Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-06-18

terest Of square deal Never hesitating to take up
cudgels for the right. it has seen the right and
never Sinking responsibility The Bee has from its
very inception taken active part in contest
affecting material growth of city, state and nation.
1t has espoused the cause of the weak against the
strong opposed every species Of monopoly and cham
poned every movement to advance the prosperity OF
Nebraska and the great west II has fought the bat
ties of the toiler and producer against corporate
greed and scored victories when the odds seemed
overwhelming Corruption in public place was ex-
posed and driven from power. Abuses wherever they
existed were fearlessly denounced.
Board of Education Fight.
The first contest In which The Bee active
and decisive factor the ratification Of the law
framed and championed by Edward Rosewater and
enacted by the legislature in 1871 organizing the
Board OF Education for Omaha and abolishing the
Board of Regents which then had charge of the high
school. This law made all public schools free and
placed them In charge of the Board of Education.
The Board of Regents, supported by the Omaha Re
publican. attempted to defeat the law, while The Bee
alone championed the change calculated to lay the
foundation of educational system which cannot fail
exercise the potential influence the future
prosperity of the city. The election, July 49, 1871
resulted in rousing victory for The Bee. Speaking
of the result The Bee said "Out of 1049 votes poled
the special election yesterday 101 represents the
potential influence of the leading republican organ
of the state and number of socaled leaders Of pub
lie opinion. II certainly be extremely gratifyngg
to this grand combination against educational re-
form that The Bee is enabled to judge with mathe-
NAUTICAL precision the exact force they exert in any
desired direction"
The adoption of this law was the foundation of the
present Board of Education. and the of the
system since then srikngly verifies the prediction
made by The Bee.
Fight for the Constitution.
The first constitutional convention which essern-
bled in Lincoln June z, 1871, submitted the result
Of its abors to the people late in August Five sep
arate articles included the principal being
suffrage, prohibition and church taxation The
Bee approved the body Of the document fearlessy
advocated its adoption while urging the defeat the
separate propositions The provision Of the constitu
ton reducing the number of office-holders reused
the wrath Of the sposmen and railroad subsidzers,
who were encouraged and applauded by the Herald.
Tribune and Republican, which at the same time
damned it with faint praise. The anti-suffragists
and antprohibHonists joined with them in a general
assault on the whole document. Religious denomna-
tlons attacked the provision taxing all property
ceeding $1,000 in value, and every pulpit turned
into an opposition stump. These elements controll
ing the election machinery of the state openly boasted
weeks In advance of the election that the constitu
ton would be defeated by at least 1000 majority De-
velopments after the election proved that they had
deliberately organized and successfully carried
plan to set aside the verdict of the people. The
schemers withheld returns from western counties in
the Omaha postoffice changed the figures and thus
brought about the defeat of the constitution by
fraction over 1000 votes This outrage the ballot
was confessed later by of the leaders fair and
honest count would have shown strong majority
for the constitution, and spared the state the expense
and distraction of second contest four years later.
Opposes the Federal Brigade.
The steady growth and spreading influence of
The Bee not only alarmed the owners of political
gans in the city but filled them with ill-concealed
wrath. The Republican then the organ Of a COM
pact federal ring which had public land sur
veys and a amount Of patronage Smarting under
the exposures of The Bee the mercenares sought to
crush its power by the most INSCRIPTIONS means
ANONYMOUS sheets filled with scurrilous assaults and
personal abuse of the editor were issued and scat
tered daily through the city Instead OF njurng The
Bee they recruited supporters from all classes and adj
vertised it the foe of venality in official life.
The postmaster and deputy postmaster being
stockholders in the Tribune and Republican endeav-
ored to suppress The Bee by postal discrimination
During the winter OF '71-2. they began systematic
raid the paper by delaying and sometimes refusing
to deliver its mail and by annoying and buldozing
outside subscribers Complaints of non-delivery of
the paper by postmasters became numerous that
The Bee charged the postoffice officials with con-
spring to violate the postal laws and deliberately
stroying the papers delivered the office The
NNPNoNtO iOuS0u "IaIh VI the Ieuerdl Junla,
the editor was threatened with bodily pain
less he relented and repented. Threats did not
brighten him change the policy OF the paper and
new tack was taken. They concoctsd yarn that he
had violated the postal laws and endeavored to have
him indicted by the federal grand jury the scheme
failed, The Bee continued the fight vigorously,
while the federal ring improved every opportunity
insult the editor and njure his business and even went
SO far as to instigae assault and violence upon him.
During the month Of February The Bee unearthed
the theft of mail bags which resulted in the indct-
ment of Postmaster Griffen by the grand jury. He
pleaded guilty to the charge May 81, was fined
500 and costs and retired from office
The Rump Legislature.