Mexico Missouri message., 1901-01-17
REDUCTION SALARIES ~
r. OF CITY OFFICERS.

arose a mighty tumult in the coun.
ell of wise men, who wcareth the
official robes thereof and sittcth in
high places.
And the eight wise men were
troubled in soul, when they found
that more goeth out of the treas
ury than cometh thereinto.
And the High Priest called the
mighty men of wisdom together,
even the eight wise men of the
Council. and he saith unto them
Hearkcn unto me, and give ear
unto this my admOnition: Some
thing must be did.
And with IL loud voice they cried,
Great and mighty art thou, o.
Warner! Kind and tender is thy
heart, and fiercer than an eagles
eye is thy all-penetrating vision.
Verify, verify, something must be
did"
Then arose one mighty in wis
dom and strong in device, whose
heart goeth out in groanings that
cannot be uttered over the sor-
rows Of the tax payer, and he
opened his mouth and Spakc as
one Of the prophets, saying:
Know ye not that we owe two
thousand and two hundred dollars
and have not whcrewth to pay the
samcl Neither can we tax this
people more. Surely, surely, ca
lamity cometh upon us and our
name Is Dennis. Rise up, We
mighty men, ye soothsayers and
magicians, and devise whereby we
may be spared from the wrath to
come
But no man spakc. With fear
and trembling did their bones
shake, like unto Elijah when Jezc-
bel did pursue him.
Then arose one of many moons
service in the Sanhedrim, and with
soothing speech and oily tongue he
saith unto them: Great is the
burthen of the tax payer (who
really giveth in his property at
about One-third of its value and in
nearly every instance none of his
notes and ready CASH, now, there
fore, let us act wisely i'll this mat
| ter, that our names may be long
upon earth and we be not forgotten
among the children of men. Let
us now take (when the time
7 cOmCth for us to no more sit in the
/ Sanhedrim) even from ourselves,
the nothing which we have, and a
good part from them who stand
about us to do our bidding, let us
take thcrefrom (when they clamor
again for ot1ice) this two thousand
two hundred dollars that we may
pay all that we oweth in one year,
for our laws be not like the Medcs
and PersianS, which alter not, for
now, 10, every mans hand is
against us, and Cog and Magog
hasteneth our destruction.
And when he had made an end
Of speaking he sat down. Then
there arose another of the wise
men, who was slow of speech but
level headed. And he spakc in
this wise: Know We not. q
mighty men, that had We hardened
unto me We would not now be
sorcly troublcd' How often
would have saved you from thi,
trouble and great calamity but "
hardened your hearts and stiffcncC
your ueckS and would not. VI
! gave for watcrworkS and for light
, far beyond what your city revcuu,
. juStifcth and when You heard tn,
voice of the farmer asking fol
good roads far ont in the country
, and for ye to pay for them, "
gave of the city's funds mos
) abundantly, and now, behold, We
| are in devil of "A fix. VIII!
t should we rob Peter to pay Paul!'
: And he made an end of hi
| speaking and sat down and smokeC
his pipe. And the voice of til,
| Sanhedrim sounded silently, anC
whispering said, Amen aud amen
: but does not the Ledger man or,
t aloud that we do this thingl An,
2 how can we stand in the Sanhedrn
or hold up our heads in the con
gregation of the people if "
hearken not to him!"
:. And one arose and said; 9TH
!. Ledger be darned, for we hanke
o not to sit longer in high places