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Vol. XVI.
LINCOLN, NEB., OCTOBER 20, 1904.
No. 22
COWARDLY CANDIDATES
I I It !l
1 j
MR. BERGE REPLIES
Editor Independent: My attention
has ' just been called to a statement
from the auditor's office, in which the
republican state administration at
tempts to account for about one third
of the extravagance charged against it
for the last four years of state gov
ernment. . Tne republicans,, in these last four
yer.rs appropriated of the people's
money in round numbers $1,688,000
more than the fusipnists did in the
four preceding years. Being under no
obligation to the republican voters for
their ' nominations and depending on
the popularity of Roosevelt in office,
tne state officials had paid no attention
up to this time to the startling expo-
sure of this $1,G88,000 extravagance.
' It is to the credit of the republican
newspapers that they have generally
;.ir - " up attempt to Justify or delend
the republican 1 Dm cis.' Many of . the
republican newspapers 'refuse
quare-ly enderse their state ticket, and
candidly admit that the financial show
ing as to the expenditures of public
money is embarrassing and disappoint
ing. Two years ago the republican
vctcrs hesitated when they saw the
ticket, which had been announced some
days, before the republican conven
tion. The voters hesitated, but the
republican newspapers assured them
that whatever humiliation there was
in the 'announcement of the ticket be
fore -the convention by railroad attor
neys, would be atoned for in a meas
ure by the business economy that
.would follow, for the men put up were
especially adapted to "business." -
v Now the republican newspapers hes
itate, and i do not blame them. News
papers have but little influence in state
ahairs when there is goverriment by
railroads. Publicity is a safeguard to
economy and good government only
when the voters are stirred by the pub
licity, to strike the unfaithful official
with the ballot, the only sure weapon
or defense that the over-taxed citizen
can wield.4 . ...
as , to the statement from the
auuitor s ' u!c3r3Utement from
.the deputy auditor aUempur
'plain only about one third of the ex
travagance charged. He leaves over a
million dollars unexplained. - The
nl ; :e "is tEat the republicans appro
priated one million six hundred and
eighty-eight thousand dollars more for
their four years than the fusionists did
for the preceding four years.
The state officers, after waiting now
some six weeks since the charge was
made, - answer' that they can explain
one third of it. Now, if the republi
cans in their four years spent $600,
000, as the deputy ' auditor says they
did, for new buildings and betterments,
and if the fusionists spent nothing in
their four years for these same neces
saries, .then the. republicans would
stand credited with $600,000, leaving
only a million dollars unexplained.
But if the records show, which they
do, that the fusionists in their four
years spent over $500,000 in new build
ings and betterments, then this credit,
which the auditor's office attempts to
show is wiped out and they stand prac
tically where they were before the
auditor's statement was made, except
that they bring on themselves the ad
ditional charge of trying to flim-flam
the voters and jockey the taxpayers
by a trick in figures.
, The deputy auditor as he looked on
the record there could see the $67,000
that the republicans spent in new
buildings and betterments at Hastings,
but he could not see the $79,000 which
the fusionists spent in new buildings
and betterments at Hastings. He could
see the' farm that the republicans
bought at Beatrice, but he could not
see -he farm that the fusionists bought
at Hastings. He could see the $5,000
republican barn at the Lincoln insane
hospital, but not the $51,000 that the
fusionists spent on new buildings and
betterments at the same institution.
This republican official statement in
trying to explain to indignant tax
payers an extravagant charge of $1,-.
