in the way of anything. It would be prac
tically impossible to raise tobacco of a grade
high enough to make cigar wrappers for the
reason that our winds are apt to whip the
leaf, making it ragged and full of holes. But
for fillers, and for chewing and smoking to
baccos there is no reason why Nebraska
should not raise stock equally as good as
that raised in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is
making rapid strides as a tobacco producing
state. By the way, the biggest peanuts we
ever saw were raised in Johnson county,
Nebraska,
A lot of Lincoln people would do well to
take no heart some of the remarks made by
Guerdon W. Wattles of Omaha at the ban
quet tendered to Artist French the other
evening. Mr. Wattles' remarks about the
man with his hammer out for his home town
were right to the point.
There died in Lincoln recently a man who
left an estate worth close to $100,000 For
years he lived all alone, in one small room
in a big block he owned, dressed like a
tramp, lived like a pauper and was forever
complaining about hard times. After slav
ing and sacrificing all his life to heap up a
pile of dollars, missing all the joy's of life,
he went away without taking a penny of it
with him, and men who never-hleped him
get a dollar of the fortune will now have
the pleasure of spending it. What was the
user x
One evening this week the evening papers
announced that a receiver had been appoint
ed for the Farmers & Merchants Insurance
company. Between the arrival of the even
ing papers and 9 o'clock that same evening
four agents representing as many companies
called at the writer's home and wanted to
replace the useless policy. Guess that's go
ing some.
In Common Fairness
Four years ago a change in Lincoln's city
charter was obtained, moving the date of
election forward from April to May. There
were two motives behind this change one
was to defeat Frank W.- Brown for re-election
as mayor, the other to legally disfran
chise several hundred voters who did not
happen to be in the same class as some
would-be dictators of Lincoln policies. In
other words, that charter change prevented
several hu-n-lrd Russian-born citizens from
voting because these citizens leave early in
the spring for the western beetfields." A
majority of these disfranchised citizens nre
home owners. ' Business men like to have
their trade because they pay promptly. They
are industrious and frugal. The same rea
sons that dictated their disfranchisement
would apply equally well to a law disfran
chising men who do not belong to your
church, or your secret society or your social
set. Will Maupin's Weekly doesn't care a
rap how these Russian-born citizens vote,
for that is their business. But it does care
when citizens are disfranchised merely to
boost some other fellow's game.
Nebraska Soil Possibilities
Talk about starvation staring the world
in the face because reports show a decreased
yield per acre and a rapidly increasing pop-
. -1 a : I T'l i
uiduuii : mrce years ago an jnio man vis
ited Cheyenne county, with a view to pur
chasing a farm.' After looking at some land
near Sidney he declined to invest, saying
tnat tne sou .would not produce crops. I ll
bet .you; $100," said a- Sidney gentleman :
(name .given .on i requet,,a Ja ot), 'fjfcat J
can raise more rye on ten acres of that land
than was ever raised on ten acres in Ohio."
The bet was taken. The ten acres were
measured off and sown to rye, the Ohio man
watching everything carefully. When the
rye. was cut .the Ohio man , was on the spot.
The grain was taken to the thresher and the
ten acres produced 1,227 bushels of rye, ma
chine measure. The Ohio man paid the bet
and bought 320 acres of Cheyenne county
land. A hundred and twenty-two bushels
of rye to the acre is some rye ! Warden
Tom Smith threshed 555 bushels of wheat
from ten acres in 1909 fifty-five bushels t
the acre. Nebraska soil and brains will make
a combination that will beat the world, a
well as feed it.
Speaking of Worry
Many of us worry because we are drift
ers. We have no plans in life. We have
cut loose from our moorings and thrown
chart and compass overboard. We are like
the fellow who said: "I don't know where
I'm going, but I'm on the way." Or like
the dog that sat, lonely, in the railroad sta- :
tion because he had chewed up his tag. It
doesn't matter so much what your occupa
tion may be- whether it's in the home, tfie
school, the shop or the store your life will
be immensely relieved from anxiety and the
petty worries if you have some big ideal, the
striving fter which makes every little worry
seem like the pebbles on the highway to the
strong traveller who is journeying home.
These are mere incidents in his progress and
he is unmindful of them because of the goal
just beyond. ' "
It is definiteness, then, which brings
calmness. The assurance that one is on the
way and not merely drifting brings courage
in time of storm. With not a ship in sight
and no land to be seen anywhere, with noth
ing but a waste of water all about the
captain of the ocean s'teamer is nevertheless
calm and serene. His cpurage is worked
out. He has a compass which directs him
and a chart to show him the way.
