Conservative.
SYMPATHETIC.
. Mirror of Burt
County , in its issue of the eleventh of
December , 1899 , extends condolence and
consolation to nil the active partisans
within the range of its acquaintance ,
and also cheerfully states its incapability
of being surprised by the possible sudden
death of the editor of THE CONSERVA
TIVE.
"It would not surprise us if J. Sterling
Morton did not live another year. Poli
tical disappointment , jealousy , hatred
and heated controversies , kill thousands
of our brightest and most gifted men of
America. In the list are the names of
Tilden , Elaine , Hancock , Hendricks and
hosts of other illustrious men. Probably
no man ever lived in Nebraska whose
disappointment is greater than that
which Mr. Morton has to contend with
when he sees the leadership of the fusion
forces in Nebraska wrested from him by
Wm. J. Bryan , W. V. Allen , G. M.
Hitchcock , Silas Holcomb and others.
Had Mr. Morton not kicked up such a
rumpus with the fusion forces , no power
in the state could have prevented him
from being appointed to the high office
of United States senator to fill the
vacancy caused by the death of Senator
Hay ward. "
There is no human being now on earth
who may not die before another year.
There are few men of sound mind , how
ever , foolish enough to die of political
"disappointment , jealousy , hatred and
heated controversies , " and as there are
no symptoms of any such complaints in
the muscular or mental anatomy par
ticularly referred to by the Mirror , the
contract of making it moribund must
be awarded to some other malady.
"Probably no man ever lived in Ne
braska whose disappointment" is less
than that of the
Disappointment. . . . , ,
citizen named by
the Mirror. As a pioneer in 1854 and in
the forty-five succeeding years he has
realized in home , wife and children his
highest and best aspirations. No man
living in this state or anywhere else on
this globe has been more blessed with
strong , faithful and competent sous. The
citizen who , besides doing his share to
increase and enhance the cereal , fruit
and other staple crops of the common
wealth , has by education and discipline
in a well-ordered home added to the
decent man-crop of the state , can have
no disappointments of the fatal variety
referred to by the Mirror. Tha im
measurable pleasure of living in good
health to see one's sons all settled in
life , respected as decent citizens and
successful business men of honor , truth
and stainless character is as far above
political office , its honors and satisfac
tions as the shining stars are above the
sickly swamps and rackety bullfrogs oi
this little earth.
The Mirror should try to teach its
patrons the value of the intelligent
management of their own homes anc
children and endeavor to convince them
; hat the citizen who contributes to the
Republic industrious , temperate , honest
and efficient men and women is far
more important to its preservation than
ihe politicians who , for "money rather
; han honor , " get offices , low and high ,
ittle and big.
The responsibility and honor of ap
preciated private citizenship in this re
public is enough to inspire to reputable
effort every man who loves family , kin
dred , good name and home.
Ralph Waldo Emerson , in his private
diary , on October 12 , 1864 , after a visit
with John M.
John M. Forbes. _ . , , _ _ ,
Forbes at Naushon
mentioned such a citizen and said :
"Mr. Forbes at Naushon is the only
'squire' in Massachusetts , and no
nobleman ever understood or performed
his duties better * * * He is an
American to be proud of. Never was
such free , good meaning , good sense ,
good action combined with such domes
tic , lovely behavior , and such modesty
and persistent preference of others.
Wherever he moves he is a benefactor.
* * * I have been proud of my
countrymen , but I think this a good
country that can breed such a creature
as John M. Forbes * * * I came
away saying to myself of John M.
Forbes : 'How little this man suspects ,
with his sympathy for men and his re
spect for lettered and scientific people ,
that he is not likely ever to meet a man
who is superior to himself. ' "
Mr. Forbes never sought or held public
office. Nevertheless ho was sent as a
special agent to London in 1868 to nego
tiate a loan for the United States as a
financial and confidential agent of the
administration of Lincoln. He was en
trusted , upon his character and without
other securitywith ten millions of dollars
of the bonds of the government. He
gave his time and great abilities to his
country without pay and rendered
modestly and without publicity a great
er service than an army of ten thousand
men at that time could have given. He
really established the credit of the
United States at a perilous time and
under great difficulties in the money
markets of all the world.
The honor of having lived so useful
and worthy and practically patriotic
a life as thai
The Honor. . , , _ _
praised by Mr.
Emerson is greater than any office , from
the lowest to the highest , can bestow
upon a true American citizen ; and
while no man in Nebraska can perhaps
accomplish all that Citizen Forbes did
for Massachusetts and the whole coun
try , all men may emulate his splendic
example by elevating and dignifying the
duties of private citizenship. It is bet
ter , thoroughly and with a good con
science to discharge the office of head of
a family ; of neighbor , of a taxpayer
and of a self-respecting manhood than
to be known merely as a governor , a
member of the national house of repre
seutatives or a senator who half realizes
and very imperfectly and inefficiently
performs the functions of his position.
The Mirror is informed that Mr.
Morton never had any ainbitou to lead
anybody or any party except for the
sake of certain economic ideas and poli
tical principles. He could not if he
would , and would not if he could , lead
a partisan organization whose members
have brazenly cast aside , in some in
stances , their adherence to a protective
tariff ; in other instances , their devotion
to free trade ; and in other instances ,
their faith in the power of the govern
ment to make money by mere fiat , and
fused solely for the purpose of getting
offices. A political party so organized
for office-getting only must necessarily
be led by men who have made office-
hunting a means of subsistence. There
fore the populists of Nebraska , who are
without devotion to any fixed views or
policies as to the administration of the
affairs of this government , are properly
and logically led by incarnations of
monstrous and insatiable appetites for
office. And no citizen who respects
himself can possibly wish to usurp their
leadership of fused vagrants from
Democracy and apostates from Repub
licanism whose absurd vagaries as to
governmental functions are only paral
leled in intensity by their voracity for
public office.
AVOUTHT.KS8 ,
FIGURES. for > tnings given
away year after
year , are not of value , as a rule , and
they generally work harm to the donee.
Agricultural statistics sent out from
the United States department of
agriculture are made up from the figures
furnished primarily without compensa
tion to the furnishers thereof. All
over the United States , in each county ,
are four agents of the department afore
named who work for nothing if they
work at all , and upon their reports the
deportment of agriculture utters its
statistics. During the last twenty-five
years these reports have been often
proven unreliable and erroneous. In
that time they have cost the American
farmers one hundred millions of dollars
through the fluctuations and depressions
of the grain markets which they have
caused.
The foundation of the agricultural
statistics of the United States costs
nothing. It is worthless. Upon it a
superstructure is built which costs more
than a hundred thousand dollars each
year. And it falls down each year
when facts knock it over.
The existence of a senate financial
bill "is well enough , " says the Indian
apolis News ( ind. ) "but the republicans
should bear in mind that the people ex
pect from them united action. They
will be hold responsible if currency re
form becomes the subject of prolonged
controversy between the two houses , ? '
fit-
