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Lincoln Letter
Current Gossip from the
STATE CAPITAL
Legislative and Otherwise
S P 6 by Root of Caas providing
lor stamping packages of liquor
shipped into any community has be
come a law without the signature of
the governor While there were
some objectionable features in the
1111 affecting wholesale druggists who
desire that It be vetoed Governor
Sheldon saw in the bill also some
good features so while he would not
accede to the demands of the whole
salers neither would he sign the bill
The fight in the legislature over a
2 cent passenger faro came to a close
when the senate passed H R 267 the
-Joint committee bill hurried it over
to the house where the sonate amend
ment was immediately concurred In
The bill was then enrolled soon after
was in the hands of the governor Tho
railroads took a last stand in an effort
to kill the emergency clause which
will put the bill In force three days
after it is signed by the governor but
the attempt failed in the senate and
all but four of the senators who gave
thl3 clause as their reason for oppos
ing the bill hurriedly changed their
votes before the final result was an
nounced and lined up with the major
Inty The vote as finally announced
stood 27 to 4 two senators OConnell
of Johnson and Latta of Burt absent
The four senators who persisted in
opposition to the bill even after they
saw it had secured the required ma
jority were Burns of Lancaster Glover
of Custer Gould of Greeley and Hanna
of Cherry
On the first roll call Gibson
Thomas and Saunders of Douglas and
McKesson of Lancaster voted against
the bill giving as their reason the ob
jectionable emergency clause but be
fore the vote was announced all of
them flopped to the affirmative Glover
of Custer at first voted for the bill but
when it appeared that a change in his
vote might defeat the emergency
clause and after consultation with
some of the opposition he changed his
vote to the negative His change came
first and it reduced the vote for the
bill to 23 just one more than enough
to carry the emergency clause When
It was found the emergency clause had
carried there was scurry to get oa the
popular side of the fence
The fight in the senate was watched
with considerable Interest from the
-other end of the state house If the
assault on the emergency clause had
been successful it had been agreed
among the leaders that the house
would take up and pass with the
emergency clause the Sackett
bill which went through the
senate several days ago with -the
emergency clause This would have
put the senate in the awKward position
either of receding from its hostility to
the emergency or killing a part of a
hill it had already passed
The presidents of railroads it was
announced from Chicago last week
had decided to fight 2 cent fare bills
in all western states For the purpose
of bringing on the fight before the leg
islature adjourns it is said a majority
of the members decided to rush the
bill through with the emergency
clause so that the contest may begin
as soon as possible and perhaps per
mit the legislature to take a hand in
the fight
With Harvey of Douglas and Hamer
of Buffalo only voting in the negative
and ninety one members voting in the
affirmative the house passed tho anti
pass bill prepared fcy the railroad com
mittee with the emergency clause
The bill was discussed at length in
the committee of the whole and nu
merous amendments were defeated
and later it was called up and voted
-upon though Hamer tried to get it
recommitted and then rushed to the
senate It carries the emergency
clause Both Harvey and Hamer ex
plained their votes by saying they
-were in favor or an anti pass bill
such as the platform contemplated but
this measure each said was too dras
tic and not in line with the sentiment
of the republican state convention
The bill allows bona fide employes of
railroads to receive passes and the
care takers of live stock vegetables
and poultry and fruit It knocks out
the political railroad lawyer and sur
geon and allows to ride free only
those lawyers and surgeons who re
ceive a salary of at least 1000 from
the railroad which employs them
The house committee on railroads
granted railroad representatives a
final hearing on reciprocal demurrage
bills Several hearings have been
granted at which alleged defects in
ponding bills were pointed out by
railroad men who have however
contested against any legislation of
the kind proposed An entirely new
measure will be drafted
The senate has killed several of the
Insurance bills introduced at the re
quest of the state insurance depart
ment including one to require life
companies to apportion and account
annually for the surplus as to policies
heretofore issued but several of the
- number considered regulating Insur
ance companies were placed on the
general file The friends of the an
nual accounting plan saved one bill
from destruction which came up to
day It provides for an annual appor
tionment only en policies issued in
the future
Appropriations by tho dozen carry
ing sums aggregating thousands of
dollars poured into tho legislative
hopper on next to the last day within
which bills could bo introduced Prob
ably the most important is a recom
mended appropriation by the finance
committee of 250000 for the erection
of a building for the state library and
the supremo court on the capltol
grounds Tho erection of such a
building has been urgently requested
