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t VOLUME 10
UNCOLN, NEBRASKA, OCTOBER 18, 1912
NUMBER 29
TALKING Of MEN AND MATTERS
Jules Lnmbard died in Chicago last week, and on Sunday was
buried by the side of his wife in Oiuaha. And thus passed away
vne of the most lovable of men. Jules Lnmbard died in poverty,
although he. might have died rich had he been east in a different
mold. He possessed a voice, that was a veritable mint, but he gave
it freely and without price that the world might enjoy it. It was
Jules Lumbard who first sang Root's " Rally 'Round the Flag.
Boys.' seizing the manuscript before the ink was dry and singing
it at a reerniting meetiug in Chicago the day that President Lin
coln called for volunteers. Lincoln said, of Lnmbard that "his
voice in eamp is worth more to the republie than a halaliou of
fcien." Who that has heard him sing "Maggie In the Low-back
Car,' or "Are Ye Sleepin, Maggie?" or "A Thousand Years, My
Own Columbia," can never forget that lion basso that was as soft
as the peal f an organ, that massive head with its wealth of iron
grey hair, r the eyes that shone with love for all mankind? Jules
Lnmbard sang his way into the hearts of men and women asd
made light many a wear?- load of tired sojourners. He left no
fortune of gold or precious genius, but he left something far better
a luemorv that men and women will revere.
record is replete, none wuT prove more popular than his advocacy
of the "city beautiful" idea and his recommendation that the eity
eonneil make a liberal appropriation for the. use of the city plans
commission. Mayor Armstrong's recommendation to the council
reveals a new and rather unexpected, though none the less appre
ciated, angle to his mental make-up . .
A lot of republican organs present the appearanee of not being
properly grateful for their respective slices of constitutional amend
ment printing pie.
It appears that Mr. Barton is running for congress in the
Fifth district on a record of having "ripped hell out of the in
surance companies' regardless of the injury he may have done to
legitimate business enterprises.
On the day that Jules Lumbard was laid to rest another Ne
braskan passed to his reward, leaving nothing behind of value
to be measured in money. -but leaving that which gold cannot buy.
the love and confidence of his fellows with whom he had mingled
for more than three seore years and ten. George Y. Armstead j
was born in Qiillieothe, Ohio, eighty years ago. He came to Ne-
braska nearly thirty years ago, locating in North Bend, where he
died on October 14. A photographer by profession he accompanied
the Union armies through the Civil war, "and his immense eollectoin
.f photographs of eamp and battle scenes was largely taken over
l-y the government, IBs eyesight failed shortly after coming to j
Nebraska, and for nearly a quarter of a century he was practically (
blind. But his a f :1k lion did not abate his good nature nor lessen;
his optimism. . Always ready with a cheery word, his wealth of!
snow-white hair "and his ringing laugh were as familiar to the
people of his home town as the very trees and birds. A splendid
violinist and the owner of an almost priceless Amati. he furnished
the music to which two generations of young people have tripped
he fleeting hours. The writer has seen men and women sitting
with moistened eyes as they listened to Mr. Armstead playing
""Departed Days" or "'Sounds from Home," bringing from his
matchless instrument all the iJhos and sentimnt that encom
passes the human Heart. lie lovea noming so weu as to eiose
almost sightless eyes, cuddle his beloved violin against his cheek
as a mother cuddles her babe, and bring from it the music that
only a master hand can bring. It was the music of "Ol Man
Armsiead's Violin'' that first attracted the writer to the home
where he soon after won a wife. Perhaps, some day, another hand
even more skilled may release the music locked within that Amati.
' but however skilled that hand may be, it cannot wring from it
th Wart throbs, nor make its tones anpeal to the memories of
other days, as did the hand now cold in death. Mr. Armstead i
is survived by his wife and seven of the twelve children born toj
them, together with twenty-three grandchildren and one great- j
grandchild. His oldest daughter is the wife of Rod C Smith of j
Lexington, Nebr.. ami the next oldest daughter is the wife of
"Will M. Maupin of Lincoln.
