Prairieland Talk
Filthy Indifference
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS, 4110 South 51st St, Lincoln 6, Nebr.
A boy and a girl still in the first few years of
childhood and calling a small dwelling their home.
As I approach along the way where I go, these two
little mites of human beings come running, hands
held out for a bit of candy. Does your Daddy not
get you candy, I asked one day. Have no Daddy—
he gone away, came the childish response. A few
more words and the conclusion is reached that
a father has left his life's companion and his off
spring of tender years. What may be back of it I do
not know; I only know that in such a case a father's
concern and devotion, to the childhood of his making
is lacking, a father's love replaced by the filthy
rags of indifference.
• • •
A friend at Atkinson sent me the poster on which
appeared the program of Atkinson’s great yearly
event, the Hay Days. The program has a most in
teresting appeal. Somehow those Atkinson guys have
always had what it takes to put on a show. Prai
rieland Talker would like to have taken in the show
this year, but some how the scorching heat of late
August days impelled me to stay home and loll in
the shade. I hope to get up that
way when autumn days have
come. The season of fairs, hay
days, rodeos and outdoor shows
draws to a close. I do not plan
this hot day of August to spend
a day at our great Nebraska
State Fair. But as autumn and
the lane of time, social gather
ings, educational, cultural and
spiritually inspiring events are
for us again.
, . , Bomalne
He sat this morning where Saunders
loafers may be seen. Raving, craving, stark staving
and roaring it out about the high cost of groceries
and a slice of beef. Yes, today that’s it. Is there now
makings of a political movement to cut the cost of
grub, as there was in the late 1880’s and early 90's
with a populist party started to increase earnings
and raise prices generally. Then it was the cry
to raise prices, 11-cent a bushel potatoes, 10-cent
com, ten dollar fat two-year-olds. Now the cry is
lower prices. It can't be done unless production
costs first come down. But how can that be with
labor union workers demanding more pay and few
er working hours?
Wipe the sweat from off thy furrowed brow. A
few more steps until the north wind with snow
comes moaning across the land.
* • *
The death of Homer Mullen takes one more of the
native sons of O’Neill and lays away another of the
important families of this community. I knew Ho
mer’s father and his mother’s people well. Pat, as
we all knew Homer's father, was in the livery bus
iness in O'Neill up until the automobile took over.
He, with his brother, had the old Ward livery
Editorial
and feed bam on east Douglas street until it was
burned down, and then to a location two blocks
west on that street Where the barns had stood now
other structures rear their lofty spires. The last liv
ery team I drove was a Mullen team. Homer did
not take to horses as his father had, but took rather
to the banking business. Business is over for Ho
mer, his friends see him no more, and his wife
goes her way alone with treasured memories tf
life along the way with Homer.
• • •
So another Frontier typographical artist becomes
an editor and publisher. I count ten others who
have walked away from their type cases at that
south window of the old shop to become publishers
of newspapers of their own, three of those Frontier
printers going into business right in the old town,
one taking over the Tribune, another assuming the
job of editor of the Item and the other starting the
O’Neill Sun. A Frontier printer started the first
paper in Chambers, known as the Eagle. The Dus
tin Dispatch, the Stuart Advocate, a paper out
at Mullen and the Leigh World—Leigh being a
little town in Colfax county. They were each head
ed by one-time Frontier printers. And The Fron
tier continues to roll off the press each week, now
in its 80th year.
Along life’s highway are hidden woes, but the
sunlight shines on the prairie rose. The pleasant
things outnumber the bad—so let us laugh and be
glad.
* * *
In this land of the free and home of the brave
we step up to our chief executive, reach out a
hand and say, hello Ike. In ancient times they ap
proached the ruler on the throne of Babylon in
fear and trembling, bowed before the monarch and
said, "O King, live forever! Live forever!” None
did. In one night the last of the Babylonian mon
archs was slain. And as the poet expressed it,
“crownless and sceptreless Belshazzar lay, a robe
of purple 'round a form of clay’ I heard him
tell the story yesterday, one of those missionary
minded clergymen who has traveled the world over.
An African native with already a half-dozen wives
traded two oxen for a 10-year-old girl to add another
“lawful mate" to his jungle household. The child did
not want to leave home but was taken anyway. The
first night she sneaked out and returned home. But
her jungle-bred mother and dad made her go back
to “her man”. Some how she had heard of a mis
sion station and school 60 miles off through the
South African jungle. After two days and a night
she appeared at the mission station tom and bloody
from jungle thorns encountered along the way. Ta
ken in and cared for by kindly hands she remained
at that school and mission, became a teacher and
finally the wife of a son of that American mission
ary who, if he did nothing more, saved a ten-year
old girl from the fate of the heatheh women in
Africa's jungleland.
McGinley's Hindsight
It would almost have been a pleasure to read the
“hindsight” letter of explanation by Congressman
Don McGinley if it were not for the fact that he re
presents us.
Last week he caused to be published what he
considered an explanation for not voting for the Lan
drum-Griffin bill from the start. Oh, yes, he voted
for it when other bills failed and when he rea
lized his political future depended on it, but he didn't
support it when the House Labor Committee bill
was still alive.
The watery committee bill was not even a close
substitute for the stronger Landrum-Griffin bill in
the estimation of those who would shackle corrupt
labor leaders in small and large unions.
There were some rather interesting rationali
zations, we think, included in McGinley’s letter to
newspapers.
He said: “From my experience as a legisla
tor in Nebraska and here in Congress, I have the
strong conviction that in order to enact a bill that
is truly reflective of the will of the legislative
body...” etc., etc., and so on in his explanation
of why he did not support the bill from the begin
ning.
It makes a person wonder just how experienced
he is in view of the fact that it isn't his job to
determine what the legislature wants. All we can
say is that for years, this has been the responsibility
of the courts. Mr. McGinley’s job is to try to deter
mine what his constituants want and if his col
leagues in Congress do not support or reflect the
will of Mr. McGinley’s constituants, then we say he
should stand up and disagree with them, not to try
to determine what THEY want.
it's what we his constituants want, for better or
worse, that should remain uppermost in his mind.
Now here is another statement made by him in
his letter: “There were some provisions in this re
gard in the Landrum-Griffin bill which I consider
not to be the best method of achieving the aim of
Congress.’’
And again we say there is some question as to
what Congress wanted in the first place, but it
makes very little difference since the desires of
Congress must depend upon the desires of the peo
ple who put these men in their political position.
And another statement: “Some of the secondary
boycott provisions of the Landrum-Griffin bill may
stop abuses in some instances, but it would very
likely be that some of them will find themselves
neutralized by court rulings where the law tres
passes on rights of union members guaranteed by
the Constitution and the Supreme Court decisions
Yep, Mr. McGinley, that is exactly what t;ie
courts and the Constitution is for, so let’s let the
judges worry about that and do what the people
want. We feel that second guessing courts and in
terpreting the Constitution is not his first respon
sibility.
According to McGinley the Landrum-Griffin bill
and his favored Committee bill were identical for
all "practical purposes in 85 percent of their pro
visions.’’
Now if that is true, and judging from the initial
weight and force of the Landrum-Griffin bill (the
first real constructive and effective piece of legisla
tion for slowing down the hoods in our estimation)
then why did McGinley stand on principal when
there was even the slightest chance that no leg
islation at all would be effected this term?
And suppose principal is important. If he thought
the Landrum-Griffin bill was not the best one after
all, why didn’t he vote against it all the way and
then send a letter explaining to his constituants
why he did as he did?
And the answer is quite simple:
He said: “My decision was my own, and not one
dictated by party or political consequence*: to my
self.” Funny he should mention “political conse
quences” to himself. Must have been on his mind
when he wrote.
What About Steen?
From the Osmond Republican
Is Mel Steen, who came to Nebraska from Mis
souri, the bigwig of the Nebraska Game Commis
sion, good or bad?
Mr. Steen got off to a bad start almost as soon
as he assumed his authority in Nebraska. He or
dered charges of illegal bird shooting against a
Game Commission member dropped. He’s been in
and out of the frying pan ever since. His latest tilt
(if no other has developed since this writing) fol
lows action of the Commission on August 14 when
Nebraska game bird seasons were established. The
game boss professes to be a friend of the poor
hunter, the man who in theory, and maybe in prac
tice, needs public shooting grounds, yet his actions
disagree with his utterances.
The Commission on that fateful Friday allowed
a 12 pheasant possession limit in part of Nebraska,
a 9 bird possession limit in the Osmond area and
a large part of this end of Nebraska. Coupled with
this is a magazine advertising program designed
to lure "foreign" hunters to our state. It could
just possibly be that the Commission cares more
for the dollars these foreigners will spend for li
censes than for the visiting human personalities
as such.
&SHTC Fpowfittfc
JAMES CHAMPION, O-Publisher
JERRY PETSCHE, Editor
Terma of Subscription: In Nebraska, $2.50 per
year; elsewhere In the United States, $3 per year;
rates abroad provided upon request. All subscriptions
payahle in advance.
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.
NATIONAL editorial
Fourth in a Series
State Road Repair
In Holt County;
What Is Coming?
By JERRY PETSCHE—Editor
It appears from reports of the Department of Roads in Lincoln
that Holt county has just about received all the state road improvement
it's going to get for some time.
R L. Cochran, chairman of the department, explains that we can
expect to see just a little over 8 more miles of construction and re
pair during the 1959-61 biennium.
But before you get the idea that we are in a "sad" position, con
sider this: There are 22 counties in the state that are not now sche
duled for state maintained road repair—short that is, of emergency
measures.
We can be sure of only one improvement, the 8-mile stretch of
graveled Highway 11 beginning 6 miles south of Atkinson and then
continuing south, and this is only a leftover from the 1957-59 bien
nium plans.
In other words, we get a big fat zero for the coming biennium.
We get this big fat zero despite the fact that there are at least
50 miles of unpaved state maintained roads and that over half
of those are less than 80 percent sufficient according to their own
system of measuring.
And we get that big fat zero despite the fact that we have a 14
mile stretch of Highway 281 south of O’Neill that is less than 58 percent
sufficient and that we have 18 miles of Highway 20 with less than
69 percent sufficiency.
But before we complain too loudly, it would only be fair to men
tion the roads that have received repair work during the past 3 bi
enniums. That list is not exactly unimpressive either:
Location year Distance cost
Miles Per Mile
Chambers east to U.S. 281_1954 5.0 $27,900
Atkinson east 5.6 miles U. S. 20 .1956 5.6 38,700
O’Neill west U. S. 20__. .1958 8.0 45,500
Bartlett U. S. 281...1959 8.0 39,000
Jet. N-95 south.. 1958 10.0 46,500
Atkinson south N-1I_ 1954 6.0 49,000
From N-12 south..1954 16.0 16,500
U. S. 281 near O’Neill___1955 6 6 32,700
Page Spur south__1953 5.0 17,000
Now with a little arithmatic we find that during the past 7 years
only a little over $5 millions have been spent here.
Compare that figure with this. During 1957 alone, approximate
ly $50 millions were made available to the state for all counties
from all sources Including vehicle registration and the 7-cent
gas tax.
If you really want to be discouraged, estimate the percentage
per year we received remembering that we are 17th in population and
about the same in the number of vehicles registered and the amount
of gas tax paid.
There are some good reasons why we get as little as we get.
To begin, the state of Nebraska retains only 60.6 percent of state
funds. The remainder is turned over to cities and counties. Our
board of supervisors are required to spread out the state dollar fur
ther than most counties because we are such a big county with
so many roads. By necessity the county gets as much as it gets and
even that seems hardly enough.
Another reason is the sufficieny itself. Based upon road conditions
rather than use in another sense, Holt county gets hurt. Take a very
small county with a very small population for example:
Let’s say the roads happen to be very bad. Despite the possi
bility that the use of the roads is nothing in comparison with Holt
county, despite the possibility that the 7-cent gas tax paid is nothing
compared with Holt, despite the fact that there are very few motor
vehicle registrations in comparison with Holt county, that little
county would realize more state road maintenance and quicker than
we do.
It would seem at first, and you can net your last dollar that the
originators of the sufficiency system believe it, that their system is
workable on the basis of use.
