* " . . . - ' * 1.- ' ? ' . V. . ; '
The Conservative.
THE CONSERVA-
KVERE1T 1 . ,
WHEELER.TIVE welcomes au
article from its
highly-prized frieud.EverettP. Wheeler ,
of New York City. Ho is well known
throughout the United States as one of
the foremost lawyers of that metropolis.
Ho is an honest and a fearless advocate
of everything in which he believes.
Therefore his communication upon
Christianity is entitled to the most re
spectful and candid consideration.
"To die for one's
AN ERUOK IN . , . .
country and then
FAME.
have his name
spelled wrong in the Gazette" seems to
have been the fate of the Hon. Orator
Kern , Kern , who was a candidate Nov.
0 , 1900 , for the governorship of Indiana ,
on a silver platform which endorsed all
the other fallacies and vagaries of
Bryauarchy. Kern recently made a
post mortem materialization , at a ban
quet of ghosts in Lincoln , where he told
of the beatitudes of constant and peerless
defeat under the constant and peerless
orations of the populist candidate for
the presidency. THE CONSERVATIVE on
page one , of this issue , referring to Dr.
Kern , has his immortal name spelled
"Kerr- ; this occurrence shows how
fleeting even notoriety may become
among the quick-action statesmen of
Indiana. Such a mistake is not likely
to occur again in these columns for
embalming silver-plated talking appa
ratuses.
THK THRESHING
MACUINE. evolving and gout-
developing ban
quet , given in Lincoln , on December 26 ,
1900 , to honor the defeated populist
presidential candidate , ice water , soup ,
salad , pickles , candy , roast beef , turkey
and oratory were simultaneously served.
Choicest , most succulent and appetizing
elocution dripped from the eloquent lips
of Colonel Bryan himself , as honey
from the wings of a myriad busy bees.
From the mellifluence of the post
prandial confections of speech indulged
in by the populist candidate for the
presidency THE CONSERVATIVE culls
this :
"For four years we have heard this
talk of reorganization , but it has been
at high priced hotels and not beside the
threshing machine. "
Reluctantly the attention of the mili
tary hero and civic phenomenon who
uttered the foregoing is called , by THE
CONSERVATIVE , to the fact that con
siderable "talk , " indicating the need of
"reorganization , " was heard around that
"threshing machine" which , with a
ballot-box attachment , was running full
head on November 6 , 1900 , in every
state of the American Union. What a
day for threshing that was and how
strange that the chaff blown away by
the machine should still float on the
windl
8'
34 YEARS AGO
TODAY. "ie members of the
territorial legis
lative assembly from the county of Otoe
left Nebraska City for Omaha to attend
to their respective duties in the house of
representatives and the council. The
councilmen were Oliver P. Mason and
John B. Bennet. The representatives
were Albert Tnxbury , James Thorn ,
John H. Maxou , James B. Gillmoreand
M. S. Campbell. The latter is the only
one still living in Otoe county.
Colonel Tuxbury and Mr. Gillmore
died some years ago as did also Hon.
Oliver P. Mason , who had served the
state of Nebraska as its first chief
justice.
John H. Maxon now lives in St. Louis ,
John B. Bennet in Denver , and James
Thorn is a citizen of Oregon.
January 6 , 1860 , Hon. James G.
Megeath who is still a resident of
Omaha , and in fine condition physically
and financially was elected speaker of
the house of representatives. His com
plexion and good nature remain the
same as when they , combined with his
ability , secured him that honorable
office.
OLD MEMORANDA./ .
MEMORANDA.like
like wine , it has
aged a few years , becomes desirably
interesting. During forty-six years'
residence in Nebraska , more than forty-
five of which have been upon the same
quarter section and under the roof of
Arbor Lodge THE CONSERVATIVE has
made forty years of daily journalism ,
more or less complete.
And now these journals are sketches
and limniugs , sometimes , of days ,
months and years of contentment ,
happiness and moderate success and
again they are sombre pictures of strug
gles and despondencies illuminated with
fluttering wings of grasshoppers , shim
mering in the burning sun heat of
remorseless inexorable drouth. When
the skies were bronze and the sun a
roasting fire before which , as on a spit ,
was daily baking and shriveling to a
crisp , every leaf , flower and blade of
grass from the Missouri river banks to
the foothills of the Rooky Mountains on
the west , the memoranda is only canned
gloom , conserved apprehension. Some
time this data , as written down in those
disastrous days of drought and grass
hoppers , may be given to a patient
public.
But the then and now of the cost of
living is set forth by an entry of Janu
ary .22 , 1866 :
Bought three gallons coal oil at $1.25
per gallon ( $3.75. ) . Compare that with
fifteen cents a gallon today for a far
better article. And that was prior to
the crime of 1873 and previous to that
mastodon of extortion , The Standard
Oil Company , antecedent to Rockefeller ,
Carnegie and their donations to colleges
and libraries.
Those democrats ,
IMPERIALISM.
who recently sup
ported a populist for the presidency ,
declared that imperialism could be
averted only by electing their candidate.
THE CONSERVATIVE was unable to share
in this opinion. Ou the one hand there
were but tendencies on the other a
distinct threat , an immediate danger.
Populism attacked the integrity of our
courts and sought to destroy the
currency of the country. THE CON
SERVATIVE believed that the dangers of
populism at home were greater than the
dangers of imperialism without. As
the wellbeing of the family , of the
home , is above all other considerations ,
so the prosperity and security of our
own people should take precedence over
the welfare of any other people. Hence
THE CONSERVATIVE supported Mr. Me-
Kinley. Bat it still believed the Porto
Rican tariff to be unjust. It believed
the constitutional principle involved to
be a dangerous precedent. It believed
it to be wrong to forcibly annex remote
territory peopled , in the main , by semi-
barbaric tribes , ill suited to our form of
government.
It is now evident that a majority of
the American people were , in the late
. . , , election , prompted
Choice of Evils. , . . . .
by like motives.
Now that an opportunity is given to
directly approve or oppose the foreign
policy of the present administration ,
without thrusting upon the country
greater perils at home , thousands of good
citizens throughout the country , who
favored the reelection of President Mo-
Kinley , are now determinedly opposing
policies relating to the newly acquired
territory. Generally speaking republi
can newspapers have ceased to defend
the war in the Philippines. They no
longer point out the commercial ad
vantages of distant possessions. The
republican leaders who today stand the
highest in public confidence are those
who oppose republican leadership in re
spect to insular territory.
This is as it should be. It is an indi
cation of the decay of intense and
radical partisanship and proof of the
willingness of the people to break away
from their party associations when vital
principles of government are involved.
In 1896 and again in 1900 democratic
voters declined to accept the leadership
of their party when it was pledged to
overthrow and destroy the nation's cur
rency. They believad such a course meant
repudiation and dishonor. Now this
danger has been avoided and the time
has come to resist the tendency to ignore
constitutional limitations and prohibi
tions and the opportunity is fitting for
independent , courageous and patriotic
political action on the part of republi
cans. Ex President Harrison , ex Speaker
Reed , Senators Hoar and Hale , Repre
sentatives McOall and Litclufield have
set an example worthy of the emulation
of those entrusted with the lawmaking
power.
