THE WAGEWORKER
Published every Friday by The Wageworker Publishing
; Company; 1705 O Street, Lincoln, Nebraska ,
WILL M.LMAUPIN, Editor
E. L. GRUBB, Manager:
I,
CURT CURRENT COMMENT D
. The, Gas company has a proposition to make to the consumers of
.Lincoln. It is fair alike to the consumers and the company that a
plain statement of the case be given. About three years ago the city
council enacted a dollar gas ordinance. The 3as company sought
refuge in the court, claiming that the ordinance was confiscatory.
T Judge Hunger decided that the ordinance was valid, whereupon the
, Gas company appealed to the United States supreme court. In the
meantime the ordinance is held up by injunction pending appeal.
If the' ordinance is declared valid by the supreme tribunal the Gas
company will be compelled to refund to consumers practically one
sixth of what the consumers have paid for gas during the past three
years. '
, The Gas conmpany avers that it will be probably two or more
years before the court will hand down a decision. This may be
'true, for the supreme court is now far behind in its work owing to
recent- deaths among the members of the court. The company
asserts that it wants the case amicably adjusted, therefore makes this
proposition : If the, consumers will waive the .rebates that they
would be entitled to in case the ordinance is upheld, the company
will inaugurate a dollar gas service on December 1, of the present
year.
The proposition is very plain and very simple. It is really a "sport
ing proposition," for the consumer takes chances on the supreme
court deciding for the company. The average consumer pays say
$3.00 a month for gas. in three yeafs this will amount to $108.00.
Two years more at that figure means a total in five years of $180.00.
If the supreme court decides for the city the consumer would be
entitled to a rebate from the company of practically one-sixth, or
$30.00. By waiving the $18.00 rebate now due the consumer avoids
paying the excess of one-sixth for possibly two years, and getting it
back at the end of that time provided the court holds the ordinance
good.
The company's gain will be settling litigation, thus giving it a
chancesto better its financial standing in the securities market. The
"average consumer" releases his right to a rebate of $18.00 for the
past three years in order to get dollar gas now. In other words the
"average consumer" is asked to trade his equity in $6.00 a year from
the time the ordinance was enacted until the supreme court decides
the case for the privilege of getting dollar gas right away. That
is, he is asked to give up $48.00 he may not get anyhow for dollar gas
right away. It is a plain business proposition that every gas con
sumer will have to settle for himself.
A couple of months ago the Bureau of Labor issued a little circular
entitled "God from Ithe Grass Boots." giving some striking figures
about the productivity of Nebraska. Owing to the meagre appro
priation for the support of the department only 24,000 could be
printed. Up to and including October 24 the Bureau of Labor has
received requests for 360,000 of the circulars. Nebraska, the best
advertising proposition in America, is doing less to advertise its re
sources than any other state in the Union. ,
At Hildreth the otheT day Mr. Dahlman made a speech in which
he is reported to have said: "They've been telling a lot of things
about me, and about one-half of them are true and about one-half of
them are lies. They've 'been telling a lot of stories about Aldrich,
too ; about half of them true and about half of them lies. I tell
you, fellows, whichever way it goes it's going to be a great joke
on you, ain't it?"
berger supporters is subsiding. In addition to these there is the fact
that Mr. Aldrich has not made a very clear, explanation of his "con
nection ''with that divorce case and its perjured affidavit. If". the
opponents of MrJ Dahlman will but continue their personal abuse Of
him instead of confining their efforts to arguing for their side of the
. case,- he'rw4)l be -a'.wuneav !. '' ' - : . : . ?
It was the vituperative abuse hurled at Garfield in 1880 that
elected him. ''Had that campaign been conducted on a high plane and
... the merits of the controversy between the two great parties carried
on with dignity, Garfield would not have come within gunshot of
earring Indiana. It happened that Garfied was a very prominent
4 member of ithe Disciples church, and occasionally occupied its pul
pits. The Disciples are very numerous in Indiana, and a majority
of them are democrats." They resented the attacks made upon the
personal character of one of their most prominent members attacks
that were wholly unwarranted and in their opinion calculated -to
reflect . discredit upon their church body. The result was that the
Disciple vote in Indiana went to Garfield almost solidly. It was
a big' factor, too, in earring Illinois and Ohio that year. There
is such a thing as abusing a candidate until sympathy is created for
him, and when that becomes the case that candidate's success is
practically assured. And that is , jus what is being done for Mr.
