I
-?
Nebraska'
7
Nebraska's
wheai and corn
crop this year
will be worth
moro , than $125,-000,000.
i J
f,-r-6e worth
more than $75,-
oocooo.
VOLUME. 10
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, SEPTEMBER 27, 1912
NUMBER 26
GROWTH Or A SPLENDID FEELING
It is gratifying to all levelheaded citizens to note the growing
good feeling between municipalities and sections of this great state.
. Time was, and only a very short time ago, when it was deemed quite
the proper thing for the newspaper in one town to abuse and
villify the neighboring town and its editor. Then it was generally
accepted as a theory that only one town in a county, or one city
in the state could prosper, and of course each town and city thought
itself the one. It was deemed highly necessary to libel all rivals
in order to emphasize one's own" virtues. It was this feeling that
gave rise to the foolish attacks certain elements of Omaha made
upon Lincoln, and for the attacks an equally foolish element of Lin
coln made upon Omaha. It resulted in arraying citizens through
out the state against both of these cities, with the result that their
growth was retarded and their business institutions injured.
But of late men and women have begun to realize that the old
system was criminally foolish, and that commonsense dictates a
, recognition of a community interest. That man deceives himself
who refuses to see that Omaha is and always will be the metropolis
of the state. That, however, does not mean that Lincoln will not
grow into a great wholesale market with immense industrial plants,
nor that Fremont, Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, Beatrice, Fair
' bury and a score ofother cities will not grow and become great busi
ness centers. And every time one of these cities shows permanent
growth and prosperity the "whole state is benefitted, just as every
Nebraska city is benefitted when the state at large is prosperous.
This new feeling which impels Omaha to rejoice at evidences of
prosperity in Lincoln or Hastings, and which impels Lincoln and
Hastings and other cities to rejoice at Omaha's prosperity, simply
mean that we have -struck the right note ; that we have entered
upon a higher dsetiny. And as the relization grows stronger that
.all parts of the state- benefit "when one part prospers and grows, the
more earnestly we' will all work to forever banish the old bickerings
and jealousies. The whole is greater than the part and Nebraska's
prosperity is of much more concern than the prosperity of any one
community.
An element in Omaha offended a large proportion of the popula
i tion outside of that city by making it appear that Omaha is de
praved and thinks of little else than booze. That Omaha is nothing
of the kind did not affect the result of this propaganda. Per contra,
element in Lincoln offended a large proportion of the population
by making it appear that Lincoln was peopled by Puritanical and
Peeksniffian reformers willing to sacrifice business or anything else
in order to foist their peculiar views upon the body politic. That
Lincoln never was built on that order did not lessen the disastrous
results upon business. "But now Omaha's solid business men are
making it known that Omaha's future is builded upon a solid founda
tion of industrial activity, financial integrity and civic spirit, and
as the real Omaha is becoming known to Nebraskans they are re
joicing in Omaha's wonderful growth and prosperity. So, also,
Lincoln's solid and substantial citizens are making the real Lin
coln known of all men, with the result that the city's standing is
better and her business being builded upon a more solid founda
tion. It is a good omen when a city's real business men, a city's real
builders, begin speaking for it.
Fremont has taken her - light from beneath the bushel and
making herself known for what she really is a thriving, prosper
ous city, with big industrial establishments, splendid business insti
tutions and enterprising citizens. "What is true of Fremont is true
of Grand Island, and Kearney, and Hastings ,and Beatrice and Fair
bury, and a score or more of cities perhaps smaller but not the less
enterprising. The real city and business builders are doing the
talking pow, for which we all should be duly thankful.
Let it be distinctly understood that no business calamity can
come upon one Nebraska municipality without injuring in some
measure every other municipality, and the state itself. So, also, let
it be understood that whatever of prosperity comes to any one
municipality reflects beneficially upon every other municipality and
upon the state itself.
While each one of us is working with enlightened selfishness for
the upbuilding of our own municipalities, let us not overlook the
fact that there is still a broader .field of effort the building up and
developing of this magnificent commonwealth.
court sent that case back because it had not been properly handled
at its beginning at this end of the line." It is costing the taxpayers
a neat sum to have this fact impressed upon their minds, It is also
costing gas consumers something like $50,000 or $60,000 a year.
