Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-28
COVERS THE WHOLE CITY
Citizens League Movement Now Organized
in Every Ward.
SEVENTH COMES IN WITH ENTHUSIASM
Packed Hall Last Evening to Hear
the Advocates of Reform In Mu-
nicipnl and County Adminis-
~ration-The Addresses.

The organization of the Citizens league
movement in all the wards of Omaha was
completed last night, when nearly 200 Of the
best citizens Of the Seventh ward met and
allied themselves with tho movement. The
meeting was held at 1912 Park avenue, and
the hall was too small to hold the voters
who congregated in the interests of honest
government and the delivery Of the municipal
offices from the hands Of incompetent and cor
rupt officials. All the chairs in the hall were
filled long before s o'clock, and when the
meeting was called to order every foot OF
standing room was occupied. The enthus-
iasm which prevailed and the frequent APP
plause which punctuated the remarks Of the
speakers compelled the conclusion that the
Seventh ward was awake to the necessities
of the hour.
BY way of temporary organization j. e.
Dietrich was named as chairman and David
Rich as secretary. Mr.. John S. Knox was
then called on and he briefly stated the OBJECT
of the meeting. In further explanation ne
read the declaration Of principles which repre-
scented the sentiment on which the citizens
movement was based. Continuing, Mr.. Knox
remarked that it had always been a source
of surprise to him that many of the better
class of voters took so little interest in poll
tics. Our city and county governments
Baid he, 'are great corporations, Just as are
railroads, banks or packing houses. The only
difference is that in the former case the
stockholders are more numerous. what
would we think Of the man who owned one
or more shares of stock in a great corpora
ton who refused to take an interest in its
management and allowed incompetent or ire
sponsible persons to run 1t into bankruptcy?
What business man would ask an applicant
for a position what his religion was rather
than what qualifications he had for the posi-
ton? Why should not we follow the same
business principles in these great corpora
lions in which every citizen is an equal
stockholder?"
IS A BUSINESS MOVEMENT.
The speaker said that some office holders
and office seekers seemed to have a degree of
hypnotic power. They seemed to have the
faculty of inducing voters to push them into
Office in spite of their notorious Incompetence
and dishonesty. 1t was against such men
as these that the honest voters ought to
unite their energies. "And l want to say in
conclusion said MIR. Knox, that as a south
erner | am ready to take any man of north
ern birth by the hand to push forward this
movement for the good of Omaha. As a
democrat | am ready to work shoulder to
shoulder with any republican, as a hard
money man with any advocate of free silver,
and as a Protestant with any man, what
ever his religious beliefs may be, to promote
the interests of our city. This Is a business
enterprise, so let us all get hold Of the wagon
and push Omaha to the front and keep her
there. | am not a politician, but / want to
Join hands with 10, 900 honest men of Omaha
In a non-political and non-sectarian move
ment to make Omaha what She has a right
to be, the model city of the great west. l
have heard republicans say that they sympa-
thized with this movement for better gov
eminent, but they did not want to be die
tated to by one man. Now, | want to say to
than that Mr. ROspWater as. well as the rest
of us, Is in this movement for the good of
Omaha. l have read both the city papers
for the last six years and / have yet TO see
Mr.. Rosewater knowingly supporting a dis
honest or incompetent man for office, or adj
v~ocating anything that was not for the good
of the city"
Mr.. Knox was favored with a hearty
round Of applause as he took his seat, and this
was renewed as Mr.. Edward Rosewater was
introduced. Mr.. Rosewater said that he fully
appreciated the compliment which had been
paid him by the previous speaker, and hoped
to merit that opinion in the future as we'll
as in the past, He had lived in Omaha for
thirty-two years and had gone through many
bitter controversies, but no man could charge
that he had ever supported men for office
who were known to be corrupt.
SITUATION A SERIOUS ONE.
Continuing, Mr.. Rosewater said in sub
stance; I'VE are now on the eve of one
of the most momentous contests ever waged
IN TINS state. IL involves our right 10 all
the privileges which are at the. foundation
of our form Of government. Our forefathers
when they laid the basis of this government
did not contemplate that any citizen should
ever be disbarred from any one of those
rights which were guaranteed by the princi-
piles they laid down, But that is precisely
what we have been brought to during the
last four years. Whatever may have been
the original motives Of the men who formed
the organization that now controls our city
nn,,-A. ,"r Dead ~ Iv1,natt@, n~1 A.
Board of County Commissioners, 1t has
dawned on us recently that those motives
have been lost sight Of and the organization
has drifted into the hands of men who are
loyal and patriotic for revenue only. They
have made our local government a byword
by their corrupt practices and their misman-
agement of our public schools. 1t has gone
all over the United States that we have de-
posed from the superintendency of our schools
a man of national reputation as an educator
and Of unimpeachable personal character for
the only reason that he would not favor the
blacklisting of teachers on account of their
religious faith"
Mr.. Rosewater then proceeded to show the
weakness Of the position of those who as
serted that 1t was necessary for the voters
to band themselves together in star chamber
conspiracles to save the public school sys-
tenn from being encroached on by Catholic
influence, Out of about 800 teachers in the
local schools less than twenty were Catholics
and the laws of the state effectually pre-
vented the diversion Of a single penny Of the
public funds to the support of parochla.
schools.
SCRAMBLING IN THE MIRE.
Coming down to the occurrences Of yesterday
the speaker said that the voters of Omaha
had witnessed the extraordinary spectacle o.
employees of the Board Of Education whipped
into line at the primaries to advance thu
political aspirations Of the president Of thu
board. The criminal division OF the distric
court had been adjourned and lawyers, wit
nesses and Jurors had been obliged to wal
while the Judge left the bench to minglt
in the mlre of ward politics In furtheranc,
of his political interests. The same condition
of affairs extended from the court house t
the poor farm. The employees. even down Il
the clerical force, devoted their time to plot
ting and scheming to manage other depart
ments Of the public service, and in thes,
oficies had been Matched nine-tenths of tn,
Jobs that had scandalized the city under tn,
pretense of patriotism and love of country
s'Rut nnntinnad Mr. RnSamotno se.LG- i