Prairieland Talk ... |
Southern Cal Land o’ Big Things
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS. Retired. Former Frontier Editor
(Editor’s note: Mr. Saunders prepared this
column in Burbank, Calif., where he is spend
ing a portion of the winter.)
B'JRBANK, CALIF.—Down here in southern
California, as elsewhere, there is concern because
of weather conditions—it is dry. The California
climate is the highway to happiness for frost-bit
ten patriots from the northern plains region and
wuh other “big things” loyal citizens out here
have to boast about, Los Angeles discovered last
week that it has the “biggest family’’—the Louis
Breault household, 19 strong.
The 17th baby was bom Janu
ary 5. The mother is quoted as
saying as she looked upon the
' little one by her side in the hos
pital bed, "We will gladly accept
all the babies God sends us.”
The blue above today is
aglow with sunlight. Flowers
and plants strange to a prairie
wolf and lawns adorn in velvet
loveliness the quiet street of the
homes of the thrifty citizens
where Prairieland Talker has Romaine
cast anchor for the winter in the Saunders
home of his daughter and son-in-law, so “our
lines are cast in pleasant places.” Upon my ar
rival I found a message from Will McNichols, a
native of O’Neill who now lives in Hollywood
where he also has law offices. His message ex
pressed the good old hospitality you always ex
perit nee among O’Neillites. Mr. McNichols said
1 e had been called to Wisconsin to assist in the
trial of a criminal case and would contact me
late-'.
* * *
There are not many O’Neills on the map.
.Neither are there many communities that have
‘ b^n t:.e equal of O’Neill either in enterprise or
'people of more than ordinary ability. The name
comes from old Ireland and reaches back to a
'family of the fifth century known as Niall, one
wnom became king and begot 14 sons, one of
which group, Owen, took the name of O’Neill,
and ficm then on for a few centuries the Con and
Hugh and John O’Neills were running things
pretty much to their liking throughout the Em
erald Isle*. This community has had the John and
Hugn a d Mike O’Neills and you knew they were
here. Perhaps the most noteworthy was General
John O’Neill, who got things started at O’Neill and
also down at Spalding. His son, John, was an
early day ornament in the drug business where
Pat Donohoe now has his typewriter. Another
John O’Neill conducted a hotel in the building
still standing at Fourth and Everett streets. And
the rugged rock of them all was the Sage of
Chelsea, two-fisted and big hearted Hugh, who
could trave his pedigre back to kings.
* * •
Son and family having returned from a hol
iday visit with friends in California and New
Mexico, dad was relieved from guarding the
household and has taken off to spend the winter
under what he hoped would be sunny skies in
Southern California. But his prediction was Ne
braska would have an “open winter.”
Death Valley Scotty, who may have been
the last of the picturesque California character-;,
was buried the other day in his beloved Death
Valley, a desolate region bordering the Califor
nia and Nevada boundary line, made famous by
the multimillion dollar castle that was the home
of Scotty, who gathered gold out of the hills by
the bucket full. Walter E. Scott was left an or
phan at the age of eight in a Nevada town and
his life is something of a legend. And O’Neill en
tertained the noted “desert rat’’ at one time, he
coming to look us over during the registration
for the drawing of the Rosebud Indian lands.
First the antelope disappeared from prairie
land, then the prairie chickens. Now we're af
ter those comical little prairie dogs to make
room for another planting of corn.
more prairieland
Los Angeles, Hollywood, Glendale and Bur
bank, with some others, are so closely knit to
gether that a stranger does not know when he
passes from one into another. Industrial activ
ities appear to be normal and millions are racing
the streets and highways in good cars. Did you
know that the Hebrew prophet Nahum told the
generation living in 700 B.C. what would be
seen in southern California in 1954 A.D.? Listen:
“The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall
justle one against another in the broad ways:
they shall seem like torches, they shall run like
lightnings.”
* * *
Representatives of agriculture and stock
raising interests have spoken so they could be
heard opposing support of farm products prices.
The National Association of Manufacturers calls
upon the government to bring to an end subsidies
to business. Retirement of the gravy train will
leave the country’s industries free to expand un
hampered by federal bureaus.
ft ft ft
Worries cast a shadow over the serenity and
charm of life most everywhere. Authorities are
sifting out the reds in schools and the moving
picture industry. This vast communtiy has every
“ism” under the sun, political, religious, social
and scientific, but only the communists are the
avowed enemy of the American way of life. The
reds are a choice morsel for the news hounds
who play it up under 60-point headlines.
• • •
Two notables within their sphere of useful
ness or folly were married recently, the event re
ceiving attention in newspapers across the land.
