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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1919)
THE BEE: OMAHA, ' MONDAY. FEBRUARY 10, 1919. St DISPOSITION TO DELAY CIVIL " GODEMEASURE Members of House and Senate 1 peel That Magnitude of Bill Cannot Be Digested in Present Session. From a Staff Correspondent. Lincoln. Feb. 9. There seems to be a disposition on the part of some of. the more influential members of both the house and senate of the present legislature to advise that Governor McKelvie's civil adminis tration code bill 'be delayed ufltil after the constitutional convention will have been held and will have cousumated its labors. , They seem to feel that the civil code bill is of such magnitude and importance that its provisions can not easily be digested in this ses sion and some of them are appalled at the labor that will be involved in the consideration of the bill. j When finally engrossed, 'printed and prepared for reading, it will be by far the bulkiest document that lias ever yet been submitted-to a Nebraska legislative assembly. It is estimated that the physical act of reading the code bill alone will take up at least 14 clays, or more than 112 hours. ' ' Tlmn there will be the eiiormoias .nuimt nf limp that will have to be devoted to debate, discussion, of A all the other dis- hat usually accompany the passage of a law. ft.. ..i,mnt time members the legislature are using who are op nosed to the code at the present time is that it would be better to wait for the constitutional conven tion to perform its duties and when Ill tin. Hnne so. to synchronize the McKelvie civil ad ministration code Dili io me musu tution as amended. Question of Delegates. In the meantime the question as to the manner of nominating delegates, the provisions for the special elec tion, and the nature of the qualifica tions of delegates to the constitu tional convention is one that is vex ing the more thoughtful of the so i . i.. . i-ocnlntinn rit the la 1. :l.4.. .1,- mioctinn rf the hold ing of a constitutional convention was submitted to the people for their approval. At the general election the proposition, of holding the con vention received a popular majority. The law provides that there shall be the same pumber of delegates to the convention that there are mem bers of the house of representatives and they shall be elected in the same manner. The presumption is that the qualifications of candidates for the position of delegate shall be the same as to residence and other re strictions as those of a person run ning for the, offii;e of representative. Some of the members of the leg islature are of the opinion that this is an unfortunate time for the call ing of a constitutional convention. It is a period of transition, they ar gue, and a time when conditions are not normal. They say that a consti tutifln is not a thing to be built for a year, or even for a decade, but should be so fashioned that it will meet the conditions that will obtain for half a century or more. . . Revision Is Important. In' fashioning the revised consti tution, they say, only men of the broadest vision and sanest minds and best abilities in the state should be selected. How to accomplish this is a question. It is not known whether the delegates are to be selected by the primary system or by a mass convention. John L. Webster, one of Omaha s leading attorneys, when interviewed as to this phase of the question, said: "The legislature now in session can, should its discretion so provide, fail to call a constitutional convention at this time. Should it deem it ad visable to hold a constitutional con vention, it can pass a law providing for the same and it can be directed to introduce a bill of this character in either house of the legislature by a proclamation of the governor. "The legislature has the power, in my opinion, to prescribe the man ner in which the delegates to the convention can be nominated and .their names placed before the elec tors in a special election. A nomi nating convention can be called and provision made that the same can be made at a call , of the different chairmen .of the state central com mittees of the various political par ties legally recognized in Nebraska." It lias even been suggested by some of the members of the legis lature that the matter of providing ior a constitutional convention be left to a special .session to meet at some later and more opportune time. Progress in Educational Question. During the past week several meetings of the house committee on education have been held and a3 a result of the hearings the prob lem of Americanizing all of the schools of the state is coming to a condition of, clarity. , Nearly every bill introduced m the house that dealt with the sub ject was rather loosely drawn and met with objection to some features jy the