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LINCOLN. NEBR.. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10. 18W.
w
quently the most important element
of tbeir success.
Occasionally a specimen of this de
generate type decides that more money
can be made in politics and he begins
te carry favor with the people, whom
rx ths witomci at mxcolx as 1m dispises in true gorilla fashion, by
ookb clammattbe. maklB presents of flour to poor peo
ple or by giving a fete to the children
of th poor aad attending to the pub
licity of his generosity in the papers.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
interests of one of these little ones
are not safe in such bands those of a
state have not infrequently been con
tided to them.
PUBLISHED EVXRY SATURDAY
-BT-
k emu mm m fma
Oflce 1132 N street, Up8taira.
Telephone 384.
SARAH B. HARMS. Editor
Babtcriptkra Kate In Advance.
Per annam 22
Six months 75
Three months 50
OMBMHlth
8isIe copies 05
Tm Coinrare will sot be responsible for toI
wtary coBBBntcatioM sale aecompeaied by
"0oBmnte7kM. to receire attentloe, maat
be timed by the Ml uns of the writer, not
terelyas a snmrmotee of ood faith, but for
pabUeatioa if adriMble,
g OBSERVATIONS. g
Money getting in itself is not rep
rehensible, only, when it takes all a
man's time and thought, he becomes
less and less interesting to other peo
ple and less and less use to the world.
There is occasionally a boy who is
seized with the passion for gold get
ting and neither the indolence of boy
hood nor dreams of distinction, nor
pure aspiration nor love are allowed
to interfere with his plans for future
wealth. He is never really tempted
by anything but money. He does not
keep faith with anything, least of all
his own soul, so, of course, if he mar
ries, he is not leal to wife or child.
They do not exist when balanced
against the gold with which he has
bought a fine house, subserviency and
that which talks laughs, and looks
like friends, but would not pass official
inspection as genuine. Br the time
such a boy is fifty the Midas miracle
has marked everything and everybody
he looks at with a selling price. He
does not believe that his eyesight is
abnormal, that his heart is a machine
and his head something that can think
but cannot repent or imagiae. Though
bis is, in reality, a criminal type,
his shreWdsess keeps him from being
caught violating the penal code. Men
of such character are frequently found
in the penitentiary, but more get
away than get put in. The type is
curiously well defined. It is to be
recognized by a sullen expression and
a chain gang walk, by the shape of
the low lntd head, by thecurisus
Mtilkr ferocity which ths species
skews towards defenseless employes or
wastes: when opposed or thwarted by
tfcB,aad by a cunning whica lsfre-
The legislators who will soon as
semble will douotless take pains to
acquaint themselves with the charac
ter possessed by the prominent candi
dates for United States senator. If
they Undone whom the community
distrusts, who has made a trade of
politics, who has no interest in higher
politics and economics, who has no
faith in democracy, who scoffs at the
ballot, who is a pessimist in human
relations, they will vote for him at the
peril of the party whose votes elected
them. Senator Allen, regardless of
politics, is a distinguished man. He
represented the state adequately and
honorably withous suspicion of double
dealing. His republican successor
should at least possess the confidence
of bis neighbors and the community.
The legislature should make it a point
of honor in casting their representa
tive votes not to elect a man who
would be snowed under at a popular
election. The legislature has no
moral right to elect a man who only
represents the degenerate and illiter
ate, the sordid and commonplace, to
represent a state distinguished for
intelligence and wholesome men and
women, who have enough love for the
ideal to be willing to suffer great self
denial that their sons and daughters
may have a university education.
Among the candidates there are
'men of culture and character and that
peculiar interest in and aptitude for
public affairs exhibited by many great
Americans who have helped to make
this country honorable among na
tions. The final selection of one of
these men would strengthen there
publican party and gratify the people
at large, who are citizens of the state
and Americans before they are parti-
zans.
