• % N'eb. State Historical Society , The Frontier |IH - ---:- - — ^ VOL. LVI. O'NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 1935. No. 13 _I_ _ __ Reduction In County Tax Levy Is Made Up In The State Levy The county board of supervisors was in session Wednesday and made the annual levy for the fiscal year of 1935. The levy made for this county is a little lower than that made last year, but the levy made by the state board is a little higher, so that the total levy made for the state and county for the coming year, 7.10, is the same as that levied a year ago. Following is the levy made for the various funds of the county and state for the coming year: State Levy for 1935 General Fund_- 2.15 County Levy for 1935 General _ 2.70 Bridge --- -59 Road _-.. 03. County Fair ....... .05 Judgments _ -95 Soldiers’ Relief-- 04 Mothers’ Pensions - .07 Coyote Bounty ... ..02 Unemployment Relief-.50 Total County Levy _ 4.95 State _ 2.15 Total for State and County __ 7.10 Also a levy of $2.00 on each, and every person within the county, between the ages of twenty-one and fifty years of age, for Old Age Pensions. Also a levy of ten cents on each and every hive of bees within the county. Miller-Rieken A very pretty wedding was sol emnized at the Presbyterian church on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 11 o’clock when Dorothy L. Rieken, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Rieken of O’Neill, became the bride of Clay ton O. Miller, of Norfolk, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Miller of Gross, Nebr. The ceremony wras performed by Rev. H. D. Johnson, pastor of the Presbyterian church in O’Neill. The bride was very beautifully attired in a dress of dark blue net with white accessories and carried a bocjbet of white lillies and baby breath. The groom was dressed in dark blue. Mr. and Mrs. Darrel Gillette, of Chambers were the only attend ants of the young couple. Mrs. Gillette is a former class friend and high school chum of the bride. Mrs. Gillette wore a dress of med ium blue floral crepe with white accessories. Immediately after the ceremony a wedding dinner was served to the bridal party at the home of the brides parents nogrth ef O’Neill. The bride is very well known in this community, having lived here for the past seven years, and has been employed in several of the business places in O’Neill, and dur ing that time has won the admira tion of a host of friends by her likeable disposition. The groom, a resident of Gross, Nebr., for several years, was a successful young farmer until two years ago when he accepted a posi tion with his brother, agent of the Texas Oil company at Norfolk, Nebr., where he has since been employed, and where the young couple will make their home in the Mullen apartment house after Aug. 10th. The many O’Neill friends of this young couple wish them many years of happiness and prosperity. xx. Burlington Free Trips For 4-H Club Winners Once agaiA the Burlington is of-, fering prize trips to the 1936 Club week to some 70 outstanding Ne braska local 4-H club leaders. The announcement has just been made by L. I. Frisbie, state club leader at the college of agriculture, and will interest Holt county leaders. One local leader in each county thru which the railroad passes will get the prize which is equal to a round trip to Lincoln and return plus one-fourth of the registration for Club Week which is held an nually on the college of agricul ture campus in June. To qualify for the trip, leaders must have been awarded a certific ate of achievement and one award of appreciation by December 1. A leader having previously won a Burlington trip is ineligible to com pete for the award. Commissioner Myers Of Omaha, Is Dead Commissioner Myers, of Omaha, who had jurisdiction of the police department of the metropolis, was seriously injured in an automobile accident while returning from Ok lahoma last Saturday morning. His son, Eldon, was also seriously in jured. The accident happened about 5:30 Saturday morning, the car leaving the road, -crossing a ditch and striking a tree, a few miles south of Gretna. Mr. Myers died Sunday morning without regaining consciousness and his son passed away Tuesday. County’s Corn Crop Has Been Cut 50 Per Cent By The Drouth The past two weeks have been the hardest of the year on Nebras ka’s 1935 corn crop. It has been dry and extremely hot. Wednes day was one of the worst days this county has witnessed for several years. While the thermometer only reached 100 degrees there was a hot dry wind blowing most of the day and it put the finishing touches on a good many Holt county corn fields as well as those of other counties of the state. One Holt county farmer, who does a good deal of traveling over the county, remarked Thursday morning that the Holt county corn crop was now damaged at least 50 per cent. He said that in some sec tions of the county, where they have had local showers during the past three weeks, the corn still is in pretty good shap and with a good heavy rain within the next few days they would have a good crop, while in other section of the county, a deluge would be of no benefit to the corn crop, but would help pastures immensely. The best part of the county is the northern part, where they have had several showers that did not reach the central part of the county. High Low August 8 - 105 74 August 9 . 