pAi.E 8—THE FRONTIER, O’Neill. Nebr., Thuradny, Jmu. Si, 1»58
Prairieland Talk—
1888 Blizzard Club Reunites
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS, 4118 South Slat 84., Lincoln 8, Nebr.
LINCOLN Last week the annual gathering of
members and friends of the January 12. 1888 Bliz
zard club was held at the Lincoln hotel in the
Capitol City.
The club was organized 20 years ago to
keep alive the memory of the great winter storm
that swept prairieland that
date. The gathering last
week was the largest so far
held, taxing the capacity of
the largest of Lincoln's hotels
to spread enough tables to
feed the crowd. A feature
of the program was a some
what lengthy talk by Alfred
Gilpin, chief of the Omaha
Indian tribe. Music and talks by
a few speakers made up a
pleasant afternoon.
All officers of the club Saunders
were reelected by a show of hands. Holt county
and thus O'Neill were in the path of the most
severe blow of that storm. rHie prairies were
covered with dead cattle and a number of humans
were found frozen.
A putriot from Valentine came up to shake
my hand, but I did not see anybody from Holt.
• • •
Anyone now in Holt county who had lived in a
sod house? Raise your hand. I see a hand raised
down there south of Amelia. It is the hand of that
sturdy pioneer, Harry White. Down at Omaha there
was organized in 1956 a Sod House society, Miss
Marguerette Burke of 539 South 26th street (Omaha)
now serving as the society's secretary. Mr White
can tell you of the sheltering embrace of a soddy
on a cold winter day and the cooling comfort to be
found in one on a hot summer day.
* • *
Man can not escape from himself, some thought
ful gent has said. There are times when he would
like to. But here he is in this human frame given
him, out of which he can not step into another
bodily form. It then becomes a duty, a joy, to
nourish and take care of this two-legged structure
of bone and flesh coming in the beginning from that
form of clay into which was breathed the breath of
life and man rose up to face his Creator. If the trail
this body has left behind has been marred by evil
thought or word or act he may step aside and down
the untrod way of life ahead mark out a trail re
flecting the new way of life, a life which may lead
if not to the exalted station of chief justice but at
least lay upon you the mantle of justice of the peace
or if a lady a second Carry Nation.
* * •
To get it straight as it should have been in the
issue of January 8, let us use words in place of
figures. Functionaries in the busy circles from
which eminates The Frontier from week-to-week
had it that the four coming yearlings disposed of at
that sale a day in December in 1894 were purch
ased for $1.25 each. The four sold for one dollar, or
twenty-five cents a head And those twenty-five-cent
yearlings long ago passed across the meat block,
maybe at 25 cents a pound.
The sun shines in golden glory out of the clear
blue above prairieland this calm January day.
Midwinter, neither a biting cold nor a shirtsleeve
day. We walk out, a bit of snow underfoot, greet a
friend here and there along the way. This bright
day, cheering and embracing. How unlike that day
71 years ago, the day when prairieland's worst
winter storm enveloped all in a cloud of snow’, the
day that white haired old O'Neill printer, O. C.
Bates, a master of the beautiful in the use of words,
the day he stood at a case of type and out of his
treasured store of words saw' none fitting the storm
so he coined a new one and since then we
have the word blizzard. If you experienced that
one 71 years ago you can say Old Bates hit it right.
• • •
Anyway, State Senator Carpenter from
the west end of the state will let us know he
Is down at the statehouse this winter. Of the
hi bills dropped Into the legislative hopper on
the first day, Mr. Carpenter fathered 20 of
them. I trust Sen. Frank Nelson from Holt
county still can vote “no”.
* * *
Talking you into voting for him he may do the
economy stuff, appealing to the heavily burdened
taxpayer. Seated in the exalted executive cham
ber at the statehouse or stepping about along
the gilded corridors that vision of economy fades.
Our recently installed school teacher-turned-gov
emor turns his vision from the com and wheat
fields and herds on prairieland to the classic halls
of our state university. He pleads with the budget
makers to add a few more million to the university
cash pile to build more stately buildings with their
classic halls of learning. We thought this w'as the
cowboys' cattle state, but maybe we are going to
have it become the land of the highbrows under
our new governor.
* * *
A group of over-zealous citizens out at s>an
Francisco greeted a Russian notable who flew in
to visit us with rotten eggs and stones. That vis
itor’s first impression of the American way of life
w'as not the best, but later cordial greetings and
courteous attention softened that earlier resentment.
