aS Demorralic la iin] BY PRP. GRAY MEEK. Ink Slings. —Heroics are the proper caper now-a- days and the blood runs hot in the patriot’s veins. } —Again those Spaniards down in Havana dine a few days on mule steak they will be making bigger asses of themselves than ever. —The Jersey coast summer resorts won’t be very popular during the coming season, if the war lasts until that time. The sum- mer girls will doubtless take to the woods. —It seems rather discreditable to us asa power that with the Spaniards in Cuba hemmed in as they are we should resort to such a means of victory as starving them out. —If the war will have done no other good it will have injected a little Spanish fly into the United States Congress which we hope wont work off until our navy is made as it should be and enough competent men are trained to man it. —The St. James, London, Gazette calls our soldiers ‘‘mobs with guns.’” All the more disgrace to what that paper is pleased to call ‘‘the first power on the earth’’ that such ‘‘mobs with guns’ should have clean- ed her up so effectually in 1776 and 1812. —After reading those inspiring speech- es he is making to bolster up the forlorn Spanish hope we are inclined to think that if Cap’t. Gen’l. BLANCO lives through the troubles his name will be changed, by common Spanish consent, to Cap’t. Gen’l. BUNKO. —--0ld ToM Pennington, the colored boggyman of Bellefonte, was fairly effer- vescing with enthusiasm when the soldiers marched away and being able to restrain himself no longer he shouted, at the top of his cracked, old voice: “Go at em sojers, go froo em like a dose of salts.” -—~Col. DUNHAM’S dog story in last Sunday’s Grit is about as much of a joke as it was when he woke up after falling to sleep at a free lunch cpunter and dreaming that AL DALE was the new postmaster and was feting him on lobster a la Newberg and dry wine. —The United States fleet around Cuba is gathering in Spanish prizes so rapidly that there is no longer any fun in hearing of the capture of such helpless freight or passenger boats. Get after the fellows who have means of defense. Take a few of them and mayhaps the trouble will end. ——While the public feeling is keyed up to the fighting point the only fear that chills the patriotic expectation of the peo- ple is that the man at the head of the gov- ernment may weaken. The reluctance with which he complied with the popular demand for the chastisement of the barbar- ous Spaniards appears to be showing itself in the operations against Havana, where our navy is restrained from knocking Mor- ro castle to pieces with shot and shell. It would be a great disappointment to the American people if President McKINLEY should conclude to carry on a ‘‘peaceful war.”’ The department of State will require the highest order of ability in managing our relations with foreign powers during our war with Spain. JOHN SHERMAN’S age having incapacitated him for such arduous duties it could have been expected that his successor would he one of our publicists, but instead of such a selection an ordinary Ohio common pleas judge is put in SHERMAN’S place to deal with the practiced diplomatic talent of Europe. To put Judge DAY in t'.e state department, where ability equal to that of WEBSTER or SEWARD will be required to prevent our nation from drifting into trouble with foreign nations, looks like trifling with public interests of the highest character. —Those who laughed and looked upon the departure of our soldiers as a joke took an entirely too superficial view of the situa- tion. They have gone ; how many of them will return? That is the question that made every mother, wife, sister or sweet- heart sad, though she might have tried to appear brave by hiding her aching heart ‘neath a smiling face. They are at Mt. Gretna now, but who knows how long they will stay there ; then where? Of course it is not expected that this war will prove a very disastrous engagement, but the same expectation made northerners look upon the ending of the civil war as a before break- fast job. If our soldiers are to be taken to Cuba they have more to fear from the dis- eases of that miasmatic climate than from Spanish bullets. ——Chairman DINGLEY of the ways and means committee estimates that the expenses of the war with Spain will amount to $2,000,000 a day. These seem to be ex- travagant figures, far beyond what should be the honest cost of the war. Much will depend upon the latitude that will be given dishonest parties who will take ad- vantage of the government in navy and army contracts. It is remembered how the government was swindled during the rebellion. The same practices will no doubt be again attempted and there is already an appearance of it in the kind of ships that are being worked off on the navy de- partment. The war against the southern confederacy did not cost $2,000,000 a day and the one that is now about to be waged against Spain won’t begin to be of the pro- portions of the conflict between the North and the South. The contractors, however, will do their share in making it dispro- portionately expensive. wy wd\ - Y [ x A ! elma STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. _VOL. 43 The Effect of Neglecting the Navy. Speaking of the relative naval power of the United States and Spain, the Philadel- phia Record remarks that ‘‘the navies of the two belligerents are so nearly matched in effective strength that if they should be handled with equal ability there would be much doubt as to the immediate conse- quences.’’ This is not a very pleasant fact for Americans to contemplate. They know that their country is rich and resourceful beyond comparison, but they find it going to war with no better navy than is pos- sessed by bankrupt and decrepit Spain. As we have no superiority over the enemy in effective naval material, our only reliance is upon the superior skill and courage of our seamen. But we may im- agine the plight we would be in if the for- tune of war at sea should turn against us. As it requires our full naval force to match the strength of the Spanish navy there are no ships in reserve, and a defeat would not only stop our movement on Cuba, but would expose our seaboard to Spanish at- tack. We trust that such a calamity will be prevented by the superiority of American seamanship, and in fact we are quite sure that it will be, but does not the fact that Spain equals so great and rich a nation as the United States in effective naval strength indicate that there must have been some extremely bad government in this nation that could produce such a state of affairs. The cause of this shameful and danger- ous situation as regards our navy is to be found in the profligate indifference of those who neglected the public defence while squandering the public money on objects that in no way conduced to the nation’s safety and welfare. The navy was system- atically ignored by a long succession of Re- publican administrations. Even the money allowed for recent improvements, with a Spanish war likely to break out any day, was most grudgingly granted. This is the reason why Spain, notwith- standing her decrepitude, has as strong if not a stronger navy than we have, causing us to depend for victory, not upon the ad- vantage of greater naval strength which should be ours, but upon the valor of our sailors. Fortunately that valor has never failed to win victory for the American flag on the ocean, and the Spaniards would be whipped with even twice the naval power they possess. But the credit will not be with the men in the government who have shamefully neglected the American navy. Revive the Income Tax. Now would be a good time to revive the income tax. The right to levy such a tax is recognized by the constitution, but wealth has secured a decision of our high- est court that defeats this constitutional intention. Something should be done to remedy the injustice of that decision. At this time when war with a foreign enemy requires that the nation should have the assistance of every one of its citizens according to his abilily, why should a VANDERBILT or a ROCKEFELLER render no more pecuniary assistance than the govern- ment receives from a working man or a mechanic? The present federal tax laws get no more revenue from a millionaire than from a citizen of humble means. Young LEITER, of Chicago, who within the last six months has cleared $5,000,000 by gambling in wheat, pays no more govern- ment tax than the farmer who during the past year has made scarcely more than a living on his farm. It was in contemplating such unjust in- equality as this that justice BROWN, in dissenting from the supreme court’s decision against the income tax, said : *‘I fear that in some hour of national peril this decision may rise up to paralyze the government.” There is no danger of paralysis in this encounter with the Spaniards, but the present exigency furnishes occasion for the revival of an income tax which by com- pelling wealth to do its share in support of the government effects an object that is commendable for its fairness and justice, whether peace or war prevails. ——A¢ least $50,000,000 of the annual pension expenditure is that much loot for dishonest claim agents and fake pensioners. If this amount annually for the last ten years had been devoted to the building of war ships we would have a navy which Spain would fear as much as she fears the naval power of Great Britain. Our present difficulty with the Spaniards is the result of our naval weakness. They didn’t fear a nation that had but a one horse navy, and now it will take millions of money and much blood-shed to thrash Spain into a proper respect for the United States. The money squandered on unworthy pensioners would have been more profitably used in building battle ships and cruisers than in making votes for the Republican party. ——There is no need of a bond issue for war expenses. Put a tax on incomes and issue more greenbacks and there will he money enough to whip the Spaniards. They Should Not Make Needless Sacri- fices. Since the call to arms for the National Guard of Pennsylvania and the departure of the company from Bellefonte for the rendezvous at Mt. Gretna the better judg- ment of the people of the State is being awakened to the injustice that some of the members of the organization are