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LINCOLN. NEB.. SATURDAY. JANUARY 15. IKS.
EXTEEEDIX THE POSTOFFICE AT LINCOLN A3
SECOND CLAS3 MATTER.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
BT
THE GODRIER PRIHrilG - IHD PUBLISHING CO
Office 1132 X street, Up Stairs.
Telephone 384.
SARAH f. HARRIS.
DORA BACHELLER
Editor.
Business Manager
Subscription Kates In Advance.
Per annum 8 1 00
Six months ,. 73
Three months ' 50
Ono month 20
Single copies 03
k'OG'
O
o
OBSERVATIONS
n
The sense of security which keeps
the gamblers from being scared by the
fuss the newspapers are making-is not
without adequate cause. From the
mayor they arc assured of no interrup
tion and from Sheriff Trompen, the
same gamblers who infest the city,
learned at the late reunion that tliey
could pursue their trade without in
terruption. Had it not been that it
was just before election it looks as if
Sheriff Trompen would not have in
terfered even as tardily as he did, after
his attention had been repeatedly
called to their penal offense. But it
was just before election and he w:is
afraid of the newspapers and their
ability toarousc the people toa knowl
edge of the disrespect paid the law by
men elected to arrest those who break
it. It is safe to say that if the people
, had been sure of the sheriff's collusion
with the gamblers, he w.ould 'have
been defeated by an overwhelming
vote.
On the llrst day of ISOSthc publisher
of TnE Courier received from Mr. S.
L. Geisthardt, an attorney of this
city, for whom The Courier has
printed sheriff's sales and various legal
notices, a letter to the effect that the
sheriff had refused to publish any
more sheriff's sales In The Courier
on account of the stand The Courier
took during the campaign on his (the
sheriff's attitude towards the gamb
lers. Mr. Geisthardt added that "he
(the sheriff) says he would like to have
you (the publisher) know the reason."
In reply to this round-about state
ment of Ills real affection for the class
whom The Courier has attacked the
publisher wrote a letter to the sheriff
requesting a verification of these re
markable .statements from the high
sheriff of Lancaster county. To this
letter she has received no reply except
a request through the aforesaid attor
ney fora iiersonal interview,which was
ignored. Such revenge and such in
direction on the partof a county officer
is in itself a proof of unlitness for hold
ing any office and the real sympathy
with the birds of prey which the letter
shows ought to be investigated by the
grand jury: The sheriff's conduct is
a more effective meansof muzzling the
press than obtains In Germany where
editors are put in jail for lese mojette
but where their sources of income are
rarely interfered with. Such reprisal
for justifiable- criticism" of very sus
picious conduct shows that the writers
of anonymous letters to "The Keics"
condemning open gambling, were
aware of the protection afforded the
gamblers by .the county and city
authorities and that an open condem-nation-of
them meant a withdrawal of
patronage from the various interde
pendnnt trades and professions by
which the writers earn their living.
j
The legislative investigating com
mittee lias made a report on the peni
tentiary from which it is niado to ap
pear that under state management
and control of the prison the expense
of maintaining prisoners is S8.:i8 per
month per man, or a total of 81,18:1 per
month for 3,10 prisoners. Under the
Mosher-Dorgan lease the contractors
received 40 cents per day per
prisoner for convict labor; doubt
less under the management of
the able financiers now constituting
the Board of Public Lands and Build
ings the state will be able to dispose
of the labor of con victsat not less than
40 cents per convict per day or 310.40
per month. It is estimated that 80
per cent of the convicts can be em
ployed at remunerative labor, the re
maining 20 per cent includes those
incapacitated and those employed in
the discharge of prison duties: thus
out of 3."0 prisoners 280 can be cm
ployed and theirlahorwill yield to the
state an income of 82,012 per month,
Uran excess of income over ccstof
maintaining convicts of 81,720 per
month Or 820,748 per year. If the
figures of the committee and its ex
perts are correct, the penitentiary is
now not only self-sustaining but is
yielding to the state a profit eacli
month. Tlie last legislature appro
priated 800,000 for the maintenance of
350 convicts for two years, but as the
penitentiary is now, according to the
report of the committee, much more
than self-sustaining, it cannot be pre
sumed that a dollar of this appropria
tion will be used. In Ills message to
tlie legislature in 1877, Governor (Jar
ber in speaking of the state prison
said: "The average daily cost iwrpris
oner lias been one dollar and twenty
five cents." That was before the lease
.was made witii Stout, under which the
state paid GO cents per convict per day '
for two years, 53 cents per convict per
day for two years and 50 cents per con
vict er day for t.vo years. Under ex
tensions of this lease the price was re
duced to 40 cents per convict ier day.
