THURSDAY, JANUARY
2g, 1915.
PLATTSMOUTH SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL
VAC.K 7.
r
Copyright, 1914, by
CHAPTER VIII.
A Friend In Need.
MOKK woke up. A. draft that
possessed all tlie rigidity of an
icicle was boring into the front
of his nhoulders as he lay on
his side facing the wall. When he had
been tied into the bunk there lind been
no such draft, and now the outside air
was sufficient advertisement that some
cue from without had pulled away the
mo.-s chinking- between the logs. He
Fijuirnied as far as his bonds would
permit, then craned his neck forward
.until his lips just managed to reach
the crack.
"Who is It?" he whispered.
"J?rcck. He careful you don't make
a iioise. Tin goinij to pass a knife in
to you."
"No gocl." Smoke said. "My hands
are tied behind me and made fast to
the leg: of the bunk. But something
must Ik? dene. Those fellows are of a
temper to hang me. and,, of course, you
know I didn't kill that man."
"It wasn't necessary to mention it
Smoke. I wr.rt to pet you out of this.
It's a tough bunch of men here
TTieyTe shut off from the world, and
they make and enforce tbejr own law
Tliey handled two men already both
grub thieves. One they hiked from
capip without an ounce of grub and
do matches. He made about forty
miles and lasted a couple of days be
fore he froze stiff. Two weeks :tgo
they hiked the second man. They yave
him his elituce no grub or ten lashes
for each day's ration. He tfjood for
forty lashea before toe fainted. And
now they're got you. and every last
one is convinced you killed Kinade.
You see. things have been pretty mo
notonous. They haven't located any
thing Li?:. Scurvy is beginning to
show up among them. too. and they're
just ripe for excitement."
"And it looks like I'll furnish it."
was Smoke's comment- "Say, Breck.
liow did you ever fall in with such a
God forsaken bunch?"
"I came up here by way of the Stew
art, hunting for Two Cabins. They'd
beaten me to it. so I've been higher
up the Stewart. Just got back yester
day out of grub."
"Hold on," Smoke interrupted. "Wait
a minute. Let me think."
He was very much aware of the
snores of the sleepers as he pursued
the idea that had Cashed into his mind.
"Say, lircck. have they opened up
the meal packs my dogs carried?" be
asked.
A couple. They put them in Hard
ing's cache."
"Did they find anything?"
"Meat."
"(Jood. You've got to get Into the
brown canvas pack that's patched with
moose hide. You'll find a few pound
of lumpy gold. ion ve never seen
gold like it in the country, nor lias any
body else. Here's what you've got to
do. Listen."
"My mind's made up right now.
There ain't no loubt but what he kill
ed Kinade. We heard the whole thing
last night. What's the good of goin'
over it again? I vote guilty."
In such fashion Smoke's trial began
The sieaker, a loose jointed, hard rock
man from Colorado, manifested Irrita
tion and disgust when Harding set his
suggestion aside, demanded the pro
ceedings should be regular and nomi
nated one Shunk Wilson for judge and
chairman of the meeting. The popu
Iation of Two Cabins constituted the
Jury, though, after some discussion,
the woman. Lucy, was denied the right
to vote on Smoke's guilt or innocence.
While this was going on Smoke,
jammed Into a corner on a bunk, over
heard a whispered conversation be
tween Dreek and a miner.
"You haven't fifty pound of flour
you'll sell?" Ureck queried.
"You ain't got the dust to pay the
prion I'm askin," wthe reply.
"I'll give you two' mndred."
The man shook his head.
"Three hundred. Three fifty."
At four hundred the man nodded and
said, "Come on over to my cabin an'
weigh out the dust."
The two squeezed their way to the
door and slipped out. After a few min
utes Breck returned nlone.
Harding was testifying when Smoke
saw the door shoved open slightly and
in the crack appear the face of the
man who had sold the Hour. He was
grimacing and beckoning emphatically
to some one inside, who arose from
near the stove and started to walk to
ward the door.
"Where are you goin'. Sain?" Shunk
Wi!on demanded.
"I'll be baf k iu a jiffy." Sam explain
ed. "I jes' gl.t to g."
Smoke was permitted to question
the witness, and he was In the middle
of the cross examination of Hardin::
when fiom without came the whining
t dog-- in hames and the grind ;id
i burn of sled runner. Somebody near
C2
the Wheeler Syndicate
j the door neeJ out
"Its Para an his pardner an' a dog
team hell bent down the trail for
Stewart river." the una reported.
