Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, May 2, 1894, Page 4

THEOMAHA I)AI[AYEIEFE; : B ROSEWA R, Editor. PURLISHED BVERY MORNING, Puily Bee (without 8 o Paily and Sunday, O 0% Fix Months ooy 5 ‘i hires Month one Year i e B0 Ha 1ée, One Yoar oo .10 Weekly Boe, One Year wiviva W OFFIC Omaha, The Tieo Tullding L4 Bouth Omaha, c N and Twenty-fourth Council Wi, it wireot ago Offiee, 317 Chamber of Comme York, Rooms 13, 14 and 15, Tribune B1dg. Wreot, N, W ONDENCE irg to news and edi- e o the Elitor, W07 ¥ ST ANl eommun cations re torial matter should be addre Bl 88 LI All business letters and remittances should be addressed to The e Publishing compuny, Omahn. Drafts, checks and postoffice orders to ade payable to the order of 1he company. THIS BEE PUBLISHING COMPANY. P OF CIRCULATION, K, secretary of The liee Pub. n duly sworn, says that the I and complote coples of Evening and Sunday lee printed th of M , wias a8 Total ......... Lesa reductions coples i voves 16,710 reutatt JORGE 1 TZSCHUCK. A subscribed In my pr pril, 150, risil It's a long time since the hungry Nebraska democrats had their last installment of fed- eral patronage. Washington. e more in The remaining crop of political plums must be fast becoming ripe. Tobe Castor is on Senator Turple of Indlana must be trying to usurp the place that Senator Ingalls once occupled In the senate of the United States. Senator Voorlices says that no matter what rumors are floating in the air, the in- come tax will stay in the tarifft bill. If so, how long will the tariff bill stay on the statute book, in case it ever gets that far? The polite behavior of Senator Aldrich in relation to the vituperative assault made upon him on the floor of the senate by Sen- ator Turple will command the applause of all sensible men without regard to party affiliations. A Kansas man wants a verdict for dam- ages because he has been persistently and publicly called Breckinridge by the defend- ant Jn his suit. Soon no one will dare to name even his dog after the notorious Ken- tucky congressman, Those who would be free themselves must strike the blow. If we want to enforce the rights of the city as regards viaducts and railway crossings we must take such action as will compel railway managers to recognize and respect our rights. Infusing a little new blood into the police force cannot but have a tendency to Improve it. If now a few of the shelf-worn barna- cles should bo let out, the newly appointed men would have a much better opportunity to show what they can do. Secretary Morton takes pains to deny the truth of the rumor that President Cleveland 18 about to make him a visit at his home in this state. The president has no hopes of turning Nebraska Into the democratic col- umn, even should he condescend to honor ft with a-personal visit. The county commissioners have made a good beginning at spring housc-cloaning, but it will not do for them to stop until the job has been thooughly periormed. There should be no dlscrimination or favoritism in bring- ing delinquents to time wherever a shortage exlsts in their accounts. Is not the prohibition of girls from teach- ing in Chinese Sunday schools In Chicago a discrimination against the sex to be re- sented by every self-respecting woman? It men can teach the heathen Chinee to read the bible, why not also women? The women suffragists should at once drop thelr campaigns for equal political rights and hasten to remove this plece of rank dis- erimination against the Chicago girls. The members of the bullding trades should endeavor to arrange wage schedules to con- form to the fall in prices and rentals so that men who have the means to build this sea- son may seo their way clear to investing thelr money. What the masons, brick- layers, carpenters, painters, plumbers, ete., most need is employment for the whole s son at living wages. They derive no ad- vantage from a feast for a month or two and a famine the balance of the year. Omaha extends a hearty welcome to the Nebraska and Iowa dentists who are assem- bling here in joint convention. Closer ac- quaintance between members of the same profession in the two states must prove profit- able to all concerncd, Dentists, like other people, derive mutual advantages from know- ing what one another are doing. The idea of a joint convention at Omaha of the two state socletles commends itsclf for adoption by the varlous state societies of workers in all the different professional lines. A stupid paragrapher in a local ne: paper holds up the figures of a recent cen- * sus bulletin to the effect that there were in the United States in 1890 11,205,228 married men and 11,126,196 married women as pre senting a wonderful anomaly In soclal af- falrs and asks who can account for the dis- crepancy of 79,042 (2) married men for whom there are no married women. Of course there Is neither anomaly nor dis crepancy. The surplus of married men slmply represents the number of immigrants whose wives have not yet jolned them in this country. The death of Senator Francis B. Stock- bridge of Michigan makes another vacancy in the senate to be filled by appointment, & this time from one of the northern states There seems to be a strange fatality hover- Ing over the senate that has carried away 80 many of its members in a few short months. Senator Stockbridge, while not a brilllant statesman, had given complete sat- fsfaction to the people of Michigan as the representative of that state, being re-elected In 1863 after the expiration of his first term in the senate. His loss will be felt with keen regret, particularly by the republican party, of which he was a devote! member. RAILROAD INVESTMENTS IN THE WEST. According to the Chieago eorrespondent of the New York Hvening Post, the proposi- tion of the Kansas State Rallway commis- sfon to compel the railroads in that state to make materfal reductions in freight charges I1s regarded by rallway managers as a purely political