Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, November 03, 1906, EDITORIAL SECTION, Page 12, Image 12

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    71.11' OMAHA DAIT.V . UEF,: SvATT'IIDAY. SOVKMBKT. X 1W.
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RAILROAD LAND SCANDALS
Cieiatiostl Report Exptcted on the Union
, Paoifio Iealt.
REORGANIZATION OF LAND LAWS POSSIBLE
Bis; Companies Involved In Looting
Valuable Parts of Public Domain
Advantage of Owning Alter
nate Section.
The Washington correspondent of the
Boston Transcript has this to say coneein
lrur the Investigation into Union raclflo
land deals and what the report of the in
vestigator will show:
Bomothlng dlatlnctVy out of the ordinary
la expected when Interstate Commerce
Commlbiloner Prouty produces his report
on the great land frauds along- the Union
Pacific road, which he has recently investi
gated. It la strongly Intimated that he will
prepare a report which will have to be
written on asbestos, and that he will give
complete outline of the whole scheme of
land frauds inextricably tangled with the
processes of mining and transporting ccal
In Wyoming. Colorado and Utah.
Sensational as they have been, the reve
lations about affairs In Union Pac fie ter
ritory are said to have only scratched the
surface. Other big railroad and industlat
companies are said to present opportunities
The Reliable
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SYMPTOMS OF DISEASES
if we could see end treat all men when the first symptoms show them
selves there would o.n bfl llitle need of so-called specialists In chronic dis
eases, and there would be fuw mn seeking a rejuvenation of their physical and
mental powers, and there would al be tew sufferers from Nervous Lability,
Rectal and Kidney Liisrases and their complication. But as loug as mi ll con
tinue to disregard tho golden auae. "A stitch tu time saves nine.' aiid contniue
to neglect themselves, or exercls indifference or poor judgment in securing Ihj
right treatment at the cutset. Just bo lung will there be multitudes of curonic
Sufferers.
We cure safely and thoroughly, Nervous Debility. Kectal and Kidney di
seases and all diseases aud euknesjes of men due to neglect, iguorance or in
heritance or the result of eptoiiic or private diseases.
We make no jiikdt-ading statement, no Utptlve or uubm.iuesi.liao
propositions to the alflu ted, tteltber do we promise to tur them In a few
days, nor offer cheap, worthies treatment in order to secure their
patronage. Honest doctor of recoKiiized ability do. not resort to such
methods. AVe guarantee a safe aud lasting? t'ure In the briefest tliue,
and at the lowest coat possible) for Ikonest, skillful aud successful
treatment.
fret Consultatloa tn Eumlaatloa S- ?u. JZ,rt
STATE MEDICAL INSTITUTE
IZZ3 Fairi irn St., Between 13th and 14th tt ., Omaha, Keb. I
tor Just as remarkable developments. In
volving the looting of . the most valuable
parts of the public domain. The rtiver
and Rio Grande, in particular, according to
report, is likely to come i.n for some search
ing' inquiry that will prove disappointing if
It falls to uncover a situation aa bad or
worse than that lit the Union Pacific's sphere
of Influence. The Santa- Fe and the Colo
rado Fuel and Iron company are . uls
named as concerns whose relations to gov
ernment lands will not bear thorough In
vestigation. All these, it is said, are about
as deep In the muck as Union Pacific Is In
the mire.
Coal Lands Withdrawn.
These phases of the situation are under
stood to be slated for attention later, in
connection with the interstate commissions
series of investigations under the Tlllm in
Gillcsple resolution. largely as a result of
these revelations, the president has issued
an order withdrawing coal lands of the
public domain from entry. But it Is-pointed
out that 'much more drastic' measures than
this are necesaary. To set aside the pat
ent, fraudulently 'obtained, for millions
and millions 'of acres of mineral lands is
one of the duties requiring ntientlrn. To
make some fundamental reorganisations of
the land Iuws, so that the land-grant rail
roads may have their grip on the whole
public land situation broken. Is another.
Those who have looked Into . conditions
along the Union Pacific say that until this
Is dona .thee will, be small chance of really
bettering . the.. Bltuatlon as k involves the
west's fuel supply. Some lllu'trnt'o'-s of
the things which are- done under present
TRS FOR RflEKI
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I
-i s- i
Specialists
The Heim-Huht-Parmeie-Hitchcock promotion outfit say "WE do not fear to compete
with the trust." Who constitutes WE? Under the present franchise the promoters are com
pelled to turn over their franchise to a corporation not yet formed and hence promises made
by "WE" are not binding on any one.
