Omaha daily bee., 1906-02-28
STATE PRESS COMMENT.


Friend Telegraph The State Journa
says that Omaha is making a bid for the
criminal classes that they will not he slow
to take advantage Of. 1t strikes us that
Lincoln is not so slow in that respect. in.
asmuch as the county attorney turned 4
'nigger" murderer loose without even a
trial
Columbus journal: In the matter Of rate
regulation, besides being weak and worth
less the proposed railroad commission bill
apparently vests the commission with nc
authority over express, telegraph and tele-
phone companies over which 1t is just as
important for the public to hold a restrain.
ing hand as It is the railroads.
Lindsey Opinion: The Omaha CONNER
cial club has passed a set of resolutions
asking congress to pass a bill to permit
leasing OF the public lands. How many
of the clubs members were ever west
Of Norfolk or know anything about the
conditions aside from what has been told
them by the representatives. OF the cattle
interests?
Fremont Herald: The Omaha authorities
are treating the Nebraska Telephone com
pany just as the country member of the
Legislature has been treating the railroad
have given the members free passes, and
in return for the favor the members have
killed all legislation not approved by the
railroad attorneys.
Columbus Telegram: The Telephone
trust is today breeding the same kind Of
trouble for Omaha which was many years
ago bred for that city by the Banking
trust. The greedy bankers OF Omaha got
nd hno rhnr nha,, M
against the checks from all the country
banks. Kansas City took advantage of
the situation, threw down the bars, in
vited a food of deposits from Nebraska
banks and holds them to the present day.
1t is almost remarkable that at the present
time 20 per cent of Nebraska bankers are
carrying balances in the Kansas City
banks. Omaha ought to have every dollar
of that Nebraska money which now lodges
in the vaults of the Kansas City banking
houses, and might have had every dollar
OF it IL the Omaha Bank trust had not
driven 1t away from Omaha. 1t is not
too late for Omaha to wake up and win
better stock of the confidence OF Ne
braskans. All the state would be friendly
to Omaha IL II did not shun the friendship
of the state so often. In this telephone
business Omaha is putting the loyalty of
its outside friends to the severest test yet
imposed. When the average American citi-
zen addresses anybody he expects an an
swer; and when a person addressed re-
fuses to reply to a civil question there is
liable to be a fight.
Weeping Water Herald: The question of
the independent telephone companies being
admitted into Omaha is being agitated by
the Commercial club of that city and the
wholesalers are directly interested in the
matter. SO far the breach between the Ne
braska and independent companies is as
wide as ever. The former states that 1t
has never yet connected with independent
lines, and intimates that It don't care TO.
and that 1t will either buy or sell. With
company rated in the millions and control
ling the powers that be, II is a hard propo-
sition for outside companies TO be admitted
into the inner circle except they pay the
price, unless the business men Of Omaha go
after them and stay after them until they
put to rout the councilmen who are against
the movement. II is undoubtedly true that
II the business men In the towns over the
state could secure connection with Omaha
wholesale houses through the independent
system, that many more orders would go
IN. but to have TO leave their places Of bust
ness and wait some times an hour for con-
nection over the Nebraska system Teces-
states too much time and troubIs for the
average business man. II the independent
people should get into the metropolis II Will
be demanded that they have equally good
service as the Nebraska copper wires and