"Soldier's Farewell," the national hymns
of this and other countries and a few of
the old religious songs that were beloved
by our grandfathers and great-grand-falhers?
We, do not know how Ed Howe is fixed
financially, hence do not know how long
he can stand the strain of carrying a big
band. I Jut we hope he is worth enough to
keep it going for years on end. His ambi
tion is the most laudable one we have
heard about in many years.
ONLY ONE MAN KILLED!
"Only one man killed'' is the an
nouncement of the results of the auto
mobile and motorcycle races at Indiana
polis this week. And when the crushed
body of the reckless driver Avas pulled
from under the wreck of his machine,
the speed crazed crowd sat still until the
body was taken from the track. Then
the people yelled for more races, evident
ly hoping to see another man or two kill
ed. Every now and then we read a few
lines about the way Nero flung Chris
tians to the lions or burned them at the
stake, and we throw a fit or two of
horror and wonder how such things ever
could be. Then, we pause and think.
After all, is the average American
crown any less bloodthirsty than the
crowd of Nero's time? The more likely
an exhibition is to result in the death of
a few participants, the bigger the crowd
that will assemble to see it. Yet we
boast of our rapid strides in civiliza
tion. MEMORIAL DAY
I love the beautiful custom of strew
ing flowers above the graves our dead on
Memorial day. I hope the custom will
find increasing favor as the years go by,
until the time shall come when every
grave everywhere, will be covered with
sweet blossonios.
I Jut I think even more of the growing
custom that puts flowers in the hands of
the living while they are able to see their
bright hues and smell their fragrance. A
single bouquet in the sick room is worth
more than a florist's stock on the grave.
Let me never forget the graves of the
loved ones who have gone before, but let
me not remember them to the exclusion
of the loved ones who are still with me.
Teach me to give llowers and kind words
to those whom I meet every day.
HINTING AT THE REMEDY
Following is the report of the taxation
division of the Nebraska Rural Life Com
mission, submitted at a meeting of the
commission last Monday evening in Lin
coln. It is significant in that it gives
a hint of the rural solution of the revenue
problem the single tax. This report
should be carefully studied:
"That our present system of state,
county and municipal taxation is crude,
ineffective and inequitable in that it of
fers abundant opportunity for evasion of
taxation on intangible property, espe
cially in the towns and cities, where such
property is of a character to be easily
concealed from assessment, the owners
thereof being thereby enabled to evade
their just proportion of taxation.
"That the necessities of the public rev
enues require temporary and artificial
equaliaztion of assessments which are
largely influenced by the evasion of tax
ation on intangible property and that
this evil is particularly prominent with
reference to the larger cities of the state.
"That there is not and cannot be un
der our present constitutional restric
tions an adequate and equitable classi
fication of property for purposes of tax
ation. "That it appears as prima facie true,
and, we believe, susceptible of proof from
the records of taxation, that the owner
of farm property is compelled under the
present system to bear an undue and in
adequate portion of the burdens of tax
atioon, particularly as to personal prop
erty, and compared with the owner of
similar classes of property in the towns
and cities.
"As an indication of the state of facts
which appears to exist with reference to
evasions of tax on personalty we append
to this report an abstract from the grand
assessment roll of 1910 as shown in the
biennial report of the auditor of public
accounts; this statement shows the as
sessed valuations on common items of
personalty and realty in the counties of
Lancaster and Howard, these counties
being chosen for comparison as typical
urban and rural counties. This abstract
shows in brief that the relation of as
sessed realty values in the urban county
of Lancaster is in the ration of six to one
as compared with the rural county
of Howard, while the relation of assess
ments on personal property in Lancaster
is four to one in Howard.
"It requires but a superficial examina-
COUNTY JUDGE P.
P. James Cosgrave, candidate for
nomination for district judge, was born
in Wilkesbarre, Pa., on June 28, 1871.
He came to Lincoln in March, 1884. In
1889 he graduated from the Lincoln high
school, and in 1891 from the Ann Arbor
law school with the degree of Bachelor
of Laws. He took a post graduate
course in the same school and in 1892
received the degree of Master of Laws.
He returned to Lincoln and began the
practice of law and continued therein
with signal success until the breaking
out of the Spanish-American war. He
went to the Philippines as first lieuten
ant of D company, First Nebraska,
served throughout that war and the
Filipino insurrection, and on June 7 was
promoted to a captaincy and asisgned
to I company, recruited at Bennet, Neb.
Returning to Lincoln after his service as
a soldier he resumed the practice of law,
and in 1902 was elected police judge of
Lincoln. He had no opposition for re
election to the second and third terms.
tion of this abstract to show that in both
counties the returns of personal prop
erty is scandalously insufficient, the ap
parent showiiig being that the city man
can dodge his taxes with more dexterity
than his country neighbor."
IN THE DIM FUTURE
Naturally we of Lincoln would rejoice
if we had a union depot into which the
trains of all roads entered. But what's
the use of wasting time dreaming about
it. The Rock Island will never give up
its juicy snap. And there is really no
reason why the Northwestern and Mis
souri Pacific should give up what they
have. We want the Union Pacific to get
out of the lowlands, and it seems to have
a golden opportunity, offered by the
Burlington. If the Union Pacific , will
run its passenger trains into the Bur
lington station, as it may if it so desires,
we will have all. the depot facilities we
really need. Of course a real union
depot would, be a mighty fine asset, but
we'll get a lot of good things before we
get that one.
ACCENT ON THE "SHAM"
Attorney General Wickersham, re
tained by the United States to prosecute
trusts, among other duties, admits that
he has received at various times hand
some fees from the sugar trust, the steel
trust and other combines. "But that
was before I became attorney general,"
coyly remarks the official. WTith this
information at hand we can understand
wjliy Wyickersham advised the govern
ment to accept $2,000,000 from the sugar,
trust in settlement of claims for under
weighing and undervaluation amount
ing to ten or fifteen times that sum.
JAMES COSGRAVE
In October, 1907, he was appointed to
the position of county judge to fill the
vacancy cause by the death of Judge
Waters. He was elected the following
month and re-elected without opposition
two years later.
Judge Cosgrave has demonstrated his
ability both as police judge and in the
more arduous positioti of county judge.
In the latter capacity he has established
a record that proves him fitted for high
er judicial honors, and his experience as
county judge has been a splendid school.
He is married, has two children and is a
homeowner and taxpayer. His record
as a citizen is above reproach, and he
enters the campaign with the knowledge
that he has a host of friends behind him
to push his candidacy along. Young,
virile, self-poised and free from all en
tangling alliances and influences, Judge
Cosgrave is peculiarly Avell fitted for the
district bench, and his election will be an
evidence of the good judgment of the
voters of Lancaster county.
