TWO
THE ALLIANCE HERALD, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1921.
pTi . A ltfti.kA Ylitfttf N 'am Jn Question i actually worth, at' grateful child, has always
UJIF -CMllUlUr lirrUlU present prices, fully $25 an acre. on demand. This time, let
TUESDAY AND FRIDAY
BURR PRINTING CO., Owoera
shelled out
us hope, the
J They forwarded a description to the , story will have a different ending-, and
' Lincoln firm, which relayed it on to the this child of fortune, no longer pro
'prospective purchaser, with the request tected from the cruel world, will have
. that he make his own investigation.
Entered at the poatoffice at Alliance, He wrote the Hemingford business
Neb., for transportation through the. man, and got a reply stating that the
mail as second class matter. Jaml Jn the high prke era of the war
C.EORC.E L. BURR, Jr Dli'tor' wo,rth 40 exc r
KDWIN M. BURR Business Mgr. judging, by present standards, a
-1 fn- value was $5 an acre. Naturally,
Official newspaper of the City of
Alliance: official newspaper of Box
Butte Counfy.
Owned and published by The Burr
Printing Company, George L. Burr,
Jr., President; Edwin M. Burr, Vice
President.
the eastern Nebraska man refused to
buy. The real estate firms lost a corn-
to go out and earn a living. It may
be a good thing for the spoiled darling
if it has to be buffeted about a bit.
It may knock from its head tho no
tion that money grows on trees.
For if the telephone company finds
it hard sledding, to make but i per
cent investment on its inflated capital
ization, think how much more diiricult
mission. 'Box Butte county lost a is the lot of the company's patrons,
citizen. And what did the Hemingford most of whom would think 4 per cent
man, who wielded the hammer so ef-' a darned good income. Of course, 4
fectively, gain by it? I per cent is less than 6 per cent that
1 he newspapers, the business men 1 the company says the railway commis-
and the farmers of Box Butte county
want the world to know that there isn't
any better land in Nebraska, at the
price, than is in Box Butte county.
We spend considerable money telling
FORGET IT.
Now that the Northwestern Bell
Telephone company has filed an appli
cation for an increase in rates, some
f the fellows who were responsible
for putting the question of the tele
phone franchise on the ballot at the
last city election are beginning to
Vear long faces and shake their heads
slowly. If the city council hadn't
granted that franchise, they say, then
there wouldn't have been this trouble.
Forget it!
There were two whole years that the
telephone company had no franchise in
Alliance. And yet, despite this fact,
there were at least two applications
filed for an increase in rates. Both of
them were allowed. Don't think for a
minute that the telephone company
would have let the existence or non
existence of a franchise in Alliance in
fluence them in the slightest degree,
especially while the state railway com
mission was in the frame of mind to
grant the increase. . '
The city council granted the fran
chise because, having been elected to
give this city a business administra
tion, they saw no sense in perpetuating
An ancient grudge. The vote on the
irancnise was not uinuin n-guuy. . . . . . ,, .
. .... were in need of a hard spanking. Their
THjiw nr nrvmo who think it Was ... ' .
.binding morally, but The Herald can't
see it that way. We elected the city
council to run the affairs of the city.
By adopting the city manager plan we
announced our willingness to keep
hands off. Now, for tho love of Mike,
,nn'f l.if Viuf nlil frnnrVilun mw
.k-. oo-uin if W, nWa thorough paddling in the place made
. 1 . . fivf and provided by thoughtful old Mother
fcitoly no bearing on the present fight
X. ... fcninn- rnlewl. wiu win ui inS
There's no excuse for digging up the Mnpcs'
sion will permit it to earn, but come to
think of it, just how did the commis
sion ever get into the way of thinking
that a telephone company was entitled
to such a return on its investment,
the world of our products. We take especially in times when every other
advantage of every opportunity to business is fortunate if it holds its
boost this county.' We spend good own.
money building roads that tourists
may come through. We can expect
that outsiders, who wish to draw
settlers to their own part of the state
or nation, will discreetly or openly
knock Box Butte county. It's to their
advantage to discourage buyers from
coming here, or staying if they come.
But what earthly gain is there for a
man who lives in Box Butte county,
who is in business here and who
"makes his living" from the citizens, in
spreading this kind of talk? And what
can we do to put a stop to it? This is
one of the most important questions
that wants solution. Who can point
the way to making boosters out of
citizens who, for personal reasons or
just plain cussedness, are working
against the interests of all of us?
A GOOD SPANKING NEEDED.
It begins to look as though tho
Northwestern Boll Telephone company
attitude in the matter of the present
application for increased rates reminds
one strongly of a thoroughly spoiled
child, who having had its way for a
long time, is suddenly denied some
thing it wants very much and pro
ceeds to go into tantrums. Sometimes
the child to its
So far as the telephone com-
old corpse after It has been decently ff ia concerned the plan is worth
buried. If any voter wants to oppose Vi
the present council for re-election on th P""' , , .
haven t rounu. .
company is a child of fortune. Off
spring of the wealthy American Tele-
thls ground and we
anyone who does that's his privilege.