Nobdy spoke for a long half minute,
but men glanced significantly at one
cnottc-r, and r. general restlessness per
vaded the packed room. Out of the
corner of his eye Smoke caught a
glimpse of Breck. Lucy and her hus
band whispering together.
"Come on. you!" Shg-fc Wilson aaid
He Wat Grimacing and Beckening Em
phatically. gruffly to Smoke. "Cut this questlon
Ln short. We know what you're tryin'
to prove that the other bank wa'n't
searched. The witness admits it. We
admit it. It wa'n't necessary. No
tracks led to that bank. The snow
wa'n't broke."
"There was a man on the. other bank,
just the same," Smoke insisted.
"That's too thla for skatin. young
man. There ain't many of us on the
McQuestion. an we got every man ac
counted for."
"Who was the man you hiked out of
camp two weeks ago?" Smoke asked.
"Alonzo Miramar. ne was a Mexi
can. What's that grub thief got to do
with it?"
"Nothing, except that yon haven't
accounted for him. Mr. Judge."
"lie went down river. Dot up."
"How do yoi know where e went?"
"Saw him start."
"And that's all you know of what
became of him?"
"No, it ain't, young man- I know,
we all know, he had four days' grub
an' no gun to shoot meat with. If be
didn't make the settlement on the Yu
kon he'd croaked long before this."
"I suppose you've got all the guns in
this part of the country accounted for.
too." Smoke observed pointedly.
Shunk Wilson was angry. "You'd
think 1 was the prisoner the way you
slam questions into me. Come on with
the next witness. Where's French
Louis?"
While French Louis was shoving for
ward Lucy opened the door.
"Where you goin'?' Shunk Wilson
shouted.
"I reckon 1 don't nave to itay." she
answered defiantly. "I ain't got no
vote. an, besides, my cabin's so jam
med up I can't breathe,"
In a few minutes her husband fol
lowed. The closing of the door was
the first warning the judge received
of it.
"Who was that?" he interrupted
Pierre's narrative to ask.
"Bill Peabody, somebody spoke no
"Said be wanted to ask his wife some
thing and waa coming right back."
Instead of Bill it was Lucy who re
entered, took off her furs aud resumed
her 11304 by the stove.
"1 reckon we don't need to bear the
rest of the witnesses,- was Shunk Wil
son's deciaJou when Pierre b.ad finished-
'V know they can only testify
to the same faets we've already beard.
Say, tforutea, you go an' bring Bill
I'eabody back. We'll be votin' a ver
diyt jiretty short Now, stratager, you
can get VP an MZ your say concernln'
what happeued. In the meantime we'll
Just be savin' delay by passiu around
the two rifles, the ammunition an the
bullet that done the kHUn'."
Midway in his story of Low he had
arrived in that part of the country and
at the point in his narrative where he
described his own ambusb and how he
bad tied to tba bank Sraeke was inter
rupted by the indignant Shank Wilson.
, l! '1
if1 if
"Young man. what sense la there in
you testifyin' that way? You're just
takin' up valuable time. Of course
you got the right to lie to save your
neck, but we ain't goin' to stand for
aucb foolishness. The rifle, the am
munition an' the bullet that killed Joe
Kinade is against you. What's that?
Open tbe door, somebody!
The frost rushed iu, taking form and
substance in the beat of the room
while through the open door came the
whining of dogs that decreased rapid
1 with distance.
"It's gorensen an' Penbody." some
one erted. "a-tbrowin' the whip into
the dawgs an' headin' down river!"
"Now, what the" Bhnnk Wilson
paused, with dropped Jaw. and glared
at Lucy, "I reckon you can explain,
Mrs. pea body."
She tossed her head and compressed
her lips, and Shunk Wilson's wrathful
and suspicious gaze passed on and rest
ed on Breck,
"An' I reckon that newcomer you've
been chinnin' with could explain if be
had a mind to."
Breck. now very uncomfortable,
found all eyes centered uu him.
"Sam was chewin' the rag with
him, too, before he lit out," some one
said.
"Look here. Mr. Breck." Shunk WI1
son continued, "you've been interrupt
in proceedin's. and you got to explain
tbe meanin' of it. What was you
chinnin' about?".