move. Against this cut In freight rates a vigorous protest is to be made by managers of Chicago systems who have divisions In Kansas, and If the commissioners still persist In reducing rates an appeal will be made to the United States courts for relief on the ground that a road cannot be compellod to carry freight with- out fair compensation. To emphasize the declaration that Kansas is desirable state In which to own raflroad property, the contributor to the New York paper points to the fact that within the last few months at least two lines have been abandoned be- se of thelr inability to earn operating cxpenses, It Is also said that the leading roads in the state arc all saddled with branches that give equally poor returns; also, that not a road in the has for years earned a dividend for the stockholders and there 1s little prospect of their being able to do so while they are hampered by the class of legislation that has dominated the last few years and burdened by exces- sive state and municipal taxes. Now, who Is responsible for the bank- ruptey of the Kansas roads and the failure of investors In rallway property west of the Mississippi to realize falr returns in the shape of dividends. The state of Kansas has 8,600 miles of railroad, or about the same mileage as that of the state of Ohio. One half of this mileage would have been ample for all the traffic in that state for years to come. But railroad construction rings, who were for the most part the promoters of railroad enterprises in Kansas, as they have been in all the states west of the Mis- sissippl, found the building of rallroads very profitable. There were milllons in it for the little and big Credit Mobeliers so long as a prawie road built and equipped for $15,000 to $20,000 per mile could be bonded for $30,- 000 per mile and stocked for $30,000 more per mile. This is why most of these railroads have not earned dividends for years, and sfome of them have to be abandoned because they do not pay operating expenses and Interest on thelr bonded debt. Could anything else be expected when the roads were mortgaged for twice as much as they were worth, and wrecked after they were bullt by stock gamblers and speculators. There Is scarcely a road today in Kancas that has not been explojted and pillaged by railroad wreckers, who now charge up the deficit in their in- come to legislative interference. Take the western raflroads as they are, mile for mile, and they would readily earn a fair income, say from 6 to 10 per cent on what they can be bullt for today or what they actually cost. But it is preposterous to insist that these roads should be made to earn operating ex- penses, interest on bonds double or treble their actual value, and dividends on millions of watered stock besides. Is there a store building, mill, or factory anywhere in this country that will pay taxes and yleld a rental of from 5 to 10 per cent on the cost of the ground and structure ten or twenty years ago? Would not the owners be satis- fied now with ‘a fair rental on present value? Does it not stand to reason that investors in railroads must expect to share the con- ditions of investors in any other class of property? The facts about the rate reduc- tions are simply these: In Kansas, as well as in every other state, the. railroads have lowered rates only when they have been compelled to do so. Bvery proposition for a reduction of charges has been met with “‘a vigorous protest” and “‘de- nounced as unjust.” They have exerted every influence at their command to block legislation and to secure control of railroad commissions. When on some occasions they have been unable to thwart the will of the people in the legislature by means of a corrupt lobby or to restrain the rallroad commission from making an attempt to do Ms duty, they have boldly disobeyed the laws and have inaugurated dilatory proceed- ings in the courts to prevent them from belng enforced against them. This policy they evidently propose to continue, over- riding statutes, resisting taxation and igror- ing the orders of executive officers. The policy which alone has brought on the senti- ment against the railroads, that has been the occasion of the recent efforts to secure rate reductions is to be persisted in, because it is expected to enable them to evade all state regulation whatever. Railroad building has doubtless been over- done in most of the states west of the Mis- sissippi, but that fact does mot justify the systematic misrepresentation of the cause that has led to the depreciation of raiitoad property. Having piled up the debt on their own roads by reckless management and construction frauds until carried down by the interest charge on an inflated capitaliza- tlon, they blame it all to ‘“the class of legislation which has dominated the last few years,” although they have never permitted any of that legislation to go into full force. The railroads have brought down upon themselves the state legislation of which they complain. Their course in defylng its mandates is not well caleulated to secure sympathetic consideration of their objec- tions. If the west is not a desirable place in which to own railway property—a state- ment that is not to be conceded—it is be- cause the railroad managers havo made it so. not a state FROM A MILITARY POINT OF VIEW, The report mado to the War department by Captain Scriven of the signal service of the army relative to the strategic advantages of the Nicaragua canal, presents a timely view of that project, now that congress is soon to ba asked to determine whether the government shall become financially respon- sible for it. The advantage to the United States of being able to concentrate its At- lantic and Pacific fleets, in the event of war, without having to send one of them around Cape Horn, is recognized by Captain Scriven, and he points out a number of less Impor- tant military advantages which this coun- try would derive from this