The Columbus journal., 1881-03-30
That Capitol Appropriation.

The JOURNAL at the time was not
slow to express itself on the pro-
priety of expending hundred
thousand dollars more or less for "a
wing to a capitol building" and af-
terwards for a like amount for like
purpose. The last appropriation
was entirely uncalled for, as a pub.
lie necessity, the other wing provid-
ed for had not been finished, and if
the old house was still good enough
for the last legislature the new wing
with it ought to have served the
purpose of the next Legislature, with
out taking a hundred thousand more
from the hard-earned taxes of the
people, simply to add to the business
and enterprise of the capitol city,
and line the pockets of some of her
lobbyists. 1t would be we'll for con-
stituencies outside of Lincoln's cir
Gle of influence to look we'll to this
subject hereafter, and select only
such men to represent them as will
not be plant in the hands of Lincoln
lobbyists. The people of the State
may rest assured that the hundred
and seventy-five thousand dollars
already appropriated of their money
to further the local interests of Lin
coin, are only the beginnings of
long series of expenditures to be
gsuged simply by the Increasing
wealth of the State, and the apathy
of those interests which will suffer
the most. The. people of northern
and western and middle Nebraska
must realize that the Lincoln lobby
is thing of life, in fact an exceed
ingly lively creature, that makes its
living by just such work as legisls-
tive and other jobbing. Knowing
that ours is representative form of
government, and knowing that the
body of the people are not to be cor
rupted, they know well how TO carry
their schemes through by buying
that which ought never be
bought, viz: Legislative honor. The
remedy is to elect none that are for
sale.
As hundreds of thousands may
yet be saved to the taxpayers by |
keeping up an agitation of the Ques-
ton, we purpose referring to it oc-
casionaly.
Several of our exchanges have had
something to say recently, and we
hope that they will not weary in
well doing. We clip some of their
paragraphs. The Red Cloud chief
is inclined to anger:
"The Nebraska legislature appro-
priated thousands of dollars for cap
itOl buildings ETC., but refused to
appropriate a few hundred dollars
to furnish seed wheat to the desti-
tute settlers, on the Nebraska from
tier. This is painful subject; we
will say no more lest we swear"
The Central City Courier thinks
there is great waste of time over the
inevitable, and reparks:
"Our legislature was certainly
guilty of great negligence and want
of forethOught in not providing for
an annual levy for the state capitol
building. This thing of appropria-
ting every year is getting monoto-
nous and wastes the peoples money.
A clause i'm the constitution, could
it be got there, specifying a certain
amount (sufficiently large to cover
emergencies) to be spent annually in
the repairing and adornment of the
capitol buildings, would much fa-
cilitate legislation and dispense with
the useless discussion that now has
to be gone through with every year."
The Oakdale Pen and PloaU talks
like a meat-sxe, and as though it
was a second bite of the same dog:
1.-THE Capital appropriation bill
has passed, which considering the
awful losses of cattle, and general
death of business during the past
winter, is nothing but a scheme of
robbery and oppression. Our Sen
ator, B. X. Smith of Boone county
voted for the bill, which onght to
subject him, until the sods of his
prairie home cover him up in shame,
to the execration of his fellow cit
izens. When we consider that tens
of thousands of dollars have been
swallowed up in the death of cattle,
we do not feel like tempering our
words with moderation.
The Kearney Press don't mince
matters either, and closes its remarks
with an exceedingly appropriate
question:
The Capitol Appropriation Bill
passed before adjournment. $780,
600 is the amount stolen from the
public treasury for building a use-
less addition to Lincoln. The man
ner in which Lincoln worked for it,
the trades and tie-ups of their men,
bers were disgraceful, and the "ru-
raj roosters" who aided them should
be remembered by their constitu-
ents. The state is in no condition
to be robbed of 100000 at this time.
The people Of the central and wes-
tern portion of Nebraska, have all
the burdens they can well bear, and
should have been spared this addi-
tional weight of taxation. Two
years from now Lincoln will want
100000 more, and so on without
end. Would il not be well to look
after this matter two years hence?
THE funeral Of the murdered Car
took place on the 2lst. The Inter
Ocean SAYS it is described by Geo.