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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 1912)
month ' -3oum VOLUME XXXI. PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1912. NO. 42. be ffl L GUIS PLAnSMOUlH HER GOMPAI f NEW FRANCHISE Ordinance Granting Ten Year Franchise Is Passed by a Vote of Six to Four Committee Reports on the Condeming of the White Buildings, Other Routine Matters. From Thursday's Daily. , The city fathers were all in their chairs last evening on the call of the roll at the regular meeting. The minutes of the previous session were approved with amendment. A petition of Mrs. Curtis and Joseph Silence for grading for permanent walk on North Sixth street was acted on favorably. A" communication from the committee appointed to appraise the three shacks on Main street, between Fourth and Fifth, report ed appraisement had been made. The original cost of the buildings was estimated to have been $1, 800; the buildings were now esti mated to be worth 7 per cent of that amount. The value of the east building was llxed at $50, the middle one at $S() and the west one at $30. He fore accepting the report Mayor Saltier said there was a petition on file which would be read. A petition signed by numerous business men and others setting forth reasons why the buildings should be allowed to stand, and the owner allowed to repair them as he had set out to do. Among other reasons it was urged that the owner, Mr. White had already done a great deal for the city; it was mainly through his influence that the Masonic Home was established here, which was an investment of several thousand dollars. Councilman Dovey then moved that the peti tion be granted, and on roll-call it was suggested by City Atorney Tidd that as Mr. Dovey had signed the petition he would not have a vote nor could he make the motion. Mayor Saltier thou de clared there was nothing before the house. The petition was then received and placed on file. On motion of Councilman Patterson the report of the committee on appraisal was received and placed " on file. On a call of the roll the ayes were: Patterson, Kurtz, Ilallstrom, Ilichey, Tushinsky and Johnson; the nays, Dovey, Hut tery, Shea and Vondran. Mayor Sattler announced the motion carried. The oaths of C. A. Rawls, W. L. Lorenz and P. Kagan as park commissioners were read, and the mayor called on the city at torney to clear up the minds of the council regarding the park commission. Mr. Tidd stated, in substance, that in the charter governing cities having over !, 000 the judge of the district court was the proper appointing power and authorized to name the com missioners, but under the char ter governing cities of less than 5,00(1 the city would have to pro vide its own park commission, which would be dime by an ordin ance for the purpose. Councilman Tushinsky then moved that the city attorney be instructed to draw such an ordinance if he found the same necessary. Clerk Wurl read rnininunica tinns from different street sweep ing concerns, none of which ap peared to be just the sort of ma chine wauled, and the matter was referred to the streets, alleys and bridges commit lee for action. The finance committee reported the following list of claims allow ed: Cass county, boarding prison ers, !? 111. Nil; li. Larson, ap praiser, sj; Hay Sawyer, Sam (ioclienoiir, Charles Manners and 0 M POP UUR GO H r P. II. Kinnamon, for testing hose, $1.50 each: W. H. Hishel, street work, $42; P. Harrison, street work, $12; James Ilebal, street work, $3t; I.. Hotter, street work, $8.20; Kd Snodgrass, street work, 8 4 5 ; Allen Jones, street work, $18; M. McCool, street work, $21; Jos eph Silence, street work, $1; Warga & Cecil, $0.25; Hans Rolh man, street work, $12; P. 11. Kin naiuon, labor, $3.50. 1 lie lol lowing claims were passed by the claims ooinmittei and recommended for payment: Warga it Cecil, 50 cents; Lorenz Urns., $9.80; Hynott & Co., 50 cents; Nebraska Light company, 15 cents. The claim of F. H. Perry for hauling hose carl, $2, was referred to the clams com mittee. Mr. Vondran, chairman of I he water commit lee, reported I lie hose tested and (550 feet in bad condition, and suggested that the committee had bids on hose am the men making same were pres ent and would show them to the council. The fire hydrant at the Masonic Home, discussed at the previous meeting, was ordered placed. On motion of Mr. Vondran a re cess of five minutes was taken to inspect the samples of hose and to interview the agent of the hose company. On re-assembling Mr. Lushinsky moved the purchase of 550 feet of hose from the Man hatten Rubber Manufacturing company and twelve expansion rings. On the roll-call all voted in the allirmative. An electric light was ordered placed at the corner of Main and Seventh streets, near the Method ist church. The light commit lee reported the light requested by the Presbyterian church had been placed. Under the head of unfinished business the ordinance granting (he Water company a franchise for ten years was read for the third lime, preparatory to a final vole on its passage. On a roll-call of the members those voting aye were: Patterson, Kurtz, Hutlery, Lushinsky, Richey and Shea; those voting nay were Dovey, Hallstrom, Johnson and Vondran. The mayor then announced tin ordinance passed. Bids for construction of walks and crossings were read, H. C. McMaken & Sons company being the only bidders. Cement walks in residence district to be 11 cents per square foot; crossings 23 cents per square fool; in the business district, sidewalks to be 15 Mi cents per square find. The bid was referred to the streets, alleys and bridges committee. Among some of I tie miscel laneous business, warning cards slating