1 ~—7' * Omaha^lDhere the West is at its Best SETTLE THE FRANCHISE FIRST. Representatives of the Omaha & Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge company, accompanied by cer tain city officials, assured the senate rommittee at Lincoln that a pending bill is essential to the proper adjustment of relations between the city and the company. This is a broad position to take. Let’s look at some of the factors. Section 3719, Chapter 40. Article VII, Revised Statutes of Nebraska for 1922, sets out how franchises may be granted by cities of the metropoli tan class. This is Omaha alone in Nebraska. The section complete reads: "Any ordinance or resolution granting, extend ing, changing or modifying the terms and condi tions of a franchise shall not he passed until nt least four weeks shall have elapsed after Its introduction or proposal, nor until such resolution or ordinance has been published dally for at least two weeka in the official paper of the city, nor shall such become effective or binding until submitted to the electors and approved by a majority vote thereof. The sub mission to be made as in this act provided. A new franchise shall not hereafter be granted or any modification or extension of an existing franchise made unless an annuity or royalty be provided and reserved to the city to he based either upon a fixed reasonable amount per year or a fixed percentage of the earnings under the operation of the franchise so granted, and not then until the same has been submitted to a vote by the electors et t general city election or special election called for that purpose." e e e There is the clearly defined road to take in deal ing with franchises. It is drawn specifically to pro tect public rights. However, it will permit the tram way company to apply for a new franchise, or for the extension of the one under which it operates. It needs no new legislation to make it operative. Al though it was asserted at Lincoln that the pending measure is “necessary for the well being of Omaha.” What it will do is to permit the city council to grant the tramway company exclusive rights to operate omnibusses over the city streets in connec tion with tram cars. Probably no reasonable objec tion can be brought against this. Certainly, large areas of the city are in need of service that is not now provided. The company is wisely averse to making any considerably extensions of track or ad dition to its operating equipment until the franchise question is definitely settled. • * * Wa believe that the best interests of tbe city will be sewed by not disturbing the conditions as esta ".iihed by the law herewith quoted. The tramway company deserves just and liberal treatment at the hands of the citizens. We have advocated relieving it from occupation tax and the cost of paving now home by it. But we can not consent to any law that will even inferentially affect the relations now governed by the franchise until the main question is definitely settled. > TKe tramway question is now being considered piecemeal. The bill offered at Lincoln deals with busses. The hearing soon to be had in Omaha will take up the question of fares. Eventually the main issue will come on—that is the general franchise for the operation of the tramway lines over the city streets and alleys. This should not be vexed by bits of law-making that may call for extensive litigation before the rights of either party are settled. A clear way is open to approach the subject of a new franchise. This should not be blockaded or ob structed by a new law that does not make its mean ing clear. Let us have no by-passes in our blind alleys. It is either private operation or municipal ownership, for Omaha must have a tramway. Fur ther, it will be a privately-owned tramway. The city is neither ready nor inclined to go any deeper into municipal ownership. AIRMEN AND THE ARMY. A little flurry ha* blown up over the air service at Washington. Folks should not be ronfused as to its merits. It has nothing to do with the matter of mishandling funds, or any scandalous proceedings. Airmen are of the opinion that the two branches of the service should be unified, and made a separate department of the national defense organisation. Independent of army or navy control, yet ro-operat ing with them at all time*. Brigadier Genera] William Mitchell ha* been the champion of this idea, which i* pretty general among the airmen. Secretary Week* of the War depart ment and Secretary Wilbur of the Navy are opposed to the unification plan. In this