There is no "Independent Telephone Company of Omaha' Read the franchise and
see for yourself how dishonest they are. They are spending thousands of dollars to secure
votes for their franchise, and to cover their tracks are accusing the Nebraska Company of
spending money. It is the old cry of ''Stop Thief;" when they have the goods in their own
possession.
v 'Dual telephone systems mean a divided service and increased expense. Do Heim of
Kansas City and Parmele of Plattsmouth ask the Omaha people to vote them a franchise
because they expect to help Omaha? No! They want the franchise in order to sell out; and
a vote for their franchise is a vote to put money in their pockets.
They are spending money by the thousands of dollars to carry a franchise which will enable them to rob the people of '
Omaha. They are not honest or they would not sign their advertisement "Independent Telephone Company of Omaha" when
there is no such company. Their promises are of no value as they are made for a company not in existence.
Their franchise says they MAY charge $1.00 for Business telephones and 50 cenfs for Residence service but does not
say they SHALL. That is another of THEIR DISHONEST TRICKS. Ask any business man in auy city where there are two
telephone companies, and if he is not a stockholder in a telephone company he will; toll you that two companies are a" positive
nuisance and an increased expense. . ' ...
The proposed franchise was conceived in Plattsmouth, born in St. Louis, aud, if adopted, will be damned by every-,
body except the promoters. Send Heim and Parmele back to their homes by voting "NO".
The letters which the World-Herald has been publishing are in nearly every instance written by stockholders in tele
phone companies, cr in the Herald '
They promise to spend $2,000,000 in Omaha for labor and material, when they know their completed plant will not cost
, nearly half, of that amount and none of the material will bo purchased in Omaha. '
They have signed an agreement to increase the wages of employes and then laughed to think how they were fooling
I lie labor vote knowing that their promises are of no value and cannot be enforced.
laws will show the need of changing the
statutes.
Kvery alternate section fr twenty miles
on either side of the Union Paciltc belonKS
to that system's' land grant. This Is as
if- the Mack square on a checkerboard
belonged to the road and the red to the
government, subject to entry. There are
almost no country roads throurh this
region, and the railroad company, being ex
tremely unfriendly to private development
of mineral resources, easily finds ways to
prevent anybody else getting access to the
lands It does not own. To get to them it
i Is necessary to trespass on the . railroad
I land: and that sort of thing Is promptly
visited with the heavy displeasure of the
corporation. In one case, a private owner
came into possession, of two quarter sec
tions which "cornered" on each other. The
two other section which met at this cor
ner belonged to the railroad compnny. The
private pwner tried to run a tunnel across
the corner to connect his two tracts, and
he waa promptly warned of his trespass
of a few feet upon the railroad lands and
compelled to desist. He could secure no
concession, and had to give up the effort
So far as concerned establishing any com
munication between them, his two tracts,
although they touched, ntight aa well have
been lot) miles apart. That sort of Inter
ference with development of private hold
ings Is experienced everywhere. It crops
out in the making of rates also.
Manipulation of Kates.
Of this manipulation of rates an illus
tration Is afforded by the case of the mines
at Rock Springs and Hanna, W'y. For a
long time the Rock Springs were inde
pendently owned and operated. The Union
Pacific owned the mines at Hanna, a Bhort
distance east. Hack In it was . de
veloped, a group of officers of the Union
Pacific conceited the idea of going into
the coal mining business on their own ac
count. Among them were General Man
ager Dickinson, J. E. Markell of Omaha
(more recently known to fame for his con
tract to feed canal xone employes, which
Chief Knglneer Stevens denounced and
which had to be cancelled), aud Mr. Me
geath, then in charge of the coal traffic
of the Union Pacific. Megeath, haying con
trol of the coal rates, raised that from
Rock Springs to the Missouri river, get
ting it by various manipulations o high
there waa no profit in operating the Rock
Spring mines. The owners were forced
to Bell out, and the group of Union Pa-
I cine people got what they wanted posses
sion, ot the property after which the rates
were restored to suoh a basis that they
could do business at a profit. Megenth was
put on the stand during the recent in
vestigation to explain this operation, and
told a curious story to the effect that ha
did this to keep the Colorado Fuel and
Iron out of the district; that It was the
Intention to fyive the Union Pacific road
take over the Ruck Springs mine, but the
road went Into a recuier's hands, and this
became Impobsible, eo he and the other
officials concerned did It The explanation
did not at all satisfy the conductors of
th investigation. It it was accurate, then
it merely shifted the blame for the con-
, sptraoy from the ofhViulrt of. ihe road in
their private capacity to the road iudf.
