Prairieland Talk
"Canaries May Be Next"
Hy ROMA IN E SAUNDtrtS. 41 U» South Sint St Lincoln 6, N*br.
One race car driver killed at the state fair this
year Time to do away with auto races that end so
often in tragedy . . , 400 highway deaths across the
country Labor L>ay . . . U. S. Senator John Ken
nedy seeking election as presi
dent John Kennedy of Swan
precinct in southwest Holt
county served with Prairieland
Talker on the election board
over there in the schoolhouse
our worthy friend John moved
to O’Neill where he died, and I
moved to Lincoln, still living
. . . Prominent clergymen of
the Methodist church in Indiana
conclude that what appears on „
. . ,, Rom&ine
the TV is unwholesome.
• • « Saunders
The Frontier’s gifted poet, Mrs. Eby, writes of
loving a tree, lake the Arab maiden in the story of
the “Fire Worshipers" 1 as a lad loved the trees
planted by my father’s hand on his prairie home
stead and the flowers mother’s hand had planted in
the long ago. Gone today, not a twig nor a leaf left to
wave in the summer breeze. He climbed a tree the
other day, my friend’s aging father, to cut away dead
branches; in the act slipped and fell to the ground
sustaining a broken back. Can the old lioy still love
that tree?
* * *
The Lincoln city council has done it. Cats are to
lie in the list of licensed things in our Capital City.
Dogs got it sometime ago, Canary birds in cages in
■homes may be next, and then license plates for the
baby buggies.
• * *
Now and then Nebraskans take off for California.
But today over across the street is being unloaded
the goods of new comers, Califorians moving to the
Capital City of Nebraska.
• • *
The first week of September the weather gauge
out there on the wall up in the 90’s, and then a
cooler breath as the month marches on. The grass
is still green and flowers with us still.
* * *
It was that wise guy who sat upop a kingly
throne in the 10th century B. C. and wrote a kingly
and kindly and wise estimate of "A Virtuous Wo
man." Her husband trusted in her, her children cal
led her blessed. "She looketh well to the ways of her
household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.”
And now they are at it again, the industrious house
wives. Glass jars by the dozen her hands are filling
with peaches, pears, tomatoes and other products of
garden and orchard. No bread of idleness, but we
Idlers on cold winter days eat what the capable
hands of the virtuous housewife stores away today
in glass jars.
Two years ago he stood up in a car at a prorru
nent street comer in a business section of sou the as
Lincoln soliciting our support when we went to vote
He was elected governor of our state. Less than twt
years as governor, sick most of that time. Now Mr
Brooks suffers no more, lies at rest in the abode a
the dead. Sufferings and life's ambitions at an end
In Lt. Governor Burney we now have for the nex
four months a governor from north Nebraska.
• • •
A letter came to Prairieland Talker from a dis
tant state, the one writing the letter being a nativi
of Holt county, bom in a home near the Elkhorn anc
memories of that stream of crystal flowing watei
with scenes of the green robed landscape all arounc
have been cherished through the passing years
though far away. The hand of the Master Artist
layed out the scent on prairieland. You felt its touch
its appeal and though you may go to distant places
w’here too nature paints a picture, the silken green
the flowing stream, the touch of color often seen
bird and beast and human friend- the treasured
memories never end.
* * *
Holt county's oldest citizen. Grandma Hull, has
traveled life's highway to reach the age of 105 years,
sits today in her easy chair at her comfortable home
in picturesque and charming northern Holt county
where she went as a bride in the long ago, the days
of raids by Spotted Tails braves, the pale face out
laws and the good men and women who came to
establish homes and subdue the outlaws. We honor
Grandma Hull, she being a symbol of the loyal
patriots that came to pralriJland to make their
homes, transform a wilderness to the charming
country as we know today as Holt county.
