THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT.
T
As Borr Views It
The real truth is that while our
caused gained among the laboring men
in the towns, the recent rise in the
value of farm lands caused many
farmers to doubt whether their finan
cial interests lay with the opposers of
trusts and the money power and cre
ated an apathy which did not extend so
largely to the republican voters and
which resulted in their victory. It was
indifference on the part of fusionists
in the country precincts; in some cases
a careless indifference, in others a
deliberate indifference that caused
them to stay at home and let their
party go to defeat.
The men who have done this no
doubt maintain that there has been no
change in their political convictions
and regard it as a case of suspended
judgment being willing to give the re
publican party a longer lease of power
to see if they can maintain present
prices for lands and farm products,
but it amounts in each case to a half
vote for the republican party with all
that it means, both now and in the fu
ture. The editor of this paper is convinced
that Nebraska has made a colossal
blunder. We make no objection to the
personality of many of the men who
have been chosen to office, but feel
that the public must prepare for a
continuation of national and state ex
travagance and mismanagement and
that taxes must be raised and trust ex
actions increased to pay for the error
and inaction of last Tuesday. Time
.will tell whether these predictions are
fulfilled.
The candidates of the fusion party
in Nebraska made a brave fight, they
had much loyal support. Every one
who is defeated can afford to be a pri
vate citizen much better than the peo
ple can afford to have him one. We
offered good men, just legislation and
faithful observance of the interests of
the masses. This is something the
candidates elected have not promised
and could not give even had they
. pledged themselves to do so.
We have never seen an election in
which there was so little personal cha
grin and disappointment on the part
of defeated candidates and so little ex
ultation on the part of the great mass
of their opponents. Many republicans
as well as fusionists are in doubt
whether they have been voting wisely,
consider the tariff and trust politic
ians of their party as on probation and
are more tolerant and liberal in the
hour of victory than they have hereto
fore been while in the minority. Very
much mistaken is the politician who
misinterprets this light vote as an
expression of confidence. It Is born
of doubt and a doubt not wholly con
fined to one party or locality.
Personally tha writer has never felt
less inclination to turn back or con
done policies of which he cannot ap
prove. No matter if the race for
wealth has made some well meaning
people callous and the vast and grow
ing power of combination has made
others cowardly. As long as he
thinks there is a possibility of achiev
ing results in the matter of better
legislation he will go to the utmost
limit of his strength and ability to
continue the contest and. taking into
consideration what the triumph of re
publicanism will mean to Nebraska
and the nation, we can but feel that it
is a thousand times preferable to be
Thompson. Stark, Peterson, Neptune,
Kirk, or any member of the state or
national ticket, in defeat than to re
ceive an election as a result of the ef
forts and campaign contributors of the
combinations that prey on the people.
The fusion nominees, state, congres
sional and county, have fought a good
fight and whether or not they have
finished their course, have certainly
kept the faith. Geo. L .Burr, in Ham
ilton County Register.
An Excellent Opportunity
The Omaha Bee says: "No issue
has ever been settled unless it has been
settled right The Bee does not be
long to that class of weathercock news
papers that advocate reforms before
election and drop them Immediately
after election. Hereafter, as hereto
fore, it will continue to battle for tax
reform through a revision of the rev
enue laws that wil make it impossible
for railroad corporations or any other
class of property owners to evade their
just share of the burden of local and
state taxation."
The republican party has an excel
lent opportunity this winter to do
something along the lines suggested
by the Bee. It has the governor and
the legislature to enact any laws which
may be considered needful. Will any
thing be done? The Independent be
lieves not. According to the Bee's own
figures the railroads are shirking from
half a million to a million dollars a
year in taxes. Can any relief on this
score be expected from the republican
governor? Ask John N. Baldwin and
his conferees. Can any relief be ex
pected from the republican auditor?
Find out by reading his second answer
in the tax case. Can any relief be ex
pected from the republican legisla
ture? Look over the list of names and
find out how many travel the length
and breadth of the land on railroad
passes.
The legislature this winter will do
nothing of importance in revising the
revenue laws. Half a dozen bills will
doubtless be Introduced looking to a
complete overhauling of the taxation
question, but they will all die in the
sifting committee's hands.
