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Editorial & Businas* Offices: 122 South Fourth Street
O'NEILL, NEBR.
CARROLL W. STEWART, Eklitor and Publisher_
' Established in 1880—Published Each Thursday
Entered the postoffice at O’Neill, Holt county, Nebraska, as sec
ond-class mail matter under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
This newspaper is a member of the Nebraska Press Association,
National Editorial Association and the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Terms of Subscription: In Nebraska, $2.50 per year; elsewhere
in the United States, $3 per year; abroad, rates provided on request.
All subscriptions are strictly paid-in-advance.
Highway Fatalities Rival Those of War
While we are concerned about those who die in warfare, it
might be a good idea for us to think about the hundreds of Amer
icans who die terrible deaths every day in automobile accidents.
This is a fearful price for a nation to pay for transportation.
Naturally, some citizens will be killed on the highways, due to
causes that are not preventable. This does not excuse us for ignor
ing the death of those who die from human carelessness and individ
ual acts that are reprehensible and criminal.
Most of the American stales have competent highway patrol
men. They do their best to make highway traffic safe for every
body.
Frequently they arrest speeders; at times, they apprehend
drivers operating vehicles under the influence of alcoholic bever
ages. Formal charges are made against the offenders and many are
convicted and punished.
It happens occasionally, however, that one who violates the
highway law demands a trial before a jury and the men sworn to
try the case, out of sympathy or other maudlin excuse, turn loose
individuals, who, they are convinced, have violated the law. The
jury in such cases exercises its right and there is no appeal from the
verdict rendered.
Frankly, a man or woman, who sits on a jury in a case involving
the operation of a motor vehicle by a driver under the influence of
alcoholic beverages, has a responsibility to society. He, or she, should
not hesitate to join in a verdict that will speak the truth, regardless
of what happens to the accused. Other citizens, using the highways,
have a right to protection and it should not require a fatality, upon
the main street of a town, to create a sentiment that demands en
forcement of the law.
+ + +
Not So Asinine . . .
President Truman said the report on the RFC by Senator Full
bright was “asinine.”
But the financial monkey shines of the RFC are worse than asi
nine—they are sickening to read.
Loans to California snake ranches, to cactus and pottery plant
ventures jn Texas, to hoodlum syndicates for lush gambling joint ho
tels are just a few of the questionable loans made by the RFC. And
when some of the ill fated, starry eyed ventures crashed, the “assets”
were usually found to be about a tenth of what the RFC had esti
mated.
Wors* yet are the tactics used by former RFC officials who
would loan huge lumi to financially distressed corporations. Sud
denly the RFC official who had made the loan would resign his
Rn^faTwUaryh UP “ °,ficer of the corporation at a
And if the company finally folded the smart man would land
back in the RFC roost again.
congress HFC haS strayed far» far away fro™ the original intent of
...To •et ■ loan from the RFC the question “who do you know
Thin th V' *lfS beei? determinin« yardstick of the loan rather
than the soundness of the loan.
Rather than being asinine the Fullbright report of the senate
^ 18 8 Jorthri?ht* factual report of a situation that begins
to have the rank smell of a gigantic scandal.
The RFC seemingly has become a fouled roost for Dolitical vul
tures and congress should either give the agency a too to bottom
complete cleaning or junk it completely * P h°Uom
★ ★ ★
We speak flippantly of “all out war” but there never has been
Marriages, Divorces
Showing a Decline
Number of marriages in Holt
county during the past three
years has been dropping stead
ily, according te figures released
this week by the state depart
ment of health. Number of di
vorces, likewise, has decreased.
