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LINCOLN, NEB., SATURDAY, MAY 18. 1895.
OBSERVATIONS.
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WITHIN the last year the Chi
cago morning newspapers have
followed up the prior invasion
of Nebraska territory by a ,vigoraus
policy of .advertising and canvassing;
and,tho(piogres8 that they hare made is
phenomenal. The Chicago papers nqw
reach Omaha a little jiftqr dinner time,
and, they are for sale in this city soon
after 4 o'clock. The Tribune, Record,
Times-Herald and Inter-Ocean ,each
has aubecription patron ago inLjqcoln
running up ,into the hundreds. The
steady advance being made by these
papers recalls tne remarKs maue in
these columns a year and a half agp.
7In discussing the enterprise of the Chi
cago newspapers I said it was only a
' question of time when Nebraska's three
big dailies, the JJee, Vorld-Herald and
" c' State Journal, would be compell
ed to draw in some of their tendrils and
r be content with a more restricted field.
;The time will como it was said, when
. these three papers that now boast of
their metropolitan frills and seek to
' win patronage on account of their gen
v eral news and literary features will have
to be made into local newspapers, if
they are to be maintained successfully,
and events have borne out the truth of
my statements. The gain of the Chi
cago newspapers in Nebraska is, to a
considerable extent, tho loss- of the
morning papers in Lincoln and Omaha.
The afternoon papers are affected by
this competition, but not to anything like
the extent of the morning papers. There
is a growing disposition on tho part of
reading public to take a Chicago morning
paper and a local evening paper. The Chi
cago newspaper business is undergoing an
unprecedented development, and the
big Nebraska dailies will be more and
more affected by their competition.
There was a time when the Bee circu
lated thousands of papers in Iowa and
all over this part of the west, to say
nothing of Nebraska. Now the. Chicago
papers havo full possession of the field;
and the -Bee is forced to depend almost
entirely on Omaha and uear-by ,points
in the state. If report be true this
state circulation is materially reduced.
That Mr. Rosewater has felt the effect
of tho Chicago competition was made
evident somo months ago when he
appeared before congress and protested
against the train servico that enabled
the Chicago papers to levy tribute on
the entire west this side of Coiorado.
But Mr. Rosewater protested in vain,
and all tho objections that ho and his
brother publishers may raise will not
reduce this competition. It is a condi
tion that will havo to be met.
Lincoln merchants, among whom are
some notable clams, may take lessons
from Omaha business men, ho are ad
vertising their wares in the Lincoln
papers.' These Omaha merchants find
it profitable to go away from home and
advertise in outside papers. Some,Lin-
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coin. merchants are so claniny that they major portion of it did. Theso shops
do, not qven advertise at home. are not doing tho town any good.
Anyone who is much about town can
not help noticing tho remarkable de
velopment of the bucket shop. business.
Perhaps some of tho dealers may object
to this .term; but it expresses the ,idea,
and it therefore goes. Of lato tho spec
ulative fever seems to bo largely on
the increase. The business has really
assumed formidablo proportions. I can
Considering tho large amount of
money involved the indifference of the
public during tho trial of the Hill case
was remarkable. Friday and Saturday
of last week, the closing daysqf tho trial,
the court, jury and attorneys were,
practically tfyo only occupants of tho
sonato chamber. Only occasionally
did a spectator saunter in. More than
once J havo intimated that tho opinion
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PEOPLE WITH
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"THE PASSING SHOW "
name at least seven concerns that do a
bucket shop business, and every after
noon the black boards in these trading
shops aro eagerly watched by crowds of
,men. There is much more speculating
than over before. A well known banker
and business man told me the other day
that he had been given to understand
that one concern had, in the six or seven
years it had been in business, sent to
Chicago 81,600,000 more than it had
brought to Lincoln. These figures give
a good, idea of the average unprofitable
ness of amateur dealings on tho board
of trade. Of course all of this money
did not come out of Lincoln; but the
is generally entertained that nothing will
come of this much advertised suit, and
that such is tho case was evident by
tho utter absence of public interest
during last week's proceedings. The
disagreement of tho jury on tho point
submitted was a foregone conclusion.
The instructions of the court were, some
of tho attorneys thought, strongly in
favor of the state; but the idea that the
jury would agree on the state's propo
sition was not at any time seriously en
tertained. The court has adjourned
now until May 21. Further proceedings
can hardly destroy the advantage gained
by tho defense.
Apropos of tho Hill case a great deal
is heard just now concerning tho liabil
ity of stato treasurers. I beliovo most
people will agree that when a Btato
treasurer is given tho absolute and up
qualified control of tho state money,
receiving personally tho interest profit
on tho money, ho should bo made to
injure the safety of tho fund and bo
held responsible for any loss. But there
is a difference in the caso of a treasurer
who receives a definite salary, tho Btato
designating tho depositories and receiv
ing tho benefit of all interest.
Patrick Egan, an old-time ennspieu
ous citizen of Lincoln, emerges from tho
obscurity in which ho,has been envel
oped since his return fronitChie, long
enough to tell a waiting and anxious
public what he thinks about the monqy
question. Egan is emotional, and thoso
who know him are not surprised to find
him a freo silverite. Jf there is a sen
sational side to a question Mr. Egan
id ways finds it. But tho opinion of tlio
ox-minister to Chile is not specially im
portant. So "Professor'" W. M. Croan, of tho
Western Normal collego is going to quit
town. 'Tis sad, sad news. Tho Jlags on
all the public buildings ought to bo
hung at half mast, and the town ought
to be draped in mourning. The profes
sor is a wonderful man. Lincoln never
saw his like before and in all probability
will never see his liko again. Ho will
bo uiisasd, because of his kind he is a
mighty rare specimen. With his de
parture Lincoln will lose one of tho
most unique and in some respects tho
most remarkable person in all the town.
The "professor will, it is announced,
sever his connection with tho Western
Normal collego and return to Anderson,
Ind., the homo of his jouth. He was
lately in Anderson and his visit was
made tho subject of tho following dis
patch which appeared in the Chicago
papers:
"Anderson. Ind., May 8, Prof. Croan
president of the Normal college at Lin
coin. Neb., which two jears ago has
1,700 students enrolled, but owing td
tho famine in thit stato had but loo
last year, today is in the city, and waO
offered by Anderson real estate men a
S20.0Q0 bonus for the location of his
collego here on a site which he has
picked out. He will probably accept
the offer."
The. fact that the "professor is able
to gull the people of his own town into
believing his stories about that 1700 at
tendance of two years ago, and more
than that, inducing them to offer him a
cash bonus to como bac'; to them, em
phasizes his smoothness, and to somo
extent lessens the humiliation of the
people of this town who have been vie
timized by him. It is safe to say that
the people of Lincoln, much as they
will miss the professor, will never offer
him. 820,000 to return to them.
Seriously, this man Croan is one of
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