12
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT.
DECEMBER 25, 1902.
To Gcverncr Savage
To the Governor of the State of Ne
braska: You are the chief executive
of this commonwealth. When you
commenced jo.ir official duties as gov
ernor, you took and subscribed to an
oath in which you said:
"I do solemnly swear that I will
support the constitution of the United
States, and the constitution of the
state of Nebraska, and will faithfully
discharge the dutie3 of governor ac
cording to the bst of my ability, and
that at the election at which I was
chosen to fill said office, I have not
improperly influenced in any way the
vote of any elector, and have not ac
cepted, nor will I accept or receive,
directly or indirectly, any money or
other valuable thing from any cor
poration, company, or person, or any
promise of oiiice, for any official act
or influence."
Were you really "solemn" when you
took and subscribed to that oath? Or
did you do it mechanically, as one
bites the end off a Chancellor or un
screws the cap of a flask? Were you
really in earnest when you said you
would not, "directly or indirect
ly," accept or receive any money "or
other valuable thing" from any cor
poration for any official act or in
fluence? Perhaps an "act" might require some
affirmative, some kinetic force, on your
part; but "influence" may be exerted,
paradoxical as it may seem, by simply
remaining passive. A wrong act might
be said to be a "sin of commission;"
but a wrong influence one which
would violate your official oath
could be termed a "sin of omission."
The Independent has in the past had
some criticisms to make of certain of
your official "acts," yet it does not
believe you to be as bad as you are
painted by many of your own party
papers. Today it has a complaint to
make of one of your official "influ
ences" one of your sins of omission.
It has fears that you will not act even
when the facts are all before you
yet it hopes you will have the moral
courage to be a real governor, if only
for one day, regardless of the valua
ble thing3 given you by the corpora
tions. Look, if you have the time, at the
laws of Nebraska for 1899. At page
330 begin and read every word of
chapter 77, which was house roil wo.
183, introduced by Representative Wil
cox. For fear that all may not be
supplied with, copies of the book, the
two sections are here-quoted:
Section 1. That no company,
corporation or person operating a
railroad, in whole or in part,
within the state of Nebraska, shall
permit or require any conductor,
engineer, fireman, "brakeman, tele
graph operator or any trainman
who has worked in his respective
capacity for eighteen consecutive
hours, except in case of casually,
or unavoidable emergency, to again
go on duty or perform any work
until he has had at least eight
hours of rest.
Sec. 2. Any company, corpora
lion or person who shall violate or
permit to be violated, any of the
provisions of the foregoing section,
or any officer, agent or employer
who violates or permits to be vio
lated any of the provisions of the
preceding section shall be fined not
less than fifty ($50.00) dolars, ror
more than two hundred ($200.00)
dollars, for each and every viola
tion of this act; provided, how
ever, that the proceedings to en
force the penalty, as provided in
this act, shall be commenced with
in six months from the date of
the violation of the same.
Approved: April 1, 1899.
"Rsoeeiallv note the date this law
was approved. Is it possible that the
date has led you to De.ieve mat tne
legislature was only "fooling," and
really didn't mean it? It would seem
so.
' Perhaps in the stress of preparing
your message to the legislature you
have had little time to read the pa
nsrs and know what is coins: on in
this hie state of ours. The Indepen
dent prefers to be charitable and to
believe you did not read the following
news item, which appeared In the dail
ies of December 18, liwz:
Table Rock, Neb., Dec 17.
Twenty-four hours tter leading
his bride to the altar, Mead Mor
rell, a fireman on the Burlington
railroad, lost his life in a head
on collision here.
Train No. 64, standing in the
yards here, was about to pull out.
Train No. 67. coming into the
yards at twenty-five miles an hour,
crashed into the standing engine.
Both engines, their tender ?nd
a number of cars of merchandise
were totally destroyed.
When the engineer of No. 64
m
b
m
Personally Conducted Florida Excursion
"Dixie Flyer Route.
On i ue.-id.-iy, Jan. fith. an excursion will be run from Nebraska to Florida with through
sleeping cars from Omaha and 'Lincoln, via Burlington Route to St. Louis and the "Dixie
Flyer" Route from tbere to Jacksonville.
Thia excursion will be a peonally conducted one and will be in charge of Mr. Geo. W.
Bonnell, C. T. A., B. & M. R. R., Lincoln. Neb., who is thoroughly familiar with the points of
interest en route and in the State of Florida.
As you pass through Cairo, Martin, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta and Macon, and make
a 12 hour stopover at Chattanooga, where an experienced guide will conduct the party through
Chickamauga Park, pay visit to Lookout Mountain and other points of interest, the trip will be
an interesting and instructive one.
An early application for sleeping car space is suggested.
Ask for copy of illustrated booklet outlining the trip, at 1402 Farnam St, Omaha, or write
W. H. BRILL. Dist. Pass. Aat.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL R. R., OMAHA, EB Ej)
saw the headlight of the incoming
freight close at hand he shouted
to Fireman Morrell to jump for his
life, at the same time jumping
from his engine himself. Hardly
had he alighted on the ground
when the pilots of the two engines
came together with a hard crash.
Morrell evidently had not time to
jump. His mangled remains were
found in the debris.
The crew of the incoming train
had been on duty for ninety hours,
and the engineer is alleged to have
admitted that he had gone to sleep
while his train was running, as
he was completely exhausted.
Neither he nor his fireman was
hurt.
The accident occurred at 9
o'clock last night. At 9 o'clock
Monday night Morrell was mar
ried at Wymore. The home of
the dead fireman was in Table
Rock.
Ninetv hours on duty! Just think
of that, governor. Five times the limit
prescribed by this "April fool" legisla
tion. No unavoiaame emergency io
excuse the violation appears from the
disDatch. No "case ot casualty" pre
ceded the violation but a very sad
one followed it. The husband of a
day sacrificed to satisfy the insatiate
greed of Burlington stockholders and
bondholders. The bride of a day
widowed, that Jim Hill and his asso
ciates may not only charge the public
all the traffic will bear, but also by
using bigger engines and wor -wg
ninety-hour shifts, dispense with the
services of many train crews. In, rear.'
the rates and cut down the expenses
regardless of law, human or divine.
"Expenses" did we say? On second
thought that is correct: Poor Mor
rell was doubtless a member in pood
standing of the Burlington Voluntary
(what a verv expressive term!) Relict
Department, and his widow, when she
draws the life insurance tor which
her husband had paid a good, round
premium, will sign a papr wholly ab
solving and releasing the Burlington
company from any damages for caus
ing his death in this Heartless man
ner.
Whatever you may do, governor.
will not restore the God-given life.
You cannot restore to the heart-broken
widow her beloved husband. You are
not responsible for the peculiar men
tal gymnastics indulged in by the su
preme court, which will permit the
Burlington, under cover of its insur
ance department, to escape money lia
bility for ruthlessly killing ner nus-
band.
But vou can do one thing: You can
make an effort to have chapter 77 en
forced. You can say to the. co-mi1' nt.
torney of Pawnee county that he must
do hi3 duty. You are the one to take
the initiative. You, the chief execu
tive. Will you do it?
There may be some excuse for you.
in the closing hours of your term, with
all the attendant bustle and hurry and
worrv. if you should not get the mills
of justice grinding. But your su
snr will have no such excuse, "inou
shall not kill" oneht to be if it is
not as binding as "thou shalt not
dance." We shall see what we shall
see.
Franklin county's share in this re
publican December apportionment of
school money is $521.78 less than the
smallest one ever made by the fusion
ists. It's rather tough on her be
cause she tried to prevent the elec
tion of another incompetent board.
B
Holiday Rates to points on B. & M. R. R. not over 200
miles distant. Tickets on sale Dec. 24th and 25th
for Christmas and Dec. 31st and Jan. 1st for New Years.
Return limit January 2nd, 1913. Call and get full information.
it iC )t t$
CITY TICKET OFFICE
Cor. 10th and O Sts. J
jt Telephone 235.
& BURLINGTON DEPOT J
J 7th St., Bet. P ft a J
j Tel. Burlington No. 1290. 2
THE NORTHWESTERN LINE,
2.00
ONE FARE
PLUS ....
HOHESEIiKERS' TICKETS, On sale Jan. 2 and 20, Feb. 3
and 17, to many points in Nebraska, North and South Da
kota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and points in the Canadian North
west. Return limit, Twenty-One days.
City Ti. Vet Ollice Northwestern Union Sta.,
102 1 O STKEKT. Cor. Oth and S St..
Telephone 511. Telephone 50 J.
Call on or address
R. W.
R. R. Cutler, C. T. A.
cGINNIS, Gen. Agt.
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. E. T. Moore, D. T. A.
4
Jim Hill's merger, which, according
t u t),n ototcmpnts he has given to
LU all citv, - .
the public, was a purely philanthropic
undertaking, entered mio buiei.v iu.
the good of the public, but the evi
co far sriven establishes the
fact that it is not that kind of thing
at all. In the suit now pending, sta
tion agents of both lines and shippers
at competitive points were put upon
f, otoY ami thpv all testified that
I3U4I1U ,
since the merger had gone into effect
competition had ceased and competi
tive rates had been canceled. Sta
tion agents produced their written or
ders to cancel these rates, and wheth
er tne orders were issued by the Groat
Northern or the Northern Pacific, they
worn trlntim l. The neonle of Minne
sota have been fighting populism for
years, but they will nave to accept, it.
or let Jim Hill charge all the traffic
will bear.
Fillmore once an old fusion stand-hyWp-nt
republican this year. Why
need we mourn because she gets
$974.08 cut off her school apportion
ment this December? Fusion (1899)
$4 457.55; republican (1902) $ 3,483.47.
Furnas county gave "our man Mick
ey" 140 plurality and now her De
cember apportionment of school mon
ey is $1,084.14 smaller than the small
est one ever made her by the fusion
ists. Let her suffer.
Holiday Rates
One Fare for
Round Trip
ON
UNION PACIFIC
Within 200 Milts of Linccir.
December 24, 25, 31 and
January 1st. . Return Jimit
January 2d, 1903. For tickets
call at city office 1044 O St.
or Depot O and 5th.
E. B. Slosson,
GenTl Agent.
J. T. Mastin,
C. T. A.
