when it does there will be no more Gug
gcnheims and Morgans and Rockefellers.
An expert in Chicago declares that gas.
may be made and sold at a profit for 65
cents. Huh! If some one will show us
how to extract the gas from the average
political platform and pipe it to the peo
ple, we'll sell it for half that per thou
sand feet and in a few years make Johnny
Rockefeller look like a past due note at
the bank.
The state banks of Nebraska are now
operating under the guarantee law. We
will watch with interest to see if there be
a rush to these banks with the accumula
tions of tarnished gold and silver corns
and musty greenbacks long hidden in
stockings and old shoes and stovepipe
holes. If we have not been misled as to
the effect of a guarantee law the deposits
in the aforesaid banks should show a
wonderful increase by the time next
statement day rolls around.
It would be just Nebraska's usual ill
luck to have J. W. Crabtree remove to an
other state. Why is it that Nebraska,
with an enormous permanent school
fund, and always boasting of her inter
est in education, allows so many of her
best educators to be lured to other states
by better salaries? What state is in bet
ter shape to pay good salaries to teach
ers than Nebraska? A few years ago we
let Prof. Ross get away from us, and Ross
was then, as now, the leading sociologist
of his day. We let Carroll Pearse get
away, and Pearse is one of the biggest
men in the educational field. A short time
ago Prof. Davidson was allowed to get
away,and Nebraska has great need of men
like Davidson. Prof. Bishop resigned the
state superintendency to accept a profes
sorship at Ames, and the professorship
pays twice as much as the office of state
superintendent in Nebraska. Now Su
perintendent Crabtree is considering a
tender of the principalship of a Wiscon
sin normal school, the salary being dou
ble that he is now receiving. He is worth
as much to this state as an educator as he
could be to Wisconsin.
LABOR DAY ARRANGEMENTS.
The trades unionists of Lincoln have
wisely decided not to have a parade on La
bor Day this year. Instead they will have
a family picnic at some resort, probably
Capital Beach, at which time they and
their friends will be privileged to listen
to some speaker of national fame. Instead
of spending money on a parade the union
ists will devote whatever a parade might
cost to the defense fund now being raised
for the McNamaras, charged with dyna
miting by the Merchants and Manufac
turers association. Also, whatever pro
ceeds above expenses there may be from
the picnic will be used for the same pur
pose. It is purposed to have the Labor
Day speaker discuss the McNamara case
fully and fairly.
Trades unionists are not striving to pre
vent justice being done to any who may
commit crimes in the name of unionism.
On the contrary, they ask only exact and
even justice. They believe the McNamaras
innocent, in which holding they act in
conformity with the law, which holds
every man to be innocent until proved
guilty by a jury of his peers. They believe
that money in plenty will be provided for
the prosecution of the indicted unionists,
and they do not mean that the indicted
men shall be railroaded to the gallows.
They intend seeing to it that the Mc
Namaras have every opportunity to make
adequate defense, not only because the
McNamaras are union men, but because
the prosecution is not nearly so much in
terested in finding the accused guilty a
it is in securing a verdict from the pub
lic against the trades union movement.
The McNamaras are mere pawns in the
game that is being played by men who
will halt at nothing to break down the
only barrier that stands between the
workers of this country and industrial
serfdom.
The trades unionists of Lincoln, in
common with their fellows everywhere,
should, and doubtless do, feel a personal
interest in providing an adequate defense
for the men now charged with the awful
crime of dynamiting. If these men are
guilty, no honest trades unionist will op
pose the utmost punishment provided by
law. But they do insist that the accused
have a fair trial, trial before an unpreju
diced court. More they will not ask for;
less they will not submit to.
FRANCIS G. HAMER.
Judge Hamer, republican candidate
for the nomination for judge of the su
preme court, is one of Nebraska's earliest
pioneers. He still owns the homestead
which he and his wife entered nearly
i ?gr 'mBMm
forty years ago. Judge Hamer served
upon the district bench for a number of
years, and his record was a credit to him
self and satisfactory to the people. He
is the only republican candidate livin.
west of a line drawn through the state
north and south and bisecting York and
Norfolk. His ability is beyond question,
and as a member of the court of final re
sort he will give to Nebraska the ripened
experience of an able lawyer an a trained
jurist.
THE TRACTION PROBLEM.
Will Maupin's Weekly holds no brief
for the defense of the Lincoln Traction
Co. On the contrary, it is more inclined
to assist in the prosecution because of
that corporation's sins of omission and
commission. But first of all this news
paper desires to be fair, and it is of the
opinion that fairness has not been ac
corded the Lincoln Traction Co.
We hold that the stock of the corpora
tion is unduly watered, but that does not
mean what it might have meant a few
years ago before regulation came into ef
fect. Even though the company were
stocked and bonded ten times more than
it now is, that wouldn't have any effect
on the public, for the very simple reason
that the corporation is allowed to pay but
8 per cent dividends on its actual physical
valuation the valuation being fixed by
the state railway commission. The only
people who suffer because of water in the
stock are those who have invested their
good money therein. With this fact in
mind one may more readily grasp other
and really important facts.
For instance, why should the Traction
Co. be assessed at $57,000 a mile in the
paved districts while the Burlington is as
sessed at only $51,000 a mile remember
ing that the Burlington tax includes term
inals, rolling stock, etc., distributed over
the system, while the Traction tax does
not include anything but the rails. The
power plant; rolling stock, etc., are listed
separately and taxed separately.
The Traction Co. is compelled to pave
between rails and a certain distance out
sies, and to keep same in repair. What
justice is there then, in compelling the
company to pay tax on the paving?
Again, if the company is compelled to
pay tax on that paving, why is it not al
lowed to include the value of the paving
in its physical valuation and pay divi
dends thereon?
The Traction Co. is assesed more per
mile in the paved districts than the Mis
souri Pacific system, the Northwestern,
or the Rock Island system remembering
that the railroads tax includes every
thing, while the Traction Co. tax includes
nothing but the rails, roadbed and paving.
Once more : The Traction Co. is allowed
to pay but 8 per cent dividends on a val
uation fixed by the state railway commis
sion. The lines outside of the paved dis
tricts are assessed for taxation at a total
of $499,500. It is allowed to earn divi
dends upon a commission fixed physical
valuation of but $175,250.
Still again : The Traction Co. is allowed
to pay dividends of 8 per cent on a physi
cal valuation; arbitrarily fixed by the
state railway commission. An accident or
a visitation 'of providence compels the
company to replace property valued at
pay 5,0Q0, The company of course must
