Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, September 17, 1894, Page 10, Image 10

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10 THE OMAHA DATL ? 1VEE : MONDAY , SEPTEMBER 17. 1891.
port of tha.fraudulent conius , ami I have no
doubt It woA only because he hail assurance
that the tiling hid outgrown the statute ot
limitation. ( Applause nnd laughter , ) On tlic
way out to Washington1 at Washington he
never said a word discourteous to me. ana
our Interrourse was plea nr.t. The truth Is ,
that up to 1891 , only a little more than two
years ngo , there was no controversy between
us , nnd Maji rs had no causa lor complaint
nboul ntlrged abuee at the hands of The Bee.
.Most of you doubtless remember that during
the Thnyer-Uoyd conWst over the governor
ship The Uce Uok the position that Ma
jors , and not Thaycr , was the legal cxcutlve
If Boyd was Incllglhle. I opposed the nomina
tion of Majors for governor in 18'J2 becnusa
of my conviction that ha was unfit for the
place and because his conduct during his
flrst term as lieutenant governor was such
no honest man could endorse cr defend. That
Is Vihy I opposed Majors two years ago. 1
wanted the republican party to win In the
national campaign of 1892 , and I wanted a
candidate whr- could face the people Irom one
end cf the state to the other ,
MAJOHB1 WONDERFUL RUN.
Oh , yea , but Mr , Majors' friends say :
"Didn't Majors make a good run ? " Oh , yos.
Ho WHS running for lieutenant governor , anil
ho ran 3ono votes ahead ot Crounac 1,070
votes ahead of Crounso. tlut ho ran 5,713
votes behind Raymond , presidential elector ;
ha ran 857 votes behind Eugene Moore for
auditor ; ho ran 531 votes behind Allen for
secretary of stnto. So that he was not run
ning so wonderfully far aluad of the repub
lican ticket. It ho did run ahead ot Judge
Crounso.
And how did that come ? In the first place ,
Strenuous efforts were made by the railroad
people everywhere to trade votes for Majors.
They wanted the lieutenant governor to con
trol the senate and hold legislation In chuck
that was not satisfactory to them. They
went to work and Issued circulars to demo
cratic -employes of the Utirllngton roail to
vote for Morton and Majors. They got quite
a number of votes that way. Mr. Majors
himself 'passed through the gambling houses
of Omaha with one ot his associates , and
through that party asked the gamblers to
support Van Wyck and Majors. Majors
thought Van Wyck would ba elected governor
and then senator , and he would then become
governor. That was another method by
which they procured votes. Hut , last ot all ,
everybody must understand that Lorenzo
Crounso was pitted against Charles
II. Van Wyck , the moat popular
popullit In the state , n splendid
stumper , who had a largo number ot friends
In the republican party , and ran 0,600 votes
ahead of his ticket. That accounts why
Crounso , bearing the brunt of the entire bat
tle. In which Majors was not touched , fell
3,073 votes behind Majors.
Another thing : Mr. Majors has asserted
that The Omaha Dee and myself had fought
him In 1802 from start to finish , and that. In
splto of that fight , ha was elected by Btich a
splendid majority. I defy him to show me
ono line that appeared against him In The
Omaha Dee after the protest had appeared
against his nomination as candidate for
lieutenant governor by the committee. I
defy him to show me where In the whole
campaign , In any speech that I made , and I
made seventeen speeches In various parts of
the state , I mads the slightest reference ) to
him or his candidacy. He was not being
opposed at all , nnd while 1 Itnew that even
in Fremont his friends were privately cut
ting Lorenzo Crounsc. I did not make any
flght , because I feared , the ho would defeat
Harrison and Crounse both It we undertook
to break out of our line nt that time. So ,
then , Mr. Majors' wonderful strength and
popularity was simply because nobody fought
him nnd Ir.causo tlio railroads were working
for him , and because he was running against
a man who liad been advertised all over as an
anarchist ,
That Is the explanation. Now then , -
have had so much , said about that unique
candidate. Colonel Majors , who modestly as
sures the people that he will be the best
governor Nebraska over had and points with
prldo to his worleln the legislative halls ot
congress and In the state legislature.
HIS CAREER IN CONGRESS.
Let us see how he distinguished himself.
Ho was in congress only about three or four
months , and during that period there was
no possible opportunity for him to do any
thing of any moment ; but he was electcJ
several times U the empty honor of a con
tingent congressman. Way back In 1870
wo elected Joseph LaMnsters as a contin
gent congressman ; that Is , we elected a
jnsn who was deputed to go to Washington
and , see whether or not congress would allow
us an additional member In case we were
entitled to more congretslonal rcpresentatl n
than was shown by the national census. Mr.
liaMoster did not go to Washington. AVe
elected Hon. Patrick,0. Ha\\ea to the same
position. He did go to Washington. He
went there several times , and secured ad
mission to the floor. Ho hail a goal thing.
It afforded him an jopportuntty for lobbying
nnd gave him -clmnco to make himself
prominent and distinguished ; but he did not
succeed In getting a seat In congress , with
the salary and perquisites attacheJ. LUtr
on we elected Mr. Mijors , and what does the
record show ? Mr. Majcrs wc.s elected In
18SO , and ho pushed his claim with vigor.
On April 1 , 1832 , the Judiciary commute ? , ot
which Mr. Thomas U , Heed \vas ctiarlman ,
made a report recommending that ho be
seated. Pn April 11 cf the tame year , how
ever , ths fraud perpetrated by Majors was
discovered , whereupon the house ot repro-
sentitlves passed the following resolution :
Itesblvcd , That the clerk ot this liatido lie
and he Is hereby required to furnish n
printed copy of thla it-port. Including the
evidence , to cnch of the following olllceris :
The district attorney ot the District of
I'olumlMn , the attorney general of the
United States nnd the governor of the stnte
of Nebraska , that they nuiy tiike mieh
action us they may deem suitable to the
gravity of the wicmgs committed by the
persons vthose conduct is In this conclusion
set forth.
The investigation made by the judiciary
commttteo was ycry exhaustive , reported to
the house as follows :
"Tho conclusion that we arrived at waa
that Thomas J. Majors Is responsible for the
misinformation which Induced the committee
to make the repent on the 1st of April , ISS2 ;
that ho was aided therein by S. J , Alexander ,
Decretory ot the stnto ot Nebraska , by I'at
O. Hawos , Dr. I' , Schwenk ur.d Georgia II.
Roberta. We ask the adoption ol the fallowIng -
Ing resolution :
Whereas , Since the report of the commit
tee on Judiciary In favor of seating Mr ,
Mnjors s nn additional member of the
house > of reprenontatlves from Nebraska
wax nmile to the lieu e > . doiibtH have orison
as to whether what WUH presented to the
committee ns a duly certified copy of the
census ot that iitnte for the year 1B72 was
not In fact Its census of 1871 , nnd whether
any census of that statp hnd been tnken
uiul compiled for 1872 ; and
Wheieiis. Urns basis of that report was
the opinion that the ug ivgnte population
Of Nebraska , shown by the certified copy
of the census produced , was its population
for 1872. ami nut for 174 ;
Kesolvoit , Tluit calil bill bo recommitted
to the committee of the Judiciary , with
power to send tor percaiiK nnd papers , to
k-aru facts torn-hint ; this mutter , anil that
It report nt Its earliest convenience at any
lime litnv thin mlslntounatlon occurred and
who Is responsible therefor.
