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VOL 11. NO 20
ESTABLISHED IN 1836
PRICE FIVE CENT!:
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.x H H B JiBSCClCgtfiUoiWPr'Sr tWBpwwijfcafc ij" h M a
LINCOLN NEB., SATURDAY. MAY 1G 1896
reading and learning of such things as
these than to bother ourselves about
such mere trifles as who shall he the
republican nominees for governor,
treasurer, auditor, secretary, commis
sioner, etc, etc.
ENTERED IN THE POST OFFICE AT LINCOLN
AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
THE COURIER PRINTING AND PUBLISHING GO
Office 217 North Eleventh St.
Telephone 384
(Si
We ought to be thankful that there
is in the republican party of Nebraska
a benevolent syndicate not only willing
but anxious to assume ali the functions
of the party. When Fox made up his
book of Martyrs the crop did not become
extinct. It is good to know that there
are those among us who are willing to
W.MORTON SMITH Editor and Manager themselver for the weal of
SARAH B. HARRIS Associate Editor the body politic.
Subscription Rates In Advance.
Per annum $2.00 A correspondent who is enthusiaq
Six months 1.00 tically optimistic forwards the following
Three months 50 from Lexington. Neb.
Sin8 lntes 2 '"To the Editor Nebraska, in this May
. month 1896, never looked so radiant as
now. The heavens have wept that our
fields might smile. The air is fragrant
with tliA taMoatn rulnr nt npir lilnocnma.
OBSERVATIONS f I he trees hanr heavv with foliasro. The
birds sing aloud in a joyful note. There
is promise everywhere. The people
Perhaps some people are disposed .to bave emerged from discouragement and
overestimate the importance of the taken their places on the field of hope,
issues involved in the ante-convention Prosperity impends and happiness is
campaign in the republican party in become more than a meaningless word,
this state. It may be after all, that it This is going to be a great year in Neb
is in bad taste to protest. Really, on sec- raska- We are gln& to raise more sug
ond thought, it doesn't make much ar beets, more corn, more oats, more al
difference what is done at .the coming falfa-the biggest ciops-ever raised in this
state convention. For the men who 8tate. We are going to see caravans of
are nominated July 1 will, the ensuing returning pilgrims and new home-seek-November,
be elected only to state ers moving westward from the Missou-offlces-a
mere governor and auditor river. We are going to see our farms
and treasurer, etc. These men are sim- sought for, and our cities filled up with
ly to be intrusted with the adminis- new comers. We are going to see all
tration of the business of an unimport- the people join hands in a great en
ant state-Nebraska, comprising a deavor to realize the new Nebraska,
mere handful of people, only about a the dawn of a era of Publlc BPmt'
mjljj0IK patriotism, enterprise. From this on
a we are going to put all that is greatest
. ., . and beet forward, and push upward for
Of course, there are questions or taxes, ..,..., , t
. .l . j,. , j.. the highest development of our treat
and the handling and expenditure 4 4 .... , ,. ,r .
. L A . , , , u . state. Our political parties, realizing
of state funds, and a dozen other incon- ., -..,. . l
.. . . . ..... . . . the responsibility that is upon them in
-sequential topics of similar import, but . . .:. ... . . , . ..
.. ., ... , . . ., this critical time, are going to take the
then these things do not affect the , , . .. ."; ,, ...
, .. . , lead in promoting the welfare of the
people, and there is scarcely any reason . . JT - i r
.' . , . . , . : . . state. They are going to stand up for
why they should take any interest in XT , ' " . , , .,
. .. ... ... ... Nebraska by stamping under foot the
the matter of the selection of the ' i-,- u
. , .... ,, . . - little men, the clap-trap politicians, the
party s candidates. The outcome being . c j i
. J . . .. . . . ., . schemers and fixers, and taking up as
of no importance it is just as well, if not ,. , , . ,
. .. . , . ,. candidates for the big state s big offices
better, to leave the nominations to the . ,, ... . .,
. . . A, . . the biggest men they can hnd, to the
small coterie of gentlemen who have . ol . ,
. . ,, . , b .: . . end that in Nebraska we may elect men
kindly taken it upon themselves to re- ... , , ... .
, :. , , who will be an honor and credit to tne
lieve the party of the burden of respon- . .
...... n ii .. new, revivified Nebraska. Wearegoing
sibihty. By all means tell the mem- . ' .... , u-
. AL ..i ., - ,. i to take a big step forward in this year
hers of the philanthropic political syn- lfinr
syndicate to go ahead and pick out our
governor and other officers for us. We
are too busy to attend to such things
and then the syndicate is so much
better qualified for this duty. If the
gentlemen of the syndicate take entire
charge of all matters of this sort we
would have so much more time in which
.to read the newspapers and learn of
atrocities in Cuba, McKinley's triumph.
'official maladmistration, shortages in
the accounts of public officers, political
corruption, etc. It is certainly much
more profitable to improve the mind by
This correspondent appears to be lab
oring under the imprepsion that Nebras
ka amounts to something and is worth
taking care of. Inasmuch as the con
clusion has just been reached in these
columns that it really makes no diff
erence what becomes of the state. I am
under the necessity of declaring this
friend from Lexington, which, by the
way, is the home of the Honorable
"Jack"' Hankering McColI, foolishly serious.
