Prairieland Talk
"Six Weeks Til Frost"
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS, 4110 South Si*t St., Lincoln 6. Nebr
We shook hands and had a few minutes to
gether this morning, two old timers that knew Holt
county in earlier times. My friend. Dr Johnson, now
a practicing physician of many years experience as
a young man lived in the In
man community acquired hit
life's companion in that charm
ing spot of Holt county prairie
land His wife being a sister of
Mrs Claude Hancock, mother of
Holt's capable county treasurer
Claude and Mrs. Hancock were
at the Johnson home here in
Lincoln during the recent illness
of the doctor's wife but he In
formed me that Claude and his Homalne
wife had folded their tent like the
Arabs and silently stole away 8*an er*
to their home in Los Angeles, Calif. Dr. Johnson has
passed the four score period of life, is still active in
medical circles and goes to his downtown office
daily.
• • •
Another summer month now past. September is
here again as we march along the road that leads
to winter and then days to come leading to the
winter of life. Warm and frequent rains, good grow
ing weather, conditions unusually favorable for
starting another winter wheat crop. And my guess
is that Melvin and Marvin Meals up south of Atkin
son have their many tons of hay not just in stacks
but in bales for shipment. And Tom Baker down
near Amelia has dug up the dough to pay for having
the ranch hay meadows mowed and put into stacks
for his herd of Short Horns another season. Maybe
Howard Berry ran beef herds on his extensive
meadows this season and has no hay stacks to
worry about. And Rancher Ray Bly his season's
ranch work done will one day be getting out those
tax schedules to get about and assess the patriots
of southwest Holt.
• • •
A Nebraska youth shot and killed by the owner
of a few ripening watermelons who should be dealt
with on a charge of murder. A melon worth more
than a human life! Had I caught that prairie wolf
fifty years ago as It was going after one of the best
melons in my garden there may have been a dead
coyote. Oddly enough a wolf never goes after an un
ripe melon but always the best one on the vines . . .
She is on the job at 4:30 six days a week and sticks
to it until 4:30 in the afternoon, the grocery clerk
where I get my fresh fruit, one of the best in the
business here in Lincoln, no equal since the days of
Flo Bently at her grocery counter on east Douglas
street in O’Neill . . . His father asks that he might
take his son’s place in that prison over in Russia.
A devoted Dad indeed.
The first Katiedid told us the evening of August
30 that it will be six weeks until frost. Sweat a while
yet.
• • •
The great and the small that once were part of
the O’Neill picture are here no more. M P. Kinkaid
was one of the greatest. Dave Sulkerk one of the no
bodies. The building where Kinkaid holed up still
stands at Fourth and Douglas streets. I no not what
has become of the Sulkerk house that stood 70 years
ago on Fremont street between First and Second
streets. There still stands a house at the eastern end
of Douglas street where the seven members of the
Mann family holed up 75 years ago. The Meredith
home at First and Everett streets is still there, as
is also the Corbet house on south First street. The
Lowrie home on Everett street between Second and
Third streets still stands. And O'Neill’s early day
hotel at Fourth and •Everett streets is still there, a
home for a few superanuated has been. Yes, the great
and the nobodies of long ago are no more, a few
buildings of those time remain and the soil beneath
your feet is there as it was when General O'Neill,
his wife, his son Johnnie and daughter Kitty walked
about where your four ward notable town now serves
a great community.
* • •
The song of prairie birds the human ear delights
to hoar. Brings a smile to grouchey lips, checks the
flow of sorrowing tears. The far flung open land
scape robed in summer green, its lovely beauty the
choicest of nature’s scene. The green beneath, the
blue above arouses in us an admiring love. Shall
we bow the head and whisper a prayer to that
Guiding Hand that leads us every where. And as we
pass a fellow traveler coming our way give him a
smile and a pleasant word to cheer him as he
travels life’s highway.