YivA njni until th nevt camnaifirn to do F"
..,. ..vT w ? T . i a i
- '-I 'i 1 i jpnono leicgrapn company, Dom, as
4. . . A11. ' . . ,.;Lf it were, with a silver spoon in its
The thing for Alliance to do right '
t,w isn't to howl about the couciif. mouth, .t is not inumHo hardships of
but to get behind them imd lend our an? k,nJ; n its V it acquired ex
moral support in the fight t keep the W tastes, and though bng s nee
. .- TV. out "on its own, it has set its stan-
company from raising rates. The ..... . ,.
council gave the company a franchise. J 'V1ff Prett lh a"; ha,s n
but in every particular it was a vie- S 'red that the world owed it a liv.ng.
tory for the city. There were no kicks if flt hasn i comc P11 ncar
about it until this last application for collecting it.
v v t u o, mi ' However, there s an end to all
higher rates. Let s not make any ms-
,f u , milu-flv things, and the telephone company,
Commission and the telephone com
pany, and not with the council or the
city manager. The sooner this is real
ized, the better chance well have to
which of late hag been flying pretty
high," is about to be brought back to
earth, if outward indications are to be
relied upon. Heretofore the railway
win a victory. Of all times, this is the
poorest for a split over something that.hanhn t more money to this un-
is entirely beside the question in argu
Something has got to be done to
bring the Northwestern Bell outfit
ack to earth. At the hearing before
he railway commission, E. M. Mors
man, attorney for the company, before
the application had even been consid
ered, threatened the commission much
in the same style as other officials of
the company have blustered in Alli
ance. "If you don't grant us a con
tinuance of this 10 per cent sur
charge," Mr. Morsman said, "we'll go
to federal court and get higher rates
still, fixed by court order."
.Isn't it about time to call this colos
sal bluff? Isn't it about time to ad
minister a good spanking to the tele
phone company that can talk in this
manner to patrons and state officials
who have been fo kind and so liberal
to it. Mr. Morsman didn't' say the
company would ask for higher rates
he said the company would get them.
F. A. May, who used to visit the old
Alliance council regularly, had the
same sort of argument: "If you stick
us for a high occupation tax," he used
to say, "we'll go to the commission
and they'll give us higher rate3 to off
set it."
The state railway commission, which
has been markedly friendly to the tele
phon company, may be able to stand
this sort of guff for old times' sake,
but it should be about as weary of
hearing it as the patrons over the
state. If it doesn't See fitto step on
the company now, perhaps there will
be some people to whom the company's
threats will seem no stronger than the
air from which they are made. Th:r:
are more ways of killing a cat than of
choking it to dcith on butter. The
telephone company has been over
whelmed with kindness entirely too
long. It's got to the point where some
one ought to wield the willow switch
or papa's slipper. Some people can
understand no argument but the
crowbar.
PARSONS WITH A PUNCH.
So many things have been attributed
to the war, both good and bad in their
effects, that the average editorial
writer is inclined, when something out
of the ordinary occurs', to look first for
some connection with' the huge strug
gle and Jater, if that doesn't pan out,
to seek other explanations. Strange as
tnent.
WHAT'S THE ANSWER?
An interesting case was called to the
attention of the chief pen pusher of
this establishment yesterday. It con
cerns a Hemingford business man who,
for some reason orjother, discouraged
the purchase of land near that city.
Until the end of the late unpleasant
ness between Alliance and Heming
fortV it was no uncommon thing for
Hemingford men te wield the hammer,
so far as this city was concerned, but
It's a different thing when a man goes
out of hi3 way to give his own com
munity a black eye.
-The story comes from an Alliance
real estate firm, which has business
connections with a Lincoln firm. The
Lincoln firm is headed by a former
Alliance citizen, once superintendent of
schools here, who knows the county
pretty thoroughly, and has for years
been encouraging settlers to come
here.
It seems that the Lincoln and Alii
ance firm were negotiating a trade, by
means of which a substantial farmer
would give up land in eastern Nebras'
ka and come out to Box Butte county.
The Box Butte farm lies some seven or
eight miles to the north of Heming
ford. It comprises an entire section.
Half of it lies as level as a table, and
the balance, while somewhat rolling,
is pretty geod land. The Alliance firm
made a price of $35 an acre, knowing
that it was to be a trade and therefore
setting the price somewhat high. That,
we understand, is usual in a trader
where both buyer and seller get more
for their land and feel better about it,
but no more actual cash is expended
than If both men tuck to rock bottom
price,..'-k , : ;
. Tha Alliance ftra fl$ure4 that, (he
3
Darling's Store
Wish You
A Prosperous
and
Happy New Year
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George D. Darling ' 7 Otto Foersteman
i - . .
Percy J. Jaqua 1 Henry Bockelmann
it may seem, one of the striking
changes has been brought about in the
attitude of the live-wire preachers to
ward their work.
