fort to break down organized labor. And
we frankly confess that if we wan till to
make a fight against recognition of a
union we'd choose the beginning of win
ter and the midst of a business depres
sion as the proper time to make it.
There was a little mass meeting the
other day, called to protest against talk
of a war with France. More than a hun
dred thousand men attended this meet
ing. Thev were workingnien the men
who have to do the fighting in case of
war. The men who bring on wars never
do the fighting. If wars had to be fought
by the men who bring them on, there
would be little use for a Hague' tribunal
or arbitration treaties. A false patriot
ism has led millions of men to fly at each
other's throats. "My country, may she
ever Ik right, but right or wrong, my
country," sounds pretty, but it is a rot
ten sentiment when analyzed. "My coun
try, may she ever be right ; if wrong, 'I'll
help set- her right." That's a whole lot
better. If the producers- of all nations
refuse to fight the battles brought on bv
warring interests, there'll be almighty
few wars for future historians to chronicle.
"The davs are growing shorter," sage
ly observes an esteemed local contempor
ary. In which respect the days remind
us of some people we could touch, at least
one of them without taking our hands out
of our pockets.
Whether the decision of Judge Pettit
of Chicago, refusing to recognize a di
vorce decree obtained in Reno, will stand
the test of a higher court is problemati
cal. IJut that it is based on justice and
eommonsense, if not on law, can hardly
Ik denied. Whatever the outcome of the
case, it is certain that Judge Pettit's de
cision will give added impetus to the de
mand for uniform divorce legislation.
The divorce evil is growing at a terrify
ing rate, and a remedy is imperative. In
stead of being a remedy for marital ills,
the divorce has lecome merely a form of
legalized progressive adultery.
Is any one shocked by the revelations
of police connivance at gambling in Chi
cago? And is any one surprised to see
positive proof that the Chicago police
have been taking a rake-off for protecting
gambling houses? If so, those who are
surprised ought to have their heads bored
for the simples.
WE WOXDER WHY.
The other day the representative of
one of Lincoln's biggest institutions
one handling hundreds of thousands of
dollars every year called up the print
ery connected with Will Maupin's
Weekly and asked for a man to estimate
on some job printing. The man who at
tends to that part of the work seized his
price list and started, thiuking that a
big job was in sight. The job turned out
to be one involving less than ten dollars,
and a half-dozen printers were asked to
figure on it.
Vet the manager of that big institution
wouldn't think of calling upon a dozen
groceries and asking them for competi
tive bids on a few dollar's worth of gro
ceries. When he wants a half-dozen pair
of socks he does not ask for bids, nor
does he ask for bids when he buys a hat.
IJut when he wants a handful of print
ing, involving perhaps ten or twelve dol
lars, he must ask for bids, and spend
enough time fooling around for the bot
tom price to pay for it. Of course we
wouldn't think it out of the ordinary if
this big institution's manager asked for
bids in case his job amounted to a sum
worth while. IJut the spectacle of a high
salaried manager of a big institution
asking a dozen printeries to bid on a
piece of work that amounts to less than
ten dollars well, it is calculated to make
us feel a bit contemptuous of the busi
ness management of the institution. The
printery connected with Will Maupin's
Weeklv is striving to make a record for
first-class work, an honest count and a
fair price that affords a reasonable pro
fit to the printery. It is not doing work
"just to keep the presses going"; neither
is it looking for the patronage of those
who are out after "cheap printing." It
does not do that kind of printing. Peo
ple who want first-class printing at a
fair price will find it at the printery
connected with this paper. They can
get it at just what it costs to produce,
plus 20 jer cent profit to the shop
and every item will be itemized to the
purchaser if required.
TIIE WATER SUPPLY.
We are neither an hydraulic engineer
nor an expert in bacteriology. What
we know alnut the colon bacilli wouldn't
make much of a lnok, and our knowledge
of civil engineering is not such as to rec
ommend us to any railway corporations
thinking of entering new territorv. IJut
when we are gravel v informed that the
germs of typhoid can get into the water
mains from the oxitside, overcoming the
pressure of from twenty to forty pounds
when a bacteriologist tells us that, we
may be pardoned if we hold our hand
before our face and smile. If there are
any germs of typhoid in the city water
they did not get into the mains at any
other place than the initial point of sup
ply. We are quite well aware from dread
experience that the colon bacilli is a
pesky cuss and much given to determina
tion. IJut that it can go against a water
pressure of twenty or forty pounds, and
through a cast iron pipe, is a bit more
than we can believe.
It is our candid opinion that most of
the typhoid germs come from the Rice
well, and that they got into the well from
surface water. Other typhoid germs were
carried by the houseflies. It will be re
called that we had an unusual visitation
of flies this season, and the fly can and
does carry a lot of disease germs. In fact,
that is the fly's chief occupation. IJut
the Ilice well ought to lie abandoned,
even if it is in no wise restousihle for the
typhoid epidemic. It is a bricked-up
well alongside a foul, dirtv uffal-Iicariiig
creek that is subject to overflow.
DECORATE.
For goodness sake, Mr. Merchant, dec
orate a bit for the coming of the presi
dent! IJut if your idea of decoration is
to string a lot of three-cent -a -yard bunt
ing along your store front, don't ! Strict
regard for the truth impels ns to say
that when it comes to decorating for ala
occasions Lincoln is seemingly aliont as
enterprising as a wart hog and altont as
artistic as a hipjopotamus. As a gen
eral proposition our decorations are cal
culated to remind one of the effects of a
cyclone turned loose.
Can we not reform? Is it not time that
we hid away the rain-stained and wind
tattered bunting and put up some decor
ations that evidence at least embryotic
ideas of the artisic? A couple of flags
draped with some taste is much lietter
than a lot of stringy bunting that looks
like it had been blown up against the
front of the building. Let's brace tip
and give an imitation of a city that is at
least trying to break away from the fron
tier idea of decoration for festive occa
sions. TELL NOW. MR. PREtilDEXT.
"Make your judges responsible. Im
peach them. Inicachment of a judge
would be a healthy thing in these times,
I agree." President Taft at St. Louis.
All very easy to say, Mr. President,
but will you take the time to tell lis how
to go about imieaehing a jndge who has
letrayed the. people? If yon can point
out an instance wherein a federal judge
was impeached, and the impeachment
made to stick, we will lie grateful in
deed. We will undertake to ioint out
some judicial actions that merit inieach
ment if you will agree to show us how to
make impeachment proceedings stick. As
a matter of fact, Mr. President, yonr
remarks are intended to mislead, to draw
an anise bag across the trail. IJut the
people are going to insist upon the recall
for recalcitrant judges, and while yon
may delay the reform for a few years, it
will come in good time.
"An impeachment of a judge won hi le
a healthy thing in these times I"
Rot!
For president in 1012: Champ Clark of
Missouri or Iloliert La Follette of Wis
consin and we don't care much which.
It must lie admitted without argument
that Col. Juhn Ma her makes an awfully
gMHl Nebraska clearing house for the
Ohio Harmon propagandist.
