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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1918)
THE BEE: OMAHA, WEDNESDAY, MAKCH 27, 1518. NEVILLE RECOMMENDS MAIL VOTING SYSTEM FOR MEN IN SERVICE Governer of Nebraska in . Special Session Advocates , Adoption of This Plan to Obtain Preference of State Troops at Election; Asks Punishment of Sabotage; Mockett Law Unsatisfactory. From a Staff Correspondent. Lincoln March 26. Because it was impossible to foresee before the last regular session of the legislature adjourned the conditions which have arisen today, Governor Neville, in his message today, informed the members that the calling of the legislature in extra session became imperative. The message was listened to attentively. Frequent ap plause greeted its reading. The soldiers' voting law, passed atO the last session, given as the prime - reason for the call, was declared by the executive inadequate to present needs, and he re.jmmended a mail voting system as the proper way to obtain the votes of the soldiers. Punish Sedition and Sabotage, Sedition and sabotage should be met with a firm hand and legislation enacted to punish offenders. Repeal of the Mockett law, which compels the teaching of the German language in the public schools; a constitutional amendment, making full citizenship the qualification of an elector; the protection of the state's rights in mineral leases; correction of an error in the law governing the issue of bond9 by Omaha for sewer and other improvements; an appropriation for salaries of state insurance examiners, left out last session, as well as that of the state bacteriologist, and the legalization of the home guards, . of which there are about W companies in the state, are the other subjects. Governor's Message in FuIL Gentlemen of the house and senate, t in extraordinary session assembled: I The regular meeting of your honor able body adjourned in April, 1917, few days after the declaration that a state of war existed between our Country and the imperial German government It was impossible to foresee, at that time, what changes in the laws of our state would be n es 'sary to more fully co-ordinate the pa triotic desire and enthusiastic impulse to serve that upon every hand anima ted our citizenship. " It has been almost a year since we. in defense of humanity, in defense of ?our liberty, our honor and our ideals entered this frightful and devastating .conflict. We know now how : our1 fwealth and resources can best be util ized and we ,are fast coming to a full realization 'as to what the war means ;to our people, f For Nebraska's Sons. i In ever increasing number the red and white service flags, 'with one or more blue stars, are appearing in the windows of the homes throughout Nebraska, and from day to day, as the supreme sacrifice is made, gold stars of never diminishing luster are replacing those of blueA ' , There are thousands of. vacant chairs before the hearths and, fire sides in the hojnes of our people and it is in the interest of the young men who have left these homes thtt this sesson has been called. If the legislation designated in the proclamation calling the special ses sion is enacted into law, it will remit in much benefit to Nebraska's sons in the service. . The soldiers' voting law, passed at the last session of the legislature, is wholly inadequate to meet present day conditions. .General Pershing, who commands the American expe ditionary forces in France, ha9 pointed out the impracticability of sending election commissioners to organize poumg places and hold an election on a designated day, as provided for in the present law. Such a system would, without doubt, greatly interfere with militarv operations and is not to be thoutrht of. Everyone, however, will be im- of and due punishment imposed, legis lation should be enacted to bring them within the jurisdiction of the courts of the state. Crime of Sabotage. The crime of sabotage should also he defined and covered by state law. There have been numerous instances where grain and other products, great ly needed for the maintenance of our army and for the armies of our allies, have been destroyed by fires of sus picious origin. There have been in stances where wheat has been per mitted to mold in the bins rather than have it utilized by our government in this period of national need. It is equally as criminal to allow grain to rot in the bins as it is to fire it in the stack, and drastic penalties should be inflicted upon those who perpetrate such outrages in an effort to destroy property that is an asset to our coun try in this crisis. For Home Guards. There are more than 200 rnmnanii of home guards in our state. They are composed, for the most part, of patriotic citizens, who, through age, dependents, or other causes, are de nied the privilege of serving their country in the military or naval es- laDiisnmcnts. There are also manv voumr mm who have joined the home guard, in order that thev might be taucht the hidiments of military tactics before entering the service of their country. These organizations have taWrn a leading part in all phases of war ac tivities, and their services have been of incalculable value to the state and nation., Legislation should be ing them legal status as an auxilinrv of the National Guard. r Mockett Law Unsatisfactory. Some' VCarS aim. a law. trnnum a a the "Mockett law," was passed by the legislature. It provides that when petition of fifty signatures is tire. sented to the board of a rhnnUH;. Irict afty foreign language designated must De established as a course of tudy. , - The operation of this law has herri most unsatisfactory, enabling, as it does, a small minority of the patrons of a school district in rlirtai rh school policy. Such legislation is vicious, undemocratic and un-Ameri can, and its repeal will be universally endorsed by the people of .Nebraska Need Constitutional Amendments. 