Demure a,
BY P. GRAY MEEK.
= Ink Slings. a
—Active springs invariably make
streams leave their beds.
—That old guerilla STEVE ELKINS
is to be sent to the Senate from West |
Virginia. |
—A cleaner, better, more satisfactory
government of the Commonwealth has
never been known than that of the past
four years.
—The Democrats of Philadelphia
have gotten together again, but it won’t
be long until some of the ‘Pennsylva-
nia Democracy” sore heads will be yell-
ing, “break away!”
—Every one is subject to periodical
spells of ‘“thedumps,” but there is no
good reason why people thus afflicted
should spill their ill humor over every
one who comes within reach.
Boise PENROSE, QUAY’s candidate
for mayor of Philadelphia, was turned
down in the convention on Wednesday
and WARWICK was selected to lead the
shattered hosts of Philadelphia Repub-
licanism. >
—General Coxey, with his entire
family, little LecAL TENDER COXEY
and all, has taken up his residence in
Philadelphia. Will New York look
with envy on this acquisition of the
Quaker city.
—Noon Tuesday saw the last of the
come-to-be famous Governor WAITE,
of Colorado. He stepped out and his
successor Governor McIntyre was sworn
in. Most of the people swore WAITE
out some time ago.
—The combination of foreign powers
to discriminate against the importation
of American products, of Agriculture
especially, is growing. If it keeps on it
won’t be long until we will not have
any foreign markets at all.
—A bill to prevent the collection of
bar accounts was introduced in the Col-
orado Legislature on Tuesday. What
a lot of head the father of that measure
had. Why he'll simply become an
idol for the rest of his colleagues.
—Only a short time until Bellefonte
people will be called upon to elect new
men to councils. The experience of the
past year has cost too much for the tax-
payers to neglect seeing to it that the
right men are placed in nomination.
—Tuesday was JACKsON’s day and
Democratic organizations everywhere
observed it in a fitting way. If old
ANDY could only have sent back one or
two of his vertebrae for the spreads
what a stiffening up the party would
have experienced.
--The French people are not slow to
punish traitors in their service. The
arrest, public degradation and imprison-
ment for life of the young German, cap-
tain Dreyfus, for selling important war
office documents to foreign powers,
leaves no room to doubt the conception
France has of a traitor’s crime.
—Pittsburg and Allegheny cities
have each been bequeathed a condemn-
ed cannon by the government. Just
what use they intend making of the
crippled ordnance is not altogether
known, but certain it is that as b. omers
they will be failures, though there
would be little trouble in blowing things
up with them.
--The New York World suggests
that inasmuch as Col, BRECKINRIDGE'S
lecture tour is a failure he should ‘‘eat
forty quail in forty days.” In the first
place WILLIE’S bank account isn’t so
plethoric as to stand such a diet and
secondly his taste has been better culti-
vated for “chippies” than quail.
—The Hottentot women, when they
are about to get married, follow the
custom of cutting off one of their fingers
and presenting it to their prospective
husband as a wedding gift. Some
American brides to be, might promote
future happiness by following this cus-
town except that they should substitute
the tongue for the finger.
—The fact that Senator HILL recent-
ly dined with President CLEVELAND
has set Washington political society
agog with curiosity as to what it meant.
Some say they buried the hatchet, but
if this is true, we think they both could
have done it to far better effect if the
obsequies had been early last fall, when
the ground wasn’t frozen so hard and
that November chill hadn’t numbed the
senses of good Democrats.
— What good sense the Democratic
House caucus displayed at ‘Washington
on Monday by adopting the resolution
offered favoring the CARLISLE currency
bill. Possibly it doesn’t suit everyone's
taste but it is a Democratic raeasure and
the sooner it becomes a law the better.
If our party would only reaiize that in
our present condition it will be far
more disastrous to do nothing than to
pass most any measure that comes up, it
would be better for it and the country
at large. This idea that every bill that
is introduced into Congress must needs
be distorted until the original is not re-
cognizable only obtains as far a3 Demo-
crats are concerned.
