Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-04-27
The Parable of the Talents.

Once upon a time, SO runs an ancient
parable, in its most recently revised
editiod; once upon time a man call
ed about him his servants. To one he
gave ten talents, to another five and
to another one. And then he departed
into far country and was. gone for
many years. After the many years
he returned. Again he called his SER
wants about him and asked for an ac-
counting. The one to whom he had
given ten talents stood and said:
Master, the money thou didst give
me invested in lands. They were
wide and fertile fields. On these lands
employed many laborers. We used
the most modern, most effective ma
chinery. We dug from the soil the
raw material for the food and clothing
of vast mu1titudes of people. No
other company of men ever rendered
a better service, or have contributed
more to the life of the race and to the
joy of life than we have. But master!
during the years of your absence
Grover Cleveland, BENJAMIN Harrison,
Grover Cleveland and now William
Mckinley has been running the gov
eminent on a single gold standard.
The purchasing power of the dollar
has been going up. The purchasing
power of our products has been going
down. All the time our products have
been able to get a fewer and fewer
dollars. All the time the gold stand
ard dollars have been able to buy more
and more of our products. The fall in
the price each year from the beginning
of the year when made my contracts
to the end of the year when made my
settlement, the fall in the price of
each year has been enough to absorb
all my profits and each year to use up
portion of the original investment.
And now, after all these years of toll,
after the measureless sacrifice, after
the determined struggle, after the
great blessing we have wrought for
our country and for our race, stand
before you absolutely penniless.''
And the man to whom he had given
tve talents stood and gave an ac-
counting and said: "Master, the mon
ey thou didst give me invested in
manufacturing. 1t was in line of
manufacture which could not be cor
nered by trust. l was obliged to
submit to the law of supply and de-
mand. used the most modern ma
chinery. l employed the most skilled
labor. Through long hours of patient
toll, amidst the buzz and roar and
plunge of these mighty instruments of
industry, we have toiled on through
the years, producing many things of
beauty and of use. But master! dur
ing the years that thou has been away
Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison,
Grover Cleveland and now William
Mckinley have been running the gov
eminent on a single gold standard.
The dollars have been getting dearer.
The products have been getting cheap
er. Each year the dollar would buy
more of what we produced. Each
year what we produced would buy
fewer dollars. The fall in the price
of each year between the beginning
of the year when 1 made my contract
and the close of the year when 1 made
my settlement, has been sufficient
each year to use up all the profits and
a portion of the original investment.
And now, after all these years of toll,
after the measureless blessings 1 have
wrought to my country and my race, l
stand before you absolutely penni-
less"
And then the man to whom he had
given the one talent stood to give an
accounting, and slipped his long fin
gers into his long pockets and took
from its depths the original talent that
had been given him on his masters
departure, and said: Master, here is
thine own, | knew that thou vert a
hard master. l knew that thou were
a gold standard man. 1 knew that
thou didst gather where thou hadst
sown. knew that it would not do to
take any risk when dealing with such
a master. took the money thou didst
give me, wrapped it in a napkin and
buried it in the backyard. 1t has been
there all the years of your absence. Il
has taken no risks, it has borne nc
burdens, it has employed no worker
it has taken none of the chances Of
trade, 1t has borne none of the risks
of the market, it has rendered no ser
vice of any sort whatsoever all thes,
years. 1t has been buried away in the
ground, useless, worthless, idle.
heard that you were coming back the
other day and dug it up again. 1t i.
here. 1t is thine. But master! while
you have been away Grover Cleveland
benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleve
land aud now William Mckinley have
been running the government on a
single gold standard. The purchas
lug power of the dollar has been going
up. The purchasing power of every
thing else has been going down. Take
this talent, it is thine. 1t will buy
twice as much cot'on, twice as much