representatives of the differ ent organizations which appeared fcfore the committee. Paul Martin, dean of the Creigh ton college law school, pointed out a section in the Lampert bill which, he, said, was in the law -authorizing the erection of industrial school iiuildings. .Mr. Lampert responded: . I ac knowledge all of our bills are rather fault v. We had an. idea of what we wanted to accomplish and we would submit our views to the legislative reference ' bureau and they would adapt ideas to laws already in force, so far as the mechanical draft was concerned and the ready-made suit if clothing of words they furnished is rather ill-fitting. We are sincere ir.d we are fair and you will find that ne will accomplish our aims and in tentions without being unjust in any way." Koad Meeting Wednesday. A committee meeting that will be of prime interest to the road enthusi ats of the state will be that of the committee on highways and bridges. It will be held in the house chamber n.-xt Wednesday afternoon at 4 (.YSock, and it is thought that hun dreds of interested persons' from all TO MAKE KEYNOTE SPEECH AT OMAHA CONGRESS. ! . V --, - . . . . .- j '.. y . 1 ! V, 1 I ; , . HARRY A. WHALER President Harry A. Wheeler of Chamber of Conmerce of tha. United States, w ho will make the opening speech at the Transmississippi Re adjustment congress to be held here next week. parts of the state will be present. All of tjie different house highway, bridge and vehicle bills will be up for 'discussion at this conference, which will be in the nature of a mass meeting. If it is necessary to give all of the measures an extra airing the meeting will also be held over to Thursday so as to give everybody a chance to be heard. Onexif the surprises of the senate sessions last week was the discov ery that Senator Houston of Burt county is an orator. "In the discus sion of the resolution criticising Sec retary of War Baker for rewarding conscientious objectors by giving them honorable discharges from the disciplinary barracks at Fort Leav enworth, senator Houston had oc casion to cross swords with Senator Taylor of Merna, one of the shifti est and-most crafty leaders in the house, and Houston, who prides him self on being a plain business man and no orator, made a speech that for real elpquence wai the gem of the debate and won for him a large measure of sincere applause. The legislature is recovering from its debauch of bill introduction. Most of the members, they say, did not read all of the bills they intro duced by request and from now on they will treat many of. measures like unwelcome stepchildren and will eventually kill them off. CITIESALlOVER COUNTRY UNITE IN MEMORIAL (Continued From Page One.) national anthem opened the com memoratory services for Col. Theodore-Roosevelt in Convention hall this afternoon.' Outside the big building a great crowd was unable to gain admittance. Maj. Gen. Leonard. Wood, rank ing officer of the famous Rough Rider regiment of '98 and m the intervening score of years a devot ed friend, delivered, the-eulogy for the man vhom he said history would record as "the greatest American.'' Sermons Devoted to Roosevelt. St. Louis, Feb. 9. Tribute was paid to the memory of Colonel Roosevelt in virtually all the churches, theaters and by civic or ganizations here today. Many ec clesiastics devoted their entire ser mons to praise of the late ex-presl-dent. 10,000 in Mormon Tabernacle. Salt Lake City, Feb. 9. Ten thousand persons gathered in the Mormon tabernacle here this after noon and paid tribute at memorial services to Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Praised by McAdoo. Santa Barbara, tal., Feb. 9. "Of all the great men the republican party has produced since the in comparable Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt was the greatest," W. G. McAdoo, former secretary of the treasury, said here today in the principal address at a Roosevelt memorial service. "What he accomplished for the progressive thought of America survives today , as a beneficial in fluence upon the national life." Place Wreath on Grave. Oyster Bay, N. Y., Feb. 9. The national flower committee of the General Federation of Women's clubs placed a wreath of laurel on the grave of Theodore Roosevelt here today. Mrs. William 'M. Wau ters of New' York, chairman of the convnr.ttee, conducted the simple ceremonies. Harding Makes Speech. Springfield. 