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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 1954)
mtm v.v.v.v.v.v.v. v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v. EDITORIALS AC'tvXv " " " ".-...'.. .... v...v, ......".............. ..... ,, ""..."...,..,.,..,,.....,..., .. AARE MAY PREVENT DROWNING Vacation time is in full swing and, judging from the experience of other years, 3,500 lives will be lost by acciden tal drowning during these next few months. This represents only about half of the total number of people drowned each year but they are crowded into the three summer months. The annual death toll in the United States from drowning grows larger each year. More than one-half of those dying in this manner are young persons under twenty-four years of age. The largest sin gle group of persons. drowned is the group of youths between fifteen and nineteen years. Every vacationist should be careful this summer. A period of rest and relax ation from work is fine and necessary, but carelessness should not rob it of its pleasure. To venture too far in the surf or to take chances in a swift current means running the risk of drowning. Swimmers should be extremely careful. WYE NEED LOYAL AMERICANS y It is a favorite pastime of most Am ericans to discuss what the country needs. Just now, however, in a period as critical as any that the Republic has faced, we might point out that the nation needs most the loyal support of patriotic men and women and the confidence of those who beleve in the democratic way of life. There is no substitute for loyalty. Flag waving, public demonstrations and community-wide expressions of solidarity do not replace the faithful individual, upon whom successful government depends. As a citizen, it is essential for you to make your contribution to the United States of America. We do not know, and w.b would hesi tate to suggest, what any man, woman or child do in the present emergency. We do not have the intelligence to outline a pro gram for all to follow. We would modestly recommend however, that loyal Americans consider their present condition and the plight of their country and then make some positive contribution to the common good. Do not mislead yourself. You cannot make a positive contribution to the cause of civilization in the face of great danger without some personal sacrifice. If you have any plan in mind wheh enables you to escape the pressure of world conditions, you can put it aside because it will not work. You cannot contribute at a profit. THE PUBLIC AND COLUMNISTS ' Recent headlines have told tha stories of low-level court fights between more than one newspaper columnist, and another public figure or writer. In these cases it has become all too evident that certain writers have been, and are, using their columns as personal vehicles to vent their wrath, hatred and personal preju dices. The free press is, of course, a great thing in our American way of life. It must be preserved at all cost. One of the un healthy trends in U. S. journalism in the last few decades is the trend toward ir responsible columnists. The columnist to day replaces, to some degree, the vocifer ous and personal editorials of the past. While editorials have grown more dig nified and tend to stress both sides of an issue, giving the facts and allowing the reader to appraise the entire situation, columnists do not operate in that manner. Too many columnists attempt to sen sationalize everything in the desire to get reader-appeal and sell their columns. Both the. reading public and the columnists are to blame. Several New York and Washing- THOUGHT FOR TODAY Our zeords have wings, but fly not where zv e would. George Eliot The Platfsmoufh Journal Official County and City Paper ESTABLISHED IN 1881 Published Semi-Weekly, Mondays and Thursdays, at 410 Main Street, Plattsmouth Cass County, IMebr. Three Times Winner Ak-Sar-Ben Plaques for "OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE" 1949 1951 1952 "Honorable Mention" 1953 Presented Nebraska Press Association "GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD" First in 1952 Second in 1951 and 1953 (In Cities Over 2000 Population) RONALD R. FURSE Publisher HARRY J. CANE ' Editor VERN WATERMAN Advertising SOPHIA M. WOLEVER Society Editor jjjjj uiukai wicsiu Ksrcxn filtered at the Post Office at Plattsmouth. Nebraska, la second class mall matter in accordance with the vet of Congress of March 3. 