That strikes us as a pretty heavy bill of expense to shoulder merely
that a few self-seeking patriots might pose as the upholders of the
palladium of our liberties. "We opine that the family of this editor
uses about as much gas as the average Lincoln family perhaps
more, because his family is larger than the average. He has a
pretty fair-sized chunk of rebate coming when the case is decided in
favor of the city if it ever is. But he is willing to sign over every
penny of that rebate to the company right this minute if the com
pany will furnish him dollar gas and an end is put to this infernal
wrangling and -ragchewing.
THE "ACRES Of DIAMONDS " HERE
The district court has deeided that the school board can do
nothing more to relieve the distressing situation than build a high
school. That may be mighty good law,' but it is infernally poor jus
tice to the school children of Lincoln who are crowded into un
sanitary buildings, into rooms over meat markets and grocery stores,
and not given half a chance to secure proper attention at the hands
of overworked and underpaid teachers."'
Nor should the fact be overlooked that those responsible for
what threatens to be a prolonged continuance of this deplorable
situation should not be allowed to pose as being actuated wholly by
a desire to have the laws strictly followed. There are those of us
who have almighty little respect for a law that works inevitable in
jury to our children. The truth of the matter is, the protest against
the program mapped out by the school board is not, designed to
prevent the board from investing money illegally, but t designed to
prevent the board from spending any money at all if possible to so
to do. It will not require a lantern and a search warrant to find
that the protest originated in the same quarters that, prevented Lin
coln from doing her duty to herself in securing, developing and main
taining a park system worthy of her.
THAT OAS SUIT.
The voters of Lincoln elected Fred Foster city attorney. If Mr.
Foster isn't able to attend to the city's legal business the voters have
only themselves to blame. And having selected him it is incumbent
upon them to "take their medicine" if they are defeated in the
present suit with the gas company. Mayor Armstrong, in our hum
ble opinion, did the proper thing when he vetoed the resolution to
employ an assistant to help City Attorney Foster in that controversy,
and evidently the council takes the same view of it. This whole
legal battle with the gas company might easily have been avoided
It was thrust upon the company and the taxpayers by men vastly
more interested in making political capital for themselves than
they were in benefitting the dear pee-pul. "We are not versed in the
technicalities of the law,-but if we remember rightly the supreme
THAT SCHOOL BOARD INJUNCTION
One of the most vociferous of the patriots who are demanding
strict compliance with the law and charging the members of the
school board with ulterior motives, is not a resident of the school
district and has no children of school age. Another one, also with
out children of school age, seems to have set 'his face against any
improvement that requires money. To date we haven't heard any
protests against the school board's program from workingmen
struggling to provide for their families and give their children a
chance to acquire a common school education. Yet it is just as
hard for these wage earners to walk up to the tax collector's office
and pay over their taxes as it is for the man who has immense
property interests. And we are frank to admit that we are much
more concerned about the welfare of these wage earners and
their wives and children than we are in the welfare, socially or finan
cially, of the well-to-do who squeal every time their pocketbooks are
touched. '
The situation seems to be this: Those who have "got theirs"
are satisfied, and they are unwilling to help others as they them
selves have been helped in days gone by. This is the disposition
that kills a community by infecting it with the virus of dry rot. It
doesn't matter to these men that their program will inevitably result
in a lower standard of citizenship. All that seems to matter in their
opinion is pinching the dimes until the goddes thereon calls for help.
Perhaps the sehol board did exceed its authority. Granted that
it did what of itt How much consideration is that fact entitled
to in view of the fact that hundreds of Lincoln, children are being
handicapped in the battle of life by reason of being deprived of a
flecent opportunity to aequire an education? "We are mighty glad
that the members of the school board had the courage to grapple
with the situation. We are sorry that there are those in Lincoln
who are not considerate enough of the children, and not interseted
enough in the municipality's future welfare to shut their eyes to
few things in order that a great good may be accomplished.
A GOOD OLD SCOUT.
Marquis de Lafayette Shrope is a Pennsylvanian who once
performed a few stunts in Nebraska. He is a newspaper man him
self, and a good one. From his office in Easton, Pa., he sends a
check for one plunk, with the cheerful announcement that he wants
to help keep the editor of Will Maupin's weekly whooping it up for
Nebraska. And this Good Old Scout's letter and kindly words- are
worth a whole lot more than: the dollar, much as we need the latter.