• * •
The west coast revaged by forest fires. The east
coast from Florida to Maine swept by raging tor
nados. Nebraska—O, all is lovely on prairieland as
September draws to the end. Now lovely autumn
colors adorn the landscape from Atkinson to Amelia,
from Ewing to Stuart. And plenty in basket and
store so that none will come up to Thanksgiving with
but dried cherries for dinner as did John and Hanna
Haloran down by Inman in the long ago.
* * * •
Young America in school again. The opening of
public schools in Lincoln found about 24,000 students
enrolled. In addition to this number in the public
schools there may be some six thousand of Capital
City kids in private schools under the supervision
of some churches. These boys and girls not only
learn to read and write and figure 2 plus 2, but are
bowing their young heads in reverence for spiritual
things.
• • *
He is 97 years of age. Asked the reason for living
to such an age, replied—“Don’t die;”
Editorial
Let's Have a "Taxpayer Day"
As we all know, an almost limitless number of
“days" and "weeks" are observed in this country.
They run a tremendous gamut, and are designed to
honor and publicize just about everything from the
Boys Scouts to eggs. Some are worthwhile, some are
absurd. In either case, they seem to be a permanent
institution.
However, one extremely important element in
this country has no special day or week. That is the
taxpayer. He keeps the country running, but no one
formally honors him.
This situation certainly calls for a remedy. Let
there by a "Taxpayer Day" or a "Taxpayer Week"
or a "Taxpayer Month.” Let it lie formally proclaim
ed by all heads of government, from the President
of the United States down to town mayors. A suit
able badge for the occasion would be a black arm
band. For, in the present state of federal, state and
local taxation, mourning for the taxpayers is certain
ly in order.
According to The American Medical Association,
an independent national survey just completed by
sociologists on the faculty of Emory University, At
lanta, Ga.. “emphatically proves that the great ma
jority of Americans over 65 are capably financing
their own health care and prefer to do it on their
own, without federal government intervention.”
Among specific findings, the survey reveals that 61
per cent of the people interviewed considered their
health was good; 29 per cent thought it fair, and only
10 per cent thought it poor. Ninety per cent could
think of no personal medical needs that were not
being taken care of
Although they make up less than 14 per cent of
the driving population, drivers under 25 years of
age were involved in nearly 29 per cent of the fatal
accidents last year.
The FBI reports a sharp upward trend in serious
crime during ttie first six months of 1960. It was led
by a 13 per cent increase in robberies followed by a
12 per cent climb in the number of burglaries. Crimes
against the person also increased: six per cent for
murders, five per cent for forcible rapes, and four
per cent for aggravated assaults.
Writing in National Review Bulletin, Norvin R.
Greene says: “It is utterly fallacious to assert that
true competition does not exist except when one
competitor seeks to undersell or cut prices below the
others .... The truth is that price-cutting is one
of the poorest mechanisms of competition. It usually
leads to reduction or destruction of profits and
eventually to deterioration in service to the public.
There are many other more effective ways of com
peting. More effective advertising, better selling
strategies, superior service to the public, more ef
fective distribution systems, establishment and main
tenance of reputation for quality and unquestioned
reliability—all these are more worthwhile competi
tive factors. •
According to recently published figures, our
gross public debt exceeds that of all the other nations
of the world combined.
How to "Catch Up" with the Soviets
We've all read prophecies to the effect that the
Soviet Union is swiftly overtaking us in production,
and that we’re in danger of becoming a second-rate
power.
An antidote to that has been provided by Bryce
N. Harlow, deputy assistant to President Eisen
hower. “In order to enjoy the glories of the present
Soviet system, he said we would have to abandon
three fifths of our steel capacity, two thirds of our
petroleum capacity, 95 per cent of our electric mo
tor output two of every three of our bydro-electric
plants, and get along on a tenth of our present
volume of natural gas.
We would have to rip up 14 of every 15 miles
of our paved highways and two of every three miles
of our mainline railway tracks. We'd sink eight of
every nine ocean-going ships, scrap 19 of every 20
cars and trucks, and shrink our civilian air fleet
to a shadow of its present size.
