TWO
TUB ALLIANCE HERALD, FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1922.
ht Alliatirr Hrralfi
TUESDAY AND FRIDAY
BURR FRINTING CO., Owners
Entered at the postofTice at Alliance,
Neb., for transportation through the
aails as second class matter.
GEORfiE I nURR, Jr Editor
EDWIN M. BURR Business Mgr.
Official newspaper of the City of
Alliance; official newspaper of Box
Butt County.
Owned and published by The Burr
Printing Company, George L. Burr,
Jr President; Edwin M. Burr, Vice
President.
REVISING THE STUDENT CODE.
Five high school students, youths
prominent in athletics and leaders
among the student body, were caught
late Wednesd -t when they broke
into the principal's ofTice at the high
school. Their intent was to steal
copies of the questions to be asked at
the examinations on the following
days. It wasn't a new stunt this sort
of thing has been done several times
in the past, but on this occasion elabor
ate plans were made. The principal's
keys were borrowed, and a duplicate
was made of the one opening the cab
inet where the questions were kept.
Due to the queer code of honor
among boys anil girls, it has been
possible for this sort of thievery to
happen time and again. The student
body generally has known of the theft
of questions in the past, 'though
rr.any to whom copies of the questions
were offered have -declined to use
them. However, so greatly does youth
hate a "snitcher" that the culprits
have heretofore escaped detection, even
though the knowledge of their acts was
not hidden from their fellows.
There arc those who will .-ay that
this net of thievery represents the
tendency of the times, and to a certain
extent this is true. The attitude of
everybody, nfter the war, has been, as
one man expressed it, to "get some
thing for nothing." Some laborers
during the high price period soldiered
on the job; some merchants charged
robber profits; all of us were inclined
to drift with the current and hard
work wasn't popular. Small wonder
that the students, bright boys and girls
quick to learn and quick to react to
outside stimuli, should get the same
slacker notions in their heads. There
have always been that type of stu
dents in school, but, until the past
year or so, they have not included the
highest type of our youth. It isn't a
pleasant thought to realize that the
best we have, the fellows that we have
cheered to victory, the boya we've ad
mired most, are the ones to prove false
to the trust placed in them.
It will blow over, of course, in time.
Such things always do. The mistakes
of youth should not be held against
them. There'll be punishment, of
course, and it should be solely at the
hands of the school authorities, the
men most concerned with the problem
presented for their solution.
But it is to be hoped that the other
students will profit by the lesson. There
is need for a change in the code of
stu.jent ethics, and the adoption of
rome features of the adult code. It
isn't honorable to remain silent while
your chum does a mean and dishonor
able act, unworthy of himself and hi3
ajma mater. It isn't noble to protect
anyone at the loss of your self respect
Boys who steal examination questions
and take credits they have not earned
aren't cheating the teachers they're
cheating themselves.
No glamor of false admiration for
the boy with "nerve" can hide the fact
that cheating is cheating, and that it is
a dishonorable thing. An honor sys
tem may solve the present problem,
but there needs to be a strict defini
tion of honor, and a genuine desire for
every student to act honorably in all
ways. When cheating becomes popu
lar, schools can be made into prisons,
with lookouts and guard; but let's
hope that Alliance students haven't
fallen so low.
MR. JOHNSON'S STATEMENT
State Engineer George E. Johnson
has written a statement for publica
tion in the country newspapers of the
f-tato, in which he defends his adminis
tration of the office of state highway
commissioner, and of the state and
federal funds expended under the di
rection of his department. Inasmuch
as The Herald has been among the
newspapers of the state which has be
lieved that money was being Masted
because of methods of Mr. Johnson's
department, it has given him full op
portunity to defend himself.
The state engineer takes a few of
' the many complaints that have come
in, and disposes of them in his custom
ary manner. He refuses to admit
that the department of which ho is at
the head has been in any way at fault,
but for the most part answers charges
with counter-charges. This system
may proved effective in some cases,
but with the dissatisfaction, over the
state so general, it is unlikely that
it will have its old-time effect This
'is a time for promises and perform
ance, not squabbling and recrimination.
The state highway department is on
trinl, although Mr. Johnson may not
realize it.
a i . i '
ine i reai mem 01 me cnarges in.nle
by Commissioner Bowring of Ch-.-rry
county is especially noteworthy. Mr.