HOW THE THICK , WAS TURNKD ,
"The wrong * complained ot were those :
In order to make the argument good In fvor
ut an additional member from Nebraska. It
proved beyond controversy that thn census
of thai state taken by the United States In
1870 was grossly wrong ; that it hail been
Imperfectly taken , and that hail It been
correctly taken the Mate would have been
entitled to two member a In thin house In
stead ot one.
"The proof submitted to make * that claim
good was what purported to be a census tiiketi
by the state In 1S7.2. and cet tilled by I he
secretary of that stale. It turns out and , is
proved beyond controversy that the census
HO certified was thu census ol 1374 , and thai
'V In the certificate ot the secretary of state
was changed to n ' 2. ' In order to make II
appear that It tt-as the census taken twe
years nearer the time of thu United States
census ot 1870 than It was actually taken.
"The committee , upon the evidence be
fore them , have repaited that Mr. Major :
iniule that change , and the- argument nni
reasons of tVe committee for that renor
are -contained In the report submitted to I hi
house. They l o tUd that Mr. Unwes nldn
Majors In concealing that change- after hi
knew It was made.
"The substance cf that part of the test !
mony Is this Hawca swears that he wn :
rtllcd Qti by Majors to make an nfTUUvl
that that WHS the. centus of 1S72 , that Ji
told Majors that It was 'so culled , ' and Ilia
was all he knew about It ; ( hat Mijor * eald
Very well : that Is all I want to know ,
lUwtS made the affidavit , ami when w
as.kc'1 him why he did not explain that I
WAS 'so called1 ho undertook to avoid It by thl
kind of testimony He * says'It was begun 1
1873 and taken all the way nlong up to 1874
anil MO called -It 1812. like you call a publl
building commenced this year (182) ( ) and not
finished till ten years from now a building
ot 1882. '
"Tlia way Mr. Schwenk became connected
with Jt was this : After the committee mads
Its report ( It was bforo we had-discovered ,
this Impoiltlon ) upon Inquiry about the state
ccnius of 1871 , Mr. Alexander was called
up n and certified that there was1 no census
taken In 1S7I. Ha sent n official certifi
cate , over the se&l of the state , that there
was no census taken till IS72 , of which we
had a certified copy , over the t-lgnaliiro of
his predecessor and the state seal. It turned
out that Alexander had prior t : that tlmo
telegraphed to Mr. Majors that there was no
stnte census taken till 1S71. Majors , finding
that trouble , sent Schwenk as a messenger to
Alexander with a Utter , and the product of
It all was that Alexander copied the old
bogus census which wo had lu print betors ui
and certified it to bo the census Of 1972 , He
swears that when ho certified ( t ha refused to
put In the year , telling1 Schwenk that he did
nut know that that was the right year , but
ho awore that he knew It might be filled up
to suit the case ; that he supposed Mr. Majors
had evidence enough here in which he could
nil the blank.
"Schwenk swears that hn delivered It to
Majors In blank. It was delivered to us filled
up. Majors swears that he received It filled
up ; but all agree that It was not filled up
when It left the secretary of state's office.
The handwriting shows that It was not filled
up by Alexander before it hft with ths great
seal cf Nebraska on It. When Majors found
out that wi > had the official report of this man
Alexander , published last year , that It was
the census of 1571 , and that there was no
census ot 1S72 taken ; that we had It printed
In six books , four of them published by au
thority of the state of Nebraska , that It was
the census of 1874 ; finding that they were
about to bs discovered , he ( Majors ) 'went cut
to see Alexander. Schwenk wrote to him
from here to Lincoln , Neb. , a letter , the vile
language of which I will not quote , but the
substance ot which was n request that Alex
ander copy oft the old , false certificate , and
make It conform to what It really was In
print ; that here Hawes' aflldavlt would make
It a plausible thing , and to say nothlnR about
It , that he nnd Majors might not be caught
In any contradiction of each other. And he
asked him -to burn that letter , That letter
was by fatality preserved , and It got into the
hands cf the committee , "
N..W . , here ls another case of "burn that
letter" but the letter waa not burned. ( Ap
plause and laughter. )
The resolutions were adopted without a dis
senting vote. And then , to clinch the mat
ter , a motion was made to reconsider the vbts
by which the resolutions wsro adopted and
the motion to reconsider laid upon the table.
MAJOnS AS A LEGISLATOR.
Now , then , fellow citizens , do you think
that a man who would perpetrate such a
fraud upon congress and scandalize and
stigmatize this state Is a tit person to bo en
trusted with the position of governor of the
state of Nebraska ? Is he a-fit person to
rule this commonwealth ? Ami yet , I want
to say , while Mr. Majors clnlms that he had
been pursued , The Dec never published the
matter contained In these reports. It
scarcely even alluded to them ; It was re
garded as something gone by until he sought
to become the candidate for governor. Now ,
then , let us see what kind of a statesman
Mr. Majors Is. I refer you now to his leg
islative curear. Mr. Majors was a member
of the state senate In 18S7 and this Is his
record. U Is not very voluminous , and It
will not keep you very lone. As a member
of the state senate In 1SS7 Mr. Majors In
troduced three bills during that session-
Senate file No. G9 , prbvldlng for the publi
cation ot the- session laws In ono or two
newspapers In every county In the state ,
Referred to a committee and never heard
from again. Senate file No. 77 , authorizing
counties , precincts , townships and school dis
tricts to compromise their Indebtedness.
Here Is the official copy of the original
bill. Remember , Colonel Majors has had the
hardihood to come before the , people ot our
city and before the people TJf-fhla state as
the champion of the public credit , who would
sustain the reputation of Nebraska as a debt-
paying state , and this Is the bill that he In
troduced In the legislature In 1887 :
Senate file No. 77 : A Bill for an Act to
Authorize Counties , Precincts , -Townships ,
or Towns , Cities , Villages nnd'School Dis
tricts to Compromise Their Indebtedness
and IHSUS New Bonds Therefor.
Section 1 , That uny county , precinct ,
township , or town , city , village or school
district Is hereby authorized nnd empow
ered to coinpromlae Its Indebtedness In the
manner hereinafter provided.
Sec. 2 , Whcnevbr the county commis
sioners of nny > county. the city council of
uny city , the bburd of trustees of any vil
lage , or the school board of any school dis
trict shall be satisfied by a petition , or
otherwise ( "otherwise" you must notice
that means "In any way" ) that any such
county , precinct , township or- town , city ,
village or school district , Is unable to pay
In full Its Indebtedness , ml Hint a majority
of the taxpayers of such couiif.y , precinct ,
township or town , city , village or school
district desire to compromise Rux-h Indebted
ness , they are hereby empowered to enteY
Into negotiations with the holder or holders
of any such Indebtedness of whatever form
for scaling , discontinuing or compromising
the smile.