Maybe that bunch of egg and stone throwers were
inspired by the memory of what their beloved native
son, Vice-President Nixon, ran into a commun
ity of communists in South America.
* * *
If a bill introduced In the state legislative
session becomes law vendors of firewater will
be taxed to pay for the treatment or rehabil
itation of their victims of their business the al
coholics.
* * *
Maybe the mail from some West coast points
is on the way by pony express. But what a friend
of Prairieland Talker out at Los Angeles was to
send as a Christmas gift had not arrived when
this was written in mid-January. . . . Friends of
Prairieland Talker in O’Neill send me another
fine collection of postcards with scenes of familiar
places in O’Neill, a hay baling scene down by
Inman and a sodhouse near Ewing. While it is
pitifully inadequate, all I can do is to express my
thanks in one short line.
Editorial—
It Can Happen Here
We note that the unions fibbed a little bit about
how much money they spent in California to defeat
the ‘‘right-to-work” law. Instead of the one-million
dollars supposed to have been spent, the unions
spent nearly four-millioh-dollars. The socalled
"plutocrats” of "big business” spent about 900- j
thousand-dollars.
It simply goes to show you who has the money j
nowadays in politics. It isn't business, big or little;
it’s the unions.
And the proposed unionization of policemen
would be the most unspeakable merger of racketeers
and criminals with the law since the beginning of
time. Unthinkable—to anybody but Jimmy Hoffa.
It was a top official of the justice department
who summed it up: "The policemen are deserving
of a better fate.”
And Frontier Land farmers and ranchers
who think this is something far over the distant
hill and doesn't concern them may soon see the day
when their eggs and beef may not be accepted in
the raw because they do not come with a union
label. The same will apply to their cream and
their milk — it won't lie marketed if the farmer
doesn’t belong to the AFL-CIO or the Teamsters.
The work is now underway in New Jersey and
whether they like it or not poultry farmers have
had to knuckle under. The same thing will happen
here unless the racketeers, hoodlums and bums
personified by Hoffa are stopped in their tracks.
We Need Safeguards
Guest editorial from The Nebraska (Geneva) Signal
Gov. Ralph Brooks recently declared he intends
to “enforce the tax laws at any level and at any
time with dispatch and with impartiality.” He also
said "If enforcement fails because of nonfeasance
of local officials, it is the duty of the governor to
remove the officials.”
The statements clearly show an intention to get
at the bottom of much of Nebraska's tax difficulties,
ineffective administration and enforcement at the
local level. At the same time, the statements, taken
baldly at their face value, imply drastic action by
the governor in a way that might not be considered
democratic.
Several questions need to be answered and the
policy to be followed needs clarification, which we
believe the governor will make in due time. Here
are some of the questions that might arise: How
far can a state official go in removing a local of
ficial who has been elected by a local unit of gov
ernment and who, theoretically, is responsible to
that local unit? Who is to determine when a local
official is laggard, the governor or a judicial or
administrative body with local and state authority?
We think the questions are important because
it seems apparent that honest men might disagree
as to the relative fairness or honesty of certain
taxpayers as to the assessed valuation of certain
types of property. In other words a county assessor
might accept a taxpayer's report as reasonable un
der present laws and yet a capricious governor
might feel the assessor is laggard in not raising
the valuation. Governor Brooks might feel he is
not referring to such instances and that they do not
come under the heading of laggard enforcement,
but snce we are talking about principles we raise
the question as to just how far one man is to be
permitted to go in removing a county-elected of
ficial from office.
We suggest the governor’s approach is sound but
that safeguards should be provided and used, and
we believe Governor Brooks will be the first to
agree that we don’t wish to set up a system that
will make it possible for future Huey Longs to build
a powerful political machine around the county
boards of equalization, which in the final analysis
fix the valuations in each county.
We predict there will be suggestions to change
the entire system of selecting county assessors, with
their selection and control centered in the state tax
commissioner’s office. The idea has some merit
but we doubt if it will be acceptable because we be
lieve people in local units of government, such as
school districts and cities, will never approve a
plan which will force them to relinquish control over
the local tax authority.
Because of the strong desire for local control and
administration of government wherever possible, it
would seem the best approach to the problem would
be through a system of local administration and
enforcement with provision for state participation.
