Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-19
RpIrohIAL SHOTS AT oMAHA.


Juniata Herald omahas mayor by his
antics during Bryan's homecoming. has
probably convinced New Yorks that the
west is still overrun with buffaloes, In
dians and stage robbers. He certainly
added dignity to the proceedings. and
Omaha democrats must be proud OF the
reputation given the state.
Beatrice Sun: Jim Dahlman. the mayor
Of Omaha, is a clever fellow in many ways;
coarse in manner and lacking In polish.
/ but a clever fellow. AS cowboy he was
a success. but the introduction OF thc cow
boy play at this age Of the world;s while
II won the curious admiration Of the east
ern spectators was hardly the thing to
make Omaha famous" as a center OF COM
merce and civilization. II would have been
better for the city and the state II they
had "roped" Jim before they sent him east.
Chadron Journal: The east has always
had an idea that Nebraska Is Just about
the jumping OF place. the home Of the
cowboy. The delegation which recently
went to New York to welcome W. ]. Bryan
seemed bent on the idea of impressing
upon the minds Of the easterners the fact
that the west was and Is wild and woollly.
II the report OF Mayor Dahlman and his
lasso is correct. the mayor and his crowd
might have done better by trying to show
the good eastern people that Nebraska is
Just as much civilized as New York.
Ashland Gazette: A special grand jury
has been called in Omaha to investigate the
ice trust" The reformers are rather
timid over the matter. for fear that there
Is no statute in Nebraska that has been
violated by the trust" Our laws are de-
fective, The next session of the legislature
rI,. ..l..1
as to make II a capital crime for a dealer
to fail to provide a normal supply of ice,
whether nature furnishes it or not. And
yet It is altogether probable that this
would fail to make the reformers truly
happy AS a failure Of the ice crop does
not occur on an average oftener than once
in twenty years, even such a statute would
fail TO keep it's enactors In the limellght
as lovers of the deer peepul"
Hastings Tribune: II Jim Dahlman, the
democratic mayor of Omaha, pulled of
one-haf of the stunts in New York laBt
week that the newspapers give him credit
with then he has disgraced the fair state
OF Nebraska. And yet. II Mayor Dahlman
did those wild and woolly things. he Is
not alone responsible for his conduct on
that auspiclous occasion. He was sur
rounded by his personal and political
friends of Omaha, and II those friends
were foolish enough to egg their mayor
on. or encourage his antics in the least,
upon their heads should rest the greater
portion of the censure. II is easy for a
man to slop over when he is the victim
Of too much hilarity. and on such occasions
he is more to be pitied than censured.
Grand Island Independent: The high
handed. outrageous conduct of the Omaha
ice dealers. who evidently are banded to-
gether In a regular trust is setting tho
populace of that city wild. Several firms.
It appears were recently arraigned. found
guilty and fined for cheating their Gus
toners by short weights. They now re-
taliate by refusing to sell ice to those fam
lilies, members OF which testified against
them and pleaded for ice in vain. Is IL
wonder people are inclined to become hos
tile against corporations and their :'gen-
tlemen's understanding? Is 1t wonder
that they look 10 municipal ownership un-
der such circumstances? And, in a degree,
that domineering, dictatorial grasping spirit
Is shown by other corporations-and cor
porations, too, which are doing business
on franchises granted free by the public.
Even our own city may have a question
like this, perstaining TO the sale OF an
other commodity. TO deal with. Fair, equal
treatment. in short, square deal and To-
gftimate competition should be-, and no,
doubt will be. insisted upon, or the fran
chise should be revoked without any cere-
mony.