waterway. But in order that the United States shall be se- cure in the enjoyment of these advantages he urges that the canal must be absolutely under the control of the government. More- over, there must be adequate, provision made for its defense, the fortification of the ter- mini, according to this authority, belng a vital point to be insisted on. As to a pro- posed naval station on Lake Nicaragua, he does not think cne necessary, suggest'ng that its purposes would be best accomplished by warships crulsing by sea agalnst the enemy, or concantrating near the threatened coast. In the opinion of Captain Scriven not only do the military advantages of the canal depend upon our controlling it, but the existence of the canal would bo a very great disad- vantage to us if we did not control It, be- cause, should the canal fall into an enemy’s hands, our coast would be doubly in danger from crulsers, and, enemy Eng- land, our land frontiers would be serlously threatened by the movement of troops from were the Australia and the Paclfic colonles, possibly from Indla. “In such a war,” says Captain Seriven, “the United States must hold the canal to the end, or, as a last resort, must disable 1" It the views of this military authority be sound, and they certainly seem plausible, it the Nicarsgua canal is ever bulit it will be necessary for the government to control it absolutely, as well in time of peuce as in in order to render the strategle ad- vantages of this waterway sccure, and this would Involve the maintenancs of a much stronger navy than now have and of military posts outside of our domains. This would mean a revo'ution in our foreign policy of very doubtful wisdom, and it would also large annual expenditure on the part of the government, which the strategic advantages might not fully compensate for., Of course, if the government must have ab- solute control of the canal, the government should build it, and this it Is not now pre- pared to do and 1s not likely to be for years to come, assuming that the people would approve of its doing so. It has been reported that England s seck- ing to gain control of the construction of the canal, and this will very likely be used to Influence congress in favor of the proposi- tion to involve the government financially in the project. There Is probably mo sub- stantial ground for the report, though there is reason to belleve that England would like to control the canal if it were practicable. The proposed waterway would undoubtedly be of great advantage to that country, but hardly sufficient to justify England in risk- ing the serlous disturbance of friendly re- lations with the United States. OMAHA TO THE FORE. The Commercial club made a very good start during its first year in bringing to- gether all the active business and profes- sional men of Omaha with the sole object in view of promoting the growth and prosperity of the city. While Its efforts met with a £00d deal of encouragement at the outset, and much good has already been accom- plished in advertising Omaha and pointing out the opportunities and advantages offered to investors, a great deal yet remains to be done. In all such organizations as the Com- mercial club the burden of the work falls upon the comparative few, and they are lia- ble to become discouraged because their efforts are not backed sufficlently by the business men and property ewners who have the most at stake in tha city's commercial prosperity. It is to be hoped that the Com- mercial club has not yet reached this criti- cal stage. That there Is danger of such a condition of things must be evident to every- body conversant with the efforts the man- agers of the club have recently made to stim- ulate public interest in enterprises they de- sire to encourage and promote. It is no use mincing about matters or concealing the trne state of facts. Omaha is lamentab’y in want of a general awakening to the absolute neces- sty of energetic action to vitalize her com- merce., Other towns, notably Minneapolis and Kansas City, are stimulating local trade by excursions and giving substantial aid to factories, mills and new jobbing houses. These towns have, through their Commer- cial clubs, achieved a great deal in the past, and are dolng everything that seems within bounds to bring about a revival of business actlvity. The Omaha Commercial club can do much in the same direction for this city If the efforts of its officers and board are properly seconded. Can we afford to remain inactive and let the town go backward when the tidal wave of western progress is almost In sight? war, we mean a LOOKING T0 THE AMERICAN MARKET. That British manufacturers are expecting to secure a much larger share of the Ameri- can market than they have enjoyed for many years in the event of the passage of the pending tariff bill there can be no doubt. Representatives ,of these manufacturers are now in the United States taking orders for goods subject to the enactment of the Wil- son bill, and they are offering inducements which enable them to obtain orders. Evi- dence of this was furnished in the last re- port of the R. G. Dun mercantile agency, which told of the visit to the agency of a rep- resentative of an extensive manufacturing establishment at Manchester, who explained that he was booking orders for dress goods and other woolens, subject to the passage of the tariff bill, at a very much reduced figure from the prices prevailing now. This gentleman said that prices are now very low in England {n his line and trade is dull, but he thought the effect of the cnactment of the new tariff as proposed would be to greatly stimulate production at all the British factories and in a few months the demand from America would overtax the looms and spindles of Great Britain. He anticipated that within a year prices there will be fully as high as they are now on this side of the ocean. “If his conclusions are correct,” sald the report of the mercantile