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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1913)
7 FEBRUARY 21, 1013 Commoner. his views. Mrs. Clark declared that she was a good friend of Mr. Heflin, but said that ho needs information on this subject, which she will bo willing to give to him at any time. Mr. Hefllri's views, she added, do not represent the policy of the democratic party because no national organization can afford to disregard the women voters. Mrs. Clark added that she will march in the suffrage parade here on' March 3 and will urge her friends to do likewise, following "Dawn Mist" and her Indian maiden colleagues who will lead the parade. Mrs. Pitzer declared that the experience of Colorado .proves that suffrage does not break up homes, and called attention to the laws passed there since women possessed the franchise. "Reduced to Its lowest terms," declared' Mrs. Pitzer, "this attack, which on the surface looks like adoration of womankind and a beautiful spirit of chivalry, Is .the growl of the cave man who desires absolute ownership of his most valued beast. Woman is coming out of the cave, however. Indeed, she is being forced out with moro and more frequency to forago for food. She has had a taste of liberty and likes it. She is coming into the open and the world must prepare for the change." .$, & S A SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD messenger boy in Chicago, Leo Gurners by name, did what tue police have been unable to do captured a bold bandit whp had for weeks been holding up street cars in the lake city. The Chicago Record-Herald tells the story in this way: Leo's feat was staged early in the afternoon. He was a passenger on a through route, northbound Clark street car, when it suddenly came to a stop at Wentworth avenue and West Twenty ninth street. Looking back he saw the conductor standing with hands in the air, while a bandit was robbing him of his money holder. Instead of attempting to wiggle out through a window or a dooras the other passengers did, the mes senger boy raced to the back end of the car. The bandit, revolver in hand, was just stepping off with the coin container. Gurners jumped after him. The pair raced down the street, the 115-pound boy gaining on the bandit at every jump. At Thirtieth street a .policeman lazily took cognizance of the chase. Finally he drew his revolver and commenced firing. The ban dit returned the fire, still running. Gurners, In stead of hiding, behind ash barrels, sturdily plugged after him. Finally the bandit, his am munition gone, toojc refuge 'in an alley near South Fifth avenue and West Thirtieth street. A grocer appeared with a revolver in his hand. The messenger boy borrowed the weapon and went Into the alley after the robber, whom he cornered In an areaway while he took his weapon. The two struggled a few minutes, and .when the detail of police arrived they found the triumphant boy sitting on the bold bandit's chest. The bandit was taken into custody, but gave the police a terrific battle before he was landed in a cell at the Twenty-second street po lice station. He gave the name of "Mike" Fo garty and said he lived at 3G32 South Dearborn street.. He set fire to his clothing after being placed in a cell and pretended to be demented. O t 5 AN Interesting story Is told in the local news columns of the Louisville Courier-Journal in this way:.. Along deserted streets about 1 o'clock in the morning a race between a street car and a police automobile was the exciting preliminary of the arrest of a man who said: "I am Thomas Persall. I hold a transfer that entitles me to a ride from Thirteenth and Main streets. to the nearest getting off place to 1430 Shelby street. That's where I live. The street car company -refused-to haul me, so I just thought I'd tako a car and haul myself. The transfer is a written contract and binds the -company by law to. render service for value re ceived' .Employes of the car barn at Thirteenth and. Main streets saw the car move out of the sheds and start down the street and notified the night superintendent, who telephoned to the police to head it off. "Holy smoke, somebody etole a street car," exclaimed Lieutenant Conliffe at Central station, and he climbed into the auto patrol in charge of Police Chauffeurs Grainger and Seaman. A moment later the auto whizzed around the corner of Jefferson street and dis appeared. The street car was having trouble at a switch at Twelfth and Jefferson streets, where the tracks ran the wrong way to suit the driver. At Tenth street the pursuers saw the larger vehicle hesitate and then lurch across Twelfth. High speed clutch work stirred the carbureter and the patrol snorted and bore into the darkness of the 'night with renewed vim. The street car waH under way again and moving peacefully southward on Twelfth. The pseudo motorman sonsod pursuit and looked back ao the police turned at Twelfth street and fell into the wake. He wound tho controller around to the top notch, as it seemed by tho speed of tho car, and the race was on. At Chestnut street ho was overtaken. On a charge of drunkenness and disorderly conduct Persall was taken to tho Central police station. Ho denied that ho was drunk. He said he hold the car on the tracks all the way and the tracks arc straight and evenly separated. Ho .said he knew that the car tracks did not lead directly to 1430 Shelby street, his point of destination, and that he did not intend to drive it there, but only wanted to go as far as he could, so ho wouldn't get cold walking the remaining distance. "I was a street car motorman in St. Louis, and I know how to run a car," said the prisoner. "I know what a ' street car company's duties are, and if I pay them a nickel for a ride they have no right to put me off half way and tell me the car doesn't go any further. 