Omaha daily bee., 1885-07-06

pays taxes on one hundred and sixty acres
OF land while the wealthy corporation,
absolute owner OF millions Of acres, pays
not a dollar on Its princely domain.
Still we amuse ourselves on the 4th
day OF July by boastlug OF the sovereign
ity of the people. See for the last six
teen years tho sbject humility and sub
serviency whereby the demands OF great
land grant railroads were obeyed at the
executive department, where attorney
generals and secretaries were acting as
clerks to record DEGREES Infamous to the
rights of the people and the honorable
E%ettlerp.
Settlers In this state and In all the
northwest have received wrongs and In.
%ju.tice at the hands of corporations, more
outrageous than those inflicted by EGG
llsh landlords on the Irish peaaantIy.
True, during that period, there have
been faithful, humane and patriotic ofii-
GERS, but their SUCCESSORS were careful to
reverae ell the good and Just things they
attempted, 80 the brief brightness only
intensified the after darkness.
AT this time there Is
PROMISE OF REFORM
in the breaking rays which, we trust,
precedes a better dawn, That vigorous
efforts ere being made to rescue and re-
store such portion Of the public domain,
on which the tentacles OF the 6eyilfsh of
corporations wers fast sning q deadly
grasp. Matters Of personal liberty, Of
public honesty, decent admins ration of
the public domain are above and beyond
politics.
Monopolies for thsir own gniu had
fastened o death grip upon and over
weighted one gEeai party, because 1t was
dominant and could be controlled in their
interest. Corporations are always wise
:. as serpents if not harmless as doves.
Jay Gould says the principles of a
'Nparty do not disturb them; that they can
leap with great agility from one to the
other. If they find they can control the
party now In power, they will eoon strip
their saddles from the party they have
temporarily crippled; and fssten them
upon the new, prsnciug charger. They
can perform, with great dexterlty, a feat
seldom attempted, that of changing horses
while crossing q stream.
It Ia the interest of honest labor that
the husbandmen may receive fair reward
for his toll; may not be mere hewers of
wood and drawers of water; of those
who may hope to raise themselves and
one hundred and sixty acres of land.
We earnestly hope that what appeared to
many as a political a l,mlty msy prove a
blessing In disguise by radically changing
the policy which administered the public
domain at the dictation Of the few re-
gardless of the rights or happiness, of
the many.
We also can beast that the lines have
fallen to US In pleasant places, for In a
generous soil, IN the energy and intelli-
gence of her population Nebraska Is Gee
0nd to no state in the Union. Journey
Ing 1900 miles from the capital, over
mountain and valley, through states
Z larger and wealthier than empires In
4 Europe, yet no where are the crops 80
Y bountiful, the country 30 rich in promise;
no where the homes, the hearts aud faces
OF the people indicating more ST content
ment and happiness than within our
state borders. The prairie of yesterday
Is to-day ripe for the harvest, and cities
with homes fit for the abodes of celestlals
spring up as If by magic. Foremost
among them POUR own beautiful city, o
source of pride to yourselves and the
state. Since only two years ago, 1t
Seems, some Aladden, with his magic
lamp, had converted the prairie of grass
Into the prairie of corn and adorned your
city with homes that would grace tho
older civilizations Of the east.
But amid the brightness OF this day,
the songs and shouts and rejoicing, the
echoes aud re-achoes of booming cannon,
q shadow passes over the face CT tho ma
tion, it's great hearS-throb pauses, its great
ear is bending, and With a hush that is
felt above the cannon's roar, to catch the
'pulse.beat Of one of Americas, the
worlds greatest generals, grandest
soldier, truss. ciiizsn. The %proudegt
feature Of this day, that gives absorbing
trust for the patriot Is the thrilling aami-
ration for
THE DYING HERO AND PRESIDENT.
All his struggles and sufferings In life
must be more than compensated In HIS
contemplation that around his couch
80, 600, 600 freemen are gathered and
praying that the poisoned arrow may be
averted. He can depart Ia peace with the
assurance that a { grateful nation accords to
him living what is too of;en delsyed ss q
garniture for the tomb. From the broad
ocean, the inland sea, the quiet s.reamlet,
the dsshing; from the teeming city and
the distant prairie; from the massive
palace and the dugout on the frontier,
from the battle-soarred north and south;
from fields whera grass ard vine are
hiding periehipg forts BAD rihe-pits, the
name OF Grant is heard on the lips above
all Others, and amid the hush of silent
prayer, a universal nots of adulaiion, a
consciousness that one life, one name has
enlarged the life and added honor aud
/ brilllancy to the name Of the great
republic.
1t is one of the privileges of this day
to glorify ourselves and boast that we
elect our rulers; but you find that SOW
e5signty sometimes ends with the closing
Of the ballot-box, for too often the con-
descending, promising servant of the
people becomes tho obsequious servant
of an interest la direct conflict with your
own.
YoU r LLowE TO ELECT RULERS
and an oligsrchy owns them. Examine
for q moment If this dismal statement be
$ura A fa~ m~lIlinna NJ ooraa nf land