Just think of It ! Here Is the great cham
pion of public credit , that sought to engraft
a law on. the Btatates ot Nebraska by which
the county commissioners , precinct officials ,
township or city officials , could at any time
when they thought best In their own sweet
way , make proposition to scale the public
dnbt , to repudiate It , or to compromise It ,
Well , now , If any populist had ever offered
any such proposition he wculd be denounced ,
of course , as a repudlator. Here Is , a repub
lican , and a man who has been chosen as the
representative of the party that denounces
repudiation of public debts as a crime ,
whether contracted by states or counties cr
towns , proposing In a bill that the local offi
cials of any county , precinct , township , or
city or school district , shall have the right to
scale the public debt or repudiate It ; and yet
he stands up here and wants you to vote for
him In order to keep up the public credit of
Nebraska. ( Applause. )
What morj did ho do In regard to sustaining
the public credit ?
Senate flla No. 171 , to require corporations ,
firms and Individuals transacting a banking
business to make reports of thplr resources
and liabilities to tha auditor ot public ac
counts , to provide for the examination of the
affairs of such banking Institutions and to
fix n minimum capital lor the transaction ot
banking business ; punish the receiving of
deposits by insolvent banking Institutions ,
etc. , was introduced In the senate and pa&scd
that body. It was received In the house on
March G. On March 27 the bill was passed
by a vote of CS to 3 , Majors being ono of tlu
three to vote against the bill.
Here was a bill providing against wildcat
banking and fraud on Innocent dcposllors ,
The only safeguard that the people ot this
stnte have had thrown around them ; enacted
by a republican legislature and became a law
In splto of Majors' vote against it. ( Ap
plause. )
Now , then , what more did he do ? Senate
flic 202 , to amend section 118. Title vll , Cede
of Civil Procedure , simply permits attorneys
who arc notaries public to swear their cli
ents to legal papers. This bill became a law.
That Is the only bill he Introduced In that
whale session , that became a law. He only
Introduced three bills and one resolution :
"Resolved , That the doorkeeper and post
master be allowed their chairs , tor faithful
services during the session. " That resolution
carried. ( Laughter , ) There Is the work of
the whole session of 1SS7 by Thomas J ,
Majors , candidate for governor of Nebraska ,
who boasts , that ho Is a statesman , ( Laugh-
tor. )
HIS WOliK IN 1889.
Now , then , wo come to 1S89 , and we have
not got much more than that , because It Is
aDuut all of the ejme caliber. In 1SS9
Majors was a member of the houie. He- In
troduced one joint resolution relative testate
state warrants , asking the supreme court
tor an opinion on the question as to whether
state warrants arc state ; security. lie in
troduced house roll 241 , repealing" chapter
86 of the Compiled Statutes at (887 ( , Rut
this was a buncombe bill Introduced to re
peal a bill giving W. N. n. Stout a ton-year
extension on the prison contract . It la a
custom in the legislature of Nebraska for
patriots who want to hold up somebody Ic
Introduce just such bills. The bill of course
never became a law. *
There were bills Introduced at the pre
ceding session to make gambling \ felony ,
when we had a big tight with Majors ns 'one
ot the leaders of the crowd that \rantfd , tc
defeat the anti-gambling- . At every ses
sion succeeding ach other the same or aim' '
liar bills would Introduced , and then th
gamblers would r&lso a pot , and the bit
clammed Into the pigeon hole pnd nevei
resurrected.
Now , then , besides these two bills , Majori
tt.-ioduced house roll 303 , to amend sec <
tlon 1 of article vll , chspter 7 of the Com'
piled Statutes , entitled "UejVenu ? . " Th <
original ncctlon provides that If anr town
ship , precinct , Incorporated city or village
In this state shall issue any bond to aid
In the construction or completion of any
wcrk of Internal Improvement , the revenue
arising from the taxation of nuch Im
provements shall lie set apart forever to pay
tht Interest and principal ot the bond until
the Bamo shall bo fully paid. Now , that
Is all there wasi In that wonderful bill that
Majors got through.
Another , and the last ot his statesmanlike
measures , was to amend house roll No. 451 ,
to amend the laws relating to game and fish.
During that session of the legislature Majors
was the chairman of the committee on fish
and game. To that Mr. Watson , the
speaker , had assigned him , because he knew
that ho was a good man to catch suckers
with ( laughter ) nnd that tic was a good
man at poker , so that he could play a game
whenever he uanted to. That's what imulo
him chairman on fish and game. The bill
relating to the catching of ilsh with hook
and line and the Joint resolution were
passed , The second bill was Imlellnlti-ly
postponed. So ho succeeded in 18S9
In passing two bills and one reso
lution. Altogether , in the two ses
sions In which-Majors was a member of tha
legislature , ho succeeded in passing three
bills and two resolutions ; one of those resolu
tions donating the chair to the postmaster
nnd doorkeeper of the state senate. There
Is the wonderful work of that statesman )
Thomas J , Majors , I compiled from the rec
ords , and any man that can find anything
else there will ba worthy a big premium.
WHEN A SENATOIl WAS STOLEN.
I have not the tlmo to go through his rec
ord on the maximum rate bill. There were
a great many gyrations by htm at that time ,
but I am going now to show what Majors'
record Is as lieutenant governor , and sec
whether or not the course The Dee has
pursued and my action in resigning from the
national committee were not thoroughly Jus
tified ,
Majors , as lieutenant governor , presided
over the legislature In 1S91 and up to 1S93 ,
The methods which prevailed In the organi
zation of the state senate. In 1S93 fittingly Il
lustrate the interference of tha corporations
in legislative affairs of Nebraska. But wo
will go back first to 1891. That was in the
famous ses , Ion that they had the big- fight
over the maximum rate bill. We reach the
question whether or not Mr. Mnjors Is cen
surable for the abductlcn of this man Taylor.
It was In this session that the deadlock oc
curred over the passage of the maximum rate
bill , and during that deadlock , which lasted
aeventy-flve hours , this man Taylor
was permitted to quietly get out ,
go away from Lincoln and pass out ot the
state , first to Illinois and then to Oregon.
Sir. Majors has publicly denied and called
God to witness that ho knew nothing about
this , but It was something very remarkable
that he was not awnre that this man was
going out of his reach In that senate , when
ho was so anxious and showed by his rulings
the greatest anxiety to prevent that deadlock
from being broken , and to complete the work
which the corporations had set out to do ,
namely , the defeat of the maximum rate bill.
We all admit that there ore legitimate
ways of filibustering and defeating legisla
tion , and there are illegitimate ways. In
tlu legitimate course of parliamentary pro
cedure , men may pursue certain tactics
that would prevent the majority from over
riding minorities , and also may delay and
side-track legislation by perfectly legitimate
usage. But hero was a case per
haps without n parallel In the annals
of the United States , Hero was the state
senate In actual session , Its members con
vened to pass laws for the people of Ne
braska , and hero a member of that body was
abducted and carried away to another
state , taken out of the reach of the ser-
geant-at-arms and kept away for the re
mainder of the session , for the purpose of
defeating a law. Now , can anybpdy think
of anything any more criminal ? The mtn
who make your laws are the representatives
of the people , and when anybody undertakes
to destroy the legislative- functions of the po- ;
ple , when anybody undertakes to abduct
members ; of the leglslatuic , he commits a
high crime. It Is as high a crime as
treason Itself. You need nqt levy war
against a state and destroy It ; you can de
stroy It by just such methods , > vlthout firing
a gun.