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATE: $3.50 per year in Cass and adjoining counties, $4.00 per year elsewhere, in advance, by mail outside the city of Platts mouth. By carrier in Plattsmouth, 20 cents for two weeks. Furse's Down Fresh Flashes A Sunday School teacher here asked the class recently about Peter. "Surely, one of you must know who Peter was?:' A small Voice from the rear replied, "I fink he was a wabbit." Plastic surgery can do almost anything with the human nose except keep it out of other people's business. The bonds of matrimony aren't worth very much unless the interest is kept up. Civilization is a wonderful thing. If we didn't have it we wouldn't know how much the human system could stand. The cook who makes sandwiches up the street has not heard that "man does not live by bread alone." A Plattsmouth man says fun is just like insurance the older you get the more it costs. "He who dances must pay the fiddler," says an old adage. He must also pay the hat check girl, the waiter, doorman and parking attendant. , They've got a new definition for a "Com mercial Traveler." He's the guy who moves away from his TV set during the commercial. ton columnists earn their living by feeding the public cheap gossip and sensational and inaccurate trash. They are not news papermen in the real sense, but sensation al gossip peddlers. Yet, income figures show that these are the most popular "journalists" in the country. And they are often the ones in volved in cheap court actions, such cases often revealing obviously inaccurate, un truthful and spiteful reporting. Every citizen should make an honest effort to distinguish between reliable re porting and sensational gossip. Newspa pers print irresponsible and scandalous columns because the public reads them and demands them, just as the public reads and demands low level and vulgar novels. .-rrr.-.-.-.-r. Memory Lane YEARS AGO V. A 23.95 mill levy has been estab lished by the city council of Plattsmouth for the fiscal year, with 10 mills ear marked for bond and interest payments . . . The marriage of Miss Harriett Cheney to George Fitsimmons was solemnized at Lin coln . . . Merritt Pollard of Nehawka suf fered a fractured collar bone and shoulder blade when thrown from a load of hay . . . Wm. Patrick O'Donnell, Jr., lost the tip of one finger when it was -accidentally caught in the meat grinder at a grocery store where he is employed . . . Miss D. Louise Johnson and Carl Timm Rector of Weeping Water were married July 9 at Plattsmouth . . . Frank Linder, 12, of Mur ray, received a severe laceration from his shoulder to his hip when he fell on a glass lamp shade . . . Fire caused considerable damage to the U. P. Church parsonage, when Christmas ornaments in an upstairs room burst into flame . . . $110,000 has been authorized for four miles of paving near Elmwood on Highway 34. r YEARS AGO The marriage of Miss Helen Wil helmena Woolcott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Woolcott, to Francis Marquette Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Smith, was solemnized July 19 at St. John's church . . .Mrs. E. E. Moore has be.m elected noble grand of the Rebekah Lodge at Weepng Water. Mrs. Ray Tankersley is vice noble grand, and Mrs. E. A. Mich elsen, warden . . . William Knaup was dragged for about 100 feet behind a cul tivator after the horses became excited, when the machine hit a rut and rolled ov er . . . Mr. and Mrs. Wilford Hoshar of Murray celebrated their silver wedding: anniversar3r . . . Pvt. Donald Bushnell ar rived home on furlough from Camp Hale, Colo. ... A. W. Cloidt and Edward How ard are two of several men interested in organizing a barber shop chcrus . . . Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Sullivan of Murray are the parents of a daughter born at an Om aha hospital. The Washington Merry-Go-Round (Copyright, 1954, By the Bell Syndicate, Inc.) DREW PEARSON SAYS: SENATE REVIEWS AVENUES OPEN TO RE BUKING MCCARTHY; HENRY FORD FORCED SEN. NEWBERRY'S , RESIGNATION JN 1922; UTILITIES v BACKED SEN; SMITH UNSEATED FOUR YEARS LATER. WASHINGTON In view of Senator Flanders', insistensc on a vote on his anti McCarthy resolution, senatorial research ers have been looking up the precedent. for unseating or disciplining members of the Senate. Ticklers ..w ' LI Grandpaw Lane finally There was one other case of senatoral censure in recent years been expelled , from the senate: and one case where a senator was on the point of expulsion when he resigned. In the House of Representatives there have been two cases this year where Congressmen were relieved of committee chairmanships by a vote of their fellow members Clare Hoffman of Michigan and Alvin Weichel cf Ohio. The senator who was censured was Hiram Bingham of Connec ticut, Republican, who had brought a representative of the Connecticut, Manufacturers As sociation into a closed hearing on the Smoot-Hawley Tariff during the Hoover administra tion. Following a vote of censure he was defeated the next elec tion. The two senators ousted were William Vare of Pennsylvania and Frank Smith of Illinois, both elected in 1926. Truman Newberry of 'Michigan, elected in 1918, faced a certain ouster when he resigned. Henry Ford Vs. Newberry Of these, perhaps the most interesting case is that of Sen ator Newberry, vxo previously served as Secretary of the Navy in the cabinet of President The odore Roosevelt. Newberry nin against Henry Ford and de feated him. Ford, founder of the automo bile empire, ran on both the Republican and Democratic ti ckets, lost out to Newberry in the Republican primary, then in the final election. Woodrow Wil son, then President, supported Ford quite a change from his grandson Henry Ford II, who has been a vigorous Republican. After his defeat, Ford claimed fraud and charged