BASE BALL
BOOSTER DAY
JULY 16
BE A BOOSTER
BASE BALL
BOOSTER DAY
JULY 16
BE A BOOSTER
"VOLUME 0
LIXCOLX, 3JBBBASKA, JULY 5, 1912
NUMBER 16
MAKE LINCOLN BETTER
Next week will appear letters from several prominent business
men of Lincoln, answering the following question propounded to
them by "Will Maupin's "Weekly:
"HOW MAY "WE MAKE LINCOLN A BETTER CITY IN
WHICH TO LIVE AND DO BUSINESS?"
Similar answers will appear in future issues. All of these will
prove interesting reading, and out of the discussion may come some
tangible plans upon which we may build for future greatness along
social and business lines.
Will Maupin's Weekly has a few ideas of its own on this very I
important question, and it has no hesitancy in expressing them.
First it would say that Lincoln is a mighty good city in which to
live and do business has always been, and always will be. That,
however, doth not obviate the fact that it may be made much better.
But there are some things that ought to be corrected; some things
that should be settled quickly and pushed aside to make way for
really constructive work. We make bold to mention a few of them :
Something ought to be done to settle this annoying gas question
a trouble that is preventing the people from getting 'dollar gas,
preventing the company from making needed improvements, and
keeping things in a constant turmoil. Surely there must be a com
mon ground for agreement between the company and its patrons,
and this common ground should be sought without the interference
of ambitious politicians of the ward variety. ... .'
The constant strife between the people and. the Traction Co.
bhould cease. There must be, somewhere, a common ground upon
which all may agree. Individual preferences and personal spites
should not be allowed to interfere with a settlement of the vexed
traction problem. The people are not getting the service they
have a right to expect. This much we know. The traction Co. says
it is not making enough to warrant extensions and betterments. That
is a matter which, if true, is easily demonstrated. But there is
something wrong here, and the development of Lincoln is being
retarded, business is interfered with and the people are being dis
commoded. .... ... ... . J
We have been talking about parks and boulevards long enough
it is time to invest some real money and do some real work to
the end that Lincoln have an adequate park and boulevard system.
Will Maupin's Weekly is as much interested in "the city beau
tiful" as anybody. But it realizes that a "city busyful" is of more
importance to a majority. While talking about beautifying the
city, let us not lose sight of the fact that a majority of Lincoln's citi
zens are confronted by the problem of existence, and we are need
ing new industries, new avenues of employment, in order that our
people may have a bit more time to cultivate the artistic and com
pelled to spend less time in struggling to keep the wolf from the
door. Some of these days we may have a city administration that
will do something more than scrap over the "four-foot line" ques
tion. , With all due respect to the opinion of others. Will Maupin's
Weekly is of the opinion that Lincoln could get along for a time
without the advice of men who hold that unless their particular
views on sociology are complied with the city is going to hell in a
handbasket. There are some thousands of men in Lincoln who find
it difficult enough to earn a livelihood by working six days a week
without losing a day or an hour. That is the fault of our industrial
system. That such men should be deprived of practically every op
portunity to recreation and amusement upon the only day upon
which they are freed from the everlasting struggle for existence,
merely to conform to the peculiar beliefs of men and women who
are able to do as they please to deprive these workers of recreation
upon their liberty day is a crime against humanity. This news
paper would oppose a "wide open town" with all its might. But
it insists that until workers are given an opportunity to enjoy some
of the recreations of life upon a week day without loss of wage,
the preacher and the pewholders have no moral right to deny these
men the opportunity for recreation and amusement upon Sunday.
Nor have they the right to designate just what these workers may
cr may not do upon the first day of the week.
Lincoln is not lacking in public spirit. On the contrary, public
spirit is markedly strong. The trouble is that there seems to be
no fixed and definite plan whereby this public spirit may find ex
pression in concrete accomplishment. We are split up into factions,
We are allowing the gas problem, the traction problem, the four-
foot line foolishness and other things to divide our forces and sap
our energies. We ought to get together, settle these vexed ques
tions amicably, and then formulate a general plan of promotion
end work for it with unanimity and spirit.
Lincoln ought to have a Union depot !