the speed limit, on motion of Councilman Ilichey, were ordered painted anil placed in conspicuous places near the city limits. The building committee report ed that nothing could be done to ward the acquirement of a city hall until the approprial ion was made for the year. Mayor Saltier Ihen requested Hie council to meet at the Hild furniluer store on Decoration day al about 0 a. m as the service is lo begin at the Pre'shylerian church al 9:15, and the council would attend I In services in a body. Validictory Address of John Elmer Hollstrom to Class of 1912. Unrest al the present time ex ists throughout all civilized na tions. Daily uncertainty grows stronger as to future events. The basic cause is that the people have lost confidence in many of their pubile servants and bitterly resent attempted dictatorships by would-be political bosses a;id representatives of special in terests who desire to direct pub lic servants and legislation for I heir own selfish interest, rather than to assist in the making of laws guaranteeing justice to all and special privilege lo none. There was a time when a few sclf-consliluled leaders in Ore iron politics arrogated to them selves the prerogatives of gov ernment, and made their assump tion etVeclive through illicit cinii- I'iiiations and through the use of money. They commercialized conventions, legislatures and tin administrative branches of the city, town and slate governments in I lie legislatures I Here were briefless lawyers, farmless farm ers. Fourth of July orators and political I hugs. The larger part were ignorant, illiterate, lazy, politically and personally im moral. Drunkenness and de bauchery prevailed throughout the sessions. These legislators organized in the interests of th in; Shower for Miss Holen Travis. A most enjoyable evening was spent at the home of Mrs. Agnes Chapman last Friday evening, when Miss Helen Chapman and Mrs. Mildred Morgan were hostes ses for the T. W. M. club, the oc casion being in the naliirc of a shower for Miss Helen Travis, who is soon to leave for a new home. The first feature of the evening might be termed the bridal procession of "The Dig Spoons," which were presented to Miss Travis, each one bearing a poetical inscription original with the donor. An elaborate three course luncheon upon a flower laden, candle-lighted table proved so enticing that there was barely tune for the veritable "rain" of miscellaneous articles or aids to housekeeping that descended up on the bride-to-be. (iood advice and well wishes concluded a de lightful time, mixed wilh regret at losing one of their number. Llmer Amick and wife of Te kamaii arrived from Louisville mis morning in visit nay heaver and wife for a time. orporat ions, the laller named the lllcers and committees and di- 'ecled legislation. Any man who would propose; a law against the corporations was instantly put out of office, or he was offered a sum of money, am that was the last heard of Hie bill The people finally revolted against this condition, and led by a few men. among them Uren and -the present Lulled Slales senator Hourne, established the best known system of popular govern ment. LTcn anil hourne con ceived the idea of establishing tin- initiative and referendum am began working to arouse the peo pie. They secured enough legis lalors promised to vole for their bill lo make it a law. Somehow or other the interests heard about this and instantly the lobby of th Oregon legislature was crowded with men who had rolls of money in their inside pockets and order to bribe right and left in order to defeat the measure. As a result the measure was lost, not because the people did not want it, but be cause the interests were opposed lo it. Hut L'ren and Hourne were not disheartened. They became evi more determined to have the peo pie's wishes obeyed. At the next legislature Oregon was to elect United States senator. John II Mitchell was u candidate for lb position, and so they went, to him in order to find out where he stooi in reference lo the people's wishi and the initiative and referendum I liey toiind I Hal .MHeliell was favorable, and accordingly Uren and Hourne proceeded to get enough voles pledged for Mitchell to elect him. They secured the necessary number, but just a short lime before the legislature convened Mitchell, after the stale republican machine had made dire threats against him, came out openly against the initiative and referendum. Thus Uren and Hourne had enough votes pledged to elect a man who was opposed to their ideas, and it was up lo them lo defeat him. The inleresls and the repub lican machine sat back and smiled because the legislature was soon to elect ii man favorable to I hem, without their expending a bit of money. So confident were they of victory that they ceased to carry on any active campaign. Hut Uren and Hourne were busy, ami when the legislature convened the inleresls were given a sur prise. L'ren and Hourne had se cured enough men to stand by them, so that the legislature could not. carry on legal business. They refused to hand in their notices of elections and proposed a lis), of demands which should be met by the other faction before I hey would sit as regular members. The "interest" faction refused to do so. The Uren faction Ihen re-I fused to attend the meetings of the legislature. As a result the machinery of goernment was at lands! ill fur forty days; law making stopped and no appropria- ions were made. Forlv vears of orruplion in the legislature had ached a logical outcome in inai'chy. The legislators hung about the ale capital, spitting tobacco juice, swapping stories and draw- their pay. There was no out- ry against ttiis by the people for they knew if they held out