they are supported by the general staff and to a groat extent by the line officers of both army and navy. Debate as to the efficacy of air attack for either offense or defense has reached no conclusion. Ex periments have produced reaulta permitting different deductions. There the matter rests. General Mitchell haa, it is said, alleged that certain officers are afraid to apeak because they dread what may happen. On this point, too, there is some uncertainty. Secre tary Wilbur says any officer of the navy may express his opinion freely at any proper time nr place. Sec retary Weeks say* he will make a statement when the Mitchell letter Is placed before bim. All of which Is very Interesting in peace time fThat Americans want, to he assured is that the air service ia not neglected, hut that It will he kept to ■ point where It can meet inv demand. Wr Ho not **£.* tai I 0/ the humiliating experience of the World War. Then the air service of the American army was a sorry joke. Simply he rause the extravagant promises made on behalf of our government turned out to he simply flapdoodle. Propaganda to keep up the sprit of Americans, who trusted in leaders who did not expect to do what had been pledged. We got the men for the air work, but no machines. We do not believe that either the army or navy deliberately seeks to restrict the air service. Rea sons for wanting to keep conditions of control as they are are. elear and strong. Yet equally good rea sons are advanced for the unification of the service. Until this point is definitely settled, there will he ar gument about it. That is what the house military committee is now finding out officially. AMERICA’S WONDER-WOMAN. America is yet a land of wonders. From Niag ara's misty majesty to Mount McKinley's virgin summit, there stretches an unbroken line of marvels to amaze man. Yet the great marvel of them all is not a mountain peak, a great cataract, nor anything of the sort. It is a woman. Helen Keller was born a normal child. Early in her life she was over taken by a great calamity. As a result of a fever attack she was left blind, deaf, and without the power of speech. She was growing up in total ignorance, her mind in darkness equal to the physical gloom that surrounded her. Today she notices things that escapes the sharp eyes of the normal. She hears sounds that are beyond the ordi nary ear. And she speaks to multitudes and delights them with her language as much as with her thoughts. She has taken college degrees, winning them brilliantly by her intellect. A miracle was wrought to bring Helen Keller to the height she has )eached. It was a miracle of love. Of patience unsur passed. Of a peculiar sympathy between the souls of a woman and a little girl. Anne Sullivan Macy found the way to reach the mind of the child who could neither see, hear nor speak. Slowly she built up the communication between her own mind and the child’s. An imprisoned soul was released. Through the patience of one and the industry of the other, the acute mentality of the afflicted girl was brought to splendid development. Now Helen Keller is giving her life to smoothing the way for the other unfortunates whose eyes are sightless, or whose ears do not respond to external sounds. She will lecture in Omaha soon, and we hope that the message that she brings here will be overtopped by the cheer she will carry away, in knowing Omaha is with her. WORLD COURT A LIVE ISSUE. Senator Swanson, democrat, of Virginia, an nounces that there is no hope of consideration of the World Court plan at this session of congress. This is merely the hope of the opponents of the plan. Senator Borah, chairman of the senate foreign af fairs committee, stands an implacable foe of the plan. He is supported by a sufficient number of members to make progress very difficult. An here is one of the wonders of the present day situation. The Permanent Court of International Justice was provided for at the instance of Ameri cans. In The Hague Tribunal was found its germ. When Woodrow Wilson was drafting the Covenant of the League of Nations, he was advised by Klihu Root to incorporate the World Court. The advice was followed. When the Treaty of Versailles was rejected by the senate, because of the League of Nations, the eourt idea survived. Early action, in which America participated, was taken to set up the tribunal, and it is now functioning. As long ago as when Grover Cleveland first was president, the matter came forward for discussion. A succession of presidents have given their