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About Will Maupin's weekly. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1911-1912 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1911)
CURT COMMENT ON CURRENT TOPICS S AVe arc not at all surprised at the ridic ulous division handed down by Toliye Judge Crawford of Omaha in the "Sun da v shaving" cases. Having had some personal experience in trying to enforce wise and salutary laws in the Omaha police court, we can well understand how easy it was for Judge Crawford to find a way to decide in the interests of the in fluential and well-to-do. jority. The Aldrich currency plan con templates the establishment of a jrreat central bank. The longer yon contem plate the idea the easier it is to decide whether it is Andrew Jackson or Nicho las Riddle who was turned over in the grave. Premier Stolypin is dead from the ef fects of a wound administered by a nihi list. In comparison Stolypin was a Kus- 4 sian progressive, but a "progressive Rus sian" is considerably behind the "repub lican standpatter" in the matter of progress. The journeymen barbers of Omaha are trving to enforce the law and ordinances against Sunday barbering, ami were well along towards success when Judge Craw ford intervened. The proprietor of a big shop in Omaha was arrested on the charge of having shaved a customer on Sunday and received money therefore. The barber testified that the customer was given to understand the shave cost him nothing, but the tonic applied to his face after the shave would cost fifteen cents. It is not contrary to law and ordi nances to give medical attention on Sun day, and a tonic is a medicinal prepara tion. Judge Crawford decided that there Avas no violation of the ordinance. The customer was shaved, in a barber shop, and on Sunday, lint the petty, ridiculous evasion was winked at by this most ex cellent and just judge, Bryee Crawford. This is the same just judge who dismissed a complaint against a big employer of Omaha charged with violation of the child labor laws. The employer admitted his guilt but " Poilce Judge Craw ford raised the technical point that the complaint was against the individual and not against the president of the cor poration, that he sustained the technical point of his own raising and dismissed the complaint. What is any Sunday law worth if this decision of Judge Crawford's is to stand? What is there to prevent the selling of a pearl button on Sunday, giving a drink with each button? Drug stores are per mit till to keep open on Sunday. Why not establish a drug store in every business establishment, then sell a quinine capsule and throw in any old article of merchan dise the customer happens to want? Will Maupin's Weekly goes to press too early to give any authentice reports on the results of the Canadian eelctions.-The indications are, however, that reciprocity will be defeated. Opponents of reciproc ity in our own country who banked on Canadian fear of being swallowed up, need worry no longer, no matter what the result. Annexation is the last thing Can adians fear. The only chance for an nexation is for Canada to annex the Unit ed States. The Canadian national spirit is growing wonderfully. Mr. Louis (Juyon of Quebec, chief in spector of factories for the province of Quebec, was in Lincoln all week. Al though a natmal born citizen of the Unii ed States, he is a Frenchman and a citi zen of Canada. lie is much better posted on United States topics than nine-tenth of oar politicians are on Canadian topics. Mr. (Juyon declares that Canadians never worry about annexation, being too busy in developing a vast area of territory suf ficient to support millions of people. The federal judges who have been re fusing to hold court in Cheyenne on ac count of poor hotel accommodations, are not to be blamed. As the average federal judge was a well-paid corporation attor ney before being appointed to the bench, he was accustomed to living on the fat of the land. Hence it is not surprising that they object to coming down to plain fare and ordinary sleeping accommodations. A year or so ago Omaha had a disas trous street car strike because the offi cials of the company refused to arbitrate. Pes Moines had one a few weeks ago, re fusal on the part of the company to arbi trate being the cause. Detroit had a strike this week. It lasted a couple of hours. Arbitration settled it. The Omaha and Des Moines strikes cost the companies and the public hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Detroit strike eostmlv a couple of hours inconvenience. AVe leave the moral for the intelligent reader to uncover. The "insurgent" republican contingent in congress sustained a severe loss when Representative Madison of the Seventh Kansas district died. He was thoroughlv independent, progressive in all his ideas,, and would not le swerved by proffers of "patronage." He voted with the demo crats to demand the removal of Ballinger, and for this was given the cold shoulder at the White House. We are not so plen tifully supplied with men of the Madison brand that we can lose them without damage to the cause of progressive politics. Will Maupin's Weekly is boiling that when President Taft strikes Nebraska October 1 that he will do some explain ing. AVe want a disagram oMhe mental processes whereby he could insist upon putting all that the farmer sells on the free list and refuse to put upon the free list anything that the farmer is compelled to buv. Nebraska bankers have endorsed the Aldrich currency plan. Not unanimous ly, to be sure, but by a comfortable ma- The president of the United States is assured of a warm welcome when he en ters Nebraska. It will be the president who is welcomed, not AAllliam Howard Taft. Federal Judge Peter Groscsup has re signed something that would have leen welcomed twenty years ago. Grosscup has extensive corporation connections, being heavily interested in interurban and street railway properties. His cor poration leanings have been open and notorious for years. It was Grosseup's decision that sent Debs to prison in spite of law and justice and not because of them. It was Grosscup who set aside the fine imposed by Judge Landis against the Standard Oil company. If his place is filled by a judge whose viewpoint is that of the people and not that of the corpora tions, all right. lint with President Taft holding the power of appointment there is little hopes of an improvement over Grosscup. Uncle Sam gave 115,000,000 acres of land to homesteaders. He and the states gave 190,000,000 acres of land to the rail roads. Then Uncle Sam sold 180,000,000 acres of land to private parties at nomi nal prices. There are 300,000,000 acres of public land in Alaska, most of it ex tremely valuable on account of mineral deposits. AVhat shall be done with it? Ex perience and common sense demands that Uncle Sam retain title to it, leasing it to settlers and miners and using the rental for the support of the governinent. That land belongs to the whole people, and should never be alienated. AA'hatever value is added to it in future by reason of settlement and development will le added by the whole people, therefore the whole people should participate in the values thus added, not allowing those values to be seized bv a few individuals. Doubtless the average Methodist preacher will be satisfied to have his wages paid monthly. To undertake to collect them twice a month would be too strenuous.