Jane Addams of Hull House fame will be in Lincoln n Oeto-
ber 23, and will deliver an address at the auditorium in support
of the Bull Moose national ticket. We can easily understand why j
Miss Addams gives allegiance to the progressive party's platform, i
for that instrument makes a strong appeal to soe;olosrsts. In fact, j
il is a regular Adullamite proclamation, appealing to all those whs j
sre discontented, or have a grievance or are in debt. What, we j
cannot understand is how a woman of Miss Addams splendid?
mentality and remarkable record of service in behalf of the "suh-t
merged tenth' can give support to a candidate who never sasj
riaced anything for others who has no record of social service, j
whose creed is that cf the strong, whose vocabulary is that of thei
prize ring, and whose conversion to progressive ideas has been;
very sadden and immediately following his barbaric doctrine of!
' practically relegating womankind to the mere task of ehildbearing. j
Miss Addams should be greeted by an audience taxing the audi
torium to the limit. She may be able to explain some things to
the people's, satisfaction as she surely has explained them to her
own satisfaction. A woman like Jane Addams is worth listening
tov no matter what her subject, nor how devious her argument.
Mayor Armstrong has on divers and sundry occasions vindi
cated the judgment of the friends who thrust the office upon him.
and at the same time happily disappointed those who were fearful
that his election would prove to be a blunder. When he took the)
water situation in hand a year ago and handled it under ordinary!
business rules, he performed a distinct public service. But among!
tbe long list f wise public, actions with which his administrative
AN ANNOUNCEMENT
I desire to announce that with, the issue of Oc
tober 25 "Win Maapin's Weekly" will be sus
pended, and that it will be succeeded by "Mid
west," a magazine of Nebraska. "Midwest" will
be a monthly malaxate of standard size, with a
policy similar to that of the newspaper it will suc
ceed, namely the advertising of Nebraska resources
and possibilities, and the furthering of the interests,
of the men and women who are striving to accom
plish Uungs really worth, while.
I am impelled to make this change by reasons
that appear to me to be well founded, and which
bare the endorsement of men in wiMjse judgment
I have great confidence. The magazine field, espe
cially tbe field that it is my ambition to occupy
with "Midwest, offers better opportunities in a
business as well as a literary way, than the
weekly field. It win permit of better work on my
part and also enable me to enlist the aid of men
and women far better fitted. than I to write of
Nebraska and ber wonderful resources and possibilities-
It wiO, too, permit of greater care in the
preparation, of contents and widen the field in
which to solicit the business vitally necessary to
the maintenance of such an institution. A weekly
publication, unless a class paper, is of necessity
limited in its advertising field. It requires no
explanation of this assertion to satisfy the mind
of the experienced general adiei titer,
Frankly, I had this magazine idea in mind when
I started "Will Maupin's Weekly," and I started
the weekly merely as a forerunner, and because I
figured that it would be less expensive to prepare
the way in this manner. I may have been mis
taken as to that, but in no wise have I changed my
mind about the magazine proposition. I believe the
time is ripe to launch such a magazine as I have
outlined, and while it may appear presumptuous
for me to say it, I believe that I have the right
idea and the ability to make it of genuine inter
est and of real service to Nebraska and her enter
prising citizens. During tbe next two weeks I
will enter into greater details as to what I expect
to do in the magazine field.
The ready response to my recent "heart to heart"
appeal gives me great encouragement to go ahead
with this project. Of course all those enterprising'
men and women who h&ve paid ahead for ".Will
Maupin's Weekly will receive "Midwest" to the
full limit of their subscription, although the sub
scription price to the magazine will be $L50 a year
instead of $L Merely to give all an equal show 111
accept yearly subscriptions to the magazine at the
rate of 51 up to the date of its first issue. I ex
pect to issue the first number of "Midwest" on
November 25 but under date of December L
I have already in hand a splendid Nebraska story
which will appear serially, and a number of short
stories in prospect. The literary features of
"Midwest" will be emphasized, but, of course,
tie chief idea behind the venture is to acquaint
the world with the real Nebraska.
If bard work and devotion to the best interests
of the state win win success for "Midwest," then
success is already assured. I solicit the support and
co-operation of all loyal Nebraska ns who, like my
self, are desirous of promoting the welfare of the
commonwealth.