ap proval. Wilson, Harding and Coolidge have recom mended adherenre to the court. Thousands of the leading m»n and women have urged the senate to adopt the Harding-Hughes plan for adherence. Mass meeting*, surh a* wa* held in Omaha, have expressed a desire that the senate act favorably on the measure. Against this pressure, which would seem sufficient to prevail, the chairman of the senate committee on foreign affair* resolutely sets himself. He holds that the plan is not good for Americans, and for the time his will prevails. Rut the issue is alive, and w ill 'emain to some day confound the man who ha« ap parently failed to sense aright public sentiment on the question. The Minneapolis minister who has just con tracted sleeping airkness should have avoided coming in such close rontact with the pew-holders. We kind of approve the judgment of the pilot who would rather fly the air mail nights out of Omaha than days out of Kan Francisco. “Mike” Endres bids fair to go out of office with one record. He will he sheriff when the legislature cuts off the prisoner feeding profit. An Episcopalian bishop has declared in favor of evolution, hut Mr. Bryan itill has the support of the Tennessee legislature. Co-eds may think they have started something in the way of socks, hut bicycle riders wore 'em that way years ago. Another eastern business man predicts an era of prosperity. The fart is becoming apparent to everybody. , For some time to come Gaston B. will not serve on the ways and Means committee of any Washing Ion lobby. /-— Homespun Verse By Omaha’s Own Pont—• Robert W orlhin/(lon Davie v._/ LONGING. I do not uHVfl th# pplcndnr Of a mansion for my own, Nor do I *rr,( th# hov#l Wh#r# f may bid# a Ion#. Pm rIv# in m# ih# coitus# Wh#r# liltl« folk* run plav, Wh#r# fi l#nd* will com# to visit At th# o|oa# of busy day. A cottas# no*I and coxy Whoa# Inicrlof app#*r* Accordant with th# rapttir# Of lb# rich, r#r#d#■?!«« D n TTS'l CORNER AMD THEY CAM | ..„n>^lnnnIO 3?? ‘l n jf \ ^S<' ^.VJAY ALONE # THE HAUNTINCr FEAR* OF EVERYONE I YTHO IS BUND /--——■—■ ' Letters From Our Readers All letter* must be signed, but name will be withheld upon request. Communications of 200 words and lass, will be given preference. ('rime In Other Days. Omaha.—To the Editor of The Omaha Bee: I wan mighty well pleased to see the straight-from-the shoulder statement of Elmer Thomas about drinking by young people. It was a good one and should be widely printed. In these days the enemies of pro hibition take every opportunity to link up every possible crime with pro hibitlon as a reason. Just the other day in the public library the writer decided to look up some of the Omaha pafiers df several years ago before there was prohibition to see if there were any crimes committed and the nature of them. We picked out the first two weeks of May, 1912, 12 years ago, when the population of Omaha was much smaller And made note of ihe crimes committed during those two weeks. Here is the record taken in order frbm May 1 to 15: "Saloon is robbed; one man ahot and another wounded: man attempts sui cide bv d» inking carbolic acid; em ploye s a Is gems; man starts fight in saloon when refused beer: man tries to hold lip street car: burglar held for robbing school teacher; man attempts suicide man is shot through head and killed man turn to kill him* •elf: two burglars loot homes, man arrested for bootlegging; man tapi»ed for his wallet; man dies from alcohol ism: bicycles stolen: bov steals bug gy; man robbed of all his money; two young girls sold into white slavery by young men thev met in dance hall: w'nrnan sues officers because she is jailed with intoxicated women; man murdered and robbed In rooming house, husband jailed; man picked up iu saloon dies from alcohol poisoning; father illtreats and abandons his fam ily. women wdeld knhe* in fight; man uses knife on woman.** These are crimes chronicled In one of the Omaha dallies for the two weeks. They cannot be laid to pro hibitlon In fact. It would seem that many of them were due to the nj>en saloon. AN OMAHA WOMAN VOTER. falls for Mora fTteese. Omaha.