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. Vol. XV. LINCOLN NEB., OCTOBER 22, 1903. . No. 22.
AN IMPORTANT ELECTION
- The Independent cannot too often
urge the fact that although this is re
garded as an off-year in politics, yet it
is really one of rthe most important
. elections ever hejd in the state. Pop-
- ulists at the very inception of the
people's party movement saw that the
, courts are the great bulwark behind
which hide the exploiters of man
kind; and during the early years of
the party, every effort was made to
; wrest the courts from the republican
- party. In recent years, especially the
- last three, many populist farmers have
heartened to the "let -well enough
alone" lullabies of Mark Hanna; few
- of them have actually voted the re
publican ticket, but many of them
have stayed at home election day and
. thought to earn $2 or $3 by shucking
corn.
This practice Las proven expensive.
Last .year several thousand populist
? farmers said: "There is nothing to
vote for in this campaign; we'll stay
at home today and shuck corn." And
- they did so. The result is that the in
creased state taxes alpne, this year
over last (and last year was none too
light), would eat up all the corn that
ten thousand men shucked on election
day, 1902. Figure it out for yourself:
Farmers pay more than half the taxes.
" The increase this year over last year
is $392,000; that would make $196,000
. fall on the farmers; as a matter of
fact, it is more than this. Counting
f corn at 33 1-3 cents a bushel, it would
take 588,000 bushels to pay the bill
and that is a fair day's work for 10,
. COO men.
Please remember, too, that it is not
their earnings alone that was eaten
tip by republican extravagance. It took
all the corn that ten thousand men
picked on election day last year, sim
" ply to pay for the additional extrava
gance piled up on an already extrava
gant republican administration. It
4 will take about two and one-half mll-
lion bushels of corn at 33 1-3 cents this
'. year to pay the farmers' share of the
And this is not all. The state tax is
the lightest of all. County, township,
road district, and school district taxes
" will probably run five to eight or ten
times as much as the state lew. Sav
six times for an averasre. Then it
' will require something like 18.000.000
bushels of corn to pay the taxes of the
Nebraska farmers for the year 1903
or four million bushels more than the
total visible supply of corn on Sep
tember 26 in the entire region east of
the Rocky mountains.
But what has that to do with the
election of Judge S"llivn. the populist
regents,, the populist candidates for
" district judge, the populist- candidates
for county office especially - the new
county assessor? Very, very much.
Suppose we see what populist admin
istration did in the past and compare
it with the present republican extrav
agance: Take the total appropriations. Get
the auditor's statement which is
printed shortly after adjournment of
- each legislature. Note the total
amount appropriated:
TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS.
Ses- Amount
slon. Politics. . , Appropriated.
IRQ Hepublican " . .$2.784 .684.60
18q7Populist 2.335.843 40
1839 Republican .......... 2.1.373.00
19M Republican 2.875.289.K1
1903 Republican ..... 3.740,280.70
Only. Pix short years after a pop
ulist, legislature had made ample ap
propriations to last for two years'
state expenses, to be handled by pop
ulist state officers, a republican legis
lature ad more than-$1,400,000 to the
appropriations In order to indulge re
puhUeanRtate officers in their extrav
agant ways. Under Governor Hol
comb's conservative administration,
state government was cond"oted so
economically that over $912,000 of the
1897 appropriation was not used and
lapsed back into the state treasurv.
' That accounts for the fact that the
ponnlfst adm1nitrMon In four years
paid off over JRn.onn of the state debt
bonds and warrants. ; I et us also
loov at the state debt. That Is a fIr
index to the wav business Is being
conducted. Deht must be pa M o bv
living within on4' income. Republi
cans never do that when they are
spending the other fellow's money.
STATE DEBT.
This statement includes state bonds
and general fund state warrants which
were outstanding interest-bearing ob
ligations of the state:
Populists, Attention!