1 lie time has come when step should be taken to make citizenshi the qualification of an elector. Tl objects to be accomplished by amend ing the constitution are twofold: First to encourage those of foreign birth who would make desirable citizens to become such; second, to withhold the privileges of citizenship from those who would not assume its full respon sibilities. I have no patience or disposition to temporize with the man of foreign birth who has enjoyed every advan tage of citizenship and who now, in the hour of our country's peril, is in sympathy with our enemies- and cov ertly lending aid and comfort to them With the aid of federal and state laws they should be placed where they will no longer be a menace. On the other hand, no good end can be accomplished by disfranchis ing a considerable number of friendly aliens, many of them natives of our allied nations; others the subjects of neutral countries, and some of them, whose loyalty to our country cannot be questioned, the subjects of coun tries with which we are at war. We gain nothing if in disfranchising the alien enemy we disfranchise greater number of alien friends who will, at the earliest possible moment, become desirable and patriotic citi zens. With these considerations in mind, I recommend that an amendment be submitted for the consideration of the voters at the next regular election, making citizenship the qualification of an elector, and allowing those declar cnts who are voting at the time of its enactment, a reasonable period in which to complete their citizenship. . Nebraska Potash Leases. Tt is well known that in certain parts of Nebraska there are school lands containing deposits of pitash which, under present war condi:'uns, are exceedingly valuable. I he inter ests of the state demand that .these properties be developed at the earliest possible moment. It is also more than probable that oil will be dis covered within our state in the near future. The Board of Educational Lsnds and Funds, for the purpose oi pro tecting the interests of the state and to bring revenue to the school fund, has executed some 227 mineral leases on various parcels of school lands throughout the1 state. The board as sumed that such authority was con ferred upon it by section 5845 of the revised statutes for . 1913, a part of which sections reads as follows: "And (the board) shall have gen eral management and control of all suh lands and make therefor the necessary rules not provided by taw." Inasmuch as there was no existing law authorizing the execution of min eral leases, the board .assumed that the above quoted section of the stat utes conferred sucli right and the leases were executed. Court Interprets Law. Ii a recent deciison the supreme court has held that persons holding agricultural leases on school lands have,,"by yirtue of such leases, no in terest in minerals that may be upon such lands, and that the Board of Ed ucational Lands and Funds has! no au thority, under jrxisting law, to grant njincraj leases upon the school lands under its Jurisdiction. The persons entering into mineral leases with the state did so in good faith; they have, in many instances, spent considerable' money for development purposes and money due the state in royalties will Bills Introduced Lincoln, March 26. (Special.) Bills introduced in house. H. R. No. l.-O. B. Anderson and others. Soldier voting bill. H. R No. 2. By Anderson and others. Companion bill to No. 1 and provides manner of counting the soldier vote. II. R. No. 3. By Anderson and others. Companion bill to No. 1. H. R. No. 4. By Trumbel of Sher man. Kepeals the Mockett law as regards the teaching . of foreign languages in the public schools. II. R. No. 5. By Fries and others. Sedition bill. H. R. No. 6. By Auten, Dalbv and Dafoe. Provides for auxiliary home guards. J I. R. No. 7. By FiHer and Mysen- burg. Appropriates $2,400 for sal aries of state bacterologist. ii. K. No. ft. Fuller and Mvsen- burg. Appropriates'funds for pay ment of state insurance examiners amounting approximately to $9,000. shortly find its way into the treasury tliereot. I strongly urge that authority be granted the Boaid of ' Educational Lands and Funds to execute mineral leases, and if justice is to be done to those who have, in good faith, pre viously entered into such leases with the state, some way must be devised to validate such contracts. New Corrective Measures. I have included in the proclamation calling the'ligislature into extraordi nary session the matter of correcting what is obviously an error in section 4387. being a part of chapter 87 of the session laws of 1917, and one that has developed a condition vitally af fecting the sanitation of the city of Omaha and the health of its citizens. I also recommend that salaries be provided for the state insurance ex aminers and for the state bacteriolo gist, which items were not