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About Will Maupin's weekly. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1911-1912 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1912)
. -v - N I A WEEKLY I JOURNAL ! OF I CHEERFULNESS I Printed primarily for people I mho k& upon fcf cheerfully and bopfuiiy. Also for pople who might to Jo s. Tb pronator of all pcod things and Svoi people, of whk-i firs Nbrska is chwf and at which second Xbrskns DOLLAR A YEAR rOLUME 8 CURRENT Harray Andrews is serving a jail sentence in Joliet, 111. He had vio lated no statute or ordinance, civil or criminal. He was never indieted by a grand jary nor convicted by a petit jury, nor had he a trial in a court having jurisdiction over felonies or breaches of the peace. He is in jail without due process of law, for there is no law forbidding the act with which he is charged. Andrews was employed by a lot of his fellow work men who were themselves ou strike cam! the Illinois Central railroad, Jus work being to seek to deter men from taking the places of the strikers. The railway managers went before Federal Judge Humphrey and secured an injunction restraining the strikers from "iuthuidating." Armed with this injunction they secure.! Andrews arrest by making affidavit that he was "intimidating." Thereupon without a trial for the crime, without jurisdic tion to try any oue for the crime, and without allowing any of the safe guards of criminal trial for the protec tion of the innocent. Judge Humphrey sentenced Andrews to the workhouse. "Under cover of "chancery proceed ings" judges make criminal statutes, and without law and without trial proceed to punish as criminals whom soever they see fit to charge with vio lation of their judge-made law. Yet some people cannot understand why desperate men resort to the bomb, nor why there is a growing disrespect for and lack of confidence in our courts. As was to have been expected Secre tary of State Waite has backed up on his nonsensical rulings relative to fil ing candidates. It did not require the eye of propehey to see to what ridic ulous lengths such a ruling would be carried. Perhaps Secretary Waite overlooked the fact that his ruling would effect republicans as well as democrats. Another beautiful dream indulged in by some of Lincoln's idealists in municipal affairs has been shattered. The "municipal plans commission,'" which looked so pretty through the pip smoke, has been dissipated, and it is now proposed that its duties and powers be transferred to the park com mission. The "municipal plans com mission" was all to the tommyrot to with. The park commission is made up on men amply able to at tend to that sort of thiug if they are given half a show. The park com mission has performed wonders con sidering what it has had to work with. Having served for more than two years on the park commission, and knowing a few things about its handi caps, we have no hesitancy in saying that we would rather put that sort of work iuto the hands of two meu like Charley Bryan and Professor Bar bour than iato any old "municipal plans commission" that could be con structed. Some of these days Lincoln will wake up to the fact that Charley Bryan and Professor Barbour have quietly and effectively done more good work for Lincoln in the way of parks and boulevards and that sort of thing than all the dreamers and yidealists that ever goi logemer ana y swapped heifer dust. f Afrrrrrr, 1T6n 1 WW l V V I COMMENT Much is being made in certain quar ters of Wood row Wilson's letter in which he wished for "something at once dignified and effective that would knock Mr. Bryan into a cocked hat." After a few things in connection with the publicity given to that letter are analyzed Mr. Bryan's friends will not be greatly offended. Remember to whom that letter was written a man identified with the "big interests." SOME LINCOLN AFFAIRS The commission form of government for Lincoln looks like a "cinch." Per haps not because a majority of the citizens have studied it and approve of it, but because they see in it relief from the present intolerable condi tions. They fully realize that any sort of a change would be for the better, because nothing could be adopted that would be so bad as what they have now. And just as soon as the commission plan is adopted, the first time the commissioners get to wrangling over "four-foot lines" and "municipal plans commissions" and "city beauti ful" rot, while typhoid is running riot or the water supply good or bad is insufficient, there will be a sudden recall. Somebody is responsible for present conditions, but nobody can locate the responsibility. While scores are suf fering from typhoid fever and deaths from that disease not uncommon, we are fronted with the spectacle of men ! paid to attend to the city's business which includes the safeguarding of its health wrangling like a lot of school boys and shouting, "You did it!" "Your're a liar; I didn't. You