There have always been some few
preachers- unfortunately not so many
as one to a community- who have a
somewhat broader view of the oppor
tunity of the church than their fol
lowers. All of them, however narrow,
are splendid men at heart, but the
number who are able to get their mes
sage across to the ones who most need
it haa been growing smaller and
smaller in the past decade or two.
Now, one doesn't have to look far in
any direction to see a preacher with a
punch, who is not only seizing the op
portunities on all sides of him, but
grasping them. In order to reach those
who have not heretofore been drawn
:nto the church it is necessary, some
times, to create nev precedents and
smach old traditions to smithereens.
Sometimes, too, in the search for
means to apply the saving punch, mis
takes are made. But how much better
it is to make progress with mistakes
than to make neither.
The churches are beginning to ad
vertise. They are beginning to com
pete with one another fortnembership.
They are beginning to frame programs
that will appeal to the people outside
of the church instead of confining
their efforts to spiritual ministration
to those who are iii the church and
arc, presumably, already saved. It ha
taken a big wrench to change the atti
tude of centuries, and somehow or
other, we like to attribute it to the
war. Participation in that unprecedent
ed conflict has made a lot of men and
women break precedents, and, please
heaven, now that they've started,
they'll keep it up. The world needs
that kind of men and women more
now than at any time in its history.
A striking example of the parson
with a punch is the new national chap
lain of the American Legion, the Rev.
Earl Blackman of Chanute, Kas. Mr.
Blackman returned from the world war
with his ideas concerning the way to
inculcate religion greatly changed. One
of his first act3 on his return to
Chanute was to attend a dance. He
didn't dance, but he didn't wear a long
face and wring his hands in holy
horror. A small group in his congre
gation set up a howl. He promptly
turned in his resignation and set off
for a fishing trip. On his return, two
weeks later, he found the majority of
congregation had refused to accept
the resignation. With the slogan,
"Let's put religion over," he and his
up porters procecJsd to do it.
Mr. Blackman has some decided
views on Sunday observance and the
so-called blue laws. His ideas are
worth careful study. He says:
I think that part of the day should
be spent in mediation and quiet, but I
think it is utterly foolish and stupid to
try to pass laws Compelling people to
refrain from any specific things. What
is rest and relaxation to the farmer
may not be such to the bank clerk. The
one might derive the greatest benefit
by sitting in a chair all afternoon on
the shady side of the house, while the
other might prefer attending a ball
game, making the rounds of the golf
course or lounging all afternoon r. :
boat waching his fishing bobber dance
in the sunlight. The street-car con
ductor might not desire a trolly ride
for his recreation, while the factory
worker who makes the carman s uni
form might be greatly benefited there
by. .
To my mind the advocacy of such
laws only serves to cheapen religion
in the minds of the masses and tends
to push it back into the superstitions
of the past. It is a cheap and indolent
way of grappling with these complex
social problems. It demands our great-
est sincerity and consecrated eifort
to solve them; and not the passage off
restricting laws, in thahoper of. solving;
a problem by doiug away with it., i
The dance, an obiect of attack for
years, is defendd by this preacher.
He goes so far as to oppose official
supervision ant regulation, holding:
that the control sRould be made by thee
community conscience. His position!
seems impregnable'-
If ministers anjPcRurch" people would'
co-operate and participate in the dance,,
recognizing its value as a social me
dium it would not be left' to the con
trol of the cheaper elements of the
community.
People have always danced and they
always wilt Dancing is recognized by
some of the best authorities and lead
ing psychologists as one of the funda
mental instincts ef the race. Where it
has been properly directed and con
trolled, it has ever- been a benefit to
the individual. When improperly con
trolled and allowed ta become degrad
ed, it becmes a corresponding evil and",
menace.
Brennan's Lunch
Fresh Ffsh of all kinds for Friday.
SPECIAL SUPPERS Steaks, Chops and
all trimmings.
Try our Chicken Chop Suey fresh every day.
Special orders carefully filled. Fresh Pies
and Cakes at all times.
F. J. B'RENNAN
Order Your Specials for New Year's Eve.
Take Father Time's Advice
OTART the New Year RIGHT
Open a Bank Account. Layout
a definite savings plan adhere to
it religiously. Watch your
balance mount up and up
and up. And when an
OPPORTUNITY
for a wise invest
ment, you are,
prepared to meet .
it. That's the
only sure road to
success.
Take this tip
from Father
Time. He's
wise old bird. He
has seen for
tunes come and
fortunes go he has seen successful men and failures; He knows
what's best.
WE CAN ASSIST YOU IN LAYING OUT YOUR PLAN. We
can show you how it can be done. Won't you come in and see us
NOW TODAY?
. Make Sure of Your Earnings .
Put Them In a STRONG BANK
The Alliance National Dank has ample resources to guar
antee its depositors. Our Capital, Surplus and Undivided Pro
fits are $130,000.00
Alliance National Bank
THE STRONGEST BANK IN WESTERN NEBRASKA
ALLIANCE, Southwest Corner Third & Box Butte NEBRASKA
" i.y.
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