doing themselves, as well as others who are de- Pendent upon him. If the necessity were an imperative one and volunteers could not be secured in num- bers sufficient to respond to the President’s call it would be an entirely different mat- ter, but with more men offering their ser- vices, and men who would jeopardize no home interest by going to the front for an indefinite time, than the call asks for it seems wrong that the Guard should be mo- bilized and then asked to enter the federal service when the men are in a position that they would be ridiculed if they should de- cline. Such should not be the case, how- ever, and no stigma should attach to any member of the Guard who, upon realizing that he cannot leave home conveniently, should desire to be released. If the emergency were an extreme one and the available men limited it would be the duty of every citizen to enlist, but with conditions such as would give to the sup- port of the government thousands more men than are needed those who are making sacrifices by going should entertain no hes- itancy in declining to enlist in the federal service. In fact it would not be to their discredit, but rather more honorable if they returned to their homes, where they are so greatly needed, to remain until such an exigency arises as will make it absolute- ly necessary for them to go to the front. There are several men in company B who should by all means return to their homes and business. And if they do have the courage to take the right view of their situation it is to be hoped that there will be none so foolish as to speak lightly of their action or make coarse jests at it. Better Than a Loan. There is just reason for opposition to the clause in the DINGLEY war tax bill that would authorize the issue of bonds asa means of raising money for carrying on the war. The bond issue may be rendered less objectionable by making the loan a popular one, and its obnoxius character may be mitigated by providing for the payment of the bonds in either gold or silver, but it is questionable whether there should be an increase of the interest bear- ing debt when the money for the war could be obtained with less ultimate expense to the people. The propositon is to raise $500,000,000 by the sale of bonds. This money could be obtained in a large measure by an in- come tax which would draw upon the resources of a class that does not bear its proper proportion of government taxes ; or there would be good financial policy in the government issuing $500,000,000 treas- ury notes. That there can be no better kind of war money is proved by the ser- vice which the greenbacks performed in helping the government through the diffi- culty of the civil war. The people would be better pleased with another issue of greenbacks for war purposes than with an increase of interest bearing indebtedness. By taxing incomes and issuing treasury notes the government would return to two of the measures that proved to be of such great service during the last war and which, if they should be adopted again, would not be followed by the expense of paying interest, which is the burdensome conse- quence of government loans. Pennsylvania to the Front. Tramp, tramp, tramp the boys are march- ing. Pennsylvania the State that has al- ways been among the foremost when the country needed defenders, is gathering her soldier boys at Mount Gretna, preparatory to marching against the treacherous Span- ish enemy. By this prompt action she is true to her reputation of being among the first to respond to a call to arms for the na- tional defence. In the Revolutionary war Pennsylvania proved herself to be one of the staunchest supporters of colonial freedom. In that earliest of our national conflicts none of the continental soldiers surpassed the Pennsyl- vania Line” in their devotion to the cause of liberty. In the war of 1812 no other State occupied a more loyal position in maintaining American rights as against the arrogant encroachments of Great Britain. She more than filled her quota in the Mexi- can war, sending two regiments when most of the other States sent but one. In the civil war she was the first to send troops for the protection of the national capital, and at no time did her zeal slacken during that terrible conflict. Again the Republic is confronted by an enemy and is aroused by war’s alarms, and again the grand old State of Pennsylvania is among the first to marshal her sons and send them forth to battle. -——=Subscribe for the WATCHMAN. BELLEFONTE, PA., APRIL 29, 1898. — The Lesson Wanamaker is Teaching. The contention that is now in progress among the Republican leaders in this State presents a most extraordinary spectacle. Political history does not furnish a paral- lel to it. In this factional fight the leader of one of the factions is seen traveling the State, addressing large audiences of Republicans with speeches in which the party organiza- tion is shown to be thoroughly corrupt. The denunciations are directed against the state boss. That boss rules the party or- ganization which must necessarily be as corrupt as the power that governs i. WANAMAKER’S presentation of the