THE o3.LA.nA . DAILY BE S SIHSTDAY , SEPTEMBER so ,
Shall We Profit by the Lessons of the Past
and Rescue the State from the Per
nicious Influences of Boodlerism
and Railroadism ?
LOOK1KG BACKWARD AID LOOKING FORWARD
The Scarecrow Reports About the Destruction
of the State's Credit Effectually Exploded
by Facts and Figures Gathered in
Populist-Governed Kansas.
SIDE LIGHTS 01 THE RECORD OF TOM MAJORS
An Earnest Appeal to Patriotic Citizens of
All Parties to Unite in Defense of
Home Rule and Good
Government.
Friday evening Sir. Edward Ilosewater nd-
dressed tlto people of Lincoln on the leading
Issues of tlio state campaign. The Lansing
opera house was packed from pit to dome.
Many prominent citizens o [ the capital city
were present with their ladles , whllo hun
dred * were unable to gain admittance. Hon.
E. K. Brown ot Lincoln , well known as a
Btaunch republican , presided , and In fitting
words Introduced Mr , Kosewater , who , upon
Ills appearance before the audience , WDS
greeted by hearty applause.
Mr. Uosewater spoke tor over two hours
nntl was listened to with close attention
throughout. Ho said :
Mr , Hosewaler spoke as follows-
Mr. President and Ladles and Gentlemen
The magnificent audleiica that Erects mo
here tonight Is a testimonial to the fact that
the people ot Nebraska are wldo awake to
the very Important , the very grave Issues ,
that are pending In the contest that 13 to
bo decided liy > onr electors on the Gth day
ot November next , It la now forty years
ago sluci the men who sought to establish
upon a portion ol tills continent a colony ot
free men , carved out the territory of Ne
braska and made her a component part ot
that section of the great western territories
that were to to dedicated to Ira dam and
equality of all men , and ot all races , and cf
all creeds. The motto upon our state ensign
Is "Equality Ileforo the Law , " and that In
volves not merely the question of equality
In la.w , but justice and Integrity In Its ad
ministration In nil branches of the govern
ment. The founders of the territory simply
wera striving- strike a blow at the Instltu-
" tlon of slavery In the United States. The
men who made Nebraska a state made her
a part of the ; union , engrafted Into licr con
stitution , the fundamental principles of
equality before the law , equal prl\ lieges to
all , .special privileges to none. ( Applause. )
Now , wo must look backward , take a
retrospective view of this commonwealth , and
Bee what In the past had to be done In order
to heep the state within the limits which
had bc.n prescribed by Us founders , to
protect It from aggression Jrom within and
from without. Wo had made Nebraska a
state In 18G7 , and had scarcely gone ahead
more than three years under statehood before
i\o found ourselves confronted by problems
that underlie the entire system of Kovern-
jnent , the problems with which wo are
grappling again today.
Tha location of the capltol at Lincoln
brought with It to the state officers then In
power certain duties and responsibilities. It
brought with It , also , an opportunity for
aggrandizing themselves and Increasing their
own wealth , an opportunity for forming com
bines and rings , an opportunity for looting
the state treasury : and It Is n blot upon the
history of this state that the men chosen to
make your laws were compelled to Impeach
the first governor and depose him from his
office.
it liapvonod to be my lot Introduce the
first resolution In the legislature of 1S71 ,
looking toward the purging of ths slate and
the state house , the Investigation of Irregu
larities and unlawful appropriation of-moneys
by Btato officers , and to be associated with
a band of republicans who In those days
believed in the principle that he serves his
party best who serves the state best. I am
a republican l y natural tendency and con-
\lotlon , I was a republican In the western
resorva of Ohio , the cradle ot republicanism ,
and was at Ohcrlln In 1859. When the
professors of Obcrlln college were carried
away ns prisoners to the Cleveland Jail , be
cause they hail assist d a fugitive slave In
escaping from the clutches of his masters , I
used to carry Iho letters of their families to
the Jail for them. But iny republicanism Is
of that stripe that believes In enforcing good
government and In making men discharge
the duties which they have obligated them
selves under their oaths to perform. ( Ap
plause. ) 1 can well remember In those days
of 1871 , when those of us who were Jn favor
ot Investigating and thoroughly purging the
eta to house , were looked upon and treated
as n , gang ot desperadoes , We were met
personally on the streets of Lincoln with
that sullen ami unfriendly spirit that came
with the idea that wo had come hern tc
d'-atroy the state capital because Us foutidci
happened to bo a man vho was placed upor
trial for misdemeanors In olllco.
LOOKING BACKWARD.
Now , let us look back. The same parties
that were In 1S11 taking the lands of youi
atale and deeding them away unlawfully tc
railroad corporations that were not cntltlci
to them , the same parties that In 1SG7 t <
1871 divided among themselves Lincoln towi
lots that , had been dedicated for tha varloui
benevolent Institutions , Including the Afa
Botilq pr er , Odd Fellows and other secro
societies , are still today Insisting that wi
who grs > here to defend the rights of thi
nUte and the people to their own vren
scoundrels and that they were saints.
