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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1936)
The Frontier D. H. Cronin, Editor and Proprietor Entered at the Postoffice at O’Neill, Nebraska, as Second Class Matter. One Year, in Nebraska ... $2.00 One Year, outside Nebraska 2.25 Every subscription is regarded as as open account. The names of subscribers will be instantly re moved from our mailing list at ex piration of time paid for, if pub lisher shall be notified; otherwise the subscription remains in force at the designated subscription price. Every subscriber must understand that these conditions are made a part of the contract between pub lisher and subscriber. ADVERTISING RATES Display advertising is charged for on a basis of 25c an inch (one column wide) per week. Want ads j 10c per line, first insertion, sub-, sequent insertions, 5c per line. -ABOUND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA (Continued from page 1.) pnatcd by the state was not suf ficient to take care of all of the applicants. As an illustration, in Madison county there are 588 per sons on the old age pension list. The county gets $7,026 each month to pay these 588 persons an old age pension. This amounts to about $13 per person. Applications by new people wanting to get on the _j>ension rolls come in regularly and the counties can pay only what money they have and this is being distributed equally among the ap plicants. The new legislature will be faced with new appropriations for this pension. Cases are continuing to come to I light wherein drouth stricken farm ers have sought emergency WPA employment and have been certified to work on projects so far removed from their homes as to involve an almost prohibitive amount of driv ing to and from work. In addition to the inconvenience of so much daily travel, the men so employed are finding that it is costing them as much or more to operate their cars daily over that driving distance than they are able to earn at their jobs. It has been obvious that some cure of this con dition is essential. One remedy, of course, is the provision of addition al projects which can be authorized in the communities situated nearer to these WPA workers. Pending the time that the situation can be solved that way, the WPA has con sented in the most outstanding cases to provide a grant for the farmer and his family, independent of the otherwise accompanying re quirements of daily employment. This will tend to help those men who had complained of their w6rk ing conditions until such a time as additional and suitable projects may be provided for them. The district looks somewhat bet ter than a few weeks ago. Fall pastures are almost assured in some localities but some farmers still report that their pastures are dry and rain and more rain is need ed. Some of the fall sown grain is doing well but in spots is slow in coming up. Livestock can be found in the corn and grain fields. The additional pasture is helping with the feed supply and the de mand for hay is not as heavy as it has been. However, farmers feel that after the first heavy snow the hay demand will be again prevail* injr. - Open season on political candid ates. About four weeks more and the voters will give the answer to a lot of questions asked by the can didates now over the country. St. Charles Parish, in Cuming! county, is presided over by Rev. Peter Grcbbel. He has a great history of early Cuming county pioneers. Believe it or not, St. Charles is older than West Point. William Clausen, who runs the taxi line in West Point, is a collect or of automobile license plates. Probably he is the owner of more varied collections of these plates than any other collector. Auto plates from nearly every state in the union and the Canadian pro vinces decorate the walls of his office. Old time baseball players have been asking what has become of Meadows Zacek and his brother, Casey Zacek. Meadows, who used to catch for the Western league, runs a blacksmith shop in West Point. He keeps his own box score of the world series for the baseball fans there. Casey is the operator in the Northwestern depot in the same town. More than .100 people attended the meeting at Rief’s Hall north and east of West Point Tuesday night. The forty-five piece Wisner high school band, which gave a con cert, was given an unusual ovation by the gathering of farm folks from several counties. KARL STEFAN. THE NEBRASKA SCENE by Janies R. Lowell The time has conn* to stop, look and listen where politics are con cerned. Sore spots are developing in the present campaign, and a number of persons are forgetting that it really doesn’t make a lot of difference who gets elected. The democratic party is at an ad vantage this year and is able to maintain a campaign at a compar atively high level, where, where as the republicans are forced by necessity to resort to offensive measures that are inclined to get out of hand. Last week’s high spotlight of the political scene was Dwight Gris wold’s widely published suggestion that Dr. T. W. Bass, republican candidate for state treasurer, retire from the fracus. Griswold has an established