methods by which the Republican machine governs this State discloses a condition of rottenness that would scarcely be credible if there was not so much proof of it from other sources. The people are well aware of the shameful facts. That the Republi- cans are conscious of this terrible misrule is evidenced by the thousands who throng to hear WANAMAKER’S exposures of ma- chine iniquities, and applaud his denun- ciation of the corruptions of Republican state politics. But what do they propose to do about it? The rotten system has become chronic. It is engraved in the party organization. There is not the least probability of any improvements being effected by a change of bosses. WANAMAKER exposes the scan- dals of QuAY’S machine misrule, but he has been guilty of political tricks, of which his boodle performance in the HARRISON campaign isan example, which prohibit the belief that his leadership would give Pennsylvania any better government. Sensible citizens of the State should be convinced that reform in the public affairs of this State can be brought ahout only by removing their control from the hands of | Republican bosses, whether the boss be QUAY or WANAMAKER. Thousands of Republicans admit the degraded condition of their party in the State. If they want reform they must look outside of their or- ganization for it. It can not be secured by such half-way expedients as WANAMAKER and SWALLOW movements, which do not extend to the root of the evil. A party so completely ingrained with corruption must be thoroughly overthrown if permanent re- sults are to be expected, and such an over- throw can be effected only by a union of all the reform elements with the Demo- cratic party, which has shown itself capa- ble of giving the State honest government. War Bonds Redeemable in ‘Coin.’ The government should be in such con- dition in regard to revenue as to be able to carry on the war against Spain without resorting to a loan. If a proper system of taxation were in force that would make the vast resources of the plutocratic class con- tribute its dueshare to the public revenues, this war could be carried to a successful conclusion without an increase of the gov- ernment’s bonded indebtedness. But in view of the deficiency of our tax laws which scarcely produce enough revenue for cur- rent expenses, there will be a government loan to raise money for the Spanish war. The loan bill that has been formulated for this purpose has certainly a good fea- turein the intention to make it a popular loan. It is right that the people should be given a chance to buy these war bonds. It would be wrong if there should be a secret dicker by which a Wall street syndicate would be allowed to rake in immense profits in the handling of the loan. It is more-over proposed that these bonds, both principal and interests shall be payable in ‘‘coin,”’ which may be either gold or silver. This was the provision made for the pay- ment of all the bonds ever issued by the government, a provision which recent treasury authorities have irregularly and unlawfully perverted to mean exclusive gold payment. In making the new war bonds payable in “‘coin’’ silver is recognized as being what it always has been, a money of ultimate redemption, and the extreme goldite doctrine that gold is the only ‘honest money’ is not sustained. —This nation is experiencing the disadvantage of a small navy. If but part of the millions that have been squandered in bad government during the past thirty years by Republican administrations had been spent in building a navy such a na- tion like the United States should have, we would not now have to endure the hu- miliation and incur the risk of being matched in naval strength by a measly nation like Spain. ——An income tax is the ideal war tax. When the poorer people do the fighting, why shouldn’t the paying of the expenses fall largely upon the wealthy who manage to escape the dangers of the battlefield ? ‘What justice is there in allowing the rich to evade both the danger and the expense ? Unless his income is taxed a millionaire pays no more of the expenses of war than a laborer or mechanic. ——Subsecribe for the WATCHMAN. NO. 17. Taxation for War Purposes. Revenue measures to raise money for carrying on the war have been agreed upon by the congressional committee having this matter in charge and they include an ad- dional tax on beer and tobacco, and stamp taxes on legal instruments, commercial paper, telegrams, and a variety of internal imports. From these sources if is expect- ed that additional revenue to the amount of $100,000,000 may be raised. This, however, as an addition to the present revenues that are not sufficient for the ordinary expenses of the government, will not meet the war expenses if they are to be $2,000,000 a day, as chairman DiNG- LEY estimates. It is worthy of notice that while these provisions are being made for a necessary increase of revenue, nothing is said about the income tax that would make wealth pay its due share of the ex- penses of the war. It is evidently the intention of those in charge of this government to resort to loans as the principal means of raising the