f Frontier
Editorial 8c Businas* Offices: 122 South Fourth Street
O'NEILL. NEBR.
CARROLL wTsTEWART, Editor and Publisher
Established in 1880—Published Each Thursday__
Entered the postoffice at O’Neilh HoU 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.
Proposed Postal Increases
Again publishers in this country face the prospect of increased
postal rates, this time a 100 percent boost in second-class rates in
three years. Companion bills recently introduced in congress call for
a 50 percent boost the first year, 25 percent the second year and 25
percent the third year. This legislation would double the postal ex
penditures of every newspaper, magazine and farm publication in
the country. _ _
The postal deficit isn’t due to a favored rate schedule for sec
ond-class matter. Other factors contribute to the huge postal deficit.
President Truman in his message to congress on February 27 urged
second-class rate increases. He pointed out that the postoffice de
partment ha‘s an annual deficit of $361,000,000.
The President quoted various figures to show just where this
deficit arose in the postoffice department, mentioning the so-called
loss from second-class matter. Publishers believe these figures to
be erroneous because the realities of proper cost accounting are ig
nored.
Postoffice cos* accounting is determined on a weight and per
piece basis without consideration of public service factors in pri
orities. However, these factors are basic in the operation of the
postoffice because the postoffice is not a business, but is a service
to all the American people, and, therefore, cost figures determined
as they would be in a competitive business are of little value for
setting postal rates.
For example, according to the postoffice’s own records, there
are some 39,000 of the present 41,000 postofficea in the United States j
which do not take in sufficient money to pay their own expenses.
Over 94 percent of all the postoffices do not pay their way. We
would venture to say that all of the postoffices in some counties are
in this category. This should be a self-evident fact that the postof
fice department is created primarily for service to American citizens
and not as a business proposition. How many chain groceries, for
example, could continue to exist if 94 percent of their stores did not
take in sufficient funds to pay their expenses?
A further illustration is the postoffice rural delivery service
which certainly exists as a service to the American farmers. The
cost of RFD service in 1950 was $152,800,000. Under the postoffice
cost ascertainment system, this amount is allocated to the various
classes of postal service. But the service is provided by the govern
ment to those who live on rural routes, as is proven by the fact that
the “RFD” was for many years known as “Rural Free Delivery." It
is primarily for those in the rural areas, not for the users of the ]
mails. This is indicated by there being no higher charge for letter
mail to “RFD" addresses than to city and town addresses.
These various facts should certainly be considered when the
tatement is made that first-class mail is profitable to the postoffice, ,
for much of the expense now charged to other classifications is in
curred, as indicated, in order to make first-class service possible.
The idea that the postoffice department should serve all the <
American people on a business basis is not in agreement with the i
handling of other government departments. For example, in 1950
several other departments have higher deficits than the postti de
partment:
Commerce department—$668,000,000 deficit.
Interior department—$460,000,000 deficit.
Agriculture department—$475,000,000 deficit.
★ ★ ★
Some observers begin to suspect that Korea is getting too red
for the Chinese communists.
| -— ■■■""*—~ ' ' 11
Dangerous Waters
Prairieland Talk —
Lt.-Gov. Warner’s Veto of Wheat Bill
Meets Approval of Most Nebraskans
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS
LINCOLN— Lt.-Gov. Charles
Earner got in a blow while act
ng as governor in the absence of
His Excellency,
Governor Pet
erson, by veto
ing the Car
mo d y bill
which would
have set up an
other set of
functiona ries
for “research
work” and tax
e d wheat
grown in the
state 2 mills on
Romalne each bushel.
Saunders What is there
eft for “research” in wheat
ields? After 6,000 years growing
wheat, if we don’t know it now,
what’s the chance to learn?
Mr. Warner’s veto no doubt
neets the approval of most Ne
braskans. Reasons for the veto
were that the bill provided dupli
•ation of that which is already
ivailable, another set of officials
when reduction of these is more
n order and the probabilities
;hat the small wheat growers
would carry the tax load while
large wheat farm operators could
jvoid the tax by selling out of
;he state.
Some of us may not be able to
tell a kernel of wheat from a na
\ry bean but we can appreciate a
fellow who believes in guarding
the interests of a large group of
taxpayers, one who believes
there is enough of officialdom
turned loose on a long-suffering
public.
• • •
As a means of raising funds,
kidnapery is of ancient origin.
Julius Caesar was the first nota
ble of the ancients to fall a vic
tim to kidnapers. On his way
from Rome to Rhodes to get some
tips on oratory from the cele
brated rabble-rouser of that day,
Apollonius Molo, he fell into the
hands of pirates who set the price
of his ransom at 30 talents. This
Caesar ridiculed as a low esti
mate of his worth, telling the
highwaymen of the seas if they
knew who he was they would
make make it 50 talents. Further
more, he shook a capable fist at
them with a threat to crucify
them when he was set at liberty.
History records the crucifixion
as a fulfilled threat. Crucifixion
as a means of taking life was
followed by burnng at the stake,
the blow of the executioner’s
sword, the jaws of hungry lions,
stoning, the guillotine, the hang
man’s noose and now the electric
chair. Countless innocent victims
met their doom for no other rea
son than radicals sought to force
their way of life upon others.
But in this, our day, sympathy
now runs to the extreme of ex
cusing even revolting crimes.
• • •
A preacher quits his post as
chaplain at the University of
Denver rather than comply with
regulations respecting an oath of
loyalty. The clergyman’s concep
tion of representative processes
of government are, of course, his
own business but such notions
are not widespread among the
men of the cloth. As a public in
stitution, the university has the
same right and the same respon
sibility as the state to exact in
its officials unadulterated loyalty
to the American way of life to
the end that imported isms do not
filter into places of public trust.