reputation for good character and high ideals, but there is considerable dissention in repub lican party ranks as to the advis ability and motive of his attack on Bass. Some political observers say that Griswold as entirely sincere, but they also point out that the out break is ill-advised since Bass is admittedly better qualified for the office of state treasurer than his democratic opponent and, in addit ion, has an established reputation for personal integrity as cited by Griswold, despite the fact he was treasurer in the depression period of 1931-33, when private concerns were losing money right and left. The courts also have taken pains to point out that Bass is absolved for any implication of moral tur pitude in the more or less political affair that surrounds the case in which he was commanded by the supreme court to make good to the state a matter of $2,9(59 for alleged excessive coupon clipping. There is no financial loss on Bass' should ers as t?he bonding house with which he dealt is ordered by the court to repay him for this short age. The facts are that if times had been good, Bass would have been put down on the recocrds as Nebraska’s best treasurer instead of being an object of litigation. Doctor Bass has announced that he will remain in the running, and he has the backing of a good share ‘WELL, CROP REDUCTION’S WHAT YOU WANTED, WASN’T IT?’ m*. by Tbt Cnn-»y Herald and Fianunyi of the electorate, both democratic and republican. Albert N. Math ers, of Gering, who was a republi can opponent of Congressman H. B. Coffee in the Fifth district two years ago, has refused to enter the campaign as an independent can didate for state treasurer. The Douglas County Voters’ League, which is the largest labor organization in the state, has en dorsed a number of candidates, the majority of whom are democratic. President Rooosevelt and Senator Norris were endorsed for re-elect ion, as were Governor Cochran, Lieut. Governor Walter H. Jurgen sen, Secretary of State Harry Swanson, and Commissioner of Public Lands and Buildings Leo N. Swanson. Aside from Leo N. Swanson, the only otjier republican candidates endorsed were Dr. T. W. Bass for state treasurer; Richard O. John son for attorney general. Issae B. Flint, evanglist of the Ceresco vicinity, is a new petition candidaate for congress from the First district. He opposes Perry and Lucky (incumbent). The Lowell services poliitical sur vey shifts this week to the Fourth district, and finds the results large ly democratic. Roosevelt looks good for re-election in this district, and Cochran because of his activity in the flood period, has a material ad vantage over Griswold. Norris is a cinch in this district and Bob Simmons has no chance. Carpenter probably will run third. The most interesting contest in this district pertains to the supreme court. Judge Paine has represent ed this district very well but he has a peculiar set-up to go against. Judge Paine has represented, his district for six years and has an admirable record, but he is the vic tim of circumstances and must wage a valiant general election fight whereas six months ago when he announced his candidacy he was without opposition. Judge Paine was not connected with the su preme court decision which valid ated the tri-county set-up and moreover he was alone in writing the disseenting opinion on the de linquent tax law. Those who wish to investigate will find that he had quite a lucid argument. The fourth district seems inclin ed toward Cochran for governor while the presidential contest is rather close. Leo N. Swanson is considered a cinch for land commis sioner, in view of the fact that he has cut the cost of operating the state capitol as well as inauguart1 ing a system for appraisal of state lands which will stand for many years. The congressional contest between Denning and Binderup is rather close with the incumbent gaining from his position and the opposition taking a number of votes anent his more or less con servative position. Jurgensen the high man in dem ocratic circles for vote getting will have no trouble in capturing the lieutenant governorship, whereas Swanson (D) is a prime factor over his youthful opponent from Omaha. Dr. Bass still ranks first for treasurer dispite the fact that he has been subjected to undue publicity during the past week. Dick Johnson remains the white hope of the republican party to place in the current fracas in the Fourth district. There is consider able opposition to Johnson’s oppon ent because of the alleged fact that his opponent was largely instru mental in promoting youthful Bill Price, of Omaha, against Fred Ayres for state auditor during the primary. One of the remarkable records made by an officer of the state house evolves upon the shoulders of Leo Swanson, state land com missioner. While it is not gener ally known, well over a million dol lars worth of state lands is under the jurisdiction of the commission er. During the winter of 1935 and 1936 occurred the coldest period in the history of the state. At the starting of Swanson’s ad ministration, the charge for steam for heating the capitol building was 52 