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About Will Maupin's weekly. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1911-1912 | View Entire Issue (May 17, 1912)
MEN AND MATTERS The trouble with most "independent" newspapers is that they are edited by partisans or controlled by special interests that sel dom recognize any party. The Lincoln Evening News is always very independent in politics save when it comes to the matter of supporting republican candidates and impugning the motives or the records of democratic candidates. It points to the fact that More head carried most of the wet counties as evidence that Morehead is lined up with the liquor interests. It seemingly overlooks the fact that Morehead also carried the most counties, wet or dry. Nor does it undertake to explain why Morehead carried the bone-dry county of York while Metcalfe carried the sopping-wet county of Saline. -.. It seems to be highly improper for men of liberal views to vote for a man of liberal tendencies, but eminently right and proper for men of straightlaced tendencies to vote for their kind of a man. When German-Americans combine to protect what they honestly believe to be their rights as citizens, they are denounced for so doing and the candidates they support charged with being in league with the "whisky element." But when anti-saloon leaguers combine to force their peculiar ideas upon the body politic they are patriots. This newspaper has never advocated licensing of saloons. Its editor has never voted for license. He is opposed to the license system, and just as much opposed to prohibition. And he has as little use for the shouter tor "personal liberty" as he has for the fanatical prohibitionist, or the individual who believes that a great moral question is involved in the fool matter of area. Would that the whole kit and kaboodle could be tied in a sack and left there until the vexed question could be settled on a commonsense basis. Now what difference does it make what railroad or railroads may be selected as the "official route" to the Baltimore convention? Everybody riding thereon will have to pay fare. It might have made a difference a few years ago, for then the fellows who en gineered the special train deal, and most of the politicians, would have traveled on passes. We venture a guess that the facts are that some of the newspapers are much more interestd in creating dis sentions in democratic ranks than they are in printing real news. President Taft carried Wyoming. Let's see: President Taft signed the Payne-Aldrich bill which continued the exorbitant wool tariff, then vetoed the bill providing for a lower duty on wool. And isn't the republican boss of Wyoming the same gentleman who is so greatly interested in the wool industry! How easy it is to reason from cause to effect when one has had a little practice at it. The Lincoln Central Labor Union seems bent upon finding things to condemn, rather than finding things to commend. It opposes the proposition to allow private lighting companies to use municipal poles. Of course, the mere fact that such permission would relieve the streets of most of the unsightly poles that now disfigure them was not considered. Nor was there seemingly any consideration given to the fact that while beautifying itself by granting such per mission the city might also be able to pick up a bit of needed reve nue. The habit of opposing anything and everything a corporation may want simply and solely because it happens to be a corporation, is an almighty bad habit to get into. Failing to discover a method of ridding us of the dandelion pest the eminent scientists at the state farm ought to get busy and dis cover some method of making the pesky things edible. Give us a recipe for making them palatable and nutritious and we'll guarantee to exhaust the supply in a short time. It's up to the state farm sharps to make good. Pause a moment and recall to mind the old recipt for cooking a rabbit. "First catch your rabbit." Will Maupin's Weekly com mends this recipe to the political agitators who are pleading to the galleries for more stringent regulation of the corporations. Nebraska is not going to secure any new public service corporations to regu late under present conditions,' and capital will seek investment else where. As a result, Nebraska resources are going to remain unde veloped and the state will lag behind in the industrial race. Com mon sense would seem to dictate that we make it possible for capital to come in and develop these resources, then, when they have estab lished themselves, proceed to regulate them proprly. How many miles of railroad would have been built in Nebraska if the state had adopted at the beginning the laws she now hast ' Nebraska has seven counties without a mile of railroad, and five counties with less than twenty miles. Cherry county has a line of road across the 'extreme north end, leaving many Cherry county points fifty to fifty-five miles from a railroad station. There is not a mile of interurban road in the state. There isn't a developed water power of consequence in a state that has more natural water power than almost any other state in the Union. Whyt The answer is easy. Because we warn possible investors in public utility enter prises that if they dare to invest their money in Nebraska they must take all the risks, wait for years for returns upon their investments, and then, when the returns begin coming, be willing to accept only what they might have secured from the start from loaning their money on farm mortgages without risk and without waiting more than six months for returns to come in. That man who expects capital to come to Nebraska to develop these great resources under present conditions is exceeded in foolish ress only by the man who complains because capital refuses to in vest under such conditions. And the prize for foolishness belongs to that man who opposes granting to a private corporation the privilege of developing our great water power on the ground that the state should develop it, own it, operate it and control it. Doubtless the Modern Woodmen of America are perfectly cap able of settling their present difficulties among themselves, but this is no reason why an outsider may not be permitted to make a few observations. To date we haven't been able to arouse in our own mind much sympathy for the members who are howling so strenu ously against the increased rates. They were -warned for months through their official organ that the head camp at Chicago would