The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1899-06-07
Return Of lie ProdiuaIs.

Hon. Asher G Corruth responded as
follows TO the toast Return of the
Prodigap' at Fountain Ferry Park,
Saturday night:
Mr.. Toast Master: Neither you nor
any of this goodly company must for a
moment imagine that | am the prodi-
gal referred to our common father, De-
mocracy, may have given me my share
of the estate, and l confess l have not
been backward in asking for it, but
have enjoyed it under the old family
vine and fig tree and not gone into a
foreign country and wasted my sub
stance in riOtOus living" L have stayed
at home; and although l may at times
have quarrelled over the orders gwen
and found fault with some placed in
authority over me, after voicing my
complaints, / have said with our
friend, Mike Shea, now alas dead and
gone, "yOu are wrong, but l am
wild We" aud have taken my place at
the pillow and shed my sweat in the
field, because l felt that the father was
the head OF the family and that his age
and experience gave wisdom far be-
You'd my own. Dropping for a moment
the language OF metaphor, l believe
that however high and exalted one may
be, however much distinction he pos
sesses, or thinks he possesses, mo man
is greater than his party" There
were those in our household however.
brethren of our faith, who tired of the
old home. said its fields were worn out
and would yield no more harvest, but
who had been enriched by its yield
ings, when our father Democracy told
them that underneath the soil were
rich stores of precious meuals-gold and
silver, for which they must dig under
the direction of their brother, VIM.
Jennings Bryan. demurred at the com
mand, and gathering together what
they had acquired at home and then
took their departure Those that did
20 over into the service of the deadly
Toe and implaceble enemy of their
fathers house, went TO indianapolis
and wasted their substance and Mark
Hanna's substance in "Riotous living"
But after the harvest had been gath
cred, our misguided brethren found
that none OF the rich pickings were for
them, and when they grew hungry and
fain would eat the husk which were fed
to the Republican swine, they found
that even these would not be given to
satisfy the appetite of their fathers
children. Behold No man gave unto
them. They thought over the situa-
ton; they became penitent; they were
brought to knowledge of the fact that
there was no place like the old home
stead-that there was no parent like
old Democracy. They set out for
home, sweet hOme-they came singly-
and then in sQuads-and then in droves
and they are coming still. They can
come without making "a compromise
with dishonOr." There will be gladness
in our fathers house. The sentiment
of this toast is: There is more 10Y
over one sinner who repentieth than
over ninety-nine just men who need no
repentance"
There are prodigals around this
Banquit board tonight us eat and
be merry, for our father says: "These
my sons, were dead and are alive again
were lost and are found" We can
not kill for each prodigal fatted calf
that would make too big a contract
for the cattle trusts, and we are "agin
the trust" but when all the prodigals
are gathered once more under the old
roof tree in 1900, we will spread great
feast in which all can participate, the
pTodicals who have returned in peni-
tence from the foreign country. as well
as the devoted sons who stayed not,
and we will serve not the fatied, but
the golden calf and VIM. Jennings
Bryan shall carve it up, net according to
the Queens taste, but according to the
taste of the sovereign people of this
great American Republic.