a BY P. GRAY MEEK. Ink Slings. —Now would be a good time to scare up a war with Spain. There are so many men anxious to serve the country. —Great guns! An extra session of Con- gress. Does this mean thatanother billion dollars is to be squandered ? —The powers are still trying to frighten poor little Greece, but from all appearances Greece is not one of the easily frightened kind. —When a’man asks you : ‘How do you do? Do you tell him? No, we carelessly speaking Americans ignore his question en- tirely and shoot the same interrogation back at him. —It is a good thing President MCKIN- LEY doesn’t have any children. Again he gets all those sisters, cousins and aunts ac- commodated in the White House there won’t be room for any more than himself and Mrs. MCKINLEY. —The Daughters of the Revolution are said to be increasing very rapidly. Six* thousand new ones were admitted last last year. All of which goes to show that the Sons will have to get a wiggle on. —A 2501b hog owned by’ CHARLES FISHER, of Huntingdon, fell, head-end, into a barrel of slop, the other day, and was drowned. This positively proves that even a hog can get too much of a good thing. - — President MCKINLEY is starting in to court the favor of the masses. He had not been in office two days until he. was out on the streets of Washington walking among the crowds. Since the days of GRANT no President had done this and it is quite likely that President MCKINLEY is only doing it for a purpose. —It’s coming, it's coming, the timid onion set. It's coming, it’s coming, and will soon be here, you bet. Its St. PAp- RICK’s day sprout will soon come through the ground and then its mighty smell will float forty miles around. —MARK TWAIN has given us a story in which a stubborn Yankee, being hit on the head with a sledge, was knocked clear back into the time of King ARTHUR and his Knights of the Round Table. Next Wednesday JIM CORBETT will use a five | ! ! to consumers at a price that will be in- ounce glove to knock an aspiring Austral- ian silly for a month. — Place hunters in Washington are being confronted with neatly printed placards, that are posted up in most of the depart- ment buildings, announcing that there are no places to be filled, that everything is un- der civil service and any vacancies will be supplied by promotion. Such are calculat- ed to give the workers the marble heart. — Auditor General MYLIN, having just come to the conclusion that Pennsylva- nia is losing money, annually, for want of proper officers to look after delinquent cor- porations and collect the taxes levied on them, it might be well for our readers to * know that one state official has acknowl- edged that there is at least one rat hole about Harrisburg. —Again the Methodist conference, that is to convene at Clearfield next week, patches up the differences between our good Methodist brethren, HASTINGS and SwALLow, and satisfies the neverpleased Methodists of Bellefonte with an utopian hinister there will be hair on the legs of the opera house chairs in that town. —Among some of the most recent legis- lation at Harrisburg has been the ordering of 15,000 pamphlets on the diseases of poultry. Of course these publications will be very interesting to poultry raisers, but from the general impression that is abroad in the State, there are other kinds of birds about Harrisburg that are far more inter- esting to the Legislators. —There are armies of men ready and anxious to serve the people—but for a con- sideration. Some of the fellows who will be turned down for post offices, ete., in Centre county might find balm for their injured political feelings by applying for positions as kid-catchers in their respective school districts. There has been no money voted to pay such officers, but then you know itis office most of them are after, not (?) emoluments. —After everything that he would like to have had has been handed out our own dear Governor announces that there isn’t a fed- eral appointment he would have had. He realizes, no doubt, how easy it would be for an attack of grip to keep him away from Washington and, of course, under such circumstances he could not have been an attentive cabinet officer? No, no, that couldn’t have been his thought, either, for grip comes only in the unsettled spring weather and particularly about March 4th. —Since the inauguration of President McKINLEY the wages of seven thousand workmen have been reduced in the im- mediate vicinity of Pittsburg ; the reduc- tions averaging ten per cent. This looks like prosperity. Nit! It appears to us like the calm before the storm and all you have to do is wait for developments. Mc- KiNLEY has been called the ‘‘advance agent of prosperity’’ but he is too far ahead of his show. It won’t begin a general tour or these United States until March 4th, 1901, and then there will have been anoth- er advance agent billing the country. It won’t be the same old tariff bills that have captivated the people, for they will have been displaced by shining silver posters on which one word, Free! will tell the tale of the chauge and invite the masses to enjoy a new order of things. Demacrr AZ A a'® VOL. 42 * STATE RIGHTS AN D