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About The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1910)
ft X fc j V s f r i SUPPLEMENT TO McCOOK Neb TRIBUNE ALDRICH AT HOME David City Neb Oct 1 A canvass of the people -who know C H Aid rich as fellow townsmen and neighbors during the last twenty years has just been completed for the purpose of letting the state know something def inite about the personality and pri vate record of the republican nominee for the governorship The opinion of the community will be given in the words of representative people com prising it They will show that Mr Aldrich is a man of substance and fine reputation whose private and public life can be investigated to the bottom without disclosing a flaw A correspondent going from store to store and from office to office around the public square of this thrif ty and high grade county seat town found the business and professional men ready to give out their testimony In such a hearty and positive manner as to leave no doubt as to their con fidence in their townsman that ho is not only able not only sincere but enthusiastic to carry into the execu tive office at Lincoln the high purpose expressed in the republican state platr form and in his own public utterances Vhat His Neighbors Say Across the street from the Central National bank is the general merchan dise store of Mr George Schweser Mr Schweser being himself a sue cessful business man was asked to make a statement for publication of his judgment of Mr Aldrich from the business mans point of view I judge Mr Aldrlchs business as I do those of other men from what he chows up for himself He came to this county a poor boy fresh from college taught school at Ulysses one of the towns in this county came from there here with his young wife whom he married there came here to begin his career as a lawyer has been here ever since nearly twenty years has prac ticed law and been successful in that profession engaged in other line3 of business on the side from time to time succeeded in the other enter prises provided well for his family all the time schooled his children four sons has now a profitable law busi ness one of the good homes here has a 320 acre farm a few miles out in the country some other property and is on the whole not rich but well to do and prosperous I call that success from a business standpoint Mr Aldrich is broad minded and progressive in his views of public af fairs He wants the best schools the latest and best methods and appli ances in public Institutions but he is no visionary no experimentor nor waste of public money I believe he would give the state a first class and clean administration The next man interviewed was Al binus Eberly a banker and retired farmer I have known Mr Aldrich about twenty five years said Mr Eb erly When I was on the farm I used to be called on the jury A farm er juror watches the lawyers in court He learns to judge their character and methods I learned from that experi ence to know Mr Aldrich as a hard lighter in a trial He is plum full of energy always in dead earnest about everything but in the trial of a case he fights with all his might He wants to win his cause I have always admired him for his courage and his grit as a lawyer But Mr Eberly you are a bank di rector now as well as a farmer and you are a part of a big business that is more or less jealous of the progres sive laws and of aspiring politicians and public men who cater to progres sive public sentiment Is Mr Aldrich a fire eater who wants to attack busi ness for the sako of being popular with the masses No not a bit of it He is too much of a business man himself for that He prospers in his own business af fairs wants every other business man to prosper but he is a stickler for the law He wants the business interests big and little to respect the laws and he wants the laws to be made so that every man rich or poor will have an even chance Both the farmers and the business men of this county will have confidence in Mr Aldrich if he goes to Lincoln The next business man seen was G W Gates He said Mr Aldrich Is a good citizen I want to say that about him because it is true and the people of the state have a right to know it Everybody here even his most active political enemies will agree to that Mr Aldrich is enter prising and public spirited Thats a good point in his favor now He wants the best conditions in the city affairs here where he was mayor for a time and in the public schools where he has been a member of the school board for years He has had jots of experience In our public mat iJKt T ASll aii 1 a mt ters of this town and county and we know him as a leader who leads to wards better conditions all the time Mr Benison a business man said I have known Mr Aldrich a good many years From what I know of him I would have absolute confidence in every promise ho would make He is no ready promiser On the whole I should say he is thoroughly depend able and will not disappoint the public nor betray the people If ho is elected governor George Wanser hotel man I knew Chet Aldrich when he was a young fellow teaching the school at Ulysses I knew Mrs Aldrich when she was a girl there before they were married They have lived an ideal life and have a fine family of four bright boys The boys worked out on the farm when they were not fn school Aldrich is a clean home man Everybody knows that He Is a great horse man He used to own some of the fastest horses in the state He has had lots of experience in fine horses and fine cattle He has a herd of white faced cattle now some of them the best in the state Aldrich has been a mighty busy man here If he gets to be governor he will be a worker He cant keep still He is right at something all the time and he makes It go James Frater druggist If you ask me about Mr Aldrich I will say this He is a good worker a good thinker and a man of good