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About The Alliance-independent. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1892-1894 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1892)
V 1 THE ALLIANCE -INDEPENDENT. 9 ? AM :tt:l HE STATbS propekty Stolen by Wagon Loads Some State Furniture Located, and Karnes Given. DI D TOM MAJOES TAKE THE OHAIE? Walt Seeley's Little Scheme The Time Has Come to End Nebraska's Dis grace Laws Ignored by Treasurer Hill. The editor of The Alliance-Ihde-pendent this week made some further inquiries regarding the STEALING OP FURNITURE From the state capitol. The following statements rest on the authority of one of the most reliable men in Lincoln, a man who held an office in the state house for several years, and who has filled a countv office in Lancaster county He says he knows whereof he speaks and can prove every statement: The stealing of property from the state house reached a climax in 1887. Thirty days before the legislature of 1887 assembled, Brad Slaughter and Tom Cook came to Lincoln and took charge, of ordering supplies. They ordered fine leather covered settees, costly brass lamps, clocks, vast quanti ties of toilet articles, and other things too numerous to mention, all of which were purchased and delivered at the stare nouse. At tne close ox tne ses sion, the state house was literally stripped bare. Settees, desks, chairs, toilet articles, waste baskets, and even spittoons disappeared. Tom Cooke (who was the first assistant clerk of the house, and is now secretary of the re publican state committee) and his father actually hauled away from the state house TWO WAGON LOADS Of this property. This is no mere guess. The property was actually hauled away in a wagon. Did Mr. Cooke give a receipt for this furniture and return it? Did he take it away for public purposes? Not by any means. Neither did any of the . others who assisted in stripping the capitol build ing of furniture. The gentleman who made the above statement then went on to say that he could tell where some state furniture is today: Zj Ex-Auditor Babcock has in his office in Lincoln a fine and costly desk be longing to the state. A lady clerk in Tom Benton's office was given a valuable typewriter at the close of the session, and another was bought in its place to use in finishing up the work of the session. At Capt. Bax's house in .Lincoln can be found a fine rocking chair belonging to the state. Brad Cook, who is now employed in Commissioner Humphrey's office has at his residence a chair that was used by David Butler when he was governor more than twenty years ago. He also has another and much more costly chair which belongs to the state. The stealing of state property in 1887 bscame so notorious that Secretary of State Laws made up his mind to put a stop to it. So in 1889, for a week be fore the close of the session, he had -. SPECIAL POLICEMEN y Stationed at every exit from the state f house to prevent property from being carried on. Janitors make it a practice to carpet their private residences with carpets taken from the floors of the state house. The following fact was furnished by a gentleman who knows whereof he speaks: During the last session of the legisla ture there was a fine leather covered, spring bottom chair worth $75 in the senate chamber for the use of the lieutenant governor. Some of the tacks camo loose and let the springs down. Although the chair could have been repaired for a dollar, it was cast aside and a new one bought. At the time Walt Seeley, who was Majors' private secretary, remarked to our in formant, regarding the broken chair: "MAJORS WILL TAKE IT HOME To remember the session by." The chair disappeared, and the natural in ference would be that he did take it. If he did not, it is strictly in order for him to rise up and say so. Just here it is in order to explain WALT SEELEY'S SCHEME By which he got $1,600 from the state without returning an equivalent. At the close of the session he would secure the job of 4 'making up the journal," and an appropriation of $1,600 to pay for the same. But during the session he would secure the appointment of a sufficient number of clerks to have the journal all made up and ready for the printer, all these clerks being paid by the state. Then all he had to do, was to take the copy to the printer, and read the proof. The $1,600 was in fact almost a clear gain for Mr. Seeley whether you call it a steal, robbery, boodle, or reward for superior shrewd ness. How often Seeley practiced this game we are unable to say, but two or three times without doubt. It is said on good authority that Slaughter and Cook practiced the same little game at the other end of the capitol. This is doubtless true for two such brilliant politicians would hardly permit Walt Seeley to get ahead of them. The above statements constitute only a few stray pages from the book of official corruption written by Ne braska's republican office-holders dur ing the past twenty years or more. Do the voters of Nebraska propose to let the same gang add another chapter to that record? The time has certainly come for the honest self-respecting voters of Ne braska to MAKE AN END OF THIS THING. It is time for Nebraska to have a general house-cleaning. It is time to cast the law-breakers, the official tyrants, the filchers, and stealers out of Nebraska's temple of law and justice. It is time to put in honest men, and honest methods. Yes, and the people are going to do it. They are in line today, the tillers and toilers, the business and profes sional men of Nebraska, one hundred thousand strong, and marching to the ballot boxes where on November 8 tb, they will end forever Nebraska's dis grace. Our readers should notice the ad- vertisenent of the Johnson Lumber Co. of this city in this issue. This firm will furnish lumber direct to consumers and can serve you faithfully. Former ly of Sioux City, they have an extensive acquaintance among our people in the northeastern part of the state. Write them for estimates and mention The Alliance-Independent. OLD PARTY OUTRAGES. The treatment of Weaver by the democrats in Georgia was certainly an outrage and deserves the severest 'con