Omaha daily bee., 1921-06-19

pensive proposed constitution or Il
stand with inaturer states, such q
! Illinois and Iowa, In establishing th'
principle and practice OF railroat
regulation, The Bee of September Is
1871, quoted the Chicago Tribune
tersc statement of its novel econom
ic status and prospects:
"The opening of the Pacific rail
road through its entire length, tht
survey and commencement OF othcl
rivals within and leading TO ths
State, the concentration near Omaha
of all the great trunk routes from tht
East, has given Nebraska, within q
few years, the growth and maturity
for which other States have had tc
wait a quarter OF century,
The Tribune pointed out this Other
important distinction: "The new con.
! stitution is perhaps the best matured
instrument of the kind ever proposed
in any state" 1t embraced nearly
all Of the wise antimonopolistic pro-
visions of the new constitution OF
the Tribune's state. which had been
adopted July 2, 1870.
Procession OF The Bee.
The insistent and persistent mod
crate modernism to which The Bees
marvellous success was mainly due, is
reflected in its initial campaign for a
modern constitution. but especially in
its challenge of the ultra-conserva-
tive opponents OF such an instrument.
This temper and attitude, it seems to
me, illustrates the political career of
the state, which took its progressive
steps gradually; on the whole, too
tardily.
The Bee OF September l, 1871,
pointed out that the main provision
Of the constitution touching corpor-
ations is that which gave the legis-
lature, "the right to fix reasonable
maximum rate of tariff on freight
and passengers" This, in COM
prehensive sense, was the principal
political issue in the state until it was
substantially settled by the adoption
at the general election of 1906 of an
amendment to the constitution pro-
viding for an elective railway COM
mission, and the passage by the leg
islature of 1907 of an anti-pass bill.
OF q 2-cent passenger rate bill and
of bill making a flat IS per cent
reduction of freight rates.
Death Of E. Rosewater.
The death of the founder of the
Bee occurred a few months before
this full fruition of its planting and
It's incessant watering for 36 years.
The pioneer period Of the war, es.
pecially--dropping the too mild
metaphor-against the most power
ful politicians of both parties, was
very ingenious and equally relent-
less, and more than rnoiety of them
were either crippled or killed.
Like most capable captains, The
Bees genius lay in seeing and seiz-
ing the desperate opportunity which
the unique conditions offered. BY
these tactics the audacious David
soon accomplished the immediate de-
mand of necessity by destroying his
immediate rivals. the Republican and
the Herald. and it was not long until
the third Goliath, the State Journal,
which too tardily saw the signs of the
times, was brought to its knees.
! have always given the prescience
OF the promoters of our early rail-
roads. and especially Mr.. Forbes and
Mr.. Perkins, generous credit for
meeting the monster desert myth on
its own ground and courageously
creating confidence in its stead. On
May q, 1872, however. The Bee
strongly endorsed criticism by the
Herald of Mr.. Doane's supercilious
attitude, as general superintendent
Of the Burlington & Missouri Rail-
road in Nebraska, toward the public.
The Herald had said:
Except for horticultural and agri-
cultural gatherings, long since held
upon these plains, by men who pion-
eered the stage coaches, which have
pioneered the railroads, neither Mr..
Doane nor any other Bostonian
would now be railroading in Ne
braska. Except for such gatherings
as that to which Mr.. Doane, with
pure picayunishness, now refuses
ha1f-fare tickets, Boston would have
remained. to this day, in utter ignos-
anee of the fertility and value of the
rich lands in Nebraska"
The Bees Independence.
The personal challenge was this
Of May 2, 1872: "Who Rules the
State?"-a ring of ofhceholders
directed by man at Washington,
or the citizens of the commonwealth.
And it was fought out on that fine
until the silver question and the
growing conservatism Of success
brought and held the frequently in
termittent insurgent we'll within the
party lines. In it's formative period,
The Bee was singularly independent,
and its independence almost as sim
gularly consistent. While it boldly
opposed the almost certain renonai-
nation Of Grant in 1872, il advocated
his election in preference to Gree
ley, contending that the democrats
would not support Greeley as liberal
republicans, but as democrats. It
maintained that the nomination, in
1872, of Crounse instead of Taffe for
congressman; of Furnas for gov
crnor, and Lake, Gannt and Maxwell
for judges Of the supreme court, was
a remarkable contrast to the ticket
two years ago, when Taffe and his
r;ngmasters foisted on this state for
governor, man whose guilty
transactions were as we'll known to
them as they were made known to
the people shortly afterward."
Something tangibly more and bet
ter than a mere change of factions
had been won; and yet, on the publ
c,t;o, d,,r;,o +t,x c,,1o,;on &c the