V (
Nebraska's
wheat and corn
crop this year
wilt be worth
more than $125,-000,000.
6 J
I
Nebraska's hay
crop this year
will, be worth
more than $75,
000,000. ; .,
VOLUME 10
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, OCTOBER 11, 1912
NUMBER 28
MAKE NEBRASKA KNOWN ABROAD
Both the democratic and progressive party platforms contain
strong planks in favor of establishing by legislative enactment and
appropriation a department of state to be devoted to the advertising
of Nebraska's resources and possibilities and the attracting of desir
able settlers and .investors. This newspaper was the first to agitate
'""this question and the response has been well nigh unanimous. So far
as we have heard not a single objection has been raised to the propo
sition. On the other hand, hundreds of men have endorsed the idea.
Two years ago the associated commercial bodies of the state endorsed
" the idea and petitioned the legislature to establish sueh a department
,and appropriate $25,000 for its use during the biennium. A bill was
drafted and introduced, but because of circumstances well known to
the men most active in pushing the idea, the bill never saw a decent
..chance to secure consideration. There was no opposition to it, but
the introducer of the bill was seemingly too busy to give it attention,
and as it was one of those bills that everybody endorsed and nobody
used to trade with, it lacked the proper push behind it. It lay in
committee from early in the session till near the end without any ap
parent effort to get it out. Towards the close Will Campbell of the
Omaha Commercial club and the editor of this newspaper, realizing
that the bill was about to die of inattention, got busy. The house
sifting committee had been selected in the meantime, and each mem
ber thereof was beseiged to get out bills. It is only fair to the Doug
las delegation to say that through its efforts a Douglas county mem
ber of the sifting committee lifted the bill to the sifting tile, but by.
that time the legislature was in its last throes and the bill was not
reached. There is every indication, however, that there will be a different
result this time. George Wolz of Fremont is president of the Ne
braskaPiiblicity League, and is the republican candidate for the
senate mDodge county. As he has no opposition his election is cer
tain. Mr. Wolz is heart and soul in favor of the proposition and has
publicly stated that it will be his aim to secure the enactment of what
may be briefly termed a "publicity law." The Ad Clubs of Lincoln
and Omaha, acting in conjunction with the Nebraska Publicity
League, ought to get busy and draft a measure that will fit the con
ditions. Nebraska, with more to advertise to the world than any other
state, is one of the least known states in the Union. Less favored
states all about her are known all over the world, and they are reap
ing the benefits of the publicity they have secured. The world should
be acquainted with the fact that Nebraska is the greatest wheat, oats,
' corn and alfalfa producer in the world in proportion to acreage and
per capita ; that she produces more agricultural and live stock wealth
per capita than any other state ; that she has upwards of 15,000,000
acres of fertile soil that has never been touched by the plow; that
she offers unexcelled opportunities to the industrious home seeker;
that she offers splendid opportunities for investment in industrial en
terprises ; that the opportunities she offers along the lines of intel
ligent orcharding and dairying can not be equalled by any other com
monwealth. Nebraska needs to make herself known. The truth of
the matter is, Nebraska could well profit by spending several thousand
dollars a year in educating her own people concerning the resources
and possibilities of the state.
offered by the Pioneer Co., but new insurance subject to all the
conditions imposed by the Pioneer Co. It is a fact that the
Fidelity Co. had assumed risks and issued policy forms that no
well managed insurance company would assume. So much has
been said of this incident that it is only justice to the managers
of the Pioneer Insurance Co. that the real facts be made known. In
eleven years of business the Pioneer Insurance Co. has paid nearly
seventy-five hundred claims, and never has been defendant in a
lawsuit.
STILL NEBRASKA APPLES LEADING
A GREAT INJUSTICE.
Unintentionally, it may be, but a fact nevertheless, Auditor
Barton has worked an injustice to the Pioneer Insurance Co. of this
city by attempting to hold it responsible for a judgment for $500 and
costs obtained against the Fidelity Insurance Co.' Auditor Barton
bases his decision upon the claim that the Pioneer Insurance Co., re
insured the policyholders of the Fidelity Co., when the facts are
, quite the contrary. The facts are that the Fidelity Co. was running
dry and sought to dispose of its business to the Pioneer Co. Presi
dent Folsom of the Pioneer Co., after investigating conditions
declined to re-insure the policyholders of f,he Fidelity Co., but
agreed to assume pending claims other than judgments providing a
list of policyholders of the Fidelity Co. was given him. He did not
agree to re-insure, but merely agreed to pay a specified sum upon
all policyholders above a certain number who surrendered their
Fidelity policies and took out insurance in the Pioneer Co. after
approval of applications and complying with all conditions. The
judgment in question was specifically exempted in the written
agreement. That judgment is secured by bond executed by the
old Fidelity Co's. managers.
