Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-27
zen of Ak-Sar.Ben Ha1lowed by Many Memories of Great Ever

and their duty to mankind requires that they form a new political
party and publish it's platform of principles to the world. And there,
on July 4, 1892, the peoples independent party was born, and. with
General James B. Weaver as its candidate for president of the United
States. went before the world to champion principles of government
and reforms in administration it deemed essential to the good of
mankind, the perpetuation OF our institutions. 1t was not all accom-
pMshed in one day, nor without great travail. For days Omaha had
been corwded with the earnest farmers who came to give their aid
and advice in forming the new party. And among the workers were
men of might, like Ignatius Donneney of Minnesota, the Sage of
Nininger," General Weaver, and many others who have been ever in
the very front of the fight for certain ideas. 1t was thought for
some time that Walter @. Gresham would be the nominee for presi-
dent, and only at the very last moment did he decline and allow the
honor of heading the new party to go to General Weaver.
Mckinley spoke at the Coliseum and Thurston and Bryan and a
host of others needless to recount here. 1t was there that Henry d.
Estabrook delivered his wonderfully telling denunciation of the
A. P. A. movement, when the citizens were up in revolt against. that
organization. And it wa. there the first dollar dinner" of the Bryan
campaign in 1895 was held. On one occasion Mr.. Bryan acted IS
rngmaster for a society circus at the Coliseum.
Again and again did the Coliseum revert to it's original uses and
witness a renewal of bicycle racing. six-day races and shorter races
were held from time to time, and wrestling matches, tug-ot-war con-
tests and other similar sporting events were held at intervals. About
every form of indoor sport has been INDUCED in there but prize fight
ing. If ever a boxing match was held at the Coliseum it was done
so quietly that no record of ~ has been kept.
In one of his stories of the southland Harry stlwer Edwards
tells of an old elm tree that grew beside a cabin. One of its limbs
reached out over the roof of the cabin and at times, when the wind
was swaying the branches of the tree, this limb would touch the
shingles and tap gently on them. An elbow In The limb forme a
cup, and to this cup would come a bird, with a mulberry in the
season, and pound it in the cup until it gave up its juice, and then
h e would drink the juice and In IN ecaacy o MS XXI would
pour forth the most wonderful of bird songs. And the man who
lived in that cabin would lie awake at night listening to the tapping
of the branch on the shingles and 1t was music to him. And one
summer he lay sick for many weeks, and while he was stretched on
his bed weak and helpless the bird came VIII m mulberry ana
pounded 1t to a pulp in the cup of the limb, and then sang its won
derful song. And day after day, and night after night, the man
listened to the music of the elm tree and the curled-up single on the
roof, and the pounding of the mulberry in the cup, and the birds
fulLthroated, joyous song of thankful exultaton for life and null
berry Juice, and the music in his soul awakened. So that when he
was we'll again and a storm tore the branch from the tree and tossed
it to the ground he fashioned from it a musical instrument that was
neither a fiddle Or a banjo, but a combination; and the cup, stained
with the mulberry juice, and the single on which it had been
pounded by wind and bird, were made parts of the instrument. And
through all that section of the country its music was famous.
Doesn't it seem that something of tradition, Or at least assocIa-
tion, clusters around the old Coliseum, now the Den OF Ak-Sar-Ben?
In this nothing has been said of the fourteen years it has been the
scene each summer of the most remarkable gatherings Of business
men and professional men Of all grades and ranks, in the most per-
feet of good fellowship and unanimity Of purpose to push forward
for Nebraska and the west; nor has anything been said of the social
magnhcence of the splendid balls that have marked the annual eere-
mony of coronation of King and Queen of Ak-sarBen. The Den
may need a new floor. but It ought to be reverently preserved for It's
past. 1t isn't so old as to be venerable-only twenty years-but 1t
has more of real tradition, perhaps, than any other building now
standing in Omaha, and so deserves to be preserved a. long as ts
timbers will safely stand together. McC.