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probably rain or snow and colder. * Omitted, all the voyage of their life
_ _ _ =^=___=___=======_____ _ ■ — ■ ■— la bound in shallow, and in miseries.
CITY EDITION \ voL. 53. NO. 224. . * > OMAHA, TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1924. * 1 TWO CENTS" 0^.hac.‘.u«a. £SFw«ufte V.
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PLAN FOR GREATER OMAHA LAUNCHED
- (s
Des Moines
Shows Way
for Omaha
Staff Representative of The
Bee Investigated Iowa Capi
tal’s System of Building
Business.
‘Boost—Never Knock”
One tiling is certain: Des Moines,
including the common folk and the
leaders of thought, is sold on the idea
that the Greater Des Moines com
mittee is and has been of great bene
fit in building Des Moines; making it
0 an Important city of the central west
^ although it has but few large indus
tries and a couple of minor railroads.
A staff man from The Omaha Bee
went several months ago to Des
Moines to Investigate the means by
which business leaders there were co
operating for the benefit of the city.
Quoting Ralph Bolton, a member
of the committee for 14 years, and its
directing secretary for almost that
length of time, he wrote In his report:
“Realizing that Des Moines has less
to build on than any city of the mid
dle west, we feel that the Greater
Des Moines committee has been the
great factor In making Des Moines
what it is today. It is the city's life
saver.”
In a booklet Bolton* says: The
Greater Des Moines committee has
paid 2,813 per cent annual dividends
and a surplus.” He aims to prove
this contention with actual figures.
IIow lies Moines Started.
The Greater Des Moines commit
tee was organized by a newspaper,
the Des Moines Daily Capital. Its
publisher, I-afayette Young, sr., is
still active in its organization.
Here is the plan used in the organi
zation:
Mr. Young called a small group of
retailers together and explained his
plan of organizing a special committee
of business men to stimulate interest
in Des Moines. The plan was ac
cepted and 30 prominent business men
were called to a conference. They
represented the leaders of thought in
the community. Retailers and real
^ estate holders were In the majority,
r The committee was Incorporated
and stock wan sold to each member
at $10 a share. The 30 men then se
lected a list of 300 supporting mem
liers. A quota was made up for each
in order to get the working budget.
Co-operates With Chamber.
The committee has a working an
nual budget at the present time of
$35,000. When a special fund is
needed, for instance in getting Camp
Dodge from Omaha and In bringing
large conventions to Des Moines, a
special canvass Is made.
'The Greater Des Moines committee.
In makeup, is similar to Omaha’s Ak
riar-Ben board of governors. All elec
tions are made by a majority of the
committee. The committee perpetu
ates itself the same as the Ak-Sar-Ben
committee.
The Greater Des Moines committee
aims not to “step on the toes" of the
(Tarn to Page Two, Column poor.)
FIVE MAROONr.p OfTPLATTE ISLAND
j'A *. c ___
f-;— -
Literature Big Asset
in Boosting Des Moines
In informing the world, Iowa
and lies Moines of the good things
offered by the Iowa city, the
Greater Des Moines committee
makes use of literature, printed In
such a manner that the eye is at
once arrested. ,
For instance, there are two pleas
ing little cards of white paper in
two shades of blue ink and bor
dered by a red line. One of these
demands that readers know Des
Moines. "The City of Certainties."
The statistics show the increase
in population due to the work of
the committee. Number of jobbing
houses, factories, coal fields, rail
roads, postal receipts, insurance
companies, publications, conven
tions, colleges and universities,
miles of paved roads and value of
Iowa farm land.
The other card requests that
Iowa should be known equally as
well. Statements dwell on the tax
able wealth of the state and the
value of farm land in comparison
with New England states. It Is
said that no point in Iowa is more
than 12 miles from a railroad.
-—-'
Paper Firm Here
Accused of Plot
to F i x Prices
Western Newspaper Union,
With Two Out-of-Town Com
panies, Named by Federal
Trade Commission.
The Federal Trade commission at
Washington yesterday charged that
the Western Newspaper Union of
Omaha, with a Salt Lake City and a
San Francisco paper house, are In a
price fixing conspiracy In selling pa
per in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and
Nevada.
It is stated in the charges that
these three companies sell 75 per
cent of the paper handled in the
northwest.
They ars given 30 days to file an
swer to the charges,
"Neither the home office of th*
Western Newspaper Union, at Oma
ha, nor its branches in some 40 other
cities, are even remotely connected
with any conspiracy or combination
In restraint of trade.” declared E. W.
Julian, vice president of the company,
last night.
"We have received word of the fil
ing of the charges ami will certain
ly answer them before the 30 days
are up. The company will be repre
Rented by one of the officers at the
hearing in Washington.