Had the Pioneer Co. re-insured the policyholders of the old
Fidelity Co. it would have been necessary to first secure permission
from the auditor, but it did not. It merely sent its agents to the
policyholders of the Fidelity Co. and solicited them to take out
new insurance in the Pioneer, agreeing with the management of
the defunct company to assume pending claims other than judg
ments in return for a list of the policyholders. Instead of seeking
to evade responsibility the Pioneer Co. did in fact pay -pending
claims that were not listed on the books of the Fidelity Co.
Any other company was at liberty to do the same thing, or
at liberty to solicit the ploicyholders of the old Fidelity company to
take out new insurance with them. It was not re-insurance
We favor the creation of an immigration agent and pub
licity bureau, to the end that our vast areas of tillable land
in the western part of the state may be brought to the atten
tion of the landless people elsewhere. From the' platform of
the progressive Republicans of Nebraska.
IN WONDERFUL YOUNG NEBRASKA
The beet crop of Nebraska for 1912 promises to break all records.
While anything like an accurate report is not yet available, it is be
lieved that the total crop of the state will exceed a million tons, and
that beet raisers will receive upwards of $5,000,000. After many
years of experimentation, combining failure and success, it seems cer
tain that the sugar beet business has found its natural home in west
ern Nebraska. While it produces well almost anywhere in the Platte
valley, it seems to thrive best in what is known as the Seotts Bluff
district. The sugar mill at Scott's Bluff began its campaign on Sep
tember 26, and the crop at hand guarantees a run of more than four
months. The factory is consuming l,40itons a day, and during the
campaign of 120 days will pay out more than a quarter of a million
dollars for operating expenses aside from the purchase of beets. The
beets are averaging fifteen tons to the acre and bring $5.50 per ton
at the factory.
The labor factor has always been the puzzle in Nebraska beet cul
ture. While the crop is profitable, the American farmer, accustomed
to sulky plows and other labor-saving .machinery, has steadfastly re
fused to get down on his knees and crawl through beet rows. Here
tofore the labor of newly arrived Russians has been depended upon.
But even this class of labor was insufficient, for the Russian soon be
came imbued with American ideas and himself insisted upon labor-
saving machinery while his children went to school. The labor factor
spelled disaster for the beet sugar enterprise at both Ames and Nor
folk, but Scott's Bluff seems to have solved it. In addition to the
average supply of Russian labor, that section seems to be a Mecca for
Japs, and the beet fields are full of them.' If some one will invent a
machine that will thin the beets and successfully weed them out in
the early stages of their growth the labor factor will not be so press
ing. But the five million dollars that sugar beets will contribute to
the sum total of Nebraska's production in this good year is a big
item and one that promises to grow rapidly as the years come and go.
ANOTHER POLITICAL JERUSALEM PONY.
Political freaks are numerous enough to warrant some steps be
ing taken to prevent them from cumbering the ballots. When Ross
of Lexington got his name on the ballot as a candidate for president
most of us thought the limit had been reached. But now comes one
Ferguson of Broken Bow who files for the democratic nomination for
United States senator. That there are a lot of fatheaded voters is
evidenced by the fact that Ross received a surprisingly large vote,
and it is certain that Ferguson will show up with a lot of them. The
Ferguson petition is signed chiefly by Omahans, and wise heads pro
fess to see in this a scheme to deprive Shallenberger of votes.
Whether this is true or not, the fact remains that it will have that
tendency. The Ferguson candidacy, like the Ross candidacy, is an
other proof that our primary and election laws ought to be fixed up in j
some way, and if possible so fixed as to make it impossible for polit
ical freaks to be exploited by would-be jokers.
Once more Will Maupin's Weekly desires to mention the subject
of Nebraska apples. From every section comes astonishing reports
of yields and quality. Clay county; which heretofore hasn't made
any particular claims along the lines of apple production, presents its
claim for recognition and points to an immense crop. Near Spring
Ranch is an orchard that was sadly neglected for a number of years.
A year ago last spring the owner awoke to the possibilities of that
orchard and proceeded to trim it up, do a little cultivating and give
it a good spraying. The response was generous enough to spur him
to further efforts, and last spring he gave it even more attention and
a scientific spraying. All season he diligently farmed a quarter sec
tion and the crop was generous. He had lots of wheat and his corn
crop is above the average. But that old orchard accounted of little
worth three or four years ago, is going to yield, more money than all
the well tilled acres of the farm.