What were the factsT It has been sail
lioro .time and time again that David Butlc
was Impeached wrongfully ; thai he was ao
cuied ot misdemeanors and offenses of whlcl
T , , ho "was not guilty , and that the men wh
jnadt thoje charges wore conspirators agalns
the state. The tacts are these , and II ro
will loot back Into the archives ot th
state and Into tha records you -will find thai
Jn the ftril place , wn endeavored b7 rciolu
ttona adapted In the 'house cf representative
tomake Governor Butler report to us ivhu
manor he hail collected from tha Unite
Btatin government belonging to tha echcx
fund , and we endeavored , without aiming n
any Impeachment , to have that money proj
erly accounted tor and placed where It b <
long d Into the state treasury ,
\Vhau 1 Introduced thai resolution la th
hws In Februarr. 1871. I walked right Int
Governor Duller' * oflcs and UW klm tbat a
n republican I wanted lo ECO the republican
party maintain Its record as a parly of good
government and that wo wanted to give the
democrats in that legislature , who consti
tuted less than one-third ot that body , no
opportunity to make political capital , and ho
said tome then that that wna Just what he
liked. He wanted us to proceed and Investi
gate and that he was ready to explain it all
satisfactorily. Had ho made the same ex
planation to the house of representatives then
that he did to me he would not have been Im
peached , But ho sent to the house of rep
resentatives a message stating that ho had
collected from the government of the United
States the sum of J1G.881.2C , and had placed
that amount In the treasury to the credit of
the school fund , when In fact it was shown
afterwards that ho had not placed one
penny Into the school fund , but had appro
priated It to his own use , and had used it in
the construction of his own residence in this
city. It was upon lhat charge , one of the
eleven articles of Impeachment brought
against him , that he was finally convicted by
two-thirds of the senate sitting as a court of
Impeachment. llemembcr that the legis
lature was mostly republican nnd that D-ivld
Butler was a republican , thai 1 was elected
on the same ticket with him as a re
publican , and that wo as re
publicans endeavored to do our duty to the
state , and to the party , and purge the state
lions o of corruption.
BHIDBUY AND BLACKMAIL.
Now , what followed ? During the Investi
gation that was made prior to the trial of
David Butler , an investigation conducted by
five of the most impartial men that were
found In that body , it turned out that
Governor Butler had In the construction of
the university demanded bribes , demanded
bonuses from the contractors and In some
cases had procured bonuses from them and
that these contractors were permitted to
erect a building that was dangerous and un
safe. It Is a matter of history that finally
the state had to expend about J15.000 In put
ting a now foundation under the university
building in order to prevent it from tumbling
down. It also transpired that In the leasIng -
Ing of the snllne lands and in many other
transactions bribes had been give.n and
brihca had been demanded , nnd In the ap
pointment of officers of state. In one case
whcro an attorney was engaged to act ns at
torney general , $1,000 had passed from him
as part of the consideration for his appoint
ment. And all these things overwhelm
ingly showing the corruption In this state
house were brought out In testimony before
Iho Impeachment court , and upon that evi
dence Mr. Butler was convlcteU.
-An extraordinary Incident happened while
lhat Impeachment trial was In progress.
During the Investigation It transpired that
the first nsjlum for the Insane , constructed
at nn outlay of o\er J90.000 , had been built
by a contractor who was dishonest and Ir
responsible , that a great part ot the ma
terial furnished for the building had been
carried away and used in the construction ol
residences ot state ofllcers , und lhat the
building was In a > ery unsafe cundltlo-i and
was liable to tumble down and bury every
body that was Inside of It. And on the
morning of the 17th day ot April , 187 ] , a
lire broke out In that building , the entire
structure and contents were destroyed anil
two men perished in the flames , und the
charred remains of ono old lady were found
the next day after the fire.
INSANH ASYLUM DESTROYED.
The following extract from the Omalu
Republican of that dnto affords a brief out
line of that horrible crime :
"LINCOLN , April 17. At about 3 o'clocl
this morning the alarm of fire was soundoi
through our streets.
The cause was seer
ascertained to be the insane asylum. Or
our arrival there we ascertained from om
of the persons engaged nboul the bulldlni
that the origin of the fire was wlthou
doubt the work of an Incendiary , as 1
caught exactly in the same place as when
It was ones fired before In the northwcs
corner of the wing near Us connection will
the main building. There was no possiblllt :
of any of the Inmates having access to tha
part of the building , and the responsibility
therefore , rests upon some fiendish devil n
human being could possibly be so far lost t
all reason.
"Immediately upon the alarm Dr. Lars !
with all tha men employed about the build
Ins. made every effort to exllngulsh ih
Oamcs , but to no purpose. When It wa
found Impossible lo subdue the flames , the !
next efforts were made to save the pallenls
In the upper part of the portion occuple
by those unfortunate iwo men. who had t
ha kept in separate rooms , were conflnoc
The watchmen want and released them , an
made every effort to get them out. bn
avery time they would return again. FInall
they had to abandon them nnd go to th
rescue of others. The names of the tw
who perished were Edward Holverson , sci
here from Richardson county , and Henr
Kecler , from Dodge county ,
"After the patients vrere safe they u <
ceeded In saving a very small portion of th
parlor furnlturo and A considerable uurr
ber ot blankets , but what waa saved wl
probably not exceed ? 2,000.
"Tho building was Insured for upwards i
$90,000 , divided among Underwriters an
the Loilllard at New York , the Thoenlx i
Brooklyn , and several other companies , "
MURDKK TO HIDE CONSPIRACY.
At the very hour that tills fire was ragln
at the Insane aiylurn a revolt broke out I
the penitentiary , nnd at thai lime the pen
tentlary waa viry loosely built , with
vvoodan enclosure , and ten convicts mac
their escape from the penitentiary. Amot
these convicts iraa Sam Poole. a. man tvl
had been comtcUd C murdtr at Omau
nnd was thcro under sen tones for life.
When tha Insurance companies found that
Iho fire was sot by on Incendiary they em
ployed detectives to ferret out the perpetra
tors. They found that Poole hod had ft
mistress at Omaha , who had found her way
Into the Insane asylum , and was temporarily
employed there. They found by circumstan
tial evidence that she was the person who
had set the building on fire , that a plot had
b on formed , and that she had been In
duced to commit this crime In order to res
cue her lover or husband out of Iho peni
tentiary , In the due courseot time this
woman was traced up ; she was found In St.
Louis. The Insurance agents were about to
bring her back to Omaha , as a state's wit
ness , and to arrest the' parties that were Im
plicated In , that conspiracy , but the very
next morning , when they called to lake her
on the train , they found her dead In her
room ! she had been poisoned that night.