It may be of interest to the people of
Nebraska to know that the coming
session of the legislature will be dis
tinguished for at least one thing. For
the past twenty years, at the biennial
sessions, there has been a sufficient quan
tity of oil to keep the members, from
corroding. But arrangements are now
being made to produce a supply of leg
islative lubricant altogether unparall
eled in the history of the state. The oil
producer, vulgarlarly known as the
lobby will make a specialty of looking
after insurance joints.
It is understood that certain persons
have prepared embarassing questions
touching the insurance issue which, at
the proper time, will be propounded to
candidates for the legislature. At the
coming session an effort will be made
to repeal the valued policy law, and the
insurance lobby will endeavor to pass
Buch other laws hb will make it impos
sible for the mutual insurance compan
ies to do business in this state.
Next November when Mr. McKinley
reads the returns of elections throughout
the country; next March when
Mr. Cleveland shall gather together
his dogs and guns and say a long fare
well to the White House, and make
way for the new president, the distin
guished Ohioan will feel all the exul
tation and exaltation of victory, the
consciousness of being first in a nation
of sixty million people. But the satis
faction that will come to Mr. McKin
ley on these occasions can scarcely be
greater than that which he enjoys at
the present moment, or will enjoy next
month. At the triumphant close of the
American revolution, the two political
parties then existing united in the select
ion of Washington as the first president
of the United States, and four years
later they again united to elect him. All
the members of both parties wanted
him. When Munroe was chosen pres
ident for the second time in 1821 the
people of the United States showed
their confidence in him by giving him
an electoral vote which lacked only one
of being unanimous. The first national
convention of the republican party
met on the 17th of June, 185G. John C.
Fremont was nominated for president on
the first ballot, receiving 359 votes to
19G for John McLean. In 18G0 Williatn
II. Seward, prior to the convention, was
supposed to be the leading aspirant
Tor the nomination for president, and
he led on the first and second ballots.
In 1861 at Baltimore, Lincoln was nom
inated by acclamation. In 1S6S Grant
was nominated for president by accla
mation; and 1872 he was given the nom
ination a second time by acclamation.
Hayes was nominated for president in
1876 on the seventh ballot by a vote of
SS4 to 351 for Blaine and 31 for Bristow.
In 1SS0 it took thirty-six ballots to nom
inate a candidate for president, the vote
standing on the first ballot Garfield,
399; Grant, 306; Blame, 42; Sherman, 3;
Wasburne 5. In 1831 Blaine won
after a contest, and in 1883 Blaine
cabled a disavowal of candidacy from
abroad and Harrison was mado the
republican nominee In 1892 Harrison
was bitterly opposed, but was success
ful in securing a second nomination.
Assuming then that McKinley will bo
nominated by acclamation in St. Louis
it will be seen that his triumph is com
parable to Washington's and Munroe's
and Lincoln's and Grant's. Lincoln's
renomination by acclamation, with the
war unfinished, came as a matter of
course. Grant owed his unanimous
nomination to his services in the civil
war. McKinley's triumph is different
from these and proves that peace hath
her victories no le.s renowned than war.
In 1892 the people thought they had
enough of the McKinley tariff and they
gave the country over to the democrats.
In four years the pendulum of
public sentiment swings back,
and the author of the re
pudiated tariff law is demanded by the
rank and file of the party from Maine to
California as the party's choice for
president. McKinley entered the con
test with the people with him, and the
bosses against him. From the first
he has won steadily, and Piatt and
Quay and Clarkson and Manley, with
their diminutive candidates will find
themselves iu the same position in St.
Louis that Napoleon found himself in
in Waterloo, only more so. The en
thusiasm for McKinley, in a time of
peace like the present, is absolutely un
precedented in the history of the
country, and certainly presages an over
whelming republican victory in No
vember. When Marcus Aurelius Hanna said
that Thomas Corallem-PIatt is "only
a baby in politics," some people thought
the new Richmond a little presumpt
tuous. But subsequent events have
tended to develop the idea that Mr.
Hanna is a man of excellent judgment.
There seems to be an issue in this
county, either real or imaginary, as to
whether the papers in certain cases at
law shall, at the discretion of some
officer, be witheld from the press. It is
seriously contended by some esteemed
attorneys and equally esteemed court
officers that the element of publicity
should be removed from the trial of
certain cases. And this in the age of
cathode rays and electric lights. Along
in the dark ages the law moved in a
mysterious, secret way its atrocities to
perform. Decrees emanated from se
questered places, and justice walked in
a shroud. Corruption danced in dia
bolical glee in - the black corridors.
Centuries passed. Enlightenment came
to the people. The dark ages faded
away. Publicity entered the judgment
halls and secrecy was cast out of the
courts. Justice, still a trifle halt,
dropped her shroud and donned a new
garb, and her scales, weighed and bal
lanced in the public gaze, measured
and adjusted differences with some