Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1903)
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT, is the duty of the man who guides in struction to frame standards and to give them correct, concrete applica tion. This is his function. It is a novel principle in morals that, as one does hot know all things, he need give himself no trouble to know anything; that because one does not see distinct ly the obstacle on the horizon, he may stumble over the stone under his feet. The critic proceeds to affirm that his rule does not hold in the rare cases in which a redress is possible of the wrong done. How is one to know whether redress is possible if he is at liberty to take money in complete ignorance? If the claims of the hun dreds who think themselves to have been wronged in business relations by the Standard Oil company were enter tained, its gifts would be swallowed up in an instant. But the critic urges thta there is every degree in wrong-doing. Cer tainly; but a large share of the ques tions of life are questions of degree. How dishonest may my partner be and I still do business with him? How corrupt may a political party become and I still support it? But the critic urges that there is not affected, and ought not to be af fected, by the want of integrity in those who sustain it. Neither of these propositions are true. 1 shall mention no names, for these would introduce confusing considerations. Two pro fessors of sociology, men of marked ability, original investigation, and so ber opinions, have lost their positions some time since and have never been restored to college work. One of these was mentioned to a college president as a suitable person to fill a vacancy. The response was, "I cannot appoint him. I shall retire shortly, and I do not know from whom my successor will wish to obtain money." There is worldly wisdom for you, heaped up and running over. To suppose that the same man will accept Rockefel ler's money and condemn Rockefeller is to imagine that a president in the same act will fall below the claims of honor and rise up to those of duty.The critic plays his men as if there were not a particle of human nature in them, and as though they would turn up black or turn up white, precisely as he might wish. The question is easily settled. The proper time to express an opinion is before the gift is completed, while there is still freedom of action on both sides. Say to Mr. Rockefeller and to the public, as the transaction is a public one "I Utterly repudiate your methods," and then see how large a gift will be received. If a presi dent should say at an annual meeting of alumni, "The college has secured another large sum from Mr. Rockefel ler, but as there is a general feeling against his methods of business, I must improve the Occasion to remark that the Standard Oil company is a heartless monopoly and that its offi cers have done more to debauch busi ness morality than all the thieves be hind prison bars." The alumni would look in all directions for an exit from the cruel dilemma put upon them, searching for it with as much eager ness and jostling as men manifest in escaping from a burning theater. Mum is the word, the best word, and the only proper word, in such transac tions. Let us cast off the works of dark ness and put on the armor of light. Have no fellowship with the unfruit ful works of darkness, but rather re prove them. Certainly these precepts should meet with some recognition in a divinity school and in a Christian college, so-called. JOHN BASCOM. Williams College, "VViliamstown, Mass." w 4 OUR SPECIAL ft its ft ! ' -fft ft ft ft ft ft ft $ ft ft ft ft ft $ ft ft ft ft ft $ ft ft ft FEBRUARY COMBINATION We Pay the Freight We will deliver the following $10.00 combination to any town in the state of Nebraska, freight prepaid by us, any time during the month of January, 1903. Reference: First National Bank or The In dependent. GO lbs Beat Granulated Sugar for. $1.00 20 ibs Choice Prunes 1.00 25 bars Good Laundry Soap 1.00 2 lbs High Grade Japan Tea 1.00 10 lbs High Grade Peaberry Coffee .....2.00 G lbs Fancy Bright Apricots 4 lbs Fancy Muer Peaches .00 4 lbs Fancy 4 Crown Large Raisins .... .50 6 lbs Fancy Japan Head Rice .50 2 cans 10-oz Cream of Tartar Baking Powder .50 .'5 pkgs. 10 cent soda 25 3 pkgs 10 cent Corn Starch 25 3 pkgs 10 cent Gloss Starch 25 1 lb Puro Black Pepper 25 1 bottle Lemon Extract 10 1 bottle Vanilla Extract 10 2 doz. clothes Pins .05 All the above for 10.00 Orders for customers outside of the state of Nebraska and on line of railroad entering Lincoln add 75c to pay part of freight. Branch & Miller Go. Cor. loth and P S'5. What we Advertise we Do. Lincoln, Nib. C666l6Cf 0 Y rNot Too Late Yet Christmas has come and you did not buy one of our Beautiful Pianos. Well its not too late yet, we still have a beautiful assortment, all styles, grades and prices. AVe are still as anxious as ever to sell you and will make every possible inducement. If you can't call, write us. Matthews Piano Co. 1 1 20 O Street, Lincoln, Neb. it FEBRUARY 12. 1903. main issued and outstanding. If the taxes enumerated in this section shall remain unpaid for a period of sixty days after the same shall become due as herein provided, an action of debt may be maintained in the name of the United' States against any cor poration for the recovery thereof in any court of the United States having competent jurisdiction. Said tax is hereby made a first lien on all the property arid estate of any corpora tion subject to the provisions of this act." In support of this amendment, Mr. Shallenbcrger addressed the commit tee at some length, and took occa sion to point out some of the evils in the trust system, he making the claim that this amendment would drive every trust out of existence through inability to pay the tax. The amendment was voted down by a par ty vote. The general feeling is here that the Littlefield bill will not pass the senate. Within the last week, a num ber of senators have received the fol lowing telegram: "We are opposed to any anti-trust legislation. Our counsel, Mr. , will see you. It must be stopped." .