Twenty years ago it cast the state,
according to the message of the gov
ernor, 837.50 per month tosupportcach
prisoner under state control and man
agement. Xow. according to tlie re
port of the legislative committee, it
casts the statc8338 per month to'sup
porteach prisoner under state control
and management.
In an interesting article in the cur
rent number of the Xurtluccslcrn
Monthly Mrs. AV. G. L. Taylor speaks
of the gradual loss of power by city
councils and the absorption of specific
functions by boards. The consequence
is that, although the people hold tlie
council responsible for good or bad
government, it is hindered by a real
weakness from carrying out a strong
policy. The people would be more
satisfactorily represented if the mayor
had more power and there were not so
many councilmen. Two or three coun
cilmen elected at large by a people
able to pick out managers whose saga
cious and honorable conduct of their
own affairs indicated their fitness to
run a city's, would restore values which
have been ruined by burdensome tax
ation. Let the city pay as good a
price for a general manager as any
other corporation of its size, capital
and importance. A railroad or trust's
manager is so identified with the rail
read or trust that he works for, that
there arc very rare instances of .be
trayal and extravagance. But if a
railroad selected its agents and man
agers for the irrelevant reasons that
influence the democrat icor republican
parties in nominating candidates,
every road which adopted the "sys
tem" would be in the hands of a rc
ceiversix months after the application
of the system. Mrs. Taylor calls the
rule of the rings and political clubs
an oligarchy of which the Tweed ring
in Xew York and the Gas ring in
Philadelphia are examples, "Such
reckless squandering of public money,
brazen and profligate bartering of
public offices and wholesale thieving
are undoubtedly exceptional. But
they afford an excellent illustration of
the full development of oligarchic
tendencies." Tlie latest result of pub
lic disgust with the oligarchy is appar
ent in Lincoln now. Reform has set
in inside the dominant party in this
section and in its onward movement
will clear itself of the rubbish and
tilth which have come near destroying
it. The politicians who are shrewd
enough will not endeavor to hinder,
but to help it along while there is
time.
.
The resignation of Water Commis
sioner Byers created much favorable
comment upon the effectiveness of the
work of the water committee. It is
said that Mr. Byers will insist upon a
rigid examination by the agent of the
surety company which signed his bond
It is very likely that the soulless corl
poration will look into his books with
a sharpness that will satisfy him. In
justice to Mr. Byers tlie examination,
should be rigid and merciless. Only
in this way can he be completely ex
honeratcd by a people who have grown
suspicious to tlie point of conviction
of the conduct of the water depart."
ment. If tlie department has been
run extravagantly in order to show
that the city was incapable of run
ning it, the water committee may
find it out and tlie. security company,
people may help them. On the other
hand if Mr. Byers lias economized his
resources and collected the water
taxes from everybody without fear or
favor, the people, in justice to Mr.
Byers. ought to know it.
The January number of JlcClure'a
indicates in the second installment of
Ilupert of Hentzau that Itudolph
liassendyl is going to le assisted by
Colonel Sapt and Fritz von Tarlen
lieiin to mount the throne of his bar
sinister grandfather. But it does not
indicate how the king, by seven or
eight removes, is going to get rid of
liis English relatives and connections
who will be sure to search for their
evaporated relative in the candid,
slow but generally successful hunting
style of the English. This bringing a
hero back to the neighborhood of the
object he has so touchingly renounced,
is a little like the resuscitation of a
dead person. Of course we are glad to
see him again, but we have made other
alliances and we are resigned to the
separation of the lovers, especially for
such noble reasons as actuated them.
Upoq the whole the awkwardness of
the situation makes our welcome of
Itudolph Rassendyl atrilleluke-warm.
Flavia's husband is still alive, and, in
fact, the noble-minded Rudolph has
come back to save his lady from mer
ited conjugal reproaches for writing to
Cominuu oa page 5.J