by State Librarian Lindsay who
points out that the present quarters
of the library are so overcrowded
that there isnt room for another vol
ume while the entire library is in
constant danger of fire damagein its
present quarters in the central por
tion of the state capitol building Ac
cording to the apportionment of tho
1 mill levy for the university that levy
Is oxpected to bring in about 645-
000 Its apportionment has been rec
ommended by the finance committeei
as follows
Salaries and -wages 375000
Fuel gas water and lights 38000
Incidentals 8000
Departmental expenses 15000
Farm department maintenance 35000
Printing- postage and station
ery 15000
Books 5000
Repairs 16000
Boilers 15000
Electrical generator 4000
Furniture and apparatus 13000
Equipment 7000
Engineering building 100000
Total G4500o
The people of Thurston county are
anxious to have brought about some
method of securing an adequate re
turn of the expenses which the Win
nebago reservation causes them and
for which they now have to pay out
of the small taxable area of the
county They will attempt to have
this brought about by means of a leg
islative solution to congress As this
county is at present organized there
are about 35000 acres of taxable ter
ritory in the southwest portion There
are 250000 acres in the remainder of
the county which are occupied by In
dians and which qo not pay any taxes
into the county treasurer In spite of
this the white citizens of the county
complain that they have to keep up
a number of bridges and roads on tho
reservation and that the county is put
to a continual expense in trying In
dian cases
The house committee on claims
spnt three hous at night trying to
get at the bottom of the old claim
filed before the legislature four years
ago and two years ago by Allen G
Fisher of Chadron first for 8000 and
then for 11500 and again this year
by Henry Kaup of Cuming county
for 1500 Fr Fisher was not pres
ent but a letter from him was read
in which he offered to appear before
the committee after March 7 He is
now in Rapid City on business The
claim Is for the value of a section of
land in Sioux county formerly owned
by Herman Goedde At his death it
escheated to the state because he had
no heirs living in this country
Armstrong of Nemaha county be
lieves there are too many inquests
being held and if the number could
be decreased the taxpayers in the
various counties would have their
burdens just that much lessened To
remedy what he considers this evil
Mr Armstrong has introduced a bill
providing a fee of 5 to be paid the
coroner for viewing the body of a per
son whether he holds an inquest or
not and the same fee now provided
for in case the Inquest is necessary
Mr Armstrong says the coroners in
quests are held on the slightest pro
vocation
The two big appropriation bills in
troduced in the legislature total 2
922410 The salary bill aggregates
991180 while the current expense
bill with 131820 of miscellaneous
items will total 1931230 The de
ficiencies bill and the miscellaneous
claims bill will require so many
amendments that the totals may not
yet be given with any degree of ac
curacy
Randall of Madison presented a
joint resolution asking the regents of
the i nityto report to the legisla
tures gard to receipts and ex
penditures of money and why they
have not complied with that part of
the law which says that the regents
shall furnish text books to students
at cost The resolution will take the
course of a bill
The house will attempt to get back
from the governor H R 116 by Quack
enbush the bill to increase the fees
of court reporters If the house
doesnt get the bill back the governor
will veto it It has been discovered
the bill increases the salaries of the
court reporters of Douglas and Lan
caster counties out of all proportion to
the work done
The committee on public lands and
buildings selected to visit the vari
ous state institutions reported back
a clean bill for all of them and prac
tically recommended giving to the su
perintendents everything asked for
in the way of appropriations
South Omaha people went tothe
legislature to protest against forcible
annexation with Omaha They ap
peared headed by a band carrying
banners and a Roosevelt big stick
and during the short time they
swarmed through the capitol building
and the legislative halls they made
it understood with emphasis that they
would not be attached by legislative
enactment to any big city that hap
pened to lie adjacent to tneir borders
The legislature devoted part of an
hour in joint session to listen to their
speakers
YOUR OBLIGATIONS
SOME OF THE THINGS YOU
YOUR OWN TOWN
OWE
YOU SHOULD BUY AT HOME
The Country Town Can Be Made
the Very Best Place to
Live In the United
States
Copyright by Alfred C Clark
A preacher who was a crank on
doctrine wearied his congregation by
constantly harping on baptism A
brother that longed for a rest handed
him a text he thought safe The way
of the transgressor Is hard
Friends said the preacher there
are three things suggested by this
Bcripture First the transgressor
Second his conversion Third his
baptism We will pasB over the first
two and come at once to the third
Many reasons why people should
trade at homo rather than send their
money away have been given but sup
pose we pass them all by and come at
once to the one vital reason
It is the right thing to do
For after all the fundamental ques
tion in every transaction is whether
it is right or wrong Not will I save