This IB a historic fact , and the men who
were connected with the Insurance com
panies will attest that fact.
Here was oneof the greatest crimes that
ever was perpetrated In tills state ; Poole ,
the murderer , was found about six years ago
and brought back hero to Lincoln , to the
penitentiary , but the warden pretended that
he did not recognize him , and ho was nl-
lowed to go at large. There , was still dan
ger that somebody would bo convicted of
participation In that conspiracy , because
murder never outlaws by the statute of limi
tation ,
Now , wasn't It just and right that these
legislators , In 1871 , should do Just what they
did do7 Why , you say , "Woll , the things
occurred when the state was In its Infancy , "
and I admit that at that time , perhaps , a
great many things were In order or , rather ,
out of order. For instance , the very first
adjournment that wo had In the house pend
ing those investigations lasted something
like two weeks , and when we got back we
found that our clock had been stolen , that
some of our furnlturo 'had been carried away.
This furniture was carried out of the house
bodily by parties who had' taken upon them
selves to relieve Iho state from the respon
sibility of taking care of It. ( Laughter. )
WAKS ONLY ON RINGSTKRS.
This Is a glimpse backward ; now we will
pass. The corrupt state house ring of 1871
was broken up , but the- same state of af
fairs has continued with more or les varia
tion ever since. Thcro 'huve ' been occa
sionally clean and good state governments ,
but In the main there has been a series ot
state houEo rings that have pilfered and
robbed the state whtrever It was possble to
do BO , and It was not done In the Interest ot
Lincoln , but hi the Interest purely of the
combine. I am no ene-my of Lincoln ;
the men who have endeavored from tlmo
to time to protect the Interests of the state
and stop those rlngsters from robbing the
treasury are net the enemies of Lincoln ,
but they are the friends of good government ,
and the men who are constantly cry.ng out
ngnlmt It are the enemies ot the govern
ment and the enemies ot Lincoln. ( Ap
plause. )
You can remember that I was brought down
hero icmo years ago on the charge of libel
because 1 had eeen fit to denounce the pri
vate secretary of a governor for participat
ing In that great crime and outrage , the
shooting of the peg-legged robber that was
decoyed to enter tha treasury at noon , was
herded fSCO and was shot down and killed
rlfjit there In the Btato house by a set of
fellows who preloaded that they were doing
the state a great service , ( Applause. ) You
renumber that after I had taken all the
pains and trouble to travel 'clear down to
Arkansas and _ awcy up to .Ohadron to brjng
my , witnesses here Into your city to show
that I had published the truth , that what
ever I stated was well founded and pub
lished In the Interest of good government ,
I found that my witnesses were being spir
ited away , Just 1 Ice Taylor was ( laughter ) ,
and that the sheriff of your county was doIng -
Ing that .work. Andl when I went to your
Judge ami aikcd him to protect me against
that kind of outiagc I got no satisfaction ,
but the supreme court reversed the verdict
and set It aside. From that time on , back
ward and forward , you will find permeating
tha state house the corrupting Influences
that set ell law at defiance. It rum > back
and forth between the penitentiary and Mle
state house- , and between the state house and
othpr Institutions. The penitentiary has
been Iflo cere of this cancer. It was con-
ccvcil in iniquity and fraud , and has con
tinued In fraud The government of the
United States voted fifty sections of land
Cor the erection ot a penitentiary for the
new state , and they took twenty sections
more , and when they exhausted the land
they kept right on lth half mill taxes from
year to 3 ear to Meet a building that has
cost nearly half a million up to date , and the
architects e&y that today that itructure can
bo duplicated for one-fourth of that sum.
And , toy , it was built with convict Jabor
for the most part , Just a ? some of your other
public buildings have been.
PENITENTIARY NOT AN ADVANTAG .
Ior myself I have been In favor of the
ntate Institutions being centered right here
In Lincoln , excepting alone the penitentiary ,
The penitentiary ne\cr will bo sclf-iusiHlnlne
where it is. We are paying 40 rents a day
to feed those convlcti and throw In the en
tire day's labor besides the 40 cents , whtn
our present governor has been able to brltin
about such n rciorm in the state Institution ;
that for 40 cents a day per capita you car
run the Insane asylum or any other Insti
tution in the state. There Is no place dcwi
here for convicts , for the reason that then
is no natural source for their employment
t The penitentiary has done you of Llncolr
more damage than anything that yon cart
conceive ot ; because , if this penltentnry bai
0
been located at Louisville , Weeping Water
Dcatilcc , or tome place where there Is stem
to quarry that would keep the convlrts cm
ployed , your people could have manufactur
Ing Institutions without free labor here
( Applause. ) Whereas now nobody dares ti
0
start his little factory here for fear tha
0
somebody else will cot a contract In th
penitentiary and duplicate the work ol fre
men at halt price and starve them out
( Applause , )
0 Now , then , we have gone along here to
years and we hare had , as I cald , somn gooi
government and some very Inferior govern
' merit , and some very bad government , but
during the past ten years It Is safe to say
judging by the figures and returns made t
Governor Cronnse of the c st of Btnto In
stltutlons during the present year , lhat 'w
have paid out over a million dollars more-fo
running the state Institutions than we ough
to have paid out , It Ihey Had bien hdncstl ;
and economically managed.
