Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-05

Il, except as any other man would who
is identified as much as 1 am with Omaha
as a property owner ana business man.
The confidence game played in engineering
the conduit ordinance is evidently TO be
repeated. The announcement is made with
a grand flourish of trumpets that the elec-
trio light company will now proceed to
negotiate connections with the Columbus
canal or rather the promoters of the Co
lumbus canal scheme. That is simply q
breezy bunco game to allay popular resent
ment over the high-handed methods of
Manager Nash in tamperlng with the coun-
ell. There Is no prospect for financing the
Columbus scheme this year or the next. II
Il had not been for Mr. Nash and his in
reference we would have had q proposition
now submitted which feel pretty sure
would have given us a power canal q great
many miles nearer Omaha than Columbus,
even If the Columbus scheme was feasible.
but this is not the end.
Eject of Nash's Energy.
Last fall we all remember n small army
OF men marching In different parts Of the
city, slashing right and left into the as
phalt pavement, digging bitches In the very
cold weather, and obstructing our streets
for the purpose Of putting in these con-
duits. There was no immediate haste. We
had endured 1t as II was for more than
ten years. Why was II dohe7 That small
army OF men was put in by Mr.. Nash in
order to elect that magnificent delegation
that we have in the legislature now.
(Laughter.) That was the manifest obJeOt
and purpose Of 1t and the delegation kindly
repaid 1t. or tried to repay. You remem-
ber some Of them made big effort on be-
half Of the Thomson Houston company
and put a pipe line into the revenue bill
that was to be a line for electricity. Who
ever heard of electricity or electric power
being conducted through a pipe line7 That
was inserted into that bill for one pur-
pose only and that was to give them an
excuse for avoiding the payment Of their
Just proportion Of taxes. Instead Of pay
ing taxes on the value Of the franchise,
as they should, they would only have paid
on one years gross receipts Of the buei-
ness This resumption Of work on the con-
duits within the past few days is in the
came category. Look out fer a charge from
the trenches all along the line upon the
| next republican and democratic primaries
Mr.. Nash is not particular about parties
Nov. then, 1t was given out by Mash.
confldentially, that It cost him $4,000 to
get the conduit ordinance through the cSun-
| Oils - AuN hIu Wiling 10 OeN Nnhb II uAu
not cost him $780, II the Thomson Heus-
ton company has been charged $4,000 for
that privilege, I cannot tell where the
money went to, but l might guess. ZAP
plause)
You all remember that some years ago
| an explosion took place in this town. l
am not speaking Of any powder house, but
/
1t was discovered that nearly half a mil
lion dollars disappeared out Of the treas
ury of the company and charged up to the
slush fund. They charged it up from year
to year, whenever legislatures met and
when conventions met, and city councils
| met. They charged It all up to expense
incurred politically. They claim after this
| discovery had been made, that II run from
| a large part Of that money had been
| pocketed by the men whom they had
trusted implicitly to handle 1t. They ar
rested some of these men, but the juries
did not want to bring In a verdict of guilty,
| although they knew that the men were not
very innocent. Why, simply because these
jurymen said II corporation managers can
with impunity employ Doodle distributors
to corrupt Legislatures and poison the
foundations Of public Justice. then there ia
no reason why the men they employed
should be punished. II we hear an ex-
plosion In Omaha some day, such as you
have heard down is st. Louis, when some
gentlemen who stood high were sent on
q vacation in a peculiar kind of garb, you
will not be in the least surprised II II
repeats itself right here in Omaha. Things
have gone too far. What right have cor
poration managers to spend corporation
money in corrupting our public servants
What right have they 70 tamper with ouI
city council and legislaturei How much
do they want to spend now to carry the
republican and democratic primaries and
fasten upon us a city government that will
not serve you, but will serve them, and
dare net do otherwise? II once they get
q man they will hold him and keep hold
OF him. You car see how popular some
men are-for instance, my old friend Ike
Hascall. He is in good standing with every