Folks down ai Amelia were
probably interested to learn
that a former notable of the
community, though not a vot
ing citizen, has reached the
85th milestone and is still in
rugged health. Robert W. Mc
Ginnis put on a party for some
public officials and other
friends at the Lincoln hotel a
day last week to celebrate his
birthday anniversary. The Mc
Ginnis creamery was an Amel
ia institution some years ago
and Bob, as all knew him, was
a frequent visitor. Mr. McGin
nis is a retired North Western
railroad official. Some 40 years
ago he built a creamery in O'
Neill at Third and Douglas
streets, later transferring such
interests to the vicinity of Am
elia.
• • •
In postoffices and federal
buildings hangs an array of de
scriptive t literature of folks
Wanted, together with pictures
of those in disfavor with postal
authorities or the FBI, because of
crimes committed against the
peace and dignity of the sove
reign nation. To the credit of the
ladies it is noted they are con
spicuous by their absence from
the personnel of the hunted ones,
either because they shun these
evil ways or are more clever than
the gents in such matters.
* * •
What is this I hear of weariness,
Anger, discontent and drooping
hopes?
Degenerate sons and daughters,
Life is too strong for you—
It takes life to love life.
A poet has put these words in
to the mouth of a 96-year-old pio
neer woman as she looks at the
procession now marching down
the highway of time with a vision
out of the past that discerns the
true from the humbug. Maybe
the worldly-wise old queen has
made it too sweeping. Maybe,
too, some parents come under the
condemnation of the “degener
ate.” We might as well admit it.
We are all pretty much of a shod
dy outfit if stood up beside the
“rugged individuals” of a well
nigh vanished generation.
• * *
A senorita from Texas, visiting
our fair city of Lincoln, wrote to
one of the papers to tell us she
would not give one acre of the
Lone Star state for the whole and
sum total of Nebraska. That’s all
right with us. No trade. I call to
mind a trip from El Paso and on
up through the Dalhart region
and fear our fair visitor has rath
er overstated it. But there is
nothing like loyalty to your
home base. Yet as Governor Val
says there isn’t an acre in Texas
land is nowhere in comparison to
that compares with the land in
eastern Nebraska and their range
our sand hills. “There is not a
cattle feeding area in the world,”
says the governor, “that can hold
a candle to the sand hills of Ne
braska."
* * #
From a Washington source
that should know the score
comes the word that the Reds
can bomb the daylights out of
us any time. Can — but will
they, cognizant of our ability
to rain bombs like a hail storm
in retaliation?
* • •
Senator Williams, of Ravenna,
sprinkled some red pepper over
an otherwise placid if not sleepy
session of the unicam the other
day. It all grew out of the report
for general file of a measure he
was sponsoring which had to do
with presidential preferential
filings in the Nebraska primaries.
He swung some darts at the ed
itor of a Lincoln paper who had
something to do with bringing a
bout the 1948 presidential pri
mary setup and received the Put
itzer prize for "meritorious ser
vice.” This service was probably
more apparent to the keen-eyed
Pulitzer boys than to we prairie
land clodhoppers. Whether Sena
tor Williams had designed to de
flate an editor’s ego or turn up a
worthwhile measure,„he took the
floor to denounce the 1948
scheme from start-to-finish. The
bill reported to general file pro
vides for the written consent of
the individual before his name
can go on the Nebraska primary
ballot as a candidate for the nom
ination for the presidency.
• • •
If you need a house lo live in
and are not fixed to pay $200 a
thousand for $40 lumber, prai
rieland still has plenty of na
tive sod.
• * *
The night is starless and in
tensely dark. Few venture along
the concrete and highway traf
fic has gone to rest. Rain drips
in unbroken rhythm to the porch
roof outside my window. The
night a solemn stillness holds
save for the drumming of the
rain upon the housetop. Clouds
during the day drew a veil over
the azure canopy above and now
pour their watery treasure over
fields to enrich and moisten the
soil to the end that the vegetable
tribes may spring forth, bloom in
to fragrance and yield their fruits
to sustain mankind. It is a night
that invites householders to stick
around and enjoy the pleasure of
home life. I sit alone in the quiet
house. Lights cast a glow on the
flowered walls. Son and daugh
ter-in-law and children are in
distant parts. Childish voices
seem to be strangely missed.
Three cheering letters that came
today out of the tribal group,
books, photographs of the living
and the dead, a few lines finger
ed out on the typewriter — and
memories! What more could be
desired when left alone during
the quiet hours of a rain-soaked
evening?
Frontier for printing!
We just can t seem to keep
good gas and kerosene Servels on
hand. If you have one to trade,
come in and see us.—GAMBLES.
48-51C
Assures Hoalthlor Chicks and Turkey Poults •Fewer Losses
SANITARY-FIREPROOF
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under 2400° F. can even
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Sani-FIor it a proved success;
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Fewer changes necessaryi
Chicks are healthier and safer,
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FIREPROOF! Won't rot, mold,
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Not affected by droppings. Ne
$0 tytaM tf«cc*W dn,t*No odof'See u*todvi
TRI - STATE HATCHERY *
Phone 90 O'Neill, Nebr.
IN FARM WELDERS
,tle
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t DESIGNED COR USE ON RURAL POW
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tee ffce AilmmmS Weftfer ftefere Tee ter
EDGAR STAUFFER
— Page, Nebr. —
jf
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