money but is it just Not is it more
convenient but Is it fair Not
whether is it good business but
whether It Is good morals
For you and I know and all the
world is coming to know that not
one dollar is ever saved or made by
unfair means that does not curse the
possessor And a man may be as dis
honest in saving money as in getting
It
It Is right to spend our money with
the home town and wrong to send it
away because we are under obliga
tions to the home town but not to
the mail order house
Financial Obligations
In the first place the country is un
der financial obligations to the town
Of course the town is also indebted
to the country but the town cannot
help but pay Its debt its very exist
ence does that Hence we are merely
discussing the country side of the ob
ligation
HlMli HiLliJiU
Idolatry
Jennings just worships his auto
I know it In it he lives and moves
and has his beine Judge
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alectric railways have accomplished a
remarkable growth in the last decade
and they are firmly established to
day as a part of the transportation
system of this country The new mo
tive power has become a competitor
of steam but not to the extent of driv
ing the latter from the field as is oc
casionally said So far as the eco
nomic aspects of the competition are
concerned the time seems not yet to
have come when the electric motor
can successfully supplant the steam
locomotive in all those forms of serv
ice which have been developed and
standardized by the latter From the
beginning certain fields of usefulness
have been particularly favorable to
the electric motive power These
fields of adaptability however are
continually broadening so that per
haps in a few years the electric mo
tor may be a successful rival to the
WfWPyy yy g1 1
town you meet your neighbors Satur 1 C J ff7 Q k VET ffl A f M
day afternoons and exchange news S OialULi DJ V EtU 1 Ailll
and experience You go to it for a day
of recreation when the snow comes
the fair or on holidays
There during the winter lecture
course you hear great orators and ex
cellent musicians Thq political rallies
the church conference or association
aro held there
By and by In the pretty little vil
lage church whose spire you can see
from your farm you son will preach
the gospel In the brick building two
doors from the corner a farmer boy
will open a law office and In the little
frame two blocks away another son
of the boII just back from college will
begin the practice of medicine
There is the high school to which
you send your children and there
after awhile your daughter will teach
And some day when you find the
farm work too heavy for your age and
want to get near the children you will
build on that grassy corner lot two
doors from the Methodist church and
move to town
Yes the town is a mighty good
thing to have a pleasant thing and
the more you put Into it the more you
get out of It For It grows according
to the trade it gets and the more it
grows the more it can buy and tho
higher will go your land
The Moral Obligation
But the last and strongest reason
why it is right that the country peo
plo spend their money at home is the
moral obligation
The town is yours yours to ruin or
prosper The same sense of obliga
tion should prompt you to support it
as prompted our old Teutonic ances
tors In the forests of Germany to
stand elbow to elbow in protection of
their village The same spirit of loyal
ty should Inspire you as fired tho
Highland Scot to spend his blood for
the welfare of his clan
The country town with all Its faults
is the best governed most enlight
ened most moral and happiest spot
in American civilization It is a good
safe place Not too swift nor yet too
slow In touch with the current of
progress but not racing with greed
The place from which come nearly all
the great business men lawyers
scholars preachers physicians The
place where men are neighborly and
helpful
This town my farmer friend Is
yours But the city belongs to the
Dont Let the Catalog House Batter Down the Wall of Civil and Industrial
Solidity That Makes for the Safety of Your Community Interests
Find 200 acres of good land almost
anywhere that is 20 miles from town
and you can buy it for 25 an acre
The same land within ten miles will
bring 35 within five miles its value
is 60 within two miles 85 an acre
Thus that town has increased the
land within a radius of ten miles an
average of 35 dollars an acre As
that is about the age of country towns
generally you may figure that a town
as long as it is fairly prosperous in
creases the land around it an average
of one dollar an acre every year
Not considering staple articles like
cattle hogs and grain which can be
shipped and sold anyway the town as
a local market is worth at least 75
a year to the ordinary farmer
For example This year the peach
markets were so glutted no ordinary
fruit would pay the express Around
the little town in which the writer
lives most farmers have a few peach
trees The 4000 Inhabitants bought
nearly every bushel in the vicinity at
from 40 cents to a dollar a bushel
More than 4000 was paid for peaches
within three weeks
That was clear gain which must be
set over to the credit of the town
Plums cherries early vegetables
scores of little odds and ends perish
able stuff that the farmer could not or
would not ship he turns into cash at
th home town
So if a man owns 200 acres within
reach of town he will receive 275 a