FEDERAL UNION. BELLEFONTE, PA., MARCH 12, 1897. Robbery on Wool. At the instance of the shepherds who combine politics with sheep raising, the DINGLEY tariff committee are going to take wool off the free list and impose a duty that will equal the former MCKIN- LEY-exaction. This is to be done in order that the advantage of a limited class may be promoted, to the great expense of the millions of American citizens who wear woolen clothing. Already the effects of this intended wool tax are being developed. A Boston syndi- cate, acting upon the assurance that a duty will be put on wool, have purchased 45,000 bales of wool abroad, and intend to import 1,000,000 bales of the Australian and South American staple in anticipation of the wool duty which is intended to he 10 cents a pound. With this wool, amount- ing to 500,000,000 pounds, which will be brought in ahead of the tariff and exempt from the 10 cents duty, this speculating syndicate will make a clear gain of $50,- 000,000, an amount of money taken from the pockets of the American people with- out being of the least advantage to the American wool growers. Tariff prices will be charged for the clothing made out of this untariffed wool, and there is where the McKINLEY robbery will get in its work at the very start. This syndicate of wool speculators cal- culate upon supplying the woolen industry for at least a year with the wool they will have imported before the 10 cent duty goes into operation, but the Philadelphia Record says that a prominent mill owner of that city declares that the Boston party will not be able to corner the wool supply as most of the mills, in anticipation of the tariff, have secured ‘‘a one, and in some cases a two years’ supply ahead.” This wool will be worked up into cloth which will be sold creased by the addition of the duty that was not paid. What a bonanza this will be to the wool speculators and manufac- turers, while the shepherds will get none of the spoils, and the American people will be robbed to the amount of millions. Truly may it be said that a McKINLEY tariff is intended chiefly for robbery. Only an Jhject of Ridicule. The pretension of investigating the treasury that is being made in the state Legislature meets with ridicule among those who understand the purpose of the two Republican factions. Nothing is far- ther from their thoughts than to introduce reforms in the treasury that would deprive them of the pickings which the control of the state funds has afforded them. The factions may fall out among themselves, they may threaten each other with expos- ure, they may promise to straighten out the crookedness which they charge each other with having committed, but it will be a colder day than any we have had this winter when they will do any treasury re- forming that will be worth a cent to the tax-payers of the State. The abuses that might be reformed are numerous and obvious, one of the most glaring of which is the vicious practice of allowing certain banking institutions, usu- ally selected on the principle of favoritism, to have the use of surplus state funds with- out paying a cent to the proper quarter for such a profitable privilege. That they have to give something for such an advant- age, is certain, but they don’t give it to the State. State treasurer Haywoop, who has been interrogated in regard to treasury abuses says that, as far as he can ascertain, the State has never lost a dollar from the custom of giving banks the use of state money ; but even if the State has not lost a dollar of the principle by this practice, it has certainly lost thousands of dollars of interest, which would have more justly gone towards paying state expenses than swelling the perquisites of those who manipulate the State funds. This is one of the defective features in the treasury management that calls for re- form but will be reluctantly surrendered by the parties who have made money by it. Those parties are willing to. testify be- fore our investigating committee that there is nothing wrong in allowing favored banks to have the use of public funds without paying interest for it, and that the State loses nothing by it, but the people know better, and demand that the treasury should have the full advantage of every dollar due it, particularly at this time, when a heavy expense will be imposed upon the state by the building of a new capitol. ——A hill for the establishment of a state department of mines is now before the Legislature and will very likely pass. Of course these things come high but we must have them. ——Returns from elections in-Minneso- ta show grand: Democratic gains. Every- thing is'coming our ‘way now and all we want is for it to stay. ———Subscribe for the WATCH MAN. National Bank Circulation. The lower House of Congress, in its re- cent vote on the measure, gave an unusual- ly large majority for the bill authorizing the national banks to issue notes to the full value of the bonds deposited to secure their circulation. This measure is in line with the policy of enlarging the bank issue pre- paratory to the retirement of the govern- ment legal tender notes ; but if the ques tion of retiring the greenbacks had been