NEBRASKA SHOULD ADVERTISE HER RESOURCES
Five years from this month Nebraska will celebrate her semi-centennial as a state. This is not a long time indeed
it is a short time measured in the life of a state. Nebraska, whose history is so wonderful, whose development has been
the marvel of the world, and whose possibilities are beyond compare, should begin right now making preparations for the
proper celebration of that semi-centennial. Commercial clubs should be taking it up. Nebraska newspapers should be
discussing it. The legislature elected next November should be instructed to make a preliminary appropriation, and the
governor should be empowered to appoint a commission. Nebraska, with all her resources and the manifest evidences of
her development, can, and should, make an exposition that will attract visitors by the thousands from abroad, and bring
to the state millions of dollars for investment In the meantime her resources, her production and her possibilities should
be advertised to the four quarters of the earth.
Nebraska's all right!
During the year 1911, by no means the banner year in her
history, ' Nebraska added more than half a billion dollars to the
total wealth production of the world.
Five hundred and thirty-seven millions of dollars!
That is the grand total of Nebraska's production of agricul
tural products and live stock during the year that will end when
the bells ring out next Sunday night and ring in next Monday
morning.
We challenge the world to beat that record, everything con
sidered area cultivated, population, age, etc.
Will Maupin's Weekly was moved to make this tabulation
after seeing a lot of advertising matter for Kansas, sent out by
F. D. Coburn, secretary of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture.
Kansas has Nebraska beaten to a frazzle in one particular the
matter of making known all the glorious facts about Kansas. All
the world knows what Kansas is doing because Kansas spends
thousands of dollars in advertising her productivity, her resources
and her possibilities. All the money that Nberaska spends for
that purpose could be blown into a gnat's eye through a bat's
feather, and never make the gnat blink. Perhaps this will explain
why Kansas, with 8,000,000 less total acreage has 90 per cent more
cultivated acres than Nebraska, and 40 per cent more people
and this, too, despite the fact that Nebraska raises more wheat
per acre, more corn per acre, more rye per acre, more o&is per acre,
more sugar beets per acre and more potatoes per acre, than Kansas.
In other words, because she has advertised liberally and wisely,
Kansas has 25,040,550 acres under cultivation and 1,690,949 inhabi
tants, while Nebraska has only, 13,773,148 acres under cultivation
and 1,192,214 inhabitants.
Just now Secretary Coburn of Kansas is sending out postcards,
placards, folders and pamphlets, singing the praises of his state.
And Secretary Coburn is a sweet singer, too. And how beautifully
the legislature of Kansas accompanies him upon the financial piano !
From reports received by Will Maupin's Weekly it seems that
Kansas, according to Secretary Coburn's figures, produced during
the year 1911 agricultural and horticultural products, and live
stock sold for slaughter the magnificent total value of $282,927,
188.34. Grand! Magnificent! Hurrah for Kansas! . - r- s
But Will Maupin's Weekly is edited by a man who knows
quite a bit about Nebraska, her productivity, her resources and
her possibilities, lie also knows something about estimating
values. He knows that Nebraska's statistics are gathered just liko
Kansas statistics are gathered, and that they are quite as trust
worthy as those gathered by Secretary Coburn.
Wherefore , the editor of Will Maupin's Weekly set about
gathering a few facts and making a few estimates on his own ac
count. First he took the statistics gathered by the Bureau of
Labor and Industrial Statistics. He presided over that bureau
for two years and knows just how it works, and knows that its
statistics are reliable. Taking these statistics he further proceeded
to use the same basis of value as used by Secretary Coburn. What
was the result? Does Nebraska,- with practically half as many
cultivated ncivs as Kansas, and less than two-thirds of the popula
tion of Kansas, cotne anywhere near the Kansas totals?
Well, we should smile !
In Kansas, $282,927,188.34.
In Nebraska, $331,143,548. 46.
Balance in favor of Nebraska, $48,216,360.12.
Or, to put it in even better and fairer way:
Kansas produced an average agricultural value of $167.32 per
capita in 1911.
Nebraska produced an average agricultural value of $277.75
per capita in 1911.
M. W. FOLSOM, President
C. H. BEAUMONT, Cashier
NEBRASKA STATE BANK
CORNER 15th AND 0 STREETS
Does a General Banking Business
PROTECTED by the DEPOSITORS GUARAN
TEE fund of the State of Nebraska. All state
and county funds must be guaranteed (unless pro
tected by this GUARANTEE FUND). Do you not
want the same protection for your bank deposits?
1
OFFICERS
M. W. FOLSOM, President
H. K. BURKET, Vice-President
C. H. BEAUMONT, Cashier
JOHN G. BURKET, Asst. Cashier
DIRECTORS
M. W. FOLSOM
H. K. BURKET
C. H. BEAUMONT
F. C. BEAUMONT
F. B. KIMBALL
Or, to put it still another way, and a way eminently fair:
Kansas produced agricultural wealth at the rate of $11.28
per cultivated acre.
Nebraska produced agricultural wealth at the rate of $25.47
per cultivated acre.
And all the world knows about the productivity of Kansas
because Kansas is wise enough to advertise.
But who outside of Nebraska and comparatively few inside
know that Nebraska is producing more than twice as much per
cultivated acre as her well known sister on the south?
