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About Will Maupin's weekly. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1911-1912 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1911)
TALKING OF MEN AND THINGS The earnest attention of all classes of Lincoln people is directed to the remarks of John F. McDonald at the meeting of busi ness men at the Lincoln hotel on Friday of last week. It will, perhaps, be admitted that Mr. McDonald has quite as much to lose as any other one Lincoln man by any policy that will injure the business of Lin coln. He frankly admitted that under pres ent circumstances he believed the policy oi well regulated saloons was the best policy for a city to adopt, not because it meant bet ter business, but because . it meant better regulation. So far as business was con cerned he did not believe the saloon, or its absence, cut any figure whatever. Then Mr. McDonald proceeded to score those who have been willing to villify, slander and blackguard Lincoln because a majority of her people are opposed to the open saloon. He denounced those who have slandered Lincoln because it is not conducted as they would have it conducted along excise lines. "I am here to say, and I think I know some thing of the subject," said Mr. McDonald, "that the last year was the best year Lincoln ever had. I am not saying" that it might not have been better, but I am saying that it was never better. And the men who are knocking and slandering the city should be suppressed." Mr. McDonald said more along the same line, and his words were cheered by men who sat there after a period of knocking and slandering that should make them blush for shame. Maybe Lincoln did not do so well as she would have done under a license policy that is a matter upon which honest men may, and do, differ. But the fact re mains that Lincoln has suffered more dam age by reason of the slanderers of her own citizens than she could possibly have suf fered under any policy heretofore advocated. Will Maupin's Weekly is not considered orthodox by either the opponents or pro ponents of the license theory. It does not believe that the presence of saloons help a city in a business way, nor that the absence thereof injures it in a business way. It does not believe in the license system, nor does it believe in prohibition. It is opposed to the licensed saloon, not because the licensed sa loon sells liquor, but because it abhors the license system the palliation of what is considered an evil merely because it is pos sible thereby to extract revenue. It does not pretend to dictate to men what they may eat, drink or wear, but it does oppose any system that seeks to extract profit from something admittedly evil. It is not op posed to the sale of alcoholic liquors, believ ing that such sale is as legitimate or should be as the sale of anything else, subject to restrictions necessary by reason of the very nature of the article trafficked in. Will Maupin's Weekly believes that one day of the week should be set apart as a day of rest, it having been amply demonstrated that the human and mental machines must have it. Because it is the day most con venient to the greatest nnmber it believes that Sunday, the first day of the week, .is the proper day. But Will Maupin's Weekly denies to any man the right to dictate to this editor how and where he shall spend that day of. rest and. recreation. So long as he infringes, upon no rights possessed by. others, and so long as he comports himself within the law, he has. a,right to spend that'; day his day as tie sees . best.., . And . .he, holds the same views as regards the traffic" in alcoholic beverages. It would be absurd to license a man to violate the Sunday laws, thereby minimizing the wrong by extracting profit from it. The trouble with Lincoln right now and it is in trouble is not that it is the victim of a "dry" policy, but the victim of eternal knocking of those who are willing to sac rifice 'anything in order to force their views upon the people. Nor is this characteristic alone of the "wet" advocates; it is equally characteristic of the "dry" advocates. The chief trouble with this whole yiquor scrap is that neither side is willing to accept re sults until the proper time comes to again try conclusions. The most intemperate men Will Maupin's Weekly knows are men who are the loudest advocates of "temper-, ance." The worst injury that Lincoln has received has been from the hands of busi ness men who have wrought that injury by slandering Lincoln because their views were not adopted. Whatever loss has been sustained by Lin coln has been the result of individual policy rather than of municipal policy. Let that fact percolate a while. There are those who favor a change of municipal policy who are coming to the conclusion that the "business men's asso ciation" was a bit premature in nominating Mr. Cochran. Not that Mr. Cochran is not a most estimable gentlemen and fully qual ified for mayor. But it strikes some as having been in the nature of snap judgment. Robert Malone and his friends tiave a right