directly brought into the House it would not have been likely to have had a major- ity in its favor. : That the national bank money has cer- tain good qualities cannot be denied. Their absolute safety is a highly commen- datory quality, there being no possibility of loss to those who hold them, but the means by which this absolute security has been brought about has also been very ex- pensive to the country. The bonds upon which the security of the national bank notes are based have cost the American people a very nice sum in- deed, but have been very profitable to bond holders and hond-dealing syndicates. It is to be hoped that no more will be created to serve as a basis for banking. They cost too much for that purpose and for the gen- eral good of the country. However, since we have the national banks there can be no risk in allowing their circulation to be enlarged to the full limit of the bonds deposited for their se- curity, in view of the fact that there are none of the bonds that are not bringing a premium and besides, an extension of the bank circulation would help to enlarge the volume of the circulating medium, the pre- capita amount of which is too limited. But the bill which went through the House with such a large majority “would have met with great opposition if it had been framed with the object of substituting bank notes for the legal tenders. The de- ficiency in the circulation is more likely to be supplied by more greenbacks and free silver, a policy that awaits the relaxation of the gold bug grip on the currency, which may be looked for in the not distant future. A Plan for the New Capitol. The Governor is said to have a plan of re- construction which designs the erection of a group of buildings instead of a single edi- fice for the new state capitol. The plan seems to be recommended by considerations of convenience and perhaps of economy. and has met the approval of men who may be supposed to have correct judgment in such matters. The erection of but one great structure would require a protracted period for its completion and would afford a greater latitude for jobbery. The new structure designed for legislative purposes could be completed in two years, if the job should not be nursed, but pushed with earnest and honest vigor, and would furnish ac- commodations for the next session of the Legislature which will convene in January, 1899. The use of the other buildings would not be so urgent and more time could be allowed for their completion in order to avoid too heavy an expenditure at one time. The construction of capitol buildings is a matter of great public importance, not only on account of the character of the service for which they are designed, but also for the reason of the expenditure of public money upon them, which may be outrage- ously extravagant or prudently economical. But while the people are opposed to un- reasonable lavishness in the building of such edifices, they don’t want any mean parsimony in their construction. They expect the new state buildings to be suffi- | ciently spacious, and of a style of architec- ture and general appearance that will com- port with the dignity of this great Com- monwealth. ——The road bill now before the state Legislature will more than likely meet with considerable opposition, particularly from the rural districts, but if our country people were to take up the measure and study it everyone of them would see the wisdom in urging its passage. Possibly the bill is not just exactly what is wanted, yet some experimenting must be done along this line, if country districts hope to move out of the rut that has retarded their prog- ress for the past half a century. The measure we have reference to is the one presented by Senator M. L. McCQUOWN, of this district, which was framed by deputy Secretary of Agriculture JOHN HAMILTON. The College township, Centre county, roads are in a splendid condition to-day and sim- ply because Mr. HAMILTON took enough interest in the township to have himself elected a supervisor and then set about in- troducing a new system. It was largely of an experimental nature but has proven so successful that the State could not do bet- ter than follow such a, course. ——Read the best and most reliable news. It will be found in the WATCH- MAN. I Dr. Swallow is Not Much Scared. The following letter, which Dr. S.C. SWALLOW, editor of the Pennsylvania Methodist, has written to Governor Hast- ings shows, very plainly, that he isn’t afraid at least. He is now under arrest for libelling a number of state officials and things will be very serious with him unless he has proof with which to follow up the charges he has made. Every assertion Dr. SWALLOW made is of vital importance to the State and as there has been dissatisfaction for years about the way things are run at Harrisburg it is in the nature of good fortune that they have come to such a head at last. Possibly Dr. SWALLOW’S arrest will prove a blessing in that it will afford an opportunity for a thorough ventilation of the state government, once and for all. It will not be in the nature of those political investigations, which one faction starts up for the purpose of