agency, “It Is easy to explain the glee with which he looks forward to the next season's American trade.” The Interesting and Instructive suggestion contained in this statement is that the Brit- ish manufacturers are preparing, in confl- dent anticipation of the democratic tarift bill becoming law, to rush goods into the Ameri- can market at prices much lower than the same classes of goods can be made for here, with the intention to seriously cripple or drive out of business the American manu- facturers. If successful in accomplishing this, and the British manufacturers can afford to lose heavily for a time in order to accomplish it, as soon as they shall have se- cured control of this market or obtained such a foothold here as they believe to be safe, they will advance the price of their goods and compel the American consumers to pay as much or more than they do at pres- ent. This is the plain meaning of the ex- planation of his business in this, country which the representative of the Manchester establishment gave to the mercantile ag=ncy. The salvation of the manufacturers of Great Britain largely depends upon their being able to greatly enlarge their trade with this coun- try, and they see in the pending tariff bill the promise of doing this. Can any rational man doubt that they will make every possi- ble effort to improve to the fullest extent their opportunity if the proposed legislation favoring them is enacted? The British man- ufacturers understand fully that in order to obtain here the foothold they desire they must break down the American manufac- turers, This means a costly contest, but they are prepared to make it, because they also understand that if they can get possession of this market to tho extent they wish they could retrieve their losses with interest. 1t is quite probable that the representative of the Manchester establishment was over- sanguine in antieipating that the results hoped for by the British manufacturers will be realized within a year. The overthrow of American industries could hardly be accom- plished in 50 short a time, though they might be serlously crippled. American manufac- turers will not surrender their home market without a hard struggle to retaln it, for, in additicn to the Incentive of self-preservation, they will be encouraged to hold out against a destructive competition by the assurance that democratic poficyleannot be permanent. But the contest, It/it sball come, will Involve not only a great loss o capital, but a very much greater sacrifica'on the part of labor. In order to enablg’ Arferican manufacturers to fight British competition under the eir- cumstances indicated, -American labor must fall to the British ktandard. This ts the most lamentable aspect,of the threatened situa- tion. The late Frank Hatton, whose untimely death all who enjoyed his friendship deeply deplore, was a man, whose successful career attested a superior- order of ability. He was in a very full sengo a “self-made man," having enjoyed few advantages In his youth except such as he found in a printing office, and his advance to political prominence and business success was due to strong native capacity, which surmounted obstacles and made opportunities, As postmaster general in the administration of President Arthur he made a good record, improving the ef- flclency of the postal service and Introducing better business methods into the department. As one of the editors and proprietors of the Washington Post he showed marked ablility, and the success of that journal—the only morning dally that has ever achleved a real success in the national capital—bears testi- mony to the good judgment and sound per- ception of Mr. Hatton. But little past the prime of life stricken, his untimely taking off is a cause of sincere regret, which none will feel more keenly than members of the newspaper profession, among whom he was widely known and most cordially es- when teemed. Major Handy, writing in the Chicago Inter Ocean, says that the resemblance which Editor Stead professed to see between the United States and Russla had at least to a certain extent been noticed long ago by himself when traveling In the land of the czar. He confines his analogy, however, to the physical topography of the country, the general appearance of the cities and a few minor points. The parallel drawn by Stead between the people of the two countries, and more particularly between their govern- ments, Is on the other hand rejected with emphasis. That the people of Russia recog- nize the existence of greater individual free- dom on this side of the Atlantic is proved by their constant lmmigration to the United States. The strength of the Immigration tide is an approximately accurate measure of the attractions which the two countries offer to their eitizens. It has been the practice in this county to elect men to the district bench without spe- clal reference to their politics. It so hap- pened a few years ago that the majority of the judges were democratic. As a result the bench named a majority of the members of the park commission who were democrats. The whirligig of time, however, finds six re- publicans on the dlstrict bench and a park commissioner I8 to be named within a few days. There are many good republicans in Omaha eminently fit for a place on the park board. Although the debate on tho general fea- tures of the tariff bill in the senate has been closed, it is too much to expect that the undelivered installments of those un- finished speeches will | remain undelivered. No such good fortune is in store for the country. The remaining installments may be expected to drop in at frregular intervals whenever there may happen to be a break in the running discussion before the senate. The oft-asserted claim that the railroads are tho ploneers in the development of the great west doubtless has its exceptions. For instance, the fact that the Northwestern railroad charges a prohibitive