WAGEWOEMM
VOLUME 7
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1910
NUMBER 28
TH
u J 3
f JUST BETWEEN
Early last spring a young man named
Ellis or giving that name appeared
at The Wageworker office and tried
to make arrangements ito perform a
little work. There was nothing doing
in that line, and the aforesaid Ellis
disappeared. Incidentally a Wage
worker check book disappeared about
that time, but it was not until later
that the two 'disappearances were con
nected. Incidentally, also, a few days
later an Omaha landlord came down
to see about collecting a board bill
from rthe aforesaid Ellis. Since that
time divers and sundry checks made
out from the vanished checkbook and
to which the name of "The Wage
worker Publishing Co., per E. L.
Grubb, Mgr.," has been forged, and
bearing various endorsements, all writ
ten in the same hand have travelled
back to Lincoln from widely separated
points. The most recent of these for
geries was passed upon a 'hotel in St.
Paul, Minn., and was for $50. It was
endorsed with the name of "Stearns,"
initials forgotten. The check book was
upon the Farmers & 'Merchants Bank.
Labor exchanges will please look out
for this clever, forger,, and help us put
a stop to his depredations. He is a
rather undersized chap,' dark complex
ioned and with a Hebaic cast of coun
tenance .although apparently of Eng
lish birth, . To . date he, has secured
about $250 from confiding individuals.
A correspondent of the Lincoln Jour-
nal, who is , an ardent supporter of
Mr. Aldrich, refers to Mr. Dahhnan
as "this uncvrcumcised Philistine who
defies the armies of the living God,"
Doubtless the man who wrote ; that ,
poses as a "temperance man." Doubt
less, too, lie decries all manner of in
temperance, save .only the intemper
ate use of the tongue always an un
ruly member.,. But, somehow or other, ,
jr4ave men. liking for the man .who'
nna r-smimir-m l rmnuin w sari pmanji iihvihii. .
. a m x a
eyes heavenward -sad then unloosens
a tongue' to besmirch the character,
of his fellow man. We are not a very
warm admirer of Candidate Aldrich,
nor do we warm up very much to the
interests most active in supporting
Candidate Dahlman. But we have no
hesitancy - in saying that if Candidate
Aldrich is expecting to be elected be
cause of the support of men who utter
such blasphemous remarks as the Lin
coln Journal's correspondent above
Quoted, he is going to wake up on
November 9 with a huge bunch of re
gret nestling in his bosom.
' The trouble with most of these seal
bus reformers of other men is that
they overlook the prime necessity of
first reforming themselves. Usually
the zealous advocate -of temperance
meaning, abstinence from the use of
intoxicants are the most, intemperate
people on earth in the use of tongue
and. pen. And those most given to
charging others with '.'appeals to ap
petite" are likewise given to making
strenuous appeals to prejudice and
passion, and not at all careful about
the methods they pursue in doing so.
This is a queer campaign the queer
est ever known in the great state of
Nebraska. In the language of ot(r
old friend, Bud Lindsay, "party lines
are all shot to h 11!" Owing to the
actions of leaders in both political
camps those of us who have heretofore
been rather good party men bolting
only part of the time feel free to do
about as we please. So far as the
writer is individually concerned he is
merely hoping that November 8 will
be a bright warm day, for he knows
a place where it is lawful to cast for
bass until November 15. If he can feel
assured the day before election that
his old friend and employer, Gilbert
M. Hitchcock, will pull through all
right, easting for basts will be just
about his election day's work.
Maybe he will feel differently about
it before then, but just now the above
describes his feelings. One thing is
sure, the writer of these lines, who
happens to be an appointee of Gov
ernor Shallenberger's. has had his nil
of political officeholding. Damned on
the one side by selfish interests that
he has sought to hold in check, and
"knocked" on the other side by those
whom he has tried his best to serve
to say nothing of being criticised mer
cilessly because he hasn't been able all
by turns' If to do work that ten men
OURSELVES
couldn't do he is ready to retire the
day Governor Shallenberger's succes
sor is inaugurated not only ready,
but willing and anxious. Experience
has taught one more man that he who
gives up a good job at 'his chosen pro
fession to accept a political job is
well, experience is a dear school, but
fools learn in no other. The game of
politics is all right. Every man should
be more or less of a politician, but
they ought to play the game for the
love of it and for the good of the
country. But until a man is ready to
quit his chosen profession, or wants a
political office for honor or advertise
ment, he ought to be content with play
ing the game from the outside. This
thing of trying ito make a living hold
. ing office and administering that office
honestly isn't what it is cracked up
to be.