When the legislature ot 1893 , following th
revelations that had bean made down her
at .Lincoln of the great frauds perpetrate
at the Insane iBsylum and other state Instltu
tlona and the gigantic swindle In the build
ing of the cell house In the penltentlary-
when Ihey underlook to supplement and du
pllcale the work ot the leRUIature of 187J
) t that was 'a republican legislature , they wer
met right here with denunciation ; they wer
met right here by combined consplracj
to prevent and thwart the thorough tnvestl
gallon and proper punishment nf tha me
who were guilty ot those frauds. You a
remember that the legislature ot 1893 eper
a great deal of Its tlmo in the senator ! !
struggle ; thai It had but very little tlmo for Ito
work of investigation. H could only skli
i I the surface , and yet In that very brief perlo
10 I devoted to the Investigation ot taa managi
a , I merit of the various laslltiitlons , and pai
TO H
tlcularly the penitentiary , there was un
covered ao much p fraud and corruption nnd
Jobbery that nojm.jyi dared to defend It , nnd
the best that thiirjcould do was to say that
the gentlemen Wlttl * ere running your public
Institutions , tlic'Ho.-rd ' ( of Public Lands nnd
Buildings In a 'jquTar. ' were so overwhelmed
with work tliatrftlipy could not give proper
attention to all thn.tlilngs pertaining to these
Institutions. anrf'thcVeforo they had to bo ex
cused for negledWg'thoIr ' duty nnd for playIng -
Ing into the hafldgaof these- public thieves.
( Laughter and applwjse. )
HAVE LBMl/ttE ENOUGH NOW.
Since the iinficlchment trial and acnult-
tal of the same fllpCo house officers they have
found time enough to go on Junkets ; they
found time enough to go to Hot Springs , S.
D , ; they found time enough to eo rabbit
hunting up near Broken Bow and Ouster
county ( lauqhtcr and applause ) ; they found
tlmo enough for nil sorts ot ilhcrslons , and
they found time enough to get several vin
dications. They had leisure enough to work
for the vindication of their conduct by the
defeat ot Judge Maxwell , In the first place
( applause ) , and worked up the nomination
ot Tom Majors , In the next place. ( Ap
plause. )
Now , then , I appeaf to you , fellow citizens ,
regardless of party , whether It is In the In
terest of this state , In the Interest of good
government , that We should perpetuate and
continue under the next admlnlstritlon the
work which has been so generally condemned
by all honest and respectable citizens during
the administration that preceded this one ,
and even during this present administration ,
for we all know that right hero , under the
nose of Judge Crounse , things have been done
In the state house that are Just as unlawful
nnd Just as reckless as they over were done
during the regime of Butler and Kennard.
( Laughter and applause and hisses. ) Well ,
serpents hiss , and gecso do sometimes , you
know. ( Renewed laughter and applause. )
The republican party Is n party of free
speech. ( Cries of "That's right. " ) Laugh
ter. ) The party that abrogates the right of
every man to believe what ho pleases , to sny
what he pleases , and what he believes to bo
true and In the Interest of good government
Is no republican party. The republican party
of John C. Fremont , the republican party
ot Abraham Lincoln ( applause ) stood for
liberty of speech rind conscience ; the repub
lican party of Ulysses S. Grant said "Let no
guilty man escape. " ( Applause. ) And if
wo have allowed these men to escape by a
Scotch verdict they ought to have been con
tent to hide their heads and bide their time ,
and go homo In quiet ( laughter ) and let the
republican party resume sway of this state ,
and not be pleading the baby act and saying ,
"Tho gentlemen didn't know what they were
doing. " ( Laughter. ) Let mo tell > ou a
little story. The old man Majors I mean
the father of Tom served In the same leg
islature with me. and wo were pretty well
acquainted , and ono time , I understand , ho
wrfs telling how Ho.came to find out what he
should do with Tijn/u ( A voice : "He licked
him. " ) Ho saldr.bendldn't know Just what
would bo his nnturab bent ; and the old man
was a pretty gocxl dlU man ; I concede that ;
I think he was0'hoVSst , and I think lie was
'
conscientious. ( JA , , * oice : "So was Tom. " )
'
( Great laughter'and applause. ) You will
see Just how conscientious he Is , but Just let
mo finish the storyi' ' Now , then , the old
man worried andAVorricd ; he wanted to know
just \vhat to di ftji his boy and what to
make out of 7iRra .ic ( A voice : "Make a
governor out ohfhlim" ) ( Laughter. ) He
put him Into dl cidset and he put in the
closet a bible , a ° mivr dollar and an apple.
He said , "Well.'BovgJU the boy takes tp the
bible I will make W preacher out ot him ;
If he tales ; tlivnllraV dollar I will make a
banker or business man of him , and It he
takea the apple' I will make a farmer of
him. " ( Laughter. ) But when ho opened
the closet to see what the boy was doing he
found Tommy was sitting on the bible , he
had the dollar In his pocket and he waa eat
ing the apple. ( Great laughter. ) So the
old man decided to make a farmer poli
tician out of him. ( Laughter and applause. )
( A volco : "He < one a good job. " ) Oh'yes ,
he did a pretty good Job , but he got spoiled
finally. ( Laughter. ) ( A voice : "It Isn't
done yet. " ) Well , it will be on the Ctli ol
November. ( Laughter and applause. )
MOSHEIl'S BANK FAILURE.
Now , 1 do not want to digres.3 too much
about this penitentiary Investigation , but It
might be well here , as we are about It , to
refer to the vital points. Wo alt under
stand , of course , that the state house rinfi
is not of Its own making ; Its maker Is n cor
rupt machine ; organized by the railway powei
of this state In order to promote the Interests
of the corporate powers that
rule in Boston and New York ,
and to make this commonwealth of Nebraska
a mere province , not of freemen , but ol
bondsmen , governed under the Iron rule ol
the despotism created by thes > e corporations ,
( Applaute. ) Wo find , then , that at the be
ginning of the EccsJon of the last legisla
ture ) a great bank , failure occurred here ,
It was the smashup of the Capital National
bank , and In that failure the state cf Ne
braska lost something like tuu hundred am !