included in the appropriation bill of the regular session in 1917. Nebraska's War Record. The legislation submitted for the consideration of the extraordinary ses sion is, with the possible exception of the corrective measures, Of vital im portance to the whole people ot Ne braska. None of it is of a political or partisan nature, and practica'ly all or it nas a direct or indirect Deiring upon the war situation in which our people are so vitally interested. Xhe enactment ot laws upon the subjects designated will materially strengthen the effectiveness of Ne braska's co-operation with the fieral government. In patriotic-zeal and endeavor no state has been more enthusiastic than Nebraska. Upon a per capita basis we lead all of our sister states in sub scriptions for war savings stamps and in donations to the Ked Lross: cur allotments of Liberty bonds nave been subscribed; our quoto for the army and for the navy have I een greatly overenhsted and few state have excelled Nebraska in any phase of war work activities. In conclusion, I express th? con viction that your every act will be inspired by the sSme lofty an! pat riotic sentiments that have enabled Nebraska to achieve so wonderful and enviable a war record, and that' the session will be productive of results which will not only protect the Jrter ests and advance the welfare of Ne braska's sons in the service, but will also enable those (who must .remain behind to render more effective sup port to the cause for which they fVht, TEXT OF MEASURE PROVIDING PLAN OF SOLDIER VOTE Bill Drawn Up Under Super vision of Governor Specifies Details by Which Wishes of Men to Be Registered. From a Staff Correspdondent.) Lincoln, March 26. (SpecialsThe bill which will provide for the vot ing of the soldiers has been prepared under the supervision of the governor and will be presented to the legisla ture as one if not the first sent to the speaker's desk. Under its provisions only soldier and sailors stationed within the con tinental territories of the United States, whether at home or abroad will participate in general elections by mail. , The act of the last regular session covering tne voting of men in the service is repeajed by the new act, winie two companion bills, amend. ing the primary and general election laws, nave also been formulated to b introduced m connection with th main bill. An aoorooriation of $25.. wu is asked to carry out the working of the bill. x Creates Commission. The main bill creates a commission to administer the voting statute, con sisiing of the secretary of state and two assistant commissioners appointed ny nun. inese assistants are ap pointed for a term of two years and are to receive $5 a dav for actual time employed, with traveling ex penses. lhe state committee of each of the two leading parties is to sub mit to the secretary of state the'names ot three men from which the commit tee shall be selected. The governor must prepare a card index showing the name and location oi all doing military duty, and the re tusal ot any person to furnish anv in formation asked for is punishable with trom one to three years in the peni tentiary. The state election commission will handle directly alj lists of names from counties outside cities having registra tion. In such cities, the lists will be in charge , of the city clerk or the local election commission. The gov ernor is to furnish them in all cases, Use Continental Ballot. What is known as the "continental ballot" will be used for primary elec tions.! It will be sent out from the secretary of state's office not later than 25 days before election to all men from Nebraska stationed within the home boundaries of the United State Only these political parties which ca,st 10 per cent of the vote of the state at the last election will have their tick. ets thus furnished to the soldiers and sailors. Nonpartisan ballots will.be sent eacn, aiong witn tne party uck- ets. i Instructions as to the manner of voting will go with the ballots, in sealed envelopes. Every man receiv ing one of them must make affidavit that he is a qualified voter, and his ballot must be attested by a commis sioned officer beforeit is sealed up in an envelope and mailed back to the state or city election commissioners pressed with the necessity of extend ng the franchise to the red-blooded men, the very best type of American manhood, who compose our fighting forces. After careful consideration I am convinced thai a system of voting can be devised that will be as simple for the soldier as writing home and one mat win not In the least inter fere with military operations. I recommend legislation providing for direct mail voting by absent elec tors as being the only practical and feasible method of collecting the votes of those in the military and naval service. . ' . Entitled to Franchise. The protection of the civil rights f Nebraska's sons in the military and naval establishments of the United States engaged in the present war is a matter of plain justice and is equally as important as the passage of laws to enable them o exercise the right of franchise. , , These men who have so nobly re- sponaea to tne supreme obligation j of citizenship, many of whom left i their homes, farms and personal Dron- I trty encumberei by mortgages at the I time they entered the service, will be Imuch relieved to know that their civil interests-'Vvill be protected in their