—To the Kdltor of The Omaha Bee: YVIth a rheeaa factory at each end of the etata tha cheeae famine should he somewhat mitigated There will he that much leas to be brought from Wisconsin and New York. Before these daya of nervous tension the women were wls* In their generation and made cheese. The art of making cheese Is Just as simple as the art of making butter, and every farm In Nebraska rould be s minis tore cheese factory. Cheese should not he more than * or 1ft rents a pound In price and should he on e\erv man a table, not as a luxury, hut as a food. Kortv-rent cheese 1s prohibitive, ir It should be sold that the price of butter is prohibitive. It Is because the town people are fool ish enough to pay It. The farmer has all the butter he wants and pays no ,-— Abe Martin V r » Vulhin'i e'er suul a hnul th’ lives th’ averape atltnist saves (lurin’ « little spin around town. Prosperit> an’ economy are supposed t’ work hand in plnve th’ cornin’ four years, hut watch ’em split up when pros penty appears from around th’ cornet. tccjijinun, uni rash for it, and some of them ran ear half a pound a day. Cheese i* a man builder. Bread and cheese and bacon and beer Is the common diet of English laboring men, and where ran he found more robust men than Eng lish laborers, men who ran carry a four bushel sack full of wheat up a flight of steps and not think It « hardship. Cheese' Cheese! Give us all the cheese we want. W. T. HAW HENCE. Controlled or Commercialized Marriage Wausa. Neb.—To the Editor of The Omaha Bee: As was expected, at tenuous efforts are being made to ie(>eal the Nebraska marriage law The holy art of matrimony has been commercialized and converted into a ' business” in the Cnited States, and some business concerns have grown to become dependent upon it for a great deal of easy profits. And it's the loss of a part of this that hurts. Even the tight wad church congrega tions have come to figure on It for a part of their pastor's salary. In most countries, even including most uncivilized peoples, marriage is held sacred and considered the most important step taken by a man or a woman, and a hond that both par ------SiQ THE CHURCH "For where two or three are gathered together in A/v name, then am / in the midst of them." —Mutt. 1 P-20 hHE history of the church begins with the creation of m$m in the image, and for the glory of God, and comes down to the present as its relative goal, but will go on till the ^ ettlement of all the affairs of men. . It embraces within limits all that belongs to the religious development of the vithin the line of revelation—the origin, progress, and ... les of the Kingdom of God and its relations to this world. The history of the church is the history of Christianity from the birth of Christ down to the present time. Church history verifies on every hand the promise of the Savior to be with His people always, and to build His church on the rock against which the “gates of hell cannot prevail." It exhibits the life and power of Christ in all its forms and phases, and the triumph of His kingdom from land to land and generation to genera tion. Select a Church and Then Support It by Your Attendance "In a wider appeal to religion and to religions faith is to he found the answer to the grows ing tendency toward law violations which we see on every hand." This is the judgment of a group of Omaha men and institutions, who have arranged for a pro gram of appeals for church attendance. The appeal published herewith is first of ihc sories. lies revere ami me proud of. Here they have become accustomed to act as though it was something to be ashamed of, so they must sneak about with it lest some one And out their intentions and make them ihe butt of ridicule. They tell ns that the number of marriages in Nebraska has fallen off nearly one half the last vear. But no one will venture the assertion that nearly one-half, or even one fourth, of the Nebraska couples have been married outside the state the last year. The fact is there have hot been nearly so many Nebraska couples married. They have Jjeen compelled to think it over Itefore the ceremony, and could not rush off and get mar* i led on the impulse of the moment. We have even heard of a couple that started out to Iowa to get married, hut the trip gave them time to think it over and they returned as “merely good friends. Another thing the marriage com men ializcrs keep very mum about is the tremendous falling off in the per • c entage of divorce cases among those who have been married in Nebraska since the new marriage law went Into effec t as compared with those married before. OLD TIMKR. Popular Game. Tt is bad enough to be shot once in mistake for a wild animal, but -lerry \\ abac# of Phippsburg is nursing nine such wounds. Mr. Wallace had been to the barn of a neighbor for some hay. He was returning across / /-— Our old friend, Wilson Trout, who edit* the North Platt* Tribune, makes a. semi-apology for