Omaha Will Entertain Newspaper Men August 4

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

Newspaper men of western Iowa and Nebraska will be the guests of Omaha on August 4, when they meet in annual social session. Nothing will be spared to make their visit enjoyable. Hotel Rome is official headquarters and the visitors will all register there immediately upon arrival and get the day’s itinerary. After registration the first place of interest to be visited will be the Grain Exchange with the “pit” in action; at noon the live stock interests will entertain at luncheon; from 3 to 5 p.m. the Omaha Athletic club, Omaha’s new million dollar club, will hold “open house” for newspaper men and their wives; at 6 p.m. there will be a banquet at the Hotel Rome, after which the men will be guests of Ak-Sar-Ben at the den and the ladies will go to the theater. Editors who contemplate joining the excursion for western Nebraska can make the necessary arrangements for the trip after they reach Omaha as the secretary will have a desk at the Hotel Rome. The special train will start from omaha about midnight of August 4.

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Much Like Life’s Pathway

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

Effective Parable in Edward Everett Hale’s Description of Doings of a Picnic Party.

You all go out to a picnic, and meet together in some pleasant place in the woods, and you leave the pail with the ice in the handiest place you can find, and cover it with the blanket. Then you all set out in the great forest. But it is only a few of the party who choose to start hand in hnd along a gravel path which leads straight to the well, and probably those few enjoy less and gain less from the day’s excursion than any of the rest. The rest break up into indifferent knots, and go some here, some there, as their occasion and their genius call them. Some go after flowers, some after berries, some after butterflies; some knock the rocks to pieces; some climb up to where there is a fine view, some sit down and copy the stumps, some go into the water, some make a fire, some find a camp of Indians and learn to make baskets. These all come back to the picnic camp in good order each eager to tell what he has seen and heard, each having satisfied his taste and genius and each and all having made vastly more of their day than if they had held to the gravel path and walked in column to the well and back again. – Edward Everett Hale

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The Constitutional Convention

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

     The people of Omaha are preparing to send delegates to a constitutional convention, in Lincoln, to remould the constitution. From all indications these places are about to go begging. They are not sough, either by the business or professional men, and the professional politician does not want the place because he is usually too poor to afford the dainty plum.

     Delegates will receive $1,000 for their services, whether they last a day or a year. It is not believed the work can be done inside several months at the best. The body will have no legislative powers, which means that it cannot increase its own emoluments. For that reason, if for no other, there has been a lack of candidates for these places.

     The new constitution will have many provisions for the government of metropolitan cities. Nebraska has but one metropolitan city and that is Omaha. Which makes it mandatory on our best citizens to take an active interest in the making of this new constitution. Omaha has for several decades asked our legislature to make home rule possible for us. If this new constitution is rightly moulded it will give Omaha home rule and will also furnish much new legislation on which a city of our proportions will be abale to do business without going to the legislature every time we want to spend a few extra nickles.

     Naturally, some restrictive provisions will also be in that new code. Omaha should look well to its interests in order to see that we are given such liberty of action in the future as will not stop our natural growth and progress. Several candidates are now out with their petitions. Some of them measure up to the proper standard; some of them will not. Our people should give some study to this important matter, in order that they may vote intelligently and without party interest when these men offer themselves for places on this delegation.

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Street Car Men Will Not Strike

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

     Omaha street car employes have presented a proposed new schedule of hours and wages which they will ask the street car company to consider. They ask for additional pay, different schedule of hours, and time and a half for more than ten hours’ work.

     These suggestions are included in what the men present as their conception of better working conditions. Seniority of service is also one of the demands. There seems to be some difference of opinion among the men themselves with respect to this particular clause of the proposed agreement. Some of the five-year men contend that they are more competent to occupy more important positions than many of the older men in the employ of the company, because of their youth.