Just as The Independent had antici-.
pated, the mephitic individual who
draws the salary of secretary of state
has sent out pretended "sample . bal-
J lots" to the various county clerks,
SAMPLE
REPUBLICAN . .'. . .... . ..... ..........
DEMOCRATIC 1 -
PEOPLE'S INDEPENDENT
PROHIBITION
SOCIALIST ...
This is simply a repetition of what
Secretary Marsh did last year, and in
the face of a- supreme court decision
holding that the form is not in ac
cordance with the plain provisions and
intent of the law.' Secretary Marsh
was represented by counsel in the
case where this decision was rendered,
and when asked why he did not fol
low the decision, told the manifest lie
thafh had "forgotten about it." In
-view of the numerous expensive law
suits last year over this point, costing
the taxpayers of a number of counties
a good many dollars, Secretary Marsh
will hardly have the nerve to repeat
that threadbare lie this year.
Let us read vhat the statute says:
"At the top and left side of the
ballot shall be printed in black
. faced capital type, not less than
one-eighth of an inch high, the
SAMPLE
' .
REPUBLICAN
PEOPLE'S INDEPENDENT.... .
DEMOCRATIC . . .
PROHIBITION. ............ .
SOCIALIST .."
In proof of this, let us read the first
syllabus of the opinion written by
Chief Justice Norval in the case of
State of Nebraska ex rel. Charles Q.
De France vs.! Douglas Frye, 62 Neb.
Reports, 817: r ;
"It is the duty of the proper of
ficer (the county clerk in this In- '
stance) in preparing all official
ballots, to put at the top and left
side of the ballot, in black-faced
capital type, not less than one
eighth of an Inch highr the name
of EACH party having candidates
on the ballot, and to the right of
EACH party a circle one-half inch
in diameter, with leaders connect
ing the party NAME to the CIR
CI E."
Thls was a case in which the re
lator sought to have the ballot printed
identically as above and he won.
Judge Norval, speaking for the entire
court, said:
"We are unanimously of the
opinion that the relator was en
titled to the relief sought herein
and the writ is accordingly al
lowed." The Independent concedes that the
republican party Is entitled to first
place; but it cares nothing whether
November 30, 1895 . . ...... $2,385,510.35
November 30, 1898........ 1,724,951.36
November 30, 1900........ 1,727,447.72
November 30, 1902........ 1,989,328.63
June l", 1903 .......'1,997,671.98
Is any further evidence needed? - It
Thwart the Secretary
of State's Attempt to
Rape the Ballot.
with the implied suggestion that these
clerks shall violate the election laws
of Nebraska in preparing the official
ballots. The Independent herewith re
produces the top portion of one- of
these so-called "sample ballots":
BALLOT,
To Vote a Straight Ticket
make a cross within
your party circle.
... ............... .... ........ ... . O
r
.
o
o
name of EACH party having can
didates on the ballot; and to the
right of EACH party name, a cir
cle one-half inch in diameter, with
leaders connecting the PARTY
NAME to the CIRCLE."
Secretary Marsh's "skunk ballot com
plies with this as far as concerns the
republican, prohibition. . and socialist
parties; but it fails to provide a party
circle for either the democratic party,
or the people's independent 'party,
and, therefore,' is illegal. -
Had Secretary Marsh the least re
spect 'for his official oath, he would
have prepared h.3 "sample ballot" af
ter the fashion below. But, political
accident that he is, he seems to im
agine that it is his duty to violate the
law in order to give his party some ad
vantage, real or imaginary. - Here is
the correct form:
BALLOT,
To Vote a Straight Ticket
' , make a cross within
your party circle
.0
O
. . ....... .0
...O
O
the second place be given to the peo
ple's independent or to the democratic
party; that is" a matter of discretion
for the county clerk. One of tnese par
ties is entitled to secorfd place and
the other to third place the clerk can
decide which himself. But he has no
legal right to make one party circle
do duty for two distinct and separate
party organizations. He must notvbe
allowed to do so. The matter lias
been adjudicated and populists in ev
ery county can begin an action in
mandamus against him to compel
Obedience to the , law, fully assured
that they cannot lose.