What did Majors say ? I find as a part of
a Lincoln paper , the organ ot the Burlington
road , that I suppressed a part of
Majors' speech at the republican
state convention. The truth Is that I never
saw It until it was In print , but I will give
you thu benefit of his utterances us printed
hero. Majors' exact linguago was , referring
to the charge : "As Clod Is my judge , I clld
not , I know nothing1 about It , but had It
been in my power I would have spirited
away every populist member of that legis
lature. " Now just think of a man sitting
In the high scat of the president ot the
senate saying that ho would have gloried
It all the members of the populist party In
that body had been spirited away and ab
ducted , criminally carried away from the
state house. Could you think of anything
more seditious or anarchistic from a public
man and from a man who aspires to be the
chief executive , the man who Is to execute
the laws made by our legislature , the man
who Is to be vested with the veto power ?
That man publicly declared that he would have
rejoiced If somebody had bribed the other
mombsra of the populist party and carried
them away bodily out of the state ? I say
that It is the- most anarchistic utterance that
has ever been heard In any public body , and
the disgrace of the republican party Is that
they applauded this man to the echo , un
thinking , not realizing what an enormity It
was f..r him to make such a declaration In
a public body presuming to represent the
republican sentiment of the state ol Ne
braska.
WHEN HE SIGNED THK VOUCHER.
Now , then , the evidence shows all along the
lines. Mr , Majors' private secretary was
Walt M. Seely ; he was the confident of Tay
lor ; ho accompanied him out of that senate
chamber ; he was along with him In the
town ; he finally procured , by the signature
of Majors , a false certificate ,
a voucher , in the name of the absconded
senator , for the amount of | 75 , under the
presumption that that man was entitled to.
the balance of that money ; that he was
entitled to the $75 to Pay him for the services
rendered as member of the state senate.
Now , Mr. Majors makes this explanation :
He says that that man wait entitled to that
pay , because the constitution says that any
member shall be entitled to in a cession ot
sixty days to $300 , nnd no more. The- con
stitution does not limit the session to sixty
days. It limits the pay tb $300 , even If the
SEtslon should last twice sixty days. And
Majors had the audacity to say to a great
convention of Intelligent republicans
who. arc within the reach of the
journals of the two house , that this man had
served sixty-three days , and that on the
sixty-third day he had already passed the
limit of the $300 , and therefore , was entitled
to the money. The record shows that Tay
lor disappeared on the fifty-third day of the
session. Now , the record is a good deal
more veracious than Mr. Majors. When
Mr. Majors runs against the printed records
of the state senate ho runs against a solid
wall. Supposing that the man had been en
titled to full pay , how could Majors pretend
that he could Issue a certificate to Mr. Secly ,
his private sscretary , for the unexplred time ,
when that man had run away , and when the
sergeant-at-arma had been dispatched after
him ; when he , Mnjors , know all about
this man's having absconded how could he
Issue a certificate that the > man had served
through the whole session ? The whole ses
sion lasted only until the sixty-fourth day.
That Is the record. It Is the most scan
dalous misdemeanor that a public officer has
ever committed In this ttate. The state
auditor or the state treasurer may excuse
himself on having- great deal of work to
do , and that with the multiplicity of papers
that be has to sign he has made a mistake ;
but this man had only thirty-three members
of the senate and the- few -employes of tha
senate to sign for , nnd ho certainly knew
Just what he was ) doing and he cannot es
cape the responsibility. I , for one , will
not stand up before the people of this state
and advocate the election ot a man who , under
his oath of office , swearing to high heaven
that he would do his duty , would certify tea
a fraudulent voucher , nnd then put It In tha
hands of a boodla secretary ( o bo taken and
pock. ted. I have In my possession the letter
ol Taylor that denies that he ever got a
penny ot that money , tmd tha voucher , certi
fied by Majors , is entirely In the handwrit
ing ot Seely , and It Is written upon the
blank of the lieutenant governor. How could
Mr , Taylor In Oregon have coltcm thli
blank ? He got It. of course , from the lieu
tenant governor's private chamber.
HIS PRIVATE OIL ROOM.
And here let me call your attention to
another matter. We- have had a great < Hal
j of lobbying and bad , work at the state cap ) .
teJ. I ndmlt that In every stale capltol
there Is a , great deal ot corruption , A. great
deal ot venality and a grw.1 deal of logroll
ing that Is Irregular or criminal ; but never
In the history of Nebraska did a lieutenant
governor convert the chamber assigned to
him in his capacity a presiding officer of
the senate Into what we call an "oil room"
convert It Into a barroom , n gambling room ,
put In there a whole lot of bottles , decanters ,
jugs : with liquors , and supply the members
ot the senate who nre of his stripe wlUi
Yale lock keys to get In there , and all the
other outside lobbyists who were working
the senators and manipulating thorn during
the session of the legislature * to promote the
Interests and schemes ot jobbers and corpora
tions.
Fellow cltliens. do you think a man who
would thus demean himself In a position ot
honor Is fit to be crowned chief executive of
this c mmonwealth by your suffrages ? Is
U not nn Insult that any reputable , self-re
specting American citizen should bo naked
to vote for such a man ? Is. It not the duty
of every American citizen to consider his
vote as a sacrci | trust , transmitted by the
founders of till * irepubllo for the purpose of
perpetuating free Inqtltutlcns ?
HI3 FRAUDULENT NOMINATION.
Hut my republican friends have asserted
that Mr. Majors was legall } nominated ; that
ho was nominated by a convention of repub
lican delegates , , niid , having received that
nomination In a ilcgal manner , he Is entitled
to the support of every good republican.
Now , I donv In tot that ho was legally nom
inated , It is a notorious fact that the sixty
delegates from Lancaster county , by whoso
votes he was nominated , clld not have their
credentials from the ( republicans of Lancaster
county. They had their credentials through
the Instrumentality ot the political satraps
of the Burlington road. The con
vention that met In Lincoln
to select those delegates nominated a county
ticket and legislative ticket , and then em
powered the candidate for lieutenant gover
nor , Mr. Moore , to select the delegates to the
state convention. It he had selected those
delegates then and there , and submitted
them to the convention , they would have
been legally nominated oud , elected , but he
did not do that Ho let that convention ad
journ without submitting a name , and he
waited for more than two weeks , until these
Jugglers and tricksters who were setting up
the job to nominate Majors had gotten in a
delegation that they could manipulate and
they could use. Now , I say , whatever is
" egotten In fraud vitiates all contracts. This
elcgatlon , without which Majors could not
iavo been nominated , was a fraud , nnd had
10 existence under the rules of political
lodles.
Furthermore , I charge that Majors was
lomlnated by bribery. There were any
lumber of delegates and I get It directly
rom. Mr. Jack MacColI himself whoso fares
were paid by Mr. MacColI from different
.ections . of the state , and thpy were bought
up the night before the convention In some
manner , with money , with annual passes , or
with pledges or promises of rebates , what
ever it may be. They were turned over ,
hey wore bought , and the nomination was
bought , and I denounce It as one of the most
disgraceful things that ever happened In the
itate of Nebraska. ( Applause. ) When a
man procures his nomination in that man
ner , no man , no matter what kind of a
partisan he may bo , is bound to support him.
Ie Is absolved. The fraud absolves all
hlngs.