So here's hoping that the "Markeese" will live another thousand
years, and that he may be able to grab hold of any old thing he
wants, providing it is something he really ought to have. And
he deserves the best there is. "
If you have any doubts about the truth of our claims that Ne
braska has them all beaten when it comes to apple growing, . just
take a whirl down through the southeastern part of the state
right now. At Tecumseh, Sterling, Table Bock, Humboldt, Salem,
Falls City, Shubert, Brownville, Auburn and a score of other towns '
in that section you '11 see apples shipped out. Not by the barrel
but by the train load. The little old town of Brownville has al
ready shipped out more than 300 cars of apples and expects to ship
out more than 600 cars before the season closes. Nemaha City is
another big apple shipping point. We haven't comparative sta
tistics at hand upon which to base a claim, but well venture to
make the claim that Brownville and Nemaha City will ship out
more apples this year than any two shipping points in the. boasted
apple growing states of Washington or Oregon.
One apple grower in Nemaha county walks through his orchard
with an agent, reserves a few trees for family use, and then pockets
a certified check for $20,000 for his apple crop -and the buyer picks
the apples. A Cass county apple grower receives "$8,000 for his apple
crop and doesn't pick an apple. The revenue came from all orchard
that six years ago was deemed worthless. But the owner got wise
to the fact that an apple . tree needed attention, just like a dairy
cow, or a beef steer, or a horse. He's getting' apples now; not
culls and windfalls and worm cells. Next year hell get more
money, because the orchard is growing better under scientific hand
ling instead of worse under neglect. -
The wise Nebraska apple grower no longer trusts to luck for
a crop, then shakes the apples of the tree, scooping them into a wagon "
and hauling them to town to be dumped into a car. He either
sells the apples on the tree, or carefully handpicks them, culls them
and assorts them, packs them carefully in boxes or barrels and ships
them out. But long before he has pruned and sprayed his trees,
cultivated" around them and cared for them like he would blooded
live stock. Old orchards that a few years ago were worthless are ..
now moeny makers. Hill lands that washed badly and were useless
for crop raising purpose are being set out intb orchards, and eastern
Nebraska is rapidly developing into what nature designed that
section to be a magnificent fruit growing domain. , -
Why don't a lot of men with capital organize an orchard de
velopment company and proceed to set . out orchards upon the
cheap bluff lands along the Missouri river? They would make hand-
some profits and would put a lot of men and women into a profitable
business. It would beat nine-tenths of the corporations now existing
when it comes to paying dividends to the promotors, and when it '.
comes to conferring benefits upon the state and its people it would
have no equals. - . 7
For two years Will Maupin's Weekly has been trying to con
vince Nebraskans of the truth that there are better opportunities
for the enterprising, industrious and intelligent agriculturist and
horticulturist right here in Nebraska than ' anywhere else , on the
North American continent and that means in all the world. .There
r.re better apple lands to be had at from $75 to $100 an acre in east
ern Nebraska than there is to be had in the boasted apple countries
of Oregon and Washington at from $200 to $1,000 an acre. . These
Nebraska apple lands are nearer ,to market, will raise more and
better flavored apples, will become productive in a shorter
period of time and will cost less to develop: They are right next
door to good schools and "good churches equipped with every
modern utility that makes life worth living. "V- 1
' You doubtless have read the story of the Persian who sold his.
home and started out to roam the world in search of a diamond
field. He wandered for years, and finally returned to the old place,
penniless, worn out and despairing. The old place was abandoned,
and he thankfully took possession. Wandering over the place to
once more gaze upon the scenes of his younger days he paused by
the side of a little brook to catch its silvery gleams and hear its ..
welcome murmurings. ,And suddenly, his eyes were caught by a
glitter in the sands of the little stream and lo, he had found the
diamond field that had lured him, to the uttermost parts of the
earth. Right at his own door he. had found the acres of diamonds!
And so it is, and has been, with thousands of Nebraskans.
Lured by the promise of great things afar, they have sold, unwit-
tingly, the "acres of diamonds" in Nebraska and . wandered far.
afield. " ' ' :
Let us make Nebraska's resources and opportunities known of
all men everywhere, beginning by making them known to our own
people. Teach Nebraska in the public schools; educate the adults in
the opportunities that front them within the borders of our own
commonwealth; build up the spirit of "home patronage," and
thus make Nebraska what she really ought to be the greatest and
most prosperous state in the Union.
... -A LITTLE PERSONAL MATTES.
' Without making any rash promises, Will Maupin's Weekly an
nounces a very probable change in its make-up and appearance with
in a very short time.' Things are eventuating. And if things
eventuate as we plan them, there will be things doing in the Ne
braska boosting line in a mighty short time.