Newberry with spending $500,000. The ex penditure of large amounts of money, was noted during the campaign by Arthur Vanden berg, later a senator, then editcr of the Grand Rapids Herald Newberry was tried and con victed of violating the corrupt practices act, but the higher courts set the conviction aside. And when his case came be fore the Senate he was finally seated even though his own financial report showed the ex penditure of $195,000 which ,ws considered an exorbitant cam paign fund in thos days. The vote was 46 to 43 with all Dem ocrats voting against him, plus eight Republicans including Borah of Idaho and Edge of New Jersey. Popular reaction to the New berry case was such that the Democrats scored heavily in the 1922 Congressional elections. Even Senator Townsend of Michigan, a Republican who championed Newberry, was de feated. Eleven days after, the election, onNov. 18, 1922, facing an al most certain ouster, Newberry resigned. Some Democratic senators r,ee a parallel in the McCarthy case today and figure that a vote for McCarthy on the Flanders Res olution will boomerang against the Republicans next November. Private Utility Senator The case against Sen. Frank Smith of Illinois four years later was based upon the fact that the big utilities contributed $203,000 to his Republican primary. The late Sam Insull, one of the big gest utilities magnates in tne midwest, contributed $125,000 with the balance coming from ether magnates, including Clem ent Studebaker, president of 1 linois Power and Light. Smith was then head of the Illinois Commerce Commission which regulated the utilities j The Senate immediately inves tigated, and by a two-thirds ma- 1 . i . i j. . j. r : . T - ' joniy vuiea lo uiiea,i omnii. i Ironically, Harold Ickes, progres- j sive Republican and a strong j new dealer in the Roosevelt cab- j inet, hri originally supported! him. It was also in 1926 that Wil liam Vare of Pennsylvania was elected and also unseated though after a two-year. debate. Roosevelt'iBull-Mooser . Vare spent $785,000 on his own campaign;1 Though he won both j the primary and the election, his Democratic opponent, William B. Wilson, the former coal miner who served as Secretary of La- j bor in Woodrow Wilson's cab- J inet, challenged the . election, ! and after a long battle Vare was voted out of the Senate by By George got his driver's licenser his own colleagues, Capital News Capsules the Am erican Embassy reports that Senator Knowland is responsi ble for Prime Minister Church ill's sudden decision to oppose Red China's admission to the United Nations. Churchill was greatly alarmed at Knowland's threat to pull the United States out of the U. N. He read about Knowland's stand while he was ! on the SS Queen Elizabeth en route home. The old British warrior pondered over the speech, and, fearing a U. S. re turn to Isolationism, he changed hfs mind before the boat docked and reluctantly announced he would not press for Red China's membership at this time. Unhappy Alliance . General "Wild Bill"' Donovan, our cloak-and-dagger ambassa dor to Thailand, has reported that the Thai Government is the most corrupt in Southeast Asia however, we're forced to support it just the same. . . Don ovan was sent to this Asiatic listening post last year to organ ize our intelligence network. His mission is now completed, and he will return to Washington to serve as a special adviser to Eis enhower. MeanwThile, Donovvan reports that top Thai officials freely take graft. As a result, much of our aid to Thailand goes into their private pockets. Nevertheless, Donovan advised Washington that Thailand must be kept a bulwark for the West, and he recommended a "crash" program to speed up the arms flow. L , 'MENTAL' PATIENT ASKS MILLIONS. Detroit. Mich. Miss Mary W. Speers, 74, recently filed suit for $18,500,000 against the city of Detroit, Wayne County, the State of Michigan, four doctors and officials of various institu tions asking a million dollars for each of the nearly sixteen years she spent in Michigan mental institutions, after being committed as a mental patient while held in jail on a bad check charge. She was released in 1952 on orders of a Circuit Judge, who ruled her commitment had been illegal. '54 CONSTRUCTION A Government report recent ly predicted that spending for new construction 'would set a record of $36,000,000,000 this year two per cent more than the 1953 record level of about $35,250,000,000. Indications are that 1,030,000 new, private non farm dwelling un;ts will be started this year at a cost of $12,125,000,000. SURPLUS BUTTER The Foreign Operations Ad ministration has announced the sale of $6,000,000 worth of sur plus butter held by the Govern ment to Great Britain. The British will receive 14,000,000 pounds of butter and will pay for it in sterling. I . 1 , Ml I 1 1 HEAR ZEB V-T 7T TURNER FIRED 4 YEP.'M HtSWREDMEN! JA $ L tylrfbmto&Jd K f?f$r THE FAFE? 1M ) I PEG6Y--j : "v fSwrgir irtff TM WEATHER I 1 . S 1. I . 