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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1897)
fc- ly- i - I- fl ysTs? ' " ', VOL J2 NO ESTABLISHED IN 188G PRICE FIVE CENTS i vr". 1 1 F m H "jBpjggfcjS''j. Pyl5753jy- IB B . B - v 3v LINCOLN. NEB., SATURDAY. DECEMBER 11. ISiiT. KVTEEED IN' T11U POSTomCB AT mncolx As !.ECISD CLASS illTTEl:. PCULISHED EVERY SATURDAY nr THE COURIER PRINTING AND PUBLISHING GO Oflico 1132 X street. Up Stairs. Telephone 384. SAUA1I iMURRIP. DORA RAC11EL.LER Dlitor Rasinc Munascr Subscription Rates In Advance. Per annum ." 52 CO Six monthg. 1 00 Three months 50 Ono month 20 Single copies... . 05 g OBSERVATIONS. g The row between l lie two Kentucky girlsover the selection tiTsi sponsor to break the dedicatory bottle over the prowyif the new battle-ship. Ken tucky, relleets credit on only one or them. Miss Bradlex. the governor's daughter, to all appearances, is intlif ferent. Miss Richardson, who posed before Secretary Herbert as a Ken tucky lielle. anil persisted in taking his gallant speech at a theatre jiarty as equivalent to an ollicial uotilication that she had been selected to christen the Kentucky, is said to belong to an old family." "When it was thought ii.?st that the governor's prelt y daugh ter should break the bottle of wine over the Kentucky's noble prow. Miss lliehardson wrote t,he story of her wrongs to the newspapers and sent her picture. Hy Mich conduct she proed to everybody that she was not a fit person Tor such an honor. Her photograf was evidence enough that she would not decorate the occasion and her conduct has made the public aware that the secretary or the navy was right in oirering the honor to .somebody else, to anybody eNe. Even the newspapers which print her re proaches, and evidence that she was imitcd.areshc.ckcd by her manners and her unwarrantable vanity. The way to the prow ola ship is won by luauty and grace, not b using the column of the newspaiwrs to vituper ate a man who passed a compliment and forgot it. There is no doubt after reading the impel that Kentucky will be pleased to have Miss Hmdley act asspoiisor for the Kentucky and disgusted if the secretary of the navy nominates 31 i - Itichardson. Section 13 of the constitution of the state of Xebrr.ska reads: -No peison elected to the legislature shall receive any civil appointment within this state from the governor and senate during the term for which he has been elected. And all appointments and all votes given forauv such mem ber, for any such otlice or appoint ment, shall lie void." This is plain and explicit, yet the legislative com mittee appointed by the governor has drawn nearly ten 'houaud dollars since the adjournment of the legisla ture. This clause :f the state con stitution is intended to prevent legis lators from passing bills whose elfecl will secure places ;md profit for them selves, orfroui creat inganycommit tee orolliceand lilling it at the expense of the state. The reformers of the last legislature felt that they were there to prolong their' period of ser vice to the state a long as bill- and gubernatorial appointments would serve. Another instance of this disjo sition on the part of the late legis lature is in the matter of the state printing. An act to.ptqvide for fur nishing state stationerv n:i- intro duced by legislator: Sheldon, and Mr. Sheldon is now draw ing a salary from the board. These instances of viola tion of the state constitution will multiply, unless the. people realize what a grave danger such a precedent establishes. If Mutz. Heal. Moran. "Wheeler. Zimmerman and Sheldon are allowed to introduce bills which pre -long their period of usefulness fr m one hundred das to three hundred and sixty-live, there is no reason why the other one hundred and tvetit seven memliers of the house ami sen ate should not provide themselves with a year's job ;;No. 31 r. Sheldon is drawing tiflj dollars a lhontll: one hundred and thirty-three times six bundled is STu.POO. And there is no guarantee that the legislators, would restrict themselves to iifty dollars a month. Mr. Sheldon's bill provides for the employment of a state printer at one thousand dollars a vear. Hav ing secured the asage or this bill, in which he was the beneticiary. ,Wr. Sheldon felt that he had done all that was necessary to secure himself fioin want for one year at least. Uut. he neglected to "influence" an appropria tion to pay the state printer. The salary which he is now receiving is unauthorized by law. The printing beard., which consists uf the state- auditor, the state t reasiirer and the secretary or state, is rendeiing itseir liable to legal proceeding, in giving Mr. Sheldon a salary out of a fund from which the legislat undesignated no siu It draft. It is less than three years ago that Mr. Morton Smith, then the editor of Tin: CorniKK. be gan investigations which convinced him that thestate treasurer was not, complying with the law in regard to the placing or the state Hinds. Tiik Courii:k was tbe first paper in the state to warn the people that the state treasurer was breaking the law and that when he came to turn over his trust to his successor, t here would be. -Uarge deficit Tor the people to make up by increased taxa tion. At that time Mr. Smith point ed out that Mr. Hartley was using every means to secure the nomination of a tool who would not insist upon a strict account or the money sup. posed to be in his keeping. While no one sUsiK.cted that the lobbery amounted to hair a million the very plain statements in regaid to the il legal methods employed by the state treasiirercrvstalized the opposition to any I'artloj nominee and made the success or.siieh a candidate impossible. The law isa wall around thepeople's property and rights. An ollicial who makes a bleach in that wall. fer what ever purpose, is unworthy of hi trust and gives Iiic!iemiescgitimatecaue for impeachment. The present state administration shows an indifference tothestatecoustitutioii. In the afore mentioned instances the state oniccrs have lieen willing to ignore the con stitution for the sake or gaining ac cess to a fund which they are forbid den to touch. With no realiza tion or the meaning or a public or fice except as a means uf piivate revenue, the reronn movement of the present administration began and ended with "turning the rascals out." '1 he clauses of t he cf list itut ion are ignored, the departments are fill ed with cousins, sons. wies. si-.tt.r.s and more or less distant relatives or the elected ollicers. and the whole at mosphere of the state house is pa lliated bythesentiineiit: 4,Eory man ror himself and family and the devil take thestate." Tinted States army officers are in the habit of deploring the laxity or military discipline in this oiiutry as compared with that in European coun tries. They say if it were not Tor the newspapers, wiuch imarinhly take the part of the- enlisted soldier when he has trouble with an ollicer, discipline would he much more severe and there fore, from the ollicers jsoirt of view, more effective in producing an invin cible sold ier. I r it had not been Tor the unhcrsal ucwsaper cnudcmiiu tiouof Captain Lou-ring in his un dignified and unwarrantable assault. iiM)ii Private Hammond the ollicers who composed the court martial, might have recommended to secretary Alger that a letter of couimendat ion and approval be sent to the brave Cap tain who kicked a prostrate man and Itrodded him with his sword while he was being dragged bv the heels to the court room of the barracks. Cut Secre tary Algerstauds nearer to the peo ple than army ollicers. He kmrws that. the sentence found by the court, martial that Captain Loering be publicly reprimanded for "conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline" will not satisfy either the privates in thcarim or the people out side it. that justice has l.eeii done. The secretary s.i: "It isdisappoint ing that an nireuc so grae and as an example so far reaching as thisshould have 'jcen visited with o light a penalty. The histon or great cam paigns d es not show that armies of men drilled to the point of mechani cal perfection win when opposed to a soldiery inspired and stimulated and made patient by a I.e of country'. The Swis. the Hutch, the Colonial Americans were patriots as well as soldiers, and thev conquered in every case the mast highly (iiscipHnedannies at that time in existence. Emj;eror William's forces are said to be the best disciplined military in the pos session of any goxoruuient today. Vet it isa question, if their patriot ism would stand the strain i.r a pro longed war. Absolutism is destroying theloeor country and the soldiers light like mercenaries. They lack the desix'rate courage of the man who Sights for everything that makes life worth living. Why should tliey rallr rrom a defeat when it is jiM a ih-H to syne one master as another? in this connection, it is interesting to rec rd the fact that ('eruiau liberals prophesy that when William goes to war the Iteichs'ag will seize the opjxirtunity afforded that bodv :is Ihesotiiceofsiipjilh-s to circumscribe the divine right of Kings which Wil liam claims is reason enough Tor his arbitrary and prep sU-ronr. conduct. In consideration of alt tiiCM-things it may lie said that am thing which mako the sta'e.a. represented by the nlliceis. de'estable to a private soldier, decrease his elllciency as. a lighting unit, and encourages desertion and treasi n. The newspajiers and Secre tary Alger have tried Captain hovering and their sentence is indeterminate, but it exceeds a public repremand.' It is somewhere between being deprived (Continued 6i.li 11 i M i 'S t -li - 8' .V m 3 i 4