J-r
PICKED UP
t going into the merits of
roversy between Councilman
It and Councilman FenUer,
re evident that the exhibition
uncil chamber last Monday is
frther evidence of the fact that
is suffering from too much
ities and too linle business
While eouncilmen are quar-
ver who is to blame for this
t, scores of people are suo
g to typhoid fever, hundreds
uilies are inadequately supplied
water, the danger of fire Is grow
ing greater, and the water supply,
good or bad, is not keeping pace
with demands.
Somebody is to blame for this con
dition of affairs. But who! That is
the question, and it seemingly can not
be nswered. Blame is shifted from
one shoulder to another, and the long
suffering taxpayer has no remedy
under existing conditions because he
can not fix the responsibility. Every
day adds new proof that Lincoln
ought to adopt the commission sys
tem in some form or other. We are
not particularly concerned as to the
kind, just so it will make it possible
to fix responsibility for such a dis
graceful condition of affairs as now
exists.
Of course Councilman Meier's op
position to the commission system as
provided under the Banning law will
not stand analysis. Nor will his op
position, under the circumstances,
rount for much, even if well founded.
lust now the opposition of any pres
ent member of the council to the com-
mission plan of government will have
'little if any weight with the people.
Time and again "Will Maupin's
Weekly has endeavored to point out
what it believes to be the fatal error
of those having the management of
the water system in hand the idea
that the municipal plant should be so
conducted as to return a profit to the
city. That should be the last thing
sought for in the management of any
snici pally owned plant. Not until
every needed extension is made, not
until every possible customer within
the city is supplied, and not until
the supply is adequate for every need,
should the city take any profits from
the water plant. Every cent of
revenue over and above maintenance,
should be put into extensions and im
provements. When all these have
been made it is possible to make, the
rates should be lowered. The whole
trouble is that each succeeding com
missioner and chairman of the coun
cil water committee is trying to make
a record for econoiuv in administra
tion and return in net revenue. Let
us have done with the idea of "net
revenue and demand service instead.
Here we have been going along se
cure in the idea that we had a water
system wholly adequate, supplying the
purest of water. Suddenly we wake
up to the- fact that the system is
wholly inadequate and the water im
pregnated with disease germs. And
when we complain those responsible
for the condition say we are "un
reasonable," and we are advised to
"keep still, else you will give the city
a, black eye." And this is jssked of
men who watch their loved ones wast
ing away from disease and falling into
the sleep that knows no waking.
What does that man care about "mu
nicipal black eyes' who has followed
his baby to the cemetery, victim of
typhoid brought on by the use of im
pure water pumped into mains by a
municipally owned plant ?
And how can we in good con
science expect men thus bereaved to
sit patiently while eouncilmen indulge
in personalities and recriminations in
stead of getting busy and correcting
the existing evils. There are a score
or more eases of typhoid fever in Lin
coln today, and the scourge threatens
to grow. Yet eouncilmen put in their
time reading personal attacks upon
their fellow eouncilmen, and other
eouncilmen sit and wait for a chance
to "get back."
IN PASSING
Mayor Armstrong is doing all he
can to correct existing evils, but the
plain truth of the matter is the mayor
has little power in the premises. But
suppose Mayor Armstrong was charg
ed directly with the responsibility of
managing the municipal water plant,
and subject to the recall in case he
did not measure up to the duties of
the office how long would he remain
in charge tinder existing conditions?
There you are. The men responsible
are able to shift the blame, and even
if it were definitely located the people
could do nothing but sit around and
swear. This is why Will Maupin's
Weekly is in favor of going to the
commission forn of government, and
going with the least possible delay.
MEN AND MATTERS
(Continued from Page 1)
fering Lincoln would, if he were alive
today, go about breathing threatenings
and manslaughter! We much fear that
Governor Stubbs has not read up on
the life of Lincoln.
