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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1898)
- v.rj, , W THE COURIER. priated Is spent. In the times when money was plenty and the taxes had not become the burden they are at pres ent a councilman who was liberal with city money was sure of a certain amount of popularity. In those days the public would have taken Mr. Mockett's fulminations against the street railway company's beingallowed to improve its property as a devoted official's protest against the encroach ment of a corporation upon the rights of the city. Then from very preoccu pation the citizens would not have, taken the trouble to investigate the real state of the case as so many have done now. They have found that the company wishes to improve property against which the city has a claim. Such improvement would, of course, only add to the value of the property claimed in lieu of taxes and the vehe ment objections urged in the council by Mr. Mockett, against allowing the company to put the roadbed in good repair is a kind of buncomb which no jonger deceives anyone who has even superficially studied the councilmen and their addresses to the council. The growth of the Evening News of this city, though, of course, largely the result of the war between this country and Spain, is a tribute to the vital energy and business inspiration of Mr. Joseph CSeacrest, whose suc cess in building up decaying news papers has no parallel in Nebraska, so far as state newspaper history is known to the writer. The editorial page conducted by Messrs. Dobbins and Bobbins is a commentary on contemporary events by two keen intelligent writers ap parently as yet unhampered by re strictions from the counting room. Dobbins and Bobbins are two merry men who dare to criticise seriously and serio-comically the tyrants who before the Hamilton club renasscence we elected to rule over us. Mr. Dob bin's style is direct and strong; he is honest and fearless and unless the in crease of business bring the counting room into the editorial department, as it is likely to do, Mr. Dobbins has a brilliant future- His neighbor in "The Any Old Thing" column, Mr. Dobbins has less experience and more youth but his wit is keen and his work has a literary flavor exceedingly pleasant. Since writing the above Mr. Bob. bins has left the city as war corre spondent of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. J The policy of the Journal is yet to be proven sound. The eventual suc cess of a newspaper among other things depends on the reputation for frankness and fair treatment which in course of time it acquires. In order not to be forced to take sides on any question the Journal has avoided editorial expression on local topics, so that those things which are of most concern to the patrons of the paper are rarely discussed. Some years ago the Journal used to have very de cided opinions about the wickedness of Omaha but since the Omaha mer- chants have begun advertising in the Journal it has nothing to say on sub jects in which the interests of the two cities do not coincide. It is sup posed that the rules pasted up in the editorial rooms read something like tbi8: T- f t a. "Do not come nearer to Lincoln than tke low frostier, b. Avoid Nebraska M far a possible, c. Attack car ta New York aad Chicago iear- ti., a. 1m fl ifcwuk be at least a nil ill Pf e. Afchoufhthc mashers of fist staff ate at Iferty to join the HanukoB cfcbaad ate advised is the meeting of that fety to strike aa heroic aad vktaow atti c tafcifr the fwrtmci attracts the adrdr- OC IMC gOOO H necessary that the influence of such decided expressions be counteracted by frequent edi torial compliments to Mr. L. L. Lmdseyand his friend, f. The last rule to be strictly followed until the political discomfiture of the aforesaid pals is entirely accomplished without our help. In the list of current serial stories given in last week's Coumek there were several overlooked, among which is The King's Jackal by Richard Har ding Davis, illustrated by the painter of the American giant and giantess Charles Dana Gibson. Mr. Davis' young man is familiar to those who have read any of his stories. He is very well dressed, with thin slightly curved lips, hair smoothly parted in the middle and very correct manners, in short very like Mr. Davis himself. Mr. Davis' young man is in the first place superior. Vulgarity and cad dishness he loathes. He is always a thing too sweet and good for human nature's daily food. In "The King's .Tackall" the Davis mimeograph has just appeared in the May number of Scribners. Archie Gordon is a special correspondent and arrives on the scene with uplifted