92 67 August 10 100 61 August 11_:_ 99 74 August 12 ,- - 85 53 August 13 .. 95 54 August 14 —i- 100 68 August 15 ,_______ 98 68 Hospital Notes Earl Parks, of Page, submitted to an operation for acute append icitis Saturday evening. He is im proving rapidly. George Kohler, 85, of Page, was brought in Tuesday suffering from acute indigestion. He is in a crit ical conditon at present writing. Lucille Penland, 13, daughter of Mrs. Alice Penland, had her tonsils and adenoids removed Wednesday morning. Wayne Shipman is slowly im proving. He is still in a serious condition. George Brewster, of Page, went home Sunday afternoon. Survey For Fourth Street Paving Done W. J. Scott, of the firm of Scott & Scott, engineers of Lincoln,. Nebr., completed his survey of the two blocks north from Douglas street, on Fourth street, Tuesday and went back to his office in Lin coln Wednesday to prepare plans and specifications for the paving. It is thought that the plans and specifications will be completed in time to advertise for bids on the work the coming week. • Rep. Marion Cushing Accidently Electrocuted Marion Cushing, who has been a member of the Nebraska legisla ture for the past four sessions and who has been frequently named as a possible republican candidate for governor at the coming election, was electrocuted at his farm home near Ord the latter part of last week. He was trimming trees in his yard when his ladder slipped and he grabbed a wire to prevent falling, which happened to be a high tension power line and he was instantly killed. Mr. and Mrs. Paul M. Walker and daughter, of Aruba, Dutch West Indies, were in this city Sat urday enroute to the home of Mrs. Walker’s mother, Mrs. Mamie O’Neill. Mrs. Walker and daught er have been in Nebraska since June 1. Mr. Walker just arrived in Fremont, Nebr., Aug. 7, where Mrs. Walker and daughter met him. The O’Neill Hatchery has a new front and the same has been re painted and now presents a neat and attractive appearance. Might Try Passing The Hat To Pay For Paving The following four paragraphs are from the Holt County Inde pendent of August 9, 1935. “The city council at their meet ing on Tuesday night created a new paving district of the two blocks north on 4th street, from Douglas, which is in other words the street from the First National bank corn er to St. Patrick’s church. “The city council without regard ing the petition which had been filed with sufficient signers, created the district under a state law which permits them to construct feeder or secondary roads which connect to state highways. “They also selected W. F. Scott of Lincoln, Nebr., to act as city engineer to take charge of the project. “Under this plan the property owners will have to assume the full cost of the paving adjacent to their property and also the city will have to pave the intersections and also in front of the property recently purchased by the U. S. Government for a new Federal postoffice, as the city, as we understand it, eannnot force the government to pave in front of their property.” The city council did not disre gard the petition of the property owners, for if said petition was not filed with the council signed by a majority of the property owners on the two blocks, one of which was the editor of the Independent, the district would probably not have been created nor paving ordered. But the property owners requested it and the city council granted their request. The law provides certain meas ures to be taken when creating paving districts, the cost of which is to be paid by the property own ers, in order to tax the costs to the property. This has to be done, even though the property owners requested the paving, alto the edit or of the Independent seems to be unaware of that fact. Unless the owners of the proper ty along the paving paid for the improvement, how did he suppose it was to be paid for? This was the only plan by which the two blocks could be paved. We understand that Brother Miles was the second one to sign the petition for the paving and the matter was ex plained to him before he signed it. But now he seems to think that someone else should pay for this improvement, as he says “under this plan the property owner will have to assume the full cost of the paving adjacent to his property.” But cheer up George, you made enough by advertising the paving in front of The Frontier office to pay your share of the cost for pav ing, so why worry? City Arranges for Lots For