rate for ship- ping oil from the Wyoming oil flelds in the’ vicinity of Casper is one of the greatest ob- stacles in the development of the resources of that state. No Compromise with Socialism, New York Sun, Hon. Roger Quarles Mills invokes the spirit of compromize on a vital issue be- tween democracy and sociallsm. It cannot be. There can be no compromise on the income tax. It must go. od May Come. Indianapolis Journal. At Hagerstown, Md, an old colored woman fell dead 'at_the sight of Coxey's army. About threc weeks ago a Pennsyl- vania farmer expired as the front of the procession came into his field of vision. If the present imitation of congress will-only do likewlse the march of the Common- wealers will not have been made in vain. ——— A Prospective Curlosity. Globe-Democrat, The talk about a compromise on the tarlft which Is heard from the friends of the Wil- son bill, shows that the democrats are more seared about that bolt in their party on the measure than the republicans Imagined. It will be hard to get a compromise that wlill sult the east and the south and south- west. A measure that would get the votes of Hill and Mills, say, would be something of a curiosity. Intellectual Flitering Abroad. Chicago Herald. The English editorlal writers have heard of the Coxey movement at last, and we shall shortly be informed that “General Coxey, who was at one time ‘mayor of Ohio, has asked President Harrison's permission to serve as a volunteer in the campalgn against the savage tribe known as Mug- wumps, who are on the warpath and threat- ening the Chamber of Deputies at Boston," together with other intelligence of a valua- ble and authentic character, —————— Bonacum Must Go, Dubuque Times. Archbishop Hennessy has demonstrated that his course at the trial of Bishop Bona- m was not prompted by any prejudice in favor of the prelate. He has been making a personal investigation at Lincoln, the re- sult being that Bonacum will be removed and the Lincoln diocese be provided with a bishop In sympathy with the priests and laity. In other words the archbishop finds some of the charges are well founded and by a most politic course saves the church from further scandal. el Rebel Ralds on the Treasury. New York Tribune, But when it comes to allowing a rebel rald on the treasury, then all at once the discover that this i a rich country which can afford to pay Its debts, and which ought not to ask its citizens to suffer losses on 1ts account without remuneration. On every “private bill day" theke rebel war claims appear as thick as flies in a molasses jug. The public cannot reaize how vast s the amount of these cl#ms, nor how viclously they are being presseds nor how recklessly they are being passed. A compllation of them was made by the Treasury depart- ment about a yearragod, from which It ap- pears that thelr @xact sum total 1s $174,- §21,609.82. They coversmll sorts of charges. More than $80,000,000 18 for cotton claims. Nearly $60,000.000 is for stores and supplies. The origin of these claima Is substantinlly the same in all 5 Federal armies in the south had to Il in order to fight, found it convenient when n a hostile try, as armles have & way of dolng, to ‘call upon the people In the neigh- horhood for a few fons-of hay,.or barrels of beef, or bales of cotton, or other thinky useful for the construction of fortifications and the preservation of life. And now along come the children and the grand children of the people from whom these supplies were taken, with wWarm protestations of the loyalty of their ancestors, and of an abiding falth in the generosity of a great and good government, for which their fathers fought and bled and died. Nothing can be more reckless than the manner in which this democratic congress 18 allowlng these false and absurd eclaims. They are unblushin Steals, and the men who are promoting and passing them, so far as the morality of thelr proceedings Is concerned, might just as well be making midnight’ raids on bank or “lifting” purses in a crowded shop. and oun- CMAY 2, 1891 IT 1S A CELEBRATED CASE Editors from Maine to Texas Lampoon the @reat and Only Boott. DEFENDING THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESS Unanimity of Opinlon Among Disinterestod and Unblased Editors-Scott's Action the Alleged Contempt Caso Condemned, Fargo (N. D) Forum: Judge Scott of Omaha ordered Editor Rosewater sent to Jall for thirty days—for alleged contempt of court—under such circumstances that th reader eannot help but be impressed that the Judge was drunk or crazy Sac City (Ia) Sun: For eriticising in his paper the partiality of an Omaha judg:, Ed itor Rosewater of The Omaha Bee was ar rested day by order of that judge for contempt of court, and sentenced to thirty days in jail and 4 heavy fine, and sent to Jafl without an opportunity to appeal and ®lve bonds, It Is one of the worst outrages against the freedom of the press ever com- mitted in Amorica. San Franclsco Bxaminer: Editor Rose- water of The Omaha Bee was recently sent to Jail for contempt by a certain Judge Scott. The Bee had presumed to criticlse the court for having convicted one man and released another, the same charges and the same evidence having figured in each case. Judge Scott will probably find that a millstone about his neck and a jump into the depths of the Missouri would be a comparatively Joyous exper‘ence to the one in store for him, Rapid Clty (S. 1) Journal: Rosewater of The Bee has just had a taste of prison lifo, having been imprisoned for six hours under a sentence of thirty days and a fine of $500 for contempt of court. He was released after six hours, awaiting further hearing. It may be the irrepressible editor of The Bee will not_relax his vigilance in *roast- ing"” Judge Scott. The truth of the above statement s shown in an editorial in the following morning’s Bee, glving a resume of the affair, of which the following is the closing paragraph: “Giving vent to his