absence, and that their wives and chil- eren will not be deprived of the neces- sities of life in an effort to keep their C "property intact. t I feel that you will all realize the . importance and justice ofsuch legis- lauon. V- . . : To Punish Sedition. wj 4 No state in the union is more patri ? .!1otic than Nebraska and this fact is "damply established by the ready re- spouse ot our state to every obhga ' ; tion imposed by the . war situation. ' ' There are those, in our midst, how- ever, some of them citizens, who have : more or less openly given . aid and F ' comfort to our enemies, while others, ''The time has come when the last - vestige of sedition must be stampet out. Those who belitlr our flag, our . country and bur .cause, those who , , would retard our war preparation or obstruct the operation of the selec tive service law, those who, with the h intent to aid our enemies, in any man i .-aer insiduously interfere with our ef- forts to successfully prosecute oiir . righteous cause, have no place in Ne braska, arid in drder that such cases Jay be more, expeditiously disposed Vfv OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL tOIL Q1L OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL 0 J s J o -j 5 j o j o J o J o J o S J o 0 OIL HAS HADE MORE illionaires Than Anv Other investment , Here is your opportunity to get in ahead of the drill, in a company that is incorporated under the lawji of Nebraska, and whose directors are all well-known Omaha men. SUDDEN RICHES CAUSE NO COMMENT Reports of "over-night" millionaires are so common in the West nowadays that "strik ing it rich by any one individual or by a company scarcely causes a comment. When a company brings.in a well in an undeveloped territory, a hundred others profit through their holdings in the same locality. The wildest stories of gold and silver mine "strikes" are jtame, compared with actual every-day FACTS in the o.I business. U f DECISION i ln VP kn,w nt the Standard Oil Co., pays $1,800 per barrel for settled production? Take your pen and paper figure what our Jir JS1??.? m i1!6 rth. ful'y eloped. WHILE PEN IN HAND YOUR UPPERMOST THOUGHT SHOULD NOT BE HOW LIT MAKE CHECK hSmTCOilL1 AN 1 GETTHEN SEND IN Y0UR RESERVATION TODAY. t ?a 0il $ Gas ComPany is th owner of an eighty-acre oil and gas lease, in Section 9, tt 28, R. 15, adjoining the town of Benedict, Wilson County, Kansas, which is fast becoming the center of great activity in oil and gas. Production is all around us and we have the production on our lease. This section is underlaid with producing sands at 930, 1,150 and 1,500 feet, which is the famous Bartlesvuie Sands. Our prospects for good production are certain. , heJuipc'ine J the .Prairie Oil and Gas Company is one and one-half ijiiles south of us and will be extended to our property this spring. The Santa Fe Railroad is only a mile distant, hence marketing of our product solves itself.. Ample water for drilling, a vital matter in oil operation, is at hand from the Verdigris river, which adjoins our land. It also owns in fee simple 160 acres of land in the oil belt of the State of Mississippi, free of encumbrance. CAPITAL STOCK $100,000.00 How Offering 360,000.00 in Shares at $50.00 I All. V VCommonJ Each Personnel of Company OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS W. T. 8mith Pmident nd Director Dr. F. E. Coulter Vlc President and Director Dr. W. H. Jailing ....Treasurer and Director T. W. Kennedy ....Secretary and Director Guy C. McKeniie Director - Terms Fifty per cent down, 25 per cent in thirty days, and 25 per cent within sixty days. OUR GUARANTEE To every stockholder investing in this company we guarantee that hia money will be cheerfully refunded if. upon hia personal investigation of our acreage, with in ten days after purchasing his stock he is not en tirely satisfied with his ehance for big profits in the development of our holdings. We absolutely pledge every dollar paid into the Treasury of this company will be faithfully and honest ly expended in the rapid and consistent development of it holdings. . USE THE COUPON IT MAY MEAN WEALTH FOR YOU InvetJ8ate this opportunity TODAY. Just fill in the attached coupon and mail to us. This proposition merits the fullest investigation, and we will gladly send you the full particulars or answer any questions you may ask about this proven field. The man who makes a fortune is the one who can grasp an opportunity. The coupon places you under no obligation. Wmm OIL GAS GOUlPAfJY (Incorporated Under the Law of Nebraska.) .Geo. H. Lynch, Fiscal Agent, 350 Omaha National Bank BIdg., Omaha, Neb. Phone Douglas 1869. Monarch Oil a Gas Company. Geo. H. Lynch. Fiscal Agent, 850 Omaha Nat. Bank BIdg., Omaha. Neb. Without obligHtion to me. please rend full particulars regarding the Monarch Oil ft Gas Co. stock. If convinced that it is a good in vestment, I am in a position to invest $ Name ddres I OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL OIL O r o r o r O r o r O r O r o r o r o r O mm P o KM r O r O r O r from whom it was received. Names of local candidates will be omitted from the ballots. In cities having registration, the governor will name a representative from each of the two leading parties to assist the local officer in charge of voting Hits. The three will constitute the city election commission. It will pursue the same procedure in its juris diction