1 Conservative *
The first miuibor of Tun CONSERVA
TIVE by the Morton Printing Co. , Ne
braska City , was issued July Mth. It.
is edited by J. Sterling Morton and devoted -
voted largely to the consideration of
economic questions of which Mr. Mor
ton is a close student. Matters pertain
ing to the early history of the state will
receive considerable attention , making
it of special interest to the early settlers.
It is a publication that should find a
place at every fireside in Nebraska.
Fairbury Gazette.
THE CONSERVATIVE , the now paper
published by J. Sterling Morton at
Nebraska City , is a weoldy journal de
voted to the discussion of political , eco
nomic and sociological questions. The
sixteen pages are twelve inches long by
nine and one-half inches wide and di-
i vided into three colums of thirteen ems
i each. The typography is extremely
j neat and the contents arc very interest
ing. Mr. Morton , in philosophy , is a
positivist. Ho has convictions and in
speaking or writing ho never shows any
doubt of the reliability of his inspiration.
Ho has proved by accomplishment that
, ideals are worth having. He came to
Nebraska in the early days before we
had a right to a star in the flag. He
built a home on the edge of Nebraska
City where he could have laud enough
for a manor , and he named it Arbor
Lodge. Thirty years or more ago ho
planted trees which now overshadow
and protect the lodge which was then
in the wilderness. His example and ef
forts to plant a treeless state have caused
thousands of trees to bo planted and in
numerable birds to stop and rear their
families in a state they had hitherto
ignored in their migrations. Perceiving
the difficulties which the early settler
had in getting the trees to live , Mr. Mor
ton established Arbor Day. The results
can only bo estimated by the early settlers
tlors on the prairie. From a treeless ,
bird-abandoned state ornithological sta
tistics show that Nebraska contains a
greater variety of species of birds than
any other state in the Union. The in
crease in the rainfall is also directly duo
to the increased cultivation of timber as
well as crops. In his efforts for the pre
servation of the early history of Ne
braska , Mr. Morton has shown a schol
arly appreciation of the value of records ,
documentary and traditional , not often
exhibited by the pioneer. A file of THE
CONSERVATIVE will bo invaluable to the
future historian of the West and of the
Aborigines. The Indian stories of
Spotted Tail and White Cow , published
in the issue of July 21 , relate to the beginning -
ginning of the present epoch in which
the Indian has accepted the supremacy
of the white and acknowledged the futil
ity of struggling against him , and has
begun to try , in spite of racial obstacles ,
to bo like him. The value of such a
paper , published by a man who has al
ready done much for his state and coun
try , is great and deserves fiill apprecia
tion. Lincoln Courier.
) Public money dis-
ACCOUNTS. bursed by state and
county officers should bo accounted for
itemizcdly. The county and the state
should pay no more than individuals pay
for similar services and commodities.
The taxpayers in Nebraska , and in Otoo
county particularly , ought to demand
a rendition of accounts from each and
every public servant , which shall clearly
show where each dollar , dime , nickel
and cent has gone. Itemized accounts
should be required from boards of edu
cation , from county commissioners ,
from sheriffs , judges , treasurers ; and ,
in fact , from every public official.
Suppose wo begin hero in Otoo county
by having a thorough investigation of
the cost of bridges and roads during the
last five years ? What objection can
there bo to having an export accountant
and a reputable civil engineer thoroughly
examine into the disbursements for re
pairing bridges and roads in Otoo county
during the past five years ?
Every account of money expended in
building or repairing a bridge should
state precisely whore that bridge is lo
cated. It should give its geographical
position by naming the quarter section ,
township and range upon which it is
located. The amount of lumber re
quired for the repairing , together with
its cost , ought also to bo lucidly set
forth. In short , the accounts for repair
ing bridges in the county of Otoe ought
to be made so plain that no one could
question the propriety of their payment.
Each bridge should bo so distinctly des
ignated and the work so accurately de
scribed that every citizen after examin
ing the accounts can go to and examine
the bridges and find out whether the ac
counts are reasonable or unreasonable.
At another time THE CONSERVATIVE
will take lip the question of the power
or right of the county commissioners to
compromise taxes and pay premiums to
those who have been delinquent in pay
ing their just dues to the county and
state , by accepting fifty cents on the
dollar of their accumulated delinquen
cies. The power of the county commis
sioners to suspend the operation of
statute and fundamental law by accept
ing less than lawful taxes from one class
of citizens and only legal taxes from all
other citizens is questionable. Taxation
must be equal. It cannot bo when de-
liquonts are rewarded with reductions ,
by county commissioners.
orn TIHIKS. In the year 1855 the
editor of THE CONSERVATIVE employed
as a "devil" and general roustabout in
a small printing ollico which was domi
ciled in the "Block House" of old Fort
Kearney 011 the present town site of Ne
braska City , a young lad known as
Johnnie Freeman. Ho was about
sixteen years of ago , a steady , intelligent
and attractive youth. But the allure
ments of plains life and the stories of
gold in California were too much for his
strenuous ambitions and so ho traveled
across the plains to the golden coast , as
a director of a six-yoko team of oxen ,
early in 185(5. ( Since then through many
vicissitudes , commercial and otherwise ,
Mr. Freeman has permanently estab
lished himself as one of the leading citi
zens and capitalists of Woodland , Yolo
county , California , where ho lias a mag
nificent homo and all the surroundings
of luxury and comfort that money can
purchase. Mr. Freeman has also a largo
ranch in Nevada.
The Carson ( Nevada ) Appeal says :
Yesterday the Appeal office was the
recipient of a pleasant call from J. W.
Freeman , of Still water. The gentle
man introduced himself as once having
served as devil in the Nebraska City
News office when J. Sterling Morton
was its first editor. As the editor of the
Appeal served his reportorial appren
ticeship on that paper and learned to set
typo there , the two settled down to talk
of old times , until the typos of the Ap
peal began to call for copy and Mr.
Freeman who has heard the call before
said ho guessed it was time to go , and
slid out.
Mr. Freeman is now a cattleman of
Churchill , and is unloading cattle at the
top price. When he did the devil's
work on the News in the fifties it was
currently reported that ho only had one
pair of buckskin pants , and once when
the weather wet them until they shrunken
on him like he had been moulded in
thorn , ho was unable to get them off and
so slept in them. When reminded of
this ancient report he admitted the truth
of it then and there.
© * SMS54S < SH55 5S4SN55 S4SS0
I CURRENT COMMENT. |
Good Sense nnd Temperance.
Rev. Osbort Mordaunt , rector of
Hampton-Lucy , Warwickshire , made a
statement before the parliamentary
liquor commission that for 22 years ho
liad managed the public house in his
village , but he had abolished the sale
of intoxicating liquors to the public and
greatly raised the moral tone of his par
ish thereby. This again raises the ques
tion propounded by Rev. Dr. Raiusford
in New York about a year ago , Why
should not the church interest itself in
such things as a social factor ? Why
indeed should it not establish temper
ance saloons and clubs and do it on a
business basis ? If the church intends to
become a living force , veritable salt in
the community , it must come down to
the everyday needs and wants of the
world.
The poor have no clubs. The liquor
saloon , with its bright li hts and even
ing papers , offers an attractive center to
the workingnmu who has no other
place to spend his evenings aside from
a sordid homo perhaps. In many cases
the visitor has no other motive in view
than a little change of scone , a chance
of chat with a friend or a game of dom-
iiios or cards. Propinquity thus may
lead him to take alcoholic cheer , with
no set purpose in that direction. Wo