vio- lent temper, his bitter prejulices, intolerance and bigotry, he showed himself to be an- other Jeffreys, better adapted to the roles played by Robesplerre, Marat and Danton than to a place to whose safe-keeping the rights and liberties of Amcrican people are entrusted,”” Laramle Republican: The action of Judge Scott at Omaha in sending Editor Rosewater to fail for contempt of court was narrow and arbitrary in the extreme. American people are not in sympathy with any attempt at the suppression of free specch or the free- dom of the press. Courts are servants of the people, and thelr actions should be subject to reviews by the press. In the Omaha case it was shown that the objectionable matter printed in the local columns of The Bee had not been seen by Mr. Rosewater until after the appearance of the paper. The editor very aptly stated in his defense that ““if men who own property, who run corporations, who employ men in various walks of life, it these men were held responsible for the criminal conduct of all their employes, there would not be fails enough in America to ac- commodate them," The action of Judge Scott will cause the utmost contempt for his court among the people of Nebpaska. He will have cause to regrot to his dying day the order which placed Rosewater "behind the bars of the Douglas county jail. Cleveland World: Judge Scott of Omaha has hit upon a very smart little scheme for perpetuating judges in office without regard for their fitness. He has sent Rditor Rose- water of The Bee and one of The Bee staft to Jail for contempt because The Beo criti- cised him. The act complained of did not take place in- court, neither was elther of the persons punished a party in a suit be- fore the court. Neither was any law violated. It was, therefore, none of Judge Scott’s busi- ness, as a judge, what the paper said of him. 1If he was Improperly criticised he had the same means of redress as a citizen that other citizens have. He was entirely without Jurisdiction to punish the two men, The Bee reporter wrote an article com- menting on the fact that of two men caught In the act of robbing a railroad, one, who was without friends, was sent to the peni- tentiary, while the other, who was the son of wealthy parents, was dismissed without trial. The reporter used the word ‘“pull’ in_connection with his narrative. He was sent to Jjail, and Editor Rosewater, who knew nothing of the publication until he read it in the paper, was afterwards arrested and given the same dose. Judge Scott d regarded one of the rudimentary principles of the criminal law when he thus vented his personal spite by a clear abuse of his Judicial power. The judge attempted to carry his design into_execution without glving Rosewater a hearing, but failed, as any one who ever met The Bee man might expect he would. He will undoubtedly hear « good deal more of the matter before he is through with it, and if he hopes to help his own case by punishing all the people who express the contempt’ the judge is entitled to he will have no time for the' other duties of his office for a year. Courts form the line of demarkation be- tween clvilization and savagery, but when judges become tyrants they defeat the end for which they are created. Santa Barbara Press: One of the brainiest men in Nebraska is Editor Rosewater of The Omaha Bee. In fact, he is regarded by any newspaper man of the east as a man of ideas, one who makes the eraft better by his membership. He is small in stature, but in no other sense; he might be called the Omaha Lilliputian’ of Leviathan mind. This reminds one of Stephen A. Douglas, the Little Glant, who bore the democratic standard agalnst Abraham Lincoln. Here the analogy ends, for Douglas was defeated and Rosewater is never defeated. Judge Scott, who is not Great Scott or anything else, sent Rosewater to jail for holding that judge and his dolngs In contempt. The facts were fully set forth In the Associated Press dispatches to yesterday's Press and have created considerable comment, all of which seems to be in favor qf the editor, Scott belongs to that school of beings who believe that an elevation to the bench, no matter how it is obtained, carries with it the right to ride rough-shod over public opinion and to play the role of Sir Oracle whenever it suits him. Mr. Rosewater has no respect for that class of persons. When brought before the bench upon which Scott seats himself like a Lord Jeffreys, Mr. Rosewater talked in his own behalf and con- cluded by saying: “If T have been guilty of any contempt at all, it is contempt of my fellow citizens for helping Judge Scott to become judge of this district.” This sums up the whole case—up to date. But Scott will wish he had been less im- pulsive, we take it, before this cruel war is over. He will find the power of that par- ticular press mightier than himself. A man who has given Nebraska its larg- est and finost building, whose pluck, energy and brains have built up The Bee o a na- tlonal reputation and whose life has been devoted to the good of the people and the advancment of their interests, s not one to be silenced by a seven-by-nino judge. Trying to bulldoze the editor is about as useless in Omaha as it Is in Santa Barbara. Steubenvifle (0) Herald: The most out- rageous piece of judicial tyranny yet re- ported in this country is reported from Omaha, where Edward Rosewater, editor of The Bee, was sentenced to imprisonment for thirty days and to pay a fine of $500 for alleged contempt of court. Without being given an opportunity to appeal, Mr. Rose- water was ordered taken to jafl at once, and for six hours he was behind the bars, when the slate supreme court granted a super- sedeas and Mr. Rosowater was released until the case can be reviewed by the higher court The alleged contempt of court in this case was the publfcation of an article reflecting on the judge, which was inserted in the paper during the editor's absence. No doubt a