There may be an attempt to pre
scribe heavy penalties for failure on
the part of assessors to Assess prop
erty at "fair cash value," but these
will come to naught There may be an
attempt to enlarge the powers of the
state board of equalization so that it
may equalize by raising and lowering
valuations but the bill will be doomed
to defeat. About all that may be
done will be to raise the limit for gen
eral fund state levy to about 7 mills
but even there the members will be
afraid to do anything for fear the
heavier taxes resulting will cause a
loss of votes in the future.
The state board will still continue
to assess railroad property, and the
assessment next year may be raised
half a million dollars or so, but the
chances are that no substantial in
crease will be made, because every
man on the board is under heavy obli
gations to the railroads for support in
the campaign just ended. This support
did not come from railroad employes,
however, but from the thousands of
political workers in every part of the
state who ride on some sort of a pass.
The Independent will stand by the
Bee in supporting any measure that
will insure more equitable taxation,
but it has little hope of accomplish
ing much during this administration.
Booted and Spurred
The railroads are in the saddle in
Nebraska today, booted and spurred,
and daring the next two years they
will ride rough-shod over the people of
the state. The election issue was clear
and plain. On the one side stood a
set of candidates pledged to increase
railroad taxation. On the other side
a set of candidates nominated by the
railroad attorneys. There can be no
mistake about what the people voted
for last Tuesday. The railroads won
a victory, and the republican party
will pay the cost of that victory and
tax it up to the people of the state.
Never, even in the days of Tom Ben
ton, were the railroads in more com
plete control of Nebraska than they
will be during the ensuing two years.
They will have every state office, and
a brutal majority in both branches of
the legislature. They can and will
enact laws to make lighter their own
burdens, and heavier the tax burdens
of the farmers and small home-owners.
The only consolation a democrat can
draw from the situation is recognition
of the fact that the farmers who voted
the railroad ticket will be compelled
to bear just as large a share pf the
burden as the ones who voted against
it Judge Edgar Howard, in Colum
bus Telegram.
Listen Reorganfzers!
Gentlemen reorganises, listen! You
have had your innings. Yon boasted
what you could and would do if given
control. In this state you shouldered
your way to the front and by ways
best known and oftenest practiced by
men of your kind you obtained control
of the party organization. The resnlt
is before you before the country. You
have succeeded in demoralizing the
party temporarily. Thousands of
democrats stayed away from the polls
Tuesday thousands who voted and
worked for the principles avowed in
'96 and 1900. Are you pleased with the
result of your attempt to Clevelandize
the party? Are you satisfied now that
you have been so signally successful in
again securing democratic defeat?
H., in American Standard, Frankfort,
Ind.
Insurance Convention
From the Chattanooga (Tenn.) News
we learn tat next May the national
association of co-operative mutual in
surance companies will be held in that
city. The prospects are good for a
largely attended and enthusiastic con
vention. Chairman Roberts announces
that in addition to insurance man
agers and agents who will attend the
convention, he has assurances from
four or five prominent insurance com
missioners who will attend and deliver
addresses. Here is the opportunity of
a lifetime. Why can't the mutual com
panies here in Lincoln get Attorney
General Prout and Deputy Babcock to
attend? It would be a treat to hear
them commend mutual insurance.
Prout could explain to them why he
prefers old-line insurance for school
houses.
Anarchists
Your real anarchist is the man who
despises and defies law, unless it suits
his pleasure to do otherwise. The In
dependent has been criticised for ac
cusing republicans of anarchy, but
still maintains that It is none too se
vere. What but anarchy was Secre
tary Shaw's open violation of the law
requiring a certain reserve In banks?
What but anarchy was the open de
fiance of the Nebraska depository law
by republican state treasurers? What
but anarchy was Secretary of State
Marsh's "instructions" to county clerks
to violate the ballot law?
Whenever it suits the convenience
of a republican official to violate or
defy the law, he excuses himself by
saying that it is "archaic and abso
lete." But occasionally he does not
deign to do that much. Out in Colo
rado it looked for a time as though the
republicans could not control the leg
islature and Associated press dis
patches contained this cheerful in
formation: "Denver, Nov. 6. Nearly complete
returns show that the republicans
have elected their entire state ticket
with the possible exception of super
intendent of schools and two of the
three congressmen, and that the demo
crats will have a majority of sixteen
to eighteen on joint ballot in the leg
islature unless the republicans obtain
control of the lower house and unseat
the entire Arapahoe county delegation.