Car Parking Space The city council has made ar rangements with Zeb Warner for the use of his lots on the corner of Fifth and Douglas streets and will use them for free public parking. On many nights the streets of the city are so congested with cars that parking places are at a premium and this space will add considerable parking space for the benefit of the people who come to this city to do their trading. New Building Soon Open Lod Janousek moved his billard and pool tables, back bar and other equipment into the new Parker building on Douglas street the oth er day and he now geting the place in shape to open his beer parlor and lunch room. He says that it will be about a week before he is ready for business. New Deal Expenses And Deficits Still Going Up Washington, Aug 12.—Complete figures on the month of July, is sued by the United States Tresury Department, show routine expendi tures for that month to have been $380,149,350—an increase of 65 per cent over July of last year. Em ergency expenditures were $347, 385,727—an increase of 47 per cent over July of last year. The deficit was $448,626,133—an increase of 80 per cent over July of last year. On the basis of July, the deficit for the current fiscal year will be in excess of $5,000,000,000, as against $3,575,000,000 for last year, and approximately $4,000,000,000 for the fiscal year 1934. Miss Clet, Stell and Lavern Van Every were Sunday afternoon visitors at the J. P. Miller home. THE NEBRASKA SCENE by James R. Lowell The dog-days' doldrums hang heavily over the state house. The political pot his simmered a bit, but mostly from the early August heat. Vacations are the chief busi ness at hand, with even Governor Cochran slippirtg away for a week or so in the cool retreat of the Colorado Rockies. Only the mach inery of state finances continues to click steadily on, and your cor respondent for want of something better to do has delved beneath the surface to come up wi|h some choice “debunkers" on the finance subject. Nebraska recently has been wide ly publicized concerning her al leged record of always living with in her means, and the fact that the state has never had any bonded indebtedness. This is purely a case of misinformation, the records reveal. It is true that the state consti tution adopted in 1875 forbid the state to contract debts of more than $100,000 except in the case of certain emergencies such as war and invasion, and outlawed bonded indebtedness. Nevertheless, in 1896 the state was $2,404,540 in the red, of which $468,267 was bonded debt and $1, 936,273 was a floating debt in which general fund warrants were drawing 5 per cent interest. This matter worried along until 1903 when the legislature passed a new revenue law. A more inclu sive system of valuation by as sessors was inaugurated, but it was not until 1915 that the state got out of debt. One of the noteworthy features of finance in the Nebraska govern mental system has been the en tirely inadequate system of book keeping employed since the incep tion of statehood. That this sys tem has not been much improved upon up to the present date is at tested by the Krent Bass-Oelkers suit in which tne state treasurers records were hopelessly jumbled when the state sought to recover money allegedly paid out illegally to a bond sales house in regard to bonds purchased by the state board of educational lands and funds. The constitutional convention of 1920 passed amendments which in cluded limiting the taxing power of the counties, as regards prop erty, to 50 cents on the $100 actual valuation, but a number of coun ties have exceeded this limitation in recent years. The bright spot in state finances concerns recent years, and George Hall, present state treasurer who has served in this position longer than any other man in Nebraska’s history. Nebraska’s general fund balance at the end of July, 1935, was $1, 013,204, representing a healthy surplus. Nebraska is not indebted in any form at the present time. While state finance officials were attributing the decline in total as sessed valuation of the state in 1935 as against 1934 to decreased number of livestock, to a large part, facts and figures gleaned in the state tax commissioner’s office show a conflicting figure. Almost a two and a half million dollar increase in the total worth of cattle under the 1935 state as sessment in comparison with a year ago is revealed by complete figures from all counties compiled in the state tax commissioners office. This is in face of a decrease of 541,000 in number of animals. For the current year cattle are listed at the average value of $23.38 per head, against $18.39 in 1934. This overcomes the shrink age in numbers from 3,029,487 las^ year to 2,488,476. Total valuation of all cattle for 1935 is $58,182,233 which compares with $55,726,457 last year. Nebraska has 38,000 £ewer horses assessed for taxation in 1935 than in 1934, but on account of