• • •
Our Governor Brooks is a sick man, much under
the watchful eye of nurse and doctor. The two candi
lates for president of our country, one a crippled leg,
the other an affected throat. Yes, the great among
us are as U and I, made of flesh and bones that at
times grunts and groans.
• • •
It is known as a State Fair. Fair or unfair it
draws the crowds. Something to go to, things to be
seen, amusement and the races. It was reported that
on the second day of the 1960 State Fair, 97,000 citi
zens attended the fair. Races, not the horse races
that we had in A1 Heilemans and Ed Tierney’s day
at the O’Neill county fair but race mad guys at the
steering wheel of an automobile whirling like mad
around the track. Cattle, horses and other creatures
from the prairie farms are on display in large
numbers that many go to see.
* * *
Hot?—Sit in the shade. Cold?—Turn on the heat.
Editorial
Is it Impossible?
County and state fairs are in progress all over
the mid-west. The last big family event of the sum
mer will now be followed by gathering in the crops
and then, for most farm families, comes winter,
with chores and the job of getting the kids to and
from school.
In spite of a wet. late spring, some flooding and
some drought, the harvest is bountiful. The fair
grounds swarm with prosperous, well fed men, wo
men and children. Well fed to the point of a national
over-weight problem.
No one here needs to be in need of plenty of good
food -it is to be had for money or in case of neces
sity, for free. We could, and do enjoy this blessing.
However, there may be humane and intelligent
people who are unhappy in this state of abundance
for ourselves because of the millions of people in
cluding little children throughout the world who
never know what it means to have food enough to
satisfy their hunger.
The farmers here are a wonderful group—ready
and capable to produce food if only they could be
free to do so.
Instead they are shamed and insulted by subsi
dies and the sight of good grain rotting in storage
bins.
Both jKilitical parties are whooping up farm pro
grams based on the assumption that all the Ameri
can farmer asks is a bigger and bigger hand-out.
That is no way to put across the idea that what is
needed is a better marketing plan and world wide
distribution of food.
A bureaucrat with a load of heavy complicated
farm machinery is of small use in a backward, un
tillable country.
Surely the problem of distributing this surplus
shouldn't be an impossible one to solve. Maybe we
are dreaming an impossible altruism but our vote
will go to the man who restores the fanners dignity
by putting his surplus food into hungry mouths in
stead of government grain bins.
As For Lobbying
Indiana Publisher
The words “lobbying” and “lobbyist” have al
ways carried a somewhat sinister meaning in the
mind of the average individual. Why this is so has
never been clearly or satisfactorily explained. As a
matter of fact, every person who exercises any
thinking for or against legislative proposals in Con
gress or in the state legislatures is a lobbyist whether
the thinking goes no further than just that or takes
the form of writing a letter to a lawmaker to ex
press an opinion on some proposed law.
Undoubtedly, the impression that lobbying is
something evil and sinful stems from the methods
which have been and are often pursued by those who
profess to be lobbyists but in truth are charlatans.
These methods include bribery, girlie parties, liquor
orgies, lavish spending and costly gifts for those
they set out to influence. It is their sneaking and
underhanded designs that have given a bad name to
an activity that is an inalienable right of every citi
zen. and which should be encouraged rather than
retarded by government.
When the Internal Revenue Service adopted a
regulation last December prohibiting deduction for
income tax purposes of money spent for the purpose
of influencing legislation affecting the business of
the taxpayer it played into the hands of those who
purposely or inadvertently would deny the right of
citizens to express their opinion. Granted that this
is a strong accusation and would be disputed by IRS
it cannot be denied that the regulation originated
from a small group in government which has con
sistently advocated public ownership of power facili
ties and has just as consistently be-rated advertising
as being an economic impediment. Thus, the regula
tion curbs the possibility for citizens to lobby and at
the same time swats advertising media if citizens
resort to open and decent lobbying in the form of
advertising.