cents per thousand pounds. Swanson claimed this was an ex cessive rate. He immediately fought the price of steam and re duced it to the present rate of 40 cents per thousand pounds The former rate paid for elec tricity was two cents per kilowatt. Swanson forced the price down to one and one-half cents during the summer months and to one and one third cents during the winter. The saving to the state on these two items will be approximately $15, 000.00 over a period of two years. Quotations from the great and rear-great concerning the cam paign follow: Quote “Senator Barkley of Kentucky, democrat, “This is more than a campaign be tween two political parties, or two men running for the same office. It is a fight to retain what we have gained in the past three and one half years in restoring the Amer ican people to prosperity and con trol of theirgovernment.”—-Omaha. W. C. Williams assistant United States attorney general: “Presid ent Roosevelt’s re-election Should have been unoposed in the light of the great humanitarian service he has rendered America."—Lincoln. Bob Simons republican nominee for United States senator: “A large number of persons who voted the democratic ticket in 1932 now will vote for Landon. Their aim is reduced expenditues.” C. P. Taft, son of the former president: “There can be no econ omic planning without abandon ment of the democratic principals of free enterprise and free speech.” Dwight Griswold, republican nominee for governor: “The present state insurance problem in Nebraska needs cleaning up, even if it does step on republican toes as well as democratic.” In the near future county gov ernments will be up against the necessity of rendering more ser vice per tax dollar. The Federation of County Tax payers wants first of all workable budgets for all political subdivis ions; operation on a cash basis; standarized ami competitive pur chasing assistance; standarized ac counting systems that properly list items of income and expendidture; standarized auditing system that will show where revenue comes from and how it is spent. The State Board of Educational Lands and Funds last week exon onorated the state soldiers’ relief committee of any wrong doing in connection with the recent charge of illegal diversion of funds. Douglas quit the job to run for congressman in the First district but was unsuccessful. He object ed to the curtailment of salary for his own daughter and attempted to make political capital out of his resignation. It is one thing for Candidate Roosevelt to repudiate in scornful words the support of “Reds” and other subversive elements; it is quite another thing for President Roosevelt to haVe so manipulated the affairs of government and taken unto himself the wrongful powers which have had the effect of gathering beneath his» banner the very elembhts whom he pub licly scoffs in the way of good po litician argument. Is it not pos sible that the President has gone so far w\th his experimentation and his latter-day crop of promises that he cannot dodge the impli cation that, willy-nilly, he does have the earnest and enthusiastic backing of those agencies whose operations are abhorrent to all good Americans.—Nebraska City News Press. WHOSE RECORDS? High in the list of liberties cher ished by the American people and fostered by the American way of government should be writterf, “freedom of the records.” Freedom of the records is a sym bol of the American attitude tow ard government. The people are the boss. The man behind the mahogany desk in the courthouse or the national capitol works for them. Two months ago the World-Her ald received rumors of unethical goings-on in the works progress administration of Pottawattomi county. This newspaper under took to investigate. It found that, contrary to American precedent, the WPA would not permit exam ination of its pay roll and other records. Reluctant to believe that local WPA officials were carrying out the considered policy of the nation al government, the World-Herald wired and wrote higher officials, including Harry L. Hopkins. It was finally told, in almost so many words that WPA would not open its records to a newspaper or any private investigating agency. Thus the chief spending agency of the new deal denied that the people have any proprietary inter est in its activities. “You are not my boss,” it said. “My records are not your records. I am inde pendent, responsible only to my self.” A dictator, answering the same inquiry, would have been less courteous, more abrupt. But what he said would have meant the same thing.—Omaha World Herald. It is our suggestion that those who are so enthusiastic about the New Deal, sing that old song about never missing the water until the well runs dry. A Communist is a fellow who believes in saving up some on else’s l umbrella for a rainy day. PROMISES .nj Promise NATIONAL DEBT “I promise to you, my friends, that government . . . be made solvent and that the example be set by the President of the United States.”