The Red Cloud chief., 1910-06-02
LINCOLN LETTER

LINCOLN, NEBR., May 3ith--(special
Correspon6ence.) The state railway
com mission recently handed down an
opinion that would be huge joke IL
1t were not for the fact that IL is too
serious matter for joking. The
opinion will convince "A great many
people that the work OF throwing off
the clutch Of the public service cor.
porations will have TO begin all over
again. A year or two ago the com
mission waxed wroth because the
Citizens Railway Co., Of Lincoln in-
iected $4,000 worth Of water into its
stock. The commission wouldn't
stand for that sort OF thing, you
know. Well, little later the Citizens
Railway Co., consolidated with the
Lincoln Transaction Co, the Citizens
crowd assuming control. The first
thing the new management did was to
pump 81 100000 worth of water into
the stock. The attorney general did
not act. The city attorney did not
act. Finally County Attorney Tyrrell
Of Lancaster filed suit TO declare the
merger void, to syphon the water out
and to make the Traction Co divorce
its street railway from its lighting
aud heating departments. The com
mission has just thrown Tyrrell out
of court, declaring the merger valid
and approving the issue of million
and half of watered stock on the
ground that while it may be water
now the real valuation of the property
will ultima ately grow up to the stock
issue. 1t is interesting to know that
the hand which wrote this astonishing
and contradictory opinion is the same
hand that signed midnight ordinance
In Lincoln few years ago. Commiss.
ioner Winnett, while mayor of Lincoln,
sat up until after midnight one Satur
day night, but not at his private office
or his municiple Office, in order to
sign an ordinance allowing the North
western to build up North Ninth
street from S to o in order to reach
the Journal building. The council
remained in session without doing
anything until the stroke of midnight,
then ramed the ordinance through
At 1910 n. IN, Winuett was found and
he affixed his signature. That it was
a put up job is evidenced by the fact
that the railroad construction gang
began work at the stroke of -. Be
ing Sunday no injunction could b.
secured, and by Sunday evening the
spur track was completed. People
out In the state may have some con
fidence in the railway commission a.
now constituted, but Lincoln people
who are suffering under present tract
ion conditions have lost what little
confidence they might once have had
) The <. o. p. organs are always talk
ing about the governors many trip.
out into the state. The governor
however, goes merely because he is in
9 vited by his constituents, and Away.
: on what he deems business OF publ,
Importance. He acts on the presumpt
: ion that rs governor the people ar,
A entitled to his services and to his pres
ence on occasions of public interest
! The g. o. p. organs, however, are YER.
: careful never to mention some of tn
}. trips Of the other state officials. Re
r Gently secretary Of state Junkin spen
an entire week on his farm In Gospe
= county, looking after private matters
g While there he spent an hour or two
a at the request Of fCommissio oner Cowles
looking up the appraisement on
y certain piece Of state school land no
far from his own farm. Returning t
}. Lincoln he charged up the expenses G
the entire trip to the state. This fac
has not bsen mentioned by either tn
Bee or the state Journal.
q Three years ago the board Of publ
d lands and buildings accepted as &C
q K."a building erected on the ground
of the Home for the Feeble Minded {
Raatrira RarlinrbnH tbas.a,o,l