fifty or two hundred and sixty thousand
dollars , and I do not believe this minute
I'hat ' It will ercr get 250 cents out of It
Now , then , $750.000 , or thereabouts , three
quarters of a million , were swallowed up ti
that failure , and swallowed up for the toll
. era and wage earners. The hard worklnj
people of Lincoln who toll In the * workshop
the little storekeepers , the widow nnd the or
phan , and all classes in your com
munlty have suffered by this th'ng
by this great conspiracy that ha <
Its origin not alone In the stati
house , but In the headquarters of these rail
roads , and I propose to prove that It had
( Applause. ) Who were the men be
hind this gigantic conspiracy ? Who weri
the men thai used the funds of this stnt
for private speculation , that used till
money for bribing members of the leglsla
lure wherever t y could be bribed , tlm
used It by putting liout loans which wer
never expected 10 ba paid ? Where wa
the motive { .owe apd who were the con
federates ? Whqri'aV thla man Thompson
( Applause. ) 116 had been superintendent o
the Burlington 'road''and ' he was behln
Mosher. This eprfuj > t combine has got yo
by the throaC Way , , unless you emanclpat
yourBelves. on trw fth day of November
( Cries of "We vtir'iand applause. ) Whj
Thompson with i ' $ " was the fellow. II
was behind It , anp' , , when they wanted a re
a celvor , who wasjthei man they got ? Me
r Farland. ( Lau.ghjeij. ) Who was behln
t McFarland , and tyjib had a string tied t
Y him ? The Burl\fljstqn \ railroad.
Now , we are inotc enemies of railroad !
e Thoseof usft'lfo" oppose railroad vdomlnu
e tlon realize that allroada are built for th
benefit ot the state ; they are- the arteries c
commerce , they help to develop the atat <
Ihey carry products to the markets of th
world and : they are one of the great factor
ot modernrclrllzallon. | But , at the saro
time , while they are agents for clvlllzatloi
they are not managed simply for the pui
poao. of a public carrier , but they are mat
aged for the benefit of construction rlnt
and the personal gain of officers and mar
agora of railroads , eveni as against the U
torests ot their own stockholders. ( A |
plause. )
CllKSIIAM'3 CAUSTIO CRITICISM.
I had a talk two weeks ago with Jud {
Grexham , whom I met at Chicago , on
Judge Qresbam said this to me : "Whllo
wax on the bench of the circuit court <
the United States I tli.nk I handled , moi
railroad cnaes nml went through , more rail
way books In Investigating their manage
ment than probably any other judge that
had ever been on the bench , and I can sny
truthfully that not in a single Instance in
all Iho Investigations I have made did I
find an honest management or an honest
manager. ( Laughter and applause. ) In
overj-lnslanco the managers were either rob
bing the stockholders or robbing the -patrons ,
or stealing trorn each other , " ( Laughter
nnd orvplame. )
I make bold to assort it Is not to the In
terest ot the stockholders in Boston , It Is
not to the Interest ot the stockholders. In
England , or In Germany , or In Holltnd thai
Iho superintendent of n railroad down here
at Lincoln should be connected with the
Capital National bank , sulndl ng people and
robbing them of their savings , and robbing
the Hate by conspiracy , and destroying
the government , ( Applause. ) It Is not to
their Interest that their managers nnd offi
cials should be town lot speculators nnd
mining speculators or that they should run
electric lighting plants , And right here I
can say and point to another fad to show
to what extent this power Is being used. In
your own city the proprietor of your largest
dry goods house was told by this man
Thompson , when ho proposed to put In an
electric lighting- plant of his own , lhat they
would go to work nnd damage his business ,
by giving" away passes among his patrons nnd
send them lo Omaha , to buy their dry goods.
( Cries of "Oh. " "That's right. " ) ( Applause. )
Well , I honor that man for having backbone
enough lo resent that threat , and that he
bought thai electric lighting plant and Is
running It today In spite of bulldozing
threats. ( Applause. )
And that brings us to this very question
of the misuse of the power vested in rail
road officers , There Is scarcely a lawyer of
any pretentlon In your town that has not
got nn annual , pass. What doe > 3 he ship ?
What does ho contribute to tha earnings
of a railroad ? What does he contribute to
the Interests of the stockholders ? Why do
they give Ihese pisses ? Are Ihey given
simply as a compliment ? They do not com
pliment tha laboring man ; they do not com
pliment the farmer ; and they won't even
compliment a democrat If he happens to
favor HolcomJ ) . ( Laughter and applause. )
No ; they compliment them because they
know that the pass Is n bribe that will in-
llucnce the person to do something that ho
might not do even If he had money offered to
him. Men have time and again assured me
that parties who have had annual passes
worth , perhaps , from flOO to $200 a year ,
would do things that they would not do for
$1,000 in money.
DANGERS OF PASS BRIBERY.
You know very well thai Ireason does not
consist only In levying war against a state
with bullets and bayonets and Catling guns ;
but you can destroy a state Insidiously by
the bribed ballot ; you can destroy the state
by undermining its government , bribing Us
law-making power , destroying Its Judiciary ,
by putting Jury fixers around the courts ,
impeding justice , Instead of having justice
and equality before the law , and making
it simply a government of corporations for
corporations , Instead of a government of the
people for the people. ( Applause. )
The men of brawn and brain , the men
who do labor from day to day and earn a
livelihood , and- the men of small means ,
who cannot bo bought like the lazy people
who are doing nothing and making a. liv
ing out of politics It Is those who- are the
hope of this state and of this nation. For ,
as Dr. uryea sattl the other day at Omaha
before 'the Municipal league : "You corrupt
the state , and you corrupt thenation. . The
stream never rises above Its source ; and , If
the sources of our government are all pois
oned , you can expect nothing but corruption ,
permeating every branch of the government. "
Lot me again refer to this Capital Na
tional bank failure. A very prominent rail
road attorney , whose clients happened to
get bitten , declared to me a few days ago
that It was the most gigantic conspiracy ,
gotten up right here by this railroad ring.
Those men have worked to cover their
tracks , and they want Tom Majors In the
slate house In order that they can keep It
covered up forever. ( Applause. ) What did
Mr. Majors do when this question was in
the legislature ? Let us see :
On February 17 Senator Darner ottered the
following resolution.