Johnson was present at the state
meeting of commissioners, and made
an address. The day following his de
parture, Mr. Bowring made some se
vere charges against the department.
Mr. Johnson simply states that these
criticisms had already been answered
by him in a personal letter to Mr.
Bowring, but that, due to the Cherry
county man's cowardly and unjust
actions, he does not see fit to make
a public reply. Perhaps, being un
able to silence Mr. Bowring, he fears
the efTect on the public. At any rate,
this is not defense or argument.
The state engineer proposes that a
statewide investigation be made,
not of a few projects, although it was
individual projects that caused the
criticism, and a good average for the
state does not excuse carelessness on
any one road It should be done. It,
as Mr. Johnson charges, the counties
are unable to show where they have
expended 50 per cent of their money,
it is worth knowing, even though such
laxness is no excuse for Mr. Johnson's
department. If there is any way that
a non-political, statewide investigation
can be made, let's have it If there is
inefficiency, waste or bull-headedness
by either slate or county officials, now,
in-these days of high taxes; is the
time to uncover it.
lion to affiliate with it Mr. Jones, in I would hardly be chump enough to1
THE EDITOR OBLIGES
At the request of Rufus Jones, who
seems to be getting somewhat harder
to live with as editor of the Minatare
Free Press than in the palmy days
when he was in charge of the destinies
of the Alliance chamber of commerce,
it becomes necessary to diagram and
otherwise explain a recent editorial in
these columns, the title of which was
"The Persistence of Error," and
which had to do with the erroneous
belief, held generally by members of
Alliance labor unions, that the cham
ber of commerce working against
labor's interest;.
, In that editorial, The Herald editor
explained the persistence of this per
nicious belief by saying that it arose
from a mistaken idea, held by the
labor unionists, that the chamber of
commerce is affiliated with the United
States chamber of commerce. The
national organization has, as one of
its aims, the spread of the so-called
American plan, the un-American open
shop. In referring to this belief, we
used the words: "The labor union
men never believed this fake until, a
couple of years ago, the secretary of
the Alliance chamber of commerce
brought up the matter of affiliation
with the United States chamber of
commerce."
Mr. Jones has looked long and ear
nestly at these words, and has con
vinced himself that The Herald is at
tacking him by innuendo, and seeks to
create a prejudice against him in the
minds of Alliance unionists. He asks
us not only to publish his denial, but'
10 go runner and absolve ourselves
publicly.
The United States chamber of com
merce, about every so often, forwards
an invitation to the Alliance organiza-
the months he spent here, recalled
two such invitations. Others preceded
them, and have followed since he de
parted. We have known of several.
We recall that the first time we heard
the charge that the Alliance chamber
of commerce was affiliated with the
national organization, came many
months ago. We estimated it at two
years. Frankly, the thought never
crossed our mind that Rufus was sec-ret-iry
at that time. We knew that
the subject had been brought up at
rome meeting which we attended, and
that shortly afterward the word went
abroad that the chamber of commerce
was out for the open shop. Had we
said a year, Mr. Jones could not con
ceivably have been aggrieved. If it will
make him feel any easier, we will
cheerfully accept a correction. Call it
a year, instead of two years. The im
portant thing is not the particular day
when the belief arose, but the persist
ence with which it clings.
Mr. Jones goes farther. He says
the prejudice existed when he came
here, and was due to an entirely differ
ent cause. In this he seeks to discreet
our own knowledge of the situation,
which is. we believe, based on fairly
accurate information. Mr. Jones
came to Alliance but a few months
ahead of us, and left about a year
ago. We have had at least twice the
opportunity to study local conditions
and ascertain sentiment With all due
credit to Mr. Jones' powers of apper
ception, which are mighty, we desire
to justify ourselves in the minds of our
readers and Rufus himself. .
According to Mr. Jones' theory, the
cause of the ill feeling was a mer
chants' retiil association, a "thinly
veiled collection agency." Officers of
the chamber of commerce at the time
tell us that it was a cause of adverse
comment, but that the labor unionist,
who paid their bills as promptly, on
the average, as other classes of citi
zens, were not as a class opposed to
it. It created resentment on the
part of every man with whom it had
dealings. It was abolished, but it
discontinuance was not based on the
antagonism of labor, any more than
the antagonism of anyone ejse.
