Democrat. What a joyful thought?
We don't have to think. We don't
have to worry. Our work is all
mapped out for US. All that is expected
is to do what we are told to do. We
thank thee, oh Cleveland, that we are
Democrats. We thank thee for the
panic. We thank thee tor the hungry
and 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 hard
times. We thank thee for the rags
our children wear We thank thee
for the clothes our wives need 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 all these things
because it is our duty as good Demo-
Gratis to do so. 1t may be "against
the grain" but we will take our
medicine. We will work our wives to
death, starve our children, sacrifice
our homes, cruelty liberty and kill
prosperity, but will never 60 back on
our dear old party, and on thee, our
most adored Cleveland. Thou art of
more account than all of US put
together. Thou knowest more than
the South and West. Call US fools;
spit in our faces wipe your feet on
US; we will love thee all the more And
now, our great political father, we
leave US in thy care. Do with US as
thou wilt. Kick silver into the middle
OF the next century; give more