Breck cleared his throat timidly and
replied. "J was just tryiug to buy
some grub."
"What with?"
"Dust, of course."
"Where'd you get it?"
Breck did not answer. v
"He's been snoopln' around up the
Stewart." u ruan voluutcered. "I run
across his camp a week ago when 1
was huntin. An' I want to tell you
be was almighty secretions about it.
"The dust didn't como from there.'
Brek said. "That's only a low grade
hydraulic proposition "
"Bring your poke here an" let's see
your dnst,'" Wilson commanded.
"I tell you jt didn't come from there."
"Let's see it, Just the same."
Breck made as if to refuse, but all
about him were menacing faces. Re-
luctnntly he fumbled in his coat pock
ot. In the act of drawing forth a pep-
J per can it rattled against what was evi
deqtly a bard object
"Fetch it all out!" Shunk Wilson
thundered.
And out came the big nugget, fist
size, yellow as no gold any onlooker
had ever seen. Shunk Wilson gasped
Half a dozen, catching one glimpse.
made a break for the door. They
reached it nt the same moment and
with curs!
jammed
and pivoted through. The judge emp
tied tbe contents of the pepper can ou
the table, and the sight of the rough
lump gold sent half a dozen more to
ward the door.
"Where are you goin"?" Eli narding
asked as Shunk started to follow.
"For my dogs, of course."
"Ain't you goin" to hang him?"
"It'd take too much time right now,
He'll keep till we get back, so I reck
on this court is adjourned. This ain't
no place for lingerin'."
Harding hesitated. He glanced sav
agely at Smoke, saw Pierre beckoning
to Louis from the doorway, C x)k one
last look at the lump gold ou the table
and decided.
"No use you tryin' to get away," he
flung back over his shoulder. "Be
sides, I'm goin' to borrow your dogs.'
"What is it? Another one of them
blamed stampedes?' the old blind trap
per asked in a queer and petulant fa I
setto, as tbe cries of men aud dogs and
the grind of the sleds swept the silence
of the room.
"It sure is," Lucy answered. "An' I
never seen gold like it. Feel that, ole
man."
She put the big nugget In his band
The door opened, and Breck entered
"Well." he said, "we four are all that
are left in camp. It's forty miles to
the Stewart by the cutoff 1 broke, and
the fastest of them can't make the
round trip in less than five or six days.
But it's time you pulled out. Smoke.
Jnst the same."
Breck drew his hunting knife ncros3
the other's bonds. Smoke stood up,
rubbing his wrists where the thouga
had impeded the- circulation.
"I've got a pack all ready for you."
Breck said. "Ten days' grub, blan
kets, matches, tobacco, an ax aud a
rifle."
"(Jo to It." Lucy encouraged. "flit
the high places, stranger. Beat it as
fast as God'll let you."
"I'm going to have a square meal
before J start," Smoke said. "And
when I start it will be up the McQuos
tion. not down. I'm going to search
that other bank for the man that real
ly did the killing."
Half an hour afterward, with a big
plate of moose steak before him and a
big mug of coffee at hi lips. Smoke
half started up from his seat. He had
beard the sounds first. Lucy threw
open the door.
"Hello, Spike! Hello. Methody!" She
greeted the two frost rimmed men who
were bending over the burden ou their
sled.
"We just come down from Upper
Camp." one said as the pair staggered
into the room with a fur wrapped ob
ject which they handled with exceed
ing gentleness. "An this is what we
found by the way. He's all in. 1
guesa."
"Put hiiu in the rear bunk there."
Lucy said. She bent over and pulled
back the fura. disclosing a face com
posed principally of large, staring,
black eyes and of skin, dark and scab
bed by repeated frostbite, tightly
stretched across the bemes.
"If it ain't Alonzo!" she cried. "You
nore. starved devii!"
That's ! man on flit ofh-r hunk.'
Smoke said in an undertone tu Bivrk
' W- f::j:;ij it. r;;i'5u' it cache licit
(iuiditig must 'a' made." on .,f
uii'li was fil'lainlutf- 'II- wa tiH
raw dour an' frozen bacon, mid uun
we got 'm he was crj'lu' an' Mipitfalln'
like n hawg. Look at htm! He's all
ta rved. ' most of him trvttni. He"!
kick at uy moment."
Half mi hour later, when the furs
had been drawn over the face of tin
still form in the buuk. buioke tafned
to Lucy. "If you don't mind. Mrs.