111.. Feb. 9. Gov. William L. Harding of Iowa, speak ing here today at memorial ex ercises for the late Theodore Roose velt, declared the man's greatness lay in the universality of his in terests and in the fact that he as sociated himself everywhere with great minds. Tribute Paid by Hadley. Denver, Feb. 9. "It has been said that behind the union lines at Get tysburg stood Alexander Hamilton. And with equal truth it can be said that with the American soldiers at Cantigny, at Chateau Thierry, in the dismal recess of the Argonue and upon the banks of the Meuse and the Marne, stpod Theodore Roosevelt." This was the tribute to the former president from Herbert S. Hadley, professor of law at the University of Colorado and former governor of Missouri, before an audience of 5,000 persons today at the municipal ob servance of Roosevelt memorial Sunday, . Services ifeld by Army. Coblenz, Feb. 9. Memorial ser vices for Theodore Roosevelt were held today by the American Ar$y of Occupation. At army headquarters, the" service was conducted in the church of the royal palace, where formerly the members of the German royat fam ily worshipped when temporarily residing- there. Chaplains Estcrbrook and Jt'ticrics were in charge; - YORKERS WAVER 111 THEIR STRIKE OF SYMPATHY (Continued From Tmge One.) take back their old employes unless the union members apologized as "loyal Americans," for having quit work, withdraw from the central labor council and expell -adical members from their ranks. All Sunday morning papers appear ed as usual today. There was no in terference, althoagh the plants were strongly guarded inside and outside with special officers. Newsboys sold papers without molestation. Resolutions adopted by the strike committee asserted that "the gener al strike had fulfilled its mission in showing the solidarity of labor," and further showed the "employer of labor that the workers will, it necessary, use the general strike." "If any craft or individual is dis criminated against when returning to work, the committee said it would "take such action as will put them back on the job." Called Off In Tacoma. Tacoma, Wash.. Feb. 9. The general strike in Tacoma was of fically called off shortly before 5 o'clock this afternoon by the gen eral strike committee. It will take effect at 8 o'clock tomorrow morn ing. ' s A citizens' mass meeting called to day for the announced purpose of "crystalizing public opinion against the uprising in the Puget Sound dis trict," was marked by disturbances of a minor character when the Rev. John' W. Kennedy, the principal speaker, called on the audience to "show their colors." A demand was made by persons in 'the hall that the other side of the question' be heard. The meeting broke up a few minutes later. Dr. Kennedy made a patriotic appeal to the ship yard workers to return to their jobs. Conference Arranged. San Francisco, Feb. 9. Labor un rest in the San Francisco bay cities where machinists and boilermakers are engaged in controversy with employers over wage schedules and retroactive pay seemed possible of solution tonight. LJ C. Marshall, member of the Federal Ship Building Labor Adjust ment committee, announced that he had arranged an important confer ence for tomorrow to determine ways and means of ending the dis putes. Terms of Armistice Must Be Observed (Continued From Face One.) ing to Europe and with abundant means and great generosity have been spoiling our people. "It is only fair to say that in every case, where the attention of ; the French government has been brought to a case of extortion, an earnest and, I think, effective effort has been made to stop it. Relations Most Cordial. "Throughout the war our relations with the American army have been most cordial, and your treasury- of ficials will assure you, I am sure, that there has always been a spirit of generosity on both sides. Any suggestion that we have asked pay ment for trenches or the burial places of your brave soldiers is atrocious. For all future ages the graves of American soldiers will be in the tender and sacred keeping of our grateful people. "I have raid that the war is won. It would perhaps be more accurate to say that there is a lull in the storm. Enemy's Purpose Now Clear. "Recent disclosures have enabled us to look deeper into the purposes of the enemy than we could- here tofore. It was not purely a dream of military domination on the part of Prussia. It was a definite, cal culated conspiracy to exterminate France as well industrially and com mercially as in a military sense. "And this fact explains many of the activities of the German army which we are not able to under stand. We can now see why they stole the machinery from our fac tories, why they destroyed the coal mines of Lens, why there was all the wanton devastation of French territory, even when they were in retreat. "And in this phase of their war making effort they have not been ltoirether unsuccessful. Ihe indus trial life of France has been so wrecked that its resuscitation is most difficult, while Germany has been able to save her factories, in tac; and ready for immediate ef ficient operation. France at Disadvantage. "Industrially and commercially as between France and Prussia, for the present the victory is with the Hun. "And financially, by