So far as the belief that the cham
ber of commerce is affiliated with the
national organization is concerned, it
does exist. It is the chief talking
point against the business men's or
ganization today. President Glen Mil
ler of the club, some months ago
thought it of sufficient importance to
issue an official denial. The Rev. B.
J. Minort, who conducts a labor col
umn in the newspaper published by
Mr. Jones' partner, has attributed the
present antagonism to this cause.
Mr. Jones is a southerner, and pos
sesses, to the full extent the sensfe
tive temperament and the hair-trigger
sense of honor which is characteristic
of the sons of the south. The whole
trouble will doubtless be traceable to
an extra cup of coffee for breakfast;
or a pied form at the Free Press
office. Unless suffering from some
emotional strain or digestive disturb
ance, Rufus would never see in such
a remark an attempt to wreck his
prestige with the labor unionists of
Alliance, or with anyone else. In
calmer moments, Mr. Jones will real
ize that did. The Herald editor desire
to destroy his prestige in this city,
which probably would be difficult, we
-jli.h. ;
If You Don't Believe In. Quality
Don't Read This
My Motto
Service With a Smile
Others are always talking low prices, sell
ing cheaper than anyone else. Most of them
last a few months and then
WHERE WOULD YOU RATHER TRADE?
I Give You QUALITY, PRICE and SERVICE
ALWAYS THERE.
Don't forget to phone 30 Jones will make suggestions
for your dinners and luncheons for special occasions.
Conditions are unsettled; so is the weather. I am still
on top with the Quality and Price.
WE DELIVER FOUR TIMES A DAY.
Model Market
fhone 30
E. K. Jones
strike a blow from this particular an
le. Unless Rufus plans rome day to
return to Alliance and set up a labor
paper, his friendliness or unfriendli
ness to the labor union movement is a
matter of small moment, inasmuch as
t has been over a year since he was a
member of this community. It is in
teresting, of course anything that
Rufus sees fit to do or write is inter
esting but may we not suggest that
It is comparatively unimportant, and
that no matter how he stands, it has
.ittle bearing on the situation in Alli
ance. The last paragraph of his communi
cation, in which he reminds the editor
of this newspaper of the requirements
of newspaper ethics, is, as Mr. Jons
well knows, unnecessary. In the past
we have on occasion discussed the
ethics of this profession with him,
and he knows that we are in full ac
cord with his views. If this were not
sufficient, past experience should have
reminded him that so far as publicity
favorable to himself is concerned, The
Herald has always been ready to
oblige. And derpite his almost bellig
erent attitude on the chimerical point
he has raised, we are not disposed to
deny him now.
And now, without further dragging
in newspaper ethics, of which we will
concede Mr. Jones has more than a
working knowledge, we hope that he
will conclude, after cooling off, that
his honor has not been impugned. We
trust that his influence with Alliance
labor unionists is all that he believes,
and can assure him that we have neith
er the intention nor the desire to wreck
it
The latest fad of Parisian women
is a handkerchief a yard Fquare. At
last, papa can borrow an adequate one
when his laundry doesn't come home.
Beauty note The same ruby tint
that is artificially pasted on a girl s
face can be put there naturally by a
little service in the kitchen every day,
POINT OF ROCK CREEK
Mr. and Mrs. Green and family were
Sunday visitors at Roy Nichols'.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Jones spent
Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. F. Trine
and family.
Leo llashman motored to Alliance
Saturday afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Nichols drove lo
town Saturday.
Mrs. Ivy Essex fpent a few days in
Alliance this week.
Frank Jones and Ernie Wienell were
callers at Fred Nichols' Monday.
Roy Boyer and his daughters, Misses
Fay and Francis, were Alliance call
ers Saturday.
Mrs. Ada Langford and children
visited with Frank Vaughn Sunday.
Mrs. Frank Vaughn is having some,
dental work done.
Earl and Lyle Essex were callers at
Cal Hashman's Sunday.
Philip Wills and Wesley Hashman
were callers at Wienell's Sunday morn-
mg.
I TVift tnnef tht 1 in rr Ti?nr oKMif t TiA
free verse poets is that nobody can
tell which is the worst
'AC
V
iT6
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Prompt and Courteous Service
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