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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1898)
i VOL.13. NO. 42 ESTABLISHED IN 1866 PRICE FIVE CEMR. LINCOLN, NEBR.. SATURDAY, OCTOBER, 22. 1893. V"05j2nF55v' ENTERED IN THE POSTOfTICE AT LINCOLN AS SECOND CLASS MATTER. PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY BT THE COURIER PRINTING AND PUBLISHING GO Office 1132 N street, Up Stairs. Telephone 384. SARAH B. HARRIS, Editor Subscription Kates In Advance. Per annum 9100 8ix months 75 Three months 50 One month 20 Single copies 05 The Cockier will not bo responsible for toI. notary communications unless accompanied by return postage. , ,, Communications, to receive attention, must be signed by tno full namo of the writer, not merely as a guarantee of good faith, but for publication if advisable. : 3 OBSERVATIONS. o o Whether the Michigan man who shot his insane wife in order that she might suffer no more and then himself because hia act was murder, was justified by circumstances cannot be debated withouta knowledge of the circumstances which only the man himself fully comprehended. There is no doubt that most insane people suffer the tortures of nightmare. Their wild, agonized eyes and the tense muscles of the face preclude any sup position of happiness or of oblivion. Mr. Murray loved his wire or he would not have been willing to take his own life in order that he might waken her from the nightmare that made living a horror. While the world contains wicked ones who would take anoth er's life for gain or revenge or lust, it is unwise to make any exception to the law that man's life shall not be taken by man, but what one is there among us who would not chose death rather than insanity and a mad house? Who would not rather be wakened from a bad dream by the hand of a friend than to wrestle until morning with an impalpable horror? A con servative man discussing the Michi gan man's act said that he interfered with God's plan. But it may have been His plan to deliver the mad woman who was suffering from hered itary insanity into the hands of a ten der, brave lover, who gave his own life to free her from the body of death. The mine owners of Virden doubt less bad a right abstractly to bring in outside help to take the place of the striking miners, but their judgment is not commended by even those radi cally opposed to trades unions. This course which infuriates a mob of sus picious men out of a job, has been tried before with unsatisfactory re sults to operators and operatives. It is said that the black men who were fired upon were ignorant of the dan ger they were being led into by the determined mine owners. The situa tion is a repetition for the one thous andth time of the climax of improp erly adjusted relations between em ployer and employed. Of the former class, mine owners are especially un willing to admit that- the laborer has any rights of parley with his em ployer. The principle that the United States civil service accepts, viz; the right of an employe to his job so long as he performs his duty efllcientiy is rejected by the mine owner. He holds the mine as much his property as the coat he wears, and if the miners, whose tiny houses cluster about the shaft of the mine are not satisfied with their remuneration or the condi tions of their work, they can leave. That they cannot leave or stop work without starving is a consequence that he repudiates any responsibility for. Ten or fifteen years ago the striking miners would have received no sym pathy and Governor Tanner would have been condemned 'for refusing the aid of the militia to the mine owners, by the public. If a vote were taken today the miners could count upon the sympathy of at least half the news paper readers, though the shooting would be overwhelmingly condemned. To such a degree has the education of society by trades unions progressed that the upper layer has begun to ac knowledge its reciprocal relations with all other layers. The mistress can make a bargain with a domestic with out admiring her own condescension and employers of men are signing their names to a magna charta which eliminates c?price from their relations and recognizes the rights of the la borer to his job over any imported 'hands. The Lincoln street car company is composed of energetic business men who are attempting to repair and re lay the road bed. The rails that they have put down on P street are those used in all modern street car construc tion. The rail is six inches deep. The top of it is on a level witli the pave ment and the bricks which fit very closely to the inside of the rail. The old rail is not a strap rail but a light horse car rail unfitted for the heavy motor cars which have superceded the horse cars. Councilmen require ex pert knowledge of municipal sanita tion, water and engineering. Many of the members of the present council by dint of conscientious attention to tneir duties have learned much of which the ordinary citizen is ignorant An inspection of the new track on F street will convince them that it is smoother, just as easy to drive across, that it is much stronger than the old rail, and, in consequence, the new paving will not need to be torn up by the section hands of the street car company for constant repairs. It is not credible that the company wishes to put down a rail