4X LB
alma
“VOL. 40
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
BELLEFONTE, PA., JAN. 11, 1895.
2
2
et
v4
Proportional Representation.
Unequal legislative representation is
certainly a great defect in a popular
government, and it is an evil which in
recent years has attained an alarming
development through unfair partisan
apportionment. If it is not corrected
it will swamp the object of representa.
tive government, as it has already
made a burlesque of it to a considera-
ble extent. In Pennsylvania, for ex-
ample, it is positively a broad farce.
As a means of correction propor-
tional representation is proposed.
This is not a new idea, the plan of
representation being based on the pro-
portional strength of existing political
parties. It is said to work well in the
republic of Switzerland. The princi-
ple upon which it operates is the di-
vision of representation in a legislative
body among political parties in pro-
portion to the number of their voters.
Thus, if in Pennsylvania there should
be 1,000,000 votes cast at an election
for Representatives in the State Legis-
lature, of which 500,000 were Republi-
can, 300,000 Democratic, 100,000
Populist and 100,000 Prohibition, the
Republicans woald be entitled to one-
half of the members of the Legislature,
the Democrats to three-tenths, and the
Populists and Prohibitionists each to
one-tenth.
This would certainly secure equal
representation. It would give minori-
ties a chance, but what would really
be its practical effect in legislation ?
There is reason to believe that it would
rather retard than promote the objects
which legislative action is designed to
attain, These minorities would be
pretty sure to be found impeding legis-
lative work. Unable to carry out any
measures of their own, the tendency
with them would be to combine and
frustrate the measures of the party
upon which, on account of its numeri-
cal superiority, the duty and responsi-
bility of legislation should rest.
When thereis.not a positive party
majority, a plurality in a Legislature is
the only power from which definite
work can be expected. A combina-
tion of minorities may prevent the ac-
tion of a plurality, bat such a combi-
nation is too incoherent to carry out a
distinet policy, and too indefinite to be
held responsible for results. The ends
of legislation are best effected when
the party having the most votes in a
legislative body, though not a majori-
ty, is free to control its action and is
held responsible for it. The people
then know whom to call to account
for deficiency.
That the object of popular represen-
tation is greatly impaired by unequal
apportionment is an evident fact and
a grave political offense ; but we can-
not see that the project of proportional
representation, as it is called, will fur-
nish a remedy that will not do more
harm than good. The discontinuance
of unfair partisan apportionment as
practiced in gerrymandering will effect
a far greater reform than any new
fangled plan of representation.
The constitution of every State
contemplates such a division of
the State iuto representative districts
as will secure the tairest possible aver-
age representation of the political sen-
timent of the people. In the case of
Pennsylvania the persistent ignoring
of this intention of the constitution by
the Republicans has made the appor-
tionmeut of the congressional and leg-
islative districts a mockery of popular
representation. Apportion the dis-
tricts as the constitution designs them
to be and this evil will be corrected.
——The attendance of Senator HiLL
at a State dinner at the White House,
as the invited guest of President
CLEVELAND, has been the subject of
much gossip and speculation among
the politicians. To them it seemed al
most impossible that these two an-
tagonizing political personages, should
do anythingthat looked like burying the
hatchet. But should not the hatchet
have been buried long ago? When it
is ceen that Democratic measures of
the highest importance are being sacri-
ficed because the big Indians of the
party are brandishing that weapon
against each other, itis high time in
deed that it be put under the ground.
The Democratic chiefs, who have been
warring in their own tribe, should get
together in friendly council and smoke
the pipe of peace.
Its Work Will be Limited.
The leaders who manage the Penn-
sylvania Legislature are not going to
allow much legislation during the
coming session. It is reported that
they are disposed to make the session
as short as possible, limiting the work
to such matters as may be of political
advantage to the party.
There are many subjects upon
which the Legislature could act
profliably for the people, for example,
the equalization of taxes, the re-
straint of corporate privilege, the equi-
table treatment of labor in the matter
of wages, and the enforcement of ne-
glected provisions of the constitution ;
but in none of these can 1t be expected
that the managers take any interest.