dcmnation. We should enjoy reading the indignant denunciations of the re publican press did we not know them to bo the most abominable hypocrisy Indeed the republicans have shor memories. They have forgotten al about how Polk was treated in Kansas a little over a year ago, how he was painted as an official of Libby prison and charged with the most hinoDus crimes, how he was egged, and burned in effigy, and threatened with tar and feathers. They haven't heard how Congressman Otis was egged down in Kansas only a few days ago. They have forgotten about that infamous forged G. A. It. resolution that was scattered all over the country less than two years ago. They don't reuember anything about the charges of desecrating the flacr made aerainst that bravo loval veteral, D. McCallpf Valley county last fourth of July a year ago. They have forgotten how McKeighan was slander ed in regard to the speech he made at the Grand Island reunion a year ago O, their memories are exceedingly short. They have already forgotten that the republican state central com . ... mittee a lew days ago scattered over the country the vile and slanderous charge that Shrader is an "anarchist.' Yet Shrader is a brave loyal veteran. They don't even recall the fact that in the joint debates just closed, Crounse villified and slandered General Van Wyck, and insulted every old soldier who has joined the people's party. The democratic hoodlums of the south deserve to be denounced in the strong est langunge the dictionary affords, but sucn denunciations comes witn poor grace from republicans of tho north, for the intolerance and partisan hatred of republicans in the north is just as strong as that of democrats in the south and has shown itself in just as out rageous actions. Ill THE THIRD DISTRICT. The situation in tho third congress ional . distrsct is somewhat peculiar. Meiklejohn has made a complete failure as a campaigner; still the fact that he is backed by the corporations and money power makes him a formidable candidate. He will hold the votes of the stalwart republican element, and get the votes of a lot cf gold-bug cor poration democrats. Keiper, the democratic nomine?, is a very good man, but he is not in the race. He could not be elected if he got every democratic vote in the district, and it is certain that Meiklejohn will take away hundreds if not thousands of democratic votes. In the fight two years ago Kem car ried this district over both Dorsey and Thompson. There is no reason to doubt that Poynter can hold tho vote that went to Kem. Then very large independent gains have been made in most of the counties of the district. Indeed seve ral counties which were almost unor ganized two years ago, are now well organized and will give Poynter a heavy vote. The prospect for Poynter's election is very bright. Meiklejohn's only hope lies in draw ing away from Keiper enough demo cratic votes to overcome Poynter's plurality. The democrats of the dist rict are mainly honest anti-railroad men. If they can be made to see the real situation, enough of them will go to Poynter to give him an overwhelm-, ing majority over Meiklejohn. Many leading democrats have sized the situa tion up correctly and are quietly sup porting Poynter. There are also a good many honest republicans who are dis gusted with Meiklejohn's truckling subservitney to the corporations and will give their support to Poynter. If the independents of that district work as they should from now till the evening of November the 8th, we be lieve tho first congressman from the new third district will bo Hon. W, A. Poynter. IN THE SIXTH DISTRICT. The most cheering news comes from all parts of the sixth district. Kem has made a grand and successful fight. Ho has shown himself superior to Whitehead in every respect. In every joint discussion Kem was master of the situation. In a number of cases the enthusiasm was so great at the close of the debate that Kern's admirers picked him up and carried him triumphantly through the streets. Although Whitehead made repeated attacks on Kem's record in congress, he was worsted in every attack. Especi ally was this true in the case of Kem's record on tho Pickler bill. Kem voted against that bill because it threw down the bars and-opened the way for non resident speculators to come in and gobble up land under both the timber claim, and desert land acts. The peo- pie of the district endorse that vote, and Whitehead's criticism proved a boomerang. When it came to Whitehead's record the case was different. Kem proved rom the House journal of 1889 that Whitehead voted for the bill giving "Boss" Stout, the greatest boodler, and obbyistin the state $46,000 for "extras" in finishing the state capitol building. There is no doubt that this was a steal of the rankest kind. Whitehead also voted against the usury bill providing brfeiture of tho principal as a penalty or taking over ten per cent interest, he same bill that the independents put through the house in 1891. But Kem's most striking advantage wa3 in tne discussion oi tne issues. Here he was at home. He not only had ho right side of every question but he knew how to present his case, in the most convincing manner. Whitehead made no attempt at a logical discussion of thetreal issue, the money question. He tried to discuss the tariff, but even in that he was no match for Kem. In all the western counties where the ndependent vote was light two years ago, ivem nas made neavy gams. io will carry not less than three-fourths the counties. In fact he is surer to carry three-iourtns ot tne counties han Whitehead is to carry a single county. Kem's majority may safely be set down at from five to eight thousand. The exposure of the asylum steals has done more to insure an independent victory than anything else connected with the campaign. It is safe to say that it has already turned ten thousand votes to the new party. There are thousands more who have scarcely heard of these exposures who may yet be turned before their votes are cast. here never was a better opportunity or independents to do effective work or their cause. " Alabama and North Carolina are sure for Weaver by good majorities. 'IT! yTa.illWilWIM)WIMl,piWilW!