Peabody, I'll have another whack nt
that steak. Make It thick and. not so
well doue. I'm a meat cater, I am."
(To Be Continued.)
Beware cf Ointments tor Catarrh
That Contain Mercury
as mrriiir vlll Kiirilj- di-ntroy tbo bPnsp t Kroell
and fotuj'i.'lt'ly dt'ra:itE- tUe uIiuIl yteuj when
viiieriuv it tUrounti tbe mucous urfuou. Sui'li
rrtjili- kliuultl nvir liv u-d txct-t u prcscrlp
;iiU4 from ri fuuble iil),i lun, tbe tiatuatft
tiif.r will A Is t-u fold to tlic Ku-U you can k
siliiy diTivc from thtm. Hull s L'atrrU Cur
manufactured by V. J. t'bfucy tc Co.. Toledo. C.
contuius i: mercury, and is tak-n Internally,
acting directly upon tbe- blixvl and irucou aiir
f:uei t tin- ayaiem. In buying Haifa t'atarrli
Cure l- aure jot. Ue genuine If la wken
luti-rtially ami made in Toledo. Obio, by I". 3.
bom y A. Co. Testimonials free.
.Sold by bm-rglsta. Triee, 73c. per bottle.
Tke Hall's familr Pills i.r cocstlnation.
J-OR SALE Fine 3-year-old full
blooded short-horn bull. Perfectly
gentle. Iuquire of G. II. Tarns at
the county farm.
For Sale.
A lot of onc-half-inch sofc cable,
pood for hay forks and all kinds of
farm work, at l4 cents per foot.
Richardson & Doty,
Missouri River Ferry,
Hon. W. H. Puis, the Murray mer
chant, was in the city for a few
hours last evening en" route from
Omaha to his home, lie spent a short
time in the metropolis looking after
some business matters.
B. F. Crook was amor.jr those go
ing to Omaha this morninfg, where
he will visit for the da. Mr. Crook
has just returned from Richardson
county and reports the roads in the
vicinity of Verdon as being thorough
ly blockaded by the deep snow.
Mrs. Anna Rockenbach of Alva,
Oklahoma, a former Cass county lady,
was here today attending a hear
ing in the estate of her grandfather,
George Reitter, sr., as were also her
isters, Mrs. Adolph Herman of Hava-
lock and Miss Olive Reitter of Lin
coln.
Overhaul Your Cars Now.
The auto business is rather quiet
now, but this is the time to have your
cars overhauled, while I have men
hired for the busy season, and wish to
keep them employed during: the dull
months. Your cars will be overhaul-
id now at about one-half the price for
the labor. See me.
Sam G. Smith, Garage.
FOREST KDSE;
WAHOOMIU-CO.
wahoo;nE3. '
Sold by all lead
ing Dealers
-BLACKSMITHING-
' MB '
HORSESHOEING!
I am now prepared to look
after all general blacksmithing
and horseshoeing. Shop 4 I -2
niles west of Murray.
JOHN DURHAM.
L. J. Hall
The Union Auctioneer
Union, Nebraska
All sale matters entrusted to my care
will receive prompt and care
ful attention.
Farm and Stock Sales
a Specialty!
Rates Reasonable!
te?" Address or phone me at Untou
for open date. . .
IN i'LATTS.MQUTH
J. FOBTY YEARS AGO. .J.
1 9 9 9 . t f t 9 . . f . . f . . t f . t f 1 . . f . ? .
I I i "ill V 4 4 4 4 "
Miss Cora Wells has just recovered
from an attack of diphtheria. Her
little brother, Ernest, is now suffer
ing under a slight attack of the same
disease.
Jo. Shera, the miller of Rock
Bluffs, sends the Herald a sack of
new superfine extra good flour of his
own make. We had the madame try
it, and positively declare we have not
had such beautiful, white, light bread
in months. This flour will be found
for sale at G. Herold's store, flatts
mouth.
Pr. Livingston and Hon. Sam. M
Chapman visited Liberty precinct on
Monday evening last, in behalf of the
Trunk Road, and report a very full
and pleasant meetiner. and that the
citizens of that region are deeply in
terested in the matter and propose to
form a committee among: themselves
to raise a handsome subscription to
aid the road.