"Whereas , It has officially coma to the
notice of this body , through the legal
opinion of the attorney general submitted to
this body , that the retiring state treasurer IE
liable on his bond tor the state funds which
were ort deposit with the Capital National
bank at the time of the failure of said bank ;
and
"Whereas , The Interests of our state de
mand that steps should be taken to enforce
the recovery of thee funds deposited with
the Capital National bank in order that the
state may not suffer loss thereby ; therefore ,
be It
"Ilesolve'd , The house concurring , that the
attorney general be and is hereby Instructed
to Immediately con mence proceadlr gs agalnsi
the retiring slate treasurer and his bonds
men for the recovery of said funds so de
posited by him in the Capital Natlona
bank , "
Hight below It , "on motion of Mr Graham
the resolution wns referred to the cominltlst
on Judicial y , " of which James K. Norlh , al
present collector of Internal revenue and c
good railroad democrat , was the chairman.
, On February 27 the Judiciary commute
reported the resolution back to the senate
with the recommendation thai It be in
definitely postponed. The report was adopt i
by-a majority of the railroad senator.votlnj
In its , favor , nnd Mr. Majors did all hi
could to shelve tlio resolution.
But our friends here who have jnterruptei
me EO kindly with thlr complimentary hlsse :
( laughter ) , say thai Majors Is n. very hones
man , like his father was bcforu him , an
I will concede that his father before him wa ,
an honest man. But even boyu that an
brought up by preachers often times tun
wrong. ( Laughter ) ,
I jhave had several of them In ray emplo ;
who were addicted to gambling just like Torn
You see ; a preacher'e boy don't always gi
the slralght road. So It was with ou
friend. Now , theia gentlemen who haveisali
that they are sure that Tom Is an hones
man had betler send a delegate up here 01
the stage , because I want to show thorn tha
he was not an honest man. I want t
proVe It to thorn , ( Applause. ) I have th
proofs in my hands now nnd I want any mate
9 , to come up here If thereIs any doubt abou
L. It , Tf.ls la the Congressional Record , Velum
U , Part 1 nnd Appendix , Forty-seventh Con
Kress , Second Session , February 20 , to Marc
3 , 1883. In that very ulngular volume
find a good many pages devoted to Thoma
Majors , and they are not as compllmenUr
as the republican randldate for gorerno
would like to have them. ( Laughter an
Steal applause )
MAJOR'S CONGRESSIONAL IU2COIU ) .
Mr , Majors was elected to succeed Con
gressman Frank Welch , who died and lei
a vacancy for a short period. After tha
Majors was elected contingent congressrnar
It was claimed that the CNISUS of Nobraak
did not give us a sulllclent showing to en
title us to more than one member , and I
was claimed that we had Increased I
population ao much right after th
census that wn wera entitled t
additional representation ; and we had a ver
magnificent statesman -Washington , and
A man of a , good deal of pertinacity and a
lard worker , the Hon. 1'atrlck 0. Hawes
liughlcr ) , Irylng lo prove lo congress Ihat
10 ought to have thai seal , but they didn't
seem to want to recognlzo him , excepting
as u lobbyist. But when Majors got Ihere ,
with lila honest face , with that sliver dollar
n his pocket nnd his big apple ( laughter ) ,
ivhy , they thought ho told the truth , nnd so
, hey voted him In on hU representation lhat
Ihe census of Nebraska showed Ihnt we
weno entitled to an additional member.
Presently they discovered that Honest Tom
rad played them for suckers ( laughter ) , nnd
Lhat he had taken them in , nnd n man by
the name of Tom Heed , a very honest man ,
Iho wny , and n good deal mere so than
the other Tom ( laughter ) , happened to bo
cha'rman ' ot the committee to whom It was
referred , and that committee appointed n
subcommittee , who InvettlgaUd nnd took
several \oluntes of testimony. Before that
committee Majors ami all his accessories
In that transaction wcro called , to testify ,
nu.l finally this committee retried , nnd the
report was Inserted In this volume of the
Congressional Record , 10 that there Is no
mistake but what Mr. Majors figured very
conspicuously before the Forty-seventh con-
grew. Now , as you say , wo will read It.
( Laughter. ) Perhaps I had better get some
body else , though , that can read It better
than I can. Will you please read that for
me ( addressing a gentleman on the tinge ) ?
( A volco ; "All right , you rend It ; It will
make his majority bigger. " ) Oh , yes , his
majority would be bigger. You think the
man who would steal hogs should have a
bigger majority than a fellow who wculd
glvo away alms to the poor. ( Laughter. )
( Mr. Ro-sewater , reading : ) "Mr. Majors copies
Mr. Hawes' gross falsehood that these nine
teen counties contained CO.OOO Inhabitants.
In fact , by tha census of 1S74 , all those not
In the said forty-nine contained but 29,038
Inhabitants. In his last brief ho sub
stituted 35,000 for CO.OOO. Neither Hawes
nor Majors could name the counties. Hawes
swore that he hod handed a list to the
cointultteeman , Mr. Hurd. The tabulation
at page 112 , made long before the original
certificate was found , named fifteen coun
ties , organized In 1871 , 1S72 nnd 1873 , but
never enumerated until 1871 , When the
original certificate of the census was found
( on July 22 , 1SS2. ) the co-unties appeared
nurnbe-red thereon In pencil from 1 to 44
Inclusive , leaving these Identical fifteen
names umrumbcrd , Who made the numbers
dooa not appear.
MAJORS USED HIS MEMORY.