The. city is entitled to that much consideration from the rail
roads. If they will not "come across" voluntarily they ought to be
made to "come across." Lincoln has five railroads entering the
city and four depots. There should be one central depot. None is
adequate at the present time, and they are scattered around pro
miscuously. One of the greatest benefits that could come to Lin
coln would be the securing of a union depot conveniently located
and adequate to meet the needs of the people. We have had
plenty of talk about it ; it is now time to do something that will se
cure results.
We can make Lincoln a better city in which to live and do
business by eliminating personal prejudices; by putting an end to
jealousies, by co-operating with the forces that we are depending
upon to develop the residence sections and increase business oppor
tunities, by increasing the avenues of employment, by getting to
gether on a common ground, rebuking those who seek personal
gain at the expease of public enterprise.
Already this is a mighty good city in which to live and do busi
ness, but if we get together we can make it better.
W00PR0W WILSON
AN OPEN LETTER TO GEORGE H. ROGERS.
George II. Rogers, Lincoln, Nebr. Dear Sir: You are the own
er of a valuable tract of land lying south of O street and between
Thirtieth and Thirty-third street. Just how valuable I nave no
i.ieans of knowing, but I would undertake to give you thirty or
forty thousand dolars for a clear title to it. I haven't got that
many cents, but I believe I could finance such a deal. But no
matter how valuable it it, I feel able to prove that the value was
not created by you, but by the community, by the people who have
builded Lincoln. In view of this fact, do you not owe the com
munity something?
A lot of our boys and young men are using this tract for a base
ball ground, and on their behalf I want to thank you for the privi
lege yon have granted them. I live less than two blocks , from
your tract, and I take pleasure often in watching the ball games
there. It's a mighty fine lot of boys and young men who gather
there. They get noisy sometimes, but that is all right. They
never indulge-.in profanity or "tough" language. Indeed, I saw a
young fellow fired out of game one day because be persisted in
swearing despite the protests of his team mates. My only regret is
that I have grown a little too old and too obese to join the young
fellows in their sport. But I get my share loafing around on the
edges, watching them. I'm. for the boys and young men who play
the national game on your tract, because they are a fine, upstand
ingr, stalwart lot of good fellows.
Now, Mr. Rogers, wouldn't it be a mighty fine thing for those
toys if you would go a bit further and spend a few dollars just a
few in making their ball grounds a bit more convenient ? If you
will just take twenty or twenty-five dollars and build a back-stop
and a couple of long benches out there, and then say to the boys
"With ray compliments and best wishes, young men; play the
game square, keep your mouths clean and yovir hearts light!" If
you'd 'do that, Mr. Rogers, you would have every one of them on
your staff, declaring that "Sir. Rogers is all to the good because
he's our friend." .These young fellows are the future citizens of
Lincoln, Mr. Rogers. Every day some one of them drops out of
the ranks of the players and enters the ranks of the workers, and
every worker in Lincoln daily adds to the value of that property of
j-ours. It would be a mighty profitable investment for you to
make this investment of a few dollars for. the benefit of those boys,
because they are going to add many dollars to your property's
value. You are not using it now. You can well afford to let the
boys use it. And you can well afford to make it even more available
for their use. I am not speaking for the boys alone. I am speaking
for the community, and you.
Come out there some fine .evening with me, and we'll watch the
game together. It will do you a lot of good. The spectacle of
clean-limbed, clean-mouthed young fellows engaged in healthful
sport is always helpful. Just invest a few dollars under the above
directions, Mr. Rogers, and I'll guarantee you more genuine profit
than you ever made on an investment of equal size. It will be a
money profit, too, in addition to another kind of profit that is far
better than money.
What say you, Mr. Rogers?
Thanking you for your consideration of this matter, and hop
ing to hear a favorable reply, I am, very truly yours,
WILL M. MAUPIN.
MEN AND MATTERS
Whether or not you agree with Bryan'; whether you coincide
w ith his views on this or that ; whether you stand for , what he
stands or oppose the things he stands for, you've ; got to admit
that he is today the biggest single force in America and that means
that he is the biggest single force in the world. Bryan is big, not
so much because he has a splendid brain, not so much because he is
a deep thinker and a student, not so much because he is an orator
without equal it is because men know, whether they will admit it
or not, that he is honest, incoruptible and always ready to fight
for what he thinks is right regardless of its effect upon himself. Be
cause of this belief in his moral character men instinctively follow
him. And because of it he made the Baltimore convention stand
true to democracy as Bryan -defines it and prevented it from being
turned over to special privilege, lock, stock and barrel.
