i, i.
VOLUME 9
LIXCOL-?, NEBRASKA, APRIL. 26, 3 912
NUMBEE 6
LINCOLN -A HEALTEI BESORT OF PROMINENCE
Comparatively few people in Lincoln fully realize this city's
reputation as a health resort.- Perhaps that is not the best expres
sion, however. It might be better to say that few people realize
how many there are who come to Lincoln to seek health or secure
the services of the skilled surgeons of this city. Lincoln has a
number of splendid hospitals, and the fame of her surgeons has
gne out through all the length and breadth of the land. Only
now and then does the public prints record a wonderful surgical
operation, although minor operations if performed upon some per
son of .great note are often heralded broadcast to the world as
marvels of surgical performance. If the records were macle public
It would stand revealed that some of the most wonderfully delicate
and difficult operations known to the profession have been per
formed by Lincoln surgeons. That the city is famous for its skilled
surgeons is evidenced by the fact that men and women come here
from all parts of the United States to be operated upon, and to
avail themselves of the splendid hospital facilities provided in
Lincoln. -
If one could see some of the wonderful cures performed upon
helpless and crippled children at the Orthopedic hospital every
day occurrences and performed by Lincoln surgeons one would
stand amazed. Almost every day at that institution the splendid
surgeons of this city perform operations "little short of miraculous,
and there are happy little ones, and still happier mothers and
fathers, who will insist that miracles have been performed.
Thus it is, quietly and without ostentation, Lincoln's fame as
a place to secure renewed health or correction of physical imperfec
tions has gone abroad to all the earth. Her splendid hospitals and
sanatariums, her scores of trained nurses, her learned physicians and
surgeons, are advertising her everywhere.
And why should not Lincoln be known as a health resort?
It. is in the most healthful section of a state that has the lowest
death rate per thousand of any state in the Union. : Its sulpho
saline waters, drawn from hundreds of feet below the earth's sur
face, are as healing and invigorating as the waters of Baden-Baden
or elsewhere. It possesses all the conveniences of a modern metropo
lis, with all the' homelike atmosphere that the ailing crave. Wide
streets, beautifully shaded, handsome lawns so numerous as to
make the city one vast park, beautiful illuminations everything
that goes to make up a real health resort a resort for those really"
seeking health and not seeking merely to make ostentatious show
of wealth.
In this issue of Will Maupin's Weekly mention is made of the
leading hospitals and sanatariums of Lincoln,
MEN AND MATTERS
Sometimes the American idea of humor takes a queer turn.
Even in the presence of such an awful horror as that of .the
Titanic 's loss there are those capable of seeing something humor
ous. For instance, an estemmed contemporary perpetrates the fol
lowing: "Archibald Clavering Willingham Dagraffenried Butt, the
president's military aide, ought to have been able to use his name
for a life line." We know a thing or two about humor, but for
the life of us we fail in our efforts to see anything humorous about
the heroic death of Major Butt. Smiling, courteous, brave Archie
Butt went to certain death like the splendid gentleman he was.
During all those awful moments he cheered the fainthearted, helped
tho women and children into the boats, and by his every act and
deed reflected glory upon American manhood. We have builded
monuments to men far less deserving than this splendid young sol
dier, whose death was as herioc as any upon the battlefield yea,
more so, for he died saving others. It must be a perverted sense
of humor that can see anything to joke about in the heroic death
of this brave American soldier.
And there was Ben Guggenheim, multi-millionaire. Before the
ship went down, and after he had helped everybody he could into
the boats, including his own valet, he said to the latter: "If you
escape tell my wife that no woman or child died because her hus
band was a coward." And cheering the rescued upon their way,
brave Ben Guggenheim, whose millions could not save him, went
smilingly to his dtath. Then there were the humble and unknown
musicians aboard the doomed ship. Facing certain death they
cheered the rescued on their way and solaced the doomed souls
left aboard with the sweet strains of that sweetest of all hymns,
"Nearer, My Go, to Thee." The world's history reveals no braver
men. i
Out of that awful horror comes one great recompense the
knowledge that in that hour American and British manhood stood
the test. Doesn't it make your heart beat faster when you read
that the women and children were saved, and that the stalwart
men aboard, railionaire and pauper, artistocrat and plebian,.stood side
by side and went down to death without a tremor, solaced by the
fact that they had quitted themselves like men! We've had our good
natured jibes and jeers at Archie Butt while he was alive; we've
spoken in open criticism of the "idle rich" like Astor and Guggen
heim ; but today we stand uncovered in honor of their splendid
American manhood. We are almighty proud to be of a race that
produces such men.