"When Majors testified on the 6th of July ,
1SS2 , he said ho was uncertain whether he
had the actual i-csm-isloii of the original
certificate ) printed In report 023 , ante. But
whan Mr. Hawes was teitlfylng on the 12th
of July , 1882 , about that original , nnd was
asked , whether Richardson county was not
'estimated' and not actually enumerated ,
ho did not know. But Mr. Majors inter
rupted him with 'My recollection Is that it
was. '
"When the original certificate of the state
census was afterwards found the word 'es
timated' was found opposite 'Richardson , '
but pressed so as not to be printed. This
hj/J been suggested in the minority report ,
because- Its population was even 15,000.
"Mr. Halves swore that he left with this
original certified census fifteen or twenty
affidavits. Mr. Majors' brlet quoted the
exact language of Hawes as to the affiants ,
etc. He also swore that he remembered
J. T. Allen's. He , however , used non& but
Holle's , and obtained a new ono from Allen. "
Now , hero comes the point. Thcro was
a little telegraphing done from Lincoln to
Washington. S. J. Alexander sent this mes
sage : "Lincoln , February ISth , 18S2. To
Thos , J. Manners , National hotel. Washing
ton , D. C. : No state census taken In Ne
braska for 1S72. S. J. Alexander , Secretary
of State. "
"On the same day the orTico here notified
the oificd at Lincoln that 'Thos. J. Manners'
was notfound , and received reply that that
dispatch was to 'Thomas J. Majors. * On the
20th of February , 1882. It was delivered to
Mr. Majors , He claimed that the dispatch
was 'bullecl' or erroneous and had It dupli
cated. Us duplicate was delivered to lilrn
on tlio 22nd of February , 1SS2.
"On that day he received two other dis
patches ; each was dated 22nd February , 1SS2 ,
at Lincoln , Nob. , addressed to Thomas J.
Majors < at the National hotel hero , and
signed by S J. Alexander , Secretary of
State. The first was1
" 'No census taken for 1870 ; relying on
United States to take same , No blanks fur
nished in 1871. '
"The other was : 'The first census taken ,
according to our records , was In ' 74 , Tele
graph now what you want/
"lie- avoided showing the dispatch of the
20th ot February to Messrs. Culbertson and
Willlts ( members ol the committee ) though
asked to do so , claiming that It was unin
telligible. " That Is the way Majors did U ;
It was unintelligible to him ; ho didn't know
what It meant. ( Laughter. )
COACHED AK AFFIDAVIT.
Now , what next ? "Mr. Hawes swore
that before making his afildavlt of the 20th
of February he and Mr. Majors had this
conversation , namely :
"Majori. 'I want you to make nn afildavlt
in relation to my case in the house. 1 want
to fix Iho dale of the census. '
"Itawes 'It was called the census of 1572. '
"MajorsVhen was It taken ? '
"Hiwes said he could only say that It
was called the census of 1S72 nnd that was
ill he knew. And Mr. Majors replied : 'That
In all I want to know. ' "
Now. Majors showed Mr. Wllllta the dls-
palcli of Alexander , dated the 22nd of Feb
ruary. And hero U another : "Lincoln ,
March J , 1812. Dear Sir : No state enum
eration under net of legislature npproved
February , 1869 , until 1S72 ; a certified copy of
which was furnished under the seal of state
by my predecessor , J. J. Oosper.
"S. J. ALEXANDER ,
"Secretary of State. "
"Thus forllrlcd , Mr. Majors concealing the
knowledge that no state census was taken
until 1874 , allowed the committee to be de
ceived by his papers , and on the 21th of
March , 1882 , to agree to report In his favor.
And they did so report on the 1st of April ,
18S2.
18S2."These
"These reports , majority nnd minority ,
were published and accessible to everybody
Interested. Mr. Majors had them , When ,
on the llth of April , U was charged that this
census of 1872 was the true census ot 1874
und that none was taken in 1872 , what was
Mr , Majors' conduct ? He wrote and tele
graphed Alexander. Neither of them pro
duces the letter nor telegram , though asked
to do no. Majors swears that he sent Alex
ander thu report and wrote him ,
"Thai the question had been raised as to
whether It was the census of 1872 or the cen-
sun ol 1874 , and urged upon him the neces
sity ot corroborating my ( till ) statement or
tha attitude which I ( he ) wa In , because
thHt was to me ( him ) the vital question ,
"On the 13ti ( ot April ho telegraphed
Alexander : 'Stay reply to census Inquiries ;
see letter and Sclinenk. '
"Hi got Sell wo nek to go to Nebraska
alter furnishing him a copy ot Ihe reports
jynd fully explaining tha situation. Schwenck
arrived at Lincoln on the evening ol the 18th
ol April , 1832. H tolJ Alexander what -was
wanted , and why , and gave him Majura'
lilUr. Alexander Informed him tbat ha had
a Utter from Majors that day , but that he
did not know whether the printed espy cut
from the report and soul htm br Mnjors xva
the census ot 1813. "
MAJORS IIKLD JlESl'ONBIBLB.
Now , the long nml short ot It la right
hero "Schwenck swore that ho did not ox-
pod that Major * would show It to any one. "
Thnt IB this letter which ho nsked him to
burn. The foliar ) shows this. Majors
claimed that conscientious scruples mind
you , conscientious scruples , had prevented
him from telling them nnj thing nboul hla
llttlo comtiunlcatlons with Schwenck and
with Alextndcr. Ho had been testifying la
that matter that the census of 1872-when In
fact there had been nonp , and It Is absolutely
shown by this report that Mr. Majors J *
convicted by two or three * other witnesses oJ
having changed that report and forged It
tromlS'tblck to 1872. Ami finally the com
mittee made * this report : "Wo report , tlicro *
fore , thiil Thomas J , Majors Is rcsponslbta
fur Ihu misinformation which Induced till a
committee to make the report of April I ,
1SS2 ( No. 811 , first session Forty-sovonlU
congress ) , and that ho was aided therein
by S , J. Alexander , secretary of stale of tti
state of Nebraska , by Pat O. Hawes nnd Dr.
I1. Schwenck and George II , Roberls. Anfi
wo report that the testimony ot Davis Is
false.