The republican leaders frankly an
nounce that they wiH carry out that
program if it be in their power. In
such an event the senate, consisting
of twenty-five democrats and ten re
publicans, probably will refuse to or
ganize the legislature with the house,
and the houses will block the election
of a successor to United States Senator
Teller. On the face of the returns the
house membership appears to be thirty-three
democrats and thirty-two re
publicans, but the republicans claim
that the official count will reverse these
figures."
Isn't that an inspiring sentiment in
a country where we boast about the
"wilL of the people?" The Indepen
dent freely admits that the republican:
are not alone guilty of such practices,
but they have set the example oftener
than any other party. Here in Ne
braska the fusion legislature of 1897
unseated the Omaha delegation and
suffered reverses ever afterward be
cause of it
A Rock Island Victory
The election of Mr. Hinshaw in the
Fourth district marks the advent of
the Rock Island railroad in Nebraska
politics. Heretofore this road has kept
out, and the. result is that it has been
more heavily taxed than other better
paying and more valuable roads. With
Mr. Hinshaw representing it at Wash
ington, his pull with the republican
state board ought to be sufficient to se
cure a reduction in its assessment.
After all the excellent work Congress
man Stark has done for the Fourth
district, this is the way the voters
treated him election day:
Hinshaw. Stark.
Butler 1,239 1.453
Fillmore 1.649 ' 1,575
Gage 3,151 2,034
Hamilton 1,267 1,255
Jefferson 1,782 970
Polk 924 1,325
Saline 2.038 1,442
Saunders 1,966 2,026
Seward 1,(555 1,559
Thayer 1,477 1,289
York 2,070 1,572
19,218
Hinshaw's majority, 2,718.
16,500
Edwin S. Eves trotted out his full
page rooster in the Holt County Inde
pendent to crow over the result in
Holt
The entire republican state ticket is
elected. Two years from now the re
publicans ought to nominate Joe Bart
ley for governor. Charley Mosher for
secretary of state. 'Gene Moore for
auditor again. Bill Dorgan for treas
urer, Tom Dennison for attorney-general,
Bud Lindsey for superintendent of
schools, and others. They probably
would appreciate a vindication. R. O.
Adams, In Grand Island Democrat
The railroads have foreclosed their
mortgage on Kahsas, Nebraska, and
every other western state except Ne
vada. When will the holders of the
equity of redemption avail themselves
of their rights?
The Independent is pleased to note
that Alex Shepherd was elected coun
ty commissioner down in Jefferson.
This gives the fusionists control of the
board for the first time in the history
of the county.
Although the republicans carried
Dixon county by 200 to 300, the fu
sionists elected C. A. Kingsbury coun
ty attorney and S. P. Mikesell representative.
15
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CONDUCTED EXCURSIONS
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These excursions leave Omaha ev
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Mne from Omaha running four excur
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These excursions can bo Joined at
lvul -v- VUkV -
For full information call on or ad
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CHEAP RATES FOR
IIOMESEEKERS : : :
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November 4 and 18, the Rock Island
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points' in Oklahoma. Indian Territory,
New Mexico and Texas at one faro
plus $2 for the round trip. Return
limit 21 days. Stopovers allowed.
If you are contemplating a change
of location or want to buy land where
it is good and cheap, these excursions
offer the best possible opportunity.
, See the nearest Rock Island ticket
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G. T. A., Chicago.
F. H. BARNES, C. P. A.
Lincoln, Neb.
Illinois Central Excursions
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1 Thomasville, Ga., $48.80.
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1 VIcksburg, Miss., $38.00.
1 Hammond, La., $43.00.
1 Daytona, Fla., $59.10.
1 Tampa, Fla., $05.20.
1 Palm Beach, Fla., $71.50.
1 Havana, Cuba, $106.70.
1 Jackson, Miss., $38.00.
1 St. Augustine, Fla., $55.40.
2 Mt. Clements, Mich., $34.10.
2 French Lick Springs, Ind., $30.90.
3 Chicago, 111., $14.75.
ABOVE RATES ARE FOR ROUND
TRIP TICKETS FROM OMAHA, NEB.
Column 1 Tickets on sale dally; re
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Round trip tickets on sale to nearly
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Stopovers allowed both going and re
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Homeseekers' tickets, at rate of one
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F. D. CORNELL. P. & T. A.
David B. Kill's popularity is li)e
that of Mickey. The counties nearest
his home gave the biggest majorities
against him. Those who know these
two men the best are the ones who
won't vote for them. The democratic
vote fell off terribly all around where
Hill lives and from there came the ma
jorities that elected Odell, the republi
can candidate.
IK