Omaha in particular and Nebraska as a whole loses a valuable
citizen in the death of Emil Brandeis, one of the proprietors of the
Boston Store in Omaha and member of the firm of Brandeis & Sons.
Mr. Brandeis was one of the most enterprising and progressive citi
zens in the Nebraska metropolis, always giving of his time and
means and energies to advance any good cause. He belonged to
the newer generation of business men the men who are taking
advantage of the fact that whatever helps the community and the
state helps individual enterprise. Acting upon this, Emil Brandeis
made a reputation for enterprise that will be a precious heritage
to those whom he has left behind. The horrors of the disaster
which destroyed the Titanic come home to Nebraska with crushing
force in the loss of such a splendid citizen as Emil Brandeis.
CURRENT COMMENT
Mr. Metcalfe's letter to his successful competitor, Mr. Morehead,
has the right ring to it. It is the utterance of a game loser, a staunch,
democrat, and a four-square man. This newspaper advocated the
nomination of Mr. Morehead, but not because it thought the less of
Richard L. Metcalfe. We have made known our opinion of "Met"
more than once. We take occasion merely to say at this time that
when the Almighty finished making Metcalfe, he knocked off work
and called it a full day. :
The intricacy, the inadequacy . and, the cumbersome features
of our present primary law, emphasized by the recent primary,
ought to have the effect of bringing about amendments that will
simplify it without in the least curtailing the privilege of the
people to rule. Long before the average voter got half way down
that long list of candidates he either became hopelessly lost or woe
fully wearied and quit voting or quit trying to differentiate be
tween candidates. Outside of the heads of the respective tickets
the showing is plainly that the people would not spend the time
to solve the ballot riddle. And with full power to nominate ev
ery candidate for office, from president down or up less than 25
per cent of the people took the' trouble to go to the primary. We
still hold to our opinion that the people, are entitled to no better
government than they will secure for themselves.
Last Sunday's rain came just in time to put a crimp in the
calamity shouters, and a couple bf crimps into those who sought
to make weather conditions ground for wheat gambling on the
board of trade. ' That considerable wheat has been damaged is be
yond question. But we still insist that with increased acreage,
winter conditions above the average and spring conditions on the
whole satisfactory, Nebraska is going to harvest "her record crop
of wheat this summer.
One of the startling features of the recent primary was the
vote polled by Jesse Newton of Wymore, who contested with Gov
ernor Aldrich for the republican gubernatorial nomination. Mr.
Newton's candidacy was looked upon as a joke until the returns
began coming in, then the surprising strength he developed caused
a gasp of astonishment. Mr. Newton's vote will have at least one
effect it will convince Governor Aldrich that he has got a mighty
hard fight-on his hands for re-election. We haven't been re-elect
ing governors for some time now.
Governor Aldrich announces that he is going after Mr. Morehead
and make that gentleman come to the front and state his position on
the "wet" and "dry" issue. We opine that Governor Aldrich would
rather fight this campaign on that issue than on some others. But
if we know John Morehead, and we rather think we do, Governor
Aldrich is not going to be allowed to pick the issue. We have always
entertained a most friendly feeling for Governor Aldrich, and we trust
nothing will ever happen to lessen the friendship that now exists.