     There will be no strike at this time, it is stated. In fact, the men say the strike will be their last resort. Ben Short, president of the union, is in the city and is said to have outlined the campaign the men will carry out in their effort to secure their demands. Although no official of the street car company would speak authoritatively, it is said that these new demands were not a surprise to them.

     The street car company, it is said, is now awaiting word as to whether it will be permitted to increase fares to the public. One man, who usually keeps in touch with street car matters, indicated that an additional raise in wages would be an utter impossibility unless the expense was passed on the public by means of an increased fare.

     By those best informed, it is believed the company will initiate a seven-cent fare ust as soon as it is permitted to do so. This additional income, it is said, would make treating with employes a much simpler matter than it is at present.

     It might be no hard matter to adjust working conditions, outside of the wage question, it is stated, but until the company is empowered to increase fares an increased wage would send it into the hands of receivers.

     For the street car men the wage question also resolves itself into an economic conditions of actual existence. Omaha is one of the few western cities where these conditions exist. Everything in the operation and maintenance of street car systems has increased in price, with no additional income to meet that increase. That fact has reverted back on the men in some degree.

     The demands made by the men at this time cover a much wider range than any similar schedule ever proposed by them. It is said to be in keeping with a general disposition of labor to increase its scope of activities in economics all along the line. The demands of the men will be considered by the board of directors at an early meeting, it is stated.

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Merchants Fall Market Week September 8-11

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

When the merchants of Omaha’s trade territory visit Omaha, September 8 to 11, they will find that the market week committee has planned the biggest and best entertainment program ever for them. Aerial maneuvers, new thrills and unusual stunts are included in the program. Theer will be four full days of entertainment instead of three as heretofore.

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General O’Ryan’s Constellation

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

It is not often that a military commander perpetrates a pun, observes Outlook. A veritable pun, however, has been imprinted on the helmets and motortrucks of the American Twenty-seventh division. A recent number of the Gas Attack shows a device in which a number of stars are so arranged as to correspond with the constellation Orion. Now, as every one knows, the gallant and efficient commander of that division is General O’Ryan. The idea is clever, and perhaps a bit humorous. Certainly General O’Ryan has proved himself a military star, and the Twenty-seventh division in its capture of Mont Kemmel and its thrust through the Hindenburg line south of Cambrai is truly entitled to be considered some constellation.

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Political Speeches From Pulpits Unpopular With Many Churches

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

“Sermon” of Elmer Thomas Subject for Unfavorable Comment by Many Members of Leading Christian Churches of Omaha; Some Say ‘Tis Prostitution of Christianity.

The action of Elmer Thomas, former attorney and at present hired assistant to J. Dean Ringer, police superintendent, in appearing in an Omaha pulpit to talk politics and not religion, is being very generally condemned by a number of Omahans connected with leading city churches. Last Sunday night Thomas appeared in the pulpit of an Omaha church and preached politics, but said naught about religion.

Thomas’ chief assertion, in effect, was that he should be retained in his present $300 position. By many it was taken as an indictment against himself and an admission that he could not make a legitimate living in his own profession as an attorney.

Let it be known that the churches of Omaha are not political organizations. They are constructed and maintained purely as religious institutions, for which reason they are not even required to pay taxes on their millions of dollars worth of real and personal property. Mr. Thomas last Sunday night had the audacity to occupy a Christian pulpit and proclaim himself and associates the political emancipators of Omaha and other divisions of the world.

It will require a wide stretch of imagination for any sane person to consider this sort of thing as a dignified act on behalf of the church. Mr. Thomas appeared in one of the small churches. It is hardly to be believed that any great number of respectable Christian  edifices of the city would lend their pulpits for such a purpose. It is quite doubtful, in fact an absolutely safe guess, that Mayor Smith’s church would not permit Mr. Thomas to deliver a political address from its pulpit on Sunday night, even under the guise of it being a Christian address from a layman.

As a general proposition church people will resent this sort of thing. All evangelical and Catholic churches are made up of men and women of various shades of political opinion. They construct fine edifices  for the purpose of educating the people in Christian ways. They all abhor party politics, and especially object to politics being preached from their pulpits.

Just how “Attorney” Thomas managed to get into this Christian pulpit and preach a “sermon” in aid of his $300 a month job has not been made clear. It is fair to that church, however, to say that most of its leading members are not in sympathy with the Thomas and Ringer system. Within the last week or two their duplicity has been brought to the attention of the Omaha people and this attempt to coerce the church  organizations of Omaha to join in a movement to foster a degenerate bunch of political gangsters will naturally be an abject failure.

There is absolutely no excuse for permitting men of the stripe of Ringer and Thomas to prostitute the church of Jesus Christ with a view to saving these men from the necessity of having to earn an honest living.

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Free Attraction At Krug Park For Coming Week Is Sensational

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

One of the most artistic, astonishing and awe-inspiring novelty acts is scheduled for the big free attraction at Krug park next week, beginning Sunday afternoon.

Aronty Bros., the dare devils of the high double perch, will make their first appearance in the west and will perform their wonderful feats of balancing, the like of which are unprecedented in history.

The regular amusements, dancing, rides and thrills at the park are gaining in popularity daily, if such a thing is possible and every day the big, pure water bathing pool with its beach of clean white sand is taxed to almost capacity.

The mornings from 8 to 12, except Saturdays and Sundays are reserved exclusively for women and children, with free admission to park and beach, and hundreds are enjoying the comforts and conveniences of this new bathing beach every morning.

Many clubs have been organized and every morning one can see large groups wending their way to this veritable fountain of youth.

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Raapke Motorcar Co. Build New Quarters

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

Sales Agents for Auburn Cars Will Occupy Twenty-fourth and Harney Corner.

The Raapke Motorcar company, agents for the Auburn cars, will soon move into new quarters at Twenty-fourth and Harney streets, where they will occupy two large show rooms in a building now being constructed. Their present sales room and equipment department at Twenty-third and Harney streets has been quite outgrown and the new location will furnish them the opportunity for enlarging which they have so long desired.

The Auburn car is one of the leaders in high-class automobiles. During the present season Mr. Raapke reports a demand larger than he is able to fill. Many are reported on the waiting list.

In the new location the Raapke company will also have the agency for the Dort, another standard car. They will have entrances on both Harney and Twenty-fourth streets.

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Empress Attractions

The Mediator

Omaha, Nebraska, July 25, 1919

     Manager LeMarquand of the Empress theater is offering his patrons a big time vaudeville bill this week, headed by Markette’s Manikins, conceded to be the most elaborate and greatest comedy production in vaudeville. Mr. Markette makes a specialty of featuring animated figures of the famous newspaper cartoon characters such as “Mutt and Jeff,” “Abe Kabibble, “Bringing Up Father,” “Happy Hooligan,” and others. The miniature show given by the puppets is said to excel in spirit and pep many a performance of real human stars. A vaudeville performance is presented by these grotesquely costumed mechanical actors, while dances more fantastic than Gertrude Hoffman ever dreamed of are staged in a cute way, with juggling, acrobatic stunts and other specialties.

[In the interest of full disclosure: Due to language that is overly offensive to modern sensibilities, this paragraph has been omitted from this blog entry by request of the staff at the Douglas County Historical Society.]

     Louis London, a splendid singer, a clever story teller, and pleasing entertainer, has a real vaudeville number.

     Mareena, Nevar and Mareena are a trio of athletes whose hand balancing stunts are unquestionably the limit of this brand of gymnastics. Comedy is introduced that helps efface the many sensational stunts that would otherwise startle one.

     The photoplay attraction for the first half of the week will be “In His Brother’s Place,” featuring Hale Hamilton. The play tells of twin brothers, who though alike in features are the absolute antithesis of each other in their ideas of life.

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