Dahlman in . this campaign.
The Lincoln Journal editorially declares that the people are en
titled to "all the facts in the case" when charges are made against
a candidate for pubic office. Some pretty serious charges have been
brought against the Journal's preferred candidate for governor, but
the people who are dependent upon the Journal for "all the facts in
the case" are the possessors of a large and varied assortment of ig
norance thereof.
:p And lit is rather amusing, too. to see the Lincoln Journal posing
.as the exemplar of public morals at this time. Just now it is jumping
"upon Mr. Hitchcock on account of his dealings with Joseph S.
Bartley. If it were true that Mr. Hitchcock borrowed money of
Bartley, and that the state of Nebraska lost by the transaction ex
actly what Mr. Hitchcock borrowed something that no one dare as
sert if they are financially, responsible yet the state lost less than
5 per cent, of the $85,000 that the Lincoln Journal is said to have
made by using the stereotype plates belonging to the state of Nebras
ka and printing and selling supreme court reports in competition
with the state that employed the Journal to print them for the
benefit of the state.
Mr. Hitchcock has made a very frank statement of his dealings
with Joseph S. Bartley. He borrowed money of him in 1892, and
paid it back. A note given and secured by a second mortgage was
not paid for the reason that the mortgage was foreclosed, the prop
erty sold for less than the note and deficiency judgment rendered.
If Mr; Hitchcock rs statements are untrue that fact certainly may be
shown.
. We have yet to hear the first man say that Mr. Howard's attack
upon; Mr. Hitchcock has injured Mr. Hitchcock's candidacy. We
have heard scores declare their belief that the attack has benefitted
Mr. Hitchcock. We do not pretend to say that this is true, but we do
believe that Mr. Hitchcock will receive a majority of the popular
vote, and that unless a lot of republican legislators are false to
their solemn pledges Mr. Hitchcock will be the next man elected
to the United States senate from Nebraska. "
An unprejudiced observer who can not stomach one candidate for ,
governor on account of his personal character, and has nothing in
common with the interests most active in supporting the other can
didate for governor, but tries to keep in the closest possible touch :
with conditions such an observer must, if he is honest with himself,
admit that Mr. Dahlman 's chances have materially brightened dur-. .
ing the past ten days or two weeks. This is due to several causes.
First, the vituperative attacks and coarse ridicule heaped upon him
by, jealous but misguided opponents who mistake' coarse abuse for A
argument. Second, the resentment felt by the great many Shallen-
.The trouble of the whole county option campaign at this time is
that while it is not going to settle anything, no matter which way it
goes, it is obscuring what should be the real live issues in this cam
paign. While we are f ooling away time on an issue that will not be
settled until we settle it at a referendum vote, we are overlooking
such Vital questions as industrial insurance, assumption of risks,
' employer's liability, safety appliances and more thorough factory in-
spection. .We are-overlooking the question whether Nebraska shall
1 continue trying to do business on a "grashopper state" basis or
whether it shall do business as a great, rapidly developing and rich
state with a million and a half of people. The situation that now
confronts Nebraska would be really comical if it were not so infer
nally annoying.
Mr. Aldrich says there is no further need oMaws regulatory
of the railroads. He says, also, that he is responsible for making
the further enactment of laws along those lines unnecessary.
We fear that Mr: Aldrich is sadly fraying the mouthpiece of
his trumpet.
The party that repeals the 8 o'clock closing law and the gov
ernor that signs the repeal bill will both be buried deeper in
oblivion than a pigeon can fly in a fortnight.
" Has the Lincoln charter r committee hibernated for the
winter? '" " "" ' ' - ' -,