A rase lu I tab.
Out in Utah anolh'-T (use of the luiliuud
Uslnii Its ownership of alternate section
to control the other also developed. The
road leaned its lands to a big cuttle com-
I pany for grating. The lease covered only
alternate cectlous, it is true; and other
people were at liberty to Uase the govern
ment's . sections If they liked. But they
couldn't ..fence the government lands, and
In any case a single svctii n by Itself was
of no value. TU' y didn't trespass on the
railroad .lands. The result ai that (he
lewtors of, the railroad land fc.il the benefit
of the grazing on the. go e. iimcnt l.mi us
well, because nibody else ould u.e ihrm.
Thea uje only itainple cases, Many
others have been d'.-covered. The ra M
ti."nul!y has been dwtuUd tu the d,i:p-
ment of devices for monopolizing the bene
fits of the public domain, for the railroad
and Its subsidiary companies. "
The Union Pacific owns the $5,000,000
capital of the Union Pacific Coal company,
to which in recent years the coal business
of the road has been largely turned over.
A director of the Union Pacific holds the
stock of the Superior Coal company, which
also has big holdings. The' railroad and
the two coal companies, it Is charged, work
together in a most complete system for
getting and holding the coal lands, and con
trolling their development. , Nobody is will
ing to estimate the ' millions o( acres of
which the government has been defrauded
by various methods.
Iand Aarents Criticised. y
A deal of criticism has been aimed, in
this conection, against the Department of
the Interior for 1U failure to protect the
public domain. The department has various
agents throughout the publlo land country,
but they accomplish little, and the success
of Commissioner Prouty on his recent In
vestigation was a revelation to some of
them. They are largely amenable to local
political influences for their appointments;
and these local political Influences are de
clared to trace fairly up to the -.jiagemcnt
of the railroad. D. O. Clark, president .of
the Union Paclfio Coal company, la a
brother of Senator C. D. Clark, senator
from Wyoming since 1895 and elected to
serve till 1911. Commissioner Richards of
the general land office Is a former gov
ernor of Wyoming. Cyrus Beard, a judge
of the supreme court of Wyoming, on the
stand testified to using $3,000 of money
provided for him by the tallroad company,
In entering lands which he afterwards re
linquished to the railroad Interests, getting
$.W for hla trouble. Others didn't get so
much; bartenders and gamblers got aa low
aa $3 and $5 for the use of their names in
entering property which they afterward
turned over to these coal companies. By
these methods the law's provision that a
company or association may not secure
more than four quarter-sections lias bom
nullified.
A widely-known magasclne writer who at
tended some of the sessions during this in
vestigation says it has uncovered the most
startling - and extensive series of syste
matic frauds against the public lands that
he had ever known. This system of loot
ing la not new; it has been going on for
many years, dating back to the Oould con
trol of the system.
PRESIDENTS IN -RETIREMENT
Ten liar Lived Longer Than Mr.
Cleveland After Leaving
Office.
Only ten men who have held the office
of president reached or surpassed Mr.
Cleveland's present age of 68; only six ex
ceeded it by so much as ten years, and
none exceeded It by quite twenty years.
Only ten presidents have suivlved their
retirement from ofhee longer than Mr.
Cleveland, end four of these lived to a
great age.
Washington who survived his retirement
lesi than three years, thougnt himself an
old man when he was first made president,
st th age of 67. Joh'n Adams survival
his retirement a quarter of a cenmry, and
hts son. John Qulncy, who outlived hi
retirement nearly twenty years, was the
only president who had nMirly as con
spicuous a public career, after occupying
the presidency, as be tors.