higher market prices for equine stock the gross valuation is $315, 000 above last year. The number of horses in the state found by assessors as of April 1 is 563,251, compared with 601,587 a year ago. They are col lectively appraised for taxes at $21,701,550 against the 1934 ag gregate of $21,386,817. An excellent opportunity for Ne braskans to evaluate their ideas on (Continued on page 8, column 2.) A Letter From W. I). Mathews Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 5, 1935. Editor, The Frontier: The death of my good old friend, Charlie Millard, is a vivid remind er that I, too, am getting along in years, and the old man with the scythe is due almost any time to creep up on me and make the in evitable fatal swing that winds up this earthly career—makes a has bqen of an izzer. My birthday will come next on Oct. 2nd, and it will be No. 80. Quite a respectable old age, eh? And I have lived a whole lot and seen and, enjoyed much —■ some grief of course, but the joy in it dominates largely. Charlie was the last of those men who lived in O’Neill City when I came to town—preceding me by two or three months—from April to July, 1880. He was also the first man I met when I came in on horseback from Brush Creek. We were close friends—associated in business and property ownership, in society, political and fraternal affairs, and I always found him a square shooter. I cherish his mem ory in my inmost heart. My sympathy to his good wife and children. I can say with all O’Neill, ‘‘Peace to the ashes of a good man—the friend of all.” Yours, with love to all, W. D. MATHEWS. Early Day Residents Visit Their Old Home Mr. and Mrs. Elmo Adams and son, Charles Elmo, and Mrs. Grace Adams Faurote and son, Edgar, and daughter, Marion, of Fonten nelle, Iowa, arrived in the city Tuesday evening for a short visit with relatives and old time friends. Mr. Adams and Mrs. Faurote were former residents of this city, their parents being Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Adams pioneer residents of O’Neill. E. W. Adams practiced law here for several years and served Holt county as county attorney in the early nineties, being succeded in office in Jan. 1892, by the late H. E. Murphy. The family left here in 1894 and moved to Fontennelle, Iowa, where they have since re sided, Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Adams passing away a few years ago, Mrs. Faurote has visited here a couple of times since the family left here, but this was Mr. Adams’ first visit to his native city since he left here and he says that he can see many changes for the bet ter in this city and section of the state. They left Wednesday morn ing for Chambers where they will visit relatives for a few days be fore returning to their Iowa home. Carson Brady and McWhorter Reunion Is Held At Norfolk The Carson, Brady and McWhor ter reunion was held Aug. 11 at Norfolk, Nebr., in Kings park. Ninety-six relatives and friends wrere in attendance. Ninety-two of these are descendants of the James Brady and John McWhorter fam ilies who were early pioneers, com ing to Nebraska in 1878 and 1879 from New York state. Only one in each of these fam ilies is left, Mrs. Newton Carson, of Red Bird, is the Brady, and James McWhorter, of Foster, the other. Both were unable to attend beacuse of poor health. One daughter-in-law in each family is left. Mrs. John Brady, of Dorsey, and Mrs. Frank McWhorter, of Omaha,and they were both present. The older ones attending are among the pioneers of today, com ing here in covered wagons, driving their stock with them. They en dured all the hardships of the early days, drouth, grasshoppers and a condition of financial stringency like our present times. The day was spent in visiting and the younger ones enjoyed the pool, swings, coasters and various amusements of the park. At noon hungry appetites were satisfied from well filled lunch baskets. Officers were elected, short talks given and a poem read, written by Evelyn Carson Wickham, who at tended last year, but was unable to attend this year. The same place was selected for next years reunion and the day is to be the second Sunday in August. Those who attended were: Mrs. Frank McWhorter, Mr. and Mrs. Leo Silver and son, Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt and son, and Mrs. Lud wick, of Omaha; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Carson, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Car son and two children, of Lincoln; Mr. and Mrs. Herb McW'horter, of Nickerson; Mrs. Etta Compton and two daughters, of Waterloo; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Arp and daughter, of Yutan; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mc Whorter and two daughters, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin McWhorter and daughter, of North Bend; Mr. and Mrs. Ford McWhorter and 3 sons, of Hastings; Mrs. Irma Sorenson, of Laurel; Mr. and Mrs. I