Prairieland Talk . . . Maidens Continue to Wed By ROMAINE SAUNDERS. Retired. Former Frontier Editor LINCOLN—A gent celebrated his birthday downtown "with friends ” When he got home where birthday parties should be observed with the children an “argument’’ is said to have fol lowed. Whereupon a 14-year-old son after conveying the young er children to a safe distance, armed himself with bow and arrows and went to the defense of his mother. Dad is in a hospi tal with a hole in his broadside below the chin. Another guy got into the papers because he took off for Athens, Greece, without telling the queen of the house any thing about it until he got there and wrote her a letter. Romair.e Still maidens fair with gold- Saunders en hair get into the wedding gown and with a smile curling ruby lips pose for the wedding pic ture. • * * Publisher Mark Cramer of the Wayne Herald was killed in an airplane crash at Denison, la. Maybe newspaper people should keep ther feet on the ground as much as possible. In Holt county in the “horse and buggy" days—or more properly, horse and saddle — an editor might get a black eye from some guy he had “writtenup” but none ever died with their boots on. Doc Mathews, one of the first ne wspaper men of the frontier days and founder of The Frontier, in company with Clyde King, survived the ’88 blizzard when com ing in from a trip to the South Fork country. But if they had been provided with an airplane in those days instead of a reliable pair of broncs, they probably would have been blown into the Gulf of Mexico. But they, with the Wayne editor, too, are dead— the destiny of all mankind through accident or sickness. * * • A family group from central Illinois, which bad been visiting relatives in Aurora, down in Hamilton county, made a weekend stop in Lin coln on their return to Illinois. Through a cas ual meeting and exchange of greetings, I learn ed from them that the July weather conditions are the same in their home community as they found in Nebraska. • * • Dorcas societies and welfare organizations of church women are doing much to help the needy and but little attention is give by the pub lic to what these self-sacrificing women are do ing in lines of helpfulness. While publicity, praise, money are bestowed in large measure upon other organizations with their high salaried workers, the Dorcas ladies work without pay and too little recognition of the great work they are doing. These ladies of one church group have helped 15,000 needy persons the past year involving a cash investment of $117,000 and many hours of work and investigation of needy cases. It is all done without fanfare by kindly womanhood giv ing their time without money and without price. * • * I noted in the dailv press where some Holt communities received up to two inches of rain last week. Monday, September 2, 1901, Merrit Martin opened a term of school as teacner in the Hoxie school two miles east of O’Neill. . . That day car penters began work building a one-room addition to the Alice Coykendall home in the western part of town which Miss Coykendall was to occupy as her dress making establishment. . . Will Low rie’s marriage to Miss Nona Johnston received a half column writeup in the Auburn Herald. His father, Rev. N. S. Lowrie. and brother. Rev. C. W. Lowrie, performed the ceremony. Will at that time was also an ordained minister. The Lowrie family had lived for many years in O’Neill be fore moving to Lincoln. . . R. H. Jenness retired September 1 that year as receiver at the U.S. land office and D. Clem Deaver took over the job. ¥ ¥ ¥ The nearest we have yet come to being in spected by the strangers ip the flying saucers has been down at Fairbury. The civil defense night watchers at the capital city report no strange airplanes flying over us, but keep a rec ord of the number and direction headed of do mestic planes passing this way. • * * THE OLD SWIMMING HOLE Nov/ I would like to say If I can have one wish today, Just take me to the old swimming hole, , In its limpid waters to roll, And get all over wet Washing away the heat and sweat. There’s the “muny” swimming pool With guard and teacher, like at school. And mobs of kids, men and women To whom swimming lessons are given. But that’s not like the old swimmnig hole Where in limpid waters we oft did roll! ¥ ¥ ¥ Wheeler county has two towns, Bartlett, the countyseat, and Ericson, which has boasted a railroad. Garfield county has one town, Burwell, the rodeo capital of the state. Fitting enough— from down that way came such bronco busters as Tim Bunnell and Nigger Jim. Holt county in the distant days of yore had a dozen or more noisy towns. Now% approaching old age, but a growing city, O’Neill is the admiration mixed with a bit of envy, of eight other thrifty towns and villages in the county. ¥ ¥ ¥ Our ranch cowgirl from Cherry county shows herself capable as United State senator and it is rather to be regretted that the cards are so stack ed that she will not be a candidate to continue to carry on as senator. ♦ ¥ ¥ The assessed valuation of property in Lan caster county, the bulk of it in Lincoln, for 1954 is placed at $186,000,000. Personal property valua tions are somewhat lower than a year ago but in creased valuations on real estate bring the total to something over 300 thousand more than in 1953. * * • A proposal comes from New Mexico that Western states, including us, outlaw cloud-seed ing. It is said that in place of bringing rain, such monkey business prevents rain and snow from de descending upon us. It was tried in O’Neill some 60 years ago and wre got quite a sprinkling. Editorial . . . S.D. Pays for Mistakes (From Business Week Magaxine) <; South Dakota will soon join the small body of states that have no bonded debt. By August 1 the