—Franklin D. Roosevelt, Acceptance Speech, July 2, 1932. “For three long years the Fed eral Government has been on the road toward bankruptcy . . “With the utmost seriousness I point out to the Congress the pro found effect of this fact upon our national economy . . . “Too often in recent history lib eral governments have been wreck ed. on rocks of loose fiscal policy. We must avoid this danger.”— Franklin D. Roosevelt, Message to Congress, March 10, 1933. | Performance NATIONAL DEBT Increase in gross debt of the United States during the Roose velt administration: March 4, 1933 .... $20,937,000,000 June 30, 1936 .. 33,779,000,000 Total .. $12„842,000,000 Average annual increase $3,862, 000,000. On June 30, 1936, the gross debt was $33,779,000,000. The total increase in debt from March 4, 1933, to June SO, 1936, was $12,842,000,000. In addition the United States Government has guaranteed the principal and interest of $4,467, 000,000 of securities issued by var ious governmental corporations. (From Daily Statement of the United States Treasury.) Farmer Explodes 'Scarcity' Theory Proves Growers Got More for Grains in Years of Big Crops. PLAINFIELD, ILL.—Farmers get as much or more for their grain in years of large crops than in the small-crop years. This simple refutation of the en tire "scarcity” theory of the Roose velt administration was found in records of the Department of Agri culture Year Book by Homer B. Grommon, "dirt” farmer with 450 acres near here, and president of the Farmers’ National Grain Deal ers’ association. Mr. Grommon’s conclusions are based on comparisons of the 13 larg est crop years of the last 26 with the 13 smallest. Here is what he found: Average value of United States wheat crops in the years of plenty— 1 billion 69 million dollars a year; in the years of scarcity (planned or not)—677 million. Average corn crop value in years of plenty—2 billion 115 million; in years of scarcity—1 billion 737 mil lion. Average oat crop in years of plenty —5 billion 575 million; in years of scarcity—5 billion 574 mil lion. Average prices received during the "big” years were: wheat, $1.20 a bushel; corn, 75 cents, and oats, 43 cents. Averages in the “lean” crop years: wheat, $1.01; corn, 74 cents, and oats, 43 cents. Even when the World War years are ex cluded entirely, the average wheat price was $1.17 for big-crop years and 88 cents for little-crop years. The following table shows the course of wheat prices over the last 26 years: Thirteen Largest Crops. Production Farm Price* Year (million bu.) (Per. bu.) 1915 .1,009 $.92 1919 . 952 2.16 1928 932 .39 1928 . 913 1.00 1918 904 2.04 1914 897 .99 1930 890 .67 1927 875 1.19 1922 . 847 .97 1920 . 843 1.83 1924 . 840 1.25 1926 834 1.22 1929 . 822 1.03 Total .11,558 Average . 889 $1.20 Thu teen Smallest Crops. 1921 . 819 $1.03 1923 . 759 .93 1913 751 .80 1932 . 746 .38 1912 730 .76 1909 . 684 .98 1925 . 669 1.44 1916 . 635 1.60 1910 . 625 .88 1917 . 620 2.01 1911 . 618 .87 1933 . 529 .74 1934 . 496 .88 Total .8.082 Average . 668 $1.01 •Price per bushel received by pro ducers. Prices for years 1909 through 1918 are as of Dec. 1 of each year. Prices for years 1919 through 1934 are weighted average prices for crop mar keting season. Large crops mean jobs in both the city and country, Mr. Grom mon pointed out. The difference be tween average big-crop years and average small-crop years, including wheat, corn and oats is 26 million tons of grain, which would make 13 million two-ton loads for trucks. Thus a demand would be created for truck manufacturers, gasoline distributors and all the other opera tions of transportation, processing and manufacture. People would have more money to buy the farm er’s products. When prices are raised by an arti ficial or “planned” scarcity, there is no corresponding rise in the abili ty of the people as a whole to pay those prices. Hence, the system must fall down in time. Roosevelt has no monoply on human kindness. I p.. , -. — ■ ——. $2,500,000 of Taxpayers’ Money ‘Sunk’ in Creek EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL.—“Vote Republican” says a sign forty feet long which spans the city owned viaduct over Old Cahokia creek here. “Cahokia creek,” the sign explains, "is still here— $2,500,000 taxpayers’ money is gone.” That is the amount the PWA spent to divert the channel of the stream, which is an open sewer. Another sign on 4he via duct says, "Smell it.” Hamilton Calls Roosevelt Hand on Communism NEW YORK.—‘‘President Roose velt, in his first admittedly political speech, at Syracuse, immediately went on the defensive in an attempt to unlink his administration from Communism,” John Hamilton, Re publican National chairman, charged here. “So, again I ask the question I have asked before,” said Mr. Ham ilton. “How long, Mr. Roosevelt, do you intend to affront the voters of America by retaining as one of your Presidential electors on the Demo cratic ballot in New York state a man who rendered financial aid to Communists in Spain so that they might continue to horrify the civ ilized world with their murders of clergymen and their pillaging of churches? “The i Presidential elector I re fer to, Mr. Roosevelt, is Mr. David Dubinsky, a former member of the Socialist Party. Mr. Dubinsky sent $5,000 to Spanish Communists and