Gracious, but it makes Will Maupin's Weekly's column rules
ache every time it thinks of the criminal parsimony or is ;t
criminal negligence? that prevents the glories of Nebraska from
being made known to all the world.
Kansas beat Nebraska 4,000,000 bushels of wheat, but Ne
braska beat Kansas 8,000,000 bushels of corn. They were prac
tically equal on oats. We raised a half-million bushels more rye
than Kansas, but Kansas raised a half-million bushels more barley.
Nebraska beat Kansas on potatoes a matter of 2,000,000 bushels.
Nebraska's poultry and egg production was so much larger than
Kansas' that the Jayhawker state isn't in the poultry running.
In the matter of buttermaking Nebraska has her sister state look
ing like an old-fashioned dasher churn by the side of an up-to-date
creamery. More correctly speaking, while Kansas was pro
ducing in round numbers an average of 5 pounds of butter per
capita per year, Nebraska was producing 11 pounds per capita
per year. Butter consumed on the premises is not taken into ac
count by the statisticians of either state.
We beat Kansas in the matter of animals for slaughter by
upwards of $7,000,000. In the production of sugar beets, Kansas
is not to be mentioned in the same day with Nebraska. In horti
cultural and garden products, together with sugar beets, Nebraska
is ahead of Kansas by upwards of $3,000,000.
z
FLOYD SEYBOLT
Democratic and Peoples Independent Candidate for State
Treasurer, Primaries April 19
rj .... - : TT " n. . -4
' ' ii ) I
But all the world knows what Kansas raised. - The people
have the facts thrust upon their attention in every conceivable
wy in pamphlets, in books, by post card, in the newspapers, in
the magazines and upon the rostrum.
The facts about Nebraska are carefully concealed it would
seem. All that the statistical department of Nebraska has for
defraying the expenses of printing and disseminating literature
about the resources of Nebraska for a year wouldn't pay the post
age account of Secretary Coburn for thirty days. This is not an
exaggeration it is a truth capable of demonstration.
But we can not forbear making some more comparisons. Will
Maupin's Weekly is right here to challenge any state in the Union
to equal Nebraska's record for agricultural and live stock wealth
production per acre or per capita:
The total agricultural and live stock wealth production of
Kansas in 1911 was $534,559, 676, or an average of $316 per capita.
That's pretty good far and away above the average of the
whole United States. But
The total agricultural and live stock wealth production of Ne
braska in 1911 was $537,802,023 an average of $451 per capita.
Again, all the world knows what Kansas produced, and that
she is far ahead of the average of all the states together. But Ne
braska, the state that beats Kansas by $3,242,347 in the total of
wealth production, and by a matter of $135 per capita or 42 per
cent is known only to statisticians who are pa-d for compiling
such figures.
Why?
Because Kansas is so proud of her record that she spends
thousands of dollars every year to make it known, while Ne
braska, with a far better record, doesn't spend a dollar and there
fore is not known at all outside of her own borders and not very
well inside. '
Will Maupin's Weekly -is pounding along as best it can, try
ing to spread the gospel of Nebraska as widely as possible. Hun
dreds of loyal Nebraskans are helping it but there ought to be
thousands where there are hundreds. It ought not be left to any
one newspaper nor to all the newspapers of the state to adver
tise Nebraska. They may be relied upon to do all they can. But
Nebraska newspapers do not generally circulate where it would be
to the best advantage to Nebraska 'to have the truth about her
known. i
Nebraska ought to be advertising what she has to offer, just
as a merchant should advertise. Look around you ! You will
notice that the mercantile firms that are most successful are those
that advertise the best. It is the same way with states. Investi
gate the record of the last decade and note the states that have
gained most in population, in wealth increase per capita. They
Are the states that have established and liberally maintain publicity
bureaus. There is no getting away from the Conclusion.
Nebraska should be advertising her resources, her productivity
and her possibilities. She should be telling all the world all the
glorious facts about herself. She ought to be attracting homeseek
ers intsead of allowing her own people to drift away. She ought
to be gathering to herself the best portion of the great tide of land
hungry people constantly drifting through and beyond her borders.
She ought to be putting industrious men and women upon her 18,
000,000 acres of fertile soil as yet untouched by the plow. ' '
The greatest thing the next legislature could do for Ne
braska's future welfare and prosperity would be to establish a
Bureau of Publicity and Immigration, free from partisan control,
and give it an appropriation1 that would allow that bureau to be
gin and earry on a great educational campaign, telling the whole
world what Nebraska is and has to offer to those who are seeking
for homes, for manufacturing sites and for investments.
THE WOODMEN ACCIDENT
ASSOCIATION
LINCOLN, NEB.
The Largest and Strongest Society of Its
Kind in the United States.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT DECEMBER 31,1911.
ASSETS
First mortages on real estate $148,950 00
Deposited with banks 49,885.18
Total ..... .... ... $198,83548.
LIABILITIES f'
Losses due and unpaid....... ' Ncjne
Losses adjusted but not due None
Claims reported, probable liability $ 23,705.00
Advance payments collected c 41,241.70 :
Bills payable ... 4,342.10.
Total........ $ 69,288.80
Losses Paid in 1911 . . . .5 i $168,44131
Losses Paid Since Organization, '"""r&st . .$1,608, 509.89
Old Line Bankers Life Building