They have not heretofore interested
themselves in that direction, and it is
not to be imagined that they now will,
since their previous neglect of such
subjects has received the endorsement
of a vast popular majority.
If any legislaticn for the public in-
terest is introduced it will be with no
intention of carrying it through. It
will be pretty sure to be hung up.
Appropriations will of course be made,
for a Republican Legislature is great
on appropriations. Apportionment
bills of an intensely partisan character
may be expected. Legislation asked
for by Philadelphia politicians, pro-
motive of ring interests, will be at-
tended to. There may be some labor
bills passed, so constructed that they
may be evaded, and there may be
some abortive tinkering with the sub-
ject of taxation ; but those who look
for this Legislature to do much for the
substantial interest of the people are
going to be disappointed. A Republi-
can Legislature doesn’t get together
for such a purpose. It has other fish
to fry.
SS
The pressure of the office seek-
(ers on the new State administration
| surpasses anything ever before known
"in the political annals of this old com-
monwealth, Hastings was beset from
| the very moment the last ballot was
. counted on the night of the election,
and Harrisburg hardly afforded room
for the applicants who were after the
offices in the gift ot the State Legisla-
tare. There not being enough places
, to meet the demand, it is proposed to
| make new ones, and for that object
| there is a proposition to create two or
| three additional departments in the
State government. More departments
may not be needed, buat there is no
question that the unusual demand
| makes it necessary for the Republican
| politicians to have a new supply of of-
fices. The “grand old party” is not
the one to shirk the necessities of such
an emergency.
The First to Be Caught.
Republican organs speak of the re-
sult of the LeExow investigation as an
exposure of corrupt Democratic mu-
nicipal rule in New York city. Their
object is to make partisan capital out
of it, but this intention encounters an
obstacle in the fact that the first police
commissioner exposed by the commit-
tee was a Republican, and that a ma-
jority of that class ot officers who were
shown to have been smirched were of
the same party. These organs are
confronted by the further fact that the
first police captain to be convicted and
sentenced to the penitentiary for mis-
deeds exposed by the committee is a
Republican,
When the inwardness of the munici-
pal corruptions in New York is
reached a large Republican element
is found participating in it. Develop-
ments show that Republican partici
pants were in collusion with Demo-
cratic bosses in sharing the plunder.
Pratt had his representatives in the
police force and it happenedjthat some
of them were the first to be hauled in
by the Lexow drag net.
Dr. PARKHURST appreciates the fact
that the work of municipal reform in
New York city bas its chief obstacle
in boss Prarr. The boss counted on
taking the place of TaMMANY in run-
ning the municipal government, inter-
preting the result of the election as
merely changing the machine mana-
gers, aud because PARKHURST objects
to that kind of municipal reform the
boss charges him with having a
swelled head. Prarr wants honest
city government in New York about
as much as Quay wants it ic Phila-
delphia,
| Laws Made Purposely Ineffective.
Both Governor ParrisoN, in his mes:
| sage, and Attorney General HeNsEL, in
| his report, refers to the fact that the
| law against “pluck-me” stores is not
| enforced, There has been an appear-
| ance of legislation against this extor-
| tion, but there are no results. The
| company store goes on as usual oppres-
| sing the workingmen.
The fact is that the laws prohibiting
company stores and requiring semi:
monthly wage-payments were passed
with no intention that they should be
effective. It was with great reluc-
tance that the Republican Legislature
of this State brought itself to legislate
upon these subjects. Always prompt
in passing laws demanded by corpora
tious, and the obedient servant of capi-
tal, it displayed no zeal for the protec-
tion of the wage-earner, and when
forced at last unwillingly to legislate
against the company store and for the
payment of wages semi-monthly, it
ingeniously contrived to make those
acts inoperative. If the poor op-
pressed workman is required to bring
suit for the violation of these laws, is
it likely that he will do it at the risk
of losing his job, poor as it is? It was
thus that a Republican Legislature,
working in the interest of the oppres-
sor, made this supposed relief to the op-
pressed a sham and a delusion.
