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Editorial

Josiah Gillespie Diary

The Josiah B. Gillespie family of six moved by wagon and horseback from their home at Coxville, near Chadron, Nebraska, to westcentral Oklahoma in 1899. Gillespie, fortynine years of age, a horse fancier and winner of the Chadron-Chicago horse race of 1893, also drove a herd of more than fifty horses to Oklahoma. His reasons for leaving Nebraska are not clear, although poor business conditions were probably to blame. Gillespie's wife, Anna, kept a journal during the fifty-day trip from Nebraska through Kansas to Oklahoma that illustrated the difficulties of travel under such conditions.

Combating Coronavirus Update

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It is clear coronavirus presents a major threat to the health of the most vulnerable among us, and Americans are rightfully taking steps to protect themselves, their families, friends, and neighbors from transmission. In addition, federal, state, and local governments have taken measures to fight against the spread of this virus, provide care for those infected, and maintain economic security. It is important for all of us to take this seriously, and to remain calm.

Campaigning In 1897

Nebraska's statewide political conventions in 1897 were complex and colorful. The traditional Republican and Democratic parties were each divided into gold and silver factions. In addition, members of the Prohibition Party and the People's Independent Party held their own conventions. Delegates to the conventions were to select candidates for a Nebraska Supreme Court justice and two regents for the state university. All three offices, with 1898-1904 terms, were then filled by election on a partisan ballot in odd-numbered years.

Nebraska And The Census

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Every ten years, our government is required by our Constitution to conduct a census of our population. This year, from March 12-20, the United States Census Bureau will send out census forms and instruction to every household in the United States. Although the form may be an inconvenience, it is of the utmost importance to our political process.

Beauty In England

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‘We notice in Mondays issue the arrival, by the Cunard steamer Abyssinia, of a cow fed upon the prairies of Nebraska (U.S.), and of an antelope from the same State,’ said the Daily Post of Uverpool, England. “The antelope a female, is an exceedingly beautiful animal, and, we are given to understand, has been brought up as a pet. It is to be sent to Wrington Park, near Bristol, to become a member of the deer park of that place.”

Fighting Coronavirus Together

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This week the Ways and Means Committee held our annual hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. He discussed the administration’s current work on health care, the administration’s efforts for combating coronavirus, and answered questions we had on both subjects.

Truck Tour For Farmers:

The automobile and truck have had a profound effect upon agriculture and farm life. Since their appearance on American farms between 1913 and 1920, trucks have changed patterns of production and marketing of farm products. They deliver such items as fertilizer, feed, and fuels; go into the fields as part of the harvest equipment; and haul the crops to market.

Flashbacks:

March 1960

Second Territorial Capitol

The second territorial capitol building was erected in Omaha in 1857-58 at a cost of about $130,000. Situated on what came to be called Capitol Hill, it continued to serve as the seat of territorial government until the removal of the capital to Lincoln in 1867. The Omaha Nebraskian on October 3, 1855, said: "Through the politeness of Wm. Rumbold, the gentlemanly and accomplished architect by whom the plan was designed and who is now in this city superintending the work, we are enabled to give our readers a more perfect description of the building than has yet been published.”

Protecting The Right To Bear Arms

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The United States Constitution guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. The first sentence of Article I of the Nebraska Constitution reasserts this right: “The right to keep and bear arms for security or defense of self, family, home, and others, and for lawful common defense, hunting, recreational use, and all other lawful purposes...shall not be denied or infringed by the state or any subdivision thereof.”