"The Western Newspaper Union Is
out after all the business It can get,
which would not be true if It was
in a price fixing combination.”
E. H. Hoel, secretary for the Car
penter Paper company, denied that
iirm was the one referred to by "a
Salt I,ako City paper house.”
Middle
Attend Hauling on
Lower Rail Rates
Railroad Officials Ask for
Coast-to-Coast Revision to
Compete With Panama
Canal Business.
New Tork, March 3.—Bankers and
manufacturers from the middle west
today added their voices to those of
transcontinental railroad officials in
aeklng the interstate commerce com
mission to permit a revision of rail
rates which would meet the lower
water freight rates between Atlantic
and Pacific ports.
Today’s hearing was a resumption
of the series conducted in many
cities, the last at Chicago. It is ex
pected the New Tork session will
conclude the commission’s accumula
tion of evidence for and against rail
rate reduction.
Witnesses wer unanimous in declar
ing that the existing differential in
rail and water rates was hurting the
middle west and that the carriers
should be permitted to reduce rates
to halt the diversion of transcontin
ental freight to steamship companies
operating via the Panama canal.
Rail Freight Diminishing.
J. E. Dawes, president of the Chi
cago association of commerce, sum-^
marlzed the testimony of other wit
nesses when lie said:
"There is a constantly diminishing
shipment of freight by rail from the
middle west to the Paclfio coast.
. "If Panama canal transportation
hurts midwestern railroads, thereby
affecting manufacturers in the middle
west, we should have an adjustment
that would equalize the rail and water
rates.
Middle West Suffers.
"We want the people of the middle
west to stay there. We don’t want
them to bring their manufacturing
plants to the east because of cheaper
freight rates to the Pacific by water
than by land. We should have a
coast-to-coast rail traffic. The Pan
ama canal should be used to the
benefit of the entire country, but not
to the detriment of the central
states.” i
Robert Hula of the Chicago U
soclatlon of commerce asserted the
freight rates djvrinlon was keeping
investment capital away from the
middle west, and that every manufac
turer who could abandon his midwest
ern property and move to the At
lantic coast was doing so.
Klansmen Contribute to
Church at North Platte
North Platte, March 3.—Members
of the Christian church here last
night sang “America” and repeated
the Lord’s prayer at the request of
six white-robed klansmen, who made
their demands after presenting the
church with 131 and a copy of the
principles of the Ku Klux Klan.
The entrance and departure were
accompanied by no demonstration.
tfombs Sent'
to Schuyler
to Blast Ice
Party of Men Cut Off From
Mainland Near Columbus
by Breaking Ice—Water
Rising Steadily
Bombing Plane on Guard
Columbus, Neb., March S.—Swollen
waters of the Loup, freighted with
great cakes of ice, have marooned five
Columbus men on Browner's Island,
five miles west of the city, since yes
terday forenoon. In the party are
James Browner, William Rodenhorst,
Harry Brown, R. Y. Lisco, ,1r., and
Fred A. Roberts.
rtur of the men went out yester
day to spend the day with the fifth,
Rodenhorst. who was on the island.
Breaking of the ice made their return
to the bank impossible without risk
ing death.
Max Elias drove out today to a
point of vantage as near as possible
to the island and called to the men.
Mr. Elias tomorrow afternoon will
take out a supply of edibles which he
will endeavor to get across to the
party by means of a wire cable which
is stretched from the bank to the
Island.
The constant rise of water in the
Platte and Loup rivers Monday
caused Lieut. John F. Whitely, after
making an expedition to Schuyler in
his Martin government bombing plane,
to return to Omaha. He later flew
hack to Schuyler to find a temporary
landing place. Lieutenant Whitely
was to spend the night at Schuyler,
according to army officers.
The ice Jams in the Platte are be
coming dangerous, and probably will
have to be blasted Tuesday, accord
ing to Col. H. A. Eaton, of the Sev
enth army area corps. The carload
of 300 pound bombs thst formerly
was stationed In the Union Pacific
rallroai^ yards here, was shipped to
Schuyler late Monday afternoon.
The Ice in the Platte continues to
hold, but the water is rising and
spreading over the lowlands. The
Burlington's third bridge was closed
temporarily Sunday when ice Jammed
against the piers and moved It slight
ly out of line.
Gorges are threatening to overrun
the Union Pacifio tracks near North
Bend. Sandbag crews sre raising
dikes along the tracks.
Mares’ Sentence Suspended.
Lincoln. March S—Edward Mares,
Wilber garage man, sentenced to
three to seven years in the peniten
tiary here for receiving stolen auto
mobiles, appealed to the Nebraska
supreme court and was granted sus
penaion of sentence until his rasw
is heard by that tribunal, the count
clerk announced today.
f- s
Sections of Platte
Bridges Forced Out
Special Dlapatch to Tha Omaha Bee.