Monroe's six years after hie retirement
from oftice were passed in comparative ob
scurity as a resident ot this city, and hla
dying hours were embittered by scandalous
accusations In connection with Jackson's
selsure of Spanish furts in Florida during
the tirtft Seminole War.
polk Outlivd hi le'.iretmnf W than
a year, and there Is vry reason to sup
pose that l ad Arthur eo pj-,- J his ambi
tion of an eleeton to ilie p; d. d- in'
i.v Mould I." it UKii e.nlj in us mm, (
for he outlived his retirement less than two
years. . f ......
Tyler, who outlived his retirement twenty
years, emerged from obscurity near the
end of his life to preside over the vain
peace convention on the eve of tho civil
war. He afterward served in the congress
of the confederate states.
Buchanan lived more than seven years
after his retirement, and took the opportu
nity to write what was In effcci a defense
of his administration.
JefTerson and Jackson were the only
presidents who exercised a really powerful
Influence over party councils after their
permanent retirement from public office,
though Van Buren was an active politician
as long as he had hopo of renominatlon at
the hands of any party.
Johnson was the only retired president
to enter the United States senate, and the
younger Adams waa the only one to serve
In the house of representatives,
Cleveland and Harrison have been the
only -retired presidents to be conspicuously
auccessful in private business. It is not
generally known that Mr. Cleveland still
serves as consulting' counsel in law cases.
In which hla experience in the office of
president may be supposed to have given
him special- qualifications, as an adviser.
His fees in such cases are large, aa were
those of 'Mr. Harrison as a legal adviser
and a lecturer on constitutional law. New
York Sun.
ODDITIES IN RAILROAD LAWS
Soma Requirements Which Are Pe
culiar to Certain States
Court Ratings.
Montana requires its railroads to main
tain a station at plotted town sites of 100
Inhabitants or more.
Thirty states hav state railroad eom
missiouH twenty of which have power to
fix rates on purely atate traffic.
Intoxication while on duty is a misde
meanor for a railroad employe in Califor
nia, and If death results, a felony.
California makes the wrecking of a train
or an engine a felony punishable by death
or life Imprisonment, at the optlonof the
jury.
Railroads running within three miles of I
a county seat in Oklahoma must build a j
line through the county seat and estab
lish a station.
In South Carolina It It a misdemeanor
to transport cattle, sheep or swine In car
load lots for more than thirty-six hours
without stopping for ten hours' rest. I
Virginia has found It necessary to pass j
a law declaring that for all legal purposes
the words "railroad" and "railway" are to
be considered synonymous.
In Massachusetts the Illegal sale of
street railway transfers is made punish
able by a fine not exceeding tV or Impris
onment for not more than thirty days.
The legislature of Washington at Its
latest session passed a law making the
maximum railroad fare for adults S cents
a mile and for children 1H cents '
A trolley company in Vermont whose (
car fail to come to a full ston and dm- ;
play a signal at a grade railroad crossing j
la subject to a fine of IJS for each onils- j
sion. !
My the .terms of a uew statute In Michi
gan iu a suit by or against a rall.oad
company the books of the company are
subject to the inspection of ' the attorney
general of the iitate.
Th state of Mississippi has effected an
Increase of about $-?.0bu,CrO in the amount
of taxable property in the state by a re
cent readjustment In the assessment of
railroads.
In Minnesota railway, telegraph and
express stations i.mK bear the loeu! name
of the community, unless It Is likely to lie
Confused wi'h 'n pomes .-f oilier t'.itlons
en the fin, line.
Cilifi.ri.li iii law mr'i.i'g 'l,
tthcula.lv! ul ii uil uei t t poH lu. iink
the value of the stock of a corporation
formed In- the state a felony punishable by
two years' Imprisonment or $5,000 fin or
both.
Down in Georgia the supreme court has
concluded that an engineer is not Just I lied
in acting on the presumption that a child
of tender years on a railroad track will ap
preciate Its danger and use the discretion
of an approaching train.
According to a recent act of the legis
lature of that state, Florida railroads fail
ing to pay a claim for loea or damages
within ninety days must pay 15 per cent on
the judgment obtained by the claimant in
excess .of the amount offered by tho rail
road in settlement of the claim.
The mere fact that a great many people
have been in the habit of using a railroad
trestle as a footbridge and that the rail
road company had made no complaint, says
the court of appeals of Kentucy, does not
glv the people any special rights on the
bridge or compel the railroad company to
exercise a special degree ot care for their
safety, New York Bun.