Money and Higher Education
One of the weaknesses of higher education today,
as seen by one of its leading spokesman, springs
from the fact that college and university officials
are so involved in promoting money for their schools
that they tend to become mere public agents who
often lack sufficient time and energy to devote to
purely educational matters.
Too often these days, he adds, the successful col
lege president is the one who can get the most money
from the legislature and/or private sources. More
and more business and benevolent institutions are
being called upon to rescue higher education from
financial trouble. This drive for finances is reflected
in courses of study which are tailored to meet the
needs of these businesses and to suit the tastes of
individuals who make big donations.
Our college courses, he concludes, are designed
to adapt the student to his environment rather than
to teach him how to improve the environment in
which he lives.
If you think it isn’t a changing world, how many
years has it been since you have read: “The fire
is believed to have been started by a mouse chew
ing on matches?’’
Seventy families joined The Frontier's ever
growing family of readers in December ... 21
new families have joined up thus far in January!
Statistics show that the average American re
ceives 112 letters a year. He wouldn’t if he paid
his promptly.
Life is not salvage to be saved out of the world,
but an investment to be used in the world.
FrontTfb
“North-Central Nebraska’s Biggest Newspaper”
122 South Fourth St. — Box 330 — O’Neill, Nebr.
CARROLL W. STEWART, Editor-Publisher
W. IRL TODD, Copublisher
Entered at the postoffice in O’Neill, Holt coun
ty, 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, Nation
al 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 upon request. All subscriptions
payable in advance.
Alien You and 1 Were Young . . . j <
Spindler-Ladely ;
Nuptials Read
Dobney, Wrede, Joyce
Among Jurors
30 Years Ago
Miss Iretta Spindler, daughter!
of Mr. and Mrs. Justus Spindler,
was married to Henry Ladely of
Kennebec, S.D. . . . The following
have been drawn for jury duty: C.
W. Dobney. John Vequist, Charles
Wrede, sr. Merle Richards, Z.
Prothero, Charles Berger, Sam
Becker, Ray Coburn, W. Joyce,
David Baker, Fred Seibert, J. M.
Jackman, James Carney, Joseph
Horiskey, Frank Campbell, F. H
Molz, Charles Crandall, A. C. Pur
nell, W. H. Sloan, Elmer Merri
man. A. D. Haveus, Byron Gray.
John Fundus and Samuel G. Coov
er. . . . C. S. Evans, a former cit
izen of this county and the found
er of the Alliance-Tribune at O'
Neill, died at his home in Nor
folk He also was an inventor of a
paper folder, a force pump ami
was waiting for the results of his
new press for which he had hoped j
big things. . . . S. H. Trussed of
Little, who has been a reader of j
The Frontier since its establish
ment 29 years ago. came in to re
new his subscription to "the old
reliable".
20 Years Ago
The first installment of a history
of the county, under the names of
Tom Htfnnaberry and Dean Selah,
appeared in The Frontier. The re
search was carried on under the
WPA. Among those quoted were
J. T. Prouty. M. D. Long and Rt.
Rev. M. F. Cassidy. . . . Deaths:
R. P. Wagers, 81. a pioneer, at his
home in Page; Bahy Barnes, the
month-old-son of Mr and Mrs. Os
car Barnes, of pneumonia; Judith
Anno Conard, month-old daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. John Conard of
Emmet, died of pneumonia. . . .
Charles Cole was in from the Star
country to say he's sure spring is
here. He spotted a bunch of 25
meadowlarks near his home. . . .
Mr. and Mrs. Bennett Gillespie
left for Galveston, Tex., to visit
Mr. and Mrs. Oral Witchen. . . .
Charles Hancock went to Omaha
to attend a meeting of the district
managers of Central Finance. . . .
Garrett Janzing was in Omaha on
business. *
Club Conducts First
Card Party of Year
VENUS- The Help U club held
the first card party of the year at
the Page Improvement club build
ing Tuesday, January 13. Four
teen members and husbands were
present.
Pitch was played. Receiving
high score were Irvin Held and
Mary Jeffrey. Low scores went
to William Buxton and . Mrs.
Matschullat.
The traveling prize was won
by Leona Finch.
Hostesses were Mrs. Irvin Held,
Mrs. Vincent Jackson, Mrs. Clar
ence Finch, and Mrs. William
Buxton.
Mrs. Max LeMasters entertain
ed the Help U club at her home
Wednesday, January 14. All
14 members were present, also
l visitors were, Mrs. Darrell Grass
and Mrs. Lloyd Butterfield. Wal
nut meats were picked, crochet
i ing, embroidery and mending
were done for the hostess. Miss
Vlosta Pospeshil will have the
| February meeting.
Mrs. Le Masters served re
j freshments at the close of the af
| ternoon.
Other Venus News
Mrs. Darrell Grass arrived at
! the home of her parents Tues
day, January 6, from Rapid City,
S. D. Her husband was transfer
red the previous day to an Illinois
air force base where he will at
I tend school until March. Mrs.
Grass will stay with her folks,
Mr. and Mrs. George Heggemey
er, during that interval.
Mr. and Mrs. H. J. LeMasters
spent Tuesday, January 13, even
ing with their daughter and son
in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Merle Mit
ties and family.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Brookhous
er and Ray were Sunday, January
11, dinner and supper guests at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Han
neman of Brunswick. Other
guests were Mr. and Mrs. Hugh
L. Brookhouser and sons, and Mr.
and Mrs. Emil Bartos and family
of Verdigre.
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Davey
ROYAL THEATER
O’NEILL
THURS. JAN. 21
FAMILY NIGHT
A CERTAIN SMILE
Color by DeLuxe, Cinemascope.
Starring Rossano Brazzi, Joan
Fontaine, Bradford D i 1 1 m a n ,
Christine Care re, Johnny Mathis.
Johnny Mathis sefs the mood for
romance in Paris, city of love! A
girl looks at a man with a certain
smile and something happens.
Adm. Adults 50c, children 15c
FRI.-SAT. JAN. 23-24
Gary Cooper as
MAN OF THE WEST
Co-starring Julie London, Lee J.
Cobb, Arthur O’Connell, Jack Lord.
Color by DeLuxe, Cinemascope.
Man of the lean jaw and hard fist
. . . man of the notched gun and
fast draw . . . Hear Julie London
sing "Man of the West”.
Adm. Adults 50c, children 15c.
Children under 12 free If accom
panied by parent.
SUN.-MON.TUE. JAN. 25 28-21
Doris Day, Richard Widmark in
THE TUNNEL OF LOVE
Costarring Gig Young, Gia Scala,
with Elisabeth Fraser, Elizabeth
' Wilson.Hear Doris Day sing "Have
! Lips, Will Kiss in the Tunnel of
■ Love”, “Skidaddle Skidoo”. Tired
! of tearjerkers? This one’s funny!
MGM’s made a spicy movie com
. edy from the hilarious Broadway
. play! In Cinemascope.
Adm. Adults 50c, children 15c
’ All children unless in arms musi
’ have ticket.
if Bellevue were Sunday mo ra
ng breakfast guests at the Ralph
Irookhouser home. They also vis
ted at the Russell Iekler and Ros
•oe Grueling homes that day.
O’NKllJJTK. SOLOIST
CREIGHTON — John Berigan
ormer first-chair clarinetist with
he University of Nebraska band j
vill be guest soloist when the j
Creighton school band presents its !
mnual winter concert Wednesday
February 18. Mr. Berigan has par
icipated with the Creighton band
in rehearsal. Duane Booth, form
»rly of O'Neill and trumpet player
at the U of N, is band director at
Creighton.
Suffers Fractured
Pelvis in Accident
BURWELL Gale Kirby of Tay
lor is still hospitalized here fol
lowing a Sunday, January' 11, one
car accident which took place
west of Burwell.
Kirby and Miss Karen Hoppes
of Bgrwell were passengers in a
car being driven by Ted Moon of
Taylor. The accident occurred
alx>ut 3 a m. about half-way be
tween the west bridge and the first
corner w’est. The car. a 1956 Font
owned by Kirby, was enroute to
Burwell. After making the sharp
turn west of the bridge, the car
struck loose gravel.
Apparently the left front wheel
locked, Wheeler Sheriff Walter
Canard said, and the machine
overturned end-over-end.
Kirby will 1*' hospitalized for
sometime, hospital attendants said
this week. Miss Hoppes suffered
a fractured collarbone but was dis
missed three days later. Moon,
the driver, received only scratches.
Kirby is suffering a fractured pel
vis.
BRIDGE TO GO
CLEARWATER The hexed
bridge on U. S. highway 275 east
of here is to be replaced with a new
structure. The bridge has been the
setting for a series of fatal acci
dents.