It's a mighty good thing, once in a while, -to
stop and ask yourself "What is the pur
pose of my life? Is there anything toward
which I am working? Or is life merely a
succession of daily jobs?" Rev. Charles
Stelzle. . ' '
EVERYBODY'S BOX
Representative Hall, Thirty-First Session,
Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 31. To the Editor of
Will Maupin's Weekly: I notice in your
issue of the Wageworker bearing date of
the 27th inst. a comment on Congressman
Humphrey bemoaning the decline of Amer
ican merchant marine. Your explanation oi
the causes are to the point as far back as
you have gone, but you did not go back
far enough for many of the readers to get a
thorough understanding of the primal cause
of its decadence. It is a fact within the
knowledge of hundreds of men now living,
that before the civil war the United States
could boast, of the best merchant marine in
the world, Great Britain excepted, shortly
after the hostilities opened up congress
passed what has come down in history
known as the Morrill tariff bill, a law that
put such a high tariff on all articles of con
sumption that all vessel owners who could
-disposed of their vessels and put the capital
into any and all kinds of manufacturing in
stitutions that they could buy stock in, with ,
the result that all kinds of manufacturing
plants sprung up like "Jonah's gourd" and
American manufactures received an impetus
never before witnessed in the civilized
world. The government was in the mar
ket for certain classes of vessels and bought
all of the best at a price nearly twice, and
in a .few instances fully twice the cost of
construction. Many of us can distinctly
remember how glad were the vessel owners
to rid themselves of the vessels and get the
money into something less risky, and besides
collect from three to six times the regular
rate of interest from the capital invested,
while others invested in government bonds
to avoid paying taxes, ome of the old-time
vessel owners and their descendents now
control some of the largest fortunes in
America.
Since the war the shipping laws promul
gated and carried out by the Hales, Freyes,
Lodges, Aldrichs and that class of men have
contributed to its further decline. A -ship
subsidy law put on our statute books now
while the present shipping laws remain,
would have but one effect to put the ocean
carrying trade into fewer hands. And with
all the bemoaning, waiting, singing of
paens and rantapolistic jejune threnodies
of the Humphreys and men of that ilk, it
looks to man up a tree as if that is what
they want. J. B. GAFFANY.
Coming Along With The Dope
Continued f torn page 6
hot in an effort to land a manager. The loss
of Herman Schaefer was a hard blow to
Donald, but swallowing his disappointment
he went after another big leaguer in the per
son of Bob Unglaiib. . However, after the
Washington club had demanded fifteen hun
dred plunks for his release Bob wanted a
cold $3,600 for a salary. This was. too much
of an altitude to reach without an aeroplane,
and as'areoplane stunts have been a little
dangerous this year the Lincoln president
said "Nay, nay, Robert, it could not was."
The managerial puzzle will soon be solved,
however, and possibly so before Will Mau
pin's Weekly reaches its readers, and while
we have lost Germany and Robert, there are
some more 'pretty good ball tossers in this
land of Uncle Sam who will be able to han
dle the Antelopes in a manner which will
make the other fellows hustle to keep within
Striking distance. . . '
As soon as the weather gets warm enough
to take a jaunt .down to the lot President
Despain is going to go down and take a peep
around to see what improvements can be
made down there which will add to the
comfort of the fans the coming season. He
has in mind some pretty big stunts if things
go all right, and it need not surprise anyr
body to see him hikeihg down O street early
some morning with a saw and hammer.
Mister Pa Rourke of Omaha is building a
fine new grand stand this winter, which will
seat about fifteen thovtsand people. This has
been necessary because at one game last
summer the Lincoln club played to 348 paid
admissions, and they expect to do even bet
ter in 1911. St. Joe is also talking new
things, and of course Lincoln will get just
as good as anybody else gets if it takes every
nickel taken in at the pop exchange under
the grand stand at Antelope park.
It may not be generally known, but
Pitcher Levi Knapp has signed up with a
new club for the season of 1911. His con
tract is what is called under the rules an
unlimited contract. He is never at any
time a free agent, but can argue all difficul
ties and submit the matter to a board of
arbitration consisting of one. The club he
has signed with is thoMatriraonial club in
the Tjeup league,