state will have paid off the last chunk of debt piled up sicne 1917. At one time the state owed 60 millions dollars; in 1925 it had the highest per capita debt in the United States. The final payoff will amount to $9,200,000, covering the last principal and interest on rural credit bonds, which have been called ahead of maturity, some by as much as five years. South Dakota's fall into indebtedness dates clear back to the early davs of World War I, and was a byproduct of the political activities of the Non-partisan league. The league at that time gained wide popu larity through its gospel that the state should go into business and, by eliminating the middle man in trade, allow the consumer to reap the middleman's profit. Republican leaders in the state decided to steal the league’s thunder by offering some more of the same. In 1916. the GOP pushed through an amendment that eliminated the 100-thousand dollar debt limit. The state promptly went into the business of making loans on farms and ranches. For work ing capital, it issued $47,500,000 of bonds, at an average interest rate of 5.3 percent. South Dakota happily plunged into other ven tures. It spent 185 thousand dollars to buy and equip a lignite mine at Haynes, just across the line in North Dakota. In 1919, the state set up a business insuring against hail damage; five years later it began a cement business. The books showed a distressing tendency toward red ink. The farm and ranch loans wrere made in the 1917-1919 period when land values were at a peak and commodity prices were high. By the 1930's, prices were down to record lows. Admittedly, the economic roller-coaster plav ed a big part in the dismal showing of the loan agency, but it was widely charged that politics deserved a fat slice of blame, too. Eventually the state began shaking off its fiscal old men of the sea. In 1934. the lignite mine was sold for $5,500. In 1941, the legislature put up 263 thousand dollars to permit liquidation of the hail insurance business. The cement plant remains as a good deed in a naughty world. It makes a nice profit on its <13 - 500,000 annual sales. ’ Its fair time again. In just a few more days all roads will be leading to the Holt county fair grounds near Chambers. The fair is a fine Amer ican tradition and those folks in the Chambers community, who take the responsibility seriously as a year-around proposition, are to be’commend ed for successfully perpetuating the Holt countv exposition. We predict the night-time rodeo will be well received as a departure from the usual afternoon showing. Atkinson's hay days follow the Holt county fair this year. Traditionally, hay days come first on the calendar; the fair, second It was inevitable a mechanical street-sweep ing device would follow the many blocks of new paving. What ever happened to the chautauqua pro grams of yesteryear? > The Political Score The headlines—and, in fact, President Ike himself, though quite mildly, have scored the house's almost total cutback of public housing as a defeat for the administration. Why this estimate when by far the greater part of the president’s housing proposals came through? The answer is to be found on the political balance sheet. The whole of the Eisenhower hous ing program fits the liberal-conservative frame: Government setting up conditions under which private enterprise finds greater encouragement to do the housing job; and in one area, that of lowest income brackets (where private enterprise has consistently found it unprofitable to operate), government assuming a portion of the burden. This last has been the earnest on the promise that the program is liberal as well as conservative —evidence that the administration is pro-little fellow as well as pro-business. Without it, the program can be made to look all-conservative. Another congress early next year can restore at least something more of the housing authoriza tions asked for by the president (which in turn were less than those backed by Senator Taft), and thus take care of some of the actual housing needs. But jnless the senate before the end of this session does considerable to correct what the house has done, the republicans will have failed to take care of one of their prime political needs come November elections — It’s a reflection on the newspapers, radio sta ■ tions and other media of information that more people are not aware of who is running for what in connection with the forthcoming election. Peo ple are becoming so apathetic about the conduct of the various echelons of government that only a first-class scandal or mockery jars their inter est. Campaigners for senate and congressional of fices and the governor's chair are obliged to work from door-to-door. Street comer oratory and de bate have gone out the window. The system of checks and balances worked better, in our opin ion, in the days when candidates adept at those methods of campaigning won the elections. Wish the railroad people would let us know the next time an old-fashioned steam locomotive is due in town. Frontier CARROLL W. STEWART, Editor and Publisher Editorial & Business Offices: 122 South Fourth St, Address correspondence: Box 330, O’Neill, Nebr 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 I the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Terms of Subscription: In Nebraska, $2.50 per year; elsewnere in the United States, $3 per year; rates abroad provided on request All sub scriptions are paid-in-advance. Audited (ABC) Circulation—2.335 (Mar. 31, 1954) When You and I Were Young... 