man Is liable for the unauthorized acts of his subordinates In clvil matters, but it is a new doctrine to extend it to ecriminal cases. This, however, Is not the gist of the mattor, Had the defendant personally writ- ten and printed the article it would have made the proceadings no less a gross out- rage and a violation of personal rights. It the judge in this case had been libeled he had his remedy the same as any other citizen, and the defendant was entitled to a trial before a jury of his, countrymen. This is not the first time where judges have stepped beyond their powers and attempted to suppress their opponents by a revival of | letters de cachet. ists then the most 1t this power reafly ex- corrupt Judge who ever sat on a bench Is beyond the reach of crit- felsm or exposure, as at the first intimation of such a thing ho ean Incarcerate the de- fendant in jail. Mr. Rosewater owes It to himself and to the' public to contest this plece of judiclal usurpation to the end, and if the higher courts afford him no relief it is high time for legislation that will prevent | a repetition of such an outrage | Springfleld (11l) Register: The Omaha | Judge who sent Kditor Rosewater of The Omaha Bee and a reporter to fail for con- tempt because The Bee criticised some of his Judiclal acts, is a weak and foolish man, He possesses somo of the materfal that des pots and tyrants are made of, but lacks in what is called “gray matter” in his montal makeup, Courts are not and should not be exempt from criticlsm and censure when they deserve it. Judges—even the best of them—are human beings, and are liable to the ordinary fraflties of mankind., They are also public servants and are amenable to the public for their acts. It I8 to be hoped the time will never come fn this coun- try when the public press cannot discuss the procoedings of judges and courts just as freely as they can thos. of other public officials and fnstitutions, subject, of course, | to a fair trial before an unprejudiced tri- | bunal and by a ju injustic of fair men, for alleged or damage done by such di; This Omaha judge has placed him side the pale of respect. He will be, as a matter of course, unmercifully lampooned by Mr. Rosewater's paper on the slightcst provocation, and will recoive :no sympathy from the public because he has shown that he doesn’t deserve it Butte (Mont) Miner: The scene pre- sented in Omaha, where Editor Rosewater has been thrown into jail because he is edi- tor of a newspaper, the local columns of whlch reflected upon the judge of the dis- trict court, cannot fafl to command the at- tention of the thinking people of the coun- try at large As the report shows, the offense com- mitted was In allowing to be published in The Bee a local article accusing the court | of showing partiality to tain eriminals. None of the allegations aro denied; the truth of the article remains -undisputed; it w shown beyond the shadow of doubt that the editor had nothing to do with the publi- | catlon and was ignorant of its publication until he read it in his own paper. | Notwithstanding these facts, Judge Scott smarting under political criticlsms received at the hands of Rosewater, ordered that the editor be confined in the county jail for thirty days. Unless the report is absolute false, and there is no evidence of its falsi the Omaha judge has violated every prin ciple of justice, insulted the public intelli- gence and degraded the bench. Be it said to Rosewater's credit, he arraigned the judge in the very court room in which he presided, | and among other things sald: | “I had rather rot in forty jails and prisons | than to surrender what has been fought for by the fathers of this republic, which in- cludes the liberty of the press to criticise public servants, and the courts are public | rvants as much as any other class, from | representatives” in legislative halls in the capitol at Lincoln or Washington. I shall cheerfully submit to this ordeal. It will not The Miner has a_high regard for the courts | of the country. It believes that the judi- | ciary should be respected, and that the high- est test of cltizenship in this free country is a respect for law and a willingness to ald every officer of the government in the performance of his sworn duty, but if the Omaha precedent 1s to be considered good law, then the right of free speech must be surrendered. It is evident that Judge Scott acted from political bias rather than a sense of justice. Editor Rosewater has committed many wrongs by persistently defending the course of the republican party, which has reduced the country to a condition of stag- nation and Coxeyism, but in his contro- versy with Judge Scott he is clearly in the _right. Helena (Mont.) Independent: What reason is there why the judiciary should be entirely freo from the same newspaper criticism ap- plied to the other two co-ordinate branches of our government? If an executive officer is remiss in his public duties he is not spared by the editor in his office. Neither is any member of a law making body who comes short of the full measure of his public duty. But the awful circle of judicial wAith is drawn around a court room and *the anathema of “contempt of court’” kept hang- ing over the luckless head of any one who should dare to offer a word of criticism on any court proceeding, be it ever so notorious or flagrant. It has never been maintained that executive officers and law makers are free from mistakes and above suspiclon in their motives, though the rule is that they are both capable and lonest. Th: judges of our courts are no nearer infallible and no more free from the prejudices and weak- nesses of human nature than those who make the laws which the judges declare and which exceutive officers enforce. A recent incident which makes these re- marks timely was the unseemly and vicious conduct of Judge Scott of Omaha in his treatment of Edward Rosewater, editor of The Omaha Bee. Mr. Rosewater