year direct cash value from that
town none of which he would receive
from the mail order house
To be sure the town does not do
nate him that amount the town was
not built for the purpose of philan
thropy yet he receives an actual cash
benefit because the town is there and
he is under actual financial obliga
tions to return that benefit by spend
ing his money at home
It is not an obligation that the law
rcould recognize but it is one that ap
peals to those Independent clean
hearted men of high honor who feel
that perfect honesty demands that
when benefits are received from
stranger or brother friend or foe
benefits should be returned
Social Obligations
It Is right for thecountry to spend
Its money with the home town because
of the social obligations between
them
The town is the center of your com
munity From it radiates your rural
mail service in it center your tele
phone systems On tho nt ao o
mail order houses and the devil With
its corrupt government its overflow
of population and Its vice the great
city is the menace of our morals and
our liberties
The city like the dragon swallows
the vast throngs of country boys and
girls that flock into it and by and by
when health and virtue and hope are
gone spews them out to die in want
or wander as derelicts over the face
of the earth
And dont you see my friend that
when you take the money from the
country town you destroy the chance
of success there and the boys and
girls will follow where you have sent
the money
This town of yours was founded on
faith on the faith in the customs of
men for hundreds of years to trade at
the nearest town These merchants
and carpenters masons and editors
are your neighbors They have grown
up amongst you or amongst others
like you
They have put their all in a little
business money time and hope
Around the corner there is a little cot
tage and the wife and the baby it
may be your grandbaby wait and
there is a smile of happiness when
business is good but the troubled
look comes when business is poor
They are struggling to live and pay
for the little home and by and by ed
ucate the children They are your
neighbors and friends not your ene
mies They work hard you scarcely
realize how hard and are not living
high They have pinned their faith
to the town your town
Their success or failure is in your
hands For your trade they will give
you good returns and all will prosper
together If you withdraw your trade
failure must follow Some poor strug
gler must go down facing bankruptcy
The light must go out of some wom
ans eye and hardship be laid up for
the child
Even If you could save a little by
sending your patronage to the city do
you not think it the fair thing the just
thing the right thing to trade at the
little home town with those you know
those whose prosperity and happiness
are in your hands
For it is written Thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself
WILLIAM H -
DITCHED RUNAWAY LOCOMOTIVE
JUST IN TIME
Engineer Tell3 of Experience That
Put a Few Gray Hairs In Hla
Head But Ended Better
Than He Expected
After comin aroun tho bend In
Collins Cut said the fat engineer I
lust glanced back to see that tho mark
ers those little red and green tall
lights which mark the end of a train
were there all right I leaned way
out of the cab window n counted the
sleepers as they swept aroun the
curve
Yes there they came all right
burnln like bright little emeralds n
I knew my train was all together n
followin me safely down the hill
The night I am speakin of I was
running the Sunrise Limited as the
fast eastern express on our road was
called It was In March n gentle
spring was already spreadin her vel
vet touch over the land
We had had a deal of snow that
winter n now that it was commencln
to thaw out the stuff was makin quite
a little trouble for the management
slidin aroun the tracks from the
mountainside sometimes bringin a
piece of hill with it
As I glanced back along the sides
of the glistenin coaches I was attract
ed by a glare along the rails behind
my train n in another second a head
light flashed aroun the curve out of
the cut in our wake makin very fast
time Even a blind baggage car could
see that one of the engines in the
yards at the top of the mountain had
slipped her throttle n was running
away chasm us down the mountain
I was some set back for a second
but the only thing for me to do was to
turn on a full head of steam n make
the best time I could which wasnt
the safest thing in the world to do as
we generally hold em pretty steady
comin down the mountain but I must
show a clean brace of tail lights to the
runaway
She wasnt quite a quarter of a
mile behind us n looked like a fiery
comet comin down the rails as her
firebox door was open n with uvery
exhaust of the engine the flare from
her furnace lit up the sky My engine
bounded forward under a wide open
throttle n our race for the lives of
those in the rear sleepers was on
Notwithstandin the weight of the
train behind me which should give
me a little advantage over the light
engine comin down the hill we didnt
seem to be able to shake her off An
each time I trusted myself to glance
back at her she seemed to be crawlin
up on us a little
If I could keep a few yards of
moonlight between the pilot of the
wildcat n my rear car until we got
down the mountain n started up the
Razorback on the other side I could
drop my engine down n leave the run
away behin as by that time she
would be out of steam n lay down