POPULISTS, AROUSE! Will you
allow your rights to be trampled upon
without a fight? If so. you are un
worthy the name. This attempted vio
lation of the law Is the second one
since the supreme court rendered its
decision. Notwithstanding a number
of suits begun last year by the com
mittee. The Independent understands
the illegal form was used In nearlv
thirty counties. That MUST NOTV
happen this year. It means the de
feat of Jndge Sullivan If vou permit It.
Have vou any sand? Then get out
and FIGHT. See' that your county
clerk does his duty.
nrrn 1 A surni tint
But we must remember that the new
revenue law will not begin operations '
until next year. It will make It pos
sible for the present extravagant re
publican administration to-- levy,
enough to secure funds to meet that
$3,700,000 of appropriations and draw
in a good sum to apply on the big
state debt. That will mean much
heavier taxes next year, Just as they
are heavier this year than last and
the farmers nu:'( bear the bulk of all
the increase.
Now, the election of Judge Sullivan
and every other, populist candidate '
down to road overceer, means the en- -tering
wedge to a complete overthrow
of republican extravagance next year.
Their defeat means approval of the
republican administration.
But their election means more than
this. With Judge Sullivan on the su-
i reme bench, and populist judges in -:
the various districts, the farmers may
expect justice in the lawsuits' which
are sure to arise over the new revenue ,
law, the Ramsey elevator law, and
others wherever there may be a con
flict between the farmers and the
railroads. Why should any farmer ex
pect a sMlled railroad attorney, elect
ed to the supreme or district bench
bv railroad republican votes, to de
cide any close question in any other
way than favorable to the railroads?
Why should any farmer expect a fair
deal from a railroad republican county
assessor and his deputies, all supplied
with plenty of passes for themselves
and friends?
Mavbe there Isn't anything to vote
for in this campaign but the farmer
who stays at home this year will find
it rather difficult to get enough mon
ev out of his low-priced hoes and cat
tle to pay the heavy increase ot taxes
which is sure to result from a repub
lican victory. And the worst of It is. -that
those who go, must also suffer.
Vote For Weber and Jones
"For good and sufficient reasons the
people of Nebraska always feel that
their educational institutions are safer
in the hands of republican adminis
trators than in the hands of those who
go to make up the so-called fusion re
form forces The election next month
will icptore republican management of
the state university as sure as an elec
tion i3 held." Omaha Bee.
The "people" who entertain those
"good and sufficient reasons" are the
"republican administrators" and their
tax fating republican associates who
keep up the stop-thief cry of "keep
politics out of the university" and un
der cover see that none but republi
cans are employed as instructors. The
"so-called fusion reform forces con
stitute about one-half of all the "peo
ple" of Nebraska but thus far they
have had very little to say about the
management of the university, " be
cause, unfortunately, they elected sev
eral spineless Individuals as regents.
The Independent has strong hopes
that Dr. Weber and Prof. Jones will
be elected but if they should be de
feated, there will be. no. "restoration"
of republican management, because
the nominally populist and democratic
regents have been as truckling repub
licans actually as any who ever sat on
the board. ;,
Fortunately both republican and
populist candidates are Strong men,
and The Independent could have no
references, were it not for the fact
that Messrs. Clark and Whltmore are
members of a party thtis utterly
dominated by railroad influences and,
therefore, more liable to fall. In ev
ery way, Prof. Jones and Dr. Weber
re the. peers of their republican op
ponents, and they are members of a
party that has no staudfner with the
rt!rods. Hence, in this fieht against
railroad domination, It behooves evry
antl-mononoltet to cast his vote for
Weber and Jones.
The war is still over in the Philip
pines. Last week Governor Taft ca
b'M the president that "Governor
Betts reports the surrender of Col
onel Banholtz of the constabulary, of
thirty-three more rifles, at Ltgao, Al
bay, making a hundred In all."
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