(Signed) JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER. Not only the Standard Oil, but oth er monopolies have stepped into the breach to prevent any action, and .frorn their known control over repub lican senators it is improbable any will be taken. It is understood the president threatens to call an extra session in the event of failure of the Littlefield bill to pass the senate. H. W. RISLEY. BASCOM'S FOSIIION Tells the Outlook What He Thinks About College Accepting Standard Oil Loots Dr. Bascom continues to "stir up the animals" in the matter of Rocke feller college endowments. It will be remembered that some weeks ago The Independent quoted excerpts from his speech before the Minnesota teachers' meeting. The Outlook (N. Y.) under took to defend the practice of permit ling "Christian" colleges to accept Standard Oil loot, because it is "un tenable to trace the money to its source and refuse to accept it if in their (the trustees') judgment the money has been acquired by the don or by immoral methods." This in spired Dr. Bascom to tell The Out look what he thinks of the whole matter, and he does it so neatly that Independent readers will be delighted to read it. He says: "I find that your issue of January 10 contains a criticism of the views which I expressed in a recent western trip. The facts are not correctly giv en, but the question is fairly put and squarely met. It is this: Is the pres ident of a college usually the chief figure in such a transaction at liberty to solicit or to receive the gifts of a millionaire whose money is known to have been wrongfully secured? Such an act seems to me to be censurable and mischievous. My critic thinls, with equal decision, the reverse. The question is one of immediate moment. The first affirmation by which the criticism is made good is that such gifts cannot be rejected without first establishing a standard of business morality, and that there is much va riety in these standards. This state of things, instead of being a reason why the head of an educational insti tution may be without a standard of business morality to guide his own action and influence the action of others, is the chief reason why he should carefully frame and constantly defend such a standard. It is not our calling to give guidance where no guidance is needed, but where it is needed. We frame principles for the very purpose of correction. The second supporting considera tion is that, if such a standard is set up, it is impossible to apply it in specific cases. It is impossible for boards of trustees to determine whe ther wealth offered for public use has been righteously earned. But the question is, whether money that is known to be unrighteously acquired is to be solicited and accepted. The way in which the wealth of the Standard 011 company has been gained is' no torious. Articles, books, the reports of congressional committees for thirty years, have made it so. No intelligent man can plead ignorance. If I should say to my class, "Monopoly Is in it self a; great wrong and can only be established in connection with many other Wrongs," and oue of the students should ask, "How about the Standard Oil company?" and I should respond. "I know nothing about the Standard Oil company," I should escape the sus picion of being a fool only by the sus picion of being a rascal. The answer is the same as that given before. It Developing a Cold Mine. Mines may be opened in several dif ferent ways determined by the physi cal surroundings of the mine, but whatever be the nature of the country the initial steps taken are generally the same, namely surface work; first it is required to know the extent of ore bodies on surface; the width of vein and the distance it is traceable on the surface. By making cross cuts, trenches across the vein its width is determined, and by open cuts and stripping the vein at different points the distance is determined. After this commences development work proper driving tunnels and sinking shafts which in plain word3 means making openings into the rock at those points where the vein occurs. For this purpose steel drills are used to drill holes into the hard rock. These holes are then blasted with giant powder (dynamite) resulting in forming sometimes huge openings. Drilling and blasting is continued ev ery day until the desired development work has been done. Owing to the precipitous moun tains in the country of the EVA mine or development work is rendered very easy by making adit tunnels, which is a tunnel driven into the side of the mountain following the vein and serves the double purpose of draining the water which is nearly always present in mines and affording access to the gold deposit, this econ omic advantage obviating the heavy expense of installing pumping ma chinery. The gold veins on the EVA have been developed by adit tunnels driven to a depth of over 500 feet. Now comes the question of shafts or upraises which have a twofold pur pose, first as regards air. Very often air is supplied by a blower or fan creating a current of air and is con nected by a line of pipe to where the miners are working. But it is usual to sink a shaft from the surface or by making an upraise from the tun nel which when completed makes an air shaft thus obviating the necessity of supplying air by artificial means. Moreover the upraise develops the vein between the surface and the tun nel, thus with the surface showings the vein is exposed on three sides. Continuing the adit tunnel other upraises are made and the vein is then exposed on four sides, and so on. By this means the width of the veins are measured and samples secured for assaying and testing, thus determin ing values. Samples of ore were tak en at different points along the adit tunnels and upraises of the EVA' mine each containing rich values. Thus the enormous bodies of ore blocked out from the tunnels, etc., represents gold actually in sight ex ceeding two million dollars in high and low grade ore. Vincent J. Stedry, Broken Bow, Neb.: You and The Commoner are doing a great work for this country and it will soon bear good fruit Five more each of such Independents and Commoners throughout this country would soon compel the plutes to cap itulate. Do not lose courage, for when the thing does come it will come like a mighty avalanche that will take everything along with it. Mrs. I. II. DoersUer, Carbonate, S. D.: Your paper has a variety of spicy writers. We enjoy reading the letters very much. You are educat ing along the liues that will land you and many or your subscribers in tne socialist band wagon. You are doing good work; do not get discouraged; victory and justice for the people will come.