Geo. Donovan, our junior editor,
tried to blow himself up on Thurs
day. He had put some fine coal dust
in the stove and on opening the door
and giving the stuff a stir with the
poker it flashed out in his face, burn
ing him severely. If George only
waits until he is married he can get
blown up easier, and someone else
may use the poker, too.
Mr. M. Oelesdemier, one of Cass
county's oldest and best settlers, call
ed on the Herald Monday. Mr. Deles-
dernier is a Nova Scotian by birth,
but an American, full-blooded, at
heart. He is one of our most promin
ent public men in this region, always
appearing at conventions and public
meetings, a sound . republican and a
true man. The Herald has his name
spelled right, too, or else he don't
know how to spell the same.
During the hardest of the wind
storm on Friday night an alarm of
f;re was sounded. It was found to be
in the chimney of Mr. Shryock's
building on Main street, which had
caught fire from Tailor Thomas'
stove. Great chunks of fiery soot
floated across tha street and for a few
moments everyone held their breath,
expecting to see the flames burst out
and envelop the street. Fortunately
someone climbed out of the gaunders
House window promptly with a bucket
of water and put the fire out. Hai
the woodwork of the Sanders House
once fairly caught, no fire extinguish
ers we have could have saved the
street from going. The some night
Uncle Jake Vallery's chimney in the
new house caught fire and the float
ing bunches of flame commenced
dropping on the stacks and straw
covered outhouses lively. Uncle Jake
ond all the folks were out in the
blinding storm carrying water and
stamping out fire for some time that
cold night. And still another. The
old Vanarta house chimney caught
fire the same night and did some live
ly sparking for a few moments. On
the same night an alarm was given
at the machine shops; chimney o.n
fire. It, too, was fortunately put out
by 'their own engine without catching
anything further. Four fires in one
night all from chimneys. People cer
tainly ought to take warning and have
these places cleaned at once. Wo
don't patroniie Charley Brown
enough.
FIVE CENTS PROVES IT.
A Generous Offer. Cut out this ad,
enclose with 5 cents to Foley & Co.,
Chicago. 111., and receive a free trial
package containing Foley's Honey and
Tar Compound for coughs, colds,
croup, bronchial and lagrippe coughs;
Foley Kidney Pills and Foley Cath
artic Tablets. For sale in your town
by all druggists.
Hives, eczema, Itch or salt rheum
sets you crazy. Can't bear the touch
of your clothing. Doan's Ointment
i? fine for skin itching. A.11 druggists
sell it, 50c a box. v
! OR SALE Some fine B. P. Hock
Cockerels. Inquire of Mrs. L. L
Young, Nehawka, Neb.
1.21-2wks-wkly
Can't look well, eat well, or feel
well with impure blood. Keep the
J.loo.4 nurc with Burdock's Blood Bit
ters. Eat simply, take exercise, keep
lean, and good health u pretty sure
to follow. $1.00 a bottle.
Call at the Journal PfUco and see
the 7oc Initial Stationery that you
can iiow buy for 50c.
Far Salp.
A high-grade piano for sale cheap
if taken soon. Inquire at this office.
HOWARD GIVEN
BIG SURPRISE
House Recommends His Mini
mum Wage Bill For Passage.
EXPECTED HEAVY OPPOSITION,
Convention Bill Is Recommended
by Good Majority In House Commit
tee of Whole Norton Leads Fiflht
For Bill.
Lincoln. Jan. 2S. -The joke was on
Jerry Howard when the house recom
mended bis minimum wage bill for
passage before Jerry could get the eye
of the "speaker." Howard and Kagan
of Platte have had several argument.-:
over the bill, and as a result the form
er came up to the state house loaded
for the Platte county man. There
were documents all around him, whlcji
he proposed to turn loose on the mem
bers, but Itagan got the start anl
moved that the bill be recommended
for passage.
This sudden act on the part of How
ard's fellow countryman rather too!,
the wind out of the Douglas rounfy
man's sail. After the house had had
considerable fun at Jerry's expense.
Kagan got his motion across to recom
mend the bill for p-issage and the fun
was over.
Jerry Howard believes in the don
trine of "live and let live." He would
not have the wives and daughters of
rich men ride around in pompous fash
ion while distributing penny al"is
while the husband and father is away
making the money to give them style
by grinding poor men and women un
der his heel. Jerry Howard believes;
in a square deal for all mankind, man
and man alike, and the women, too.