688,000 says they spent $3,500 at Beat
rice for a cold storage plant and a
kitchen, but he leaves the other half
of the truth untold, that the fusionists
built four new buildings and made
amount of $55,000. He pleads with the
taxpayers to remember that" the re
publicans spent $43,000 for a chapel
'o&'Jjr'mgat Peru, but he wants them
to forget "that itit j-'-njata built a
, V i . v Z 4
new dormitory for the normal sends
at Peru. He points out the republican
standpipe at Norfolk, but forgets that
the people can see three fusion stand
pipes, one at Hastings, one at Peru,
and one at Grand Island. "
I have not the full record here, bat
the fusionists spent something near
$100,000 on new buildings and better
ments at the state university. They
spent $100,000 for the Trans-Mississippi
exposition. They bought an executive
mansion at Lincoln. They built about
a dozen - new buildings during their
four. .years' and the record, for new
buildings during their four year afld
the record for new buildings and bet
s' '." - ' " -. - : - -
terments is so near a stand-off be
tween the two administrations that
the explanation from the auditor's of
fice faiis to explain. I have taken the
position in this campaign that the fu
sionists ought to be held to strict ac
count in every matter in which they
failed to. come up to the high ideals
which they put forth, but I believe
the people will credit the fusionists
where they deserve credit and will
hold ' the republicans also to a strict
account and not excuse the willful ex
travagance of public money simplyr be
cause times are good and because it is
rgsidential year.
l?AROJgW. 13 URGE
Summary of Mr, Berge's Reply
Republican extravagance, rr. .$1,688,000
i j ; ; Their Defense '""-,,
Permanent improvements ..... $600,000
Unaccounted for , , . . . .Over $1,000,000
1 Offset ty
Permanent improvements un
der fusion administration. $500,000
For the Trans-Mississippi ex
position ......... t, ,...$100,000
Railroads or the People!
Which?
If you are interested in the people of Nebraska
regaining control of the state, there is but one
way to accomplish your desire. That is in
voting the following ticket:
Governor
Lieut. Governor
Secretary of State
Auditor
Treasurer
Land Commissioner
Attorney General
Supt. Public Instruction
For Mr. Watson's
Recently The Independent addressed
a communication to each of the can
didates for congress in the state of
Nebraska on both the fusion and re
publican tickets, Inquiring whether if
elected these candidates would pledge
the people of their districts not to ac
cept railroad passes or other fa vots
from public service or other corpora
tions. A communication was alauf sent to
each of the candidates on these tickets
for state offices, asking the same ques
tion. The Independent is glad to state that
every candidate on the state tici.et
nominated by the populists and demo
crats at Lincoln, August 10, has re
plied in a manly way, unequivocally
stating his position upon the pass
question. Not only have all" these can
didates stated their positions very
pointedly upon this question, but with-r
out exception they have pledged them
selves not -;to accept either passes or
other favors from any nubile service or
other corporations. Every one of these
candidates has stated that he belived,
just what every honest person believes,
that these passes are intended to be
and are bribes. Everyone of these can-
B tatef atg said that when a public
service corpoTattoit-wtnta. a pass to a
public official, it Is intended rlrwVjtheir confidence, for they
that official. It is intended to put him jsuccd:'11ta.Vftv' DUt ifc 1
under obligation to that corporation.
And if he is a man he will be grateful
to that corporation, , "
A former president of the New York
Central Vailroad said that "any public
official who accepts a pass from a rail
road is a scoundrel. For having so
placed himself under obligations to the
road, If the time ever comes that he
may return that favor through the
powers of his office, and he does not do
so, he is an ingrate, and every ingrate
is a scoundrel.: If on the other hand
he goes 'return the favor, and officially
grant the corporation a favor, then
he betrays the confidence of his con
stituents; is a, traitor, thereby, and
therefore a scoundrel." Every honest
citizen everywhere will ; concur in the
statement of that official. Every hon
est citizen of. Nebraska knows that his
statement is correct. ' . ,
Notwithstanding these facts; not
withstanding that this pass question
has been forced into the arena of the
campaign in this state, and that every
citizen is interested ;n knowing wheth
er these candidates for office are will
ing to pledge themselves upon this
question, not one of the republican
candidates in the state of Nebraska
has dared to say what he would do.
Not one of them has answered that
communication. Not one of them, from
the "sahctiferous" Hon. John H.Mick
eJg, magistrate of this
offended estate, woWiienry. M.
t.,j. . t.-,. i - i'S-rrt-t
Eaton, has been man- enough to v&tfK-
the people into his confidence uflon
mis question..
