Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-02
TRUE CITY CAMPAIGN ISSUE
Whether People OF Corporation Shall Con-
troll 0maha's Afsirz
ADDRESS OF E. RosEwATtR TO VOTERS
Fun Text of Speech Delivered TO the
Fifth ward Republicans at
the Rally Tuesday
Night.

McKenna's hall, at the corner OF Sherman
avenue aud Locust street, was filled to its
capacity Tuesday night to hear an address by
Edward Rosewater on municipal questions.
Mr.. Rosewater spoke for over an hour and
was frequently interrupted by applause.
Prior to the address by Mr.. Rose
water. Ed Evans, counuilmanic can
didate in the Sixth ward, and Bryce
Crawford, who is after the c~ouncilmanic
nomination for the Fifth ward. made brief
remarks. w. B.. Christie presided at the
meeting.
Mr.. Rusewater spoke as follows:
Under our system OF government public
ity is the most essential Safeguard Of free
dom and free institutions. The founders
OF our republic discussed all the problems
OF lf-government in town meetings. Every
measure OF reform for the betterment OF
the condition of the people was freely and
fully debated in the open. Whenever any
body proposes to save the people from some
real or imaginary i'll or abuse by secret po-
litical organization you may rest assured
that the movers have something to cover
up or some selfish scheme up their sleeve.
About thirty years ago a lot Of broken
down politicians. who had lost their grip
in the republican and democratic parties,
banded themselves together for the osten-
sible purpose Of purifying politics and re-
deeming Omaha from perditiou. The CO.
operators. or ko-ops, of 1873 we're then
commonly known as the Gopher Khan
They met in the hours when graveyards
yawn and spooks make merry, and held in
tercourse by sigu. grip and password. They
hourlshed for a time, but Just as soon as
their leaders rere uncovered and their
scheme for distributing political spoils
made public, they went to pieces and dis
appeared as spooks usually do at sunrise.
There is nothing rev under the sun. Tho
dark lantern movement which has recently
been inaugurated in this city differs in no
respect from that OF the defunct Hoops OF
Gopher Khan.
Political Ting Ling FOOE.
"The leading spirits OF 1903 are imbued
with the Same patriotic desire to save
Omaha and get themselves into Office as
the Political spirit mediums Of thirty years
ago. Like tho professional straightforward
performer. they want to shroud their move
Inents in mystery. Now you see 1t and now
you don't. You doubtless remember the
Chinese juggler, Ting Ling Foo, who mys>
tilted and puzzled so many people at the
Chinese village IL the Transmississippi ex-
position. He brought in a rabbit in his
sleeve and presently had a whole flock Of
kttbt Ou the btdBc. lnhL II Ant way ling
Ling Foo Broatch aud Jung Ling John
Westberg, ard Bling Ling BurbapI are try
ing to make geese OF you all. Many of
you. doubtless. have been handed a type
written circular with the Injunction to
keep 1t dark Here is one Of the Gopher
pledges for the Sixth ward. The closing
sentence reads as follows: Whether or
not / am accepted to membership in this
committee, / hereby pledge myself to keep
the identity, work and membership in said
committee "a profound secret" and will at
all times be governed by the action Of a
majority Of said committee. / further pledge
myself to do ALI in my powerShonestly and
fairly to elect an anti-machine delegation
to the next city convention to be held
April IL, 1907 Now. why this profound
secrecy? Is there any reason why the
problems of municipal government cannot
be discussed In the open? Why should any
free American citizen bind himself to be
governed at all times by the action Of a
dark-lantern committee whose identity
he does not even know? Why should any
self-respecting republican sign away his
sacred right to exercise his privilege as a
citizen according to his own best judgment
and conscience? Why should he allow
himself TO be blindfolded by e gang Of
masked political bunco-steerers who do not
dare to show their faces In tho open7
Something About Machines.
'They say they want TO down the ma
cnine. What machine? Is II the old or the
k,new2 Let us be frank about these mat
ters, The machine that has hgurad so con-
spicuously in O.4aha politics was known as
the Moores- r-Dennlson machine.
Moores stood for the city hall gang, the
police commission. with 100 policemen
swinging their clubs over the heads of
brewers and saloon keepers. and a dozen
sleuths ferreting out and running down
anything and anybody that did not toe the
mark, all the while collecting forced con-
tributions from gamblers, prostitutes and
outlaws for political purposes and personal
' gain. That was precisely the way 1t was
pictured by the sham reformers who cir
culated those well defined rumors' two
years ago.
"Rosewater stood for the political part OF
the machine. He controlled the county
committee with an iron hand and he
manipulated the city committee and packed
primaries and conventions with machine
nenchmen. And Dennison. the policy king.
as he is called, was presumed to line UP
lha burglars. fUotpads and yagabondz OF