About two years ago Ethel Croker,
daughter of the Tammany boss, eloped
with her riding teacher, a man named
Breen. We heard a, lot at that time
about the "romance" of the elope
ment. Miss Croker fell in love with
Breen because he was handsome and
knew the game. Mr. Breen doubtless
loved "the very ground Miss Croker
walked on." She has quite a bit of
it in her own right, you know. Well,
Mrs. Ethel Croker Breen is suing for
a divorce, alleging infidelity, non-support
and several other things. All of
which, confirms us in the belief that
a hickory switch well and properly
applied to the right portion of the
anatomy will very often cure such
cases. And that's better than two or
three years of suffering and finally the
divorce court. The marriage tie is
becoming entirely too much of a joke
in this republic of ours.
Once again Will Maupin's Weekly
is not worrying a whole lot about
whether it is to be Taft or LaFollette
with the republicans, or Clark, Wilson,
Harmon or Folk with the democrats.
It has its preferences, of course, but
just now it conceives that the most
momentuous question before the peo
ple is that of good seed corn. We
are worrying a whole lot more about
next season's corn crop than we are
about the year's crop of politicians.
Test your seed corn first then take
time to test vour office-seekers.
We doubt if Mr. Bryan expected to
succeed in his efforts to oust Guffey
of Pennsylvania from the democratic
national committee, but the fact that
Guffey ought to be ousted because he
is a political crook in Mr. Bryan's esti
mation was sufficient for the Fairview
statesman. After ousting its Guffeys
and Sullivans and Taggarts democracy
might not be able to command so large
a campaign fund as usual, but it would
be able to command more public con
fidence, without which it can never
hope to win a national election.
There are democrats who will dep
recate Mr. Bryan's actions as calcu
lated to disturb "party harmony."
But they are in the same category
as those republicans who denounce La
Follette as a "disturber. So long
as the Sullivans and Guffeys and Tag
garts control democratic party af
fairs, and such men as Aldrich and
Lorimer and Cannon control republi
can party affairs, just so long will the
people be getting it where Cora wore
her beads. A democratic victory with
Sullivans and Guffeys and Taggarts
in control of the administration would
be an almighty hollow mockery to
genuine democrats.
Governor Wilson has learned a lot
since he emerged from his library and
began learning from public life in
stead of from books. As a result he
is bigger and broader than he was
while discussing subjects from the
viewpoint of an acedemician. There
fore we are not surprised that he
should regret having written a let
ter asking how Mr. Bryan might
be thrown over the transom of the
democratic temple. Wilson the uni
versity president was opposed to
trades unionism, to Bryan, to the
initiative and referendum and to the
recall. Wilson the politician end man
of public affairs has changed his mind
on all of these- questions.
Without knowing Labor Commis
sioner Guye's opinions upon the single
tax question we are led to wonder
if he saw the logical results of his re
cent bulletin in which he made plain
a relation between jobless men and
manless land. Whether intentionally
or not, Labor Commissioner Guye's
acreage bulletin of recent date is quite
worthy of being used for propaganda
purposes by the single-taxers of Ne
braska. By the way, speaking of the single
tax, it is entirely within bounds to
assert that the man who pretends to
be a student of affairs and is not
studying this method of taxation, is a
mere pretender. The single-tax, or
iax upon land values, is rapidly be
coming the burning issue. It is no
longer an acedemic question. Men of
thoughtf id and inquiring mind have
long since come to the conclusion that
it will require far more than tariff
reform or currency reform to cure
the ills to which this nation is sub
ject, and these same men are turning
in large numbers to the support of
the reform pointed out by Henry
George.
The crime and confession of Rev.
Mr. Richeson will, of course, result
in the usual attacks upon the church
and upon Christianity. Let a minis
ter of the gospel go wrong and im
mediately a lot of men will declare
that it is conclusive proof that all
ministers are "leeches upon society,"
all professing Christians "hypocrits,"
and religion merely a cover for crook
ed work. This, of course, does not
prove anything save that the men so
declaring are talking nonsense. We
readily, though sorrowfully admit
that the church is not doing its whole
duty, that all ministers are not per
fect, or anywhere near perfect, and
that religion is often used to cloak
devilish work. But one fallen minis
ter does not mean that all ministers
are wolves in sheep's clothing, any
more than one defaulting bank presi
dent proves that all bank presidents
are thieves. And a Kttle investiga
tion will disclose that there are a
blamed sight more hypocrits outside
of the church than inside.
THE TELEPHONE MERGER.
The telephone, like water works and
street railway service, is a natural
monopoly. Therefore the news of a
telephone merger in the southeast
Platte country is welcome.- Under
state regulation of rates and service it
is possible to prevent the monopoly
from unduly oppressing the people,
either by extortionate charges or in
adequate service. The people of any
city are foolish to admit a second tele
phone company unless the original
company refuses to give service or at
tempts to exact unreasonable rates.
Lincoln welcomed the competing com
pany because the Bell company, secure
in what it thought an ironclad monop
oly, gave little heed to the eomplaints
of the public against excessive rates
and miserable service. The dual tele
phone system has been expensive, but
it was worth all it cost because it
compelled both companies to give serv
ice. Now the competing companies
are consolidated, but there is little or
no danger of a return to old condi
tions. The state railway commission
is empowered to regulate the rates and
to command adequate service-
It is not unlikely that an immediate
move will be made to increase the
rates. The telephone is unlike any
other public service. If one citizen
has city water in his house he is not
discommoded if no other citizen has
it. But no man would give a penny
a year for a telephone in his house if
he couldn't use it to talk to some one
else. The greater the number of
'phones to which a phone renter may
talk, the larger the expense of main
tenance, therefore the large rental
that must be demanded. But anv re
quest for increasing the rates will
have to stand scrutiny, and no arbi
trary increase will be submitted to.
Having tried out the dual system onee
and finding it a good thing to compel
good service and reasonable rates, the
people will not hesitate to do it again
if they become convinced that the
monopolistic corporation is trying to
gouge them.
WHAT'S THE SCHEME?
Several days ago Governor Aldrich
received a letter dated at Trenton,
Nebraska, and purporting to be a
story of destitution written by the
wife of a tenant farmer in Hitchcock
county. Investigation disclosed the
fact that the letter was a forgery, and
that no such destitution as described
existed in that county. Will Maupin's
Weekly is in receipt of the following
letter :
Madrid, Nebr., Jan. 2. Dear Sir:
It is quite difficult to me to write
you or some one. We all alike out
here. There seems to be no money
any place. We bought 4S0 aeres here
in Perkins county near Madrid. We
have had two crop failures so we
can't pay our interest that has to
come in March the first. Will you
see that we get $240 and we will pay
you well. We look for good crop in
the spring. C. F. MILLER.
Is there a concerted effort on foot
to discount western Nebraska Or is
some one merely amusing himself?
There is no particular reason why Mr.
Miller should write to the editor of
this newspaper and many reasons
why he should not waste his time that
way. Mr. Miller's letter has been
turned over to other parties for inves
tigation. NOT "JTM" DAHLMAN.
Just now the Omaha Bee is intimat
ing that there has been "graft" and
"crooked work" in the matter of
excise law enforcement in Omaha, and
in the same manner the Bee is rather
hinting that Mayor Dahlman has been
in on the deal. Well have to be
shown and shown mighty conclusive
ly before well believe that '.'Jim"
Dahlman has played the game
crooked. This newspaper is not in
accord with Mr. Dahlman on some
policies, but it has never doubted that
he was sincere or that he was as
straight as a string. With characteris
tic candor and brevity Mayor Dahl
man has invited the closest scrutiny
of his acts while mayor, and the
chances are that somebody is going to
be badly nipped in their efforts to
show that Mr. Dahlman ever handled
a dollar of "graft."
WHAT DID THEY EXPECT.
William J. Bryan and Robert M.
LeFollette met in the lobby of a Wash
ington hotel the other day, shook
hands in friendly fashion and with
drew to a secluded corner and held a
short conversation. Whereupon the
people wondered and the reporters
framed up stories of political intrigue
and saw awful visions of plot and
counterplot.
Now what did the people expect
William and Robert to do when they
met? Did they expect to see William
clench his good right fist and poke it
into the facial orifice of Robert, while
Robert inserted his thum in William's
optie and gouged it out! Did they
expect to see these two worthies grap
ple and go to the tiled floor of the
hotel, William's ear between Robert's
teeth and Robert's fingers clutched
around William's throat? We did not
expect anything of the kind- We ex
pected them to do just as they did
act like gentlemen who, although dif
fering somewhat on matters political,
could still be friends and gentlemen.
There is a whole lot of silly rot being
dished up to us by the daily news
papers, and which we are asked to
believe is news and mental pabulum
worth while.
IT IS TO LAUGH.
The oil trust and the tobacco trust
have geen dissolved. They are no
longer violators of the Sherman anti
trust law.
That's a huge joke!
Each of these trusts has been dis
solved 'into its constituent corpora
tions. These constituent corporations
are owned by the very same men who
owned the trusts before they were dis
solved. They have the power to do
singly and legally what they did col
lectively and illegally and they'll d
it. too. Only they 11 have the excuse
of higher cost of prodactioa for hoist
ing the prices.
Think this over a bit. and maybe
you 11 see the stupendous joke.
WHAT ARE THE FACTS?
The "American Economist," subsi
dized organ of the tariff barons, says
that the "only effective way of reduc
ing the price of sugar is to encourage
the production of beet and cane sugar
through the protective tariff." We
don't believe it. In the first place we
haven't got and do not want the kind
of labor necessary to compete with
the cane growers of Hawaii and Port
Rico. In the second place we've been
fining ourselves $200,000,000 a year
for a generation, and today we are not
producing in the United States enough
cane and beet sugar to sell for that
amount. It would seem that if thirty
years of high tariff on sugar will not
enable us to produee more than 30
per cent of the sugar we consume, it
is high time to cease fining sugar con
sumers and try something else.
CURRENT COMMENT.
(Continued from Page 1)
up in a love feast by a long ways.
The coming Baltimore convention may
break np in a row, but we hope not
The republican party has no Lincoln,
now to step in and make things
straight not by a great deaL
Of course if Col. Charley Fanning
caused. that Bryan presidential peti
tion to be filed as a "sharp trick," Be
deserves to have handed to him the
little vice presidential joker that was
sent him. CoL Fanning is am bit ions
to be the democratic national commit
teeman from Nebraska, and it is a
laudable ambition. By the same token
he would be an able member of tne
committee. But it is not in the cards
this year. Dr. P. L. Hall is the logi
cal man, being now vice chairman
and having a record of efficient serv
ice behind him. We do not beieve the
charge made that Col. Fanning at-
tempted a "cute trick." Having
known the colonel for twenty years
and more we feel warranted in saying
that when he can not play the game
square he sits out.
A year ago last November the Sev
enth Kansas district elected a repub
lican to congress by upwards of
$4,000 majority. At a special election
held in the district last Tuesday a
democrat was elected by 1,500 ma
pority. There is in this result just
cause for democratic rejoicing. By
the same token it is sufficient war
rant for a lot of almighty hard think
ing on the little handful of "stand
patters" who met in Lineoln recently
and emulated the tailors of Too ley
street by adopting resolutions to the
effect that "we are the people."
The death of Prof. William Jaek
son, deputy food and drug commis
sioner, brings a loss to Nebraska.
Proof. Jackson devoted most of his
life to school work, and whether in
the school room or officiating as state
superintendent of instruction he
served his community and his state
well- As head of the pure food and
drug commission he performed splen
did work, and did it without fuss or
feathers. - .
Floyd Sebolt of Geneva admits a
willingiicaa to be nominated for state
treasurer on the democratic ticket- He
has been a successful banker in Ne
braska for more than twenty years.
Mr. Sebolt was appointed bank ex
aminer in 1909, but he never acted
in that capacity, being . prevented by
the injunction against the guaranty
law.
We are not inclined to take seri
ously the candidacy of the gentlemen
who askes for the republican nomina
tion for state treasurer against Sir.
Walter George. Mr. George has
earned a re-nomination at the hand?
of his party, and by the same TOSex
the will get it if he asks for it ant?
we presume he wflL Nebraska Is
close state politically especially thi
trip but if the democrats hope tr
beat Sir Walter theyU have to piei
an almighty good man capable . of
sprinting to beat the record.