Nebraska Politics.
Excerpts From The Nebraska Independent , Lincoln , Nebraska , Made by
Direction of the Populist State Central Committee .
ARE THEY SHIRKING ?
Am "The Itallroafi * of Kebrnnka" Paying
Tliclr Falrfchnro of the Tax § ? A
Comparison of 1874
Tvlth 1901
As intimated last week The Indepen
dent expects to show by indisputable
evidence , taken from the records , that
the railroads of Nebraska are not pay
ing , and nave not for years been pay
ing , their fair share of the taxes. To
begin with , it may be said that com
parisons made between railroad as
sessed valuations and those of many
-classes of personal property , such as
merchandise , evidences of debt , etc. ,
are not worthy of the most serious
consideration. But rarm lands con
stitute from 45 to 54 per cent of the
grand assessment roll every year , an l
this class of property is of such a na
ture that comparisons madfe between
it and railroad property are probably
the fairest that can be made.
The Independent's position on rail
road taxation is well known. The
oretically there should be no railroad
taxation , because the public shoulu
own and operate the roads ; but until
public ownership is a reality , and as
long as railroads are owned and oper
ated by private , or quasi-public , cor
porations the owners must pay taxes
on the value of their property and
franchises in the same proportion ns
owners of other property and fran-
crises pay taxes. Individual Instanced
of tax-shirking , on the part of owners
of certain classes of personal property ,
can be pointed out which would lead
the uninitiated to believe that the rail
roads are overtaxed. Theoretically the
comparison should be between railroad
property on the oae hand , a id all
other property on the other ; but any
attempt to do this only results in con
tusion because of the almost endless
variety of things constituting pev-
sonal property , and the absence of any
reliable data from which to make the
„ I comparisons.
It may bo possible to show that a
-certain merchant pays taxes on a
ridiculously small percentage of tho
true valuation of his stock of goods ;
lut the owners of farm lands havp
"been discriminated against on account
of this even more than the owners of
railroads have been. Farm lands are
charged with about one-half the taxes ;
reliable data can be found showing th- ?
assessed valuation per unit of meas
urement ; and comparisons can be
made between their assessed valuation
and the assessed valuation of railroad
property to first settle the question as
to whether , as between the two. both
-are being treated alike by the taxing
power.
Granting that a considerable portion
of personal property wholly escapes
taxation , and that another portion
partially escapes by being grossly un
dervalued , it does not follow that the
railroads are either overtaxed or even
paying their full share. All that it
does show is that as between the rail
roads and these classes of tax-shirking
personal property , the railroads are
unjustly treated. But so is the owner
of farm lands and doubtless the owner
of city real estate.
For the purposes of our comparison
this week we shall take the grand as-
sessment rolls of the years 1874 and
1901. The roll for 1902 has not been
completed , except as regards railroad
assessment and that is a subject of
litigation. The railroad assessment
for 1902 is substantially the same as
last year ; it was made by the present
board. Comparisons with 1901 will not
differ materially with those made with
1902 after the grand assessment roll
is completed.
The grand assessment roll of 1874 ,
consolidated to make but four items ,
is as follows :
31.000.579.5 acres at $3.91. $43,004,800.01
City and village lots 9,941,809.00
1.107.69 miles railroad at
$10.095.89 11.183.114.40
Personal property 16,624,320.76
' Total $80,754,044.17
Percentages
Acres 53.3
Lots 12.3
Railroad , I3.g
Personal 20.6
100.
The grand assessment roll of 1901
"is as follows :
32.207.201 acres at $2.47. . $79.675.195.00
City and village lots 34,488,950.00
,708.32 miles railroad at
$4,630.43 26,422,732.oO
Personal property 33,852,218.19
Total $174,439,095.49
Percentages
Acres 45.7
T-ots 19.8
Railroad , 15.3
Personal 193
100.