money to meet these increased expenses. This could be avoided by a proper system of taxation. Millions could be raised from sources which favoritism has exempted from the tax burden. This exemption has been extended to corporations, trusts and syndicates that are absorbing the bulk of tle country’s wealth. They practically pay no government tax. The same par- tiality is extended to the millionaire class whose vast incomes contribute nothing to the revenues of the government. At this juncture when money is needed to carry on war against a foreign enemy, it would be a fitting time to make the wealth of the country a subject of government taxation and put an end to the gross in- justice of exempting from that burden those who are best able to bear it. A —————— —Now that war has been formally de- clared against Spain the duty of American citizens is to rally round the flag. The President was slow in seeing that war was necessary to preserve the honor of the na- tion. His dilatoriness tried the patience of the people ; but he is now on the right track and he finds Congress eager to adopt every measure necessary to secure a triumph over the enemy. Nothing could have sur- passed the patriotic promptness of Congress when the President asked it to piss the act declaring that war existed between the United States and Spain. Its passage through the House did not require more than three minutes and there was not a voice against it. Congress merely echoed the sentiments of the people it represented. They are all rallying round the flag. ——DINGLEY’S bill for raising war reve- nue is open to a very serious objection. There is nothing in it which provides that the ROCKEFELLERS, VANDERBILTS, and that class of citizens whose annual incomes amount to millions, shall pay a larger share of the war expenses than the blacksmith or carpenter who earns a scant living by daily labor, and may be drafted into the army if volunteers become scarce. Law of Prizes. Proceedings by Which the Sailor Boys Will Get Their Money. WASHINGTON, April 27. — Secretary Long has received from Admiral Sampson dispatches telling of the capture of several of the Spanish merchantmen. Judge Ad- vocate Lemly, the law officer of the navy department, has been looking up the stat- utes on the subject. The law provides that the condemnation proceedings in the matter of prize vessels shall be conducted under the supervision of the district conrts. It is made the duty of the commanding officer of the vessel making a capture to secure the documents of the ship and cargo and send them, to- gether with certain witnesses from the cap- tured vessel, to the district of the court in which the proceedings for the distribution of the prize money are to be had. The at- torney for the United States is to promptly file a libel against ihe prize property and take other proceedings necessary. The evidence is to be taken hy prize com- missioners not exceeding three in number, one of whom is to be a retired naval officer, and at least one of the others a member of the bar of the court, of not less than three years standing, and acquainted with, the taking of depositions. If the sale of the prize is ordered the gross proceeds are to be deposited with the assistant treasurer of the United States at the place nearest to the sale subject to the order of the court. The court is to make a decree of distribution determining what vessels are to share in the prize and whether the prize was of su- perior, equal or inferior force to the vessel or vessels making the capture. The net proceeds of all property condemned as prize shall, when the prize is of superior or equal force to the vessels making the capture, be decreed to the captors. To Form a New Guard. HARRISBURG, April 27.—It is said to be the intention of Governor Hastings to form a new Pennsylvania National Guard as soon as the present guard, now assembling at Mount Gretna, is mustered into the reg- ular service. The services of the thousands of men who have volunteered their service in defense of their country will be utilized in the formation of the new guard. It is probable that the many men who have offered to form companies and regi- ments will be called upon to perform their self-imposed tasks. The Governor will likely issue a colonel’s commission to John Wanamaker, who has offered to equip a regiment at his own expense. Spawls from the Keystone. —The Bristol Daily Recorder came out Sun- day in red and blue colors. —Rev. Father Garvey, pastor of the St. Mark’s church, of Bristol, is ill. —The Black Diamond division lodge of Good Templars, has been organized at Le- highton. —Postmaster General Charles Emory Smith has resigned the editorship of the Philadel- phia Press. —The Erie county Democrats will meet on May 7th at Erie, to fix the date for hold- ing the primaries. —C. Z. Schlicker, of Beaver, has announc- ed his withdrawal as Democratic candidate for the Legislature. —Democratic primaries were held in Berks county on Saturday, and the convention met at Reading on Tuesday. —Blair county Democratic primaries will be held on April 30th, and the convention will meet at Altoona May 2nd. —The