The requirement of the workingman
to be the prosecutor is the defect that
was intended to make these laws inef-
fective. Besides no provision is made
to prevent a company store from being
run by another party in collusion with
the company, the robbery being mere-
ly disguised.
The “pluck-me’” stores and the
semi-moathly payment of wages were
issues in the last Siate campaign.
They were presented by the only party
from which the working people can
expect relief in those subjects. But
(rom the vast Republican majority it
appeared that the working people took
no interest in those issues, so pertinent
to their own welfare, and preferred be-
ing humbugged by tariff illusions, and
misled by the Republican calamity
howl. For the next four years they
will have a Governor whose associa-
tion with the employing interest in the
coal business will hardly stimulate his
zeal for measures that would protect
the laborer against the cupidity of the
employer, and a Legislature more
thoroughly Republican than it ever
was, cannot be expected to be less def-
erential than it has heretofore been to
the interest of capitalists and corpora-
tions as against the people who work
for their living.
Statistics About Strikes.
There is is nothing equal to statis-
tics in establishing facts. Governor
PaTrIsoN, in his last message, resorted
to them as a means of proving the fu-
tility of strikes, employing figures to
show that such movements, as a rule,
are useless as well as injurious.
To show how unprofitable labor
strikes usually are, and how particu-
larly disadvantageous to those who di-
rect them, he needed but to refer to
the statistics of the department of In-
ternal Affairs by which it appears that
in the fifty-three strikes, which oc-
curred in this State in 1893, the loss of
wages incurred by the striking em-
ployees amounted to $1,395,423.75,
while the estimated loss of the em-
ployees was but $131,650.
By this comparison it is easily seen
which of the antagonizing parties re-
ceived most of the punishment. In
these cases the instances were very
rare io which this loss was made good
by the subsequent increase of wages.
It was almost invariably the case that
work was resumed with no advance in
the pay of the workmen. Nothing in
the final result compensated the strik-
ers for the privation and suffering they
had to endure.
This is the lesson usually taught by
strikes, and it is remarkable that it
has not led to a less costly and harm-
ful method of harmonizing the wage
question between workingmen and
their employera.
--Why 18 it that neither Clearfield,
Clinton nor Centre county, all Demo-
cratic districts which have Republican
Legislators at Harrisburg, have received
any of the many plums handed out
there by the Republicans on Tuesday.
The Action on the Currency Bill.
From the Philadelphia Times.
The caucus of Democratic Represen-
tatives at Washington decided, by a
very significant vote, that it will not be
the fault of the majority in the House
it the pending currency bill fail of en-
actment.
The Crisp resolution was opposed by
some who, liked Bland, want tree sil-
ver coinage as the only panacea for the
monetary evils now affecting the busi-
ness of the country, and by others who,
like Bourke Cockran, believe the Car-
ligle bill to provide inadequate security
for the banking currency. The majori-
ty of the House Democrats, however,
accepted the view advanced by Mr.
Springer, who has the bill in charge,
which was that the bill came as near
to average Democratic sentiment on
the currency question as it was possi-
ble to get.
This was the sensible view undoubt-
edly and it may be presumed that the
caucus having adopted it by a decisive
majority the house will coincide and
pass the bill within the present week.
It can fail only by a union of the Re-
publican with the silver advocates.
If the bill pass the House, there will
be ample time for tne Senate to concur
before the close of the session, provid-
ed a few Senators do not set out to
talk the bill to death. Unfortunately
the Senate contains plenty of members
with the will to do the talking and a
plentiful command of the necessary
language, and is provided with no rule
to shut off the chronic talkers. The
early passage of the bill through the
House, therefore, will afford no guar-
antee that it will become a law.
A Better Dressed People.
From the Easton Argus.
On January 1 the wool schedule of
the new tariff bill went into eftect. On
the following day heavy withdrawals
from the custom houses began and the
poor can expect to reap the benefits of
the reduction in the price of woolen
goods so necessary to their well being.
