i
VOL.13. NO. 42
ESTABLISHED IN 1866
PRICE FIVE CEMR.
LINCOLN, NEBR.. SATURDAY, OCTOBER, 22. 1893.
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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