seventy-fifth anniversary celebration of the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows will be held at Wilkesbarre from May 16th to 21st. —The 9-year-old son of C. H. Colquitt, of DuBois, fell down stairs Saturday night, ruptured a blood vessel and died within a few hours. —Falling from a shed roof, Owen Miller, a wealthy resident of Hamburg, Berks county. had his skull fratured and he died before the accident was discovered. —Nicholas Defalco was arrested Wednes- day at Shamokin for eloping six months ago with Blancha Laurilla, from Vineland, N. J., and robbing the girl’s father. —Annie, the 4-year-old daughter of Coun- cilman Boyle, was attacked in the street, at Hazleton, by a monster dog, and so badly bitten that her life is dispaired of. —A miner named Goff, of Adrian, took off his shoes at Elk Run Junction, on the Buffa- lo, Rochester & Pittsburg railroad, Saturday night. Then he went to sleep and was kill- ed by a passing engine. —Under an act passed by the last Congress, a person defacing a gold or silver coin of the United States is liable to a fine of $2,000 and five years in prison. This stops the bangle fad along with other forms of defacement. —Reuben Lane, the one legged tramp from Barnesboro, Cambria county, who ‘‘hoofed’’ it to Kansas to marry a rich widow, but got left on account of not being built according tospecifications furnished, has left the Topeka hospital for his Cambria county [home. He expects to walk the entire distance. —Five murderers were hanged at various places in the State on Tuesday—at Somerset, John and James Roody, brothers, for the killing of a farmer, David B. Berkly; at Ridgway, Fredrick Rockwell and Patsy Ban- ya, for separate crimes, and at New Castle, Frank Jongras, for killing his sweetheart. —The Watsontown boot and shoe company have received from the secretary of war an invitation to bid on 125,000 pairs of boots and shoes for the army and navy. The com- pany are preparing to give the matter prompt attention and will no doubt secure from one quarter to one-third of the entire contract. —Jokn E. Huver, who was born and raised in Loganton, but who has been a resident of Mt. Carmel for many years, died in that place yesterday morning after a lingering illness. He was about 56 years old, and is survived by his wife and several children. The funeral took place at Mt. Carmel Tues- day afternoon. —At South Williamsport Monday after- noon Mrs. Charles Wolf was sleeping on a couch in her home. Her uncle, Albert Duitceh, lighted his pipe, when a spark from the parlor match flew on the woman’s cloth- ing. Instantly her skirt caught fire. Mr. Duitch extinguished the flames with his bare hands which were badly burned. —James Musser, a young man whose home is at Warriors Mark, while riding on a freight train on Tuesday morning, at Warriors Ridge fell between two cars and was badly hurt. His injuries were dressed by a surgeon at Huntingdon, and he was brought to Tyrone on Western express. On the morning train he was taken to his home at Warriors Mark. —James Stevenson. son of Roland Steven- son, of Cedar Springs, Nittany valley, was severely injured a few days ago by being thrown from a buggy near the lime kilns in the valley. The horse he was driving frightened at the explosion of a blast just as Mr. Stevenson was passing the kilns. He was dragged some distance but not seriously hurt. : —Advices received at the Pennsylvania State College indicate that the tobacco crop in this state this year will be the largest since 1889, due to the continuance of the troubles in Cuba an‘ to the prices which the growers received last year. Experiments have proved that it is in Pennsylvania a more profitable crop than'of some of the cereals, last year yielding a return of $260 an acre. —Saturday afternoon Wilson Kistler owner of Lock Haven’s big tannery informed his married employes at the tannery that if any of them volunteered their services in the war against Spain he would pay their fam- ilies half time wages and would pay their rent during the time they were engaged in the service, and that their situations would be open for all honorably discharged em- ployes upon their return. —Chambers Imler, a huckster and cattle dealer, was driving a two horse team and leading a colt into Altoona Saturday even- ing when the colt reared and climbed in the rear of the buggy. The team became fright- ened and ran off. Finding that he was unable to stop the horses, Imler jumped from the buggy and received injuries which caused his death an hour later. He was aged 41 years, and leaves a wife and two children in Altoona. —Up in DuBois a woman in the fourth ward pulled all the dandelion blossoms from her lawn because the unfortunate little flowers happened to be colored yellow like the Spanish flag. A third ward man has killed his yellow pup for the same reason. A second ward woman has threatened to pur- chase all the yellow decorations in the mil- linery stores and construct a huge bonfire of the same. The first ward recognizes no color but green and yellow has no place there ex- cept in butter, eggs aud cheese.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers