Omaha daily bee., 1884-07-21
LEAVES FROM LINCOLN.
The Capitol Cornerstone Laying
Delegates to the Omaha Tourna.
ment-A Land Lacquer Pro-
testinE-Convict Labor
Other Capital Chatter.

The news of the week in Lincoln has
been very much like the weather, reason
ably varied without any extremes of SEN
sation or yet a dearth of diarnal doings
worthy of transformation to the type.
The ceremony of laying the cornerstone
of the capitol on Tuesday last rather
broke the monotony, but with the ex-
ception of the most interesting Masonic
ceremonies with which the proceedings
were accompanied and the remarks of
x.Governor Furnas, the event was de-
cidedly tame. The address was certainly
a model one, being devoid of the usual
| rhetoric that is twined around new cor
n~er.stones like the ivy with which ora.
tors covers the aged and crumbling arch
es made by man hundreds of years after
their architects are mingled with The
dust. The ex-governor gave in a plain
transformations manner the history of the
wonderful progress of Nebraska in a nut
shell and his address is q document well
worth preserving. His comparisons be-
tween the Nebraska of the past and that
of the present are really surprising, even
to us who have lived amid all this pro-
gress, and, perhaps, added a little to its
development. What a brilliant showing
for any commonwealth is the contrast
between the grand assessment roll of the
state in 1873, which was $7S,41S, $50,
and that of 1888, which was S110, 543,
GA, a gain in ten years of 1872, 124, O64
In 1873 there were only 1,1O7 miles of
railroad in Nebraska. In 1884, $3.50
miles, an increase of 1878 miles. I'll of
which was contracted between 1888 and
1884. In 1883 the report of
the superintendent of instruction
showed the number of pupils in
the state to be 1S5, 524; amount of
money apportioned $1S2, 344; amount
per pupil 9S2.10 cents. In 1884 mum.
Der of pupils 2O9, 3S7; amount of money
appropriated S404, 404; amount per pu.
pill 81 449-10, a gain of pupils in one
year of 23, S45, money appropriated Sl2l,-
020; amount per pupil 467-1O cents.
The ex-governor says: "Where there
we're no forest trees when the settle
ments were first made in the country are
now to be found pa 356 acres, or Co.,.
514, 16S trees in flourishing groves plant
ed by enterprising settlers and local own
ers. Add to these II, 1888, liz fruit trees
and 2,906, 754 grape vines and you have
the t~reeless American desert in your
minds eye."
The iremen of this city are making
great preparations for the tournament to
be held in your city Tuesday. There
will be two companies from this city and
a large delegation of outsiders. The
Fitzgeralds will 90 up Tuesday, about 80
strong, oficered by John Bagley, fore.
man, w. H. James, first assistant, and
G. M. Carpenter, second assistant. They
will have a running team of eighteen,
under the management of John Temple
ton, and, from the fine work the boys
have been doing lately, / will bet q pea
against a pagoda that they carry off a
prize. The merchants hose will not go
up until Wednesday, and will merely
take part in the parade. They will have
twenty men, in charge Of w. ID.
Newbury, foreman, Robert Bar
ham, first assistant, aud | self
second assistant. Chief Engineer Quick
will also be on hand and | will raise my
former bet and go two peas against a
pagoda that he will be the finest looking
man in the line,s Jerome Pentzel, the
Adonis of the Thurstons, to the contrary
Notwithstanding. Chief Quick may not
run in the running race for chiefs and
assistants, but for physique and general
make up, Harry Howard, in his palmlesL
days, could never equal Lincoln's red
shifted knight. Let there be a special
detail of police to keep the ladies on the
sidewalk while Quick is passing Ill the
procession. Ex-Chief |. l.. Lyman and
assistant, Menche, will be there and can
assure my firemen friends in Omaha thai
the capital city will furnish the said
guests during the tournament, OF which
they can well feel proud to entertain IN
the best manner possible.
William O'Shea, of this city, an Irish
nationalist of practical prominence, is not
at all satisfied with the position about to
be taken by the executive committee OF
the Irish National Land League regard
ing American politics. He IS now pre-
pairing an open letter to send to said
committee, stating among other things
that the understanding he had with Mr..
Parnell personally in Boston when he
(O'Shea) az vice president Of the Irish
Free Soil League, which was the founda-
ton Of the land league in this country,
consented to use his influence TO
| q change of name was that the American
politics should not in any way be mixed
with land league matters.
We are constantly hearing of the lack
| of manufactures in the city and the hest
tency of mechanic producers to locate.
This can very easily be explained if the
citizens of the capital would only take
time to consider the matter. Do they
ever turn their eyes to the south where
stands the penitentiary and think of the
contract system there in operation under
Boss Stout and others. What honest
Woodworking stone cutter, no matter wha'
his skill, can compete successfully witt
the contract labor in the line of stone
work. A trunk factory has lately beer
established in the pen. Is there
any inducement for trunk max
ers to locate in Lincoln now
Even the heather Chinee-the diamond
eyed child of the sun-has a direct com
petition in the penitentiary laundry ant
his oriental chop stick economy hardly
enables him to successfully meet thi
competition. 1t will not be long befor
boots, shoes, cigars and other merchan
tile articles will be made by the Nebras
ka Conyicts and consequent inroads Ol