scaring another into a division of the spoils and will be directed solely from the personal conviction of a man reputed for integrity and right doing. He would not have made such charges as he did if he believed them untrue and while we trust that nothing so criminal as he intimates really does exist at Harrishurg and that he has been mistaken in his con- ception of these cases the State will ever be indebted to him for having brought about this chance for an honest investigation. TO HIS EXCELLENCY, GOVERNOR DANIEL H. ASTINGS. My Dear Sir:—I am about to submit to you a proposition which, if I should first submit to my distinguished counsel (earthly) I am fearful they would not consent to its submis- sion to you, from reasons of a professional character, but I am compelled to the presen- tation of it by, I think, the honest motives such at least as God approves. In your statement given to the publicon the 26th day of February, you say : ‘The ar- rest of Dr. Swallow for libel is the only meth- od left by which the truth or falsity of the al- legations which he has made in his paper can be speedily ascertained.” And again, ‘I am deeply interested in the matter of having these statements verified or proven false.” ' Now, my dear Governor, while I am not in harmony with your statement that a libel suit spdedily sprung and vigorously pressed against the man claiming to have evidence of wrong doing, is the most eflicient way of get- ting at the whole truth, but on the other hand will, by legal technicalities, tend to prevent such a consummation, yet since we agree in being “interested in the matter of having these statements verified or proven false’ and since I seek not my own vindica- tion so much as the highest and best ends of justice, the protection of a great Common- wealth, indeed the highest honor of our be- loved State, I am willing fer the present to defer to your judgement as to method. Now, inasmuch as we are to appear before a tribunal of the highest honor, one in whose ability and integrity the people of the State have the most implicit confidence ; and inasmuch as the representatives of the State, in their suits for libel brought against me, have not touched the important points in the allegations contained in the Pennsylvania Methodist of February 25th, may I respectful- ly suggest that what we both seek, as ex- pressed "in your statement, can be more speedily attained and trouble and expense of second trial averted if you, or those who represent you, will sue on the following al- legations, and let all be tried at once. Here they are : . That persons have been paid money out of the state treasury who rendered no service to the State therefor and made no pretense of service except as politicians serving their party. That for services rendered the State per- sons have been asked tosign receipts for two, three and even four times as much money as they actually recived. That in the purchase of material and labor for making additions, alterations, repairs and refurnishing the capitol buildings, cel- lars and grounds, also for the executive man- sion and now for the Grace church the State has lost several thousand dollars as the result of an unfair system of competive bidding. In other words that the cost to the State has been two, three, four and as high as eight times, in some instances, as much as it should have been and that not all of this money went to the persons-furnishing the materials and laber, and further that at least some of the board of public grounds and buildings custodians have guilty knowledge of this ex- cessive cost. : That the act of 1895 by which the Governor, auditor general and state treasurer constitute the board of commissioners of public grounds and buildings, having control of repairs, alterations and improvements and expenses incurred, including furnishing and refurnmsh- ing, is corrupting in its tendencies, per- nicious in its results and has already cost the State at least $100,000 more than the same improvements, etc., should have cost under some other system of management. With consideration of the highest possible respect, I beg to remain your servant for the truth. (Signed) S. C. SWALLOW. ——TF or the benefit of Centre county trap- pers we announce that bill No. 99 passed the House, on Tuesday, and will likely become .|a law. The bill provides for the payment of a bounty on wild cats, foxes, minks, weasels, hawks and owls. On the latter only 25 cts. will be paid for each one killed. Credit When Credit is Due. From the Altoona Times, Governor Hastings’ first veto at this ses- sion of the Legislature isa good one. In this matter we believe that the Executive represents the sentiment of the people of this State. Itis quite unreasonable that the material in the new capitol building or buildings should be all from this State. There is no excuse, whatever, to be given that will justify such exclusiveness. The whole world should be called upon, if nec- essary, to furnish -what is wanted. We do not want any Chinese wall built around the borders of this Commonwealth. Unrestricted competition will not hurt the people of Pennsylvania. They are able to take care of themselves as well as any- body else. If outsiders can furnish a better design for a capitol building or buildings than citizens of the State, let it be accepted. In the work of construction, the idea of confining the labor to Pennsylvania is ridiculous. In short, the resolution is well characterized by the Governor as an un- American measure. The Compulsory Education Fizzle. From the Pittsburg Post. The Indiana Legislature has just ad- journed, and prides itself on passing a com- pulsory education . law, similar in all re- spects to the Pennsylvania law, save that it requires a shorter term of opening pub- lic schoels. If the Indiana law is like the Pennsylvania compulsory law, we can as- sure our Hoosier friends that they have got hold of a blooming absurdity. Our law has been in effect over a year, and the only educational influence it has had is to show the rising generation how easily a law can be evaded. It amounts to nothing. It was never intended to amount to anything beyond a legislative stump speech. The Legislature now in session proposes’to doc- tor it, but the best thing that can be done is to repeal the law outright. The real in- tent of the law was to increase the horde of office holders, but it has failed in that re- spect, for most of the counties of the State have refused to provide the funds to pay them. Volunteers for unpaid public ser- vice don’t abound. Getting Ready for Their Profit. From the Pittsburg Post. The woolen mills of New England are ‘firing up’’ at an extensive rate, and pro- | ) pose to run night and day to convert all the free wool they can get their hands on into woolen fabrics to be held and sold lat- er at McKinley rates, as proposed by the new tariff in process of hatching, with mo- nopolists sitting on the nest. An Extra Session of Congress. °° McKinley Issues His First Proclamation—Congress Wil Meet on March 15. ‘WASHINGTON, March 7.—President Mc- Kinley Saturday evening issued his first official election proclamaticn convening the Fifty-fifth Congress in extra session on the 15th day of March, to receive such com- munications as may be made by the Exec- utive. \ The limiting cause restricting the action of the extra session ‘‘to such communica- tions as may bz made by the Executive’ suggests that possibly the President may limit the objects of the extra session to the passage of the unacted-upon appropriation bill and the enactment of a tariff law, the object of which will be, in the words of Mr. McKinley’s inaugural address, ‘‘to stop deficiencies by the restoration of that protective legislation which has always been the firmest prop of the treasury.” Mur. Cleveland, when he called an extra session for the repeal of the Sherman silver purchasing law, practically limited the session to that one object. Cold Comfort for Hunters. The Good Places in the Departments are Quite Few. WASHINGTON, March 9.—Posted con- spiciously through the corridors of the state department are neat placards setting forth that but nine positions in that department are excepted from the civil service regula- tions, namely: three assistant secretary- ships above classification, one private sec- retary to the Secretary of State, and one ad- ditional confidential clerk, who can be ap- pointed without examination. A similar condition applies in the war and navy departments, where the explana- tion is vouchsafed that no vacancies are apt to occur in desirable places, but if they do promotion from the next lower grades is the sole method of appointment. Theonly vacancy in the navy department is that of chief clerk, has been promptly filled by promotion. In the war department the assistant sec- retaryship now filled by General Doe, is all that General Alger has at his disposal. The consular service to which the party workers have hitherto looked for compen- sation, is also included in the clause to which examinations are requisite. He Got the Marble Heart. HARRISBURG, March 8.—Solomon Obail, the venerable chief of the Cornplanter Indians, residing on the reservation in the northwestern part of this State, arrived here to-day with an interpreter to again place his claims for land before the Gover- nor. The old chief claims all the land along Oil creek on which Oil City is now located. The Governor gave him a hear- ing and advised him to seek a remedy through legislation. Two years ago Obail’s claims were looked into by a legislative committee which decided that he could not substantiate them. Elections in Minnesota. St. PAuL, Minn.,, March 9.