After a long discussion the house b.v
an apparently good majority by a viva
voce vote recommended the constitu
tional convention bill for passage ir.
cemmitte of the whole. Representative
Norton led the fight for the bill, while
Greenwalt opposed it in a speech
which was loudly applauded.
Members of the finance, ways and
means tommitte of the lower legisla
tive house are beginning this we?k to
see what it means to keep platform
pledges.
They swear to a man' that its a
mighty hard job and that there is
much pain attendant upon keeping
faith with tbe people and driving ap
propriaticna down to a lower mark
than last session.
But it is going to be done. There
will be some disappointments without
a doubt, but the members of the com
mittee argue that better it is to cause
a few to be disappointed than to make
such a feeling pervade the retreats of
all taxpayers of the state.
The activity it' Keeping faith can
he called that is r.ci confine I to th
majority party. The Republicans atc
working aloTrg precisely the same line
and they are to be found shoulder tc
shoulder in their battle against those
who want to run the government on
an extravagant basis during the com
ing two years. !
One thing is apparent thus fai
ahead of the time for the committee
to report. That is that the tost or!
operating the state institutions wiiij
be cut down appreciably under tnc
able guidance of the board of control
Credit for this will rest largely with
Judge Holcomb. tro. because of hi.-
insister.ee, together with that of Hen
ry Gerdes, that the members listei
to them exclusively during the session
and not to any of the members from
the districts where the various state
institutions are located.
In operation of the various depart
ments of government that are loiatot!
in thestate house there is some doubt
as to the decrease of operating tost.-;
The railway commission has asked foi
more money lhan it had two year
ago, because it wants lo extend its in
veatigations into newer fields. It alr
feels assured that the legislature wi'.
put the enforcement of the warehouse
law upon its shoulders and that, ol
course, means the appropriation ot
more money.
The irrigation interests of thp state
seem intent on appropriating t23.0''
to be used under direction of tle at
torney general's office, for the proeru
tion of cases now in the federal court
in Colorado. Involved in these caj-es.
are questions of immense important
to the water users of this state wlf
are located on interstate streams,, I-
the first round of the litigation the
state won out. Because so much ter
ritory is affected and because the qucs
tion very nearly spells success or fail
ure for certain parts of the ptate. ?!k
sum Is considered quite puny indeed
But if it is appropriated it will meat
that parts of the state worth nian
times ever that amount will be pro
tected from a real legal danger.
One lone irrigator on the Ilepub
Mean river fought the case throne!
the courts at Penver, with help fron
no outside sources. The fact that h
won is encouraging the other watn
users and they believe that the statt
should bow take up the burden anr
protect its people and its soil a the
hould.
Besides this there are other places
where the lawmakers have chances u
.. n n 1 ,U .1. Mnnna- O ... i W . ft T . .
m'diu IUC1I IIIUUIJ. Olllllll 'I' V 11111111, ,
for instance, believes that a nienij
packiBg plant, operated as a reforuia i
tory. would be a good tlr'ns for tbt
State and that it would hi! penal ue
at this time. Very modestly, he limit.
the territory 'or its t;sm w. t ic.i t.;
Dodge. Stanton and Cuming (o .ri;i.
He believes :.?( "rd in ' ti hi-- '"ii
that $2i'.'"" would be er.o i-h iix.:try
to put up the buildings for t!,. iiisiiu
tion and to start it run::iui,'
Rill desigued to do away wi'li the
pernicious practice of nepotism are mi
the houe and senat. . r'i'ig nr.Ml
their need can bmonie bpp.rtnt o
tbe lawmakers. It has not eca,:ed tU
solans that state cruials :ae n
very lax in the pa few ars in tliii
regard and they intend to do aw:-y
With this, if possible. Svini'- wa .- i
gested that it would be well tor tl.
lawmakers to st?.rt to wash their o n
doorsteps and then to M n down
through the departments of gm.rn
ment until they have eov.i.d ce:
thing with the anti-nep.it'sm er.a
ments.
Ainlay of Nance has the ditin-t;vi
t introducing the most unuMi.tl bill
yet thrown into the house h"pper. It
if a much unnteded and unvaute.l
measure unneeded because the ires
ent method is all right and unwarned
because it means a cost of prmtii t
which is only bindeiisMU- to the ::.
payers at this time. Mr. Ail Ijy wou'd
change the method of seW"-! iim t'c
seats of legislators. He unuM lac
a lottery out of it .o that liie frt r.
coine would not b- the fitrt to It
served. .Members of the (on.mitiee ;q
which the bill was referred this weeU
reported it back, with the icom
mendatioi) that it be imb-fiuitely post
poned. Members of the committee
were much incensed that n h a hi I
shoird came before them. They d'.J
not even deign to discuss it --although
they did discuss its aithor with inor
frankness than moderation.
Because Lincoln commissi. -nci i
agree not to reate a public we'fate
commission. Omahans int rented in
the Mine lint- of moral uplift ar m:i
ing an extra effort to obtain Mich a
body. It will be ?n adj n.M to th;
city emmission of that large p!a
and will serve to iron out sotiv of tl t
wrinkles that have been i.otrd in tht
government there for years and yeir
past. The Lincoln pe-opl thought th: t
the board was not needed but th
Omahans believe that they need it ard
they are going t woik Tor it with a
vengeance. Whatever t!ie do will
done from the shcild'-r. If is pro'-;
b!e that the legislature will be h
sieged from start to finish ocr ti-.i
affair.
Amendments to the primary l;,w nrt
being given consideration by the 1 o :e
this week. The measure upon which
attention is focused is that evolved !J
Darker of Franklin and Dafoe of .b'hn
son. It allows state conventions to
choose twice as many candid.ete:- foi
each office as there are candidate-- 'c
be picked by the people, from thes
then the people make their el- e tion
Other aspirants are not barred frcir
filing. If they are dissatisfied with th
result they may e t;me into primar)
on an equal footing with the cthet
seekers but the handicap of not hav
ing the indorsement ot tucir pan
conventiems.
Presidential years under this !n
would be busy ones and the jjr would
te filled with the eries of oflic cseekerj
from the early March thtws until the
ides of November. The j inn i- to h i
n statp nominating c nven'ion in Aur'i
and then a sta;e platloti.i con vent br
at the same time the pr s nt coum-h
tion is held in the latter p?rt of .li!y
Thus the county e onention wo il l b
held in the same manner i'.nd tlice
would 1p two of t'l'T.i insi ad of 0: 0
as under present laws.
The law is not ir.Luie to apply to del
ecates tu natie na! e euive-jtiuiis or tc
national committeemen, for the verj
simple reason that tlx at" cl oven :it
one clcelion and there are no prit.i
nrics 11 pen them. The mere pp-ferci
tial ote does the busin ss with them
If they do not survive the one eUctior
they are done for.
A reapportionment of s-'ate penatv!
and representatives is virtually pro
vieled for in the Dodge bill ino Jm ve
in the senate this wek. The imimi'
applies alcr.e to ltoig!.i county. !t
divide that county into distrbts for
the lee tion of the fhe senate rs ai.e
the dozen representatives ,-md puts ft
up to the eleetioti mni'ii i -s inner tc
see that the districts are propel ly at
portioned. The measure ha M:
hue king of some of the leading ti er
of the enate and of the f jty (,r (jm;-,
ha It may uo the entire mntp wr
out a great fight being made against If.
Preferential otir.g. prmiding rr
election a' which the prlm.-uy and fl.
general election are e-ombijied. '., pr-i
vieJed fir in a bill inrodneei th''
week by Maiteson of fhj. Tie iut-s
ure provide s for expression in ord' t
on al! candidates f r elc-p. Th vo?e
fhoe:se. thf man h- t) ink.- woulef t
best and denominate him No. 1. T!.
next he calis Ne. 2 and so cm down th'
line. The man having the bw :
score then wins an 1 the man hiin
the highest total loses, beanse tV
voters think he.- is the least accepiab'f
of all the candidates.
Th gigi'iitic sc hool law re Sfnr
bill has bcrri flung into the srna'e 'v
house h')pp r and now rennin.-- to kc
thf route rf the lawmakers. It is ar
affair of t"3 sections and compriao
comph te re-enact ment of al! si hon
laws. Most of the charges thdt haw
bpen made are biige'otiora of
school laws revision c o:r.inh-.-itn. whicr
was named by Gowrnor More head r
year and a hnlf ajro at the behest ol
the state senate.
Chambers of PonslaE rour ty infm
duced a bill in iU' l.o i.-e f-. pio;el
for a sinking fund to e: .in- it
funds r. ith which to b U a new. cat
Itol building.
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