While the price of manufactured wool-
en goods must necessary come down it
does not follow that any ill effects to
American manufacturers need result
by reason of foreign competition. Raw
wool has been put on the free list. The
manufacturer is able to buy his raw
material cheaper and can sell the
manufactured article at lower price
without any reduction in his margin of,
profits.
Free raw material will do much more
for the American manufacturer. By
setting free raw wool, he is able to
compete with woolen manutacturers
outside of the United States. It does
not take a remarkable degree of fore-
sight to tell where the change in the
wool schedule of the new tariff act will
place American woolen mills, and the
great good done by lowering the price
of woolen goods to the poor consumer
will soon become evident. !
How to Make Better Times.
From the Easton Sentinel.
Everybody would be pleased if the
times were better, . that is if business
were booming, work were plenty and
bills easy to collect. It can be done,
easily. The way to begin is for every
one who has any cash to use the same
in paying -his or her debts, Just as
soon as business men are able to collect
what is due them they will take heart
and increase their purchases. This
necessitates the employment by the
producer of more hands. These in
turn then carry their earnings back to
the merchant, the grocer, the shoe
dealer, the milliner, and all others 1n
trade. Even the printers get their
share. You must see how important,
then, it is to pay what you owe. The
plan is easily carried out. No one can
lose thereby. Try it, and it it don’t
prove what we promise never believe
another word you see in the Sentinel.
What Democracy Is Doing.
From the New York Mercury.
The announcement that the largest
steel rail works in the country will
shortly be established at Alexandria,
Ind., must be disheartening news to the
professional calamity howlers whose pet
hobby is incessant denunciation of the
new tariff.
Another announcement of similar.
character is to the effect that the plant
of the Depauw plate glass works, which
hag been idle for several years, may pos-
sibly be removed from New Albany,
Ind., to Alexandria, and work resumed
upon a large scale. This concern was
at one time the most extensive in this
county. Its founder was originally a
Democrat and one of the most promi.
nent and active in southern Indiana:
A Strong Report Buta Bad Idea.
From the Pittsburg Post
Referring to the report of the post-
master general. “Harper's Weekly"
says its discussion of the spoils system
makes it *‘the strongest civil service
tract that has ever been issued from
any department of the government,”
Postinaster General Bissel believes
every officer and employe of the postal
service, big and little, should be under
the civil service rules, and has a plan
for appointing fourth class postmasters,
ot which there are about 70,000 in this
way.
Spawls from the Keystone,
—Wednesday’s cold wave saved many
floods in the State.
—Master Housepainters and Decorators
are in convention at Allentown.
—Pittsburg Capitalists have in contem-
plation the erection of a $100,000 hotel in
Erie.
—Governor Pattison and family will va=-
cate the Executive Mansion on Mon-
day.
—The South Central Homeopathic Medi«
cal Association is in convention at Har.
risburg.
— York horse thieves, Henry Humerand
Charles Smith, have been arrested at Bal-
timore.
—The Dubsites have bought up all the
Esherite Evangelical churches in and
near Williamsport.
—A Lehigh Valley locomotive jumped
the track at Tunkhannock Sunday and
blocked traffic for five hours.
, —Congressman-elect William C. Arnold
is suffering from physical and mental
prostration at his home in Dubois.
—Reading clergymen opposed the publi-
cation of marriage licenses, on the
ground that it injures their business.
—Norristown Masons have offered $18,-
000 for the James Hooven mansion to
erect a Masonic temple in that place.
—President E. P. Wilbur, of the Lehigh
Valley Railroad, is confined to his home
in South Bethlehem with a sprained
ankle.
~—Mrs. David Weaver, after an illness of
one year from consumption, died Satur.
day evening at her home in Tyrone, aged
22 years.
John Harley has sued the borough of
Mahanoy City for $10,000 damages because
his wife fell and was badly injured on an
uneven sidewalk.
