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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 1919)
12 THE BEE: OMAHA. SATURDAY, DECKMBISK 13. iai. The Omaha Bee DAILY ( MORNING ) -E V ENTNG SUNDAY FOUNDED BT EDWARD ROSEWATER VICTOR ROSEWATER, EDITOR THE BES PUBLISHING COMPANY, PROPRIETOR MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tk tmrliud Praia, of walcb The Bm U member, hi iiuimi anUUed U lb um for publloitloB of U ami dliuUdxe erwUtad te tt Of not otherwHe erertlUnl In Ihli perw. and alto the Intel nw pibltilied herein. 411 ruble of pabUcUlon of our pealtl dlipthibw ere alto reeured. BEE TELEPHONES i Prtnw Branca chania. A for the Tvlfr 1000 Department or Prtloulir PereonyWuiwd. J"i VfVV Far NIfht end Sunday Service Calli MMerlal Department - Trier 1M0I. CtMUlatloa rfiwtmon - . - J er WJI AdearUalng DepertaMB.8 Tjlr 1008L OFFICES OF THE BEE Bom Offloe, Bm Building, 171k and TtntM. ,en nu-. Kotth J4Ui u Millury a. South Side Council BluTfi J ftwtt JM. I W.bul Ltfwsii . 6ut.ol.Town OHIeeei to omo. m Will i- ""i Mil learen worth HIS If BUCK tit North eOta 1811 O Kmt 1330 H Btnot OCTOBER CIRCULATION Daily 66,315 Sunday 63,160 arerete elreulttton for th month enbecrlbed and twom to by b. Began. Olreulatlon Manaior. . ' Subecribera leaving tha elty eheuM have Tha Baa analled ta thorn. . Addreee changed aa often aa required. You should know that Omaha bank clearings are seven times as large today as they were fifteen years ago. What The Bee Stands For : 1. Respect for the law and maintenance of order. 2. Speedy and certain punishment of crime through the regular operation of the courts. ' 3. Pitiless publicity and condemnation of inefficiency lawlessness and corrup tion in office. 4. Frank recognition and commendation of honest and efficient public service. 5. Inculcation of Americanism as the true basis of good citizenship. "Old Doc" Garfield declines to be a rubber stamp. Turkey's appeal should be for mercy, not justice. i . . The lid tilts Sunday morning, and soon will be off entirely on the fuel pile. The trouble "with the "flying parson" is that he used too mucji air for talking. If sibmebody can only get the weather man to arbitrate now, all may yet be well. Bu$te wins the prize, with SO below and no coal. -Winter-in the banana belt is a dreadful affair. . V?" Washington 'still awaits a reply from Mex ico on the Jenkins note. So it has been ever since the present administration went in. Defense of a murderer on the ground that he is a human automaton may be novel, but a machine should be made safe in some way, even to its destruction. x Colorado finally get into line for the suf frage amendment, but the ladies have been vot- ii i inn Tnr Tor vrarw - 4ta,an8 transferred their "Roman holiday" to Mantua, but it was shorn of nothing of its destructive qualities by the 'change in location. i Now that the thing is. about over, yvtr may be permitted io say that while the street cars gave SO per cent service, the other SO was ag gravation..; . S Reorganization of the naval reserve ought to hold out some hope, to the "gobs" who served at Great "Lakes. They are entitled, to something besides a Victory button. f The local fuel administration may never get any MD. S. O." or other distinguishment for their services, , but those -who really stop to think will admit that a mighty good job was done. ' , .Word from Paris is that the "Divine Sarah" keeps right on at her work at the theater. This it an exampla for those devoted inviduals who are demanding a six-hour day and a five-day wtek. "" ' North Dakota nonpartisans demand the res ignation of an attorney general who made the mistake of trying to protect the state money from Townleyite control. Those fellows know what they want at any rate. . Again tha democrats are getting mightily he't up over the fact that the republicans refuse to quarrel among themselves. A split in the grand old party is the only thing that offers any hope to a democrat nowadays. " ; ' , ' v Without ny desire to provoke ah argument, we ' mutt take issue with the Chicago packer, who writes that "Omaha demands a light loin." Or&the other hand, Omaha folks will put up with almost any kind of meat that come within rech of the buyer's pocketbook. Folks out tag anything from the butchers. Plus and Patience - They are, in response to a mighty wave of public sentiment, raising the salaries of some . educators and religious leaders. Here and there shines such a considerable spot of brightness as the field of Yale university, which has gained a wide repute, for generous treatment of its . t- -11 .1.: - .1 j : : leacners. ror an una inc Discerning give thanks. But if they are especially discerning, the refrain from any unseemly glee. Fb'r what is a raise in salary, anyway? It cannot in any such cases be expected, probably, to be. commensurate with the 100 per cent rise in the-price index. It does not correspond with the - doubling and frequently tripling which has operated on the scale of wages in many of the manual industries. In short, the professor with his jaise is not nearly as well off, relatively, as i, he Was in the era of low prices 15 years ago. He .is tremendously better off than he was five months ago. . Aft workers of this class who as a result of the imperatively necessary change receive nom inally more money need to add patience to their aVk'a& tiff Ktf1a Vii tiffl Tf rtia v fi rincctKiA BiWf ia uivi iiivii At, uiaiy vauiuiv ' now-to make both ends meet if the advance has ,beet substantial, but nothing like relaxation, stillness like luxury, is yet possible. The prac tice f-of strict 'economy is not to be lost. The mtirt-'-difference is that economy is not as hope-less;-3s it was a little while ago. Hartford Times. - . . s.- . , . , , INSIDE THE COAL SETTLEMENT. . If, at the Pennsylvania soft coal barons are quoted as saying, the public and the mining in dustry have been delivered into the hands of the United Mine Workers of America, the transi tion will not mean much so far as the public goes. As a matter of expediency, and that as usual controlled the president in his action, the great American public is as well off In the hands of the miners with' some prospect of get ting coal as it was in the hands of the operators with the chance of freezing to death. This is not the question.. Dr. Garfield in dignantly resigns because the president ignored his plan for settling the dispute. He contends for a principle, while the opportunist at the White House took the easiest way out It is possible that the settlement is yet to come. In fact, it ought to. The present adjustment should not be permanent If 'Stability U to be a feature of the fuel trade in the future, it must rest on something nearer justice than. has been the rule in the past. The problem has three angles: First, the consumer, who wants his coal at the lowest pos sible rate; second, the miner, who wants the highest wage obtainable, and the third, the operator, who is after the profit. Generally this triangle is tcalene. How to make it equilateral is the question.. That the unequal side and angle must be built up at the cost of the other two is the only solution. Possibly the presi dent's commission will be able to do this. ' 1 v Dr. Garfield's administration of the fuel sit uation is open to not a little justifiable criticism, most of which is offset by the fact that he tried. He brought order out of a miserable situation two years ago, and whatever else may be said of him, something of service was set up where he found none. His management of the coal busii ness might have been better, but it also coula have been much worse. , t The future will depend on something more than laws to prevent strikes. Fights to the fin ish between employers and employes mean hardship to all hands, and some way to prevent them ought to be found. The commission to adjust the present trouble should also find means for regulating the three sides of the triangle. . , : "- Coal Solution in Omaha. Elsewhere on this page will be found a letter from Mr. G. W. Holdrege, in which the railroad administration furnishes some figures that tend to dispel the assertion of the coal operators that one reason for idleness at the mines dur ing the summer was lack of cars. .What is of more real interest to Omaha is the conclusion Mr. Holdrege draws. The! solution of the fuel question for this city is summer storage. Con sumers and retailers alike should make pro vision during the warm weather against the stormy days of winter. The total investment in the aggregate will' be large, but distributed among so many it will not materially affect any. Moreover, the certainty of a fuel supply is worth more than the use of the money for a few week or months, and the coal must eventually be paid for, whether delivered in spring or fall. Another winter should not catch Omaha with empty coal bunkers. international Money Crisis. Disturbance of exchange rate on interna- tional money transactions, however serious it may be, is a natural and direct outcome of the war.' Business currents were diverted intd un usual channels, and generally the 1 abnormal aspect of commerce while the war was on es tablished a condition from which recovery is neither easy nor painless. Principally this is due, to the enormous increase in government credits by which the war was financed. These have undoubtedly altered where they have not wholly removed old standards of value, and the business world has not yet had time to readjust its operations on the new asis. ' The British government is pursuing what seems to be a'wise course. Just as it resolutely declined to unduly inflate its currency while the war was on, so it now refuses to further pledge its credit to support the falling exchange rate. Back of this decision may be noted a clear rea son. England is carrying a tremendous debt, but is not bankrupt. All the evils of individual extravagance and Waste in the way of failure to produce are present there, but the capacity for production and consequent eventual f dis charge of the debt Is also present. The govern ment is about to resort to they expedient of issuing "premium bonds," a simple euphemism for a lottery, to secure funds to meet the cur rent deficit in the national budget France al ready has adopted this plan. Germany is look ing to' an unusually heavy capital tax to relieve the situation. ; . In the meantime, wealtty that fled to neutral countries fjom belligerent during the war is being pursued that it may be compelled to bear its share of taxation. While this is going on, efforts to restore the productivity of the soil and the factories are being made, and in this is involved the discouragement of importation that comes through the high prices. Purchas ing in America will doubtless be lessened by the conditions prevailing, but readjustment will come all the sooner if the law of supply and demand be allowed to control, and not be fur ther Interfered with by government pledges. A new price level is not far ahead. . Inquiry Into the Kirk "Furlough." ' Chief Justice Morrissey has ordered an in quiry into the release of Beryl C. Kirk from the penitentiary. His order directs the bar com mission in conjunction with the attorney gen eral make a thorough investigation into the mat ter and report their findings. In all human probability the proceedings in the case will be found to be legally impeccable. . Judicial ven tilation of all the circumstances connected with the affair will do no particular harm. As has been stated in The Bee, if the Kirk case were the first or the most exasperating case of the kind in the history of Nebraska, it might justify great public" indignation. So many flagrant' interferences with'" justice have marred the record of the state, and the public has shown such inexplicable indifference in regard to them, that it will be noteworthy if the pres ent instance goes much further than have any of the others. This consideration, of course, is no reason why the Kir,k case should not be thor oughly investigated and all its facts exposed to public view. If it is to be 'taken as an indication of an awakened conscience in Nebraska, the omen i; good. The engineer who stopped a passenger train while he rescued a boy from drowning had a perfectly good excuse for the officials. The only queer thing about the story is how they knew that a C & O. train wa late. .4 : , ,1 The Vice President , From- the Minneapolis Tribune. The vice president of the United States has never been properly related to the government Aside from the provision of the constitution that he shall, or may, as practice makes it, pre side over the sessions 01 the senate, there is nothing for him to do. This duty he shifts very frequently upon the president pro tem or upon some other member whom he may designate. About the only excuse for his official existence is that he stands ready when a vacancy occurs in the presidency to step into the office as presi dent : . . Vacancies in the presidential office may occur in various ways either through the death of the occupant, or resignation, or impeachment or inability to discharge the duties of his office. This specification, however, is indefinite, no provision having been made by which the ques tion of inability shall be determined. The vice president ought to be an active fac tor in the administration. He ought to help carry the heavy burden of the presidential of fice. He ought to be a close confidential ad viser of the president He ought to be as close to him as any member of the cabinet He ought to sustain the same relation to hi chief as the vice president of a corporation bear to the head of the company.' And not only is he a comparatively useless piece of official furniture, but when occasion may exist for his exercise of the presidential function there may be no opportunity for him to do so because the opportunity, the authority, have not been created by either death, resigna tion, impeachment, or any other form of definite, unquestioned vacancy. Hasn't the time arrived when congress should meet a situation of this character by defining what constitutes inability on the part of the president to discharge the duties of that office? The matter is not one of slight importance. Condition might arise where the absence of any such clear definition would, seriously im- feril the welfare and safety of the country, he dangers and possibilities incident to the lack of any such definition emphasizing the wis dom, even