Counsel's Keenest Honored.
Governor Fblk once told of a lawyer In
Arkansas who' was defending a young man
of malodorous record. Ignoring the rec
ord, however, the counsel', proceeded to
draw a harrowing picture of the white
haired, aged father in 8t. louts, awaiting
anxiously the return of the prodigal son to
spend the Christmas holidays with him.
"Have you the hearts," declaimed the law
yer to the Jury, "td deprive the poor old
man of this happiness?"
Tho Jury, however, found the prisoner
While we have the utmost confidence ia the curative powers of S. S. S.
in all blood troubles, yet we realize that in some cases causes unknown t
the patient often hinder the best effects of the medicine. For this reason we
have maintained for many years a branch to our business known as "Our
Consultation Department.' This department is composed of regularly
graduated and. licensed physicians who hav made blood and skin diseases
their special study, and who are employed solely to advise and help, without
charge, those who use S. S. S. Thousands of people have been cured of i
blood and skin diseases of every kind by the use of S. S. S., and many, of
those who, perhaps, at first did not find the results entirely satisfactory,
wrote our physicians a full statement of their case, and a little advice ha
tened the cure. We have nothing to sell you, and the only reason for want
ing you to write to us is that we may use every effort to see that you get the
best result from the medicine. You can then help us by advising your
friends to use S. S. S., which you will know from experience is all we claim
for it. You can write with the assurance that all correspondence is held in
strictest confidence, and that onr physicians will give you helpful advice
without charge. TJf 8 W3FT SPECIFIC CO., A TIANTA CAU
WE CURE
.EN - FOR
ALL DISEASES AND AILMENTS OF MEN
Write I s and We WW Explain Everything About Your Condition.
By the
Established In
sands of cases
perlenced Specialists In the
ailments of men. We know
ture quickly.
J -A Jr
Y ,'4, ?zil
We Cure
We make no misleading or
you cheap, worthiest, treit
name are too favorably kno
our reputation Is at stake,
rtess is too serious a matter
.HAIM,lt,Mi- IJOCTOtt.
use lhir OWN NAME IN
can erreci
CrBa examination and ro
w iiymptoiu I'lsnK f
Ci. Seaiics & Searles. 118 S. 1 4th.
1 ' "
guilty. Before passing sentence the Judne
called for the' rgsmier'a jail record; ' and
after a careful examination of the same he
blandly observed: ' . .
"I find that this prisoner has some five
previous convictions against him. Never
theless, I am happy to . Btate that the
learned counsel's eloquent appeal will not
remain unanswered, for I shall commit tho
prisoner to the Little Rock Jail, where, at
the present moment, his aged parent is
serving a term of ten years, ao that father
and son will be enabled to pass the ensuing
Chrlsmastldo under one roof." New York
Times. ...
The Gentle Cralo.
Many a vaunted family tree la merely un
der brush.
A drop In the bucket Is worth two in the
bucket shop.
Idle curiosity is one of the busiest things
In the world. '
Moat brides promise to obey ratber "than
make a scene.
' The greatest Illusion ot all Js to think
you haven't any. . . . , , , , r
An entertainment for charity covers a
multitude of sins. -., -
Many an elopement is really planned by
the girl' parents. " "
Lots of people who are eure they are
right don't go ahead.
You might as well give the devil his due,
for he'll get it anyway.
The horses we bet on always cost us mote
than those we buy.
There is a ray of hope for the boy who
wears curia if he hates them. New 'York
Times.
o oun physicims
C!J Reliable Dr. Searlcs & Searles
Omaha for t
cured hv in
t years. The ' many li.'"'U-
niakeo us the most ex
West, in all disease an I
Just what will euro you unit
I
Yen. Then You Pay Us Our Fee
falsa statements, or u! fi t
ment.. Our reputation and
n, every cunw wo trWi,
Your health, life and haitoi-'
to place In tht Hand' of it
Honest doctor of aoU'lv
TIIIJIR Hr!NKSP. '
ror everyone
life-long CtHK f
nsitlfst ion. tVn . iir
Lou,- le.:lit,"
Cor. 1 4th i Diuj. Sts., Oiiiaiu. neb