consider only the rate matter. They were told time and time again The ' Lincoln Telephone & Telegraph Company takes leasure in announcing to its patrons that it has completed arrangements for furnishing a complete long distance service to all of its subscribers. Within ten days the work of connecting the Automatic and Manual (formerly Bell) toll line boards will be com pleted and all subscribers no matter what phones they have will get direct connections over both Independent and Bell toll lines, which will give service to every subscriber to either system connections with over five million additional tele phones furnishing universal service throughout the United States and Canada. . The Company is also pleased to announce that it has perfected arrangements for consolidating its Lincoln ex changes and will furnish all Lincoln subscribers with Auto matic service. Business subscribers desiring Manual service can obtain same by installing Private Branch Exchange systems, which will be connected by trunk lines direct to the Automatic and Toll line switchboards. Notwithstanding the fact that the amount of service is greatly increased, the cost of complete service is reduced, as is shown by the following comparison: Present rates: BELL BUSINESS . .$4 PER MONTH AUTOMATIC BUSINESS.... $4.00 PER MONTH Total $8.00 per month for complete service. Subject to the approval of the State Railway Commission we now offer this complete service for $5.00 per month on individual lines or $4.00 per month on 2 party lines. Present rates: BELL RESIDENCE. ..... . $2.00 PER MONTH AUTOMATIC RESIDENCE........ .$2.00 PER MONTH Total $4.00 per month for complete service. Subject to the approval of the State Railway Commission this service will be furnished for $2.50 per month on indi vidual lines and $2.00 per month on 2 party lines. At the time the Automatic system was installed the rates were as follows : METALLIC LINE BUSINESS PHONES. .$5.00 PER MONTH METALLIC LINE RESIDENCE PHONES. $4.00 PER MONTH FOUR PARTY UNE RESIDENCE PHONES . . . . .$2.50 PER MONTH Connections were furnished with only 1,500 telephones and there was a very limited toll service. We propose to furnish free connections to 14,000 telephones. Our service will be somewhat interfered with by the necessary changes and installations during the consolidation of the exchanges. We desire to thank our patrons for the support th'at we have received in the past, and ask their indulgence ' during the period of consolidation which we promise to make as brief as possible. . LSmcoIfli Telephone & TelegtfajoSa C that the rates would have to be increased. They elected their ( own delegates to the head camp. Their own duly elected reprsentatives voted the increase. Statistics as reliable as the tides told them that the rates would have to go up, and go up right away. State after state had legislated in such a manner as to compel a rate increase before 1913. Every fraternal order approximating the age of the M. W. A. has had to go through the same struggle. The Royal Arcanum came to it several years ago. So did some sixty-three other fraternal insurance orders. If the members do not like the rates it is within their power to change them in less than two years. ( Insurance actuaries who could have no possible wrong mo tive have proved beyond question that the increase is imperative if the order is to survive and pay its death claims. The new rates are based on actuaries' tables that are standard and accepted by life insurance companies the world over. So what is all this row about f The rates appear high simply because they were too low for years. And even now they are not as high as most of the old line life in surance companies. This is the year in which real estate holdings are being re valued for taxation purposes. It will be interesting to note the difference in assessed values in the different counties. The more you study them the more idiotic will appear our present system of tax ation. Farm land in one county will be assessed $60 an acre, and just across the line in another county equally good land will be assessed at $50 an acre. In personal property lines the same dif ference will appear. Horses in one county will be assessed at $50, and in the adjoining county horses will be assessed at $75. People are beginning to realize the inequalities of taxation under the pres ent archaic and antedeluvian system, and that will explain the rapid growth of the single tax plan. Will Maupin's Weekly was interested in the success of just two candidates in the recent commission election in Omaha Al Kugel and Jack Ryder and both of them were elected. We were inter ested because both of them are personal friends of the editor, both of them are honest, capable and energetic gentlemen, and representa tive of the largest element in any community, the wage earners.. This nwspaper has no fears about these two men failing to make good. They will make good because they are built that way. The Commercial Club convention at Hastings last week tabled a resolution advocating the abolition of the interstate commerce court on the ground that it was "politics." The resolution was sug gested by a democrat, advocated by a. republication and introduced by a gentleman whose political affiliations are to- the writer un known. And the next day the house of representatives at Washing ton almost unanimously passed a bill providing for the abolition of the court. And at the same meeting a resolution endorsing the policy of exempting draft animals, among other things, from taxation, was defeated because a delegate couldn't see why draft animals should be exempted and his automobile taxed. Yet we wonder at times why it is so difficult to achieve tax reform in this great state! The manufactured products of Nebraska amount to more than $250,00,000 a year. How much more they would amount to if Ne braskans" stood by tJieir home institutions is a matter of conjecture, but they would amount to vastly more. And the Nebraskan who refuses to buy a home product, preferring to send his money to an other state, is simply injuring himself and his neighbor. If it is made in Nebraska, is as good as that made in another state, and sells for approximately the same price, buy it. That is the best way to build a great commercial and industrial commonwealth. Bean The Name of kk GOOD THINGS TO CAT" Manufacturers of High Grade Bakery Goods Ice Cream and Fruit Ices "Hofeum. Bread" Should be in the Home of Every Family in Lincoln A. T. SEELEY, President 1325-31 N Street