The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-05-09
REUBEN AND A TRAMP.


From the Dover Sentinel.
Good mornin."
Iwuz lacking up the stragglin limbz
of a rose bush. at the end OF the house
when thees words sounded In my eare,
and turning round. / beheld q poorly
clad man, standing not ten feet away
from me.
Good mornln," sed /.
Good you spare poor fellow a cur
of coffee, and crust OF bread" he
asked.
ION, reckon So" sed /. go round
to the kitchen. and ask the wimmin
foIks.n
He started off with q shuffiln gal /
toards the Kitchen, and / won't OF
with my work. BONE time elapsed.
and had forgot all about the tramp,
when heard the shuffiin feet again,
He stopt. and sed:
81 am very grateful to you. / caD
go all day now. Let me tack up that
bush for you"
''Oh no. sed l. Liza wood'nt think
1t wuz half done OF / didn't do IT. be-
sides, love to tinker around home
{ 'Yes sir." sed he. ''its a privilege
every ono don't enjoy"
Isaw teers cum into biz sad eyes. at
thees words. and silently course down
hlz pale, thin cheeks. Iwuz sure he
had seen better days.
Ised: WHARF ali you from?'
"Illinoy," he answered.
"How long have you bin trampinc'
/ asst.
"Ah sir. 1t seems an age" he sed,
with o sigh that seemed to cum eileen
up from hiz diiapidated boots. Then
after A t,aliso he sed:
Times air very hard with me, sir. u
YES" sed l, times air trilie tight,
jest now, but thayll pull out all
rite.n
Il think so too he sed, az hlz eyes
frightened for moment.
This remark. together with hiz gin
eral appearance. suggested to me that
he mite be Dimecrat, so sed:
II 'epose you'll vote next fallf"
''Will Ig' says he. II can hardly waite
fer the time to cum"
That's rite," Sea l. "the Dimoors
party wants to prezent a solid front
next lection"
"Dam the Dimecrat party" sed he
The way he sed that give me bittel
taste la the mouth. and Indignantly
sed: why do you say that. about the
grundest party that ever existed
Think of what that CRATE party haz
dun fer thiss country before you con
dem 1t In SIGH language az that. Think
OF the glorious deadsit haz performed
] fergit what thay air now, but thai
don't matter. Besides 1t haz given US
Jefferson and jackson. That IL thr
party you oondem. You don't know
what you air talking about"
Yes l do know what am talkli
about" he sed. calmly. land / know
too. that 1t haz given US other thing
that you have not named. 1t haZ CIV
en- US Cleveland. and Congriss OF
chumps. 1t haZ given US O OUxey an,
hiz buns. 1t haz put an nnarkist III
the gubsrnatorlal chair of my Own
State. It haz removed from otiss thu
veterans In blue, who saved the Union
and put In their places the veterans II
gray. who tried to destroy 1t. 1t ha,
ehet up the mills In my locality, ART
turned me out of az coy a home a.
emmy man ever had. and sent me OF
trampin."
"Ah, that's all Republican blow,
eed /.
Not at ALL" sed he. II have allu
voted the Dimecrat ticket. l revel
looked into politics much. slmpl.
voted that ticket becaws / got started
tiiht Whfs Al lOp~ ffFhChUt W Dihit
crat speeches, and red democratic
papers with enthusiasm. The promi
see. and pledges the purity made. filled
me with Joy; and when we swept thu
country at the polle. l neerly went
wild. Since then l have looked into
the matter some. and am astonish
at myself. have voted my last Dime
crat ticket"
what did you fluid to change 20,
so. when you looked into itF' nst
without tryin to conceal my dlsgue
fer the benighted cuss. and hiz pizel
Republican notions.
II have found out what every mai
can find, Of he will only open hiz eyes
j have found that every promise the
Dimeornt party made In 1892 wuz
lc6ntradicshun in itself. Fhut 1t
pledges Good never be redeemed. an,
they know'd 1t when they made then
The party 10 wholly without emu
positive principles, devoid OF any cui
lrlRe. and indigeot of branes. ao
Trade diet. Thare IL no strength In II
Three several times since the Inst
tootion OF thiss government haZ til
iT-fer-revenue-only theory bin trt'i
e and thr, several times haz 1t resulte
9 In paralyZln industry, and spredi
: desoiation over our our land.
tIhe first time WIZ In the yeers 1871
to 1897; the SeeOnd from 1887 to lS4i
the third from 1857 to 1869 Durlni
thees periods the laborlng man VII
Idle, and hiz family upon the verge q
starvation. Hunger wuz rote upo
: the puIe faces of hiz ragged children
weeds Crowd knee high in factor
yards and swallers bilt THAR nests /
u factory chlnleys.
want knocked with its Dor
knickles at the cottage door, an
drove the inmates into the street
WHARF bands of mon paraded domain
ing bread or WORK. The fourth per c
IL now upon us and even before u
thing becums law-while 1t yet hang
but thretenlng cloud over o,
heads, we find the same condition {
Things az In the other periods | ha'
named"
SEES |: you've bin reedin cum 70
thing. and swailerin pack Of lies
that's what changed you.
mo sir" sed he. "I'll tell you VIII
channel me. / stopt reedln foo
things. tuck to reeding sensib
ones. and swaller'd pack OF faeSs. !"
This stuug me to the quick. al
\ with show of anger, l sed: 'Yon''
] vol no sense, nohow. You deserve
be Jest what you aif-a tramp
Il have no doubt you think SO. sc
he. "You air one OF the kind tn
;. wood ruther see The country no to Il
Z devil eli yoor notions and prejudic'
were carried out. than to prosper
= opposition to them. You wood ruth
heer the American eagle skreei
= Calamity, calamity pervided W
= hilt her by the leg. than to heer h
utter the glad words: Airs we'll.
IF ahotners hands, but thiss evil vi
d pass away. Put yoor hands to yo
e ears, as | speek. and you Will iii
t. that am only echolng the voice of
o multito0d
- lit liz night now, but thare shall SO,
y appser upon the horizon that dav
3 which shall usher in the golden "a
The awful desolation wrought In Il
two yeers of Dimoeratic madnes
they call reform. will send tn
. party to the shades OF retiremai
fer the next thirty yeers. CO.
}. day."
watched him shufllin' down u
lane. tell he turned out into the ma
road, and started again on his wea
sum tramp. and | heeyei sigh az
went back to my roze bush, and &c
.t"l'he darned ignorant tramp.
7 halnt wurtli arRyin With"
REUBEN SoRAaos
=