long noiigh it would mean the defeat f the corporations. As a result special legislature had to be ailed the next summer to elect a 'nileil Mates senator. Mitchell was defeated, while Simon, a man who represented the people and not the interests, was elected. A oar after, in 1899, the legis- ature, by a large majority, pass- d the law providing for the in itiative and referendum. Direct- afler this measure had been passed the men representing the inleresls declared that the laws would be hastily framed and would only be for one section of the country. Hut in actual prac lice the case has been different. Oregon's initiative measures do not originate in the cracked brains of irresponsible people. In fact, the proceedings are almost the same as those of the legislature. The people have two years for preparing and discussing the laws, whereas the legislature has only forty days. In I lie last eight yenrs the people have registered their opinion on (54 measures, the largest at any one time being 32. In'lhe same period the legislature has acted on from 3,000 to 4,000 measures and has had before it in jungle session as high as 800. The laws proposed are framed by the best educated men in the coni- niunily, and in many instances these are members of Ihe legislature. One of Ihe provisions of the hi ll ialive and referendum law was thai the state should issue a phamplet known as Ihe "publicity pamphlet," in which all of tin laws to be voted upon were lo be fully inscribed and pages were to be devoted lo arguments for and against the bill. The political pessimists declare thai the people do not read these pamphlets and that the stale is covered wilh clean uncut copies from one end lo the other. Possibly this is true in certain parts of the city, in the clubs, Ihe houses of higher social classes, but it is not true in the farming country. If you travel through Oregon today you would find the people everywhere read ing them, and instead of clean, uncut copies you would find evi dences I hat they had been read extensively. To see the referendum in use one should visit the farmer's home. There, by the dinner table sits the head of the family pour ing over a well t dumber pamphlet. Perhaps he will be reading monotonously to an attentive group gathered around the tire Place. A running comment : lies wrong there." "No, that's right, and "lie can I Tool us tins way again." punctuates the proceed ings. The next day at the villagi slore other copies art! disocvered ami then a good old-fashioned debate is held. At dinner the workers snatch a few minutes to read this little book; even the sheep hearder, resting on Ihe hills hundreds of miles. from the near est town, passes many silent days wilh this volume as his sole com panion. The arguments written in the book are well wrilten. The contents are sane, wise, poinlei and shed abundant light upon tin questions at issue. Therefore when the farmer goes to the po It is well instructed. Analyzing the elections for tin last eight years, shows us that the people are interesled enougl lo vote mi the measures. On an average 75 per cent of the act tin voters exercise their opinions on these mailers. The other 25 pe cent are found to be largely resi dents of the "slums," where th greatest per cent of ignoranr and illiteracy prevails. From the results in Oregon i appears thai in spile of all of Ihe harsh things said against th Aemruicn ntoh. that tins sann mob stands for political decency The citizens of Oregon have op posed all the practices that, have brought American public life into general disrepute. Fvery time they have a chance lliey will vote for measures that have a ten dency to decrease graft and boosisni. In spite of these "in surgent" tendencies the composite citizen does not go readily for new fangled ideas or attack on prop erly. The noisy agitator, the labor union leader, the advanced thinker, these do not voice the sentiments of the rank and tile. Can this composite voter be fooled by jokers? Do jokers slip into these measures as they constant ly do in those passed by the legis lature? The leaders for woman suffrage having failed three times to have an amendment passed to Ihe con stitution excluding Ihe word male from suffrage requirements, planned to pass a bill which said that all persons paying taxes should be allowed to vote. In reality it was a bill which granted universal suffrage. Hut the voter was not to be fooled and at the election Ihe bill was defeated by a majority of 2 1,000. Occasionally the inleresls, al though they have lost much con trol, attempt to use the referen dum lo "put one over" on Ihe peo ple. Hut they have not been so successful as they were will) the egislature. A good example of this was shown when a bunch of capitalists bought an old toll road over the Cascades for $8,000 and conceived the idea of selling it to the state for $25,000. They circulated their petition, got the measure on the official ballot ami carried on an active campaign. At the dec! ion the bill was voted down overwhelmingly, ami since then no one has attempted to wade into Ihe stale treasury by way of the initiative ami referen dum. For a long time the nominees for all offices were nominated by the political machines of the state, together wilh the heads of the "interests" al their regular state conventions. All sorts of men were shoved into office, and Ihe people lost interest in the stale elections. Affairs reached a crisis when Ihe factional disrup tion in the republican party broke mil. Just a short time be fore they were lo hold their con vention there was a split in Ihe parly over some technical politi cal differences.' Accordingly, on Ihe day, at the same lime and at the same place two sets of