did!" Fortunately for the city it has as its administrative head a gentleman who is very nmeh more of a business man than he is a politician, and who has the courage to overstep the "au thority" so zealously guarded by others and do something. When Mayor Armstroug took the bull by the horns and sent for a man to purify I the water supply, guaranteeing the ex ( peuse himself, he performed a distinct public serviee, and one that entitled him to the heartfelt thanks of every citizen. Disclaiming any intent to be profane, and desiring only to be em- phatic. Will Maupin's Weekly says to I hell with "jurisdiction" and "author ity" when by ignoring them we may protect the lives of our loved ones. If our waterworks system had been as sadly mismanaged by a private "cor poration as it has been by public offi cials, the people would have revolted years ago. But the people have been lulled into fancied security by beauti ful figures showing profit, little reck oning that for every dollar of profit shown by the water department they have been losing something much more valuable health and protection against fire. If a I t V II mm LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, JANUARY 19, Does anyone imagine that the letter would have been made public if the "big interests" had not been con vinced that Wilson's conversion to progressive and . fundamental demo cratic principles is genuine ? This newspaper has not been much inclined towards Governor Wilson in the past. The faet that the contents of that letter have been divulged leads us to believe that Wilson is a much more thorough democrat not in the parti san but in the broader sense than we had imagined. Don't for a minute believe that letter would have been (Continued on Page 3) Who is the father of the idea that the municipal water plant should be a source of revenue to the city ! Who ever he is he ought to go to a kinder gartner of economics for & few months. Not until the plant is practically per fect, with every needed extension made, should there be anything ap proaching a net revenue from the department. And just as soon as all these things are secured every penny over and above a sum well calculated to take care of the future extensions should be returned to the consumers in the shape of reduced water rates. A beautiful lot of advertising Lin coln is getting out of her muneipally owned water system, eh? Some there are who insist that the newspapers ought to keep silent about the deplor able situation. The newspaper that knows the facts and consents to si lence is simply conniving at homicide. Those who counsel silence are guilty of eonniving at hoiuieide. And the responsibility for it all rests upon the shoulders of public officials who have wrangled and "chewed the rag" over non-essentials. Is it any wonder that the commission form of government is appealing to the people! A form that will enable them to fix responsibility instead of having it shifted from one councilman to the other. And now comes Sam Worthington who, with his brother, sunk the Kiee well, and says that to his certain knowledge a six-inch main enters the Kice well twenty-five feet below the ground; that this main connected the big well with seven smaller ones sunk some distance to the south; that in his opinion these seven smaller wells have become tilled up with rubbish, and that the main still connects these rubbish-filled holes with the Rice well- Think that over for a minute! Seven wells to the south the south, mind you filled with manure and offal and filth, and connected with the main well by a six-inch pipe! And after weeks of investigation and in quiry and typhoid and death we never heard of this condition of affairs until last Monday evening! In God Al mighty's name, does anybody know a blooming thing about the water sys tem of Lincoln? Along comes Dr. Waite and discovers a little bit of a pipe leaking filth into the Rice well Nobody knew a thing about it, and there was nothing on the blue prints to show it. .Now comes Sam Worth ington and tells us of a six-inch main leading from seven filth-filled holes WW- 1912 MEN AND Pressure has been brought to bear upon Andrew Morressey to indeue him to file for the democratic nomination for attorney general. Those who are more interested in having a strong man in the legal department of the state than in having a politician, will readily agree that no opportunity should be lost to secure the services of such men as Mr. Morrissey when possible. He is an attorney of wide DISCUSSED into the same big well! Does anybody connected with the water department know of any pipes little or big, con necting the A street well with any cess pools or compost heaps to the south of it? Anybody in the northwest cor ner of the city hall, first floor, know of any pipes, little or big, connecting the F street well with any privy vaults or slaughter houses to the south and west of it? It strikes this newspaper that it is high time