expressly constructed to take off buggy wheels. Such a rail would involve it in law suits and create an ill feeling which would react upon its receipts. Yet from a letter in one of the dally papers signed by Mr. England it appears that is what the company is fiendishly contemplating. Mr.England belongs to a firm of lawyers employed by Mr. D. E. Thompson, whose monopoly of elec tric energy has made him suspect all other dealers in that commodity. But neither this community nor the coun cil can be convinced that the street car company has any designs upon the vehicles of the citizens of Lincoln. The company will put the track and rolling stock into good condition so that it may reach its maximum earn ing capacity. The board of directors are neither philanthropists nor fiends in human form, but business men in business for the same reason that keeps the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker in white aprons. The effect of the Sew York state de mocracy's omission of the silver ques tion from their platform is an irn portant indication that Mr. Bryan will have to fight for the nomination if he gets it in the next democratic nominating convention. His popu larity is not whaf, it was before he enlisted in this unfortunate war. He lost friends and believers by enlisting There is little doubt that he would have lost prestige if he had not en listed, but among those who know Mr. Bryan well there is no one who can, with sincerity, assail his patriotism. He loves his country almost as fervid ly as he believes in himself and his career. We suppose when war was announced, he reasoned that if he did not enlist he might be accused of cowardice or an unpatriotic love of ease. He might have relied upon his career and real character to disprove the former and upon his exertions in the last campaign to refute the latter, lie is a brilliant orator and a politi cian, and might have been a success ful actor. He is kindly and accus tomed to say please when he asks a favor. Army discipline enjoins si lence on the part of an officer as well as a private and destroys the cordial entente that it is a candidate's second nature to cultivate between himself and the multitude. Yet Mr. Bryan accepted a commission and by so doing subjected his motives to suspicion. He assumed a position for which he was fitted neither by temperament nor training and then and there lost the confidence of several millions of peo ple. Family men without previous military training were not enlisting. The volunteers were composed of col lege boys and young, unattached men, who recognized that the call was ad dressed to them rather than to their fathers. There is no question but that Mr. Bryan has done his best and has striven to make his men comfort able. Just as unquestionably an or dinary officer with training and ex perience, a taciturn, routine graduate of West Point, would have been more ctilcient as colonel of the Third Ne braska than the brilliant Mr. Bryan. Last week the Journal published a communication from the pen of ex Mayor Hardy touching delinquent taxes and municipal retrenchment. In the course of an extended com ment on the ex-mayor's rejections the editor of the Journal said: "It is the easiest thing in the world to growl, but when it comes to savinc one-half our expenses, plans and specifications will be nscful. Perhaps the ex-mayor can furnish the same.'' Of what use are plans and specifica tions for reducing municipal ex penses? Last April such plans and specifications were presented to the municipal legislature in the form of an ordinance reducing salaries. Of fourteen members of the city council ten were republicans and it was within the power of the republican majority to reduce expenses had it possessed the inclination to do so. Had the council shown any disposi tion to economize other plans and specifications would have been pre sented and if adopted would have re duced taxation and reflected honor upon the party in power. What was the result? The ordinance provided for reduc ing the salary of the mayor from $1,000 to 8000 per year. A republican, Mr. Mockett, moved to amend the ordi nance by raising the salary to 81,000; only three republicans voted against that amendment and it carried. The ordinance provided for reducing the salary of the city clerk from 81,200 to 8900 per year. A republican, Mr. Spear.-, moved to amend the ordinance by raising the sa'ary to 31,200; only one republican voted against that amendment and it carried. The ordi nance provided for reducing the salary of the deputy city clerk from 8900 to 8C00 per year. A republican, Mr. Stewart, moved to amend the ordinance by raising the salary to 8900; only two republicans voted against that amendment and it car ried. The ordinance provided for re ducing the salary of the deputy city treasurer from 81,200 to 8900 per year. A republican, Mr. Woodward, moved to amend the ordinance by raising the salary to 81,000; one republican voted against the amendment and it carried. The ordinance provided for reducing the salary of the assistant city treas urer from 8900 to 8720 per year. A re publican, Mr. Spears, moved to amend the ordinance by raising the salary to 8900; only one republican voted against that amendment and it carried. The ordinance provided for reducing the salary of the city engineer from 81,200