But. leaving that out ol sight , I want to
appeal to you as a matter of state pride ,
whether you are going to elect a man who
me iso forgotten himself In public bodies as
to use language not fit for any decent man
to repeat to another. You have heard what
the committee , of which Thomas B. Reed
was chairman , reported , that the letter
which Mr. Majors- wrote contained matter
that was too vile for any man to print or
publish. Down In Nebraska City , I think
a year or n year and a half ago , a banquet
was given , at which Mr. Majors was present ,
and he made a banquctlnjr speech that was
so filthy and low that he- had to send out
the waiter girls from the room ; it was so
low and vile that no man dared to repeat Jt
after the banquet waa over. The same thing
was done by him at Lincoln at n banquet
given by Manufacturers and Consumers
association. Now , a man who Is so addicted
to such language , such coarse , loathsome
expressions , Is not the Ulnil ot a man that
should bo elevated to a position which is
bestowed In other states only on men of the
highest moral quality. I trust , fellow citi
zens , that you will see to it that the state
Is not to be dlsgraped by any man in the
governor's chair who ever makes a speech
or oven in. p'rivate will use language that Is
unfit for any other man to repeat.
APPEALS AS A REPUBLICAN.
I have stated at the outset that I want
to appeal to the republicans , and to the young
republicans In particular , and I want before
closing to say to you that I feel deeply Inter
ested. I have llyed In the state of Nebraska
now thirty-one years , " I was a republican
when It meant something- bo a republican.
The first time nny man struck mo down
was In Tennessee , in 1S59 , when I uttered
free soil sentiments that scorned to be con
trary to the popular spirit of that section. I
lived In the south as a union man , coming
right out of the Western Reserve , where re
publicanism was cradled , and lived down
there among votaries ot secession until the
war broke out. I have been In the field.
My friend hero , a young1 man , who was In
his swaddling clothes about that time , has
snesrlngly remarked that my war experience
wa-3 behind some telegrapher's table , pro
tected from all danger. I want to say that
I went with General Fremont and his staff
through the entire campaign of West Vir
ginia ; that many a time I sat alone upon the
rock surrounded by guerrillas , and have ben
whore any moment my life was
imperiled. I was with Gen
eral Pope In his entire campaign ,
beginning at Warrentown and ending at
Bull Run , participating' in the bat
tle , and was on tha battlefield , lying
among the dead men and dead horses
through three nights and three days ,
nnd I think that I know what the men who
wore the blue fought for. I sent ths emanci
pation proclamation out of Mr. Llnclon's of
flee with my own hands ! by telegraph on
the day when It was issued. ( Applause ) .
And I was associated with the men who
were loyal and true to the flag that were
found In the Military Telegraph corps , anil
selected particularly because they could b <
trusted and placed In a spot where It re
quired , not only the capacity , but the loyalty
of the citizen and the man. Now , In nl
that. In all these years , I have been i
republican , and I have proved my republican
Ism in n thousand places.
Now , then , I appeal to you as republicans
The men of 177C and the men of 1861 , pro-
tccted by the free government under which
we live , with the bayonet and the bullet. It
Is for you now to come forward and protect
It with the ballot. Ballots are omnipotent
In the campaigns that we wage now , but the
Issue Is just as Important ; It is just as Im
portant that liberty , equality and the right
of the people to rule themselves shall bo
preserved as It ever was during any period
In the history of this republic. The repub
lican party In Nebraska , for some years past
has simply been registering the orders of
the corporate power.
No man dares to run for any Important
office In the state of Nebraska on any ot
the tickets , excepting possibly on the popu
list , without first ascertaining whether or
not it would bo offensive to the railroad
managers for him lo be a candidate. Now ,
It Is not for us to be ruled by anybody ex
cept our consciences. It Is ( or us , on the
contrary , to do our duty as citizens of the
state.
STANDS SQUARELY FOR IIOLCOMB.
But what shall wo do to ba saved ? Shall
we vote against the republican candidate
and for the populist ? That is the issue
that presents Itself squarely , Judge Hoi-
comb Is the candidate with whom Majori
can be beaten , and no other man can possi
bly come now Into the field nnd get the ma
jority of the votes. It is a square Issue
now between Majors and Holcomb ; nnd , as
between a clean/ Ijonest , straightforward
citizen , against whbm no man up to 'this
time has been alJlej to prefer a charge of
dishonesty , directly .or by Insinuation , or
Imputation , I say. ' I Km for Holcomb , ( Ap
plause. ) . L
Some of my rebublctn | friends have said
that Holcomb wa iacopperhead , during the
war , , that he was a disloyal citizen. Well , I
am sorry to adn t { hat he was about the-
lime , B I know ) , t hj9 vras In arms ; ho was
S years old abouC that time. ( Laughter and
applause. ) He v i ft ytars old when tha
war was over , and I cannot tell how much
he illJ to help the ribels In the louth. I
have not been able to find out. ( Laughter. )
The truth ls Ibatalmost anything will bo
charged. liut 111 'us compare the men.
Here { s Colonel M JJrs , who saya he Is going
to maintain the > dcdv : ot the state , and here
U JudgB Uolcomb , who "does not nay It In so-
many words , but wlioso life , whoso actions ,
whoso conduct 1 a guaranty that the state
Is going to have a conservative man in the
chair , and n clean man , and that cannot be
said of his opponent. ( Applause. )
What shall we tlo ? Shall these young republicans -
publicans In this state1 , and Inn older repub
licans whose battle cry wna free soil , free
speech , free man and Fremont ? Shall wo
now destroy the state just because a man
wears a republican label ? Balling under a
false flag , ami who shculd sill under n dif
ferent flag altogether ? Ho should have a lo
comotive or cow catcher. ( Laughter and ap
plause , )
Wo must now put down tbo rebellion again ,
but In a different form. The speeches
that arc to bo made to you
will all bo appeals to the glories cf the re
publican party , what It has achieved In the
post , all the magnificent monuments It has
erected to the memory cf the great men that
fo.ight nnd shed their life blood for the na
tion. We all ngrco on that ; we are all In
favor of revering the memory of Grant , the
memory of Abraham Lincoln , the memory ot
Qarflold. and the memories ot all the patri
otic soldiers , Sherman and Sheridan , nil of
them , regardless of creed and regardless of
party. But shall we surrender the stnte to
public thieves ? ( Cries of No , 110. ) That Is
the question.
Why , within the last forty-eight hours wo
have been told that Governor Crounse , by
his economic management , has succeeded In
reducing the expenses ot the state Institu
tions J5I.OOO this year. Well , what docs
that signify ? It signifies that the institu
tions might have been managed under pre
ceding administrations , It these impeached
state officers had been acting honestly , at
$54,000 less than they v.ere managed. But
what will It bo under Majors , with all the
old boodle men coming back to their old
places ? Oh , Yes ,
INTEREST OF TUB CORPORATIONS.
I met a traveler today , and he said to me :
"A gentleman who called upon me yester
day denounced you very much , " And I
said : "Who was ho ? "
"Well , " ho says-"he was the agent of the
Standard Oil company , " ( laughter ) "and ho
says that ho Is opposed to you because you
nre down on 'Majors. Ha says you didn't
treat the Standard OH people right when you
denounced the oil Inspection. "
Well , there is where the shoo pinches. You
may depend on It that the Standard Oil com
pany and every corporation , big or little , de
plore the danger to which this state Is going
to bo subjected by the election ot a man by
the name of Holcomb. But what danger Is
there after all ? They toll us the credit ot
this state will suffer so terribly. Several
gentlemen met In Lincoln two or three days
ago styling themselves the executive com
mittee of the commercial travelers , and they
passed a resolution that they wanted the
credit ot the state upheld nnd Majors elected.
Those gentlemen had not seen that little bill
that Mnjors Introduced repudiating public
debts. Probably it that bill had been seen
by them they would not have made Mr.
Majors out so much ot a great man to pro
tect our credit.
13ut what makes the credit of a man ?
His ability to pay. What makes the credit
ot a state ? The ability of a state to meet
its obligations. If we had had a good crop
this year with fifty or sixty mil
lion dollars coming In for corn
nnd hay , the credit of Nebraska
would have been nway up. But these gen
tlemen point to. the fact that there are sev
eral precincts in this state that cannot sell
their bonds at the present time , that the
credit of the state Is impaired by the fear
that a populist would become governor
of Nebraska , Just think of It ! And nbout
six months ago , when nobody dreamed nbout
a populist expecting to become governor ,
there were several counties In this state
that could not tell their bonds , either. Wo
had'a republican governor , and he is still
at Lincoln. *
Gives us good nnd honest men In the state
house , cut down your appropriations , save
the people from extraordinary taxation , and
give us a providentially good crop , and you
may rest assured that the credit of Nebraska
will be as good as that of any other state
In tlS ( west. ( Applause. )
STAND FIRM AND WIN.
In conclusion , let me express the hope that
these- pernicious Influences that will be ex
erted from ono end of the state to the other
between now and election day In all forms
and shapes , In the shape of annual passes ,
n the shape of rebates , In the shape of
iromises of preferment , in the shape of prom
ises ot employment. In the shape of down
right boodle , will hove no Influence upon the
Freemen of this slate , and particularly upon
the true republicans. Let republicans of
Nebraska administer a rebuke to rallroadlsm
and boodleism and we will have a clean
ticket In 1890 , nnd we will redeem the state.
Just look back n little bit. In 1888 Harrison
risen had 103,000 votes In this state. Since
then 25,000 republlcanb have dropped out
of line. In 1892 Harrison only carried Ne
braska by 4,970 odd votes. In 1802 there
wore 24,440 democrats that voted their straight
democratic ticket. If C.OOO of those had been
drawn the other way the state would have
gone against Harrison. What hope is there
of redeeming the state for republicans if you
endorse bribery , perjury and rank fraud , and
go to the people afterwards vlth a demand
for their confidence ?
My flrm conviction is that the republican
party can only bo saved by standing up this j
year for Nebraska against the corporate
satraps- who seek to crush out every vestige
of liberty and home rule through the corrupt
use of party machinery and political mer
cenaries who wear the party livery.
If republicans ot Nebraska possess thq
courage and patriotism of the founders of
the grand old party they will rise In their
might and proclaim that the railroads must
keep hands oft , and when they have their
hands off we shall have free government
and wo shall have honest government.
THE JACKKNIFE.
A Ouoer Now Turk ] > iillilliijr ( tlmt In Only
Thri-o Feet Wide.
The heart ol the nursery child would be
quite carried away by n glance at a building
nt the corner of Gold and I'latt streets , says
the New York Sun. It Is long enough and
tall enough for human habitation , but Its
width suggests the thought that U may have
been Intended for ono of Mother Goose's chil
dren. For all the world It looks like a big
toy house. Fancy for a moment how Incon
gruous Is the appearance of a three-story
building 120 feet In depth and three feet
wide. Those are the dimensions of the house
at 17 Gold street from the rear on Platt
street. The building Is somewhat wider In
front- that Is , it Is wldo enough to let a man
go through a door and wedge himself against
a bar on the inside. Once Inside , ho finds
himself In a room that narrows down almost
to a point. It Is like looking down a long ,
narrow triangle frbm the base to the apex.
So far as Is known it Is the narrowest room
in New York.
Years ago it was a public house , famous
with local politicians and known as a favorite
resort 5or sporting men. The rooms on the
second story were few and small , but were
large enough for a small poker party or a
close conference. "Prince John" Van Buren
entertained his friends there In "gallus"
style , and many a campaign well laid In those
rooms was carried to n successful end. In
later years the place was frequented by the
best class ot merchants , as business grew
about on all sides.
The flrst or ground floor Is now used as a
saloon. The two upper stories are used for
living purposes. It Is like living in a cup
board. The rooms are like corners of a cigar
box , A fair-sized hallway would take all the
rooms between the two halls , but , as any hall
way Is out of the question , the rooms are
connected by doors which leave no space on
the sides. In the parlor of ono sulfthere is
an upright piano that Is set against the wall
nnd reaches to the center of tlio room , Tha
stove In the kitchen , where the building
grows narrower , reaches from wall to wall.
If the furniture was proportionate to the size
ot the rooms the place would look llk a
doll's hoube.
Improvement In Klertrlo lr ll .
One of the most objectionable qualities ol
the electric bell Is Us uniform noisiness
and shrillness. There are many places in
which an alarm of n less aggressive and per
emptory nature Is desirable , and It Is sur
prising that a "qultt" electric bell has not
been manufactured for use In. offices , hotels
or private houses. Ths bell can be adjusted
to inaki as much or as little nolic na may
be needed. Its principal feature U that It
can be used either as a slow striking bell , a
single stroke bell or as an ordinary trembling
bell , according lo the way It U connected
en. _
Hurled ulth 111 * Hobby
There U no accounting for tastes ! A den
tist died In a rural town In England a few
< Uya ago. alter spending over fifty ycara
In pulling tha molars of his fellow citizens.
Ho had made It a hobby io keep all the
teeth which ho had drawn In Iho course of
hla professional career , nnd took great prldo
In the collection. When his will was opened
It was found that ho had ordered the * col
lection of teeth to be placed with htm In his
coflln for burial. His heirs fulfilled hi ) com
mand , and almost 30,000 teeth were put Into
the coffin with tlio dead dentist. If some
archaeologist of a futiira ccn'ury shall happen
to open that grave lie will have "food
for thought" nnd some difficulty perhaps In
explaining the presence ot so many teeth ,
PRESIDENTS AT PL ATT.
Outdoor Sport * lu M'ltloli tlio Cliluf MitffU-
trutrx llii\o round Itcrreiitlou ,
When President Cleveland goes to his sum
mer , home on Buzzard's bay ha takes a few
short fishing * trips , but beyond that ha In
dulges In no sports , says the Now York Sun.
It Is when ho la living In Washington that
he goes on his more Important shooting or
fishing expeditions , Ho usually does his gun
ning on the shores of the Potomac river nnd
Chesapeake bay , He likes duck shooting.
Ills trips sometimes last a week , and during
part of that tlmo he may bo Inaccessible by
mall or telegraph. HU hunting ground U
substantially the eame that Donjimlti Harri
son used , and constitutes what may ba
termed the great presidential game preserve1.
It ! lies south of Washington , and takes In the
I'olomao. river nnd Chesapeake bay to the sea.
The game Includes , wild ducks ( among which
are canvasbacks ) , quail , pheasants and snipe ,
and occasionally wild turkeys. It n president
Is a true fisherman and. will fish with only
the rod nnd reel he mny go upon tha out
skirts of the presidential preserve nnd find
streams where trout are tolerably numerous.
From the beginning of the government
presidents have used these grounds lor their
exploits with rod and gun. General Wash
ington , living at Mount Vernon , know every
Inch of the land tor miles up and down the
river. In his younger days he was a thor
ough sportsman , but after ho became presi
dent there is no record of his shooting or
fishing. President Harrison's first experience
In the preserve was when he distinguished
himself by shooting a negro's pig under the
Impression that ho was IIring at n raccoon.
He offered to pay for the anlmhl , hut the
owner considered that the accident was a
compliment to him and declined to accept re
muneration. President Harrison afterwards
proved that he was a good shot. He could
undergo unusual fatlguo and hardship and
even shot ducks from a sink box , which , ns
every sportsman knows , Is n very uncomfort
able thing to do , He never rode horseback ,
nnd for fluid sports he had no taste what
ever.
ever.When
When President Cleveland goes to the sea
shore he docs not Indulge in swimming , al
though some of his predecessors have been
very tolerable swimmers. John Qulncy
Adams , next to Benjamin Franklin , was the
greatest of swimmers among public men.
In winter , vthcn ho wns president , he used
to take long , solitary walks up Pennsylvania
avenue and around by the cnpltol every
morning before daylight , returning to the
white house Just as the day was dawning.
In summer his walk was In the opposite
direction. Going up above Georgetown be
would there undress and plunge Into the
Potomac for a swim.
A president when ho Indulges In recrea
tion must toke It quickly , for ho is seldom
so situated that he can have a prolonged
vacation. President Arthur was about the
last president who took a complete vaca
tion. Ono summer he and General Phil
Sheridan went out to the Yellow stone re
gion. They camped out , hunted and fished ,
and were often 100 miles from civilization.
This was his only prolonged vacation. Ho
was , however , very fond of taking short
fishing trips , Ho handled his rod well and
loved angling for bass , and trout. Among
fishing presidents he ranked first. When ho
was on one of his olflclal trips In the south a
fishing club at Louisville presented him
with a beautiful rod with a German silver
reel , on which were engraved Izaak Walton's
famous words about his love for all good
fishermen as a gentle , kindly race of men.
It Is ilpubtful whether he ever received a
gift that pleased him moro than this.
His predecessor , Garflcld , could shoot toler
ably , but never fished. General Gnrfield was
a boyIn his love of other sports. For some
years the old National Baseball club boasted
of him as one ot Its honorary members. lie
was a constant attendant at the gamps nnd
ha knew the players personally , and he used
to play himself sometimes when ho was on
the farm at Mentor. Ho was a billiard player
also and when he came Into the white house
the billiard room In the basement , which had
fallen Into neglect nnd had not been used for
several administrations , was renovated and a
new table was put In. Herehe used to play
nearly every afternoon. Ho handled a cue
well and was especially expert at pin pool.
He was an excellent horseman.
All the earlier presidents were horseback
riders. Hor&eback riding afforded an easier
way of traveling than a stage coach , for the
roads were almost universally bad , and the
coaches were built without much regard to
the passenger's comfort. Washington waa
undoubtedly the best rider among the presi
dents and he enjoyed the exercise greatly.
He had little time to Indulge the taste after
he became general of the army and was. too
old for hard riding after he retired from the
presidency , but bclore that he was ono of the
most enthusiastic ! fox hunters In a fox hunt-
Ing country. Ills diary relates how ho cut
fox paths through the woods Jn Mount Ver
non , how he "catched" three foxes In one
day and how much interest he took In his
pack of hounds. Some ot these were im-
portcxl. "Swcetllps" Is one that Washington
mentions several times. There Is no record
that ho ever was a fisherman.
The gentle Madison , on the other hand , wns
no sportsman. His ways wore those of the
student and he lived the simple life of a
country gentleman without engaging In any
ot the sports that Interested his neighbors.
Ills friend and mentor , Jefferson , who lived
twenty-five miles away , was more versatile.
Ho rode n great dal and much of his riding
was for pleasure. It Is probable that Jeffer
son did somo'shootlnp , but It In not recorded
that ho was a sportsman.
Monroe was a constant horseback rider and
a few years before his death he wrote to his
friend Lafayette about the fall he had from
his horse.
Armour's Iuip < * Gnnlon > Kinsman.
It has been a. matter of current report for
years among Board of Trade people that Phil
Armour has no poor relations , says the
Chicago Herald. "He .will not allow any of
them to remain poor , " a veteran of the board
remarked by way of explanation of this
unusual good fortune of a rich man. "Ho
makes them all rich. "
"I have heard that tory beforeMr. .
Armour remarked with a smile , when ono
ot his friends asked him about It the other
day. "But It's a mistake. I have enough
ot them. "
Then the big packer burst out Into a laugh
and his friends knew a good story was com
ing.
ing."One of the poor kind he lives down In
Illinois is one ol the most persistent men
I ever knew. He keeps writing and writing
for money all the lime. He is not a bad
fellow , only improvident , and If ho dis
played the same energy In attending to
business that he does In writing to mo he
would have been rich a long time ago. Well ,
he kept sending ono letter after another ,
saying that If he only had 1500 he would
be all right. He repeated this so often that
ono day I told my secretary to write that
If he wouldn't bother me for a year I would
send htm $500.
"Well , sir , " and Mr. Armour's sides shook
with laughter , "as soon as the malls could
bring a reply I got It. Ho said , 'Make It
$1,000 and two years , ' and I thought It was
such a clever turn that I sent the money. "
"What happened next ? "
"In about three months ho wrote again
saying the agreement was oft because his
wife hadn't been Included. "
Tlio
A little girl In Twlggs county , Georgia ,
caught a small live rattlesnake , and brought
It to her mamma. Luckily she had sel..e'i '
It by the neck anil to wasn't Injured
Mount Clemens , Mich , , advertised as a
summer resort , has placed onexhibition In
a store vtlndow at Detroit n six-legged frog ,
alleged lo have been caught within her
burdens. Infidels say the thing , which Is
preserved In alcohol , Is 30 years old and
came from Europe.
Sam Hay of Wesley , Me , , asserts unblush-
Ir.ply that ho has laid low with his strong
right arm and his unerring rifle just 215
bears during u busy life. Sam is a corker !
The Muncle , Ind. , liar , always facile
prlncepa , reports another shower of frogi ,
confined to a single farm In that much-
fabled town. Affidavit ! are charged tor ai
extras.
Father , mother and 4-tvceks-oia baby In a
Rockford. Mica. , family have a combined
weight of 610 pounds. Luckily , papa and 1
mnir.ms Imvfl stopped growing !
( Trant county , Kentucky , has a man M
years old who Is Just cutting a second fttt ot
tooth. The ways of providence are Indeed
Inscrutable !
ENEMIES OF THE PAIIK.
Itultrond nnd Trolley l.liii'K 3roMtiK Kntrnuco
tci the Yollonntonr. " "
The Yellowstone park , says the Philadel
phia Press , attracts several thousand tottrlsta
yearly for Its scientific nnd scenic Interest.
It Is also n lodcstono for commercial greed.