Summary:
Marriages Divorces
1948 - 129 25
1949 _ 123 14
1950 119 14
The Mountain Climber
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Prairieland Talk —
Wherry a Ladies’ Favorite, Nixon Causes
Walls to Tremble in Annual GOP Pow-Wow
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS
LINCOLN—Richard Nixon, of
California, Hugh Butler and Ken
neth Wherry, both of prairieland,
three distinguished gentlemen
and members
of the United
States senate,
were in the
crowd that
swarmed the
spacious pre
cincts of the
venerable Lin
coln hotel at
Ninth and P
streets a day
last week. It
was the annual
GOP pow-wow
that brought
together a large gathering of
men and women who are arous
ed to action over what they feel
is taking place under the guid
ance of the White House.
I was merely a spectator on
the sidelines, in anticipation of
probably seeing one or more stal
wart from O’Neill like Henry
Grady or Julius Cronin and may
be Mrs. Harty might be seen
mingling with the 500 ladies
present. But not seeing anyone
from out that way, I concluded
they were snowed in.
One gent entered the lobby
looking for a Democrat, but
they were all across the street
in the federal building holding
down government jobs.
There were the usual banquet
spreads, heap big talks, whereases
and resolving. Senator Wherry
was a favorite with the ladies
and Nixon’s stirring oratory
brought forth applause that made
the mezzanine walls tremble.
Senator Butler, among other ob
servations of the national scene,
brought this indictment of the
administration: “A wanton dis
regard of elementary public mor
ality.”
The gathering partook of the
spirit of priming up for next
year’s presidential election.
• • *
Newspaper editor, governor,
hopes for a seat in the United
States senate turned to ashes,
then to an important post in
Greece, Dwight Griswold’s polit
ical longings have turned their
toes up to the daisies and hence
forth he will be loaning money
to the horny-handed sons of toil
in the west end of the state at 8
percent. He has recently taken
over a bank at Gering, in addi
tion to one at Gordon. Griswold
by inheritance is part and parcel
of western Nebraska and as a
banker will do a lot to advance
the interests of that section of
the state.
• • •
Out of a half-century of social
enactments, revolutions and up
heavals mankind has reaped the
whirlwind, leaving us with a
world of tragedy, a world with
countless desolated homes, of
wartorn lands and once prosper
ous peoples turned into beggars.
Criminals laugh at the commit
tees investigating them and defy
the courts. United Nations dele
gates continue to beat the air and
draw fat salaries, while the pow
wow in Paris of the “big four”
begins to look like another inter
national joke.
Icicles point threatening spears
from the edge of roofs, an auto
mobile tire suspended by a rope
from a limb of an elm sways in
the wind, across the land as far as
vision penetrates snow has blan
keted the brown earth, sunbeams
that look in at my window tem
per the arctic gale and make an
impression upon the covering of
snow, white CiOuds drift before
the wind, wildlings of earth and
air are in hiding. But the irre
pressible highway traffic is on
the go this not too forbidding
March day, and ere long the red
bloom of summer roses will be
seen.
• • *
Down in the Ogallala coun
try they are talking about
"cloud seeding." That seems to
be some sort of hocus-pocus to
woo the favor of Jupiter Plu
vius to the end that southwest
Nebraska may be refreshed
with showers. Citizens of long
standing in Holt county know
what it is to be in the rainless
belt. Maybe there are a few
left in O'Neill who recall the
rainmaking days when a gent
sat in the lower of the old
courthouse squirting chemicals
skyward and Ed Hershiser
touched off dynamite bombs, i
and devout citizens over the
county prayed for rain. Now
the latest thing in rainmaking
is "cloud seeding," whatever
that means. But good luck to
the Keith county patriots.
• • *
Is it the grease, fat or grunt !
that qualifies a hog for cham
pionship? A young fellow was
down from West Point the other
day to show his chunk of bacon
on the hoof that bore the name
of an English knight in armor
and got its picture in the papers.
• • •
The human propensity for in
vention has inspired someone to
remark that the most wonderful
thing ever made by man is a liv
ing for his family.