purposes and good principles He has an active mind Now I say that about him because it is true and its a good recommenda tion for a man who is going to be put in a responsible public position Then I want to say another thing He is a common man who puts himself on the level with the common people and thinks of them and of their interests He gets this characteristic from his early life and he Is too independent to change himself now If he goes in to the governors office he will be square with the interests of the com mon people His head Is all right his heart is right his judgment 13 right and his sympathies are In the right line W C Buchta jeweler I believe Aldrich will be one of the very best governors the state ever had He Is keen minded to see things sees them correctly and wants to succeed in whatever he undertakes He is pro gressive all the time in his political views but is no fault finder nor chronic howler of calamity He will not persecute an Interest unless It is something he thinks Is positively bad and then hell fight itno matter what the consequences are to himself Mr Myaat banker If you want me to make a statement about Mr Aldrich I will just say that I know him well know his business methods his politi cal history and his work here in a public way and from that knowledge I would say he would be a thoroughly safe man for governor He is progres sive but hes a builder up and not a tearer down Thats the way I would put it You cant wheedle Aldrich nor procure him nor bluff him Mr Aid rich is an open kind of man He se cretes nothing Whatever he is every body knows Hell undoubtedly make mistakes if he gets to be governor for they all do but Aldrich will never get tangled up in any manipulations that will discredit him J G Ross banker Aldrich made his own way through school came out here to Nebraska and succeeded Hes a self made man He is not visionary He dont get rattled I have had lots of business with him and have always found him on the square I believe that he will be elected and that he will make a splendid governor If I did not think so I would not endorse him C O Crosthwait banker Aldrich has the qualities that have made Gov ernor Folk famous He is quick to see to judge which is the right course and he moves straight forward with energy and ability He is like Gover nor Hanley of Indiana full of senti ment and full of enthusiasm in any cause If he Ib elected governor I shall expect him to grow into general favor with the Nebraska people Gene Wright business man I can not say now that I fully agree with Mr Aldrich in his county option views But I am bound to say that I have the utmoBt confidence In his sincerity and in his ability as a man and that if elected his administration will be clean and competent Every one here who knows him will say that of him whether they agree with him political ly or not Democrat Gives Support J F Ammond hardware store I used to be a democrat But I am sup porting Mr Aldrich now I know him well know him to be an upright man a progressive man one who cannot bo swerved from his duty to the public He is neither a coward nor a trimmer The people of the state ought to know him from his legislative record He is what I call a man of the people Ex State Senator Hastings attor ney I am not agreeing with Mr Aldrich in everything but I want to speak fairly of him He is a good lawyer a good business man and he is competent to handle the public business as governor He is ambitious I think wants public applause but he will do what he says he will do His career so far has been a success Anton Ptacek business man I A L Hughes abstractor Put me down for Aldrich I believe in him and I conscientiously recommend him to the thousands who are to vote in the election Ed G Hall postmaster I know Mr Aldrich thoroughly and I hope he will be elected not simply because he Is a republican but because I believe he will make good He has right ideas and he will carry them out Henry Bock farmer I am in a hur ry I am in town only for a few mo ments I voted in the primary for Shallenberger for I am a democrat But I am going to vote for Aldrich at have known Mr Aldrich about twenty five years I knew him at Ulysses when he was a young fellow I know that he stands high there now He got every republican vote but three or four there in the primary Mr Aldrich is a very outspoken man If he gets to be governor hell offend some people now and then with his abruptness for he is decided in his manner but the public will respect him when they find him out Aldrich has a good deal of sympathy and sen timent in his make up Anyone who hears him speak in public can tell that But hes got lots of practical sense Hes a close student He has in his home one of the fie est libraries the election I dont want to see this state cut loose from lav and order and everything that is decent We cant afford to do that Theres a lot of democratic farmers in this county who think just as I do Good bye William Kilgore retired farmer Im for Aldrich Hes on the right side of the case Hell do what he says and hell do it right Troy Eller merchant We are strong for Aldrich here We know him and we believe in him Some think he is too radical but he Is just simply in earnest thats all He wants what Is right in government and we all want that I think hell be elected and I believe hell make a splendid gover nor COUNTY OPTION IS NOT PROHIBITION County option does not put in a saloon nor take out a saloon On presenting a petition to the county board with the legal number of signatures all the voters of any county may say whether they do want a saloon or whether they do not want one At present all the villages towns and cities in Nebraska have option The taxpayers outside the towns are required to pay court expenses and assist in the maintenance of jails and penitentiaries thereby forcing them into the position of being taxed without representation and