VOL. XIV., NO. XXXIV.
ESTABLISHED IN 1886
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8 OBSERVATIONS.
v
1
oo
Governor Poynter's Indignation.
The Governor's tirade against the
railroads reminds one of the relief of
a small boy when detected in guilt
and out of all favor with everybody,
another boy comes in who is also im
perfectly aware of his obligations to
society, and upon whom by harping on
his misconduct, he can divert the
indignation and unpopularity that is
likely to cost him square meals for a
day or two.
The Governor endeavors to stimu
late the popular grudge against rail
road companies by accusing them of
greed for not acceding to his demands
for lower transportation of the First
Nebraska. Yet he himself cared so
little for the First Nebraska lie re
f UGed to sign his name to a resolution
of appreciation of the First's gal
lantry passed by tho Nebraska legis
lature. Ho accuses the officials of
the Union Pacilic road of discourtesy
and arrogunce and the other railroad
officials whom ho approached he says
were insensible of their obligations
to tho boys of tho First. Yet ho
asked these men in effect to con
tribute several thousand dollars by
reducing tho faro of passengers in tho
west who must come east and en
deavors to excite the animosity of tho
public against railroad companies
who aro doing business for gain
rather than because it is a humane
and noble and altogether sentimental
thing to carry passengers from one
end of tills country to the other. And
this Is the same man who refused
(not to contribute money to tho First,
there is no record that he has done
that) to sign his nume to the card of
thanks which the legislature in
tended should bo sent to the boys,
then on the tiring line in Luzon.
Ever since the country and the
world recognized the distinction in
bravery and endurance attained by
the First Nebraska, Governor Toy ti
ter has been conscious of the mistake
he made in taking Mr. Bryan's advice
about the thanks. He might have
been successful In diverting tho re
proaches of an unsuspicious people
to the railroads if it were not for the
exultant tone of his account of the
pcriidy of the railroads which rings
a personal note of relief on his escape
from a pretty tight place.
The Railroads and the Soldiers.
Not that the railroads should not
bear their share of the public debt of
gratitude we owe the volunteers,
They have been granted by the gov
ernment extraordinary rights not
granted to an individual. In every
town in this country the police offic
ers and police court arc occupied with
olfenders who have been brought
there by the railroads and arrested on
railroad property. If there is a strike
which threatens destruction to pro
perty scattered over three thousand
miles of territory the soldiers are
sent out to protect It. There Is per
haps no business so dependant on the
power of the central, state, and mu
nicipal government us railroad
property and in tho matter of rec
ognition and reward of bravery to a
volunteer soldiery the refusal on the
part of all the railroads to taise the
passenger rates would have been a
patriotic and fur-sighted move. For
there is little doubt thut the high
rate eastward seems like taking ad
vantage of the soldiers. And the
rate which brings them back from
the Pacific coast should bo no higher
than that which takes them there.
The coal consumed is the same, the
conductors' and the brakemens' and
tiremens' wages are the same. Pas
sengers who buy transportation from
east to west aro apt to feel injured
and imposed upon when required to
pay more to return east. It muy bo
thut the western rate is too low, but
so long as common people cannot
understand the dilference between
Lhe expense when the engine is pull
ing east, that hurt feeling will lust.
Mr. Thompson's Loan to the State.
Never was advance more timely
than Mr. Thompson's disinterested
investment of twenty thousand dol
lars in tho First Nebraska. It en
ables tho men to come home together
and Insures the success of tho recep
tion to tho First. Mr. Thompson do
sorves and should receive the thanks
of tho state and tho payment of his
loan with the highest legal interest
us soon us it assembles again to pay
bills, elect u United Stutes senator,
make new laws and repeal those made
by preceding legislatures according
to the immemorial custom of such
bodies.
By this loan Mr. Thompson has
saved the name of the state from the
reproach of ingratitude and sluggish
patriotism. Every otticr man with
the same credit had the sumo op
portunity and might have offered tho
loan but at the last moment, unless
Mr. Thompson had come forward, tho
movement would have fulled. He
deserves the credit for Ills faith in
the state and his acceptance of the
opportunity and he Is receiving it
without prejudice. It Is with con
siderable hesitation that the news
papers speak of Mr. Thompson's loan
because, of his well-known anxiety
to keep all mention of his gratuities
out of tlie newspapers, yet in this
case the unexpectedness and the im
minent necessity of such a loan
makes it impossible to repress the
general thanks, even though it is so
painful for tho donor to sec his be
nevolence exploited in the press of
the state.
