Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-02

that that man exerted while he was COM
mander-in-chief was pernicious to the ut
most, 30 far as the freedom and Individual
rights OF the people OF Nebraska were con-
cerned At the time he was commander
in-chief, and thereafter. ne was nothing
but q common oil room lobbyist at Lincoln.
Another instance of the same character
happened when a man who had betrayed
his constituency as a member of the leg
islature; who had played into the hands
of the gamblers Of the city of Omaha wN1en
the bill was pending to make gambling
felony, was given all the help that the
railroad clacauers could muster and was
made commander of the Department of
Nebraska at their instance. That man had
been no soldier In the army. He had been
a spy, and that is all the position he ever
held In 1t. Yet he became commander of
the army in Nebraska for one year as
reward for treachery TO his constituency.
Now. I say that in Justice to history, in
justice TO the Grand Army and to your own
families and children, you want to at once
discard this policy; YOU want to stand up
for Nebraska and for the nation, you want
to help us emancipate this great state from
corporate control, and now Is the hour
The hour is come, because the struggle Is
on; because these giant corporations are
not content merely to have fair men In
public Office; not merely to be treated
fairly, honorably and Justly. but they want
tools.
Instead OF giving US oak and hickory in
the state house, they give us hazel brush
and willsw. Hazel brush and willow We
have had, and, thank God we are going to
have at least one man In that state house,
within the next six months, that is made
OF oak and hickory, yes, OF ironwood, but
am not sure about the others. l don't
want to talk politics. But this Is not poll
tics from the party standpoint, but from
the patriotic standpoint l do not care
whether you are democrats or republicans,
It Is your duty, as It is mine, to see TO it
that honest men should be nominated and
elected; and whenever you find a railroad
democrat, down him, and whenever you
md a railroad republican is put up, let us
down him, and for once let the people rule.
(Applause) Up with the people and down
with the corporations, 1 say, In the political
government Of our country. applause }
We have been too neglectful for the last
few years because we have been too pros
porous. We have believed that everything
was right that happened because We were
too comfortable. But prosperity cannot al
ways continue.
There are great problems before us.
There are great disappointments before us
also. II is not possible that prosperity will
last forever. Within the next six years;
possibly within the next five years. you
may see one Of the reverses that happen
every twenty years. You may see one sea-
son again In which the people will have
all they can do to take care of themselves
and the corporations are laying In a very
big surplus at your expense, and how do
they get it2 BY the subservlency of your
public servantsl BY the subserviency OF
the men that represent you In the legis-
lature: the men that serve you in the state
house and on the benchl They have sue
ceeded for years In debauching and cor
riptlng your public servants by a whole.
sale distribution OF brides called passes
They have succeeded In bribing them In
other ways, by favoring one against the
other. They have succeeded In building UT
one community and impoverishing the
other. They have succeeded In making ono
business man flourish, while they made
another business man perish. Side by side
these men were In business, honorably and
fairly. and yet one was prospecting con.
stantly and the other could make no head
way, and when you made inquiry into the
reasons you found that Il was because the
one had special rates. special privileges
enjoyed drawbacks and rebates. while the
other had to pay fun rates. or could moi
set car TO move his commodities or pro-