The charge that Bryan was secretly scheming to nominate him
self was exploded early in the game. A.nd because he was not, a
candidate he could fight in the open; because of that he did not
need to make alliances and plot ' under cover. Bryan played his
cards face up on the table and he' won. And when he won pro
gressive democracy won its greatest victory.
Woodrow Wilson was not our choice. This newspaper was for
Champ Clark, and it regrets that circumstances prevented his nomi
nation. Those circumstances may not be due to any fault of Mr.
Clark's, but clearly his campaign managers played bad. He is a
splendid, upstanding, progressive democrat. It is too Dad that his
managers thought it wise to engage in political plotting such as
the peoplei have put under ban, and which ban should have been
apparent to men like Governor Stone and Governor Francis.
Woodrow Wilson is a splendid example of the scholar in poli
tics. He made good as governor of New Jersey much to our sur
prise. The Wodraw ..Wilson .of today is a far different man from-.
the Woodrow Wilson who sat in the library of the president of
Princeton. He is in line with the progressive thought of the day.
He has the courage of his convictions. He owes his nomination to
no selfish or predatory , interest. He is not the beneficiary of- any
"steam rollers" or delegates bound by the ties of partisan spoils.
No one believes that he is in any wise the choice of the interests
inimical to the people. His campaign for the nomination has been
dignified, not full of bluff and bluster and bar room phraseology.
His ego is not abnormally developed. His campaign will be the
campaign of a scholar, a gentleman and a student of public affairs.
Out of the bitterness and the strife of the Baltimore convention
emerges a united party. The men who claim to be democrats and
will oppose Wilson on the plea that he is "Bryan's 'man" were
never anything more than democrats in name democrats who used
the cloak of democracy to work their nefarious schemes. The lines
of this campaign are pretty sharply drawn. It is up to the people
to decide whether they want to rule, or whether they want a con
tinuance of the arbitrary rule of the predatory interests.
Wilson or Taf t ? That is the question. Roosevelt is not in the
running. If he is more concerned about the triumph of progressive
principles than he is in personal aggrandizement, we will hear no
more of the Roosevelt presidential candidacy.
J ust because J ohn H. Morehead has not deemed it necessary to
throw his hat into the ring, fume and fret and bluster and pose, a
iot of people try to prove thereby that he is not a progressive. Mr.
Morehead does not have to do that in order to prove to those who
know him that he is heartily in line with the progressive thought
of the day. He was battling for progressive principles years before
a lot of the present day agitators had learned the definition of the
word. Sixteen years ago he was out fighting behind Bryan for the
things that Bryan advocated. He has never faltered in his support
of those progressive ideas. Ere Aldrich was known outside of his
baliwick Morehead was a factor in the progressive movement. He
llOd 4? tlllwJ-OT -wmn-f 4-nn J. I. ll.l J 1.
uaa mi umijr jcoio Biuuu. iui me verjr tilings uiai arc now iriumpn
ing not only in his own party, but in all parties. The charge against
Morehead that he is tied up with the "big interests" will deceive
only those who dearly loye to be deceived.
Ever notice that those who strenuously object to "one man
dictating to a party" are the same fellows who are always trying to
put one over on the people?
Lincoln people ought to show more appreciation of Capital
Beach. Few cities have a more convenient or beautiful pleasure re
sort. Manager Buckstaff has had a hard grind bringing the Beach
to its present condition. He could have profited immediately by al-.
lowing the standard to be lowered, but he set his ideals high and
has stuck to them. As a result, the Beach i catering to the best
citizenship ; it is a good place for the wives and children to spend
the day, to be met there in the evening by the family bread-winner.
Capital Beach is a big asset in the business of building up the civic
spirit of Lincoln.
The democratic national platform is as long as the Decalogue
and as interesting as a patent office report. It covers subjects
large and small as the waters cover the sea. The sight of it in
cold print' is enough to frighten the average voter to death. Some
of these days some wise politician will invent a platform that is
short and concise, that will not undertake to tell everybody about
everything, but will merely outline. We advise future resolutions
committees to employ a first-class city editor to "cut the liver" out
of future platforms and get them boiled down.