as the stale commission does. Must Return Promptly. The time limit for returning con tinental ballots for the primary is fixed at 24 hour after the closing of the polls. Fifteen days after the primary, county and city clerks must file with the state election comjmis sion the names of all candidates nominated for county offices, and, within five days thereafter the state commission is to make up lists of all state, district and county nominees. These will be printed in pamplet form as a guide to the absent soldiers and sailors, with indexes for ready refer ence to their own counties. In preparing the general election ballots, the state commission will omit names of all candidates except those for state offices, but blank spaces will be left in which other names may be written for less important offices. Two official ballots, two nonpartisan bal lots, and a red envelope for return will be sent to each man in the service, whether at home or abroad. One bal lot of each kind 5s to be voted and the other destroyed. Must Mail Ballots. , The ballots must be mailed not later than September 20, or six weeks preceding election, to those in foreign service and at least 25 days before election to those within the United States borders. They are to be voted and returned in the same way as for the primary election. Continental bal lots must be back by midnight of election day, but those Coming from abroad will be received and counted up to the third Monday after election. The state commission will conduct a preliminary canvass of all votes so returned and will prepare abstracts of the vote in each county and for tut entire state. These abstracts wiU be delivered to the respective county and state canvassing boards, who will then make the regular canvass as required by existing laws. The commission's canvass will starl on the first Monday following elec tion and after completing its tabula tion of the continental-vote it will ad journ till the fourth Tuesday there after, while awaiting the soldiers' and sailors' vote from abroad. All neces sary precautions must be taken to in sure secrecy. The Penalties. All penal provisions tinder the gen eral election laws will apply under this act, and in addition a maximum penalty of $500 fine is provided as punishment for any officer who fails to perform the special duties imposed upon him by this bill. Other viola, tions are punishable by fine not ex ceeding $100 or jail imprisonment not exceeding three months. The state election commission is given authority to hire assistants needed for the work delegated to it, and the governor is authorized to em. ploy such help as he may require in making up the lists. All absent soldiers and sailors are to have the voting privilege so long as the war continues and during the period of demobilization after peace is declared. North Nebraska Teachers Meet at Wayne Thursday Wayne, Neb., March 26. -(Special.) The North Nebraska Teachers' as sociation meets here Thursday for id three days' session in the auditorium of the Wayne State Normal. Mrs. Mary C. C. Bradford, presi dent of the National Education as sociation.: 'Dr. R. L. Lyman of tho Chicago university; ' W. H. Clem mons, president of Fremont collegej Prof. M. M. Fogg and Prof. A. G. George of the University of Nebraska will address the meeting. 17 VV Buy in emergency trucks that last "E take especial pride in the large fleets ot Pierce-Arrow trucks operaled by big busi nesses. This pride arises not from the excellence these fleets attest, nor the effective service they evidence, but from the fact that each fleet grew out of the service given by a singJ truck. ' ' The largest fleet has been six yearsrin building from one, truck. It now numbers 165 trucks. I Tha Texas Company owns 165 Pierce-Arrows. This fleet is operated i o 20 different territories under widely varied con ditions and is serving satisfactorily in very situation. Such a fleet could be operated suc cessfully only by a com pany enjoying such serv ice facilities as Fierce Arrow affords. This is a conspicuous example, but other lesser fleets- have grown in the same way, while many single installations will multiply similarly as they prove their unequalled worth. Th Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company own 95 PJerce-Arrowa which serve their 3100 stores all over thecountry. After a thorough trial of leading makes, they selected Pierce Arrows and have bought none other since. Fleets of ten or more Pierce-Arrow trucks, giving preeminently satisfactory service, under difficult conditions, are operated by many nationally known firms. Among those owning PIERCE-ARROW Motor Trucks IntheMiddle-Wett are these well-known namtst Cudahy Packtng Compaky, Chicago Standard Oil Compaky, Chicago .Texas Company, Chicago ' Armour & Company, Chicago Arbuckle Company, Pittsburgh Linde Air Products Company, BufaJo Fisher Bros. Company, Cleveland T. C. Jenkins Co., Pittsburgh Sinclair Refining Company, Chicago ' Milwaukee Western Fuel Company Pittsburgh Provision & Packing Company United Fuel & Supply Company, Detrmt Iktkr-urban Transportation Company, St. Louis -Tho Now York Telephone & Telegraph Company operate a fleet of 45 Pierce-Arrows, chosee after exhaustive tests. Special power-driven winches were developed for these trucks and have done admirably. J. T. Stewart Motor Co. Distributors, Omaha, Nebv 2048-52 Farnam St. -Phone Douglas 13S