A comparison of the valuations per
unit of measurement acres in the
case of land and miles in the case of
railroads follows :
Assessed valuations per unit
Land per acre , 1874 $ 3.91
Land per aere , 1901 2.47
Decrease per acre 1.44
Railroads per mile. 1874 10,095.b9
Railroads per mile , 1901 4,630.43
Decrease per mile 5,465.46
S6.8 per cent decrease per acre.
54.1 per cent decrease per mile.
Increases in 27 years
Per cent.
21,206.621.5 acres , or ! 1993
Value. $36.670.394.99 , or gsis
4.598.6.1 miles , or 4150
Value. $15,239,617.90 , or ] * . ! ! l363 !
Regardless of the actual value of a
Why ?
Why are the railroads using so much
newspaper space to prove that they
pay too much taxes ? If the republi
can party wins , it will be argued that
the whole matter was submitted to tho
people and the people voted for lower
taxes for railroads. That is the way
they got the gold standard , that Is the
way they got Bartley out and that is
the way they propose to get asset cur
rency smd lower taxes for tae rail
roads. York Teller.
mile of road or an acre of land Ii
either 1874 or 1901 , it appears that th ;
assessed valuation of land per acre de
clined 36.8 per cent in the 27 years
but in the same time tne assessed val
uation of railroads per mile decline'
54.1 per cent a manifest advantage
to the railroads , unless it can ui
shown that the assessment of 187-
was grossly unfair to the railroads ; o :
that the actual value of an averag <
acre of land had increased propor
tionately more in the 27 years than th <
actual value of an average mile o :
railroad had increased.
If railroad assessed valuations ir
1901 , as compared to those of 1874
had declined only 36.8 per cent th
per cent of decline in land assessments
the railroad assessment would hav <
been at the rate of $6,380.60 per mil <
instead of $4,630.80 , an Increase o ;
$1,749.80 per mile.
5,706.32 miles railroad at
$6,380.60 $36,409,758.1- :
Actual assessment was. . 26,422,732.3 (
Value shirking taxes. . $ 9,987,025.8 !
It is not sufficient to urge that som *
lands worth $50 and $60 per acre an
assessed at $3.50 to $5.00 per acre , be
cause there are thousands of acres o :
$8 and $10 land assessed at $2 to $ ;
per acre. There are a few miles o'
road in Nebraska worm several hun
dred thousand dollars per mile thai
are assessed at $6,500 up to $10,580 pei
mile ; and there may De a number o1
miles of road worth five to six thou
sand dollars a mile that are assessec
up to 40 or 50 per cent of the actua
value. But the question before us ir
this : Are the railroads of Nebraska
considered as a whole , paying as mud
taxes on each dollar or actual valuf
as the whole body of lands , considered
as a whole , is paying ? In the lighi
of the comparison. 1874 with 1901 , we
are certainly justified in answering , no
What will be shown by similar com
parisons of 1901 with years subsequeni
to 1874 remains for suDsequent ar
ticles ; but in a general way this maj
be said : There has oeen a persisteni
effort for many years to press dow
the assessed valuations of all class ° i
of property. The assessors have viec
with the state board in making a pool
mouth , but the state board has al
ways been more successful in thisf -
fort than have the assessors. When
the assessors would depress 10 per ceni
the board would go down 15 ; when the
assessors cut off 30 , tne board would
cut off 45 , always giving the railroadt
a relative advantage of about 50 pel
cent in the depression.
CHARLES Q. DE FRANCE.
KKKP YOUB KYK OX THIS
"We must be moderate in our con
demnation of these ( railroad ) officials ,
since they are the victims of the sys
tem and often really deserve sym
pathy , for they arc usually honorable
men , and would under no circum
stances de a wrong in their personal
affairs. We must awaken to the fact
that the people CANNOT EXPECT
them to safeguard or LOOK AFTER
the PEOPLE'S INTERESTS. The peo
ple MUST LOOK after THEIR OWN.
Under certain circumstances , the
WORM will TURN. Would that the
people had the SPUNK of the WORM
THE PEOPLE MUST STOP ELECT
ING TO OFFICE THE MEN NAMED
BY THE RAILROADS Excerpts
from Rosewater's brief in the man
damus case against the state board of
equalization.
"It may be interesting to give for
what it is worth some information vol
unteered by John N. Baldwin of Iowa ,
who has been here this week trying to
fix up the railroad tax case for the
Union Pacific , in whose department he
is retained. In a loquacious mood
Judge Baldwin declared :
" 'We are not bothering about the
governorship anymore. That's been
settled. We had a conference a day
or two ago. and WE ALL AGREED
ON MICKEY AS OUR MAN. ' " Ex
cerpts from Rosewater's Omaha Bee ,
June,9 , 1902 , first page , 7th column ;
from the staff correspondent in Lin
coln.
Editor Rosewater is supporting the
republican ticket from top to bottom.
The railroads named Mickey nine days
before the republican convention. Mr.
Rosewater says in his brief that "the
people must stop electing the men
*
named by the railroads. " Yet Mr.
Rosewater , by his support of Mickey ,
is asking the people to elect a man
"named by the railroads. " Where is
the consistency ?
Rather Ludicrous Straddla
The attitude of the Omaha Bee these
days is truly ludicrous and brands
that paper with being anything but
independent in politics. Its editor s
now in the supreme court of the sta'te
endeavoring to compel the state board
of equalization to perform its plain
duty in the assessment of railroad
properties' and at the same time the
paper is giving its most loyal support
to Mickey , Weston and Prout. There
is absolutely no question about all of
these three being the chosen nominees
The nomination of Judge Stark for
congress by ther unanimous vote of the
populist and democratic conventions
at Seward was a compliment rarely
paid to any man in public life. It was
a great contrast to tbe republican
gathering at Beatrice which took 342
ballots to determine what railway
should control the vote of the con
gressman from the Fourth district , in
the event he should t > e a republican ,
ludge Stark carries the brand of cor
poration. He is for tne people always
ind all the time and he ought to be
elected if only republicans were al-
ta vota. Geneva Gazette.
of the railroads. They are the candl
dates who stand before the people ti
deal justly as between the railroadt
and the common people. Do you thinli
they will do it ? Before'you cast youi
ballot , read what Mr. Rosewater has
already said about two of them ami
then also remember the interview with
the leading attorney of the Union Pa
cific ten days prior to the republican
state convention. Voters , it is a quest
tion that will be settled this year o {
which is the biggest in the govern
ment of Nebraska the railroads or
the people. The political parties hava
spoken on these questions and th-i
tickets are now in the field. It can bo
another Dietrich campaign , over
which nearly everybody has expressed
regrets , or it can be an election to
which in after years the people will
point with pride as having started tho
emancipation of the people from rail
road and corporation corrupt rule.
Democrat , Osceola.
What are They Worth ?
Late , up-to-date information regard
ing the capitalization of the railroa'ls
of Nebraska is difficult to procure , but
in round numbers The Independent be
lieves the following Is not far from a
correct estimate :
U. P $118,000,000
C. , B. & Q 117,000,000
F. , E. & M. V 39.000,000
Mo. P 36,000,00-0
C. , R. I. & P 13,000,000
C. , St. P. , M. & 0 12,000.000
St. J. & G. 1 8,000,000
S. C.-O. & W 6,000,000
K. C. & 0 5,000,000
S. C. & P 1,350,000
A. T. & S. F 100,000
Total $355,450OOU ;
To be conservative , let us discount
this about 10 per cent and call it f 320- ,
000,000. Accordingly , at the assessed
valuation placed upon the roads by tho
republican board of equalization , tbe
railroads pay taxes upon about 81-3
per cent ( or one-twelfth ) of actual
value. Farm lands in 1900 were taxed
upon isy2 per cent of actual value and
they will doubtless be taxed upon
about that percentage this year. If ui > .
railroads were assessed upon the basis
of 13 % per cent , they would pay taxes
upon something over $43,000,000 in
stead of $26,000.000. That would mean
an additional $85,000 of general fund
state taxes , which would help that
much toward wiping out the two mil
lions of floating debt of the state. It
would mean a larger assessment roll
in most of the counties , permitting a
lower levy and. consequently , lower
tax-es on all other property holders.
Remember that on the average tho
railroads pay taxes upon about one-
twelfth of their actual value. Look at
your own assessment and see if you are
treated as well.
Governor Craddock
The democratic-populist nominee fo :
governor down in the Sunflower state
is stirring up the tax-shirking fran
chise holders there In a way that be
tokens success at the polls this fall
for the fusion forces. The Pittsburg
Kansan quotes Mr. Craddock as fol
lows :
"It is the abuse , " says Mr. Crad
dock , "of the franchise privilege given
the corporations that demands our at
tention. When franchises in this state
were granted to the steam railways
nearly all the cities and counties
through which the road passed vote-- !
big donations. It was not contem
plated that in addition thereto tho
people should be called on to pay to
the railway owners more than a rea
sonable interest on the cost of con
struction. The average cost of the
9,000 miles of railway in Kansas was
less than $10,000 a mile or say ' 90
million dollars in all. They have been
capitalized , , and the people pay inter
est on about $60,000 a mile or 540 mil
lions of dollars. Of this capitaliza
tion a little over one million dollars
is owned in Kansas ; and 539 million
dollars owned by non-residents. Our
railway commissioners assessed them
for taxation at 58 million dollars. In
other words , our people pay the non-
jesident stockholder , stock and bond
holders interest on six dollars for each
one dollar invested in the state. Our
officials assess this non-resident for
taxation 10 cents on the dollar of the
income value of the property and as
sess the home man for taxes at 25
cents to 50 cents on the dollar of tha
value of his property. "
Still in His "In'ards"
The railroads of Nebraska have pur
chased space in a large number of the
local papers of the state and are now
using this in an effort to fool the
voters into believing that the populist
and democratic platforms are a He
when they say that the railroad cor
porations do not bear their burden of
the taxes of the state. A number of
the fusion papers are running this
mass of falsehoods and cunningly pre
pared defense of the corporations.
This paper has refused the business
although we were made a rate far in
excess of that paid by local adver
tisers. Not only this , but the Western
Newspaper Union has pulled the stuff
out of our patent inside prints after
the very plain statement having been
made by us that we would edit all
political matter in our paper. E. A.
Walrath in Polk County Democrat.
( Better take the advertisement di
rect. Bro. Walrath. Explain to your
readers that it is a paid advertisement ,
and puncture every fallacy you can
is that metaphor mixed ? Do fallacies
wear ruber tires ? If you will look at
the sixth column , alongside Commoner
Comment in last week's ready prints
you will see that the W. N. U. did not
"pull the stuff out of your patent in-
sides. "
The State Tickit
The fusion state ticket nominated
at Grand Island is one of the most rep
resentative , cleanest and ablest ever
offered to the people of Nebraska for
their support. If any part of it fails
of election it will be a calamity to the
commonwealth. Geneva Gazette.
After Gray.
Full many a trust , behind a tariff wall ,
Doth exercise a huge financial sway ;
Full many a threat to push them to a
fall
Comes floating ou the air from Oys
ter Bay. .
LED A WILD LIFE.
THE REMAINS OF DEAD BANDIT
IN HANDS OF RELATIVES.
VERNE STEWART IS HIS NAME
CORPSE FOUND I > A LINCOLN DIS
SECTING ROOM.
s _ Me.
PEOPLE.
PARENTS WELL-TO-DO
Man Killed in Sherman County in a
"With Pove Proves to he a Former Resi
dent of Illinois.
Lincoln. Nebr. , July 25 Verne
Stewart is the real name of the
howe thief who was killed on April
2t5 last ; n a battle with officers in
Sherman county. His home was at
Pitt.wood , 111. , seventy-six miles
from Chicago , where his parents
now reside. A strange part of the
history of the young man , who was
but twenty-one years old is that
through the means of an unknown
person writing from Oklahoma , his
relative weie led to make a search
for * his body. His remains were
recently taken from the dissecting
room of the Lincoln medical college ,
where they had been legally con
signed. Through the courtesy of the
officers of the institution the remains
were shipped to Illinois for final in
terment a week ago last Monday.
Had the search been delayed a
short time longer the means of iden
tification might have been destroyed
and the relatives would never have
known to certainty the fate of the
young man.
The story of the discovery of the
young man's identity is quite inter
esting. He was a wayward son and
several years ago he left his home.
His parents were well to do people.
His brother-in-law , Noah Ash of
Pittwood is in the grain business in
that city and is a respected buisness
man. The young man's sisters are
well connected , one being the wife
of a presiding elder in a large dis
trict. Slewart could not bear the
life of his home town and started out
to make his fortune in the west.
He wandered about in different
places leading a free and easy life
till he settled for a while in Okla
homa. On several occasions , his
family sent him money. Once they
sent him $300 to buy a team of
horses. He bought a tract of land
in Oklahoma on which he aimed to
live. But the border life was too
enticing and he kept bad company.
In April of this year he with his
friends came to Nebraska and near
Greeley Centre , at Spalding , the
theft of several horses was discov
ered too soon after the deed for the
men to effect an escape. They made
a long cross country run with the
sheriffs of three counties and a large
posse in pursuit. Across the line in
Sherman county they were brought
at , bay. Many shots were fired and
ex-Sheriff Houck received bullet
wounds. Dining .the encounter the
thieves fortified themselves in a
trench in the sandhills when Stew
art , seeing they were surrounded
started to run. He received a bullet
in the base of the brain and died in
stantly. His companions surredered
and one of them , Harry Hill , was
brought to the penitentiary this
week to serve a six-year sentence. "
Many efforts were made to ascer
tain the identity of tbe dead man
*
but they were to no purpose . He
had given as aliases the names
Chailes Wilson. Hill and Baldwin.
His remains were brcugbt to Lincoln
and viewed by many people , but
none recognized him. His body was
given to the Lincoln medical college
through the regular channels and
was preserved foi use during the
coming school year.
Harry Hill , the man brought to
the penitentiary on Wednesday for
the theft is one of the men arrested
when Stewart was shot. He is
charged with horse stealing for
which be is settenced for six years
Sheriff Smith , who participated in
the chase brought him to Lincoln
Hill is quoted as saying ! that they
did not intend to injure the officers
when they "were cornered and they
merely discharged their guns a few
times to frighten the pursuers As
several bullets nipped the pursuing
officers , it is taken with a grain of
salt. The men were implicated in
other affairs in Greely county and
since the affray , a large amount of
cattle rustling has beqn traced to
their doors Two farmers living near
Brayton lost sixteen head of cattle
They were driven to Fullerton and
were loaded and shipped to Omaha.
Captain Strong in London.
New York , July 25. A special dis
patch from London to an af-ernoon
paper says that Putnam Bradlee
Strong arrived at Southampton today
an the St. Paul , sailing under an as
sumed name.
In an interview he acknowledged his
identity and denied positively the
sharge that he pawnad Yohe's jewels.
May Yohe , who was formeily the wife
af Lord Francis Hope , sailed for Eu
rope today on the Fuerst Bismarck.
DROWN IN THE ELBE
GERMAN STEAMER PRIMUS CUT
IN TWO BY A TUG.
FIFTY LIVES THOUGHT LOST.
NEARLY T\VO IIUNDRKU AI1OARD AT
TIME OF ACCIDENT.
185 PASSENGERS ON BOARD
Disaster Due to Too Precipitous n Move-
nent in Crosiing Channel Flood
Causes Loss of Life.
Hamburg , July 23. The steamsh ip
Primus of Hampburg , with 185 pas
sengers on board was cut in two
and suuk by the tug 'Hunsa on tha
river Elbe at 12:30 Monday.
So far as is ascertained about fifty
persons were drowned. Thirteen
bodies already have been recovered.
"Primus was ar excursion steamei
from I'.uvtehude , province of Han
over , Prussia.
The disaster occurred between
Blankenez and Kienstdeten. Among
the passengers were the members of
the Eilbeck male choral society.
At the time of the accident Primus
was crossing the river channel near
BlanUenez , from the southern into
the northern fairway.
According to witnesses aboard
Hansa , the movement was made too
precipitately. Primus struck tho
tug's engine rooms and Hansa en
deavored to push it ashore , but tho
tug grounded and tbe ships parted.
Primus then sank.
In the interval , however , about
fifty of the passengers were able to
reach lianas by means of ropes and
ladders. Seventy more were picked
up by the tug's boats , while others
swam ahsore.
St. Petersburg , July 23. A ferry
boat , while crossing the river Volga
Monday at Hers nk sank and fifty-
eight harvesters were drowned.
Farmer Takes His Life.
4
Grand Island , Nebr. , July 23.
Monday morning , when the two old
er sons of Hans Voss , a prominent
German farmer residing a mile and
a half east of the city , went cut to
the barn to feed their horses , they
found their father lying dead on a
pile of straw in the horse barn
They took him to the house and
promptly notified their relatives in
the city , and the coroner. It was
found that he bad risen during the
night , gone to the stable and taken
strychnine. Coroner Iloedera at
once went out to the place and upon
investigation found an inquest un-
necesasry. The bottle from wliieh
he had taken the fatal draught lay
near where the boys had found the
body on the straw pile.
Hans Voss resisded in the vicini
ty many years being counted with
his father , among the old settlers.
He was married nearly twenty years
ago to a Miss Senbeil , whose parents
and family still reside in this vicini
ty , and the first years of their mar
ried life appear to have been happy.
The union was bleessed with four
children , trhee sons and a daughter.
In recent years the family appears
to have had some domestic unpleas
antness , and last week Mrs. Voss
.appliad for a divorce , the hearing
having been set for today. She al-
'leges great and repeated acts of
cruelty , among them that of incit
ing the children to be impudent to
her , etc. After having filed the pe
tition for the divorce she was afraid
to go to the house and did so , to get
her clothing , only in the company
of the sheriff. There is no doubt
but that the man took his life as a re
sult of this oOinestic trouble. He
was well to do and in good health.
Uopn retiring last night he had
spoken to his sons about harvesting
the oats today and gave no indica
tion of a despondent mood. He was
prominently and well known in his
township , having several years ago
been a candidate for supervisor.
[ Mrs. Voss , his widow is quite dis
tracted. She had been for the past
week staying with her sister , Mrs.
Emil Barth , of this citj.
Locomotive Explodes-
Washington , Ind. , July 2-3. A B.
& O. freight locomotive exploded near
Olney , 111. , today. Engineer Conaty ,
of Washington , Ind. , was instantly
killed and Fireman Michael Muster
was fatally injured. Fifteen cars
were wrecked and traffic was blocked.
Boy Injured by a Horse.
Graf , Nebr , , Juy [ 23 The six-year-
old son of Jonh Marshall , living three
and one-half miles northwest of Graf ,
was kicked in the stomach by a horse-
The boy lay unconscious for a few mo
ments , but soon revived. Di. Cassa-
mine of Graft was called and after
making a careful examination said
that the boy was not injured seriously
and if inflamation as the result of the
concussion does not follow be will be
all right in a few days.
NEBRASKA NOTES.
Deposits in the Nebraska banks
creased nearly $523,000 , last quarter , f
Bnrglers entered the house of Peter
Rasmussenat Fremont and carriedoJC
a gold watch and chain and a fe *
other articles of slight value.
Nebraska City board of health
finished the cleaning of the basins oC
of the water company and overslB-
feet of sediment was removed.
Nebraska City has more handsome ,
lawns than any other town intber
'state. A prize is annually offered for
the best kept.
The German Lutheran church at
Fremont has purchased a corner lot
and will erect a church on the site
in the near future.
It has been announced that Gover
nor Savage had appointed T. J. Ma
jors , of Peru on tne state board of ed
ucation , in place of JohnEitz Roberta
of South Omaha.
Fourteen hundred dollars in drill
and exhibition prizes are offered by the
management of the state firemen' *
tournament which will be held at
Grand Island , August 5 to 7.
It is claimed that the.farmers . ot
western Nebraska raise and fattea
their hogs for market on alfalfa at an
expense of a cent a pound. Twenty
years ago alfalfa was unknown.
Seventy-five per cent of the farmers
of the state own their farms , and SO
per cent of the mortgages filed bjt
them are for the purpose of improving :
their lands or adding to them.
John Wanii a young farmer living-
near Superior had an arm cut off
above the elbow , lie was driving a
team attached to a binder. The
horses ran away and Waiin was-
thrown in front of the machine ,
with the painful result.
The land commissioner left to look
up a tract of land in Nemaha county
which some years ago was reported-
to have sunk into the Missouri liver.
The tiack covers thirty-four acres
and recently it was discovered that
the land was being used for a pas
ture. If the land is found itwill _ be
put on sale.
A. Giles , who was arrested at
Genoa for alleged forgery , commit
ted at Chicago , was takea hack
there without requistion papers by
Detective Gallagher. Giles formerly
lived at Genoa. He confesses his
guilt and states that others will be
implicated before the trial is over.
State Engineer Adna Dobson re
ceived a letter recently from F. JI.
Newell'of the United States geologi
cal survey , asking Du son to point
out to him any storage reservoir
schemes which would help Nebras
ka. Mr. Newell wishes to secure
information of tbe smaller projects ,
as the larger ones are known to *
him.
Returns fiom threshers over the
jounty show phenomenal yield of
wheat from every locality. Reports
show as high as fifty-seven bushels
per acre. Tbe grade of the wheat is
very tine , gome of it testing sixty-
three pounds to the bushel. At El-
wood six new steam threshers have
been started , and all of them have
at least three months' steady runs
ahead of them.
According to an agreement en-
terd into by leadng Omaha and
Lfacoln implement dealers some
years ago. no exhibit will be made
by them at the state fair. The
Lincoln dealers will invite visitors
to view their displays at the city
warehouses , but none except the
smaller dealers will have an exhit-
t of machinery or vehicles at the
fair.
Preliminary steps in the direcMon
Df building the Kansas City , Beatrice
& Western railroad were taken at
Beatrice in the filing of a mortgage
by J. E. Smith , one of the incorpo-
rators , to the Union Trust company
of Philadelphia for 3500,000. Mr.
Smith is president of the company-
incorporated a few weeks ago at
Beatrice and states that as soon as
the mortgage tiled is relumed to
Philadelphia tbe money will be
forthcoming and work upon the con
struction of the new line will begin
at once. Under the articles of in
corporation the line is to be built
from Virgina to Beatrice , thence
northwest to Grand Island. The
Articles also include a branch line
from Beatrice to Lincoln.
For the past week Wymore has
peen infested by burglars. Several
petty thefts have been committed ,
but the boldest attempt was made
when someone entered the home oC
C. E. Benert , while the family was
away , and stole about $7 in cash
from a toy bank and also made way
with a valuablle ring. Entrance
was effected with a skeleton key ,
and before leaving the thief locked.