The secretary of the Interior , the official
guardian of the park , has to keep In check
hotel and trnsportntlon companies ami the
other necessary evils which should servo the
park but not subordinate It to their own
Interest. Its forest growth and game are
with dlltlculty preserved ! from destruction ,
while vandals who are not carefully watched
ami vigorously dealt with nre ever ready to
roll huge rocks Into Us spouting geysers
and risk their permanent mutilation In the
endeavor to procure some novel effects. The
Cooks City railroad Is a sUndlng menace , to
the Integrity and seclusion ot the park , which
has thus far by the unceasing efforts of the "T "
park defenders been kept outside ot that
treat game and curiosity preserve ,
The ubiquitous trolley now seeks to erect
Its poles and string Its wires through Yel
lowstone park. One Daniel May Is Booking
from the present congress a concession lo
build an electric railway on the roads which
the government has constructed through thi'
p.\rk at great expense , Ho sceka also for
the grunt of two beiutlful park wntcrfattc
lo generate electricity for his trolley road.
There Is no limit to this man's gall. How
does ho suppose tlmt the buffalo nnd deer anil
other largo game that find In the seclusion
of the park a refuge from the enemies th.it
nssall and are exterminating tjicm elsewhere
will Btand a buzzing , whirring trolley rail
road In their vicinity ? Captain Anderson ,
the superintendent of the park , ls strongly
opposed to this trolley Invasion. In n let
ter to the secretary of the Interior he says :
"I object strongly to marring the beauties of
nature within the park by the unsightly
structures ( power houses , poles , etc. ) that
the road would necessitate. I object to turn
ing over the excellent roads of the pork ,
which have cost the government hundreds
of thousands of dollars , to a private corpora
tion. The roads would necessarily have to
be abandoned for wagon travel ns soon as
turned over to the electric company. Owing
to the character of the timber In the ] urk ,
it would have to bo cut off for 100 feet on
both sides of the line to prevent It being
constantly broken by falling trees. In fine ,
the bill t > eems to ask that the park and nil
that Is In It bo turned over to Mr. D , B. May
for his own private use , and with no compen
sation to the government. I regard It as an
unneeded , undesirable ami vlclbus conces
sion and one that would rob the United States
ot nil that It has expended In the park. "
Wo are glad to say that Hon. Hoke Smith
and the house committee on public lands
ngrco with these views of Superintendent
Anderson , and with this adverse Influence *
against the bill there Is little danger ot ttii
becoming a law , at present at least.
A moro powerful Influence , the Chicago ,
Burlington & Qulncy Railroad company , ns-
snlla the park In another quarter nnd aska
permission to build straight across the
center of Yellowstone park , from cast to
west , The objections to the Cooke City rail
road apply with tenfold moro force to the
Burlington scheme , for the latter proposes
to skirt with its tracks Yellowstone Inko
and brldgo the Yellowstone river , and have
depot , hotel and yard room within the park
for the handling of Its freight and pas
sengers. This company has extended Its
Burlington & Missouri River line tar up Into
northern Wyoming , and now It saya that
unless It can build through the Ycllowstono
park the only available route for the extension
of Its' road west Is blockaded. This line
In Its railroad construction In north Wyom
ing has been steering for the Yellowstone
park for some tlme.rbut It Is still sufficiently
far off to enable It1 to run either north or
south of the park without deviating greatly
from its bee-lino west. Routes have been
surveyed on both sides of the park which
nro pronounced very good. The Burlington
by following cither of them would serve the
public without vitally Injuring Ycllowstono
park.
The bill which gives the Burlington this
route through the park was Introduced last
January unclar the tltlo of "a bill to encour
age and establish better facilities for travel
to , from , into and through - Na
tional park and for other purposes. " The
company that Is to bo the recipient of this
favor Is named In the bill as "I'ho ' Grand
Island & Wyoming Central railroad , " but In
the report of the committee , on public lands ,
rendered last Tuesday , It is stated that thu
real company Is the Burlington. The report
is adverse. Wo trust that this great cor
poration , which keeps building" Its way west
by various reaches , will not ho halted In Its
movement to the Pacific , If that ia Its goal ,
In order to wrctit from congress permlsslcm
to build , through Yellowstone park. It can
not got this permission. One railroad ad
mitted would bo a signal for many to- enter ,
and oven ono would do the park Irreparable
Injury. Let the Burlington skirt the park
on the south , but closer than the Northern
Pacific does on the north and the Union
I'n cine on the west and It will get Its full
share of the park travel without making1
that great preserve less worth visiting than
now. _
An Old I.ndy'g Ilea < t-
Those who have charge of charitable ) In
stitutions for the aged poor will tell you ,
says the Youth's Companion , that no toplu
Is moro pleasing to some poor old women
than the discussion of their "better days , "
when they were the fortunate possessors
of "everything heart could wish tot. " na
they are apt to express It.
Some old lady never tires of describing the
finery she had when she was a brldo ; another
boasts of having once owned o gold band
chany tea set" and six "solid silver tea
spoons ; " while n third dwells nt lengthen
on the elegance of a flowered silk gown and
satin parasol with fringe fifteen Inches long
that she once owned.
One poor old wompn never says anything
until the others are done boasting , Thou
she calmly remarks :
"Well , I never lud any chany tea things ,
nor no silk gowns nor embroidered pottl-
coats , nor openwork stockings , nor gold ear
drops , nor nothln' of that sort ; but I have
had four husbands , an' I'd like to know
If any of you can beat that ! "
eKing
King Won the Hut.
Hugcne Field says that not long ago Cap
tain Charles King , the author , was traveling
In n railway car with a number ot friends.
The news agent on the train worried the
party a good deal by his persistent efforts
to force his wares upon them , But the
party hold him nt bay by declaring that they
had read all his books.
"Well , I've got ono book you haven't
read , " said he , and ho produced Captain
King's latest novel.
"Pshaw ! that's not new , " said King ,
"I got It only this morning , " answered
the agent. "It has only just been published ,
and I'll bet you ? 10 you haven't reafl It. "
"I'll take that bet , " said Captain King , and
the two put up their money.
Then Captain King pulled out one of his
visiting cards and handed It to the agent ,
saying : "I am Captain Charles King , the
author of that book , and I read it In manu
script and in proof. "
"Geo whllllklns ! " gasped the agent wllh a
low. < ad whistle , and ho went off and didn't '
bother that party any more.
Btub Knda of Thought.
Detroit Free Press : Beauty may Incite
love , but It cannot maintain It.
Morning U the tonic of the day.
Second nature Is sometimes stronger than
the first.
Forbidden fruit doesn't always grow on
the highest trees.
There ia nothing in some pedigree * except
length.
Contentment Is the triumph of mind over
matter.
Lovers love poetry because poetry la not
hampered by cold facts.
Marriage Is the only partnership not en
tered Into on business principles , and that
failure ! often occur should not excite our
special wonder.
1 he Wrong Tien.
In u suit for separation In a French court
counsel for the plaintiff pleaded , among
other rcmsoni. Incompatibility of tempera
ment. He depicted the character of tba
husband as "brutal , violent and passionate. "
The husband'S advocate rose In his turn
and described the wife as "uplteful , short-
tempered and sulky. "
"Pardon me , " Interrupted the judge , ad-
drtnliiK both llmbi of tlio law ; "I caunot
see , g ntteinen , whor the Incompatibility ot
temperament come * In , "