Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-27
"HoME RULE FOR OMAHA"

The democrats are making a great
parade of their local campaign slogan
of Home Rule for Omaha" Their
duplex candidate for governor, Ashton
c. s~hallenberger, stands squarely on
the proposition. His chief Lieutenant
in Omaha, Robert e. Lee Herdman, is
assuring everybody that Mr.. Shallen-
berger is sincere in his assertion that
If elected governor he will not interfere
with the administration Of the law in
either Omaha or South Omaha. When
Mr.. Shallenberger comes to the city
his closest personal adviser is Harry
V. Hayward. Two of the candidates
for the senate on the democratic ticket
are Edward e. Howell and Frank T.
Ransom.
means. In 1897 the legislature of Ne
braska was under democratic control.
Silas A. Holcomb, f~usionist, was gov
ernor. The senators from Douglas
county we're Ed Howell, Frank Ran
som and Honest John" Liddell.
Through their efforts the notorious
Ransom-Howell bill was made a law
and the appointment Of the Board of
Fire and Police Commissioners for
Omaha was taken out of the hands of
the mayor of Omaha and placed in the
hands of the governor Of Nebraska.
This was done for the purpose of Civ
inc the damoorots coptrol of the hoard
The board appointed by Governor
Holcomb was dominated by Lee Herd
man and Omaha entered upon the most
fragrant career of openly encouraged
vice and crime that ever blotted the
annals of a western city. Con" Gal
lagher was made chief of police and
under direction of the board controlled
by Herdman the police force of Omaha
ceased to be a body for the protection
of citizens and visitors and became an
organization TO foster and encourage
every known form of vice. Harry v.
Hayward was the man who sat in the
back room over Jack Norton's saloon
on Fourteenth street and settled with
the thieves and thugs and sure-thing
gamblers. Pickpockets piled their
trade unmolested because they paid a
certain sum daily to Hayward for pro-
lection. Saloons ran wide open
t~wenty-four hours a day and seven
days in the week; prostitution -four
ished and houses of ill-fame spread be-
yond the limits of the prescribed dis
trict and a very saturnalia of crime
prevailed. Through the efforts of the
editor of The Bee the matter was
forced to the attention of the courts
after Governor Holcomb had refused
to take any action to curb the lawless-
ness that iourished under the benign
influence of the Herdman board, and a
decision was obtained from Judge Scott
that terminated suddenly the mad ca
reer. A police board appointed by
Mayor MOores r~eorganized the police
force and under a new chief the work
of cleaning up the city was commenced.
When Martin White assumed the ONCE
of chief of police the day of protected
crime in Omaha ended Inc from that
time until this no form of vice or out
lawry has received oficial c%ountenance
in this city.
Omaha is an orderly city. The laws
are enforced here with as much Ger.
tsinty as they are anywhere in the
world. The police force is eficacious
and its administration is for the pro.
lection of the citizens. The people OF
Omaha know this. The question is
4 win the citizens of Omaha return Ran.
som and Howell to the legislature, sup.
ported by men who are pledged tc
carry out their bidding and thus sane.
tion a return to the ou%trageously dis
graceful conditions that prevailed as 3
result of the passage of the Howell
Ransom bill in 1897? Do the peopl,
of Omaha want to place Lee Herdman
Harry Hayward and Walter Noise II
the saddle again and return to days o.
protected vice and crime?
The reason for the home rule" or,
is understood when one stops to thinl
that under the control of the men Will
whom Sh~allenberger has associates
! himself in Omaha the lawless and dis
reputable elements OF the world will b,
: again invited to come here and hnd
; safe and profitable haven. win tn,
, citizens vote for a continuation OF Tn,
J present good order?
, The double-ender sneers a. ,ho go,