some system be adopted of recording in blue prints the kind and number of pipes, and from whenee, that may be connected up with the sourees of the city's water supply. "Hush-h-h-h-h! You'll give Lincoln a black eye!" Well, the editor of this newspaper would a blamed sight rath er give Lincoln a "black eye" by call ing attention to these things than to keep silent and put black streamers on the knob of his front door to con vey the sad intelligence that one of his kiddies had suceumbed to disease brought on by contaminated water drawn from municipally owned water mains. There is plenty of pure water to be had by Lincoln, and it must be had, no matter what it eosts nor how far it must be brought. But can Lincoln hope to get this sort of water supply Tinder such an archaic, antedeluvian, hodge-podge sort of a civie government as she has now, wherein no one may be held responsible? The man who believes it can will please advertise his mental limitations by holding up his right hand. The thing to do is to adopt a simple and effective commission form of gov ernment, then say to any man who aspires to preside over the water de partment: "If you take it you are directly charged with responsibility for giving us plenty of pure water' responsible on your bond, and per sonally responsible to every parent who loses a loved one through disease brousbt on by an impure water sup ply." ' Now, don't let anybody frighten you with the bugaboo that this demand for a commission form of government for Lincoln is a scheme on the part of this or that public service corporation to gobble the water plant or to commit this or that overt or covert aet cal culated to injure the citizens and taxpayers. A MERRY HEART DOETH GOOD LIKE MEDICINE Bat a broken spirit drietb the bones. That's what the Good Book says, and veil bank on it, sore. Wax. Mauttx's Weeklt works to make cfeeerfal the hearta of its readers, and tfaos do medi cal duty. Fifty-two consecutive weekly dose: for a dollar. GUAllANTEED NUMBER 43 MATTERS experience and uniform success, and fully equipped to render the state valuable service. He was located at Valentine for a number of years, but recently removed to Lineoln to be better able to take care of a business that was rapidly growing state wide. While a resident of the northwestern part of the state he was a leader in democratic affairs. He was a delegate to the Denver convention and held a minor county office at one time. The northwestern part of the state has not been given a just share of recognition by either party, and 3Ir. Morrissey rs friends in that section and they are numbered with the population are active in his interests. Having known Mr. Morrissey for many years this newspaper is prepared to declare, and does so declare, that the democrats of the state could make no better choice than he for the office of attorney gen eraL J. W. Kelley of Furnas county is said to contemplate making a race for the democratic nomination for secre tary of state. Mr. Kelley served in the legislature of 1909 and earned the sobriquet of "Platform" Kelley be cause of his insistence that the party live np to its platform pledges. This is quite enough to endear him to those democrats who , are old-fashioned enough to believe that platforms are framed with honest intent. Mr. Kelley is one of those big-brained, en ergetic gentlemen who never fail to give the best service within their power when entrusted with a duty to perform. He is an old resident, and is to be numbered among those sturdy souls who have made southwestern Ne braska bloom and blossom as the rose a, the expense of great sacrifice and intelligent endeavor. Mr. S. R. MeKelvie of Lincoln has filed for the republican nomination for lieutenant governor and is prepar ing to make a lively campaign for the place. Being a shrewd and capable advertiser there is no doubt that his candidacy will be made known to Xe braskans, together with his qualifica tions. Mr. MeKelvie is a young man aspiring to a position of more than ordinary responsibility and one usual ly given to men of longer years and wider experience in public affairs. But his age is a handicap that is being les sened every day, and there is a grow ing suspicion that it might be well to give some of these important offices to men who might not know so much, but who know better. As a tip to some other political aspirants we sug gest that they watch the 3IeKelvie advertising propaganda and prot thereby. Willanl F. Bailey, one of the most energetic of the young men of Ne braska, has undertaken the task of cutting up into small tracts and sell ing piecemeal the famous "Watson Ranch" at Kearney. The Watson ranch enjoys the distinction of being the largest field of alfalfa in the world, and it is part of the richest tract of territory in the world in the Platte river bottoms, where "the soil is more fertile than that of the valley of the Nile. We rejoice to know that this immense tract is to be sub-divided