O, no; there's nothing of "sour
grapes" about this. The compiler of
these feeble lines is drawing near the
half -century mark; he has given some
seven or eight hostages to fortune; he
hasn't laid up any treasures to amount
to anything on this earth, and after
a couple of years' experience in politi-;
cal officeholding he has made up his
mind that it is high time for him to
dig in and try to lay up something for
the inevitable, rainy day. That's all. ....
Mr. Aldrich is quoted as saying that .,
he would like-to " get behind Omaha
and shove the whole city over into .
Iowa. ' ' Also, that Omaha is very milch
akin .to the city thaj Lot escaped front
just in time to escape being barbecued. -All
of , which if , Mr. Aldrich, .-js eor
reetly quoted, is not only very foolish,
but in the last instance very untruth-'
ful . also. : Omaha ..will, not; at least,
have to answer for the sin of hypocracy
which will nolj be the case with some .
municipalities much given to. criticism ' j
of Nebraska's metropolis. - The fact of '
the matter is, Omaha is a great big,
growing, prosperous city .with a. cos
mopolitan population ; a city of energy '
and enterprise ; a city that is1 growing,
too fast for her garments thus quite
often exposing too much of lanky, limb .;;
for the comfort of the prudish-minded
The gateway of a vast population con:,
stantly shifting eastward and west
ward it is only natural that Omaha
should have at times more than her
quota of criminals. But those who as-.
Bert and declare that Omaha is domi
nated wholly by booae, that her gov
ernment is permeated by graft, and
that the majority of her people are
immoral those , who constantly . assert
or intimate that sort of . thing are .
merely exposing the fact that they are
so narrow-minded that they could turn
their heads around between the wall
paper and the plaster without mussing
a hair or disturbing' the paste. '
As before mentioned in these, col
umns, the trouble with Omaha lies in
those whom it has allowed too often
to appear as her spokesmen. Her real
business men have been so intent upon
business that they have allowed a lot
of frothy-mouthed advocates of "per
sonal liberty " meaning thereby un
bridled license to make it appear that
the aforesaid f. m. a's. are Omaha.
Some of these days the real business
men of : Omaha the liberty-loving,
home-sustaining, city-building, state
supporting men will rise up en masse
and squelch the self -constituted mouth
pieces now so numerous, and put the
real Omaha on view for the edification
of the state. Aside from the mouth
pieces mentioned Omaha has some
things that she would be better off
without, but she also has a lot of
things that some of her detractors
would do mighty well to acquire the
spirit of "hustle," for instance; and
the spirit of tolerance; and the spirit
of "pull-all-together" that must be in
evidence in every city that amounts
to a hill of beans.
"German Day" in Lincoln, hs else
where in this land of the free, will
be a great day. Senator Richard O'
Neill of Lancaster county, voiced the
sentiments of most of us when he arose
on the floor of the senate a few years
ago and asserted in ah orotund tone
of voice surcharged with deep feeling
that "every man ought to love the land
of his nativity, whether he was born
there or not." The man who does not
always cherish something of a feeling
of love for his native land, no inatter
how bitter its persecutions may have
been, lacks a great deal of the fine fibre
of real manhood. And Germans have
every reason to cherish a deep and
abiding love for the Fatherland. The
Genua n-Aniericans are none the less
patriotic Americans because they re
member the old country. Indeed, iit
makes them all the better Americans.
Fusible metal, those Germans, in this
great "melting pot" of the nations.
This country needed them, and had
them, fifty years ago, nearly, ' when
they "fit mit Seigel," or gave our
armies the benefit of their trained mili
tary intelligence. . And their hands
have wrought wondrously well in this
new country of ours. Home-loving,
industrious, enterprising, honest our
German-American citizens have not
only done themselves proud but they
have given us some of the best in our
citizenship. Here's hoping that our
German-American citizens will observe
the day every year hereafter.
"A few years ago," says W. B. Bur
gess, manager of the Brandeis theatre
in Omaha, "my wife and I took a little
tour through Europe. One evening
in Munich my wife was not feeling
well so I sauntered out alone and
dropped into one of the many gar
dens in the city. .. There were thous
ands of people there listening to. one
of the finest bands I ever heard. Lonely
and alone I sat at a little table listen
ing to the music and feeling just a
bit homesick for little old Omaha, U.
