Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-25
ashes, and another imperial Pompcii
may lie buried beneath the flow.
WHAT A FARCE.

WHAT A FARCE.
What farce! We are building
ships of war for The world and at the
same time too poor to build q merchant
marine unless the poor are forced to
pay the bill. Remember. the income
tax is no law with us. The trusts fight
that to the death. No finger in their
pie, while the pot of the Door is kicked
to the devil
And, now, Hanna brings forth his
Pet" his darling of imbecility. his
compact with the men who figured in
cash for the triumph of his party.
'I'would be pity to dethrone Hanna,
TO make him false to his promise of
warranty for cash in hand paid. The
old man would De pitiable to behold,
stripped of his power of assessing boo
die. AS his gestures are apish and his
language gibberish, he cuts but n poor
inquire, posing as a spell-binder. He
understands the workings of the jack
screw as applied 60 raising funds. Let
us drop into rhyme and sing it's beauty
and raScailly:
Oh! for subsidy bill
TO make the people squeal.
Its only gilded pill
The bleeding baron to heal.
He gave up his fat to fry,
He gave his ready cash,
The people to cruelty
And chop them into hash.
He used a cross of gold
The silver he laid aside,
And now he is quietly told
To cast his hook atide,
And now for the dollar spent
Hell get a h4te-ffom the sea-
And the people racked and rent
Must pay in their poverty.
LOFTY CONDESCENSION.
What lofty condescension-what UNI
selfish patriotism on the part of the
Hon. Grover Cleveland to Law aside his
armed neutrality" to cast away his
reserve, and offer propria in persona to
rehabitalte the Democracy. L know of
no two instances more sublime in the
annals of history. First, Brutus sniff
flng over the dead body of the truest
friend he ever had. Second, Moreau.
the hero of Hohenlinden. with MS legs
shot off by French cannon on the field
OF Dresden, while fighting on the Aus
TRAN side-and he, Il marshal OF the
empire-the petted idol of his country,
If this were not farcical it would be
highly dramatic. The truncheon has
passed from his hand-no son of his
succeeding. He has retired within the
shade of the academic grove, if not
with the laurel wreath. at least with
olive round his head twlned into one
short sentence, Peace, be STILL"
oh!' Arnold. OH! Arnold, be quiet, my
boy,
History has given it's verdict of
Shame"
With thine own hands did'st thou mad
ly destroy
The glory and honor of thy once be-
loved name.
Arnold at the close of the war offered
his sympathy to the family of Andre.
can the imagination conjure up q more
contemplate phase of character, or
want Of character than this.
CHRISTMAS.
Well, Christmas Is here, and the Vir-
ginian-Pilot is right in suggesting ra-
tions OF tobacco to the soldier. Like
the betel nut 1t stays the pangs of hun
Der and enables one to bear fatigue.
Sir Water Raleigh was n royal good
fellow, and the fashion he set has not
been blown away by England's pedan-
tic fool of a king In his BLAST VS.. To-
bacco."
Oh! for a puff of the weed
To soothe the weary mind.
A thing we stand in need
Our shattered nerves to find.
1t gives q. relish-a tone
To all the Ills of life,
To breathe within that zone.
So free from toll and strife.
To weave our fancies bright,
And shape them into dreams;
To bask by the fire at night,
And patch the gaping seams
In the tangled threads of life,
And watch our cares go by
In moods devoid of strife,
With calm and placid eye.
t-nrat-@x,