WILL M. MAUPIN.
NEBRASKA DISCOURAGES CAPITAL
The newly elected directors of the Lincoln Commercial Club
have mapped out an ambitions program for the coming year, and
they are the kind of men who habitually make good. But in one
respect these directors are going to waste a lot of time if they are
not careful. We refer to the matter of urging the construction
of inter urban eleetrie lines centering in Lincoln. They might as
well realize now as later that under existing laws they are merely
erasing a phantom. There will be no construction of interurban
electric lines in Nebraska until the laws are so amended as to en
courage the investment of money in these enterprises instead of,
ss now, discouraging it. Capital is not going to seek investment
in hazardous enterprises when the possible returns if there ever
'should be any returns at all will be no greater than a safe and"
secure investment in real estate mortgages that yields immediate
I returns. That is a fact beyond dispute, and the Lincoln Commercial
iClub might just as well stare it in the faee now. Better now, in
fact, than later, after having wasted a lot of valuable time in
3 proving the truth of what is here said.
Men of money would be little short of foolish to invest mil
lions in interurban construction, waiting years before any profits
could be made by developing territory and traffic, and then only
s be allowed to earn dividends no larger than might be earned from
the very start by investing the same amount of money in farm
j iHortgages. Not only would they have to wait for several years
for any returns, at all upon an interurban road," but they would
jeiways work under the knowledge that theirs was a hazardous
I investment, subject to many risks that are never considered in
j other lines of investment. Under the physical valuation law and
the rulings of the state railway commission, an interurban pro
i jeet would be limited to 7 per cent on its actual physical valuation,
j Think that over for a while and you will begin to understand why
"Nebraska has not a single mile of interurban eleetrie railway,. and
no prospects of ever getting any as conditions now exist.
I A publie service corporation that is of real ' service to the
j public, that will develop new territory, permit of a greater volume
1 of business at a less expense, and add to the sum total of human
happiness, is entitled to more consideration than the individual
who lends money upon a farm mortgage and does nothing more
1 than collect his semi-annual interest. The corporation is entitled
to a better return for the added reason that its investment is always
more or less of a risk as compared with mere farm loans.
The plain truth of the matter is that we of Nebraska, having
long suffered under corporation rule, jumped to the other extreme,
and in our anxiety to "regulate and control" have amputated our
noses to spite our faees. Instead of encouraging investments that
will be of mutual benefit and advantage, Nebraska ns are discourag
ing investments to their own great loss. If the Lincoln Commer
cial Club, and similar organizations in Nebraska, want to perform
a distinct service to the commonwealth, they will not waste time
chasing the interurban road phantom at this time, but will devote
'their marriages to so amending the laws as to encourage investments
1 that will help develop the state and her manifold resources.
A BIG DEAL.
One of the largest business transactions in recent months has
j just been completed whereby the Tri-State irrigation canal becomes
(the property of the landholders under it. The Tri-State canal in
jvolves water rights on about 70,000 acres in the extreme western
part of Nebraska, most , of it in Seottsbluff, Deuel and Morrill
1 counties. The TrtState canal has been privately owned, but re
jeentiy the voters of the irrigation district by a vote of 183 t 31
1 voted to issue $2,550,000 of irrigation bonds and take over tbe
'I property. By this action the canal, with all of its rights, proper
Sties, etc., passes into the hands of the real farmers.
The Tri-State canal is one of the largest irrigation properties
:in the west. It has cost to date almost three millions of dollars,
isiid it furnishes water to a section of the country that can not be
; excelled for fertility of soil. The main canal is sixty feet wid-s
and nearly a hundred miles long, being a veritable river. Engi
neers assert that from the standpoint of construction there is no
finer piece of irrigation property in tMs country. While a bond
t issue of 2,500,000 seems large for such a district, it must be borne
in mind that the interest on the bonds, together with a sinking
' i'nnd, will amount to considerably less than the amount paid under
former circumstances for water. Now that the landowners own
I their irrigation plant, we may expect to see that section of fertile
I Nebraska making even greater strides than heretofore in develop-
ment.
We favor the creation of an immigration, agent and pub-
licity bureau, to the end that our vast areas of tillable Toad
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.