announcing In hi* column* that hi* daughter, Rebecca, I* a member of a Colorado Spring* orchestra that recently broadcasted a fine program. But why any sort of apology? Miss Rebecca is a fine musician and her Dad has reason to he proud of h er. Then why not say so? " * don't hesitate to tell the world rftat we are mighty proud of the youngstet* who have blessed our home, and we wouldn t trade 'em for anybody else * children, with llank Ford's money thrown in for boot. We know some father* who are forever boasting about I heir automobiles soil never a word alHiui their children. Well, they probably know their automobiles. * nd not their children. Far l>e*it from u* to make fun of the deluded Individual* Who prepared t hem*el\*« for the end of the "odd on kebruary C Most of o« entertain delusions of one kind or another. Political delusions, f. instance And that peculiar delusion 'o which so many are subject, that everything can he cured by Passing a l-aw And that other delusion that you are fooling everybody. Those who prepared for the world cataclysm on February S may he foolish, hut are you superstitious about walking under a ladder? Do yon believe tnat breaking s minor means seven years of had luck? If you spill the salt do you throw a pinch rtf It over your left shoulder? By the war. how would you feel right now if the world had come to as end, as liroplieiileci? I.lke ok John Sweet of the Nebraska <’ltv Tribune. we are perfectly willing to assist in building a home for disabled saxo phone players, providing we ate licensed to put etn In shape to accept the benefits of the home Well bet a cookie that Kugene S.lneiter of Otoe county will never lie caught in a position where lie'll whine about "never ha.I a chance ' Kugene Is 12 years old and a pupil in School District No. IT At his last quarterly examination he a I otul IliO per cent In his seven studies, spelling, history, gram mar, geography, arithmetic, civics and agricull tire. I toy a who make a record like that in school may he depended upon to make good ill adult life. Kaunteidng about town recently w» saw something,** a candy store window that brought hack youthful merfiorie*^ Nothing more nor less than a pile of those little candy he, it mottoes that were In such high favor with us boys and girls. If you have considerable gray In your hair and a rheumatic t wdiige now and then, you'll remember them. White, made of peppermint, with the mot toe* in red. Remember bow you elyiy and surreptitiously slipped 'em across the aisle to HER? Now • and then we'd find one that was particularly devilish, and then we'd treasure it until it was soiled beyond possibility of de ciphering. Then, igorant of all rtdes of sanitation and nv glene, wed eat It. The girls in our youthful days were made iiappv by the receipt of a little l>ug of carefully chosen motto hearts. Now it’s expensive cholola es bv the pound that In terests 'em. “We Ought to Pas* a las ' was the suhject of Merle Thorpe's address before the Chamber of t'ormneroe F*r.dav noon. We welcome Mr. Thorpe to membership in our 1 plift f|uh. The salvation of the country is rapidly approaching. AH we need is to pass a few more laws. A welcome letter from T. K. Sudbnrottgh. one time resident of Omaha, now re, operating in the government hospital at Hot Springs. Ark. Tom recalls some old time incidents "o which we purpose referring in the not distant future. Much as we deplore the fact, we will he unable *o adopt the olleee votith style of investiture proclaimed bv the Ne hi a ska Clothiers. Owing to our equatorial expansion we can not follow the wglst lines decreed. Nor can we adopt the veat of many tuitions, it being already rather difficult for us ’o re member to button all the buttons now- on' our vests. Much as woukl like to indulge In the sartorial splendors decreed, we S'-* compelled to cling to the old styles, owing largely to tha fart that our physical contour prevents, but mori largely to the fact that our financial condition operates as a complete bar. Ta'k about the world growing worse—tain t so. That It has grown lietier is evidenced by the fact that thd st^j.ioua comic valentine Of other da v s has just about disappeared WILL. M. MAtTIN. _ -> \ ■ ■ • pasture w itlr two haps of hay on t!s back and was seen by two boys who were punning They mistook iirn for some wild animal and fired at lim. Nine shots entered his back. Luckilv the boys were some dlstam-o 5 wa v when they fired and the wounds were not serious on*«—Lewiston Journal. When in Omaha Hotel Conant Z5