The objections of Councilmen Web
ster and Mockett to the reduction of
'the number of councilmen from 14
to three are not without cogency. The
present council, as The Courier
said last week, has been unusually in
dependent of bosses and loyal to the
interests of the people. The Courier
has freely criticised their too open
handed generosity in spending the in
come of a bankrupt city. But so long
as the weekly sessions are character
ized by defiance of the long time party
bosses who bavs dictated ths legisla
tion of other councils there is reason
to believe that so long as the Lincoln
system lasts the selfish schemes of
men like Mr. Thompson will be de
feated. So long as the three county
commissioners are the model for the
proposed revision of the charter, an
exhaustive study of tbeir method of
work, Its complexity or simplicity, and
the influences to which they have re
sponded would be instructive. Such
an investigation should be made be
fore changing the form of city gov
ernment to that adopted by the
county. It has been urged that the
latter is much more economical. An
examination of a table showing city
and county taxes paid on certain
properties in Lincoln and Lancaster
county discloses the following:
City. County.
1895 9 334.20 $ 30980
1896 31950 332.98
1897 37493 384.82
Total.... 11,028 63 11,02760
In three years the difference be
tween city and county taxes was one
dollar and three cents in favor of the
city, and this, in spite of the fact that
tne expenses of the city are largely in
excess of those of the county. Then,
there are not three men in the place
so immersed in politics, pure and
simple, or so responsive to boss in
fluence as the three county commis
sioners, who, whether it be from the
seclusion and privacy in which they
perform or fail to perform the func
tions of tbeir office, have received ex
travagant praise which investigation
fails to justify. The expenses of
the county government are largely in
excess of what they should be. Ths
commissioners are overpaid and they
are niggardly to the city, which pays
as much to them as it does into the
city treasury. A triune government
founded on the model of the county
government would probably be the
pliant tool of a boss. There is little
doubt that the more the citizens re
flect upon the servility of the county
commissioners to the local bosses, the
purely political motives which direct
tbeir movements and the approaching
temptations to which the governing
body of the city will be exposed when
the electric light contract is renewed
or not renewed, as the case may be,
the more they will hesitate before
asking the legislature to give Lincoln
a charter authorizing a county form
of government like that embodied in
the' three county commissioners. It
is not conclusive but it is very dis
crediting to the "improvement" that
the local bosses who have found -the
county commissioners so easy and the
coancilmen so diScult are in favor of
the three councilmen plan.
This winter the most important act
of the legislature will be the election
of United States senator. It is of the
utmost importance for ;he good of the
state and the republican party that a
clean, honest, capable, highminded
representative man should be chosen'
for this high office.
A few years ago the republican party'
had a large majority in this state; it
began todecrease and dwindle until a
fusion governor was first elected and
then all the state officials and legisla
ture and a fusion candidate was sect'
to the United States senate. The vote
changed from a large republican ma
jority to a majority for fusion in 1998
of 23,000; in 1897, 13,000.
This change was brought about be
cause the people lost confidence in the
republican party and thought it was
dishonest and corrupt, because it
elected to office dishonest, corrupt and
seiish men who betrayed the interests
of the party for the purpose of fur
thering their own corrupt and selfish
ends.
This year the republican party
elected a majority of the legislature
and lost the state ticket by about
2,500.
The republican legislature was
elected and ihe fusion majority of the
state ticket reduced by ihe united
efforts of republicans all over the
state. This result wac brought about
largely because the voters were told
through the press and from the stump
that the party should not be con
demned because a few men had been
elected to office who afterwards turned
out to be dishonest and corrupt and
used the party for their own base and
and selfish purposes; that the party, as
a party, was honest, and believed In
honest, competent, clean men for office,
men who believed a public office was a
public trust, and not a private snap
to be used for base and selfish pur
poses. The voters were told that hereafter
none but upright, honest, clean men
should be elected to office, and only
such men as had the confidence of the
party and community in which he
lived; that all tricky, selfish, schem
ing politicians would be relegated to
the rear, and that hereafter only men
would be elected in whom the people
believed, and men that would repre
sent and work for the best interests of
the people. The voters believed these
statements and by their votes again
pledged their confidence in the repub
lican party and its principles, and
now in the selection of United States
senator let the party keep faith with
the people and redeem the pledges
made by selecting for the high and
noble office of United States senator
an honest, able, clean man, in whom
the people believe and have confi
dence. A man who will be an honor
and a credit not alone to Nebraska,
but the whole republican party and
the nation. A man who has had some
preparation and has capacity for the
discharge of the duties of this high
office and who knows what is expected
and required of a United States sen
ator. If such a ssaa'fe selected, ss we be
lieve he will be, it means much for
the party id this1 state and will go a
Q-
fesss
BSg&
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