"And wo ask the adoption of the following
resolution :
" ' .Resolved , That the clerk ot the house bo ,
and ho Is hereby required lo furnish a ,1
printed copy of this report , including thi ,
evidence , to each ot the following' o III core t
The district attorney of the District ot
Columbia , the attorney general ot the United
States and the governor of the state of Ne
braska , that they may take- such action us
they may deem suitable to the gravity ot Iho
wrongs committed by the persons whoso con
duct Is In this "conclusion" set forlh. ' "
Now , If any gentleman wants to know
whether Majors made nn honest and truth
ful report under oath , or whether ho did
not , he- can find It In the record. I am not
charging anything against Majors ; It Is the
record made In congress and published
there that contains the charges , nnd II Is
for him to meet that record , and not Bdward
Ilosewnter , because- am an Insignificant
nonetilty in this contest. ( Laughter ) . ( Crlea
of "That's right. " ) I am not tampering with
that record ; I did not make it for him.
( Laughter. )
Now , then , wo will lay that matter lr > ono
side and bring Mr. Majors a llttlo nearer
home. Mr. Majors has seen fit since my
speech at Fremont to deny that ho had any
knowledge of or connection with the abduc
tion of Senator Taylor ( laughter ) , and thai
he had nothing whatever to do with that
transaction , and that ho was not responsible
for the action of his private secretary , Walt
Seely , who was "foisted" upon him , as ho
says , and ho also calls God to witness- that
this Is the truth and the whole truth. Now ,
I want the religious and respectable people ,
the people of good morals , to note thai here 1 *
a candidate who seeks your suffrages for gov
ernor of the state , calling- God to witness
that what ho sajs to the people of this
state concerning his own record and trnns -
actions is true ; and ho cieri went so far at
to say he- would wish that ho would bo
palsied and paralyzed that minute if it waa
not true so as to make the Impression BO
much more effective. I want this audience ,
I want my fellow citizens to ask themselves
whether a man who would call the Lord to
witness as to the truthfulness of hla
statement , when that statement IB absolutely
contradicted by records , not mnde by hla
enemies , but by his friends whether or not
such a person Is a fit person for any publlo
office. ( Cries of "No , no , no.1' ' ) I want to *
call your attention : Mr. Majors Is now con
fronted with the record I have In my hand ,
and I Invite anybody that desires to ex
amine It a certificate signed by the auditor ,
relating to that Taylor voucher , certified br
Mr. Moore , the auditor , moro than two years
ago. And the legislative records are right
hero. Colonel Majors says , In the first
place , that ho knew nothing about the ab
duction of Taylor , nnd In the next plnca *
that Taylor had served sixty-three daya. and
therefore was entitled to the full pay of
$300 as a member ; and lastly , the strongoat '
point Is thut when I was in the legtslatura
I had drawn twelve days' pay for time that ,
I was not present. That Isfa strong point ,
anyhow , for him. ( Laughter. )
RECORD OF THAT. FAMOUS SITTING.
Let mo now call your attention to a few-
facts : Let us co.isIJr his statement that
ho did not know that Taylor was go Ins to b
abducted , or that he wns entirely Ignorant
of this conspiracy to carry a member of Iho
state senate out of the state while thai body
was In session framing laws. When Mr.
Taylor first started to go out of the city.
as J am reliably Informed , ho did not know
Just where ho was going to , and did not
know but what he might return ; but ho wont
to Mr. Majors and asked to bo excused , that
ho was paired with Senator Brown of Wash
ington county , and MaJrJra agreed that ha.
should be excused during that day's ses
sion. No sooner had Taylor gone out of the
catiitol than Mr. Majors , In responseto ono
of the railroad senators who raised tha
question whether Taylor was excused , de
clared Taylor waa not excused ; and there
upon tliero was a call of the house , and a
search was made of course , where they
know they could not find him. ( Laughter. )
That call of the house continued the senatb
In session for seventy-five hours. They were
evidently consuming all that tlmo to got
Taylor away as far ns possible. Seventy *
ilvo hours the senate was In session , and
Majors pretends that ho did not know ,
whereas In fact mcssensers were running
back and forth and I l < now what I am tallc-
Ing nboul between Majors and hla privata
secretary and the fellows who ware runnina
this man out.
What happened during that session ? I
want to read you something that Is easier
to read , because , xvhen you"print a document
In Nebraska , at the expanse ot the state It
Is not Ilko a congressional document ; It Is
printed In "stud hone type , " you
know. ( Laughter and cries at
"Good. " ) Of course , the bigger lu
typo the greater the profit of the publlo
printer. ( Laughter. ) Mr. Stevens , a morribor
of the state senate , on the Kd day this
was the C3d day , remember , and It Is e
marked hero In the Senate Journal , Irora
which I am about to read , and If anybody
has any question that I am not reading cor
rectly , or that the atalcrnenla that J makp
bora arq Incorrect , let him come right up
here and examine them for himself. I
challenge any Majors man to come
here and eeo this for himself , and , when
I am through convicting Majors Of falsifyIng -
Ing to the people of this stale , ot lying 44-
llberatelr and willfully about Ibli Toylor
matter , then I want th m to ba decent enougb
to say tbat be is not fit for governor. ( Great
applausa. )
"Mr. Sterena , arising to a question ot
privilege , said : 'Mr. President , I nrlao lo A
question of privilege. Wo find confronting us
hero today , not an obstruct theory , but
certain condition , and that condition Is
moat deplorable ono ; the moit unfortunate ,
perhaps , tbal has ever befallen
the people of Nebraska. We find ttu
machinery ot legislative- action completely
blocked in the law making powar of th
Etate by nnd through mletaVen arbitrary
rullDE , as I bellcnro , of tha pr ! ( dinE oJBear
of the senate , and an unreasonably InordlniU
mistaken zeal upon the part of certain mwu
born to further the corporate InterunU tt