If the regulation was intended to add revenue to
the coffers of the U. S. Treasury it might serve some
justifiable end even though the means employes is
questionable in implying that citizens who lobby for
ar against legislation affecting their business are in
the category of charlatans. Or if the lawmakers at
state and national levels clamped a gag on lobbying
by bureaucrats within the government because of
its costly burden on taxpayers, the smell of the
regulation would be less malodorous. Indiana news
papers will recall the spectacle of public welfare
workers and personnel on the public payroll who
spent days and weeks in the legislative halls during
the 1951 session of the state legislature lobbying
against the bill which opened welfare records to
public inspection.
What the IRS regulation does is to say to citizens,
be they individuals or corporations: “While the law
permits you to deduct for income tax purposes all
ordinary and necessary business expenses, if those
expenses involve expressing your opinion on legisla
tion that might ruin your business, it will cost you
through the prohibition against deducting such ex
penses.” What the regulation does not say is: "You
yould be foolish to spend money on advertising to
express your opinions on legislation, even though
proposed law might put you out of business and you
consider it necessary business expense for your
survival, because you cannot deduct the expense of
the advertising. You should realize that you cannot
cope with the lobbying by those in official positions,
so why try?”
Regardless of the impression which some folks
have of lobbying it represents a form of freedom that
should not be imperiled by the exercise of queer
philosophies such as appear to be the basis for the
IRS regulation that is a deterrent to lobbying. The
best way to clean up lobbying of the corrupt type,
whether in or out of government circles, is for every
citizen to become a lobbyist.
JAMES CHAMPION. Co-Publisher
BRUCE J. REHBERG, Editor
Terms of Subscription: In Nebraska, $2.50 per
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rate abroad provided upon request. All subscrip
tions payable in advance.
Entered at the postoffice in O’Neill, Holt coun
ty, Nebraska, as second-class mall matter under
the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. This news
paper is a member of the Nebraska Press Asso
ciation, National Editorial Association and the Audit
Bureau of Circulations.
Frontiers
Ago
50 YEARS AGO
J B. Mellor has been selected
a member at the jury at the next
term at the United States Circuit
court which wiU be held at Nor
folk on September 19.. P J.
Frttchoff of Celia was an O’Neill
visitor last Tuesday. Mr. and Mrs
Fntchoff returned two weeks ago
from Sweden where they had
spent the past eight months vis
iting relatives and friends
in the land of their birth
.. ,T. B. Harrison, one of the
pioneers of the Black Bird coun
try, sold his farm near Meek to
Eric Berg and will move to this
city to make his future home He
thinks he will move to this city
to make his future home. He
thinks he will like O'Neill’s colony
of retired fanners.. Stephen Mc
Ginnis returned last Sunday morn
ing from Cody, Wyoming, where
he spent the past three months
visiting at the home of his son
R. J. Steve .. Dewitt Derby hnd
a narrow escape from getting ser
iously hurt last Monday, when he
fell from a load of baled hay.
The team being a little frighten
ed began to run, the front wheel
of the wagon running over his
foot. He is unable to work for
a few days.
25 YEARS AGO
Everything is in readiness for
the great O’Neill Free Day, which
is next Wednesday, and if ycu
want to spend a delightful day
and witness some splendid enter
tainment, do not fail to come
here that day and be the guest of
the business and professional
men of O’Neill. . .Mrs. C. C. Marr
of Walthill, Nebr. is the winner of
sored by the Nebraska Farm Bur
eau Federation during the state
fair. Mrs. Marr was formerly
Helen Sauser of O’Neill. . .Wed
nesday evening about fifty auto
loads of O’Neill people, headed
by the High School band and
Mayor John Kersenbrock, drove
to Stuart to attend the annual fall
festival held in that thriving little
city. . Helen Cleary became the
bride of John Turner Tuesday,
September 10, at Emmet with Fa
ther Byrne officiating. . .Frank
Nelson returned last Thursday
night from a week’s visit with
relatives in Omaha.