1 I ! --7 r- O'A, PLEA, nJ , V WHY, IV COLLATE 1 I (( MOTHER, NOT TO- I I AfS7 F&W THE HEAT Capitol News By Melvin Paul Storehouse Correspondent The Nebraska Press Association LINCOLN As the State Board of Equalization this week sat at its task of equalizing assess ments among the counties, the picture looked brighter in most respects than had been antici pated.. - . At least there would be noth ing like the shuddering changes made by the board at this same time last year when every coun ty was affected by at least one equalization change. If this year goes off without too much trouble, it will prob aoly mean that the practice as well as the principle of equali zation is here to stay. This would mark a decided change from the 33 years before last year's equalization effort a period when assessments gradu ally backslided into a crazy quilt of differences across the state. The key to the situation this year might be Omaha and Doug las County. Much might depend on what their assessment ef forts have been. At week's end their abstract of assessments had not been forwarded to the State Board of Equalization. Not only does Douglas County have about one-fifth of the total taxable property in the state, but also there is the political difficulty of an office holder having to vote to increase the assessements of that many vot ers in an election year. Fortunately, two members of the board State Auditor Ray Johnson and Secretary of State Frank Marsh are without oppo sition in the Aug. 10 primary. State Tax Commissioner George Peterson is an appointive offi cer. However, Gov. Robert Crosby and State Treasurer Frank Keintze, the other two of the five members are up. for office. Crosby is running for the long term in the U. S. Senate. Heintze is running for Douglas County Treasurer, and is expected to vote for -decreases in assess ments, at least for Douglas County. Although Gov. Crosby has withheld comment on his intentions, it is generally con sidered that he will "hold the line." The bright aspects "of the sit uation seemed to be these: 1. Most county boards have held the line, using much the same real estate assessments as last year. It is estimated that 18 to 20 have lowered their as sessments. In some cases land values may have dropped. In others, such as Buffalo (Kear ney) County where the county board, took a deep slash, the prediction is that the State Board will pull assessments back into line. Overall a check of 72 out of the 93 counties showed that all property assessments were down only- 4.3 per cent. Individual schedules . dropped only 2.3 per cent, business schedules 7.3 per cent, and city real estate 8.1 per cent. 2. Some, county assessors and boards may have held the line so strictly that they may get a slight decrease. In other words, if the State Board allows a tol erance of a few percentage points, a county which stayed right at the 50 per cent mark might merit a slight decrease. This could bring a merited re ward to conscientious officials. Final action by the board is not expected until about the end of the month of July. Who's Ahead Some of Nebraska's political races had a neck-and-neck quality which made it difficult to determine who would be the eventual winner in the August 10 primary. Particularly difficult to guage is the U. S. Senate six-year term race in which Gov. Robert Crosby, Congressman Carl Cur tis, Terry Carpenter of Scotts bluff , and David Martin of Kear ney appeared to be top contend- i ers. I The race for the Republican I nomination in the First Con- HES AJD5 IN THE OTY FOE PEOPLE WHO WISH I TO SPEND THEIE VACATIONS , I - 1 - ' - " f,-t-1ti, Ti Vint-. Ami THE PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA, ScMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL PAGE FOUR Monday, July 19, 1954 gressional District was made dif ficult of prediction because two men new to election politics are entered Phil Weaver of Falls City and Ira Beynon of Lin coln. Weaver's best hope seemed to . lie in his well-known name hLs father having been the late Gov. A. J. Weaver. Beynon is expected to campaign on his experience in Washington, D. C, with the Department of De fense. " It was anybody's guess in the short term U. S. Senate race where 16 Republicans and three Democrats are entered. On the Republican side at least it seemed that names the public has heard of before Max Den ny of Fairbury, Hugh Carson of Ord, or "Mac" Baldridge of Om aha would have the best chance. One of the few sure races seemed to be the Republican nomination for governor where Victor Anderson of Lincoln ap peared to have the edge. Lan caster County Attorney Fred erick Wagener reportedly was gaining votes but was not well enough knowrn to be a real chal lenge. Some said he was work ing for a shot at the governor ship two years from now. Back to that long term Sen ate race, you could hear a dif ferent prediction from any three different political observers. Gov. Crosby appeared defi nitely to have the backing of Nebraska's supporters of Presi dent Eisenhower. This was made obvious wlien he recently visited Washington, D. C, had a talk with "Ike" and had lunch at the White House with Ad ministration leaders around Ei senhower. The big political question was whether this would outweigh the resentment in some quarters at Crosby's part in equalization last year. . The weight of the conservative elements seemed to be swing ing behind Congressman Cur tis. This was shown when Lynn Mote, admiriislrative assistant to the late Sen. Hugh Butler, came to Nebraska to help with Cur tis's campaign. The big question with Curtis was whetner Butler's death hurt or helped him. Some said it cut (off some financial support upon I which he had counted. Others jsaid it brought into the open I support whicn had been waiting to be sure where Butler stood. Curtis is sighting his cam paign on the position that Ne braska needs his experience in Congress since it has' lost so heavily in seniority in recent years through the deaths of Sen. Dwight Griswold and Mr. But ler. Meanwhile, Terry Carpenter has been carrying out the most concentrated handshaking cam paign of all, travelling steadily since June 15. Carpenter was banking on the fact that he is well known and also because he believes Nebraska's farmers are increasingly unhappy with the farm policies of the present ad ministration. "Whether he likes it or not, the farmer is tied to me," Car penter declares. "I'm the only man in this race favoring high, rigid supports. If the farmers don't elect me, everyone will say they don't want rigid price sup ports. I'm their only hope." Carpenter contends that David Martin is picking up some strength. He figures this will ' help him because he believes Martin will get his votes from what Crosby or Curtis might have had. Highway Spending Gov. Crosby at a national con ference of Governors at Bolton's Landing, N. Y went on record as opposing more federal en croachment on building high ways. A proposal by President Eisenhower that the federal gov ernment and the states carry out a $50 billion highway build ing program together brought fears by some governors that it might mean federal encroach ment. Gov. Crosby suggested that instead the federal gov ernment should stop levying a gasoline tax and allow the states to get this money themselves for highway construction. HE'S TURNED HI 5 dJUi'Ss:i FM?M INTO A -JOf $CZT IS , V';.1 uf'V"7 1 1 a kf Al woar p;w wek tu Y-'-i T AMP IM STAISVEPI I L WH22E -f-, Z rr mom i.... EI' -if i 1 : , r of l NEBRASECA Samuel Maxwell, who became Chief Justice upon the death of Daniel Gantt in 1878, served as a member of the State Su preme Court from 1873 to 1894. At three different times during his long career on the Supreme bench, he served as Chief Jus tice: 1878-1882, 1886-1888, and 1892-1894. Judge Maxwell was born in Lodi, New York, May 20, 1825. He attended the common schools and moved with his family to Michigan in 1844. His career as a young man in Michigan em braced school teaching, farming, and the study of law. He emi grated to the new territory of Nebraska in 1856, settling in Cass County where he took up farming. After a short period in Nebraska, he returned to Michigan to complete his law studies and was admitted to the bar in 1859. He came back to Nebraska that same year and opened a law office in Platts mouth. In common with many another territorial lawyer. Mr. Maxwell was active in politics. He was a delegate to the first Republican territorial convention in 1859 and a member of the Territorial House of Representatives in 1859, 13G0, 1864 and 1865. He also served as a member of the first House of Representatives elected under the Stats Consti tution of 1866, and was appoint ed -by the Governor as a mem ber of the Board of Commission ers to select capitol building plans and University land in 1837. Judge Mavwell also served as a delegate to the Constitutional Conventions of 1864 and 1875. At .the time of his election to the latter convention, he was re siding in Fremont at the most convenient place from which to serve on the Supreme bench. Su preme Court justices, it will be recalled, at that time also served as district judges. Though Judge Maxwell par ticipated in the founding of the Republican party in Nebraska, and was elected to the Legisla ture and the Supreme Court as a Republican, in the eighties he began to adopt a number of anti-monopolist views which soon set him at logger heads with many members of his party. In 1896 he was elected to Congress from the Third district as a Fu sionist candidate nominated by both the Democrats and the Populists. Following his term in Congress he returned to the . practice of law In Fremont where he died, February 11, 1901. In reviewing his career, the Omaha Bee said: "Practically ever since coming to Nebraska ... he has been a prominent figure in the politics and affairs of the territory and the state .. . . He was a man of strong character and even his political enemie s never questioned his honesty of purpose or personal and political integrity." Journal Want Ads Pay T POST-KOBEA VETERANS WHO HAV TAKEN OUT 61 LIFE INSUR ANCE SHOULD MAKE SURE THEY HAVE NOTIFIED VA OF THE BENEFICIARIES TO WHOM THE 1 1? .INSURANCE SHOULD BE PAID. Fur full information rnnlnrt oor nritrrst , VETERANS ADMINISTRATION efhc HE'S CHAJ?6ING VACATlONEES FCE THER ,'FUN" IN DOING HE HISEu MENS CHOKES; VOL) DL) P5MT EXiECT J 1 1 A 1 1 : I ? f . y ! i , A ' A- 4 0 tk i At