reason of the blockade (the value of which as a military factor no one will- ques tion), the German war debt is al most wholly a debt to her own peo ple, easily repudiated, while the debt of France is one which must be paid. "The French fortune invested abroad before the war was large, some 50,000.000,000 or 60,000,000,000 (francs) of French stock. "The paying investments abroad are relatively inconsiderable com pared to the debts that France has contracted abroad during the war, particularly in America and in Eng land. ' "All of our plans are based on the splendid platform laid down by President Wilson. In perfect har mony with the principles which he has enunciated we are striving for higher and holier idealism in the conduct of the affairs of the world. Divested of all mercenary aspira tions we join heartily and unre servedly in the effort to make a better world and one of simple jus tice tfl all mankind." famous Naturalist Dies. . Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 9. Dr. Rich ard Ernest Kunze, internationally famous as a naturalist, is dead here, at the age of 81. Dr. Kunze estab- I'teUmA 4 i9rti firm hpr wVl.r tl pursued studies and investigations in medical botany and insect fauna of Arizona, and became an exten sive exporter ot cacti to tne Dotan icaT gardens of the world. CHURCHES OF STATE AND IOWA IN NEW ERA (Continued From F One.) of the church must go out and gath er in other men, building them into the hnest kind of Christian fellowship. Dr. Weir voiced the opinion that the greatest weakness of the church of 'today is the lack of unity among the men. I his he believed could be overcome if they had practical programs of church activities and would work them out the same as they would business problems. First Meeting of New Era Movement Held at' Brandeis The Brandeis theater was packed to the doors last night for the first mass meeting of the New Era con ference of the Presbyterian church in the United States. Hon. N. H. Loomis presided. Rev. J. Frank Smith' of Dallas, Texas, moderator of the general as sembly of the Presbyterian church, delivered an address on "The Church and the Hour." Dr. Smith is a man of world-wide celebrity as one of the most forceful orators in the church. His speech was inter spersed with many a witty "parable." He paid a high tribute to Theodore Roosevelt. "They say he is dead, but that is only a fiction of speech," he declared, "Somewhere that great spirit is marching on tp new tri umphs." He also eulogized - the genius of Woodrow Wilson and Lloyd George. Church Needs Program. "And why were these men great and why did they accomplish their work so well?" he asked. "It was because each had a program. The great; need for the church today is a program. There is no limit to the mighty things that can be ac complished by a pastor and his peo ple with a program, backed by the limitless power and resources of the living God. "The church must get out of the pulpit and the pew aqd it must go abroad into the office, the store, the street. It must get the best places that money can buy to come in con tact with men and bring them into the fellowship of Christ. Many Revivals. "There are many revivals todayj in the world. 1 here is a revival of swearing, of gambling, of pugilism. There is even already a revival on the part of some men of the desire to have light wines and beers. But the best thing of all that we have done for the returning soldier boys is the removal of this menace to their future prosperity as they carve out their careers and raise their families. "But the greatest revival of all in this great day when so much is hap pening is- the revival of the God consciousness. When we get ..the right perspective, when we can see the reality behind the passing show of startling events we see clearly the marvelous revival of the God con science. Harry Lauder, comedian, stood by the grave of his dead son and said, 'This is a time when a man turns either to drink or to God, and I turn to God.' Henry Watter son, veteran editor, declared recent ly, 'The hope of the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ.' H. G. Wells, novelist declared lately, 'Un til a man has found God he begins at no beginning and works to no end.' On Eve of Great Events. "We are on the eve of great events, greater, perhaps, than those through which we have passed. Thel church will do its part to make the world a better placi than it has ever been before." Rev. John A. Marquis, general secretary of the Board of . Home Missions, speaking on "The Church and the Nation in the New Era," declared that two of the great prob lems to be solved by the church, are the race and labor question. "In the past," he said, "capital and labor have dealt on the pagan basis. tual fear and distrust. Strikes and lockouts do not bring the labor ques tion nearer