Now The Independent ,is modest
enough to admit that none of these
candidates was under any obligations
to notice its communication.. The In
dependent admits that their sanctified
souls could not think of acknowledging
George W. Berge
Dr. A. Townsend
REWatzke
J. S. Canaday
John M. Osborne
Albinus A. Worsley
Edward H. Whalen
A. Softley
Speech See Page 3.
receipt of any communication from
this office. The Independent further
knows that not one of these officials .
dares to acknowledge receipt of a com
munication from this office, because
everyone of these candidates Is mort
gaged to and gagged-by the railroads
of this state. The Independent knows
what this means. It has seen strong
men, or. what seemed to be strong men,
cowed do'wn and crushed under the ;
heels of public service corporations. It'
could not, therefore, reasonably hops ;
to see a miserable crowd of ordinary
corporation stool pigeons, exhibit any
courage at all.
But notwithstanding all this modest
admission on the part of The Inde-;
pendent, it was to be presumed that
mese candidates in a sort of "back al
ley" manner would see to it that their'
own official organs would somewhat 1
pledge them upon this Issue, since the
public is so anxious to know about it.:
It was reasonable to think that these
candidates would" have had a heart to
heart talk with their official spokes
men, their state committee, and let the
pu.nic have some Information upon
this question. -
To be sure it was not reasonable to
think that these candidates would even
think of ever taking, the public fully
can not
was rea
sonable to suppose" tlttlt .f jifyvcraven
spirits would have been frigh! tetad into
the knowledge that to sunifd they
must get the votes of the rtle, and
that to do so, it was necesse pi,o make
some kind of an effort fftflt. But
t hAv rh'il tint rtn nn and thprl
red not,
because they are gagged. h
handed over, bag and ba
!ey have
ge, their
honor and their manhoof
tory corporations that hai
purchase the great state I
) prcia
)ugt to
lebr&ska
and the people of this sti.
X2. cattle
on. the plains,' nd the I Wttions
do hot seem to have missed j J ir guess.
They wore true, as they ;ays are,
in the pick of their men' j jhey did
not buy pigs in sacks. Th y -stood by
and. saw them "put into tt' I ficks bo
fore laying, down their ha: I ash.
Here is the aggregation o tAdidates
who, for reasons best knotf h them
selves, dare not state the! position
before the people of this s'Ai as te
whether they will Accept the i Vi bribfl
or not: : U
John H. Mickey, "candidate, lir gov
ernor. U
E. Gi McGilton, for lieuteii gov
ernor. ' Ui
A. Galusha, for secretary cVmate..
E. M. Searle, for auditor. .V v.
N orris Brown, for attorney k T?ral.
J. L. McBrien, for superintend y, ot
Henry M. Eaton, for commiaiaeX
of public lands and buildings.
VeeMortensen,' for treasurj
EamuajrroiiH
Moses P, Kinkald,
ild, for CUugPbu'i
Elmer J. Burkett, for congress.
John J. McCarthy,- for congress.
George W. Norris, for congress.
John L. Kennedy, for congress.
Walter 43. McNeel, for congress.
, : i H. Kk Mauck, for congress.
- Under what obligation are the peo
ple of this, state to the candidates on
tho republican ticket, if those candi
dates do not dare to take the people
into their confidence upon this ques
tion? Why should anybody vote for
th.s aggregation of cowards, if they
fear to pledge themselves that they
will not accept this corporation bribe
the free pass? Is not their silence
a dangerous confession? Is it not
equivalent to admission that these can
didates if again entrusted with office,
will use that office as a lever to secure
from the corporations of this state spe
cial favors that all other citizens can
hot secure? Who doubts this state
ment for a moment? The candidate who
fears or refuses to state his position
upon this question Is unworthy the
support of the people. A self-respecting
"voter will withhold that support.
Not by their refusal to answer The
Independent do they confess their will
ingness to accept this corporation
bribe. , but by their failure to pledge
themselves; by their silence upon one
of the chief issues of this campaign
do they confess that If asrain entrusted
with power they will aeain accept this
pass bribe. But will the people trust
them?
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