Marjorie Mulhair
Is Noble Grand
LYNCH Rose Brunson, as dep
uty president of the local Rebekah
lodge, assisted by Fern King.
Beulah Mulhair, Nelle Nelson and
Merle Moody, installed the follow
ing officers Tuesday, January 13:
Marjorie Mulhair, noble grand;
Lavina Kersch, vice grand; Betty
Christensen, secretary; Rose Bru
son, treasurer; Fern King, war
den; Lila Pritchett, conductor,
Beulah Mulhair; chaplain; Laver
na Compton, guardian: Marie Wil
son. outside guardian; Jennie
Serk. right support of noble grand;
Merle Moody, left support of no
hie grand; Bernice Row, right,
support of vice grant!; Thrxia ;
Crawford, lett support of vice
grand, and Nelle Nelson, pianist.
Health Insurance
Meeting Topic —
LYNCH The Excello extension |
club met at the home of Mrs. G. !
L. Mulhair Monday afternoon,
January 1.’. Eleven members wort
present .
Mrs. Frank Kulal presided at
the meeting. Mrs. Joseph David
presented the lesson on the ABC's
of health insurance. The club year
books were filled out by the mem
bers present.
The next meeting will In- at the
Upland Motxly home February 9.
t
Surprise Aunt on
SSrd Anniversary—
Mr. ami Mrs. Fred Soucex of
Norfolk, Joe Chocholousek, Mar
tha and Gus of Verdigrt and Mr.
and Mi's. Edward Oemousck of
Page surprised their aunt, Mrs.
Mary Halva on her 63rd birthday
anniversary Wednesday evening,
January 14. at her home. The
evening was spent visiting
ami playing cards At midnight a
lunch, brought by the guests, was
served. The hirtlulav cake was
baked In Mrs. Halva's niece Mrs.
Kred Soiieek. Many nice gifts were
given to Mrs. Halva and birthday
cards received from her children,
grandchildren and friends.
•••••••••••••••••••••••*•••••• #
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l on first cost, gas, upkeep •
. ••• #
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• •
. ...
- — ---——"
AS WE HAVE decided to quit farming, we will sell the following described personal |
j property on the premises, located 1Z2 miles north of West O Neill cornet on LJ. S.
I Highway 281, OR Za mile north of O Neill Drive-In theater, on
Wednesday, Jan 28th
Sale Starts at 1 P.M.
I —
8-Head of Cattle-8
0—MILK COWS 2 “Small BUCKET CALVES
Two fresh now; others to freshen real soon These are Hereford calves
12—Hampshire GILTS, bred to registered boar, to start farrowing in late February
30—Hampshire FEEDER PIGS, weighing about 40 lbs.
3—Dozen White Rock LAYING HENS — Brooder Stove
1-Slack of PRAIRIE HAY - 25-Bales of RYE STRAW
I Machinery & Equipment I
Hay Rack on rubber
Farmall F-20 Tractor
J-D B Tractor, in good
repair
12-Ft. M-M Combine with
motor and pickup att.
Mounted Cultivator for
F-20 tractor
G-I 10-In. Hammermill
with two screens
15- Ft. A-C Disc
Two-Row G-I Cornpicker
F-20 Tractor for salvage
16- In. Sulky Plow
IHC Two-Row Eli
IHC Two-Row Lister
Two-Bottom 14-In. Plow
Walking Plow
Dirt Scoop
IHC Endgate Seeder
50-Ft. Endless Belt
2—Wagons with Boxes
Manure Spreader
IHC No. 30 Cylinder
Sheller
12-Ft. Hay Rake
Hay Sweep for F-20
‘A’ Hay Stacker
IHC Mounted 7-ft. Mower
6-Ft. Stock Tank
Loading Chute
Set of Harness
Two-Wheel Trailer with
winch
Buzz saw with new blade
Some Used 1%-In. Pipe
2—Scoop Boards
Fuel Barrels
Hog Troughs
Used Woven Wire
Wincharger with batteries
Forge, Vise, Anvil, Other
Shop Tools
Many Miscellaneous
Articles
10x12 BROODER HOUSE — Two Other Small Removeable Buildings
Some Household Goods
Oil Space Heater—Skelgas Cook Stove—Dining Room Table—Cream Separator — Bed
Many Other Articles — TERMS: CASH.
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Fleming, Owners
Col. Wallace O’Connell, Ed Murphy, O’Neill,
O’Neill, Auctioneer Clerk