We would cut our living standards by three
fourths, destroy 40 million TV sets, nine of every ten
telephones, and seven of every ten houses; and then
we would have to put about 60 million of our people
back on the farm .... In answer to the claims that
the Russians are leap-frogging us in electric power
facilities, Mr. Harlow declared that if they are to
catch up with us by 1980, they must, in the next
20 years, build the equivalent of a brand new
Hoover Dam every 21 days . . . .”
Mr. Harlow also dealt with the military picture.
We are, according to him, well ahead of the Soviet
in various important weapons and other assets—in
cluding bombers, nuclear submarines, aircraft car
riers, and allies and foreign bases.
No one with good sense underestimates Soviet
power, existing or potential. But it’s equally sense
less to under-rate our own achievements and
strength.
According to the Tax Foundation, about nine out
of every 10 persons who file an income tax return
make less than $10,000 a year. It adds that if the
government took 100 per cent of all taxable income
above $10,000 the extra revenue wouldn’t even pay
the interest on the national debt.
JAMES CHAMPION, Co-Publisher
BRUCE J. REHBERG, Editor
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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 news
paper is a member of the Nebraska Press Asso
ciation, National Editorial Association and the Audit
Bureau of Circulations.
RATIO NAl EDITORIAL
Frontiers
Ago
50 YEARS AGO
An oki soldiers birthday party
, was given in honor of Mr. D. A.
Goree's 69th birthday last Tues
day the 2(tth of the month. Six
' old soldiers were present, besides
many relatives and friends and
presented to Mr. Goree a nice
rocking chair. . . I he pupils of
Miss Ruth Evans of OINeill will
give a musical entertainment at
the opera house, Friday evening,
the 23rd. . .While in the city the
first of the week Mr. McGinnis,
of the McGinnis Creamery Com
pany entered into a contract with
the Holt county Telephone com
pany for the use of their poles
upon which to string his electric
light wires. . Mr. and Mrs. Pet
er Sullivan moved to this city
from Crete last week and will
make their home in this city. Mr.
Sullivan is a carpenter and has
been following his trade in Lin
coln and Crete. . ,J. Frank Kier
nan who has been manager of the
Holt county Telephone company
the past three years, has tendered
his resignation as manager to
take effect October 15.
25 YEARS AGO
E. E. Cole, Star postmaster, was
pleasantly surprised on Sunday,
Sept. 22, his 75th oirthday anniver
sary. His son and wife cleverly
planned the surprise by Charles
taking his father to see some
cattle they have in a pasture near
Opportunity, while Mrs. Cole as
sisted by Mrs. Frank Hunter, pro
oared the dinner. . .Mary Jean
Hammond, of this city, a student
in the university college, Creigh
ton university, Omaha, won a
nation-wide contest conducted by
a motion picture magazine. . .
The third annual merchant’s
Bargain and Free day with a to
«v* utau v f viuaig
crowd of visitors estimated at
between 10,000 and 15,000 persons
here was pronounced a decided
success. . .Ambrose Rhode, assis
tant manager of the Council Oak
store here reports that Romaine
Rhode told ot a mysterious fire
north of O’Neill 23 miles on land
owned by Mrs. Stephen Donlin.
Two weeks ago fire broke out
there in a five acre swamp always
holding water and mud, so it
could not be waded until last
summer when it dried.
