Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-28

stanton PICKET: The appoln ement OF zap
tain Culver to be adjutant general Of Ne
braska cannot but give general satisfaction.
Thus far Governor Mickey's appointments
have been meritorious. Character and Mt
ness for the position to which the appoint
ment is made are the chief considerations.
Harrington Herald: Those who have
made a study Of Nebraska legislatures con-
cede that the membership this session is
made up OF better material than ever be-
fore. 1t has often been remarked that more
than usual care was exercised in the nomi-
nations, and that fewer of the professional
politician class were elected than in former
years. with this good material and the
overwhelming republican majority in both
houses there is reason to expect the best Of
results.
Broken Bow Republican: The land leas-
ing bill, which is good in some respects, is
calculated to retard rather than build up
the population in the northwestern part of
the state. Much of that country can only
be utilized by grazing cattle, horses and
sheep. While the bill provides a fee rental
that will enable the government to realize
something from it In a financial way there
is a question If the government and espe-
cially the state, will not lose more by the
bill becoming a law than should the land
be held for future development by stock
men, who in time will homestead all the
valleys and land adjacent to streams, and
finally all the rest, on which they will pay
taxes to the county and state in greater
amount than the government will receive
by leasing It. Besides could that territory
be populated with a family to every section
or two with small herds OF stock 1t would
provide a much better market for the grain
produced in this county than 1t will should
there be but one ranch to every twenty sec
tions.
Wisner Free Press: Two cents per acre,
or $3.50 per section, as the leasing bill
would provide for the rental of public lands
for grazing purposes, would produce a
very slim revenue indeed, when compared
to decided taxable land. When this small
return is divided equally, the one-half for
the government irrigation fund and the
other two-fourths for county and state re-
spectively and none whatever for school
purposes it would leave those localities
lamentably short on land revenues. If
necessary to enlarge the territory of the
individual holder to make it sustaining for
grazing OF agricultural purposes, it would
seem better to the interests of the states
and counties in which these lands are To-
Cdteu 10 mdhe d SluBl6 uOHGSItdu thll y
cover a section or more; eventually decided
and taxable. AT the present, or
if leased, an i~nterminable barrier
of wire fences reach over the
country and not a habitation for miles
at a stretch. Churches and schools, eX-
cept in an occasional hamlet, are not
! founded and not needed; only in the study
of nature and communion with the Deity
on the broad open prairie are these priv
ileges afforded the scant population. Every
body except the COW man is fenced out and
the other fellow doesn't care so mich be-
cause at present he cannot get a deed for
enough land by living on it to make a
living on. 1t is literally out of the market
and out of service except to the cattle
baron and he is making the most of the
golden opportunity and Uncle Sam holds
the bag.
Fremont Tribune: The decision of the
~populist state central committee to aban-
don fusion in Nebraska is an interesting in
cident of politics. The at its
meeting at Lincoln a few days ago prac-
: tically agreed to do that, and there is little
| doubt but that the democrats and populists
will hereafter conduct their shows under
separate tents. For the past twelve years
the two parties have been practically one,
though they have contrived to maintain cis-
tinct organizations. They have won some
distinct victories by cooperation, and this
gave them courage to continue fusion. That
is to say, they won the Offices for a short
while, though 1t cannot be said, in truth,
that doing this was achieving a victory.
Having the Offices they also had response
bilities and duties and these they scarcely
failed to meet as they had promised and as
the people, without any exaggerated idea oil
their goodness, had a right to expect. And
SO they were driven from power, after a
brief and unsatisfactory period of proba-
ton. They have pretty generally concluded
there can be no more offices for them for a
few years, except here and there in a small
way, and so each party will now be con-
tent to stand for principle" for a little
while. II in the future there comes q
panic or a drouth and the people are rest
less and seeking relief, under which condi-
lions. they readily turn to anything new
there may be fusion again, in the hope Of
procuring the spoils of office. Meantime
there will be something Of a realignment
of voters. Fusionists have three alterna'
tives-to go to the democratic party, trair
with the populists, or, better still, to CO
operate with the republicans, the party II
power, and thus be able to give force ant
effect In a practical way to their views.