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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1902)
* < ' . Conservative. I At tlio first HONESTY AIDS glance.it would seein RASCALITY. that the laws giv- iug special protec tion against loss to lumber dealers for materials , and mechanics for labor , employed in the construction of a building , were passed solely in the interest of the artisans and merchants who extend the credit ; but a second and closer inspection of the matter will show that it is the debtor , not the creditor , who is the beneficiary. Thousands of dwellings and business blocks have been erected in Nebraska , the individual credit of whose owners would not have purchased the ma terials and labor necessary for their construction , the law providing for the filing of a mechanics' lieu alone enabling them to secure a welcome from the artisans and tradespeople , and erect homes which would have other wise been denied them , in many cases , and in others the price would be raised to cover the risk. It is the debtor who receives the principal benefit from legislation of this sort ; that cannot be contradicted. So with the legislation ostensibly in favor of the security holder. The more safe guards that can be thrown around the real estate loan transactions , the easier it will be for the mortgagor to secure money at reasonable terms. Eliminating the element of risk from the business pounds down interest rates , makes it easier to obtain large loans , and secures to the debtor a re newal at any time he desires. In a word , the easier it is to collect loans , the easier it will be to borrow. It is a well known fact that it is impossi ble to convict a farmer of selling mortgaged personal property , if the case is tried before a jury of farmers. There is always at least one on the jury who looks upon the banks as fair game for any hunter , and refuses to declare the accused person guilty , no matter how conclusive the evidence may be. The juryman does not pause to consider that before parting with his good money the banker must con sider all the chances , figure all the risks and fix upon a rate of interest which will in the long run make him a profit upon all of the money loaned. To do this he must allow for a certain amount of loss through skullduggery , with no protection in the courts of justice , and what the faithless cred itor steals , the man who pays his notes must make good. Such condi tions fatten the rascal , at the expense of the honest man , yet leaves the bank no worse off than it would be if all borrowers paid their debts cheer fully. So it is really the paying creditors , not the bloated "money sharks' ' who are ultimately benefited by the rigid enforcement of the mort gage laws , as it is the latter who are the beneficiaries when an especially drastic collection law is passed. The banker may be depended upon to take good care of himself in any case , but thoughtless representatives in state legislatures , and the overly sympa thetic jurors seem inclined to place a premium upon rascality , which honesty is called upon to pay. General Lord MUTUAL Methuen and his FORBEARANCE , army ore com plimented by Lord Kitchener , who praises them for having "kept up the traditions of the British army. " As the doughty general and his baud surrendered in a body and as that seems to be strictly in line with the traditions of the South African army , there is a general approval of Lord Kitchener's verdict. There is also a dis position upon the part of Americans to believe that so long as a handful of rag ged peasants defy the British South African commanders , English politicians and journalists are in no position to sneer at the accomplishments of Uncle Sam's boys in the Philippines , neither is their advice upon colonial affairs re ceived with any marked expressions of appreciation. In other words , if Eng land will have the politeness to overlook our brawl in the Philippines , we will with equal courtesy refrain from pass ing disagreeable comments upon the duel between the Lion and the Boer. Let us cease twitting one another and in future be jolly , good comrades in mis ery. Gribski , the Rus- NAUGHTY sian general who NICHOLAS. lately murdered 6,000 Chinamen by driving them into the Amur river at Blag- ovestohensk , has been dismissed from the army and will probably not be rein stated within the year. In other words , the punishment of one day off duty for each fourteen Chinamen killed , seems entirely just to Russia , whose ruler , however , has great sympathy with the Boers , the Filipinos and under dogs everywhere excepting where the Slav has charge , or assumes control , of the police arrangements. But as each power is engaged in playing the bully on some section of the globe , Russian gen erals may murder a few thousand Chi namen , at a cost to themselves of the loss of a trifle less than an hour's pay per Chinaman , and no other ruler can point to the blood-stain upon the Czar's hand without exhibiting a similar dis coloration upon his own index finger , consequently the only thing for the virtuous potentates to do is to tuck their hands into their pockets , close their eyes , hold their tongues and , in the lan guage of Peck's Bad Boy , "look pious. " The Czar has countenanced/murder and should be stoned out of the civi lized circle ; "let him who is innocent cast the first stone. " The United States Su- ADVERSE. preme Court has handed down a decision that af fects several large cities which have in operation , or in prospect , laws providing for a 3-cent car fore. The test case was brought by the city of Detroit , which originally allowed the companies to charge 5 cents , and the court holds that the former ordinance was in the nature of a contract , and that the companies are entitled to charge a nice , smooth nickel so long as their franchises lost. Proceeding by ex- ONE LEFT. elusion , and Cleve land , Hill , Jones , Dewey , Miles and Sohley having al ready been excluded , it is apparent that when the eventful year of 1904 arrives there will be but one man qualified to ] f- carry the tattered banner of popooraoy on to a glorious and spectacular defeat. Who could do it so well as the peerless orator , versatile and picturesque states man and judiciously advertised publicist whose political preceptorship , like his professional career , is only marred by a most lamentable and inexplicable short age of clients ? W. E. Riohey , an CORONADO. archeologist of Harvey- ville , Kan. , has discov ered a sword blade which has engraved upon it the name of "Juan Galli- go , " supposably the same who accom panied Ooronado in his famous explora tions. A careful examination of the blade indicates that it was manufac tured in Toledo , Spain , in the six teenth century , and was probably car ried in the Coronado expedition , though the locality in which it was found Gray county is quite a distance off the route formerly supposed to have been followed by the explorers. It may be well to wait for additional evidence before assuming that a new Coronado route has been es tablished by this find , for the mere sup position that the blade belonged to a member of the expedition , even if well founded , does not prove that it was left by its original owner , where it was found by Mr. Richey. The blade may have been moved a dozen times since 1534 , and the fact that it was found in the stump of a tree , rather indicates that it was not placed there by its rightful owner , as he would certainly have little cause to hide his own sword in that manner especially as a Spanish cava lier's blade is relinquished only with , his life , and there is no reason to believe that Captain Galligo died in the vicinity ref of the spot where the cache was uncov- j ered. However , further research may prove the find of value , and Mr. Richey has certainly earned the gratitude of all who feel interested in establishing the facts and circumstances in connection with the fruitless journey of Corouado and his army.