And it is as a friend that we would call the governor's attention to,
the fact that instead of outlining the issue and picking the battle
ground, he would do well to be building a few bulwarks around the
record of his administration. Under it the state treasury, for the
first time in years, had to register warrants ; under it there has been
a lot of trouble and dissention in state institutions; under it seven
killings have taken place in connection with the state penitentiary;
under it no pretense has been made of enforcing the 8 o'clock law and
the Alberts law in Omaha. As a non-partisan onlooker Will Maupin's
Weekly would advise the governor to. be a little less ready to tell
how he is going to put his opponent on record on anything. Hell be
mighty busy elsewhere. ,
Meaning no disparagement to the successful candidate, we regret
the defeat of Mr. Evans of Kenesaw, who sought the republican
nomination for auditor. ' We longed to see both parties nominate its
best man, and if the republican party in Nebraska has any better men
than Evans of Kenesaw it is almighty lucky. The wage earner who
failed to vote for Mr. Evans, if permitted to do so, failed to vote for
a man who has given them arduous and unselfish service without
thought of recompense. :
"Be British, my men!" was Captain Smith's plea to his hastily
picked-up and undisciplined crew. That remark will go down in
history along with Nelson's "England expects every man to do
his duty" at Trafalgar, with Stark's "We must whip them today
or Molly Stark is a widow," and with Warren's "Wait till you
see the whites of their eyes." And the members of that ill-fated
crew acquitted, themselves like true Britons. And side by side,
blood cousins by birth and brothers by every tie of human inter
course, American and Briton, men every one, went down to death
with smiling faces and fearless hearts. It is a record of which the
English speaking race may well be proud.
God forbid that we should judge harshly or unjustly, but by
all the reports we wouldn't trade places with J. Bruce Ismay for
all the millions at his command. ' He will never be able to purchase
with dollars what he lost by being among the first to leave that
sinking ship. Compare him with Astor and Guggenheim and Butt,
or with any one of the hundreds of brave men who preferred death
to taking the place of any woman or child. Ismay, with all his
millions, can not find or buy in all tnis wide world a spot or
refuge where the disgrace of his rescue will not follow and damn
him in the eyes of all brave men."
Lincoln adopted the commission form of government, but it
was after the manner that Sandy got into heaven by a wee. bit
squeeze. Jiut it was accomplished. Tins newspaper favored the
commission plan, but admits that there are weaknesses in the Ban
ning law. But if we waited for almost any' kind of municipal re
form until we got a perfect law under which to work, we would
be a long time waiting for reforms. The weaknesses in the Ban
ning law are easily remedied. It will be a year before we elect city
commissioners. In the meantime we should be directing our ener
gies towards picking out the men best fitted to hold the jobs.
The publicity law in New York reveals some interesting facts
in connection with the Roosevelt campaign. George W. Perkins is
revealed as having contributed $15,000 to the Roosevelt cause. Who
;s George W. Perkins? He is chairman of the finance committee
of the harvester trust, a director of the steel trust, a director of
the Standard Oil trust and former partner and now handy man
of J. Pierpont Morgan. He is the man who helped to collect the
life insurance fund for the Roosevelt campaign in 1904. If Per
kins gave $15,000 to the Roosevelt primary fund in New York, how
much did he contribute in Illinois and Nebraska? And if Mr.
Roosevelt is so entirely acceptable to the steel-oil-harvester-insurance
trust combine, how acceptable he should be to the farmers and
working men of the country !
Lincoln had a packing plant in the old days, but it succumbed to
the hard times following the boom. Now she is going to have another
one, and it will be no small affair either. There is really no reason
why Lincoln should become a great packing center. She is ideally
situated as to railroad facilities none better. ' She enjoys the same
advantages as to rates as the river cities enjoy, and is nearer to the
cattle and hog producing sections. We opine that the new packing
plant will not long remain the sole institution of its kind in Lincoln,
and that it will grow at a gratifying rate. '
The editor of this newspaper filed for the democratic nomination
for railroad commissioner without asking anybody's advice and with
out having the matter ev$n suggested to him. As this is being written
he doesn't know how he came out except that he isn't the low man
of the seven by a long ways. But he takes this occasion to thank
his good friends all over the state for their splendid support. He
takes that vote as something of a compliment, if you please. It isn't
every candidate Who can run one-two in a field of seven without
making any campaign, without any personal solicitation, without
any advertising save that freely and cheerfully given by his news
paper friends, and without any handshaking or speechmaking. What
ever the political result may be and we are not losing any sleep
over that we have accumulated material for a scrapbook that is
going to be very religiously cherished in this editor's family.
The defeat of William H. Thompson was not because Nebraska
democrats do not love .and respect him, but in a considerable degree
because there was a very general sentiment that the party owed Ash
ton C. Shallenberger something for the very shabby treatment accord
ed him two years ago. In addition to this, they knew that ex-Gov-