10 YEARS AGO
A group of relatives gathered
at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rol
lie Snell at Page on Sunday, Sep
tember 17, to celebrate their 55th
wedding anniversary. A covered
dish luncheon was served at
noon. . .The 40 thousand-dollar re
modeling project for the Consum
ers Public Power district building
here will begin Monday, it was
stated Wednesday by L. C. Wall
ing, district manager. . .Miss Don
na Mae Fuhrer, wellnknown O’
Neill invalid who was stricken
with polio as a child, Tuesday
celebrated her 18th birthday an
niversary. . .A kickoff breakfast
is planned Tuesday, September 26,
to launch the Boy Scout fund-rais
ing drive in O’Neill. . Deaths:
William F. Coyne, 55, former O’
Neill and Ewing resident, died
Wednesday, September 13 at
Spalding; a former O’Neill man,
C. E. Cunningham, 50, who has
been a resident .of Belden, died
late Monday, September 18, in a
Sioux City hospital; William Ro
bertson, 25, St. Lawrence, S. D.
died September 14, in the Lynch
hospital from injuries received
several hours earlier in a truck
crash at the Rebel bridge near
Spencer.
5 YEARS AGO
The second anrtual membership
drive in behalf of the O'Neill
Community Concerts association
came to a triumphant close Sat
urday night . Films were shown
at the Amelia school Thursday
evening- These were interrupted
by the call for help to fight prai
rie fires which had been started
by lightning. . General rains fell
in much of Nebraska Tuesday
breaking a prolonged dry spell. . .
A life long resident of the Ewing
community, Janies H. Gunter, 83,
was the oldest person present last
Thursday evening for the 35th
annual sunset banquet sponsored
by the Woman’s Society of Chris
tian Service at the Methodist
church parlors. . A meeting has
been called for 8 p.m. Tuesday,
September 27, for the purpose of
discussing the possibility of es
tablishing a rural fire protection
district in the O’Neill locality . .
Mr. and Mrs S. C. Barnett quietly
observed tlieir 50th wedding an
niversary Tuesday, September 20.
. Warren Peden, jr. arrived in
Holt county Thursday, September
15, to assume the job of assistant
county agent.
The Long Ago
At Chambers
50 YEARS AGO
M. L. Sageser and sons were
in town Monday, . .Rev. Stoner
of Grand Island has been appoint
ed to fill the Methodist charge for
the next year. . Whaley’s steam
merry-go-round and high diving
dog is a feature of the fair. . .
Things are humming at the fair
grounds today, with good weather
the 1910 fair will be a record
breaker. . Mr. and Mrs. George
Bowen and Mr. and Mrs. Herman
Guese of O’Neill spent Sunday at
the home of D. D. Leonard. . .Mr.
and Mrs. Walter Perry who have
been spending some months at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Fer
guson, left Monday for their
home in Pennsylvania. . .Death
Mrs. Rose McGowen, wife of C. L.
McGowen.
25 YEARS AGO
Both Chambers softball teams
were disastrously defeated last
Friday in the first game of the
season. . . Ihe Kellar Aid society
sponsored a handkerchief shower
in honor of Mr. and Mrs. J. W.
Wintermote, at their home Mon
day evening. Sept. 23. . .Miss Lu
cinda Fleek, second daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Mike Fleek of
this vicinity, became the bride of
Mr. Raymond Shoemaker, second
son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Shoe
maker of Plainview. . Mr. Jack
Porter had the misfortune to be
stepped on by a horse and have
a bone in his foot broken. . .
Mr. and Mrs. George Hodgson
were Sunday evening visitors at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Duane
Carson. . ,:The Coxbill family of
Atkinson were Amelia callers
Monday. . .Mr. and Mrs. Guy
Wright made a flying trip to At
kinson Saturday afternoon. If
Mr. Wright makes another qfjick
trip again in the near future
they’ll be calling him “The Flying
Dutchman.”
Smoke from
"Brandin'
Iron" Crick
By J. C. Fudd
Well the excitement has sort of
cooled off along the Crick this
week about the big varmint that’s
been scaring the living 'bejabers
out of folks for the past ten days.
Old Man Chinn set out his traps.
(Must have had a hundred.) Took
him all day Thursday and part
of Friday to get ’em strung out.
