Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-02-18

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L issue Of the impending retirement OF my
brother from the joint management OF The Bee,
which we have conducted together since the
death OF our father, should set at rest the gossip
which has been more or less current with feier-
ence to a change in the ownership OF The Bee
Our alert competitors have had habit OF selling
The Bee in imagination ever so often to some
one but have never effected the sale. 1t is only
fair, however to state that my brother and not
long ago entered into "buy-or-selp' agreement
the outcome of which has been my purchase OF
part OF his one-third holding to make a majority
stock control for me. The remainder OF the
stock remains, where it has always been, IN the
hands of members Of the Rosewater family mere
and in Cleveland, except half dozen scattering
shares. 1t should be noted, too, that The bee
Publishing company, which publishes the paper,
and the Bee Building company, which owns
the Bee building, are wholly separate and dis
tinct, though with some duplication OF stock own
ership, and that the recent lease OF the building
has no relation whatever to the present changes
in The Bee Publishing company.
heard an apt story this week said to be Bill
Parks account OF his first meeting with Edward
H. Hartman back in the days when Horace u
Burt was head operating boss OF the Union fa-
cihc and Park was division superintendent out
in Wyoming. Mr.. Hartman was making his first
tour of inspection accompanied by Mr. Burt in
the presidents private car, which mad oeen
stopped over night. Before o'clock in the morn
ing Mr. Hartman sauntered forth and encoun-
tered Park on the job.
Are you connected with the road?" he asked.
Eyes, I'm the division superintendent.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Why don't
we pull out"
Were ready to start any moment" was
Parks prompt answer, but I'm under nstruc-
tons not to move until Mr.. Hartman gives the
word"
well, 70 ahead" said Mr.. Hartman and
clambered aboard, while the train began imme-
diately to move.
Later Mr. Burt took his division superintendent
back to introduce him to Mr., Hartman, present
ing him in this fashion:
This is Mr. Park, Our division superintend-
ent. | believe you have not yet met him, MI
Hartman
"Yes, have" bluntly answered Mr.. Hartman
81 talked with him this morning while you were
still asleep"
Let me acknowledge Indebtedness to Herman
Peters for copy of a little house publication
entitled THE Bigelow Magazine" sent me to call
my attention to an article in it upon telegraphy
in which my father is mentioned in a compli-
mentary way. l quote from the article:
"Teiegraphy has contributed about as many
big men to the country as typography. Thomas
A. Edison. Frank Munsey, publisher; Edward
Rosewater, late editor of Omaha Bee; Richard
Spillane OF Commerce and Finance; George
KEENAN,, writer and traveller, and George Ho-
bart and Guy Carleton, piaywrights, were all
telegraphers.
tributed much to the literary output in the
general periodicals of the country. A trade
journal, The American Telegrapher, has de-
partment OF verse contributed by teegraphers
and much OF it is OF unusual merit-above the
average of the popular magazines. Probably
the reason there are so many literary con-
trbutors and even poets among telegraphers
is that at certain stations they have long pc
RODS of leisure time for reflection and contem-
plation; they are intelligent as a class and
have ease and facility in the use of the pen or
1.-THE best and fastest penmen in the world
are telegraphers-and particularly among the
old-timers who were in the business before
the introduction of the typewriter. The pro-
fession really developed style of penmanship
above the average in legibility."
The reference to the peculiar penmanship Of
telegraphers, or "the telegraph hand" as it is
called, makes me wonder to what extent it still
survives the inroads of typewriter and printed
telegraph. In the days of receiving by sound and
transcribing in long hand this penmanship was
wonderfully legble and rapid. Ny father could
tell at glance from the handwriting whether
the author of letter had ever been in the tele-
graph service. | fear, however, that "the tele-
graph hand" will before long be lost art
The Lincoln birthday banquet Of the Young
Mems Republican club at Lincoln showed by its
attendance and enthusiasm that there is live
bunch of republicans at the state capital who
are going to stay on the firing line until the po-
litical enemy is again dislodged. The best part
of it was the interest manifested by the younger
element which, it is regret to report, seems
harder and harder to enlist for political activity
in our campaigns, difficulty encountered by both
political parties in this state and, take it, in
other states too. With a militant backing the
young men who successfully promoted and put
over" that banquet can do whole lot to help "put
over" clean-cut republican victory at the next
election in Nebraska.