10 YEARS AGO
In a scene that was reminiscent
of 1917 and 1940, 9 Holt county
draftees boarded a bus here at
3:45 p.m. Tuesday and headed off
to a new war. Members of the
group were: Ernest H. Darre, jr.
of Ewing; Emil Junior Adamson
of O’Neill; Maynard G. Morrow
of O’Neill; Francis Laveme
Moore of Atkinson; Richard M.
9chmit of Atkinson; Oran W.
Long of O’Neill; Edwin J. Nacht
man of Amelia and Bruce Van
Ostrand of Ewing, Joel Birming
ham of Atkinson was to join the
group at Fort Crook. . .:TWo Amel
ia youths, Donald Withers and
Donald Fullerton, captured a pur
ple ribbon award and were judged
the best demonstration team at the
Nebraska state fair in Lincoln
last week. . .At least 3 groups will
have representatives at the next
council to urge installation of
traffic signals in behalf of safety
for 850 O’Neill school children. . .
Workmen are making steady pro
gress on the 30-thousand dollar
Memorial Baptist church in Cham
bers to be dedicated to the mem
ory of the late Jennie Clare
Adams, a missionary nurse who
was executed by Japanese sold
iers on December 29, 1943.
. 5 YEARS AGO
Mrs. Earl Eppenbaugh of O’
Neill has been announced the win
ner of a freezer in Admiral’s
"count the circles” contest. . .
Charles E. Chace, Atkinson attor
ney, Monday was elevated from
vice- commander to commander
of District XI of the Nebraska de
partment of the American Legion
... An enthusiastic group of
member- workers of the O’Neill
Community Concert association at
tended a banquet at the Knights
f _ 1.__ i _ 11 « _3_ n _
v-vyffomu/uo nau, juhuuj', ucfr
tember 11, to launch the 1955-’56
membership drive for this area. . .
Mrs. 0. Ross was elected president
of the Holt county extension coun
cil at its fall meeting Tuesday,
September 13. . Dr. L. A. Bur
gess was honored Monday by
the North Nebraska Dental asso
ciation at its annual meeting held
in Norfolk. . .Mrs. G. Owen “Bud”
Cole of Emmet defeated Mrs.
A. P Jaszkowiak of O’Neill to
win the women’s golf tourney at
the O’Neill Country dub. The
title match was Sunday.
Bus Schedule
Leave Sioux City 11.30 a.m.
Arrive O’Neill 3:30 p.m.
Leave O’Neill 3:45 p.m.
Arrive Sioux City 7:15 pm.
Leave Winner 6:00 a.m.
Arrive O'Neill 9:00 a.m.
Leave O’Neill 9:30 a.m.
Arrive Omaha 3:50 p.m.
Return
Leave Omaha 8:30 a.m.
Leave Norfolk 12:30 p.m.
Arrive O’Neill 3:00 p.m.
Leave O'Neill 4:00 p.m.
Arrive Winner 7:15 p.m.
Leave Valentine 9:10 a.m.
Arrive O’Neill 12:15 p.m.
Leave O'Neill 12:25 p.m.
Arrive Grand Island 4:05 p.m.
Leave Grand Island 4:05 p.m.
Arrive Omaha 7:45 p.m.
Return
Leave Omaha 7:45a.m.
Arrive Grand Island 11:20 a.m.
Leave Grand Island 12:30 p.m.
Arrive O’Neill 4:00 p.m.
Leave O'Neill 4:15 p.m.
Arrive Valentine 7:15 p.m.
The Long Ago
At Chambers
S* YEARS AGO
F, H Leonara left Monday for
a trip through Kansas and Mis
souri . The Chambers Band is
playing at Sheridan today at the
Kmkaid picnic . Purley is bunch
ing cattie, getting ready to make
another shipment. . Mrs. Rose
MoGowen, wife of C. L. McGow
en passed away last Tuesday...
Mr. Jacob Springer who has been
living «t Francis for some years
has sold out and was in Cham
bers Friday last bidding his many
friends goodbye before starting
for his future home at Platte,
S.D. - Die carpenters are build
ing some new buddings at the Fair
grounds.
Z5 YEARS AGO
Miss Flora Grimes who is a
nurse in the Queens Hospital in
Honolulu and her sister, Mrs.
Paui Gaiser of Lincoln have been
visiting relatives and friends in
Chambers since Sept 7th. . Mrs.
Ed Porter called on Mrs. Arnie
Mace Wednesday afternoon . . .At
a beautiful ceremony Sunday eve
ning at 7 o’clock Miss Beata Dan
kert was united in marriage to
Mr Arnold Lenz. . .Another fall
wedding torfc (dace Saturday, Sept
14 at Bartlett when Miss Lucille
Wright, eldest daughter of Mr.
and M'S. Charles Wright, became
the bride of Vernen E'kins, eldest
son of Mr. Clyde Elkins, both of
this community. . .Nine members
of the Rebekah Lodge of Cham
bers attended the District meeting
at Page Tuesday, September 17
.Ezra H. Cooke passed this
life September 11, 1935 at the Lu
theran Hospital at Norfolk.
Smoke from
"Brandin'
Iron" Crick
By J. C. Fudd
Things is pretty jumpy along
the Orick this week. Folks has
took to locking their doors and
staying inside after the sun goes
down. As much as they reason
ably can.
There’s a varmit loose in the
neighborhood. Nobody knows
what it rightly is. Nobody has
seen it close enough to actually
swear to, but there are them
that have heard it, seen it’s
tracks and got their own opinions.
One thing everyone agrees on, it’s
big, it’s savage and it’s a killer.
Newt Bundy discovered it first.
Went up to the steer pasture to
take up some mineral after the
last electric storm and found one
of the steers (The little brindle
one he bought off of Orley Hindi)
deader than a melt and half eat
up. Claims he went up close to
see if it was lightning struck (on
account of the insurance claim)
and By Gravy, there was tracks
big enough to make a grizzly
bear jealous. Newt’s theory is,
the critter was killed by lightning
then this big cougar, he thinks
it was, came in to fill up. Don’t
know if the inSarance company
will pay off yet or not.
The next night, Tuesday, after
Newt saw the tracks, Alex Goreys
was coming home from the cattle
sale kinda late. They stopped to
open the gate. Mrs. Alex was
sitting in the idiot’s seat but
wouldn’t budge so Alex had to
do the honors while the Mrs. slid
over and drove through. They
claim it was a good thing he did.
He’d just got the gate laid flat
when he saw something moving
out of the corner of his eye.
Looked as big as a box car and
kinda striped or spotted. It gave
off with the awfullest snarl and
yowl, scared Mrs. Alex out of
_ _ ru _ a_ _ I
acvcu* jc cxio giunui. uuc 11 wmj/vu
down on the gas and would have
left Alex in a cloud of dust if
he hadn’t caught hold otf the
stock rack and swung up as she
went by. He claims the thing
clawed at him as they sailed
past. (Probably just scared.)
Otty Camber claims he saw it
We<inesday night over south of
Widow Barker’s. It was moving
along a fence row, he says all sort
of skootched over. He claims it
was either a timber wolf or Little
Joe Hinch. Little Joe just grins
real irritating and says it was
prdbably a wolf driving a red
compact job looking at his own
shadow!
Old Man Chinn is busy setting
traps. If he don’t catch it with
in the next few days a hunt will
be organized along the Crick.
See you next week.
"The
EDITOR"
Sam Levenson says that apti
tude tests to find out just what
a child is best fitted for are being
used widely in today’s schools.
For instance a class of eighth
graders were so tested only to
find that they were best fitted
for the seventh grade.
—BJR—
We’ve been reading some old
“quotes” lately. One, "Whip your ;
child every day, you may not
know why but the child does.” j
Imagine charging in on the boy ]
with a strap and yelling “now j
see here you, we have had just
enough of this!” He would prob
ably shrug it off and decide that
pa had been overcome with the
heat. We might come out of it j
feeling pretty poorly.
