THE HESPERIAN.
UNIVERSITY of NEBRASKA.
Vol. XV.
LINCOLN, NEB., NOVEMBER 12, 1886.
No. III.
"ENTJiENOUS."
Tho Y. M. and Y. V. C. A. organizations have the promise
of room seven as a place of meeting for their Wednesday
evening prayer meetings, until such a time as better accom
modations can be had. This promise has encouraged the
members of these organizations to fit up the room with car
pot, curtains, paper and painting, that it may appear a more
enticing and more pleasant place of meeting. One hundred
and twenty-five dollars at least will be needed to complete
the arrangements. Faculty and students alike will certainly
feel free to contribute to this fund. Committees to visit and
take subscriptions from all have been appointed, and we hope
they may be very successful. Let every student contribute
something.
No little anxiety is felt by New Yoik politicians over the
Might prospects of labor's nominee for the mayoralty, Henry
George. The peculiar beliefs of this Socialist have been
widely published, and there are but few, indeed, who profess
to be interested in matters of government that have not
studied more or less carefully some or all of Henry George's
ideas on socialistic subjects. There is no doubt that his lean
ings arc Communistic, and it is the knowledge of this, coup
led with the fear that he will certainly try to realize all tha
is possible for Communism in his administration, that would
seem to cause the "rings to be so fearful lest he should be the
successful candidate. But we arc convinced that those who
lead in politics are not such fools as to fear anything of
Georce's administration on this line. Indeed the office of
mayor can avail him nothing, if, on the contrary, it does, not
work decidedly to his disadvantage, such will be the restric
tions laid upon his actions and his declarations. It is rather
the fear of his opposition and the consequent precarious con
dition into which they will be forced that is worrying the po
litical rings which have ruled and plundered the city of New
York; and we would add that its worst thieves are its "rings."
As students of the University, so near the field of experi
ment, we should watch with interest the developments made
by those who have been appointed to test the salt basin just
west of town. Costing the state a goodly sum of money, it
should aim at such thoroughness, and careful calculation
of all finds as would justify the expenditure of so great an
amount. It is an attempt to develope, or rather to determine
our natural resources and if faithfully performed will amply
repay "us for the expense. Whether or not we have a sufficient
salt deposit to warrant the setting up of an extensive salt
manufactory has long been a subject of conjecture; and that
it is now to be settled is certainly a good thing. A depth of
thirteen to fifteen hundred feet has already been attained, and
no great deposit of salt has been found. Success may yet
crown the experiment. But should we fail to find a brine
sufficiently strong to be paying, yet the experiment is of im
portance to. science since it gives niv accurate idea of the struc
ture' of the underlying strata of this section. Still another
feature of the experiment is the possible discovery of oil or
coal, which, if found, would ccrtoinly work an economic
change in favor of Nebraska, now supposed to be destitute of
these articles in paying quantities.
For the first time in the history of the state a democrat is
sent to congress from the first congiessional district. A'hard
fight was early suspected and the contest anticipated as very
close. It did not prove so close as anticipated, and the plu
rality was against all precedent. Money did not gain the
battle for the democracy, as many will no doubt be led to be
lieve from the campaign gush published by the leading news
papers of the district. A man without a reputation in the
political arena defeated the man reputed to be an eminently
successful trickster. Blind adherence to party cannot longer
be calculated upon with any degree of certainty. The peo
ple prefer the untried man above the man that has proved
untrustworthy. This struggle has also shown that the Repub
lican party will never again be able to regain the full confi
dence and hearty support of many of its best men until it has
redeemed its pledges on the prohibition question. If this be
done in all faith we predict that future campaigns will not
prove so disastraus lor them; if not, we are ready to predict
a Democratic state rule in the very near future. That some
thing must be done is evident. That the people will not
longer be imposed upon is now more apparent. Let the Rc
pablican party profit by this unpleasant experience, and re-'
solve for the future to be nearer what it professes to be, a
party true to its principles. (
Some one has said that politics and political factions should
have no part in the administration of municipal governments.
That "rings" do control them, however, is the appalling
fact, and reveals the most serious failing of our munici
pal regulations. But this is the general tendency in the po
litical. world. It is true that nations and peoples are conserv
ative. That they should cling to old forms of government,
and antiquated institutions, seems to be the rule almost with
out exception. And yet, we question if they do not oftener
retain the form while the power and principle themselves have
passed into other forms, and too often into other hands. In
other words, while we all believe the powers of government
to be vested in the people, yet we must admit that they are
too often usurped by a limited portion of that body. It is a
sense of this loss of power and its misuse by those who have
usurped it that rouses the people every few decades to rise
and resume their authority This move has generally given
rise to a new party, "a party of the people" to begin with,
but finally drifting of! into a mere faction. Such is about the
status of the old Republican and Democratic parties mere
factions, remembered and kept alive for their past useful
ness, awaiting the birth of the "party of people." This new
party may accept the name of one of the old parties, but
will not the less truly be a new party. It will not be a Prohi
bition party nor a labor party; it will be the "party of the peo
ple," no matter what the name adopted. The Prohibition
party and the Labor party are but different phases of a-great-er
and more widespread movement of reform, the resumption
of the powers of government by the people themselves. Rings,
monopolies, factions, must yield for a time to the will of a
roused and united people. History will support us in . this
reading of the signs of the times.