Contrary old goat wouldn’t let
a soul help turn neither. Claimed
he had some kind of a secret
formula that he'd got from a
Sioux hunter that he used to
know Swore never to let ary one
else lay hands on it. Whatever
it was it sire worked.
Friday morning just as Yours
Truly was fixm' to get in a little
dry wood. (It was Lena's idea.)
to saw up at some time in the
near future; the weather getting
so nippy nights was what brought
the brainstorm on. Rev. Pei-bies
came panting up in an awful di
ther. Tears was >ust running
down his cheeks. (He claimed
it was his sinus running wild
spiked with hay fever.) Anyhow
what was causing the ruckus was,
his little brown and white wire
haired mutt, Delilah had come
up missing. Been gone since the
night before. Well, we whistled
and ‘Hyeahed’ all around the
place and couldn’t raise a thing,
not even Old Pretzel, our hound
dog.
Bdjt this same time the Gorey
kids stopped in on their way to
school to say Ludwig Van Sauer
kraut, better known as Wiggy,
their big German Police dog was
gone too. Before they got gone
little Dee Dee Baiker came sniff
ling up hunting Elmer, their old
maltese tom cat.
Theft, kidnapping and whole
sale slaughter were the theories
come up with by the citizens that
kept dropping in as they found
they had livestock missing too.
Just about everyone in the neigh
borhood was there but Old Man
Chinn before anyone thought of
his trap line.
Sure enough, when we invaders
got to his place he was down by
the Crick, tallying off the catch
whilst he opened the traps.
“By Gonie, she sure worked,"
he says, proud as a peacock.
“Caught 5 dogs, 3 cats, 2 rabbits
a civet cat and a turtle already
and still got ten to go."
Abe Gorey kind of brustled up
to the old guy at first but come
off of his high horse in a hurry
when he began to tell about how
many more traps he intended to
set out the next night. The only
way we could talk him out of it
was to convince him fur wouldn’t
be prime until Dec. and it was
against the law to trap without
a license. Folks decided it was
safer to let the varmint (If there
was one) run loose.
Lot of sore toes among the
animals concerned but wasn’t no
bones broke.
See you next week.
"The
EDITOR"
Have you heard the story about
the horse race in which only
two horses were entered? It
seems the owner of the losing
horse was telling his cronies of
the race afterwards. "Yes,” he
said, “that horse of mine is a
wonderful horse, he came in sec
ond. But you know that other
horse that they bragged about so
much? He came in next to last.”
We were reminded of the story
after we read some of the po
litical releases sent us last week.
Here's one we received and we
quote: “The KennedynNixon pres
idential campaign was off to a
rousing start at the state fair
grounds in Lincoln last week, and
for awhile it appeared the Re
publicans had thought of every
thing.
Their spacious headquarters fur
nished with ice water and easy
chairs, their customers attended
by earnest young men in gay 90’s
costumes (some of the workers
were paid, at least one an ad
mitted Democratic spy), the Re
publicans did a brisk business
selling 500 Nixon hats at the rate
of a dollar apiece.
The Citizens for Kennedy booth
—'Under the same roof but in less
auspicious quarters and manned
Do You Know Your Neighbor?
"Know Your Neighbor" is not a contest. There are no prute* givet
for correctly identifying the person pictured. The only reward is th<
satisfaction of knowing your neighbor
Last week’s guess who was Howard Manson, Clerk of the District
'ourt.
Now try to guess who this businessman is.
by volunteer workers in ordinary
dress dispensed two thousand
Kennedy hats (same $1 pricetag)
and gave away close to a hundred
thousand campaign buttons and
informational brochures.”
Ilhe only fact which was omit
ted from the release was that
the Republicans had only or
dered 500 hats and had sold
their whole supply and were
unable to get any more.
F GLEANINGS from our
Heritage of Freedom]
“Freedom suppressed and I
again regained bites with keen* 1
I cr tangs than freedom never I
I endangered." 1
l — Cicero I
I
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