150 Sacks of Flour in Closeout Offering Doyle’s Lease Has Expired 50 Years Ago Miss Anna Davidson and Char les George were united in mar riage at a ceremony performed in the bride’s home. . . Many rural people were in town to at tend the Gollmar show, which put on two exhibitions and a street parade during its stand here. . . D. A. Doyle is conduct ing a closing out sale. His lease expired and there are 150 sacks of full patent guaranteed flour to go. . . The ladies of St. Pat rick’s Catholic church are giving a lawn social at the home of Mr. and Mrs. T. F. Birmingham. All ladies of the parish are invited to attend. 20 Years Ago The federal government will plant two rows of trees, approx imately a mile apart from the Canadian border to the gulf of Mexico. In doing this they hope to regulate the climate—the trees are to modify climatic and other agricultural conditions in the drouth area. . . Mrs. James Crowley died at her home north east of the city. She came to %Holt county 58 years ago when only a few scaietred shacks marked O’ Neill. . . The national debt in creas by five billions since the new deal administration came into being—most of the increase being outright appropriations. . . John Dillinger, public enemy number one, met the fate of all gangsters in Chicago, 111., this week. He was fatally shot by U-S. agents when he drew his gun for another notch when coming out of a down town theater. 10 Years Ago Margaret Engler of Stuart was notified that she was awarded a trip to the Nebraska 4-H conser vation camp at Seward. She re ceives this award due to out standing 4-H club work over the past several years. . . The Bo hemian club held its first picnic 1.1 Ewing. A large crowd turned cut and another one is planned. . The OPA directed that more sugar will be released for can ning purposes—each person in a family will be allowed 20 pounds of sugar. . . Mrs. Art Wedberg, former O’Neill resident and Holt county pioneer, died at her home in Fremont. One Year Ago Paul Shelhamer was wounded seriously when he slipped on a log while shooting rats at the dump and the .22-calibre pistol he was using went off. The bullet pierced his left leg above the knee. . . A bicycle parade ended the safety campaign sponsored by the Willing Workers 4-H club. ... A 6,200-pound helicopter I landed in O’Neill, piloted across the country from Bedford, Mass., until now an unknown accom plishment for these crafts. . . Property valuation in Holt coun ty went up. Farm land increased by 207 percent and city and town real estate values 438 percent. Deloit News Leonard Milfer is home after working for his uncle near Spalding for over two months. He reports less moisture there than here and scarcely any hay to be mowed. Larry Juracek has been visit ing at the home of his grandpar ents, Mr. and Mrs. John Sehi. Darold Armstrong is employ ed at the Fred and Maynard Stearns farms this summer. A number from here attended the free days at Elgin and Clear water the past two weeks. Grasshoppers, ants and flies are thick as usual in hot dry weather. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Stearns at tended a Stearns family reunion in Iowa on Sunday, July 11. Bonnie Rossow and Shirley Weber spent the weekend in Wayne. Don Larson came home. Elayne Reimer spent the week end with her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Don Starr, and Elizabeth in West Point. The ladies of the St. John’s church served breakfast to the parishoners Sunday morning af ter services. Shirley Sehi has been staying at the Rudy Juracek home near Ewing. Mr. and Mrs. Howard Temple attended 4-H camp near Seward last week. Deloit had .20 of an inch of rain last Thursday. More would be welcome. Most of the com bining is done and haying is the next big job. Letters to Editor I i Transplanted — S705—8th Ave. NE. Seattle, Wash. June 19, 1954 j Romaine Saunders c/o The Frontier Dear Friend: We have been enjoying your articles in The Frontier for sev eral years, entitled “Home on the Range,” “Small Doses, Past and Present,” and now your “Prairie land Talk.” My wife and I always turn to your article first, then “The FTontier Woman.” We are transplanted oldtimers from Nebraska. We were born and raised there. My wife was born in Bethany, spent her child hood days there and in Lincoln. I was born in Omaha. We are now getting along in years and are adjusted to the West coast. We love our home out here in Seattle. Tt is so beautiful here in the Puget Sound country. We miss prairieland, though. Mountains are beautiful, but, Nebraska is beautiful, too, and after living there so many years our roots have gone so deep, and all our happy memories are of Nebraska. We can tell from your articles that you loved the quiet beauty of that part of Nebraska. We did, too. You describe it so well. You are still giving us interesting articles from the passing scene , that you are observing, although you have been transplanted to Lincoln. We love your mingled sentiment along with your good common sense. We wish you good luck and hope your many friends will be leadine your articles for many more years. Yours truly, D. SEGELMAN Reminder — Hollywood, Calif. July 20, 1954 o Dear Cal Stewart: Enclosed $3.00 check. Neglect only reason for not sending it earlier. I enjoyed your New York story last week. Prairieland Talk is most interesting. Reminder. Holt county pic nic, September 12, big fireplace, Griffith park, Los Angeles. Hy Nightengale, former Atkinson citizen, president. See you in September >r Oc tober. Best of everything. W. J. McNICHOLS MILLER THEATER — Atkinson — Sun.-Mon.-Tues. Aug. 1-2-3 WecL-Thurs. Aug. 4-5 31st ANNUAL NEBRASKA’S BIG RODEO BURWELL AUG. 11-12-13-14 $10,000.00 MONEY — ■■■■„. 4 AFTERNOONS CHAMPIONSHIP RODEOS 4 NIGHT SHOWS with BRAHMA BULL FIGHTING and CUTTING HORSE CONTEST QUARTER HORSE SHOW RACES ond SALE dontmiss NEBRASKA'S BIGGEST OUTDOOR RODEO Write R. A. Mitchell—Ticket Supt. H. D. Delashmutl—Sec y. POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT C °