The bride had already been messed over by four
guys she had called husband and now her fifth
was making his fourth try at marriage.
* * •
Some commentators we know get so involv
ed in the background of the news they neglect to
give their readers the real news of the day.
ROMAINE SAUNDERS
524 E. Cambridge Drive
Burbank, Calif.
Editorial . . .
Humility Lesson for Glassford
There’s been a big hassle at the University
of Nebraska in Lincoln with Football Coach Wil
liam J. (“Bill”) Glassford in the center of the con
troversy. It was a bloody show and the ramifica
tions won’t be known ’til next autumn.
Considerable dissatisfaction with Glassford
has been brewing for many months. Finally a
group of players (including freshmen who hope
to graduate to the varsity next season) petitioned
the university’s athletic board and board of re
gents for Glassford’s removal as head coach. The
wheels, then, asked for Glassford’s resignation
in the face of an $87,500 piece of paper (Glass
ford has two more years to go under his present
contract with an option on five more years at
$12,500 per year).
Unfortunately, Glassford was out of Lincoln
when the ruckus broke out into the open; the
athletic board has no power, hence could not be
expected to publish its action until after it was con
firmed by the chancellor and board of regents;
and the university has no chancellor—instead an
acting one who inherited a tough situation.
The metropolitan press, generally, has al
ligned with Brother Glassford, which testifies to
. ‘ this gentleman’s ability to keep his press and
radio fences well mended, and most of the metro
reporters have been inclined to ridicule the
football players.
Vii in/lvn J f iVin On 1
we re some two nuxuxxeu mixes xxuxn txie xiccii
of the controversy and emotional outbursts, but
the reverberations are plainly audible. Lots of
people don’t like the treatment handed Mr. Glass
ford, which amounted to a trial of a sort without
defense. Others are clamoring aboard the Glass
ford bandwagon for no particular reason except
he might be considered the underdog.
The university athletic department suddenly
finds itself with a host of new-fbund friends—
peop'.e who have a lot to say about something
they know little about. Of course, as taxpayers
they certainly are entitled to have their say.
Within a relatively few months after Mr
Glas.ford arrived on the scene, he came up with
a winning squad including such performers as
Bobby Reynolds (nation’s highest scorer), Char
ley Toogood, Fran Nagel, et al. The regents, slight
ly intoxicated after 10 dismal years, recklessly
entered into a long term pact with the new coach.
Of course, Oklahoma got hasty in its dealings with
Bud Wilkinson. But there is this distinction: Ok
lahoma was winning then and has been winning
ever since.
There’s no question about the validity of the
$87,500 piece of paper, and there’s no doubt the
university would be wrong and shameful in in
sisting upon Bill’s neck. But something can be
said for the Nebraska boys who’ve had their
belly full of Glassford. You must remember a
fairly decent ghost team has taken leave under
Glassford with plenty of eligibility left—to our
thinking an abnormally large number of quitters.
Each time a player was dropped we had misgiv
ings about what appeared in the daily press.
Over the years, we’ve observed Nebraska
kids at V7ork on distant playing fields and global
war fields and they’re not mutineers at heart.
They’re not “cry babies” and we resent anyone
saying they are. There must be some extraordi
nary reasons why so many capable boys have
dropped football and why so many affixed their
• names to such a petition.
Those long rides home from Lincoln after a
football game provide settings for “postmortems”
and outstate football fans have not been exuber
ant in their praise for Glassford. The element of
luck has won quite a few games for Brother
Glassford and, at the same time, cost him a few.
Big. time football coaching is a hazardous pro
fession and Mr. Glassford now realizes this, even
though he hasn’t proved himself as a big time
coach.
If Mr. Glassford can take a lesson in humili
ty from all of this; if the players can be sporting
about it and realize the iputiny didn’t work
although their efforts were not all in vain; if the
university moguls can call in a good doctor or
two (athletic director and chancellor) to mend
the wounds, some glorious days lie ahead in the
finest Cornhusker tradition.
If soreheads have their way and Glassford
isn’t tempered a bit, and some of the fair-haired
boys elect to pick up their marbles and go home,
then a lot of fine tradition dear to the hearts of
thousands of Nebraskans is being swept down
the river.
It’d help, too, if the daily sports scribes would
take their work seriously and tell us exactly
what’s going on instead of swallowing publicity
department handouts with the boys themselves
having little chance to state their cases.
It’d further help to have some practical peo
ple on the board of regents instead of impulsive
freshmen.
Color TV Next
The committee which represents the television
industry informs the federal communications
commission (and the public) its new color tele
vision transmitting system is ready.