Senator Hayward's Convalescence.
A note from Mrs. Hayward says
that Senator Hayward is convalescing
rapidly nnd will soon be restored to
his usual health. The heat of the
Inst two or three weeks has been of a
sort not to send tho thermometer up
to the point of discomfort it actually
represents. Wo are used to a dry,
stimulating, light uir. But the con
temporary atmosphere has been
heavily charged with moisture nnd
our unaccustomed lungs have missed
the stimulant and grown tired, us
from a weight. The fulntness which
seized Mr. Hayward in the crowd at
Brownvilie was due to theso condi
tions, which everybody lias realized
were trying.
The Street Car Compromise.
Universal satisfaction is expressed
concerning the action of the council
in accepting $05,000 in settlement of
the back tuxes assessed against the
road. The most sunguine of those
who urged the continuunce of tho
suit would not admit thut the city
could be adjudged more than $71,000
and the cuse could not be reached in
the supreme court sooner than five, or
at best, four years. Besides tho com
pany is putting their road into good
shape, laying down extra long, deep
rails, and making a smooth and dur
able roadbed I think the mutter
logs and threatenings of Dr. Farn
hum rather hastened the decision of
ttic council to compromise with the
road. Though a very reusonuble
council, willing to talk the mutter
over with taxpayers and nonotllclal
citizens, it has resented as ono man
Dr. Farnham's impertinent threats
and his opposition, us u mutter of
fact, did more to harmonize the coun
cil and the street ruilwuy company
thun any other influence. The coun
cil is elected to attend to the city's
business and I remember no occasion
on which tho present council has for
gotten its dignity us a solf stilllelent,
integral municipal body which cuu
neither bo bribed, bullied nor intimi
dated. No citizen, at ull familiar
with the conduct and decisions of tho
present council can distrust its good
faith and sincere desire to full HI its
duties towards the city.
Injunctions are rather out of favor
theso days. They aro doubtless justl
ilablc enough in extreme circum
stances just us a pistol is sometimes,
but a man who nourishes ono too
often loses tho reputation of being a
brave man and acquires u coward's,
even on the frontier. An Injuctlon
is an unsatisfactory stay of proceed
ings which Irritate tho enjoined and
delays and makes moro complicated a
final settlement. The populists be
gan a crusado against government by
injunction and on this subject they
have the sympathy of pcoplo who arc
deterred from voting witli them on
account of weighty objections to
other purls of their platform.
The Worker.
Mr. Edward Markham's poem, "The
Man with the Hoc" wis written, of
course, with exclusive application to
tho picture of 'The Man with the
Hoc." That man Is a p re-Re volution
peasant in the days when the
peasantry of France and tho
small city merchant paid ull
the tuxes, the nobles not being as
sessed ut nil; a peasant whose life
was of no more consequence than that
of u donkey, not of so much as an or,
n peasant whom his lord of a frosty
morning, killed that he might warm
his feet in his body, who slept in the
struw, who was hntless, rugged, al
ways hungry, who worked constantly
only to keep this side of starvation;
this mun's life, und this man's fea
tures and this man's environment
bcur no resemblance, either obvious
or real to the American workman.
And it Mr. Markham intended to
convey tho impression that tho
American workmnn Is kin to this
dull eyed ox let him tuke the picture
und stand on the curbstone and ex
amine the faces and expressions of
the men who urc engaged In laying;
brick, or in preparing tho streets
for the asphalt in this city. Those
who shovel stone and sand,
load wagons and dig up the
disused track are not skilled work
men. They are both black and white
and the boss of a division of tho as
phalt gang seems to be a tall mulatto,
wlio works with nn energy which
does not diminish from seven o'clock
till the six o'clock whistle which
stops his day's work. He looks at the
mixture of sand, rocks und cement as
critically and knowingly us a good
cook preparing the piece do resistance
of a banquet. Ho moves about his
work with the alertness and intelli
gence and a grace thut Indieato
bruins however humble the task upon
which the workman be engaged. His