Hastings, Neb., March 3.—Sec
tions of the Platte river bridges
between this city and Grand
Island, and south of Wood river,
were forced out by ice Jams last
night. The approach to a Platte
bridge on another road south of
Grand Island was washed .out
With three crossings closed, traf
fic for a considerable distance Is
detoured to the Hamllton-Hall
county bridge. Some lowlands are
flooded, but persistent blasting is
believed to have averted more seri
ous damage.
___/
Counsel Powers
of Daugherty at
Trial Drawn Up
Privileges Will Be Limited
Since Case Is Investigation
for Facts, Declares Chair
man Brookhart.
Washington, March 3.—Tentative
plans for beginning the Investigation
of Attorney General Daugherty and
the Department of Justice were made
by the special committee today, but
Chairman Brookhart said the actual
hearing of witnesses probably would
be delayed until next week.
The committee appointed Senator
Wheeler, democrat, Montana, author
of the Investigation resolution, a sub
committee of one to determine the
zrst subject of Inquiry and when the
hearings should open.
The committee meeting was today's
only development. There was no dis
cussion of the attorney general in the
senate.
At the White House it was said no
communication had been received
from Daugherty, although news dis
patches from Miami had quoted him
as expecting to send some messages
to the president during the day.
The extent of participation by the
attorney general in the inquiry was
determined at today's meeting of the
committee and will be communicated
tomorrow In a letter from Chairman
Brookhart to Daugherty's counsel.
Paul Howland and former 8enator
Chamberlain of Oregon. Some of their
requests as to procedure will be de
nied and others granted.
Has Right to Counsel.
..Chairman Brookhart said there was
no question of Daugherty's right to be
represented by counsel, but the com
mittee had decided not to give unllm-!
lted privilege of cross-examination or
calling independent witnesses.
"The committee decided that these
questions should be kept under Its
control," Senator Brookhart said.
“This is not a technical court, but
an investigation, a summary inves
tigation to get at the facts."
Emphasizing that there was entire
harmony at the first committee meet
ing, Senator Brookhart said: "We
were all agreed that his should be a
real investigation.''
---
Utica Farmer
Found Slain at
, Door of Garage
Discover/ of Tied Chickens
Leads Officers to Believe
Victim Caught Thief Pil
fering Hen House.
Utica, Neb., March 3.—Edward
Balster, 37, bachelor farmer, son of
former County Commissioner Henry
Balster, was found shot to death at
the door of the garage on his farm
near here early last night. He had
been shot In the chest with a shot
gun. The wound was powder burned.
His empty wallet lay 10 feet from
his body, leading County Attorney
McKillip to believe he bad been
killed by a robber. It Is not known
that he carried any large sum of
money.
Llnooln, March 3—^Investigation
Into the shooting and killing of Ed
ward Balster, bachelor farmer of near
Utica, Neb., developed several leads
this afternoon, reports to the state
luw enforcement headquarters here
stated.
Two chickens—one dead—were
found tied together near the chicken
house. The chicken house Is about
60 feet away from the garage where
Balster was found. ^
Also car tracks, not made by Bal
sler's car were found In the yard.
Authorities are now working on
the theory that Balster surprised the
chicken thelf, and, recognizing him,
was shot by the thief to save him
self.
Chief of Police Nell Olsen of York,
representing the state enforcement
bureau, Is co-operating with local au
thorities In making the investigations.
Balster’s body was found after his
mother in Utica became alarmed
when he failed to come In for Sunday
dinner as had been his custom. She
telephoned the Chapin farm and two
of the boys went over to Investigate.
They discovered the body.
Balster was last seen alive in Utica
Saturday night. He left for home
shortly after 8 and Is believed to
havs been accosted by the assaastn
as he stepped from the garage after
putting his car away.
Balster farmed 180 acres. Neigh
bora said they knew of no enemies
he had.
A coroner’s Jury was to resuma the
Inquest today.
Married in Council Bluffs.
Tha following peraona obtained mar
rlaga licenaea in Council Bluffa yeater
de> :
Lao Rico. McClelland. Ta . . .. 21
Rleanor Mergeo. Council Bluffa.. -0
Vernon Roberta. Sprtagfield. Neb. 35*
Ki!her Fldellna, Mea.T^k*. Nab. 2.