virtually disfranchised Should the coming legislature pass the county option law any county not voting on the proposition afterwards would retain the Slocumb law and 8 oclock closing law as at present It is eminently fair to let Douglas county have what she wants and at the same time let the outside counties have what they want which both could get by majority vote of their own people Let all the people rule The democratic platform stands for the initiative and referendum which will give all the counties the right to vote on the liquor question the same as county option Hence county option does not restrict personal liberty it enlarges it in the state and Is a great reader I would sum up Aldrich this way He is a good lawyer a good farmer a good stock man a good man in public affairs and he is above all else a clean home man and a good citizen Captain J F Zellinger We are backing Mr Aldrich hore because we believe he will make good He has proven himself here among us and we believe he will make good If he gets to the state house in Lincoln I want to say this in particular about him He will carry out his promises John Harper merchant and for four years treasurer of Butler county I have been here thirty six years I can sincerely commend Mr Aldrich to tho Nebraska people Theyll not be disappointed in him if they elect him governor L C Harris a storekeeper We are proud of Mr Aldrich In David City We are expecting him to be elected and to give the Nebraska people an administration that will not be disap pointing W A WellB lumber merchant One trouble with public affairs is that the men we elect to office are pulled away from their duty to the public by the men and the interests who have axes to grind The special interests want to use the officials and they manage to get a good many of them Well I can say this of Mr Aldrich they cant use him Hes too independent in character for that They couldnt hold him back when he went In for that freight rate law Weve tried him here and found him true at every point Hell be just as square with the public when he is governor as he was when he was state senator J A Constant editor of the Peo ples Banner a republican paper Mr Aldrich Is a man of strong will I dont mean that he is stubborn and self opinionated He is an open and candid man ready to talk out his plans with everybody and ready to change his course if he finds hes wrong but whenever he once sets his mind on a certain course after he has Investigated and satisfied himself that he is right then you cant move him He was that way in the senate Thats why he is popular here He got every republican vote but three or four in tho primary at Ulysses where he used to live He got all but seven of the republican votes cast here He got all but twenty five votes in the whole county at the republican primaries Hell get a lot of democratic votes in this county at the general election I E Doty bank president Every fair minded man who knows Mr Aid rich well as I do will agree with me that he is a man of most excellent qualities in every way we measure men He has good ability plenty of courage and is absolutely sincere and faithful in whatever he undertakes I know a good many bankers and men of affairs in this state I want to be quoted as saying to them that I be lieve Mr Aldrich qualified to be and that ho wili be if elected one of the safest and ablest governors we have ever had Well Informed populist leaders who know the voting strength of the party in the state and the general sit uation say the populist vote for Mr Aldrich will more than offset the re publican vote that will go to the -democratic candidate on account of the saloon issue There is no better authority as to this situation than A M Walling one of the prominent citizens of David City and now grand master workman of the Ancient Order of United Work men Mr Walling was seen at his office He had just returned from Lin coln where the populist state commit tee had rejected the old fusion with the democrats and refused to put the name of the democratic candidate for governor on the populist state ticket Mr Walling spoke of the old unien that had existed for so many years be tween the populists and democrats but said it was off now so far as the elec tion of governor Is concerned on this one question of county option and that in his judgment 90 per cent of the populists would support Aldrich They are for Aldrich he says not only on account of county option but because they prefer the character of Mr Aid- rich to that of Mr DaKlman It was a great day m Lincoln said Mr Walling Our state committee turned down Mr Dahlman and while we were doing that that our voters might be free to cast their ballots for Aldrich the Hon George I Wright prohibition candidate for governor was resigning his candidacy in the in terests of Mr Aldrich and at the same time Mr Bryan loved by the populists more than any other man In the nation was declaring himself against tho democratic candidate Dahlman It was a great day It all means a good deal for Nebraska It means that the people who want law and order are getting together regardless of party It is fortunate for the popu lists who as a rule are farmers clean and law abiding people that the repub licans have put up for governor a man that every good citizen can support with a clear conscience I have known Mr Aldrich sixteen years We do not agree on everything political but I have found him square and sincere and I like a man of that kind even if his views do not match with mine In every particular We are together this year onthe issue that is before the people and I intend to support him with all my might The populists so fa ras I know are practicaly unani mous for Mr Aldrich and knowing him well as I do I am glad as a citi zen of this town where he lives to recommend him as a man who will not fool the people who trust him Hes a splendid man in his public spirit