Omaha daily bee., 1896-07-05
, Tnyrntrr,, Consnirncy,

OMAHA, July 4, 1s96.-To the Editor OF
The Bee: Will you permit ms through the
columns of The Bee to rouse our business
men, our workingmen and our property
owners to the Importance and necessity OF
rallying to the support of Congressman
Mercer at the primary election next Tues
day. Perhaps they are not aware of the fact
that a lot of taXeaters, contractors and
Doodle men have banded themselves together
to compass the defeat of the man who, OF
all others, has made it possible for Omaha
to look forward with some degree of hope
and confidence to a revival OF business III
the near future.
There might have been some excuse for
overambitious politicians like Cornish, Ken
nedy, Carr, Burbank and LoDeCk to try tC
get some prominence and notoriety out OF
the present contest over the congressional
nomination. They have nothing at stake,
and. for that matter, would not figure III
the fight beyond getting a few votes in their
respective wards. But why should Mercer
be opposed by a combination of paid Of
fcials and clerks in the city hall and court
house?
Are not these names in the anti-Mercer
primary tickets suggestive? First ward.
Isaac Hascall, councilman; +. w. Bandhauer
clerk in the city treasurer's office. Second
ward: Mel fteGfield, county clerk; A. G.
Harte, city building inspector. Fourth
ward: Beech Highly, city clerk; F. B. Ken
nard, councilman. Fred Anderson, clerk OF
the Board of Public Works. Fifth ward
A, B.. Hunt, receiver of the water works
| company; f. j. S~ackett, deputy city comp
| troller; w. A. Saunders, corporation council.
man. Sixth ward: J. N. Westberg, city
comptroller; John c. Wharton, park com
| missioner. Seventh ward: George w
| Covell. attorney for the school board; George
L. Dennis. member of the school board
John Grant, paving contractor. Ninth ward
John Lewis, deputy sheriff. These are only
a few on the list that l happen to know. II
is also singular that there are severa.
plumbers in the anti-MerCer crowd, who are
| connected by pipe line to the water works
boss.
1t seems to me that it has come to {
pretty pass when men who are on the city
| and county par roll band themselves to
gether to destroy the prosperity of the city
out Of personal spite or for the purpose o
| debating our congressional nominations.
| was at Lincoln last Wednesday and noticed
nearly every one of this same gang dow
| there. buttonholing and logrolling, while
they were supposed to be earning thei
salaries by attending to the public business
at Omaha. y, l presume during the coming
week they will devote the time that tn,
taxpayers are paying for to bulldozing re
publican voters and trying to get them t,
vote for the combine primary tickets. l
this didn't''involve anything more thai
~politics we might bear with it, although /
is a robbery OF taxpayers. But Nhen W.
consider the consequences of the defeat o
MERGERS denomination, it is time to serve
notice on these people to mind their owl
business or resign their places.
In conclusion, let me ask this question
What interest has the water works com
pany in the election of our congressman
And what object has Superintendent Hun
in heading the anti-Mercer ticket in tn
Fifth ward? Surely Mr.. Hunt has alread.
tried the patience of Omaha taxpayers yer!
severely in packing primaries and conven
tions and tampering with elections. If h.
imagines that he is promoting the interest
of his company by squandering its none.
on political roustabouts and ward heelers, h,
will find that he is mighty much mistaken
A FIFTH WARD REPUBLICAN.