'I gave them a good nickel and got a piece of a ride. When I boarded the got-on-and-pay car at Twenty-sixth street I asked for -a transfer to tho Shelby street line, and It was provided. If the conductor had told mo I would be put off in the cold I'd have mado dif ferent arrangements. Ho said 'all right' and gave tho transfer. Hero it is." The police ex amined the email document and say It was issued at 6 o'clock last night. How it came that Persall did not decide to bo his own street car crew, haul himself home and transfer the trans fer to himself until seven hours after the slip was issued, If the time indicated .proves correct, the prisoner will bo asked to explain in police court. t? O1 i5 A GOOD burglar story, told in an Associated Press dispatch from Los Angeles, follows: A burglar who went to rob Mrs. Fred Morris remained to save her baby's life. Such was the report she made to the police. Mrs. Morris said her baby was suddenly stricken with croup. She started to run for a physician. Just as .ahe went out her front door she met a masked man who ordered her to keep quiet at the risk of her life. She screamed, "My baby is dying; I am going for a doctor." "Let me help you," said the robber, placing his revolver in his pocket. Mrs. Morris led him back into the house. Ho asked for vine gar, sugar and water and concocted a mixture which he forced down tho infant's throat. , Then he rubbed olive oil upon the child's chest and worked for an hour before he told the mother that it was out of danger. "You must have a baby yourself," remarked Mrs. Morris. "I have five," replied the man. "That's why I came here tonight." Then he left and Mrs. Morris refused to give the police his description. THEN AND NOW Immediately after defeat of Mr. Bryan In 1908 it was loudly proclaimed that the progressive reform movement in this country was dead that it was the death knell of what then was termed Bryanism; and Bryanism was regarded by many well-meaning people, now heartily in accord with the party on the issues of tho day, as worse than socialism. It afforded tho reac tionaries of our own state the opportunity for which they had long waited, to make a fight, with some reasonable hope of success, to enact laws that would Invite corporations to the state, adopting a sort of an open door policy like that that has made New Jersey famous, or lnfamdus, and It was argued In the state senate, and in the house, too, for that matter, that we wanted and must have in order to make progress and to grow and flourish and be happy and contented, the New Jersey corporation laws. Bills wero in troduced and advocated and some of them were enacted into law, and are- now on the statute books. We must invite great corporations hero by enacting such legislation as would assure them of the state's protection, they said, and It was pointed out that tho corporations which had organized in New Jersey paid all the state taxes, that is all the taxes required to run tho state government and thus were tho people relieved of tho burden of taxation. But times change and men change with them. The corporations which were thought to be a valuable asset of the state are now looked upon as irksome and burdensome a3 a menace to the state, oppressive of the people and corrupt ing in their policy and menacing in their power and influence. In Governor Wilson's recent and last messago to the legislature of. his state, foremost among the law's advocated are a radi cal revision of tho statutes governing corpora tions, and better laws in the matter of drawing juries. Tho corporation laws of the state notoriously stand in need of alteration the governor says. They are manifestly inconsistent with tho in terests of tho pcoplo in the all-important mat ter of monopoly, and, as they stand, far from checking monopoly, they actually encourage it. Tho whole country has set Its face against this method of forming vast comlbnations and creat ing monopoly, Governor Wilson declares. "I am sure that tho pooplo of Now Jersoy "' ho con tinues, "do not dissent from the common Judg ment that our law must prevent theHo things and provont them very effectually. ' The governor says tho statutes of the stato should be amended to provide some 'vspciBlble official supervision of the whole process of In corporation and provide in addition salutary checks upon unwarranted and fictitious increases of capital. No legitimate business will be in jured or harmfully restricted by such action. These matters affect the honor and good faith of the state, and should be acted upon at once and with clear purpose." Montgomery (Ala.) Journal. "STAND PAT" CIVIL SERVICE Charles W. Eliot, former president of Harvard university, criticised the republican administra tion for having placed fourth-class postmasters under civil service rule. Dr. Eliot says: "Fourth class postmasters wero patronage ap pointees. They are to bo continued in ofllco now simply because of the application of tho spoils systom. The blow has been struck from the capital at true civil service " Dr. Eliot has given a valuable hint to those who imagine that the republican administration means civil service In tho arrangement of pub lic ofllco. That administration Is something like the partisan republican, who later in lifo was found supporting an .ndependent ticket in a municipal election. He waB expected to de liver a "non-partisan" address. When the hour for the meeting arrived the hall was crowded. The orator took his place upon the platform and beating his chest proudly, began: "I don't care what a man's politics ls,"and then the old time spirit returning to him, he made haste to add "just so no's a republican." THE LITTLE KNEE PANTS Tho Little Boy come In tho room just now, With a proud little look on his face; I turned with a wrinklo upon my brow, But it fled at his prlstlno grace. Ho seemed to have something to let me seo. And, oh, how his eyes did dance When I saw through the light of his golden gleo That ho had on llttlo knee pants. Tho Little Boy strutted around just now As a conqueror might who'd won Some battle of old in the rowdy-dow Of sword and banner and gun. But he caught me looking away, I fear Through a mist that was in my eyes, For I walked in a dream of the yesteryear And the blue of my boyhood skies. The Little Boy thinks it is fine to grow, And he yearns for the day to dawn When ho can be master and he err ,,go With pants like his father's on. '"' And then afterwhilo he will sit him down In a reverie just like me And wish he was lad in a little town With breeches that came to his knee. WIsTi it as often as we have done, We men who were boys on a time, And lived in the beautiful valleys f sun 'Neath the hills of the childhood clime, And It will not matter when that day comes What glory the world may hold, Nor tho music of fifes, nor the roll of drums, Nor the legions that march in gold. Tho Little Boy will look far away, As I am looking just now And something way down in his heart will b gray, And the wrinkles will lie on his brow, . And he'll wonder and wonder if ever again His heart will be happy and free As-those of the lads who have wished they wero men When their little pants stopped at the knee. Baltimore Sun. ia tfi.