—Fifty Min- nesota towns and villages held elections to- day. At North St. Paul, Job Owens, Democrat, was elected mayor by a large majority of votes. : oo Elsewhere the Democrats carried a rather larger number of towns than usual. The fight on the license question was upper- most. The pro-liquor people carried thir- ty-five towns, five more than at the last election. Spawls from the Keystone. —Readings’s worst scourge of grip is at its height. . —‘Healer” Schrader has gone from Alle- gheny to Greensburg. —Allentown councils have created the of- fice of city typewriter, at $40 a month. —Ex-Congressman Leisenring, of Luzerne, is a full-fledged candidate for Governor. —Hazleton is again agitating its project to become the county seat of a new county. —A brick fell 40 feet from a mason’s hands and fractured Jacob Tirown’s skull, at York. —The double track on the P. and E. has been completed from Baird’s, near Jersey Shore, to Lock Haven. —The Lehigh county fair grounds, at Al- - lentown, have been enlarged by the purchase of 11} acres. —The Chester county Women’s Christian Temperance union convened, at Phenixville, on Wednesday. —Beaver county Legislators will be formal- ly requested to support the bill to protect state forests. —The Lebanon valley furnace will be blown out for repairs.. Operations will be re- sumed in six weeks. —Middle creek colliery, near Tremont, can’t resume operations for two months ow- ing to a recent explosion. —Anthony Flannery is bleeding to death, at Girardville, having burst a blood vessel in his face while coughing. —A mad dog that caused a scare in Read- ing was poisoned and killed before a police- man could be summoned to shoot it. * —Wilkesbarre people went gunning for the sparrow pests that filled their trees at dusk, Tuesday evening, and slew many birds. —Petitioners pray for the division of the Fourth ward of Pottsville into two wards. There are 812 assessed voters in the ward. —The Allegheny river again rose so high on Saturday and Sunday as to flood out the people in lower sections of Allegheny city. —York county councils have asked a legal decree permitting the sale of the Potters’ field for a site for a new $150,000 High school. —Rev. George W. Seitz, an aged Mennonite preacher, was fortunate enough to escape alive after being tossed by a train at Colum- bia. —Isaac Refowich’s clothing store, at Mah- anoy City, was entered by thieves and cloth- ing and jewelry valued at $500 were confis- cated. —Mrs. William McKinley's grandfather was a cousin of the Slenkers, of Berks coun- ty, whoare quick to recognize the -relation- ship. —It cost Schuylkill county 9% cents per day for the maintenance of each of its 215 prisoners confined in the county jail in February last. —Harry Kowler, of Mahanoy City, was sent to jail, charged with stealing a $14 check and $45in cash from saloonkeeper Martin Witmer. —Ex-sheriff George. Hgrman, of Bethle- hem, broke through the ice, on Saylor’s lake, and was barely rescued from drowning in 70 | feet of water. —Wahile his wife went after a policeman to settle a family quarrel, butcher Christopher Stoehr shot himself and died, at his home, in Pittsburg. —Governor Hastings has returned from At- lantic City to Harrisburg, and it is stated that he might have gone into McKinley's cabinet if Bliss had declined. »s —Ex-prison Warden Deshler, of Lehigh county, has paid a cash balance of $487 to the’ county commissioners in settlement of his shortage. —Insanity brought about by domestic troubles caused Mrs. Sophia Schultz, the mother of six children, to hang herself a Allegheny city, Sunday. —Conrad Peters, of Lewistown, aged about 50 years, attempted to commit suicide, one day last week, by cutting his wrists and throat. He will recover. —A boiler explosion at an oil well near Callery Junction, in Allegheny county, kill- ed John Dunlap, a driller, and badly injur- ed Charles McKeever. a tool dresser. —The commissioners of Perry county have fixed the tax rate there at 5 mills. They also restored the bounty upon wildcats, foxes and minks, beginning with June next. —The Adams county auditors have given notice that they will hereafter refuse to pass bills of county commissioners and directors of the poor for attending state conventions. —Charles Brion, of Liberty, near William- sport, has been held for court on the charge of attempting to murder Nellie Stewart, a pretty 10 year old girl whom he admired. —In a roll call of 60 out of 200 tramps in jail at Chambersburg, who were wanted to break stone, only 15 responded. Others will have to work whether they answer roll call or not. —Poor directors Dietrich and Ahrensfield, against whom charges of bribery have been returned by the grand jury to the Schuylkill county court, on Saturday, deny the allega- tions in toto. —The Evangelical conference at Carlisle conferred deacons’ orders on W. N. Fulcom- er, A. D. Gramley, M. P. Crouch and D. F. Young and elders orders on E. Fulcomer, J. N. Bair and F. F. Mayer. —Lautent Cheraz, the Italian convicted at the Huntingdon December term of court of murder in the second degree for killing Peter Venzolono, was sentenced by judge Bailey to seven years in the western peniten- tiary. ; —Frank Yudis and Stiney Malecki are in the Schuylkill county prison for breaking into the Oak Hill colliery store, at Miners- ville, early Sunday morning. They broke open a desk and removed ‘several watches and some money. —An era of prosperity is looked for in Du- Bois. The Express says the indications are that there will be more work in that place the coming year than for several seasons past. The working time at the car shops has been increased, the output at the coal mines has been increased, the knitting mill is to be put in operation, and altogether the outlook or prosperous times is encouraging.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers