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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1899)
' ' ( . . .rniv Cbc Conservative. labor unions on penalty of compulsory starvation ; and to niako eight hours constitute a day's labor. Of course , ther ? are sub-families and sub-paters. The department stores constitute exclu sive families , with their own peculiar gods and forms of worship. Trusts are likewise in the Pamo category ; they are a sort of industrial feuds. The interests of the sub-families frequently clash , and therefore , some good men agitate the necessity of the supreme pater the gov ernment to take all the little "paters" under the ample folds of his sheltering wing and own , manage and control all our property and affairs upon the beau tiful theories outlined in Bellamy's "Looking Backward. " Silver Sophistry. The late herculean effort , and a most dangerous one , in this direction , was the scheme to compel the supreme pater to exercise his creative powers and make ! J71Jii grains of silver equivalent in value to 28.22 grains of gold. To the surprise of free traders the former champions of paternalism halted , and confessed that this thing wo call "pater , " while he had performed wonders while operating on wool , iron , etc. , was but of common clay when confronted by the apparition of 16 to 1. "No Kovorninent can bo eenerous and bo just. " To my mind the election of 1890 and the war with Spaiii furnish abundant signs of hope and encouragement. "When our grand "pater" at Washington declares that wo are going to have an "open door" 011 one side of our family estate for the barbarians to come in , there is hope. Will the barbarians stop at the "door ? " After they got in will they not overrun our "home" pre serves as they did in ancient Rome ? And then won't they play smash with our cherished Lares and Penates and paraly/o the manes of some of our politi cal ancestors ? For the barbarians have been enjoying the blessings of freedom in all things , and , therefore , are strong , aggressive and irresistible. When all these things come to pass hero is one who will not weep over the wreck of our household gods. The average American is at heart a stranger to the doctrines of the "patria potostas. " They are foreign to the in stincts and blood of the Teutonic races It is either through ignorance , cupidity mistake or the alluring promises and machinations of the demagogue that the American people are estranged from the Teutonic doctrine of the right of private judgment. For two thousand years the Teutonic races have been 011 the historic stage of the world. Not one of the ua tious they have created has yet disappeared poared from the map. It seems not a rash prophecy to say that in the good time to come no other races will dispute their sway and the "patria potestas' will Boem naught but a dream of prim eval times. 4 * Arthur H. Vickars of Omahn' flrst sergeant in * the Ne- ) raska regiment on duty with "tho army of benevolent assimilation" in his last ettor to his parents said : "I am not afraid , and am always eady to do my duty , but 1 would like ome one to tell me what we arc fighting for , " But before a solution of the prob- oin is reached he has given up his life , lo was one of three brothers who with mtriotio purpose enlisted last year to serve in the "war against Spain. " And now their bereaved father writes Gov ernor Poyuter : "I am an old soldier myself , and know ihat the worst in the fortune of war is always to be expected , but I would be nore resigned in the loss of my son had he fallen fighting for a better cause. I mve had three sons in the war with Spain , and no one was more proud than [ when they marched away to battle for ; he liberty of a down-trodden people ; tut while I am proud of the gallantry of our brave boys in the recent battles in the Philippines , I cannot sympathize in a war for imperialism. I cannot sec that the sacrifices the boys in tlie field and the fathers and mothers at home arc making will result in good. " The State Journal of the 21st instant is moved to tender and pathetic remin iscence by Troubadour Thurston's fer vid minstrelsy and brushing tears from its eyes , shining with sorrows for unre quited passion , sobbingly remarks : "Tho poetry recently written by Hon. John M. Thurston , wherein ho pays a respect ful tribute to the graces and virtues of a white rose , calls vividly to mind the time in our bleak , but not altogether barren , history when wo were ready to make oath if she didn't reciprocate in part the tender affection of a heart de voted to her alone , there would bo a fun eral at our house before the end of the week. " THIS KAGE li-OK PU1SLICITY. ( Q. S. Street , in the Mny Pnll Mall Magazine ) . Yes , wo are growing very public. Lack of respect for private life and pri vate friendship is a serious part of pub licity a part which really matters. Stories and tittle-tattle about the great , or the merely known , matter far less when they do not proceed from friends and relations , but wo have a sufficiency of them. The matter goes farther , in deed , for many papers are full of the very ordinary proceedings of people known to nobody but their friends , but presumably known by sight to the strange witness ; you read how some young man , who is very likely a minor clerk in a bank or , a subaltern in a militia regiment , has been "seen walking in Sloan street. " Or you read how some half dozen people , whoso rep utation is , or should bo , entirely private , were "the only men I saw" at the opera. I venture to suggest two improvements on nil this. One is that the names should be fictitious ; they would mean quite as much as the others to the gen eral public , and an advantage would bo that weird and fascinating stories might bo told about them without risk of libel actions. The other improvement is that all little societies and coteries should hire columns in newspapers to bo filled exclusively with their picnics and "at homes. " It might end in free publicity being granted , like education , by the state. In this way wo all , from Tooting to Tennessee , would have the gratifica tion now enjoyed by the subaltern in Sloan street , of seeing our doings , our shoppings and saunterings , and supper parties , recorded in print , and so at last the spirit of the ago would find complete expression. TIIK J.ATK T.KGISLATUKi : . . THE CONSERVATIVE will bo pleased to publish any good acts , or improved laws , or repeals of bad laws by the last legis lature of Nebraska. And if any intelli gent member of that deliberative body will carefully prepare and send to THE good deeds , together with its numerous sins of omission , the same shall be pub lished in good style. Wo wish to do only justice to that lamented collection of law-givers. If they abolished any sinecure offices ; reduced any taxes ; wisely saved any public money ; amended any unjust laws or did anything besides make appropriations and elect a United States senator , the public desires to bo informed. Will some inmate of that institution arise and explain the good work it ac complished for Nebraska and how much it cost ? THE NO CASK. A statesman who had been indicted by an unfeeling grand jury was arrested by a sheriff and thrown into jail. As this was abhorrent to his fine spiritual nature , he sent for the district attorney and asked that the case against him be dismissed. "Upon what grounds ? " asked the district attorney. "Lack of evidence to convict , " re plied the accused. "Do you happen to have the lack with you ? " the official asked. "I should like to see it. " "With pleasure , " said th'o other ; "hero it is. " So saying ho handed the other a check , which the district attorney carefully examined , and then pronounced it the most complete absence of both proof and presumption ho had ever seen. Ho said it would acquit the oldest man in the world. Bierce , -jf