But the idea of this “highway use” system can be a double-headed
monster and the question of "use” can be viewed in different ways.
In addition to the example of the very small county, consider this
question. By “use” and basing the system upon it, did the originators
of the sufficiency system take into consideration the possibility that
one engineer might reach different sufficiency estimates than another,
say one working in the eastern part of the state in comparison with
one deciding upon the sufficiency of Holt county.
Did the men who sat down in tho statehouse in 1952 realize
that in a highly populated county where the area is also large,
the need for better roads is proportionally much higher than the
smaller county even though the condition of the roads is the
same? This comes about when we consider that where there are
masses of people, problems of
vate transportation mushroom e
is proportionately the same.
Take a simple mail delivery, ft
the large and the small county the
road conditions. While there might
of letters in the small area, thous
sands of letters in the large count
you realize that taking the entire
inesses in the state outside of the
large county got its mail late.
Equally effective arguments c*
of food or transportation of cattle
Next week's article will includi
capsule form, and ways in which t
and county maintained road syste
Frontiers
Ago
50 YEARS AGO
Arrangements are being made
to organize a stock company to
bore for oil near Ewing.Mr.
and Mrs. J. F. O'Donnell are re
joicing over the arrival of a son
and heir at their home. Jim felt
so good over the arrival of James
Jr. that he passsed out perfectos
to his friends all day.Dr.
Talboy sold his ranch (formerly
the Baker ranch) 3 miles south
west of Ewing to parties in Iowa
for $41,000.Station Agent
joraon passed around me cigars
on the strength of a boy which
arrived at his home.Work
was commenced excavating for
the new residence of Court Re
porter Scott. He is building on
lots owned by him on the corner
of first and Everett streets.
J. A. Naylor of Thompsonville,
Conn, arrived in the city and will
make O'Neill his future home. Mr.
Naylor purchased a half inter
est in the restaurant of his broth
er-in-law, George Weingartner..
.Mrs. A. J. Mohr arriv
ed home from Omaha where she
has been the last two months with
her daughter and family who
have been ill.
30 YEARS AGO
The farmers of Holt County co
operated with the U. S. Forest
Service in planting more miles
of field shelterbelts than any other
of the 42 Nebraska counties in
which the Prairie States Fore
stry Project is operating.On j
September 5, 1939 Stuart had a
celebration dedicating their new
530,000 auditorium. Judge Dickson
was the main specker. . . . .Mar
ried: Joseph F. Ryan, O’Neill and
Margaret Gallagher, Chicago . . .
17 Members of Holt county 4-H
clubs represented Holt county at
the State Fair.Elmer Stolte
of Atkinson who was the O’Neill
high school coach since 1932 hand
ed in his resignation to the school
board and left for Illinois w'here
he accepted another position. Jack
Vincent of O’Neill received fav
orable comment from the sports
W’riters of the Lincoln papers than
any other youngster on the fresh
man squad during training. . . A
at the Blake Benson home in hon
or of Mrs. Alice Benson on her
83 birthday.. . County Judge L.
W. Reimer moved his family to
this city and are now comfort
ably located in the Mary Kelly
home northeast of town.
10 YEARS AGO
“Grandma” Sarah Hull started
her 95th year on September 6,
1949. One hundred of the 129 im
mediate descendants were on'
hand to say "Happy Birthday”. . .
Dale Wood, 10, of Ewing was pic
tured with Skippy, a Hereford
baby beef which was judged
commercial. Industrial and prt
vrn though the use of the roads
it example. Let's say that in both
mail is late because of equally bad
be hundreds depending on hundreds
ands might be depending on thou
f. The seriousness is obvious when
state as a whole, many more bus
counties will be effected where the
n be given to the transportation
to market.
• a summary of our problems in
ach one of us can better our state
m.
grand champion in the 4-H club
competition at the Holt county
fair. Ray Siders of O'Neill show
ed the grand champion female, a
black angus.. .Betty Gallagher of
O'Neill and Donna Krotter of Stu
art w-ere among the pledges to
social sororities of the Univer
sity of Nebraska campus. . .