The system being tested is an electronic tube
system. The color transmissions of this system
are receivable on all present-day sets, though
they will be reproduced in black and white only
unless one’s set is adapted for color reception, or
one of the newer sets equipped with a color re
ception device.
The FCC has indicated that if the tests prove
satisfactory, it will sanction the beginning of col
cr transmissions. Television manufacturers have
estimated it would take them only a few months
to put color sets on the market. Estimates place
the cost near $800.
It may take some time for television stations
to install color transmission equipment and the
cost might delay many from doing so in the
immediate future. Nevertheless, it appears that
color television is just around the corner.
Migration of 117,600 from Europe is set for
1954. Makes one wonder in the face of growing
unemployment rolls.
It’s been a pleasant winter, really.
.Frontier
CARROLL W. STEWART, Editor and Publisher
Editorial & Business Offices: 122 South Fourth St.
Address correspondence: Box 330, O’Neill, NeLr
Established in 1880—Published Each Thursday
Entered at the postoffice in O’Neill, Holt
county, Nebraska, as second-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; rates abroad, provided on request. All sub
scriptions are paid-in-advance.
Audited (ABC) Circulation—2,258 (Sept. 30, 1953)
When You and I Were Young. . .
Ft Niobrara Band
to Present Concert
Doctor Pursues Two
Burglars
50 Years Ago
James Kearney departed for
Chicago, 111., to be gone for a
month or six weeks. . . Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Lorge and children
arrived in this city from Adrian,
Minn., for a visit at the home of
Mr. Lorge’s sister, Mrs. D. H.
Cronin. . . A representative of
the 25th infantry band of Ft.
Niobrara wras in the city mak
ing arrangements for a concert
which will be held here. . . Two
men may have escaped success
fully had it not been for the keen
eye and fleet foot of Dr. Berry,
an O’Neill dentist. Thinking
they looked suspicious, he chased
and held them till Sheriff Hall
arrived and found they had stol
en five pairs of pants out of
Mann’s store.
I
20 Years Ago !
John Kersenbrock and family j
escaped fatal injury as their car
was demolished in a collision
with a truck 20 miles south of
O’Neill. . . Ray Lawrence suffer
ed a mashed finger on his left
hand while he and his brother,
Charles, were blasting giant cot
tonwood trees apart for use as
fuel. . . Mrs. O. F. Biglin, Mrs. J.
P. O’Donnell and Mrs. J. J. Mc
Cafferty were entertained at a
tea by their daughters, Anna O’
Donnell, Geneveive Biglin, Mrs.
F. N. Cronin and Mrs. R. E. Gal
lagher. . . Norbert Uhl was strick
en with appendicitis and was
taken to an Omaha hospital for
the operation.
10 Years Ago
Charles E. Hubby, formerly a
Holt county resident, died at his
home in Bellingham, Wash. . .
The members of the O’Neill Pro
duction Credit association held
their 10th anniversary annual
meeting in the O’Neill high school
auditorium January 12. . . Cpl.
Merril C. Hicks was graduated
from the air force flexible gun
nery school at Laredo field, La
redo, Tex. . . The Brown-McDon
ald employees had a dinner par
ty, honoring Miss Vera Aim, who
goes to New York City to report
for active duty in the WAVES.
One Year Ago
Miss Kathrine Sheila Gregory,
17, arrived in O’Neill from a tiny
farm near Kilcool, County Wick
low, Ireland. She will stay with
Mrs. Mary Donlin and Mr. and
Mrs. Harry Sullivan. . . Nathan
Manford Ross died in his home
at the age of 90. He had been in
failing health for several years.
Henry Lofflin arrived in O’
Neill to replace Burl Munsell as
manager of the company-owned
Gamble store. . . Miss Mary Ja
nelle Hynes and Louis A. Gen
ereux were united in marriage
January 20. . . Mrs. Mabel Gatz,
long ill, died in St. Anthony’s
hospital where she had been a
patient for about 10 weeks. . .
The O’Neill region was battered
by an 18-hour storm during
which gusts of wind raged up to
50-miles-per-hour.
Kelly with ‘Heavy
Hauler’ Outfit
Marine Pfc. James R. Kelly,
son of Mr. and Mrs. James J.
Kelly of O’Neill, has arrived at
an air base in Korea for duty
with marine aircraft group 12, the
“heavy haulers” of the First ma
rine aircraft wing,
j Until the truce became effec
i tive, the flying leathernecks of
this group dropped 39,500 tons of
bombs in flying more than 93,000
sorties.
Its squadrons, such as the
Wolfraiders, Deathrattlers, Devil
cats, Black Patch and others, are
well-known to the United Nations
line troops for the thousands of
missions flown in all types of
weather.