dele gales met. Fach set had its own organization and chairman, and both tried lo hold a meeting al Ihe same time, thus causing n terrible hubbub. Finally the two hairineii tried to settle their dif ferences wilh the weapons nature had given them. The people of Oregon wanted deliverance from politics of this sort. Since Ihe people had been given Ihe legis lative power, why not give them the power lo elect their own party and mates: llie method was imple enough; oilier states had unproved iiieir cominion ny ulopling a direct primary. The Jirecl primary is but an election, based on universal suffrage, with in the parly for the election of candidates. The political con nect ions abolished, parly voters, instead of voting for delegates lo Ihe stale convention to choose their own candidates, choose their candidate directly themselves. Twice the progressives of Oregon passed their law- and humbly isked Ihe legislature to pass it. The lawmakers and bosses simply ridiculed Ihem, because if the icople secured this power I hey IhciiiHclves would no longer have a position. Hut the people got liusv, secured the required num ber of signatures, put it on tin ollieial ballot and at the election passed Ihe direct primary bill by a ole of 5(5,0(10 In 1(5,0(10. Another fir the reforms in polities in Oregon is that wherein Ihe people indirectly elect their United Stales senator. Men run ning for slate legislature pledge themselves to vole for the peo ple's choice for United Slales sen ator, regardless of Ihe fad whether this man is his political opponent or not. As a result of Ihis the last senator from Oregon a democrat, was elected by a re publican legislature. Many claimed that this was Ihe greatest scandal that could ever happen to the republican parly, but in reality it showed that the source of power in Oregon is in the hands of the people, where the authors of their constitution intended it to be. The elections in Oregon are quiet and orderly. The towns are closed tight. The voter casts his ballot, not in a dirty room back of a barber shop or cigar slore, but in a neat, white, municipality owned lent. On his way to the polls the voter does not have lo run the gauntlet of a line of blear-eyed workers. Flection day under the new law is given over to election and not to elec tioneering. It is made a crime Tor anyone to solicit another man's vole. One may answer questions, but no one may volunteer any in formal ion or advice. There are no hired workers at Ihe polls ex cept the challengers, watchers and counters of voters. Another serious offense is lo transport a voter to the polls in a hired car riage, lie must get there himself, or he cannot vote. Thus, in a few years, by the enactment and en forcement of a plain matter-of- fact law, elections in Oregon have been transferred from riotous mobs into proceedings as quiet and dignified as ordinary church service. And Ibis change has been brought about by Ihe enact ment of a law which the legis lature failed lo enact, but which Ihe people themselves adopted at the polls. In behalf of the class oT 1912 I wish lo extend our sincere gratitude and thanks to the mem bers of the school board and faculty. We realize, on this even ing, as we have never before re alized, that all your endeavors have been for the best. You have inspired us wilh noble inspira tions and ideals, and in times lo come, when old members of this class nssemble together lo talk of limes gone by, you and your en deavors will occupy a large place in their thoughts and conversa t ion. Dear classmates, tonight, as we are gathered here together for the lasl time, each and every one of us can .remember how we haye often met ami mingled our thoughts in confidential friend ship and how we have often plan ned ami worked together. Little do most of us realize what this might mean to us. For four years have we eagerly looked forward to Ihis night wilh great joy and expectation, imagining Dial it would be one of the happiest moments in our lives. Now that we are gradual ing and entering the world's great work, we find that all is not happiness, but there is a trace of sadness because we must separate and enter life's compel it ion through various channels. "In Ihe future we shall send vessels far out lo life's sea." The cargoes of which are full of hopes as fair and bright as the butterflies of summer, and as light as Ihe silvery notes of merry childish glee. We shall bid Ihem bring fruition back to us, we shall watch Ihem till they waver out of sight against the far-off larder, in Iheir llighl unlo the country of destiny. The days will wear on and our ships will not rel urn. hut ships we Know ma ot win drill in, laucncd wan treasures we would have spurned when youth was with us. May Ihe divine spirit guide our every euoris aim may ine earnest endeavors of Ihe members of the lys of 1912 be crowned with glorious success. Remember, Tis a man's to work, but Heaven's lo give success." Levee Repaired. The Levee between Folsom and Pacific Junction, where such an elforl was made to hold bark the II I this spring, has been re paired, strengthened and can now hold back any usual rise in the river. The conditions at Folsom in regard lo Ihe river cultinir, is unchanged. The new current against the shore on this side conl inues to increase in swift ness. As the river recedes if is seen that the bar on Ihe Ne braska side, which caused the recent trouble by turning the current, extends much further out into the river than was supposed. The river is extremely narrow and swift at one place. (llenwood Tribune. H. H. Warlhen left for Omaha on the morning train today, where he was called to the bedside of his son, Roy,- who is threatened with an attack of appendicitis.