solution. The one way out is through the church. And when capital and labor deal together on the christian basis of love and trust and mutual confidence, a bet ter day will have arrived for both. Nations on Christian Basis. "We are today witnessing the placing of the nations of the world on the christian basis of mutual con fidence and trust. It shall be the mission of the christian church to foster these relations and to put into human hearts those principles which reflect their goodness in individuals, societies and nations alike." Rev. William H. Foulkes, general Thousands Do Honor to Roosevelt's Memory (Continued From Fag One.) and launched that gigantic under taking in the construction of the Panama canal. While dignified sen ators and perturbed representatives were manifesting' deep concern and consuming precious time in heated debates, President Roosevelt start ed to build the big ditch, which has proven a God's blessing to the world." Senator Brown declared the great European war was not six months old when Roosevelt began to warn the people of the United States to prepare for the fight. "He looked into the future and saw the day would come when America would take her stand for humanity along with England and France against the brutality of Germany." Soldier Quartet. A feature of the musical program was the singing of a soldier quartet from Minneapolis. There were four boys who have just returned from France with the Three Hundred and Thirty-seventh artillery of the Eightieth division and came to Omaha to sing at an entertainment given Saturday night at the Athletic club. Patriotic numbers were sung and the boys were given an enthus iastic ovation. Repeatedly they re sponded to the calls of the aud ience with selections which met with unanimous expressions of approval. ' The meeting was opened with an invocation by the Rev. Edwin II. Jenks. W. F. Gurley acted as chair man and delivered an address elo quent in praise of Roosevelt. "Roose velt belonged to .the lighting class, and he knew no such word as fear," said the speaker. "There were states men more profound, soldiers better versed in the art of war, orators more eloquent and writers who ex celled him in art of expression and style. It was not what Roosevelt said and did, but it was what he was that made the man great, His spec tacular moral force rendered him the most romantic figure in the world. The story of his life is as fascinating as a tale from the Arabian Knights. "The work of Theodore Roosevelt is done, but his example still lives to keep soldiers firm and statesmen pure. Eternal honor to his - great name." Gaines Pays Tribute. F. H. Gaines declared that Roose velt's followers loved him like no other leader has been loved. "He knew not what it was to deviate from the straight path of duty," said the speaker. "He believed firmly ' in the square deal. Riches were not sacred to him. He strug gled to bring about a state of af airs where the wage earner would come into his own, and the wealthy could enjoy their honestly earned j possessions. We think of him now as the greatest teacher of civic righteousness and patriotism the world has ever known. Washington i was the commanding figure in the Revolutionary war. Lincoln was the master of the occasion during the civil war, and when history is written Roosevelt will have been given a place along side of these immortals." Dr, James M. Wilson declared I that Roosevelt taught the lesson more than any one else that the gov ernment of the United States must be regarded as supreme. "This was illistrated in the settlement of the miners strike in Pennsylvania," he said, "when he handled .the situ ation with a fairness, both as far as the. laboring man and the capitalist were concerned, which marked his dealing with every question pre sented to him." Harry Murrison and Ben Stanley conducted the song service. Pershing Seeks Site for National Cemetery Boston, Feb. 9.- Acting on in structions from the War department, General Pershing has been in com munication the last month with Mar shal Petain on purchasing property for a national cemetery for Ameri can dead in France, according to a statement made here today by Sec- 74th ANNUAL REPORT NEW York H if IF INSURANCE COMPANY 346 Broadway, New York, N. Y. (Organized under the Laws of the State of New York.) retarv Baker. THi nrHpr stinTilate that a rhateaii iney nave Deen inspired wun m-lor castle shall be tlocated on prop ertv adequate for a museum to house a collection commemorating America's participation in the. war. secretary of the New Era movement speaking again in the evening, de clared that "a new idealism, a new democratization, a new moralizatiori and a new co-operation are but part of the rapid development of the day. "Two years ago America was look ed on as a nation of money-grubbers. Today she is the nation