Til K VOV K 1 Kit
IN THE REALM OF
POLITICS
A very pretty contest is to be waged
nil over Nebraska this summer ami
fall for tile control of tile republican
organization. A number of repubii
ciin politicians wlio belong to what
has been known as the Elkhorn and
I'liion Pacilic crowd have set out to
accomplish the herculean task of cap
turing the organization from the men
who have control now. It is no
secret that the Burlington has for
years been the dominant factor in re
publican politics in Nebraska. It has
been able in a number of instances to
defeat men it did not desire and to
name men who were numbered as its
friends. In the palmy clays of the
i'liion Pacilic the management of that
road was the political arbiter in this
state, but with its financial decline its
political fortunes waned. Its dying
effort was to send John M. Thurston
to the senate. Since then the Klkhorn
has been recognized as the foremost
rival of the Burlington, and more
recently the rejuvenated I'liion Pa
cilic. maneuvering for a place at the
distribution counter, has joined hands
with the Klkhorn fellows. They say
that long control on tin- part of the
Burlington lias resulted in a dis
organized and debauched condition of
affairs. This they propose to reform,
and the first step, they argue, is to
smash the Burlington machine.
J
The railroads, as railroads, have
very little interest in politics, save to
prevent the passage or adverse legis
lation and guard what they already
possess. Their dearest wish is to be let
alone. The position of general man
ager, superintendent or attorney of a
railroad company carries with it con
siderable power. An unknown and
undetermined amount of money is ap
propriated by the railroad companies
for political expenses, and this fur
nishes the sinews of war that are as
necessary in politics as in actual con
flict. These higher officials are only
men. and being men they are very
prone to exercise the power placed in
their hands by virtue of their position,
if they wish to favor a friend or re
ward a man they do not hesitate to
use the influence their station gives
them to attain that object. The pass
is a great assistant in prosecuting a
campaign on behalf of any favored
fellow. The pass lias been potent
where money would be scorned. It lias
warmed the inner vest pocket of popu
lists and democrats as well as repub
licans, and until it loses its magic
jiower to sway human judgment and
human action it will continue on its
triumphal march. It enables the man
who is plugging up a deal, who is
working to attain a certain object, to
travel about and see the men neces
sary to the accomplishment of the
task outlined. It nestles in the pocket
of the delegate and its absence has
kept many a fellow from accepting a
place on a district r state delegation.
It is. in fact, the most powerful
weapon in the armory of the railroad
politician.
In every county seat town where the
railroad touches an attorney, generally
selected for his finesse as a politician as
well as his success as a practitioner,
is retained. In the larger centres of
population the pass is used as a re
tainer with clivers other attorneys,
partly as an argument why they should
not take damage cases against the
road and partly as an intimation that
I hey are expected to return the cour
tesy when the road requires their help.
It requires but a few campaigns to sort
out the men who may be depended up
on, a few tests to determine how far
they are inclined to reciprocate. In this
way political machines are built up.
and although they are not at tually ad
juncts of the road whose name they
bear, the line of differentiation is well
marked. Follow the line of the Bui -lington.
Tnion Pacific or Klkhorn ami
you will find the existence of a well
defined organization of politicians, with
common aims, since their orders come
from a common center. Some-times this
power is used witli proper discretion,
other times it is not. There is the us
ual tendency to abuse power, a tend
ency that will always exist so long as
men are weak and easily made drunk
with power.
The complaint made by the Klkhorn
I'nion Pacific fellows is that the Bur
lingtou has used its power to exalt tin.'
less worthy, that it has made it im
possible for the "big men" in the party
to attain high place. This they propose
to remedy. They hope, of course, to
enlist the sympathy and aid of all the
republicans who esteem themselves as
"big men" who have not received rec
ognition in tile past, and with the aid
If. Schneider of Fremont, and its ei
dent mission is to act as a bulb-tin for
the country press, furnishing it what
purport to be facts as a basis for ed
itorial criticisms. The whole weight of
newspaper experience is against suc
cess for any newspaper whoso mission
Is that of u hell-raiser, and the man
who embarks in that line Is very un
wise unless he accumulates a fair-sized
bank account in advance or allows
someone else the pleasure of footing
the bills.
Iancaster county has In years past
been the mainstay of the Burlington
politicians. Without it. they would not
rank ace-high in a state or congres
sional convention. Tile other fellows
know this, and it is their hope and
desire to unite all of the elements In
the county opposed to the edd organiza
tion for the purpose of giving it the
throw-down. This accounts for tin
present stir ami interest in local poll
tics and presages something very warm
in the future. The Burlington hold on
the county organization, always strong
by reason of Its ability to c.iri
primaries through the fact that so
many of its employes reside in the
city (a fact that in itself attracts the
country delegations with axes of their
own to grind) lias been weakened in
recent years through the making
of unnecessary antagonisms, and tin.
opposition is not without hope that it
"
Jem
cPTAI.N P .ia.mks COSC'K.W K.
J
of the not inconsiderable element of
the turned down and the easily disgust
ed, to overturn the Burlington crowd
and install themselves in power. They
assert that their motives are of the
best and purest: that their aim is not
to gain prestige and power for them
selves, but to smash the Burlington
machine and thus give the "big men'
a chance to rise to the top. They affect
to believe that they can easily resign
power after having ousted the other
fellows, and having retired the Ifur
lington from politics to follow them
into seclusion.
This movement was begun more than
a year ago. and it is claimed by the
men interested that the nomination of
Judge Sedgwick was a victory for
them, although not a pronounced one.
as the issue was not then made up. It
is in furtherance of this reform move
ment that the Klkhorn but lately en
tered Lancaster county politics by ju
diciously distributing annuals and that
the I'nion Pacilic stationed a transpor
tation dispensing agent here. It is an
other step in this concerted action that
a weekly newspaper has just been es
tablished here with the .io..l pur
pose of purify ing tin p.ut Its found
er has been identified in the p.it with
tin Klkhorn fellows whose li- C is K
can administer a defeat. It has an
up-hill task, however, but its motto is
evidently, "nothing ventured, nothing
won."
The Ifurlington fellows are very
acutely alive to the situation and they
say they are not at all alarmed. They
insist that the history of politics for
the past fifteen ye-ars proves that the
big men have been fairly recognized,
and they deny that republican politics
are in a very bad way. It is admit
ted that power breeds abuse, but point
to Nebraska as being in a very much
bvtter condition than Iowa. Ohio, New
York or Pennsylvania where the- repub
licans are strongly in the dominance,
in an independent, moral sense. It is
natural that corporations exert wide in
fluence on politics, because of their
public character and the fact that if
they do not go into politics they are
at the mercy of the men who would
either injure them financially or shake
them down by threats of adverse legis
lation. If power is abused retribution
will follow, especially where- the people
have the weapon of engeain-e so ab
solutely in their own hands They in
sist also that the opposition is U-e by
self-seeking politic-inns who wouM not
relineiuish power if they once- secured
it tli-it it ouM simply bt 4 change of
ioiiliol. with no assurance ot any bet
terment. All of which Indicates that
there are very lively times ahead ftti
those who indulge- in politics in Ne
braska. The IEiirliugtoii people say. too. that
if it conies to tossing about responsi
bility, the Klkhorn will have to
shoulder some of the opprobrium for
bad nominations. That road has been
in politics some in the past, ami has
two nie-ii to answer for Joe Baltic-
ami Kugene Moore, both of whom are
from Klkhorn territory and both of
whom were pushed by the Klkhorn
railroad.
( Y MTH
The Fremont postoflice light lias met
yet been settled. .Mr. Schneider w.i-e
in Washington for some time- and re
turned home- with a promise- from Sen
ator .Mi I l.i ri I that no nppcdutmeiit would
be made until Sc-hnc-ider ami Uic-harcl
got together. When .Mr. Bie hauls
heard this he pae-keel his grip ami
started for Washington. There he- lias
been pouring his tale of woe into tin
ears of the senator, but with what re
sult has not yet been announce-.!
Schneider still hangs on to Hammond,
and Uichards is ciually as loyal to
Swanson. It is said here that Mr
Hammond is a little sorry that In
-poke so hastily and fiercely about the
governors pardon of Hartley, as In
afterwards h-amed that Senator .Mil
lard, the man who has the naming ir
tin- Fremont postmaster, was one- of
those most instrumental in securing
the governor's clemency. It is certain
that .Millard will have to act soon, as
Kicharels and Schneider sinew no signs
er getting together.
I.oe-al politics is livening up and in
side of :L week tin- republicans or Lin
coln will be in the midst of a fierce
scrap over couiicilinen. Water Com
missioner Tyler has made such an etli-eie-nt
officer that there is not the slight
est hint of opposition to a third term
City Attorney Strode and City Engineer
Campen are similarly felicitously sit
uated, and the only general scrap will
b.? over poli.e judge. Only two candi
dates are in the lists. These are Capt.
P. James Cosgrave and Walter I,. An
derson. ,th young and popular men
The reckless abuse of power on the
lart of the council majority has
aroused public resentment and there
will be several lively brushes in On
wards. In the Second, u strong effort
is being made to bring ex-Councilman
Schroeder out. and It may be success
ful. In the Third C. W. Chambers ha
been pressed into service, and it is
liiite- likely that "Sandhill" Moore, who
has been a candidate, will be pulled off
In the Fourth It is quite generally con
ceded that Councilman Bacon is doin
for. and it Is a question as to whether
it will be Jo!,,, ?. Bishop. C. V. Smith
or M. Wen. all of whom have strong
-upport from the business men. in tin
Fifth some opposition has been sprung
een Councilman Frampton. but hire-
e. re I is mm h better than the a. crag
councilman, and unless wme interests
.eke .'ii .icti- part hi- i -ix.min.ition
seems crrt.iln Ceunfllm.1T' Fryer of
In Sixth erd anothn mm a ho