George Teabhen. Fort Crook. Neb.. 2*
Clara Rode. Wait Point, Neb.......... *
Fred Staidiy, Crate. Nab. 30
Maria Jellnek. Swanton. Nab. 1*3
Roy Spetman. Silver City. la. 34
Sophia Miller. 8Uver City, la. 24;
Adolph Charney. Omaha . 21
Ann Cherek. Cmaha .*. 34,
Sidney Schwarti. Fort Omaha........ 3S|
F.thel Alltaon. Omaha .. 221
J. W Wattra. Omaha. . 34
Jeaaia Vetter. Lincoln. Neb. 34
Barn ay Mlcek. Jr.. Oolunibua. Neb.... 21!
Dora Staroaalk. Duncan. Nab. 20
y
Big Business Men Make
Pilgrimage to Des Moines
to Study Civic Boosting
Dropping Private Affairs, Leaders of Omaha Go on Tour of
Investigation to Discover Best Methods of Advertising
Assets of Nebraska’s Metropolis—Entertained and
Instructed by “Go-Getters of Iowa.
Party of Twenty-Seven Enthusiastic Over Move
Omaha is out after more factories, more conventions,
more homes, more business houses and more everything else
which will make the city bigger and more widely known
in the United States. .
In a word, Omaha is going to advertise itself to the
world in general, Nebraska and the citizens of Omaha in
particular. . .
An organization of‘Omaha business men is to be formed
in the near future which will care for the proper advertising
of the city’s facilities and possibilities. This committee prob
ably will be known as the Greater Omaha committee.
These men will look after the need of the city from all
angles. Above all, its purpose is to sell Omaha to Omahans
and Nebraskans. >
A group of Omaha men were in Des Moines, la., yes
terday to get first-hand information about the workings of
a body called “Greater Des Moines commitee” organized
18 years ago for this same purpose; to advertise Des Moines
and Iowa and to halt some of.the tide of citizens rolling to
other states. _
Special Dispatch to The Omaha Be#.
Des Moines. Ia.. March 3.—Twenty
seven of Omaha's business men and
financial leaders were in Des Moines
today making a survey of the basis
of the material prosperity and civic
attainment* of Iowa’s capital city.
The visitors spent the morning in
an investigation of the city and its
growth and at noon were guests of
the Greater Dfs Moines committee at
a luncheon at the Des Moines club.
Following the luncheon, represen
tative Des Moines business and civic
leaders outlined what to them seemed
the basis of the city’s growth In the
last 20 years. Alex Fitzhugh, secre
tary of the Greater Des Moines com
mittee, declared that five things were
the basis for th* city's condition
through tLe past depression
"We have attempted to bring new
industries to th# city." Fitzhugh de
clared. "We have been abl# to se
cur# 10 Industrie# that now have pay
rolls of nearly $1,000,000 a week. We
have fought for fair freight rates for
the city, with the result that we
are now saving $700,000 a year. We
have fostered good government and
attempted to make the city a hospi
table one for convention visitors.
Good will, which we have been able
to foster, has changed the city from
the most unpopular city In Iowa to
one near the top in good will. ’
Harvey Ingram, editor of the Reg
ister and Tribune, who addressed the
meeting, declared that th# prosperity
of both Iowa and Nebraska is de
pendent upon the prosperity of the
fanner, and asserted that the people
of this section should endeavor to
secure the development of the upper
Savings in Freight Rates
Big Benefit to Des Moines
I.oration of new industries In
lies Moines has been due to the
work of the Greater Des Moines
committee.
Freight rates have been reduced
so that more than $788,000 is saved
annually.
During its 18 years of existence
it Isas expended 7,000 annuals).
Good roads is one of the pet ob
jects of the organization.
—
Missouri river as a waterway.
James B. Weaver asserted that
what prosperity Des Moines had at
tained was made possible by good
feeling between various civic organi
zations. Paul Beer, chairman of the
town planning commission, told of
the work of his group In transform
ing of the banks of the Des Moines
river from a site for tumbledown,
shacks to a civic center.
The men here include Fred P. Ham
ilton. C. C. George. Ford E. Hovey.
T. L. Davis. A. B. Currie. R. K.
Brown, W. F. Baxter, George Bran
ded, J. F. Daily, Frank Keough, E.
C. Eppley. W. M. Burgess. O. M.
Barnmittler, T. C. Byrne, A. W. Gor
don. Henry Polcar. N. B. I'pdike, H
A. Wolf, Tyler Beit, J. E. Davidson.
Carl R. Gray, E. Buckingham, Gould
Dietz< W. A. Fraser, F. B. Johnson,
F. W. Judson and George Sumner.
To State Convention.
Thirty-eight delegates from Potta
wattamie county left last night for
Des Moines, la., to attend the state
republican convention there tomor
row.
Among the Representative Omaha Business and Civic Leaders Who Pilgrimaged to Des Moines
a. "-■•'ci-jiy
'CdTL
Gru>/
to 9
i Claries C.
George ,
t»£(UU>£ HH.VMUJ8.