He gets behind things such as our new library that we are building here our churches our schools our city affairs and be always works In a hearty and manly way for the best things Endorsed by the Ministers The last men seen by the cor respondent at David City- were the ministers They are not on the street and so had to be called on at their homes The Rev Mr Gettys of the M E church to which Mr Aldrich and his family belong was warm and enthusiastic in his commendation of Mr Aldrich I want you to say this from me said Mr Gettys that Mr Aldrich has the confidence of the Christian people of David City and of Butler county Whatever his political enemies may say of him they cannot truthfully say that he is not a clean man a good home man sincere and consistent as a church member and he is a work i ing member of the church The other ministers here will tell you the same There is no sweeter home than his nor no man who is more loved by his family Everybody here knows that I am not such a church bigot as to want him to be governor of tho state simply because he belongs to my church but I want to see clean Christian men in public office for every state government ought to- be clean at the top at least Go and sea the other ministers and find out what they think of Mr Aldrich Rev Mr Kleihauer pastor of the Christian church is a son-in-law of Dr W P Aylsworth chancellor of Cotner university Speaking of Mr Aldrich Mr Kleihauer said I have watched Mr Aldrich since I have been pastor of our church here in David City He is one of the leading men here and I have been Interested In his course I find him a man of good principles true in his character and clean in his life as a citizen and as a church member Mr Aldrich planned the dry campaign here three years ago when we drove the saloons out of David City He went into the fight With the viETOr and parnptiiB fTio characterizes him in everything he undertakes It was suggested that Mr Aldrich as senator voted against county op tion Certainly he did said Mr Klei hauer and we understood that here County option was not an Issue whenv he ran for the senate If it had been Mr Aldrich would have been defeated This county as a whole Is strongly democratic and strongly against coun ty option When the county option Issue was raised in the senate he felt that he must vote a vote that -would represent the majority will of his con stituents in this county because they had not considered that issue when they were voting for him and had not had an opportunity to ca3t their votes against him But in order to put him self fair before the people of his own county and the people of the stata when he announced his candidacy for governor he proclaimed It boldly that he would favor county option and he put it out plain so that everybody could understand and could vote against him on that issue if they wanted to Rev D F Firor pastor of the Bap tist church was found in tho base ment of the church helping to repair the furnace He seemed glad to ba called upon to give his testimony for his fellow townsman I have a high opinion of Mr Aldrich he said I got that estimate of him from my personal acquaintance and from what the people here say of him I hava been here only two years but that is long enough to learn that Mr Aldrich is held m high esteem by the church people of this town He has been a consistent worker here for the best things He is clean in his home life and has a fine family Dr C S Beede of David City a prominent physician was seen on the train on his way to Omaha He was very earnest in his endorsement oj Mr Aldrich Mr Aldrich is an en thusiast said the doctor not of tho visionary kind an enthusiastic builder up of any cause he espouses He is a man who proclaims from the house tops what he believes In the closet You can always depend on what ha says I mean by that that he will keep his promises If he changes his course at any time it is not for policy but for principle He is no political side stepper Mr Aldrich as an Executive W S McCoy formerly of David City but now with the Lincoln Safe Deposit and Trust company of Lin coln was asked for his estimate of Mr Aldrich from the standpoint of his former association with him as an essoclate in city affairs I lived in Butler county thirty two years I ttos city clerk of David City twelve years During that time Mr Aldrieh was mayor and member of the city council several years and was chairman of the finance committee He has exception ally good ability In handling publlo business He is quick and accurate He was the one man in tho city gov ernment who gave close attention to the accounts As mayor he put out the slot machines and kept them out and kept order In the city They had saloons in David City then There was an ordinance that required them to close at ten oclock This ordi nance had never been enforced When the day came for the licenses to be issued at the beginning of Mr Aid richs administration he called tho saloon men In I was right there a the time and he gave them a stralghj talk He told them before they paid their money they must understand that the ten oclock ordinance would be strictly enforced A little later some of the saloon men appealed to him to let them remain open till eleven oclock on Saturdays They said their best trade was on Saturday night Yes said Mr Aldrich If I would override the law and say eleven oclock then youd want to leave tho back door open until twelve oclock You want to violate the law and you want me to indorse your violation which would make me a violator too I have taken an oath and you want me to violate it for your benefit 111 not consent to it And he didnt Ho enforced the ordinance to the letter I mention this because it shows him as he is a man who respects the law and feels a proper sense of responsi bility Mr Aldrich Is not a bully nor a tyrant but hes a strong and posi tive man when he is under responsV bllity