was ar- raigned for contempt of court in allowing to be printed in his newspaper a local article in which it was stated that there was evi- dently somé partiality shown to certain criminals in the court over which Judge Scott presided. * * * Evidence was intro- Quced to show that Mr. Rosewater knew absolutely nothing of the article complained of until ho read it in his paper; he had not in any way inspired the article. In spite of this, however, Judge Scott berated the un- offending editor in a savage and ill-tempered hurt me.” | {117 BROWNING, K The largest makers and tine elothes o carth, Your money’s worth or your money baoi, manner and hastened on to pass sentence without giving Mr. Rosewater an opportunity to be heard. Tho sheriff was ordored to hurry the prisonr to the county Jail to serve A sentence of thirty days. But fortunately for the good name of the state of Nebraska as soon as the matter was brought to the attention of the supreme court of the state a supersedeas was granted and Mr. Rose- wator reloased untll the case can be reviewed by the higher court Though the liberty of the press to eriticlse public servants, among whom are the judges of the public courts, is sometimes wsed as & mask to hide personal enmity and political hatred, it is nevertheless the greatest bul- wark of free government. The press lays before the people, as a rule Impartially, the proceedings of all public servants, discloses the ulterfor motives of unfaithful and de- signing men who secure places of public trust, and lauds the faithful and consclen- tious labors of worthy and competent men. The press provides the public with the in- formation necessary to determine whather or not public servants, Including judges, are worthy the confidence reposed in them. Judges are not a class unto thomselves, bove the ebligations of accounting to the public for their officfal acts - IND THI PEOPLL s, General Kelly belleves 1n “More hasto, less Spead.'” The ecity oouncll of Chicago will not form- ally receive the Kelly army. The spring elections are ove Progress may be slow and the task tedious, but the experience will enable the Common= wealers to draft a_truthful report on the condition of the roads, Since the fnvoluntary suicide of a criminal in Rushsylvania, 0. Buckeye newspapers discreetly refrain from the usual reflections on southern lynchings. A war of rates among Chicago brewing. Pretty soon the wayfarer not be obliged to mortgage his purse three squares and a bed. Ponderous and cheering are the obltuarles of eastern publications on “The Passing ot the Daltons.”” Meanwhile the Daltons are giving the usual picturesqueness to life In the southwest the motto, hotels 18 will for The fact that a married man handled an oar in an English university boat race ex- cites adverse comment. Yet there i no better fleld for an oxhibition of domestic experience. Married men are at home in a row Dr. Addison Tills, “the father of the Lake Shore railway,” who fills the office of assistant to the president, has just cele- brated his $7th birthday anniversary. He is hale and hearty, and performs his dutios with his old-time regularity and punctuality. Lawrence T. Neal, who is remembered in Ohio as the great defeated, emits a feebls wail against the “emasculation of the Wil- son Dbill” by the senate. Mr. Neal cheer- fully refuses to head an expedition in search of the tarlff plank which he and Colonel Watterson launched during the stormy hours of the wigwam. —_—— SLY SMILES. Yonker's Statesman : The base ball um- pire should be a good judge of diamonds. New Orleans Pleayune: made of iron; but the: same. Ships are now keep a log, all the Chicago Tribune: Menu for restaurant Ieepers: In time of peas prepare for war on mutton. Browning, King & Co.'s Monthly: She- Juck kissed Mabel last night and she cried. He—Why did she cry? She—Itor more, I suppose. Chicago Record: Wouldn't it be lovely, Gwendolen, if the ocean were vanilla ica cream? You and I, you know, are a couple of spoor Cleveland Plain Dealer: After all your fool jokes the bald-headed man Is always a }’\u]mlul cuss. His motto Is: “Never say dy Puck: Mrs, Gadders—I have so much trouble keeping a cook. I can’t get one that will stay more thian n week. Mrs. Sauers doftily)—My family is just the same size as yours and I have no trouble. Mrs. Gadders—Yes: T've heard that your ok had an easy thing of it. She told my hambermald that she had hardly anything to do except when company came. [ DON'T TOUCH, New York Press. Thére's now a glory in the dawn, All gone are frost and storm; The robin on the verdant lawn Rakes in the early worm. There's perfume in the vernal afr, The viole lor faint, And signs confront you everywhere, Set out to warn you—"PaInT.” ek THE LAWN MOW. R. Somerville Journal. Go get the old lawn mower cut, And polish off the rust; Put oil in all the little holes, And clean out all the dust, Do all you can to soften down That Irritating click, And sharven up the citting knives— Youw'll need it pretty quick. The emerald whiskers on your lawn Will soon be getting long, The exercise of trimming them Will make your muscles strong. So get the olil lawn mower out— But make this little mem. Don't ever try to cut your grass Till after 7 a. m 1lors ot Then if you haven It will soon be hot 't bought that Spring Suit & you'll wish you had. The best styles al- ways go first. There are lots of them on the street today, and they are the nobbiest there are, too. We don’t claim to be ab- |} it this year. sell—at a dollar a hat less we are showing the finest line of spring suils for men and boys ever brought to this city. They solutely perfect, but as near perfection as is ever at- |-.a tailed in this world; so near are our Spring suits to The back end of our store is jammed full of new spring style hats—hats just like hatters than hatters charge. But f: range in price from $10 up. 1 BROWNING, KING & CO,, : . W. Cor. Fiteenth and Douglas Streets, R {