to feel somewhat peeved at the suddenness of theNaction. The nomination of Mr. Coch ran so soon simply means that the so-called "wet" vote will be divided. Mayor Love wlil undoubtedly be the nominee of the re publicans and the first choice of the "drys." Hence this situation. Confident that Mayor Love will be renominated, "dry" democrats will vote for Malone in the primaries, only to knife him at the polls and that means the re-election of Mr. Love. It strikes Will Maupin's Weekly that the advocates of a "change of policy" made a tactical blunder. But that is not unusual. Of one thing we may all be sure: We are going to have another bitter campaign over the excise question, harsh words will be used, friendships will be alienated, and crimination and recrimination will be in dulged in to the limit by the fanatics upon both sides. This is always the result of any fight over this question of license or no li cense. Would that some wise man would offer a solution. That solution will never come from the advocate of prohibition, nor from the advocate of "license and regulation." Harvey E. Newbranch has beed made edi tor of the Omaha World-Herald. So the official announcement reads. He has been editor in fact for several years, as every newspaper reader in the state knows. It is , meet and proper, however, that public acknowledgment be rnade in the newspaper he has served so well. A trained newspa per, man, a vigorous, writer and a master of English, Mr. Newbranch has added greatly to the interest of the World-Herald. Under due recognition of his splendid service we may expect still-better work from him. a business man who handles money? The definition of a "business man" is rather dif ficult. But we rather object to applying the term only to those who merely barter and sell. The humblest hod carrier, or the low--liest bricklayer, or the most obscure car penter, if he sells his labor and makes hon est delivery, is just as much entitled to the designation "business man" as the man who sells goods amounting to thousands of dol lars. We've heard a great deal about "busi ness administration by business men," but we've never heard of any such administra tion proving a howling success save from the standpoint of "business." Ordinarily a newspaper pays no attention to the cowardly author of annoymous com munications. We make an exception this week by referring to one of these despicable cowards who marked several paragraphs in last week's issue and penciled comments on the margin. The paragraph 'referring to the activity of the "bootleggers" in Lincoln is commented on as follows : "Show how wet you are." It is to laugh. Addressed as the paragraph is to a man who has never voted for license, has always opposed the open sa loon and who made this newspaper, then under a different name, about as warm an advocate of a "dry" Lincoln as a newspaper well could be- well, it merely goes to show that the most intolerant man imaginable is he who condemns to everlasting hellfire all who will not agree to his conception of right and wrong. The intemperance of some tem perance advocates is enough to drive the average man over into the pro-license crowd. Of course the Ministerial Union is for no license. We wouldn't give the snap of a finger for the minister who wouldn't fight the saloon and the liquor traffic. Show us a minister who is well spoken of by the de votees of sin and we'll show you a minister who isn't doing very much work for the Lord. "Confidently believing that the commer cial and industrial phases of civic activity and development are equally important and vital to a city's growth as the social, intel lectual and moral advancement " So reads the opening paragraph of the platform of the business men's association. Will Mau pin's Weekly asks every citizen of Lincoln to study that statement. Do you believe it? Frankly Will Maupin's Weekly does not, for it considers the social, intellectual and moral advancement of a community paramount. Judge Lindsay's strength as a reformer and his hold upon all classes of people were well evidenced by the crowds that flocked to hear him while he was in Lincoln last Tuesday. Judge Lindsey has a message,. and no man with a message fails of a hearing. Often, as in Judge Lindsey's case, it takes time to secure the hearing, but it is secured sooner or later. The work that "de kid judge" is engaged in the word of saving the boys and the girls is the greatest work a human being can engage in. And Judge Lindsey is successful because his heart and soul- both of a size immeasurably greater than his frail-looking body are wrapped up in it. Ben B. Lindsey is one of the great figures of this generation. . . ""What is. a business man ?" :. Is he a man. who ..exchanges goods for. dollars,, or , is.. he. a'" than who produces? Is' he," arid tie only, Judge Lindsey's tribute to Judge Lincoln . Frost, who presides over the juvenile court of Lancaster county, was couched in strong language, but none , too - strong. Compar atively few people Jc'now what "the juvenile, court of this county is doing for boys and