boasted of raising $78,000 more. “How much longer do you need? Why are you delaying?” No Future in New Deal, Landon Warning to Youth TOPEKA, KAS. — “The present administration apparently believes that there is no future for this coun try,” Gov. Alf M. Landon told the Young Republicans’ national con ference here. “It has accepted the idea that we have reached our peak —that ahead of us is a large stand ing army of unemployed; that, in consequence, the government must play a greater and greater part in managing the details of our daily lives instead of confining itself to the expanding field of regulation in the public interest. “The Republican party, on the other hand, utterly rejects this phi losophy. It believes that America still is on the upgrade, that we can eliminate unemployment, that the government should tighten the rules governing business, but should not attempt to manage business; that, in a word, America will once again be a nation where youth can be confident of its future,” Gov. Lan don declared. Peek for Landon CHICAGO—Gov. Landon and the Republican party are with the farm ers for "the fundamental principles for which they have been fighting for 15 years,” George N. Peek, former AAA administrator and foreign trade adviser to President Roose velt, declared here. The New Deal is a black phant om to every man who saves. The Worst Is Yet To Come The Roosevelt campaign is pre senting an alibi for extravagant spending by claiming that the in come tax*'is the only tax that the federal government has levied up on its people and yet Landon talks about hidden taxes and indirect taxes just as Roosevelt did when he was a candidate against Hoover. This has caused the Republican ^committee to dig up the following list of taxes that are levied to pay for Roosevelt’s reckless spending. The bureau of internal revenue says that the government is now collecting the following levies: 1. The federal tax on individual incomes. 2. The federal tax on corpora tion incomes. 3. The federal tax on corporate surpluses. 4. The federal tax on beer. 5. The federal tax on liquor. 6. The federal tax on oleomai garine. 7. The federal tax on gasoline. 8. The federal tax on lubricat ing oil. 9. The federal tax on brewers’ yiort. 10. The federal tax on grape products. 11. The federal tax on matches. 12. The federal excise tax om employers. 13. The federal stamp tax on stocks and bonds. 14. The federal stamp tax on future sales of produce. 15. The federal stamp tax Oil foreign insurance policies. 16. The federal stamp tax on deeds of conveyance. 17. The federal excise tax On tires and inner tubes. 18. The federal excise tax on toilet preparations. 19. The federal excise tax On furs. 20. The federal excise tax on automobiles. 21. The federal excise tax on radio receiving sets. 22. The federal excise tax on mechanical refrigerators. 23. The federal excise tax on sporting goods. 24. The federal excise tax on firearms and shells. 25. The federal tax oh mixed 1 flour. » 26. The federal tax on capital stock. 27. The federal tax on tele phone, telegraph, radio and cablt services. 28. The federal tax on oil trans portation by pipeline. 29. The federal tax on safety deposit boxes. 30. The federal tax on electric al service. * 31. The federal tax on gifts. 32. The federal tax on admis sion, dues and initiation fees. 33. The federal processing tax on certain oils. 34. The federal tax on estates. 35. The federal tax on playifig cards. 36. The federal tax on cigars, cigarets and other tobacco pi - ducts. 37. The federal tax on narcot ics.! In addition, the collection of tht federal payroll tax will be started soon. However, if we could stop with these taxes we would be settling our bill with the tax collector 50 cents on the dollar because thi last year Roosevelt spent $2 foi every one that was collected in taxes and he borrowed the rest. Money borrowed is a debt that ha to be paid some day or repudiated so the taxpayer really hasn’t see: anything -yet. After the election in November he is in for some more plucking or else government bonds will become too difficult to sell.— Marshalltown Times-Repub lican. TAXES MORE THAN WAGE'S What effect have taxes on the welfare of the workingman and the peison who has saved a few dol lars? An answer to that oft asked question is found in some statis tics recently released by the Nation al Association of Manufacturers. A survey of 694 representative companies in the 25 leading indus tries produced the astounding fact that every time these enterprise* pay out a dollar for wages they likewise pay out $1.34 in taxes. And every time they pay out a dollar in dividends, they pay $1.42 in taxes. In other words, if these compan ies were tax-free, they could more v than double their wages and div - l dend payments. No private industry can be tax free—it costs money to pay for legitimate governmental functions. But when any unit of government unnecessarily expands its activit ies, the financial burden falls on every man who labors and every person who has saved. It hamp- , ers industry, delays progress aud i- \ a barrier to the employment of (Continued on page 12, column 4 ) 1