Church Group to Entertain—
The O’Neill Woman’s club will
hold the January meeting in the
Methodist church basement Wed
nesday evening, January 27, at 8
o’clock. Entertainment will be
furnished by the young adult
grtmp of the Methodist church.
Completes Course
Dale L. Strong, 19 (above),
son of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert
Strong, 702 East Adams st., is
completing his air force basic
indoctrination course at Lack
land air force base, near San
Antonio, Tex. He will be as
signed to a technical training
school for specialized work.
Goldfuss Promoted
to Corporal—
PAGE — Gerald F. Goldfuss,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Oswald Gold
fuss of Page, recently was pro
moted to corporal while serving
with the 96th anti-aircraft artil
lery battalion at Ft. Richardson,
Alaska.
Army units stationed in Alaska
undergo intensive field training
while guarding the northern ap
proaches to the U.S. and Canada.
Corporal Goldfuss entered the
army in January, 1952.
■*utler Says He's
Opposed to Hike—
U.S. Sen. Hugh Butler (R.
Nebr.) has announced that he is
opposed to the increase in the
social security tax from IV2. per
cent to 2 percent, and that he
would favor returning to the low
er rate. Under legislation enacted
in 1950, the higher levy on both
employees and employers went
automatically into effect on Jan
uary I, 1954.
Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. Rolland
Weyhrich went to Omaha to see
their month-old daughter, who is
a patient in the Children s Me
morial hospital there. Judy, their
older daughter, remained in
Stanton with her uncle and aunt,
Mr. and Mrs. Leland Spry.
Randall Power
Starts Next Month
‘Big Dam 75 Percent
Completed*—Potter
The U.S. army engineers have
presented a year-end report of
Missouri river basin activities in
South Dakota during 1953, Gov.
Sigurd Andersen reported last
week.
Brig.-Gen. W. E. Potter of the
Missouri river division of the en
eineers said Ft. Randall dam is
75 percent complete with initial
production of power in February
this year. In 1954, he said, the
dam will “perform an important
flod control and water conserva
tion job.”
Water was impounded behind
the big dam last year and will
continue at a moderate rate
in 1954, Potter said.
Gavin's point dam near Yank
ton, S.D., was 20 percent com
plete by the first of this year.
Potter said. Contracts for earth
work, powerhouse superstructure
and spillway are approximately
30 percent complete.
At Oahe dam, near Pierce, con
tracts have been awarded for in
take and upstream tunnels and
this year, contracts are to be
awarded for downstream tunnels,
control shafts and stilling basins
as well as contracts for reloca
tions of U.S. highways 12 and
212.
The big Ft. Randall dam is sit
uated about 43 air miles north
and slightly east of O’Neill.
Power which has been used dur
ing the dam’s construction has
been transmitted from O’Neill
over a high tension line to the
dam site. When Randall power is
generated some of the current
will flow in the reverse direction
and be available for distribution
through the Nebraska public
power network.
W. F. FINLEY, M.D.
O’NEILL
First National Bank Bldg.
OFFICE PHONE: 2B
Thurs. Jan. 21
SHE'S BACK ON BROADWAY
Color by Warner color, starring
Virginia Mayo, Gene Nelson,
Frank Lovejoy with Steve Coch
ran, Patrice Wymore.
Family night $1; adult 50c;
children 12c; tax inch
FrL-Sat. Jan. 22-23
GUN FURY
In fiery color by technicolor,
starring Rock Hudson, Donna
Reed, Phil Carey, Roberta
Haynes.
Adult 50c; children 12c; tax incl.
Matinee Sal. 2:30. Children un
der 12 free when accompanied
by parent.
Sun.-Mon.-Tues. Jan. 24-25-26
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in
THE CADDY
Co-starring Donna Reed, Bar
bara Bates with Joseph Calleia,
Fred Clark. Now they’re crash
ing society as goofy golfers . . .
and they were never funnier.
Watch those goofy golfers win
the laughing cup in their all
time funniest hit!
Admission: Adults 50c; children
12c; tax incl. Matinee Sun. 2:30.
I All children unless in arms must
have tickets.
O’NEILL TAXI CO.
Phone 365
35c to any place in
the city limits
Oui-of-Town Calls:
20c Per Mile (One-Way)
Special Trips:
Livestock Market_50c
Country Club _ 50c
Airport___75c
RAY EBY, Prop.
ELKHORN FLOWER SHOP j
40S E. DOUGLAS ST.
O’NEILL, NEBR.
Night Phone 530W - Day Phone 579 !
|
We Telegraph Flowers
Flowers For All Orrasions
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