CURT COMMENT OF THE TIMES
The bank guarantee law, which was a
good enough campaign slogan a few
years ago, seems to have "petered out" in
real practice. There is no rush of na
tional banks to change to state banks in
order to secure some of the benefits al
leged to be due guaranteed banks. On
the other hand many state banks are na- "
tionalizing in order to obviate the neces
sity of coming under the guarantee act. .
The guarantee act is not calcu
lated to impress those who have
studied it. The worst feature about the
guarantee law is that it compels safe
and sane bankers to stand - good for
losses incurred by dishonest or inex
perienced bankers who get into the
game on the same footing as the time
tried and tested bankers. There is a dif
ference between guaranteeing depositors
as a whole and insuring the depositors
in a single bank. Perhaps the objections
to guaranteeing deposits as contem
plated by the present law could be over- ,
come by providing some method whereby
any bank that so desired could insure its
depositors against loss.
Mr. Carnegie has just been presented
with a gold medal as a recognition of his
generosity in establishing a fine home fer
tile republics of the western continent
and his efforts in behalf of universal
peace. The money so generously given
by Mr. Carnegie was donated to hini by
a people willing to fine themselves in or
der to enrich a few. We are an advocate
of world peace, of course, but every time
we think of Mr. Carnegie's connection
with the peace movement we are remind
ed that American industry every year
claims more victims than any. single war
in the world's history during the last
forty years.
The Colorado legislature, democratic
in both branches, adjourned without
electing a senator to succeed the late
Senator Hughes, and without fulfilling
a single party pledge. As a sample of
political rottenness the Colorado legis
lature just adjourned is perhaps the best
or worst in recent years. With gold
en opportunities before it the democratic
majority frittered them all away and
once more evidenced the fact that Colo
rado is as rotten politically as Pennsyl
vania. Governor Shaffroth tried in vain
to whip the legislature into line for re
form, but he failed, as any other man
would have failed in trying to get some
thing good from such a source. Colo
rado democracy has given the people of
that state ample reason for banishing it
from power for the next generation.
Many things contributed to the re
versal of Lincoln's position on the excise
question last week. An analysis of the
vote shows that the "wets" polled only
about 275 more votes than they did the
year before, while the "drys" polled
about 1,200 less. This indicates that
there are a lot of "drys" with broad yel
low streaks up their backs. They couldn't
stand the gaff and sought to salve their
consciences by forgetting to vote. Anoth
er - contributing cause was the veto of
the Sunday base ball bill. And still an-"
other was the "butting in" of rank out
siders endeavoring to" tell' Lincoln citi
zens how they should conduct their mu
nicipal affairs. One of the best things
connected with the result is the pretty
generally expressed opinion that we will
have at least two years without a re
newal of the fight.
In this connection Will Maupin's
Weekly takes occasion to pay a little
compliment to the Lincoln Daily Star.
That paper espoused a cause that did not,
in the light of past results, seem at all
popular. While at no time defending
the saloon it did make a square-toed fight
for license and regulation, and it fought
for its side with fairness and with vigor.
That fight was made in the open, not by
innuendo and suggestion. Will Mau
pin's Weekly and the Lincoln Daily Sar
did not agree on the excise question, but
that does not deter this little newspaper
from expressing its good will to a big
newspaper that -put up a game fight in a
manly way. The advocates of license and
regulation had in the Star a forceful ad
vocate, and to it they owe their success.
Mayor Armstrong gives it out cold
that the anti-treating law is to be en
forced while he is mayor, and Alvin LI.
Armstrong's word is as good as a govern
ment bond. The Slocumb law puts .the
penalty for treating upon the party
treating. The new city administration
will go further than that and adopt a
rule that will also penalize the saloon
keeper who permits it. The .thorough en
forcement of the anti-treating law will
put a big crimp in saloon profits.
Red Cloud, Nebraska, and New York
City have at least one thing in common
mule propelled street cars. The lied
Cloud system is about nine furlongs in
length, but just as wide as any of New
York's mule care lines. The state rail
way commission has never taken the Red
Cloud system into account, however, and
it continues to charge a 10-cent fare.
braska are now busy with the Brown sen
atorial succession. Rumor has it that Dr.
Rosewater of the Bee has a knife up Ms
sleeve for Senator Brown, and is groom
ing Representative Norris. All of which
promises a pretty little scrap, but while
it is in progress a dark horse may -slip
between them and nose them both out at
the wire. Disclaiming all pretension? of
being a political prophet, Will Maupin's
Weekly would advise the Norris sup
porters and the Brown supports to be
ware of a tall, broad-shouldered, smooth
faced blonde gentleman who has tSvice
-demonstrated his political sprinting
ability. He may be found at the state
house almost any day except Sundaj
The proposition to erect in Cleveland
a splendid monument to Tom L. Johnson
is a good one. But Will Maupin's
Wekly ventures a suggestion that it be
not a granite shaft or marble mausoleum,
but a trades school in which the children
of the toilers, the men for whom Johnson
sacrificed so much, may be given full op
portunity to fit themselves for a better
chance in the battle of life. Johnson
needs no shaft or mausoleum to perpetu
ate his memory. He builded a more en
during monument in the hearts of men.
The best evidence of regard for his splen
did service to humanity would be to carry
on the great work as he would have car
ried it on had he been spared to longer,
years of usefulness.
, Governor Woodrow Wilson cheerfully
admits that while engaged in purely acad
emic discussion of public questions lie
was opposed to the initiative and refer
dum. But he now says that after study
ing the question from the standpoint of
practical experience he is unreservedly
in favor, of it. It was while in the field of
academic discussion that Governor Wil
son made his bitter attacks upon trades
unionism. Mayhap practical association
with trades unionists in the field of pub
lic service will yet force from him the ad
mission that he was as far wrong in that
attitudje as he was when he opposed the
initiative and refendum. .As a matter of
fact, the labor organizations are entitled
to practically, all of the credit for having
forced the adoption of the reform that
Governor Wilscon now endorses with so
much vigor.
The Mexican insurgents are wise in not
trusting Diaz to resign after peace is re
stored. Diaz is a wily oid fox whose word
isn't worth much. The fact that he half
way promised to resign after peace was
restored is a sufficient indication that the
rebellion is practically successful. A few
more weeks and there will be no Mexican
"rebels." They will all be "patriots." A
"rebel" is one who rebels and fails: if he
wins he is a patriot.
The political prognosticators in Ne-
If Mrs. Jewett of Omaha is not guilty
of giving us a "bum steer" she is destined
to send her riame down in history as a
real benefactor of mankind. She says that
the dandelion, that infernal and seem
ingly eternal pest, is really the founda
tion for a delicious wine, and offers the
following recipe :
"One quart dandelion blossoms; one
gallon boiling water ; let stand 24 hours.
Pick blossoms apart, then strain. Add to