—BJR—
Vw, even the Frontier's Editor
enjoyed the Nebraska State Fair
tins year. Carmel Q.ann. lamihar
to Arthur Godfrey tans and a
headliner at this year's lair, help
ed revive our spirits after a hec
tic day at the fair. We arrived
in Lincoln, ready for a pleasant
day. Saturday »fas Editor's day
at the fair and aU newspaper
editors and their families were
admitted free. That is aU but
mine. Without the proper ulenti
fioaiion issued by the Nebraska
Press association we may as well
have been trying to gain access
to Red China. After a short but
futile argument with the man in
the blue sun, a representative
at Mr. Pinkertons organisation,
we paid otar admission fee. But,
that was only the beginning. For
the past four years we have en
joyed the pnvdedge of parking
just west of the open air aud
itorium. Not so tins year.
This year we drove north by
northeast and I believe finally
parked somewhere near the Om
aha Municipal Auditorium. After
a stroll into the grounds from the
back forty, we arrived in time
to salvage one of the last free
cold chicken dinners, and it was
free.
After being thus refreshed we
joined the happy throng and view
ed the many sigfits at the fair
and after a pleasant afternoon we
struggled to the secretary's office
where we met Miss Carmel Quinn.
After a brief chat with Miss
Quinn about our Irish ancestry,
(there’s a McCaragher in my an
cestry) I volunteered to deliver
some movie film to the bus depot
in down town Lincoln. Since my
brother-in-law’s car has the nec
essary tags, stickers, other of
ficial paraphanelia necessary to
gain entrance to any part of the
fair ground I used it to make
the delivery. Only one thing marr
ed the errand. As I turned to en
ter the alley behind the Lincoln
bus station there was a minor
mishap.
Another driver, mistaking Fdjr
teenth street for a one-way street,
was quite surprised when I turn
ed in front of him. The result,
my brother-inlaw’s pink anil
white, air-conditioned Oldsmobile
stationwagon needs a new side.
But, other than these few min
or annoyances, our trip to the
fair was a success. In fact, I
think I’ll write to the Nebraska
Press association right now and
see which day is the free day
next year.
Do You Know Your Neighbor?
"Know Your Neighbor ' is not a contest There arc no prizes given
for correctly identifying the person pictured. The only reward is the
satisfaction of knowing your neighbor
Didn't you recognize Cal Stewart and his cigar,
\
Here's an easy one to guess this week.
To be held at the place located 2 Miles west and 1 and % north of Cham
bers on
Tuesday, Sept. 20
Sale starts at 1 p.m. Lunch on grounds by Bethany Ladies
112 HEAD OF CATTLE 112
18 Milk Cows - Holstein,
Brown Swiss, Guern
sey. Some milking now
others fresh in Decem
ber. All good young
cows
3 Guernsey Heifers, 2
years old to freshen
soon
13 Mixed stock cows, 10
with calves at side
3 Registered yearling
Hereford bulls
K ..
11 Hereford Cows, regi-1
stered, pedigree will I
be furnished. 2 to 7 ■
years old. Seven with I
calves at side, eligible I
to register
8 Yearling Registered
Hereford heifers
5 Yearling Hereford
heifers
21 Hand fed spring
calves
21 HEAD HOGS 21
21 Feeder Pigs
MACHINERY
1 Auto guide cable rack on rubber,
heavy duty
1 A hay stacker mounted on wheels
1 DeLaval milking machine 73. 4
unit capacity, used 3 months
1 Tractor wench, fits H or M
1 Manure loader
1 IHC Self washing cream separator,
good. Some milk pails
Approximately 300 tons hay 20 stacks Prairie hay
Alfalfa, 1, 2 and 3 cuttings
TERMS: Cash. No property to be removed until settled for.
Mr. & Mrs. Howard Beed
Col. Ed. Thorin, O'Neill-Roy Kirwan, Butte, auctioneers.
Chambers State Bank, clerk
