The Osceola times., 1878-08-24

ana voters too, iad 10 De 'ulpVeu
into frog-pond.' | believe ]
have heard some talk about that
qualification, but | think the law
will be dead letter this time, ]
said.
SHOW will your people vote =
asked Gabriel. $50, so, Father"
as Elizabeth used to say to Henry
Ward Beechcr. They have been
blind tor many years, but l now
think their eyes are opened.
Taking me up higher, ! could see
all over the county. 1t looked
prosper us. Good roads to even
the remotcst settlement. Fine
bridges spanning every creek and
bayou. A magnificent courthouse
in Osceoia. Every family sat III
peace aud happiness under their
own vine an fig tree. Law and or
der reigned supreme. Long and
fondly | gazed at the lovely pic
ture before me. This scene is not
real; these things are not so, ! said
addressing Gabriel. "No," he
sighed, "but it might have been
and should have been, had duty
been the ruling passion"
Taking me up higher, he direct
ed me To look again. saw a large
ring, the circumference OF which
was made of brass, and was hol'
low. This ring was borne on the
shoulders of few men, and a
grea, many people came and put
into 1t slips of paper marked 10,
and after q season many OF these
people came and got paper oui
again, but | saw il was then marked
100. The ring men looked snil-
ingly at each other; winked and
hlnkcd, and bobbed their heads up
and down, like flock of gee.e say
ing grace over dead toad. Aud |
beheld an enormous elephant rise
up, and bis form covered The cDul.-
ty, and old Father Time passed be
tore him and waved banner in
his face marked Sept. =, TS. Then
/ the animal got roaring mad, and
with one blow of his trunk he
smashed the ring, and they that
supported 1t tell to the ground and
crawled INTO their abodes, except
one smooth. faced man who kept on
his all fours, butting the ground
with his head, aud calling on all
the prophets to save HIM iron
Abraham even to JohH.
Gabriel, explain to me the Wis
ion, asked. "rhe ring thou saw
is well known to tax payers. The
paper is county scrip, and ~ is thu
figure the people sell it for, anC
100 is what the taS-payer pays Il
! the ring when they want to pay
taxes. The elephant is the voters
all united. who will smash the ring
in September.
Again, ! bohcld the people stand
ing IN one solid phaIanx, and be
fore them on rock stood mar
with n sword in one hand and s
lever in the other. Across til;
street stood few meE with iittl'
guua percha bags, and they raileC
at the man Oh the rock, aid strut
ted around pulled and swelIcd u!
like the frog in the fable. Th'
man on the rock stretched out hi
sword and punc,ured the little bags
and volumes Of smoke escaped anC
settled over he swamps. The met
dwindled down and shrivclled up
and amoHg them WAS weeping ant
wall,ng and gnashing of teeth.
asked Gabriel to xplain the v,slol
to me. "The man on the rock Is !
newspaper editor, the sword is hi
pen, and the lever is the press tina
moves aud sways the civihze,
world. The few men are few
would be dictators and leaders, try
ing to buIldozc the editor bccaus,
he believes every man should hav'
his own opinions aud do his owl
voting. The smoke thou saw wa,
carburetted hydrogen. Looking
agaio, ! behcld Il procession o
office holders and trimmers, march
ing in the direction of Salt Creek
and before the disconsolatc officer
a woolly.headed parson marched
readi q the burial service and: tn,
multitude of lookers-on clappet
their hands and sung, "Good-hyt
my love goodbye The place
that knew you once will hcnceiortl