the necessity, of congressional action calculated to meet a situation left uncertain by the framers of the constitution. What consti tutes inability to discharge the duties of the office is a matter of so much consequence' that it ought not to remain undefined. , To Bring Down Prices In his address to the students-of St. Louis university John Moody, publisher of well known financial publications, gave as his opinion that both prices and wages would be lower in a few years than they are now. If prices are to come down this should be taken into consideration in the fixing of wages where a 'demand is made for a standard based upon a continuance of pres ent price or their increase. Mr. Moody called attention to a general world condition which we have frequently pointed out, which must have a profound effect upon prices and conditions in the United States. This condition is that there is a tremendou trade balance in favor of this country which the world cannot pay in any form except in goods., There i little gold left which the nations can spare and leave any upon which to base their own currency. There is not much left of foreign investment in our stock and bonds . which might be released in payment of trade balances. We must take ' goods or nothing. Extending more credit, even up to the $2,500,000,000 that has been estimated as necessary, will only postpone the day of pay ment and increase the total of the debt that must be discharged in goods or not at all. By building our own ships and putting nearly 10, 000,000 tons into mercantile service -we have cut off the only remaining way, except tourist travel, in which trade balances in our favor were formerly canceled. We do not pav for eign ships for carrying our goods a we did. In addition to the fact that in order to col lect what is due us we must take good is the other fact that, because of the low value of money in Europe, manufacturing there can be done' very :much cheaper than here and price competition, will be stronger against American goods than formerly was the case. WeMised to compete With'pauper labor," but now, with foreign labor getting much higher wages, we find that we must compete with pauper money. These facts must be taken into consideration when we estimate the influences which will af fect price during the next few years. Our habit of reckless expenditure, of self-gratification at any cost, will probably remain with us and tend to hold up prices, but world trade and finance conditions will powerfully affect them in the opposite direction. - St. Louis Globe-Democrat. A Pessimist Who Succeeded . The resignation of E. P. Ripley as president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway brings to an end the active career of one of the! few masters of transportation now in the flesh. It also invites attention to a character as nota ble for accomplishment as for some peculiari ties usually attendanttipon failure. In less than a quarter of a century Mr. Ripley developed a bankrupt and reorganized railroad into one of the finest properties in the world. He had no notions of long-distance command. Like many of the earlier presidents and general managers of railroads, he knew the business in all its department and came into personal contact with every problem, phy sical, financial and human. With the splendid optimism of intelligence, hard work and faith in himself, he' gained a success that has had few equals. ' 'A Yet all this time Mr. Ripley was the most pronounced of all American pessimists. Noth ing that was going on in the world beyond his control was right. The interstate -commerce law was wrong. Every ,- change in it made things worse. The whole theory of railroad regulation was wrong. There was hardly a year or a month that he did not see disaster just ahead of him. 'A few of Mr. Ripley' troubles came to pass, but it took a world war to develop them, and we believe he never thought of that in his most despondent mood. For a man who was always anticipating calamity, Mr. Ripley has a. remark able list of triumphs to his credit, upon which he is entitled to sincere congratulations. New York World. Unselfish. Constitution. . Jim Larkin' lawyer says that the law against criminal anarchy is unconstitutional. The constitution, in other words, does not ap prove of law against conspiring to overthrow the constitution. What an unselfish constitu tion. Cleveland Plain Dealer. ronAV The Day We Celebrate. Rt. Rev. John C. Farthing, lord bishop of Montrealiorn at Cincinnati, O., 58 years ago. Dr. Samuel Fallows, bishop of the Reformed Episcopal church, born in Lancashire, Eng land, 84 years ago.' Dr. A. Lawrence Lowell, president of Har vard university, born in Boston 63 years ago. ' Arthur George Perkin, one of the world's foremost color chemists, born in England 58 years ago. John N. Tillman, representative in congress of the Third Oklahoma district, born at Spring field, Mo., 60 year ago. Thirty Year Ago in Omaha. E. A. Benson bought out the Chicago Phono graph company of Uiicago. r "Little Lord! Fauntleroy" was played for the first time in Omaha. Tommy Russell was the handsome; manly little lord and captivated the audience from the moment of his appearance. The Swedish Ladies' Relief society netted $633 from their fair for the benefit of the poor. Mr. Paul Harbach was on the ocean home ward bound for the Holidays. Mist Sherwood gave a dancing party., v What Shall T Be? & The Actress. Bf ELIZABETH MATEER. "You bet I'm going to be an ac tress. I'm not even going to fjn-'sh school,1, remarked a seventh-grader who was rehearsing a dramatization for English class. ' ' . ' How many girls are making simi lar resolutions this holiday .season when the theaters are packed to standing room I And none of us can Llame the "stage struck girl." We all like' to pretend and the desire to be somebody else is not confined to our 'teens, i Yet in spite of the huge, number of "matinee dolls" and "movie fans," there is perhaps less known about acting than any other art. Few peo; pie realize that there are definite rules to be followed here just as in music and that just as much practice is required of those who achieve suc cess; The girl who follows Maude Ad ams through an afternoon of youth ful vivacity or sits enraptured by Marlowe's voice heaves a sigh of genuine envy of the "heaven born gift." Little does she realize that years of untiring practice have given Marlowe's voice its richness or that only by extreme care and self-denial can Maude Adams continue in fier lively roles. - To be sure, all great actresses must have "the gift," but how many there are who flourish only a few seasons because they depend upon talent alone to maintain their fame! It is talent plus training of the most rigorous kind that make the suc cessful actress. There are schools which train young girls in voice, gesture and ex pression, sucn as tne American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City; , the Emerson and the Leland Powers schools in Boston. But there is nothing like a genuine apprenticeship in the theater. A girl must be willing to start in at a mere iivintr watre in the most msienihcant roles in order to learn the tricks of the trade. She must be prepared to make sacrifices both of friends and good times, for art demands complete self-devotion. The stage means the hardest kind of work for those'who really "arrive." But to those who are tilled with the dramatic instinct ana are capable of level-headed, pains taking work, the door is wide open. (Next week: "The Saleswoman.") Boya and airls' Nowapaper Service. Copyright, by J. H. Miller. What Shall I Be? Answered As? ,Boy 1 Cars and Coal Miners. Omaha, Dec. 12. To the Editor of The Bee: VAs ft constant and much Interested reader of The Oma ha Bee for about 50 years, I beg 'to make some suggestions about the editorial of December 4 headed "Neither Coal Nor Help In Sight." Feeling sure that it la your inten tion to give the public correct and useful information on all subjects of imprtanee, I am sure that you wish to make the present crisis as far as possible an important object lesson for the future of this country. To accomplish this, as a railroad officer of tha United States railroad administration,, the facts and a few figures which I can supply will cor rect some of the statements in the editorial in question and should, be of use for the future plans of cqal consumers and dealers. The fact is that an ample supply of cars was available and would have been supplied- in. the spring and summer months of 1919 for all of the coal that should nave been stored. The records in the car service sec tion of the central western region for 1919 show surplus trondola and hopper bottom ears as ronows: April 1.. April I.. April IS. April 23. May 1... May S... May H. . May 23.. Juna 1... June 8... 23.623 June 15 13,007 ....33,435 June 23 11,602 ,....23,468 July 1....' 10.140 24,071 July 8 10,874 ....20,683 July IS S.088 ,....12,102 July 22 8,287 ,,...18,968 Aug. 1 6,885 ... .18,408 Auk. 8 4,814 ....17,265 Aug. 18 4,448 14.96-1 Aur. 23 4.788 Thu railroads .of this region had about 30 days supply of coal in storage November 1, 1919. The commercial demand fell oft sharply durln the spring and continued relatively slack throughout the sum mer. There was an ampi car sup ply during that period and more than required. The railroads and the public had a supply on hand November .1 in the central western region as follows: BITUMINOUS tUAL in bjuhaub. Net Tone. All commercial M?1'5!? Railroad ' M61.685 Total 4.S63.19S RAILROAD COAL IN STORAGE. Nat Tnna September 1 J.681,695 October 1 1,642,491 November 1 1,878.729 The lesson of the day is tnat it is th rintv nf tha rnnanmera in their own interest to place orders for coal that tuiu toon thp mlnpn At work throughout the summer months. Cut Out Some Street Mghts. Omaha, Dee. 6. To the Editor of The Bee: While talking about con serving light in our homes would suggeBt that they turn out every other light in the Minna Lusa addi tion and Arcadia court locatea in tne north part of Omaha. They have big arc lights every 50 feet, which is not necessary. Even then there would, be plenty of light ror tnis aaamon. CHARLES GWYNNE. v Things Might Be Worse. -. v.. mnma nnnl around here are worrying about how to get sugar to put on their rood, oui urr m Eu rope millions are worrying most about how to get the food. Colum bus Dispatcn, Editor of a Country Newspaper. By R. 8. ALEXANDER. "Who want to be editor of the Hicksville Daily Headlight or the Brainstorm Corner Bugle?" This is your probable answer to a sugges tion that you go into the country newspaper business. Yet a great newspaper man, author of numerous book on journalism, writes: "My advice to the city newspaper man is to save hi money and buy a paper in a country town." What are the advantage of being a country editor? First, you are your own boss. Editorships of great city dailies are few and hard to at tain. And as Julius Caesar put it, "It is better to be first in a little Iberian village than second in Rome." It affords a comfortable living and, if you decide to buy into the paper, you will have an assured position and income. But perhaps the most satisfaction comes from the fact that you are shaping the character of the community in which your paper circulates and are serving the peo ple in that community. ' To be a country editor you must be interested in the newspaper busi ness; you must have tact and diplo macy; you must be able to judge men; you must have business abil ity; and last of all, you must have the character and will power to make i your paper a force in the commu nity. 1 In addition, you need special training in journalism. This may be obtained in a good school of journalism. A good idea would be to get as much training in adver tising as possible. You will prob ably have to teach your advertisers how to advertise and it might not be a bad idea to know how your self before you (tart to do o. An- other method by which thi train ing may be acquired is by actual experience on the staff of ome big newspaper. You can then begin in a subordinate position on a country newspaper and work into an editor-' ship or you may be fortunate enough to be placed immediately in the edi tor' chair. " - ' Good book to read on the ub-. ject are "Practical ' Journalism' by ' E. L. Suman, "Newspaper Reporting . and Correspondence" and Newspa per Editing" by G. M. Hyde, and "Making a Country Newspaper" by A. J. Munson. ' N (Next week: "A Worker b Con crete.") ' Boya' an Olrle Newipaar Service Copyrlfht. 1918, by J. H. Millar. THE NOMAD. Oh, lore la Ilka a nomad wha ralki tht trean earth round, All In tha faery mantle of tha morales aunbeama gowned I - -And lova haa found tba far tralla, tha atrange tralla and tha new Thai d to pleanant placea where tha . young blooma kite tha dew, . Hta fet ara Hnd with aandala that flaih tba morning light. And eometlmea be la netted with aaoen- beama of the night. O'er tha hill and through the valley and round and round tha aea, A nomad of tha roey lane and ef the velvet lea. Ilia stiff la rude and oaken, hli cloak of ekln Is worn. But In hla ey) the gleaming of tha faery dream of morn. And every path he taketh, there eprlngi where went hie feet The beauty of the bloaeoma that have made the whole world eweet. B. B. In Bottineau Sun. i aw ai 1 Hand in hand with happiness a Victor Record Ceitificate , The Victor Record Gift Certificate reproduced above enables you to give your music-loving friends or relatives something they realty want because with it they do their own selecting. ' It completely answers the perplexing question, "What Shall I Give?" ; Youy simply fill out a certificate with the name of the recipient, and the amount you desire to expend. ; We will mail the certificate bearing your message of cheer, timed to arrive on Christmas eve, ix desired, to any address you name. The certificate is redeemable in Victoi Records for any amount the donor specifies. .Call, write or Vne nl ur)rneJor noVf b V REAL WINTER SERVICE . MARK lalLa.. "BUSINESSES COOP THANK Y0u Buy Red Cross Stamps T For every motor ruined by lack of oil, fifty are being injured by old oil. Oil is Cheaper than Steel. Cylinder Oil must be changed, for cars, every 800 miles; trucks, 500 miles. Someone has to do the work. 'Why not let us drain and refill your crank case. No charge for draining. L. V. NICHOLAS OIL CO; President Tyler 4040 Locomotive Auto Oil, 10 Degree) Below Zero. "The Batt Oil W Know."