of high idealism," he said. "Ten years ago the 'White Ribboners' were a forlorn hope and a by-word. Today national prohibition is a glorious reality." To the Policy-holders and the Public: s Any intelligent man knowing that he must immediately go to war would take any life insurance policy, for almost any amount offered by any responsible com- pany at any reasonable price. It gives us all something of a shock to realize that the deaths in our army dur ing this unprecedented war just closing have recently been surpassed many times over by the epidemic deaths in everyday life. Influenza, we are told, up to January 1, 1919, had already killed as many young and vigorous persons in the world generally as were killed by bullets and disease in four and a half years of the war. The wisdom of an adequate surplus in life insurance is now demonstrated. The folly of New York State in imposing a severe limitation on surplus against which this Company especially protested in 1906 and since is also demonstrated. Through a period of years the mortality of all soundly conducted companies, in spite of influenza and other unforeseen calamities, will in all likelihood come well within the tables; but we now understand that incidents can arise through which mortality may temporarily exceed the provisions of very conservative assumptions. It is comforting to know that neither war nor influenza can make any material dif- ference to you as a member of this Company, because as against such startling inci dents this Company long since made abundant provision. From this there are two fair deductions: First INSURE there are just as many and just as sound rea sons for insuring your life during days of peace as there are for ' insuring during times of war. Second insure in companies that have aimed above all things to achieve safety. In these days SAFETY sounds better than CHEAPNESS. Our mortality up to the outbreak of influenza promised to be, in 1918, about 61 of the mortality provided for in the premiums; it was actually 95 of the ex pected; If this epidemic persists during 1919 your so-called dividends may be re duced in 1920, they remain substantially unchanged in 1919. New Business of the year, chiefly from the United States and Canada , $340,000,000 The largett new butines in the Company' hittory Received in life insurance premiums 110,000,000 Paid policy-holders: Death claims ..$35,000,000 To living policy-holders . 62,000,000 97,000,000 We bought to many Liberty Bond during the year that we were obliged to borrow from the New York bank. Our statement shows, on that account, Bills Payable 22,800,000 , December 31, 1918, we owned at par Liberty Bonds aggregating ;.v- : $70,000,000 Bonds of the Allied countries, issued since the war began 30,000,000 Total war bonds owned The Balance Sheet follows: ,$100,000,000 DARWIN P. KINGSLEY, President. Balance Sheet, January 1, 1919 3 E t xoenence has taught thousands that NSTANT is better for the family than coffee "There's & Season ASSETS Real Estate $ 13,449,600.00 Loans on Mortgages 166,053,804.71 Loans on Policies 155,114,802.3f Loans on Collateral 718,550.00 Liberty Bonds 69,791,491.90 Bonds of the Allied Coun tries issued since the war began '. . 30,968,201.77 Other Bonds and Stock. . . 508,957,595.13 Cash 21,242,580.17 Uncollected and Deferred Premiums 13,647,771.41 Interest and Rents due and accrued 15,105. ".02.62 Premiums reported to War Risk Insurance Bureau under Soldiers' and Sail ors' Civil Relief Act 15,344.02 War Savings and Thrift Stamps 22,140.71 . Total .'$995,087,284.86 INCOME, 1918 Premiums : OnNewPoli- ' cies ...$13,971,187.19 On'Renewed Policies, 91,806,610.15 Annuities, etc 4.360,997.80 $110,138,795.14 Interest and Rents $41,500,876.98 Money borrowed to in crease Company s sub scription to Fourth Lib erty Loan Other Income 24,000.000.00 3,246,707.28 Total $178,886,379.40 LIABILITIES Policy Reserve $756,695,852.00 Other Policy Liabilities. . . 29,571,149.56 Premiums, Interest and Rentals Prepaid 4,515,533.0?) Commissions, Salaries, etc. 3,876,245.98 Borrowed Money and Ac crued Interest thereon. 22,863,879.44 Dividends Payable in 1919, 32,637,614.13 Reserve for deferred Divi dends 100,893,328.00 Reserves for other pur poses 44,033,682.66 Total $995,087,284.8( DISBURSEMENTS, 1918 Payments to Policy-holders: Death Losses . .$35,070,157.61 To Living ..62,629,698.59 $97,699,856.28 Paid to Beneficiaries un- derinstallmentcontracts, 863,872.0i Paid to Agents and for Agency Expenses, Medi- caj Fees, etc 12,896,633.22 Taxes, Licenses and In surance Depts. Fees. . . 2.255.320.5C Borrowed Money Repaid. 1,320,000.00 Other Disbursements, in cluding Real Estate Ex penses and Taxes 7,664,525.08 Added to Ledger Assets.,. 56,186,172.40 Total .$178,886,379.40 Policies in force Jan. 1, 1919 Insurance in force " 4i - 1,360,433 $2,838,829,80 9 4.