Married: Erma Elaine Luben of
Inman and Norbert E. Clark of
Burwell; Miss Rita Laible and
Glenn Gettert of Atkinson.. .
The seven children of Mrs. J. H.
McPharlin gathered at her home
to surprise her. This was the first
time the family had been togeth
er in 14 years.. . Girl Scout Troop
II held a farewell picnic-party in
Ford's park honoring Mrs. Lowell
A. Johnson, Lynette and Rollie,
who are moving to the country. .
Death. Two-year-old Vernon Elmer
Juracek of Star was drowned in
a stock tank at>out one hundred
yards from the family home while
playing.
Five Years Ago
A itnnr> rli cr\l 1 ♦ /V m'Or f hn t'P
location of U. S. highway 281 was
given an airing in the state capi
tal hearing room before the state
Moss was sworn in as postmaster,
advisory commission. .. Ira H.
John L. Lewis, resident of the Uni
ted Mine workers stopped in O'Neil1
. . A radar device for catching
motorist exceeding the speed lim
it on highways in this area was
put to use on a trial basis on U. S.
highways 20-275, 2>4 miles east of
O'Neill. .. Strong winds with gusts
up to 50 miles per hour whipped
out of the northeast doing some
damage to trees in the city...
Two unconfirmed cases of polio
were reported in Stuart... Mr. and
Mrs. Ted McElhaney and daugh
ter, Jeannine, 13 escaped injury
when their homeward bound car
was struck in the rear, east of
Boy’s Town... A total of 170 pu
pils, 85 boys and 85 girls register
ed at O’Neill high school. .. A
swimming meet was held at the
O’Neill municipal swimming pool.
Luciell’s Cafe in Chambers was
recently sold to Leonard Miller
of O’Neill... Married: Deritha
Elaine Smith and Kenneth Moore
at Inman.
O'Neill local*
The H. B. Taylor family of Lin
coln were weekend guests at the
J. F. Contois liome.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Chace,
North Platte, were weekend guests
of her mother, Mrs. H J. Ham
mond. The Chaces were return
ing from Minneapolis where they
attended the National American
Legion convention. Their children,
Francis and Charlotte, spent the
week with their grandmother here.
Carol Johnson was homo from
Lincoln with her parents, the Mar
vin Johnsons from Wednesday to
Sunday last week.
Mrs Ivan Bain of Vermillion,
S. D.. visited with her sister-in
law, Mrs. James Kelly, Monday
and Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Reed Herley and
daughters and Mr. and Mrs. Mel
vin Ruzieka were in Omaha Sun
day for a hardware convention
sponsored by Paxton and Gallag
Lam
The J. R. McKenzies of Omaha,
former O’Neill residents, visited
Wednesday to Saturday last week
at the A. L. Eymann home.
Mr. and Mrs. Lem Webb and
son left Monday for their home
in Phoenix, Ariz., after a six week
visit with relatives in O'Neill and
Page.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Aim and
Slieila of Bloomfield. la. were
guests last week of his parents,
the Arthur Alms. The Donald
Alms, Arthur Alms and I>o»i
Maws were dinner guests Sun
day at the Bill Aim home in
Lynch.
Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Manson and
Mrs. Sidney Anderson of Elgin
were in Ord Sunday to see Mrs.
Manson’s sister, Mrs. I. W.
Briggs, who is a patient at the
Ord hospital.
Miss Rita Waller was home for
the weekend from Norfolk and
brought as her guest, Stan Hoff
man, also from Norfolk.
Miss Carolyn Lindberg was in
Holyoke, Colo, for the weekend as
a memlter of the wedding party
for her college roommate. She
returned to Stromsburg, where she
will teach second grade this year.
Mr. and Mrs. Dean Streeter
and Jean McKenzie visited rela
tives Sunday in Brunswick.
DR. H. D. GILDER8LEEVE
OPTOMETRIST
Northeast Corner
of 4th * Douglas
O’NEILL, NEBR.
Ph. 107 — Office hr*. 0 to B
Eyes Examined—Glusses Fitted
Monday Thru Saturday
Closed Wednesday
STOCK CAR RACES!
Stuart. Nebr.
SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 6
*
8:00 p.m.
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