S. A. Suddenly that magnificent biand
struck up 'Star Spangled" Banner,' and
before I could get to my feet a. fellow,
about a Tod . away jiynped upon a table
. and let loose & hurrah that made every
eye, turn toward him. I only knew he
was a fellow American, and started for
him,, cheering just jjke he was cheering:
It didn't take long for us to get ac
quainted, and I never was so glad to
meet a. man in all .my life. We had a?
bully time, and a our - joint request
the band repeated 'the: good old tube,
throwing in 'Bed, White and Blue
for good measure. Ever since, then- I -can
understand why a German in- Am
erica cheers the ' Watch- on the Rhine,'
Dt fia, Englishman , stands- attention ?
wie dke fceprsW God SaveHthe : B3ri"g,"'-7'
or a Scotchman 's eyes brighten at the
skirl o' the pipes." . v
The coal mine owners, having, given
the miners a raise of 10 eents a ton for, -digging
the coal, have to add 30 cents
a ton to,, make themselves even. ' The
railroads, not to be outdone, raise, the
freight 15 cents a ton, and the retail,
coal dealer, having to pay 45 cents a
ton more for the coal on the tracks
naturally adds 90 cents a ton in order
to make himself even. And the urti-
' mate consumer is compelled to pay 90
cents more for his coal in order to give -
. the miner 10 cents a ton more, for-risk
ing his life in the digging: thereof.:,
NoW if the people . owned the coal , '
mines; as they ought to, . they could ;
get their1 coal at half the price they
are paying for it, and pay the miners
twice as much for digging it as they ,
get now. ' ' . , . ;..-,::, i
The "ultimate consumer" in the in
tellectual country of ours is a fool.
We hope somebody ; will have the -nerve
to serve an injunction on Chief
of Police Malone forbidding him to
listen to any calls coming from West
Lincoln. That burg has deliberately
burned itself, and it should now be com
pelled to sit upon the blister.
With a half-million of public build
ing under way, and more than half
that much of residence building under
way, it strikes us that the " knockers "
on Lincoln have to exercise great fer
tility of imagination in order to get
something to talk about.
Let us have a genuine commission
plan of government. Let us elect a
board of five commissioners, each one
to be the head of a department and
absolutely responsible to the people
for the conduct of that department.
Then let us pay salaries that will in
duce business men to accept the posi
tions. Five commissioners will be
enough. One should have charge of
the Department of Public Safety fire
and police. One should have charge
of the Department of Public Works
waterworks and lighting. One should
have charge of the Department of Pub
lic Finance. One should have charge
of the Department of Public Health,
and one should have charge of the
Department of Parks, Streets and
Alleys. This is merely a tentative
plan, but it is a plan that will meet
the demands of the times.
I WHAT THE DICKEY BIRD SAYS I
v. - J
"A mayor with power to appoint
subject to the approval of fourteen
councilmen elected at large, and with
arbitrary power to remove!"
And we are asked to give patient con
sideration to a fool proposition like
that!
The fact of the matter is, the present
"charter committee" is just a bit
worse than a farce. Schroeder, Bauer,
George, et al., are opposed to any
change in the present system. Candy
does not know what he wants and
only knows that he is opposed to about
everything that -anybody else favors.
And (through the whole committee runs
the thread of Traction Co. influence.
A few members of the committee
want real progress on sensible lines.
A few are dreamers whose feet seldom
come in contact with the earth. A
few do not know what they want, and
others are quite content with the pres
ent system that allows of wire-pulling,
self-seeking and political scheming for
position, together with a continuance ,
of business methods that would wreck
a private concern in a fortnight.
Perhaps., the people of Lincoln like
to he "played, horse" wfth--and..per-haps
not.. If they like that sort of
thingi certainly .they, are getting; plenty
of it from this charter committee.
But ,if there, be those on, that com
mittee 5 who. thinifc.they -can procrastinate-
and postpone to the last minute, -and
:ihen jam their kind of a charter,
through . the legislature if :-. there - be
such upon' the committee they are due
for a bump. ,,...;
That .section: lying south of 0 street
and east of ;Thity-third street is not
in the city limits. The gentleman who
owMt tigr, fiit0-.
escaped paying a rightful share of pair-.
ing, of the south side of O street from .
Thirty-third to the cemetery. As .ue--.
suit one side;' of the, streetis,; unpaved;.
Yet, whenl a fire .attacked ..this gentle
man's property the other Jay he holler.
ed for help from the. fire department,
of Lincoln and got it..- Enjoying .all
the advantages of a city, street ears,
paved streets to. his , very door,' protec
tion against fire, etc., he refuses to come
across, biding behind the legal subter
fuge, of , being outside : the city limitts.
Cheerfully admitting that isn't a Chris
tian spirit, this newspaper has : no hesi
tancy fin saying that, if vt had been in
charge of the fire department on , the
occasion above mentioned, knowing all
the facts, blessed if the .,, whole depart
ment wouldn't have made a mistake
and .gone in the wrong direction,; suc
cessfully failing td See 'fts error until
too late to be of service.
ExrMayor Brown has a happy knack
of hitting upon good ideas wjtfh pleas
ing regularity. Now he, wants to know,
you know, why the county commission
ers do not got busy and spend a little
of that inheritance tax money in fix
ing up the roads leading into Lincoln.