hands and an expression of horror at the characters of the men who appeared before him and inveigled the heroine into their company and, what is even worse, large sums" of money away from her. But Archie is as gigantic as the heroine and by that Gibbish sign we know that the two will be united in the last chapter in spite of the plots which already thicken around them. Bed Bock, in the same magazine by Thomas Nelson Page, is a story of re construction, from the southern stand point. Other stories of this period more trying to the southerners than the war have been written by north erners whose point of view was en tirely out of focus and served to irritate the south and increase the lack of sym pathy this side of Mason and Dick, son's line. Bed Bock is a story of sprited, fine men and women conquer ing circumstances while preserving their truth and honor. The carpet baggers, the overseers and slave trad ers had the southern people at their mercy when they got control of the negro vote. Taxation in the southern states manipulated by the landless and unscrupulous politicians deprived the southern planters of their plantations. Taxation amounted to confiscation then just as it does here today and for the same reason, viz., legislation of taxes onto other people's property by politicians too lazy to earn their own living but possessed of a cleverness in cajoling votes from the ignorant and unsophisticated. The origin of the Ku Klux was a measure of self preserva tion and from Mr. Page's point of view justified by the cruel circum stances that threatened the holdings of the best southern people after the war. The Adventures of Francois by S Weir Mitchell in the May Century is yet unread. The Workers by Walter Wycoff in Scribners is a continuation of Mr. Wycoff's experiments into the condi tions of unskilled labor. He is a Christian socialist and his conclusions are awaited with hope. Buffalo Bill's show is playing to a crowded amphitheatre in Washington. The Honorable Cody understands the commercial advantages accruing to the man who gets his show into the right place at the right time. He knows that America's blood is up and that those who cannot or will not go to war will flock to a spectacle of fierce looking men riding horses at the top of their gait and shoot ing and performing feats of arms. The excitement at Washington is IE tL 1124 O St, Lincoln, Nebr. "sbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbV JbiT sttr III Is one of our bargains. It is polish finish and either antique or imitation ma hogany. You will like it. Our price is very low, only M and we pay the. freight 100 t miles. X Send for our catalogues if you need any furniture, or a bicycle, or refrigerator, or baby carriage. G r sssssV 3 0M mwvty The Highest Position in the piano world today is occupied br the MATCHLESS SHAW. Old fogies and mossback musicians are afraid to concede this fact, but the fair minded and up-to-date musicians are quick to recognize its superiority and gladty welcome it on account of its perfect tone and touch, which enables them to exhibit their talent to the best possible advan tage. It has earned the title AMERICA'S GREATEST PIANO. ttfttt tws pVlvho 00 . Western Representatives, 130 So 13th st. especially high and there is a large leisure or waiting class to whom a show is a welcome means of passing the time. Therefore our Bill will probably return to Nebraska with his pockets full of money. In regard to the mayor's letter ad vising a refunding of some of the city bonds and alleging a cheaper rate easily procured by other cities, it might be well to consider Des Moines, -Iowa, a city not very much larger than Lincoln, surrounded by no richer a country but older and of much more wealth. Des Moines' assessed valua tion is $16,500,000. Its bonded debt and floating debt $855,000, or only a trifle over 5 per cent of the assessed valuation, so that Des Moines bonds are eagerly sought by all first-class financial institutions, whose by-laws will not allow them to buy bonds of cities whose debt exceeds 5 percent of their assessed valuation. Lincoln's assessed valuation is5,200, 000. Actual city indebtedness 81,169, 000, contingent district paving debt over $400l000 more, making our debt over 30 per cent of assessed valuation. Imagine an agent from the city of Lincoln and from the city of Des Moines travelling together to New York to borrow some money at a lower rate of interest for their respec tive cities. The difference in their iiiiiniimitsg tFORO Jlairdressing, Shampooing, Manicuring, Scalp Treatment. First Clats Hair Goods of .All Kinds, Tonics, PinB, etc., goto Maa Anne Rivelrt At Mrs. Uosper?, 1114 O street. MHMIIISM8