I can truthfully say it is a pleasure for me to be with you here tonight; for, although as yet I have not completed my first year's residence within your gates, I have learned to respect the Commercial Club of Omaha as a body of earnest men, who are quietly, but none the less powerfully, exerting a potent influence for good in all that pertains to the welfare and upbuilding of this marvelous young city, which I am now proud to call my home; and the best interests of which I am sure are dear to the heart of every member of this club; not only because there is contained within its limits, no doubt, the greater part of your worldly goods, but for the much stronger and deeper reason, that there is a something located here, which, after all, is more precious to you than land or gold, namely, your homes.

And, in this connection, perhaps I may be pardoned for paying a passing tribute to the homes of America, which are, beyond all doubt, its most valuable safeguards. In them are taught the beautiful lessons of love, of loyalty, and of self-denial; while from them stream forth those pure and healthful in

fluences which purge our beloved Republic of its most dangerous elements. So long as this Nation is fortified by true American homes, so long will socialism and anarchy, and those other baleful influences which come to us from across the water, and which found expression only last Sunday in Barcelona, when a bomb was thrown into the midst of innocent men, women and children kneeling in prayer, so long, I say, will these dreadful influences beat against our Government in vain. They will spend their force as the foamcrested wave against the rock-bound coast.

I have said that one of the most valuable lessons to be learned in the American home is that of loyalty, than which there is no higher or nobler attribute of the mind and soul. It was their wealth of loyalty which moved our Revolutionary forefathers, by the sacrifice of their sacred lives, to establish the Republic under which we live; and it was this same heaven inspired feeling, which prompted the heroes of the Rebellion to preserve, protect and defend the Nation, by the shedding of their precious blood.

There is not a gentleman within the sound of my voice, who has the slightest particle of respect for a man who is not loyal to his family and his friends; indeed, such a creature is despised by all mankind. And yet, fellow citizens, in spite of this fact, the good people of Omaha, or at least a considerable

number of them, have to my personal knowledge, for nearly a year, been tolerating a species of disloyalty, but little less to be condemned. I refer to the disloyalty of a not inconsiderable element in your community, to the city in which they live. From this, I do not mean to be understood as saying that, during my residence among you, I have come in contact with any citizen of Omaha who has maliciously sought to do your city harm. Not at all! But I have met many men, yes, and some women, too, I am sorry to say, who, without intending to harm your city, have openly and publicly in my presence, and in the presence of strangers, pointed out every weak spot in your anatomy, or, perhaps more properly speaking, in your autonomy; and have entirely ignored or overlooked your strong points, which are by no means in the minority.

If they are to be believed, your Winters are altogether too cold, and your Summers entirely too warm for the comfort of civilized men; last year, it rained too little; and this year it is raining entirely too much for the good of the city and State, and every one in Omaha is on the verge of bankruptcy. From the women, one can learn that the stocks of goods here are not nearly as large, nor the assortment as great, as in New York and Chicago; that there is absolutely nothing to see or to do here; and that, in fact, a woman

who is unfortunate enough to breathe the air of Omaha merely exists, she does not live; while some of your fair residents, who have been fortunate enough to go abroad, thanks to some lucky investment of their doting husbands or indulgent papas in Omaha real estate, almost weep as they tell you how dreadfully Omaha suffers by comparison with beaux Paris.

Do I overdraw the picture, gentlemen? Perhaps so, but I really think not. At all events, there is certainly room for great reform in this direction; and every citizen of Omaha can do something to bring it about, if he will make it a point to rebuke such disloyal and pessimistic utterances whenever and wherever they may be made. Every resident of this city should be made to understand that much of its future depends upon the repute it bears throughout the Nation; and that this reputation is necessarily influenced, to a great extent, by the expressions of its own people, both at home and abroad.

Confidence is the corner-stone of all substantial growth and progress, and confidence is merely a sincere belief. Establish an abiding conviction, at home and abroad, in the future of your city, and it will be but a short time before that future will be realized.

And so I say tonight, let us all preach the gospel of loyalty; loyalty first, to our family and our friends; next, to our city and our State, and last, but not least, I

hope, to the flag and the Government under which we live.

I am sure you will pardon me for having made thus bold to criticise an element in your community, no part of which, it is unnecessary for me to say, is to be found within the membership of your club; but, as a newcomer, I have been forcibly impressed with the existence of this element in your midst, and, knowing the purposes of this club, I have thought nothing could be lost, and something might be gained, by calling it to your attention.

I am not unaware that the people of this city have had much reason for discouragement; that they have suffered greatly from political, climatic and other causes, and have had many, apparently, insurmountable obstacles to overcome; but surely a city with such a wonderful location, a city so rich in energy and so great in natural resources that she made the greatest comparative growth of any city in the Union, during the last decade, has not entirely lost its momentum, its courage, or its recuperative power.

For one, I am a confident believer in Omaha and its future. Having lived for more than ten years in a sister State, South Dakota, and knowing well how favorably Omaha and her future are regarded by the people of that State, and of the West generally, I have sometimes thought, during my brief residence among