like a runaway horse which has shot
its bolt But I wouldnt bet more n
50 B R T rebate checks to a rag doll
that we would beat her down
However we had a fightin chance
n the way I pounded my good old en-
ELECTRIC AND STEAM LINES
Motor Has by No Means Supplanted
the Locomotive
The competition of electric inter
jrban railways with present systems
of steam railways in the passenger
traffic has of late become a matter of
some popular interest and of more or
ess common speculation Much is
currently written and spoken upon
the subject but cf these discussions
glue sent the hot coals out of th
stack I was gottln a llttlo nervous
as that light ongino hung onto our
trail Uko a bicycle cop after a spoodln
auto
Comin through Rocky Hol
ler I got sovoral chills down my spine
as tho watchman down by tho llttlo
shanty was hysterically wavln his
green lantern at me Durin tho thaw
the road had sovoral watchmen sta
tioned at Intervals down tho mountain
to watch for landslides n warn ap
proachln trains Evldontly thoro was
a dangerous spot In tho track that tho
watchman had discovered n he was
signalln me to come ahead with ex
treme caution
I sure was up against tho real
thing now A wildcat engine pressin
mo hard on the rear Hank n a danger
ous piece of track ahead This was a
case where tho rule book failed to
help me out
Take a safe course n run no
risks says tho railroad Hoylo In chilly
black doublo face type Which was
the safe course for me
I did some quick mental calculatln
n concluded to keep a full head of
steam up Ive read In newspapers
about trains beatln their way through
slight landslides n there was a show
for me to cut through it if there was
one ahead
But if I stopped my train that en
gine behind would be half through
those sleepln cars klllln n malmln
the sneozin passengers It would bo
safer for me personally to slow down
but I was not so selfish as to consider
my personal safety
So we bounced along by the fright
ened watchman with speed not a whit
diminished I fairly stopped breathln
as we whirled down through the Hol
ler Just beyond the watchmans
shanty I felt a tremblin of the track
n my engine keeled badly
I clung to the cab cxpectln every
second we would slide down the bank
But we kept the -rails We had bare
ly passed the shanty when there was
a rumblin sound n I saw the little
watchmans cabin swirlin down the
bank
The heavy weight of our train at
its terrific speed had caused the track
to give way n slide out just in lime
to take the runaway engine with it n
we were out of our bad mess
Cassatt Kept His Horses
A J Cassatt president of the Penn
sylvania railroad always liked a good
horse When he was a vice president
and director of the line he owned a
small string of racers which he enter
ed as representatives of the Willow
brook stable At that time Mr Rob
erts was president and as there was
a strong quaker influence in the board
Mr Cassatt was gently reminded that
he should resign from Willowbrook
or from the road He did both at once
and ere long It became evident that
he was taking up with tho Reading
railroad The Pennsylvania people
hastily requested him to resume rela
tions with them Mr Cassatt placidly
assented buc thereafter his horses
were entered under his own name
Rolling Stock
In round numbers 380000000 was
spent last year in rolling stock for the
American railroads More than 250
000000 was spent in freight cars A
freight car costs about 1000 and a
passenger car about 8000 The price
of a good engine is about 15000
a certain amount seems to be based equipment of the earlier days involved
jpon sensational statements or upon
mistaken ideas as to the comparative
older power in almost all important
particulars but until that time comes
the competition of electric roads with
steam railways will be confined prin
cipally to competition in special fea
tures of transportation and to certain
localities where particular conditions
bring the two systems into conflict
This restriction of the competition
to special features and localities has
been and is the keynote of the situa
tion with regard to any contest foi
business between the electric and the
steam roads The electric railway
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certain technical limitations which
made the system unsuited for any but
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tanumg oi tne two railway industries comparatively short distance trans
mit the present time The interurban portation These features are now
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largely removed as far as the tech
nical limitations are concerned but
notwithstanding the most recent de
velopments the electric roads still
are favored as a means of transporta
tion far more for short distance than
for long distance travel And even for
short distance travel the electric
service will appeal chiefly to certain
classes of patronage only Many pas
sengers are always found who prefer
to travel by the steam trains With
regard to the merchandise traffic the
sphere of the electric road has been
still more limited and the amount of
-freight carried by them except in a
few isolated instances has been insig
nificant Likewise with regard to lo
calities the competition of interurban
roads has been specialized rather than
general for the roads are at present
confined principally to a comparative
ly small section of this country
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