—Charged with conducting an illicit
distillery in the mountains near Hobbie
Luzerne county, George Hess was lodged
in jail at Hazleton.
Harrisburgers have a pure-water plan
for that city. With a loan of about $200,-
000, they say they can filter all the culm
and dirt out of the water.
—~Cashier Edmund 8. Doty, of the First
National bank at Bedford, was married to
Miss Etta M., daughter of the late Hon.
John Cessna, a few days ago.
—Professor John B. Denver, of the Uni«
versity of Pennsylvania, addressed the
Schuylkill Medical Society at its annual
meeting in Pottsville Tuesday.
—Police Sergeant E. M. Quackenbos
was fined at Reading for arresting as a
corner-loafer Keim Stauffer, 2 Yale stu.
dent, who refused to ‘‘move on.”
—A Bradford man has quit chewing to-
bacco simply because on biting into a
plug the other day he found on examina.
tion a portion of a human finger.
—The Johnstown police officials are
making a crusade against the disreputa
ble houses in that city. A number ofars
rests have been made within the past few
days.
—James R. Patton, who was associated
with the history of Hollidaysburg for
more thanseventy years, died at his home
in that place Monday morning at the ad.
vanced age of 85 years.
—PRittsburg Councils will, on Monday
next, authorize the issue of $4,000,000 in
city bonds, instead of only the $1,500,000
involved in the Supreme Court decision
legalizing such an issue.
—Rev. H. F. Fischer, of Easton, dis-
| tinguished himself Saturday night by
fighting his way through smoke and
flames in a burning dwelling and putting
out the fire with an extinguisher before
the firemen arrived.
— Wim. H. Miller, of Tyrone, and J. M,
Bolinger, brakeman, were severely
burned about the head and neck Saturday
night between Longfellow and McVey-
town, by the bursting of the lubricator
bottle of the engine.
—Joseph Boyer, aged 82 years, whose
home was at Huntingdon, where he has
resided for 59 years, died on Saturday at
the residence of his daughter, Mrs, Eliza.
beth Deeker, Tyrone, with whom he had
been spending a couple weeks.
—Snow slides along the Philadelphia
and Erie railroad caused considerable de.
lay to trains the fore part of the week at
Williamsport. Near Farrandsville a
freight was caught between two slides.
Another slide almost buried several cars,
—Lewis J. Hanold probably one of the
oldest bank officials in the state, died, in
Reading, Wednesday, evening, aged
about 80 years He had been connected
with the Farmers’ National bank for a
period of forty-five years and was teller
for many years.
—Relatives of missing Cyclist Frank C
Lenz, of Pittsburg, who started out some
months ago to repeat the feat of Messrs.
Sachtleben and Allen, of Alton, Iil., of
wheeling around the world, have asked
Mr. Sachtleben to go over the course
again in the hope of finding Lenz,
—The company store of the Bell. Lewis
& Yates company at DuBois was burned
to the ground early yesterday morning.
The loss is $40.000, covered by insurance:
General Manager Breck and Clerk Evans,
who slept on the second floor, escaped in
their night clothing, saved nothing. The
fire is thought to be of an incendiary
origin.
—Hon. J. D. Hicks says the public build-
ing for Altoona is almost an assured
thing during the present session of Con.
gress. The bill provides for an appro pri.
ation for $100,000 and has an early place on
the calendar. Altoona people are begin.
ning to think about looking up a location
for the new building.
—Charles Buchanan, a freight conduc.
tor on the Huntingdon and Broad Top
division of the Pennsylvania railroad
slipped on the icy step of a car on Sunday
falling between two cars of a fast moving
train. The wheels passed over him sev"
ering both legs, one cut off above and one
below the knee, thus fatally wounding
the unfortunate man. .
—Thomas Albert, a member of com.
pany C, Sixteenth regiment, National
Guard of Pennsylvama, was found Wed.
nesday morning near the rifle range on
Bennett brook with a bullet in his heart
It is not known whether it was an acci.
dent or not. Albert was one of the best
marksmen in the National Guard and had
a reputation throughout the state: