BRIEF REFERENCES TO MEN AND MATTERS
What a lot of bally rot we are having these days about President
Despain of the Lincoln Ball club looking? for a manager. It would be
the easiest thing in the world to select the best possible man, and be
cause we like Despain and hope for a pennant winning team that we
step forward with a practical solution of a problem that seems to be
exing him. Wait until the first championship game is pulled off,
and then select the manager from among the two or three hundred
men in the south end of the grandstand. Every blooming one of the
bunch knows more about the great national pastime than the man
who invented it.
Rev. H. A. Stimson, pastor of the Manhattan Congregational
church in New York City, painted such a vivid picture of the working
conditions of girls in that city that a committee of churchmen was
appointed to investigate. If the committee does its duty, instead of
making a perfunctory investigation, as is most likely, something may
be accomplished towards achieving a reform that is sadly needed. And
if the reform is achieved Rev. Mr. Stimson and his church will have
accomplished more by that one thing than most churches accomplish
along practical lines "in a generation. Our uncivilized social and in
dustrial conditions are ruining human souls at a rate that makes the
churches work to keep up with.
which he sternly calls the governor to account. For the benefit of
Danl of Omaha we pause to relate a little story about another Danl.
this one of Missouri. Down in a little town in northwest Missouri
lives a man named Dan, last name not given for fear of identification
and resultant complications. Danl likes his toddy now and then, and
aiwaj-s manages to get close to a clerical brother-in-law under cir
cumstances indicating too much indulgence on the part of Danl. One
clay Danl, feeling fine, met his reverend brother-in-law on the street
and remarked: "Well, parson, I just paid my taxes." "Is that so;
how much were they this year?" "Just $S7U.43." replied the happy
Dan'l. "Gracious!" ejaculated the reverend relative; "isn't that
pretty steep? Why didn't you protest ?" "I was afraid, by thunder,
that if I protested against paying that much the board would make
me pay what I really owned," retored Dan'l with an expansive grin.
The moral we mean to convey to Danl of Omaha through the me
dium of this true story is that he may become so dodgasted indignant
that Governor Aldrich will prove it.
"Fighting Bob" Evans says we ought to spend millions in pre
paring for war because it is "better to be safe than sorry." It would
Le well, however, to bear in mind that war is "Fighting BobV trade.
Petru Lucas, one of the many "kings of the Gypsies," was re
fused admission to the United States the other day. Petru formerly
lived in this country, but after quarreling with his wife left her and
returned to his native Bosnia. There he bought another wife for $100
and a fat pig. When he attempted to re-enter the United States he
was turned down because of his "loose matrimonial views," as the im
migration officers put it. It would seem that Petru made a mistake
by returning to Bosnia to get another wife. What he should have
done was to marry another woman right here in the United States,
whereupon he would have stood a good show for election to the sen
ate or the congress of this nation. Failing that he might have se
cured a profitable connection with the steel trust.
As expected, the New York democracy the democratic demo
crats, we mean won a hollow victory last November. William
Sheean is to be elected senator in place of Depew. Sheean is nom
inally a democrat, but the only difference between him and Depew is
the difference in party name. "Big Business" doesn't care a fig what
political party is in power just so the officials are of the Sheean type
cf democrat or the Depew type of republican.
Surely the bold highwaymen who held up that newspaperman
last Monday night were rank amateurs. Highwaymen of experience
usually spot men known to be in the habit of carrying money or valu
able jewelry. The only explanation of the apparent idiocy of the
Monday night highwaymen is that they made a mistake as to the
identity of their victim.
For several years the republican majority in the United States
senate has been so large that republican members were forced to sit
on the democratic side, among democrats. The mixed section was
known as the "Cherokee Strip." When the new senate meets next
March there will be no "Cherokee Strip." The republicans will ex
perience no difficulty in finding seats on the republican side of the
chamber.
"I want a heating stove," remarked a man who had stepped into
the Hall Bros. Co. store the other day. "Very well." replied the
smiling Mr. Hall, "I presume you want a magazine stove?" "Maga
zine stove; what's that?" queried the prospective customer. "Why,
a self-feeding stove," replied Mr. Hall. "Great Scott, no!" thundered
the prospective customer, "I want a stove I can feed with a spoon !"
While every one regrets the straits in which the Farmers &
Merchants' Insurance Co. finds itself, no one who keeps in touch
with business enterprises will be surprised thereat. It has been com
mon knowledge for some time that the company was on the shoals.
In appbing for a receiver for the company Auditor Barton has again
given evidence that he is ever watchful of the people's interests and
ready to protect them at all times. It is to be hoped that the tangled
affairs of the company will speedily be straightened out and the cor
poration put upon its feet.
When leading lights iruthe temperance reform cause fall out and
begin "backcapping," what must we amateurs at the game rely upon ?
If we ally ourselves with the Poulson wing Ave are immediately at
tacked by the anti-Poulson wing, and vice versa. And if we ally our
selves with neither we are at once denounced by both as "tools of
the rum power." It is almighty hard for a poor weak "mortal, intent
upon doing the right thing, to make decision when exemplars of the
reforms in question are unable to agree upon a program.
President Taft's appointment of Congressman Walter I. Smith of
Iowa to be circuit judge is not a surprise. Smith is a "standpatter" of
the rankest kind, and his environment and associations have so
trained him as to make him highly acceptable to the interests most
concerned in securing judges who will be "fair." Perhaps, however,
we should not speak in derogation of President Taft's choice. He
might have appointed a man of the Judge Smith McPherson calibre.
The series of sermons on "Democracv," now being delivered bv
Rev. Dr. Weatherly of Unity church, should be heard by as many
men and women as can crowd into that edifice. Dr. Weatherly's
democracy is of the brand that knows not partisan lines. He is a
scholar, an original investigator and a sound reasoner, hence his ser
mons on this subject are certain to be instructive and uplifting. The
first of the series was delivered last Sunday to a congregation of
more than the usual size, the result of newspaper advertising. The
sermon itself was such that it will serve to advertise the series as
being unusually worth while. Any community is the better for pos
sessing among its citizenship such thoughtful, public spirited and en
ergetic citizens as the pastor of Unity church.
Gilbert M. Hitchcock was elected United States senator by the
working of the "Oregon plan" last Tuesday, yet, despite the dire pre
dictions of Charles Wooster, Freedom neither shrieked nor the con
stitution emitted a groan when the sacred palladium of our liberties
was thus ruthlessly trampled in the dust.
City Clerk Dan Butler of Omaha is highly indignant over Gov
ernor Aldrich's intimation that elections in Omaha are somewhat cor
rupt. 'As a result of his indignation Danl has written a fierv letter in
Of.course the fact that the thousands present cheered when Gov
ernor Harmon appeared at the Baltimore "jollification" is announced
as "the launching of the Harmon presidential boom." Be that as may
be the fact remains that Harmon seems first in line for the honor.
His democratic record may show some few wobbly lines in recent
years, but when he refused to lend himself to one of Roosevelt's
grandstand anti-corporation plays and insisted on handling the case
like a real lawyer instead of a political shyster, he made a hit with a
lot of people. With Harmon the democratic candidate and LaFol
lette the candidate of the republicans, democratic democrats and re
publican republicans may lend their entire efforts to electing a con
gress that wTill represent the people.
James A. Reed has been elected the successor of Senator Warner
of Missouri, a fact that should rejoice the hearts of progressives, be
they republicans or democrats. Reed will take his place with that
rapidly growing group of senators who are striving to represent the
whole people instead of special interests. LaFollete of Wisconsin is
not nearly so lonely as he was that day he arose to make his maiden
speech in the senate and was insulted by senators from Oil Trust,
Steel Trust, Tobacco Trust, Express Trust and other concerns, walk
ing out of the chamber. LaFollette is still there ; by twos and threes
those who insulted him that day are being retired to that privacv
from which they never should have emerged.
The legislators will do well to remember that the farmers are not
the only Nebraskans whose interests need looking after. There are
more Xebraskans earning a living apart from the farms than are earn
ing a living upon the farms. And the welfare of the children of the
mill and factory workers is of quite as much importance as the wel
fare of the cows and hogs of the farmers.