That important and ever un
welcome visitor, the assessor, has
been making the rounds of the
city since the 10th inst. The man
ner in which property returns
are to be made is provided by
law and applies to all counties
alike, but each county custodian
of property schedules has a way
of his own to gather in the list of
assessable commodities within
the confines of his official terri
tory. Down here, gray - haired
gents are going from door-to-door
to ascertain what the household
ers have. Nebraskans have escap
ed the state sales and income tax
todate, but they are coming some
day.
• * •
Mabel Guild, writing from
Oakdale, tells The Frontier
family of readers an interesting
story of one thousand handker
chiefs. Collecting such an array
of plain and fancy nose wipers
is an unusual hobby and must
have been no end of fun. 1 think
Miss Guild's accumulation of
these emblems o f running
snouts should be brought to
Lincoln for exhibition at our
next state fair.
• * •
The head of the state depart
ment of health is quitting the job,
but no doubt another will take
over. Healthy guys know nothing
of what this state-financed setup
is doing, if anything, to promote
the welfare of our citizens. Any
way, hospitals are full of afflict
ed humanity and more are being
built. Wheezing and sneezing and
groaning is not being perceptibly
reduced by official flourishes and
it is not too difficult to find some
near cesspools of insanitary liv
ing conditions. For helpful minis
try for aches and pains Nebras
kans still rely upon the family
doctor and the corner drug store.
* » *
Hon. William O’Dwyer, Irish
immigrant, ex-mayor of Ameri
ca’s largest city, Mr. Truman’s
ambassador to Mexico, says it’s
all the fault of the prohibition
period Most of the gangland big
shots of that day are dead or in
jail, while in this day of free
flow ng legalized fire water and
moonshine stills skid rows are no
longer confined to large cities
but have hit the country towns
' as well, with crime and immor
ality at an all time high.
Liquor is getting out of hand
again and American citizens will
not long put up with that.
In the 1880 period there were
blue ribbon societies and or
ators stumping the country ap
pealing to the emotional with
tear-jerking stories as they
twisted the tail of John Barley
corn. That wave subsided.
Some years later the Demerest
movement swept the country.
Next was Carrie Nation, follow
ed later by the Eighteenth a
mendment, which met with cool
reception in many ecclesiastical
and judicial circles and law en
forcement officers found them
selves butting a stone wall.
* • *
The story is told at a meeting
of three bigwigs, Messrs. Roose
velt, Churchill and Stalin. Said
Churchill, I am master of the
seas. Said Roosevelt, I am master
of the air, which was before the
seas. Said Stalin, I am master of
chaos, which was before all else.
* • *
The top price for a sire paid at
the Hereford Breeders’ associa
tion sale in Valentine was $3,000.
There were 55 animals sold, av
eraging $925 each for the lot.
Resumes Nursing Studies—
EMMET—Miss Marybelle O’
Connor left Friday to return to
Omaha, where she attends St.
Catherine’s school of nursing.
I She spent a short holiday here
j with her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
; James O’Connor, at Emmet.
“Voice of The Frontier,” Mon.,
Wed., Sat., 9:45 a. m., WJAG,
COMING TO BASSETT!
TUESDAY, APRIL 3-8 PJ8.
• Hazel Walker, World’s Free Throw
Champion, challenges all comers to a
free throw exhibition, standing, kneeling
or sitting positions during half time. Un
defeated past four seasons.
Sponsored by
BASSETT ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Adm.: Adults 75c (Fed. Tax Incl.) Students 50c
Ralph N. Leidy p_410
they’re high spirited
and gay...keyed
to the tempo
of the season.
>1495
Tiny checks pay big
dividends in this rayon
check suit. Wing sleeved,
waist-high jacket buttons
to tiny collar. Skirt is
pencil slim.
1/1 /
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Color conscious juniors will
love this long-jacket suit
in lovely pastel rayon suiting
Roomy patqji pockets •« •
a slender skirt, complete
the fashion picture.
In junior sizes 7-15
Other Carole King Juniors Jrom $8£5
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