If we are not mistaken there is now
about $13,000 lying idle in that fund
quite enough to make several miles of
model road. , This inheritance tax
money can only be expended for road
purposes, and outside rthe corporate
limits of any town or city. And surely
it ought to be spent instead of lying
idle in the county treasury.
We would like to see a lot of business
men, professional men, clergymen, Y.
M. C. A. workers and others who are
not members of organized labor, visit
the Labor Temple and see just what
the unionists of the city are maintain
ing. We can assure every inquiring
visitor of a warm welcome and an in
spiring spectacle. They will see work
men engaged in reading, conversing,
playing friendly games of pool or bil
liards and "talking shop" in a way
that means better workmen. The Labor
Temple is one of the most helpful in
fluences now at work in Lincoln. More
and more it is becoming a center of
education and civic pride. The men
who are keeping it up are feeling more
and more like they had something at
stake other than the mere making of
bread and butter. If there is any in
stitution in the city deserving of the
support and good offices of Lincoln
people, it is 'the pretty little Labor
. Temple on North Eleventh sttfeet. Drop
around and go through it, andalk with
a, ;n ' i a,
xne men you win meet mere.
One year -ago tomorrow, October 1,
the Labor Temple Association assumed
ownership of the property. It was
bought on a "shoestring," the associa
tion having less than $700 in cash. It
borrowed $300 and made a first pay
ment of $1,000, and , without a cent
either in possession or in sight, promis
ed to pay $3,500 thirty days later. It
took nerve to do that but the men in
charge of the movement had a lot more
nerve than money. They cashed in
their nerve and got the money1 thanks
to a number of friendly business .men
and the help of a lot of true blue union
men. The $3,500 was paid on schedule
time. So confident were the directors
that things would go right that they
actually had men at work remodeling
the building before the contract of
sale' was signed. Things went right,
too. Besides paying $5,000 : on the
property, another $5,000 in the shape of
improvements has been added, and to
day Lincoln has one of the prettiest
and most commodious Labor Temples
in the country. The mortgage is still '
there, -but it will be taken ears of . It
- is a going institution , In the year just
closed the receipts from rents, pool ami
tobacco have been; $5,736.38. J, fe-expenses
have been irtearly: .
$2,500 of this' expense'-hasllitewvin e' .
snape oi permanent ' wnprpeiwouss ,
improvements ; that will not need to be ,
made again., .This means that the Tern-.
actually able - fro mnos n, if -its. -patronage
continues aa zkw, , : to. py sir .
profit of fully ten per cent on the' in
vestment. , '
But it wUl be necessary ttake eare.,
the net revenues will supply. J?of .that,? -reason
money will have to . be rsed,
thegood people of Ifot.t&Vppd, v
:. wht;;(Uie .jenrple is' mgp'.
earners of the i;-iVB-Sir'vWi! -,
t large, they would eoyjfowjtyjijfa
jn.,a hurry, and not only hejp; WiWr'.''
nf tlie indieWednim hut hein' add' the?
needed thdrdstoiy- and uip;-af4bandr -
some library and reading room. .
- ' i- . :'r.-.-.-. jii.v--- vS:-::-a
Last Tuesday we heard sv well posted
politician declare that in his , candid?
opinion James C. Dahlman would carry
. Lancaster county. Whatl ci
Anybody ready, to wager thait Profes
sor Crabtree will not get more VoteaT
than any other, candidate for state '
office, no matter what ticket t ,V
Somti.ovc or other we can 't help bmt
believe that Col. Will
irig aimatettr. ritks"
an auto with ;Aldjrich i jind BdAett-
Wraptiing tiw stai foldsf tlwAa
about him, Elmer- J. Burkett nuuiages J
to keep, a few niisguided people from
remembering that he is dodging again.
He has not yet answered Mr. Hitch
cock's challenge. . '
Believing in giving credit where
credit is due, we stop. the press. 40 as-,
sert, asservate, declare and pronounce,
that the success of the state fair is. due
in largest measure to the splendid pnh-.
licity work of Secretary Mellor. As an
advertiser he is Al. In fact, he can
advertise a state fair now fully as well
as he could play ball twenty-five years
ago when he and "ye editor" were
often pitted against each other and
Mellor was some ball player, too.
Incidentally we pause to remark that
The Wageworker printery is equipped
to turn out the finest kind of campaign
printing on the shortest possible notice,
and place thereon the "little joker"
that proves that the artists on the me
chanical side of the printery carry
paid-up cards . in their respective
unions.
We venture the assertion that we
could pick five men from the rank of
organized labor in Lincoln and pre
pare a better charter in less time than
it will take that bunch of idealists and
politicians to get close enough together
to draft an outline.
Chief Malone seems to have the happy
knack of pleasing all classes of people
save the class that would like to have
the police force abolished.