Last Wednesday morning a Lancaster county farmer drove into
Lincoln with a wagon-load of Jonathans. The editor rode from
Thirty-third and O to Fourteenth and O with him, and listened to a
good story. ,, ;
"I haven't much of an orchard," said, the farmer. "I set it out
a good many years ago and then gave it little attention. It never did
amount to much until recently. Then I began reading about orchard
ing and determined to try some of the recommendations.' I cultivated
that little orchard last summer and the year before, trimming up the
trees and otherwise attending to them. I bought a hand sprayer and
dosed them according to directions. Until I used the sprayer I never
got any marketable apples to speak of. I've got probably fifty
bushels of Jonathans on this wagon right now. Give me the market
price for them and I'll give you a quarter for each wormy apple you
find in the whole load."
"How much of an apple crop have you got?" asked the editor.
'.'Not much, because I haven't got much of an orchard. It's
about half as big as a city block, but it will bring me about as much
money as the balance of my eighty acres.'' .
If Will Maupin's Weekly continues to get letters and reports
about this year's apple crop in Nebraska it is going to be backward
about giving figures. It's mighty easy to be entered in the Ananias
class by merely telling half the truth about Nebraska productivity
But this paper is prepared to show that more than 2,000 carloads of
apples will be shipped from Nebraska stations this fall, to say noth
ing of the apples sold locally or sent by express. If this year's apple
crop does not add close to $10,000,000 to the sum total of Nebraska's
wealth we'll admit our inability to estimate. The Nebraska Horticul- .
tural Society's annual apple show at the Lincoln auditorium next
January will be worth going miles to see. If it doesn't excel anything
you ever saw before in the apple show line, and you drop us a line to
that effect, you'll become a subscriber to this paper, paid in full, as
long as the present editor and publisher has control. And to date not
a single promoter of orchard lands in the northwest country has seen
fit to take notice of our challenge. That challenge is this: If they
will make a show of apples in competition with Nebraska apples
we '11 .undertake to provide the show place and give the exhibition
satisfactory publicity, providing they will give bond to have the
verdict published prominently in the daily newspapers of Tacoma,
Seattle Portland, Bellingham, Salem, Boise and other cities of that
section. The judges are to be experts who shall not be citizens of nor
property-holders in any of the states making an exhibition, nor cog
nizant of the identity of the exhibitors.
We'll back Nebraska against the rest of the Union in the quality
of her apples, and back her against the world when it comes to pro
duction per tree or per acre of orchards cultivated.
A STATEMENT.
A new federal law requires newspapers to make a statement of
ownership, management, circulation, etc. The statement of Will
Maupin's Weekly is as follows:
Editor, sole owner, and manager, AVill M. Maupin, Lincoln, Ne
braska.
The total issue during the six months ending September 27, 1912,
was more than 44,000, an average of 1,700 copies per jreek.
WILL M. MAUPIN.
Subscribed to and subscribed before me this 9th day of October,
1912. W. M. MORNING.
(Seal) Notary Public.
My commission expires Dec. 21, 1916.
Ollie James says that President Taft is the only president we
ever had who vetoed a law to make cheaper the clothing needed
by shivering humanity.
We've forgotten the name of the democratic candidate for gov
ernor of Kansas, and are not interested enough to look it up. We
hope to see Arthur Capper elected governor of the Sunflower state,
and for the same reasons that impel us to lend our cordial support to
the candidacy of John H. Morehead in Nebraska. Capper, the repub
lican candidate for governor of Kansas, is a self-made man, a man of
high business ideals who has been wonaeriuiiy successiui in nis dusi
ness career. He has always been, a man of the people, fighting their
battles and standing for their rights. Political reform in Kansas
owes more to Arthur Capper and his Topeka Daily Capital than to
ell other agencies combined. He went up against the biggest political'
rrachine that ever cursed a state, and he beat it to a frazzle. He
could not be frightened, and every attempt to bribe or cajole failed.
It did not take the machine long to see that it either had to break
Capper or go out of business, and it tried to break Capper. Capper
now has more money than he can haul in a hay wagon, and the old
machine in Kansas is scattered all over the commonwealth, with not
a piece of it big enough to make a gnat wink if blown into its eye
through a flea's feather. If we lived in Kansas we'd be supporting
Capper, and if we lived in New York we would be supporting Strauss.
And now ex-Governor Shallenberger is being attacked through
a newspaper edited by a state oil inspector because he had sense
enough to know that a state pure food law that conflicted with the
national pure food law wouldn't stand fire. v