Berita.
BY P. GRAY MEEK.
ink Slings.
—Judge LovE has never yet said how
he liked the election. In fact he don’t
need too. His looks tell all his tongue
could express.
— “We are not here to get all we can,”
says young brother ROCKEFELLER. And
we thank him for this assurance. It gives
us some hope that he will leave a little for
the rest of us.
—The Republican who bas not already
had the assurance of his place is beginning
to bave grave doubts if it was as ‘‘glorious
a victory’’ as he thonght it was.
—From the troubled look on Republican
faces they evidently fear that a slight
“‘raise’’ may cause their President to “lay
down’? that ‘‘pat hand’’ he was forced to
play.
—Come to think of it, since the public
is determined to have General STROESSEL
die several times every day, it might be a
good job to start a STROESSEL tomb-stone
factory at once.
—The fact that three official positions al-
ready await the wish of Senator COCKRELL
is all the evidence needed to show that the
old Missouri Senator stands pretty solid
with the offices.
—Some consolation that Democrats of
Pennsylvania can get out of the recent
election is that it will be easy to find a
ball big enough to hold their next State
Convention in.
—1It is amazing the chances some men
will take for money. An impecunious
Italian Count has just heen found who, for
$50,000 in hand and a yearly allowance of
$10,000, is getting ready to marry a Pitts-
burg heiress.
—The campaign of the defeated’ Republi-
can candidate for Governor in Massachu-
setts cost him just $1,000. And the con-
sensus of opinion of the WATCHMAN
ink-slinger is that he got just about what
he paid for.
—%An echo is not the only hollow
mockery in the world.”” Since the ap-
pointment of JOHN GOWLAND as post-
master at Philipsburg, there are numerous
fellows out there who can name you sev-
eral of them.
—Strange as it may seem we have not
noticed a Republican paper that bas
charged the sea-shore cyclone, of last week,
up to the Democracy. But then possibly
they think that all the wind was knocked
out of us on the 8th.
—The constant complaints coming over
tbe line from Ohio about the shortage Jf
natural gas leads us to helieve there is
something wrong with their gas machine
out there. A close examination of FORAKER
might discover the trouble.
—The Nashville Republican asks:
‘ ‘What do we care about politics now?"
Well, speaking for ourselves, we don’t ex-
actly know, but if you’ll allow us to an-
swer for Judge LOVE, we'll say, ‘‘con-
siderably less than before the returns came
in.)
—Possibly the reason the Reformers and
Democrats of Philadelphia apprehend great
difficulty in getting good men to run for
city offices is attributable to the knowledge
they have of the indisposition of Phila-
delphians generally to run under any
circumstances.
—Its a pity that Philipsburg could not
have three more post offices for Mi.
DRESSER’S disappointed and disgusted sup-
porters. Just that many additional would
save wads of profanity and leave the Con-
gressman -elect’s reputation for truth and
veracity in so much better condition.
— After supporting the party that gave
birth to and is the power that these com-
binations of capital rely on for protection,
the Grrangers, at their national convention
in Portland, bitterly assailed the Trusts as
the ‘‘enemy of every legitimate industry
and enterprise. Which leads us to the be-
lief that as long as the Granger continues
as he is there will be people who can see
things only as the dutchman put it ‘from
pehind ound.”
—Since Maryland Democrats have won
the power to enact an election Jaw to suit
themselves, it might be well for them to
study t be Republican methods that Penn-
sylvania rejoices in. As a disfranchiser
it heats all the alleged disfranchising laws
ever thought of in the South, and can re-
dace the vote of a district quicker and
more effectively than the yellow fever or
bubounic-plague would. :
—A part of the political deal, made last
summer, to zecure the re-election of Mr.
DRESSER and a generous contribution from
him, to the LOVE corruption fund, was that
Centre county was to have the next nomi-
nee for Congress. It is very eariy in the
day but the ‘‘yeast’” in that political
‘‘bakin’ has already begun to rise,”” and
the question with the interested now is,
whether it shall he WAsH REESE, CLEM
DALE, Col. CHAMBERS, or Jog RIGHT-
NOUR.
—Thiok of it. But three weeks after the
election and Gen. BLACK, a Chicago Demo-
crat, vamed for Commissioner of Pensions ;
Senator COCKRELL, a Missouri Democrat,
chosen as a member of the Civil Service
Commission; two Republican U. S. Judges
in Alaska kicked out of office, and more
political fights brewing among the leaders
of the g. o. p. than you can shake a stick
at, and still there be people who fail to
recognize that there are any streaks of
Demooratie sunshine.
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
yor.
BELLEFONTE, PA., NOV. 25, 1904.
NO.46._
The Era of Profligacy.
Participating in the ceremonies of laying
the corner stone of an industrial school the
other day in New York former president
GROVER CLEVELAND took occasion to ex-
press a rather unfriendly opinion of cer-
tain very rich men whose ostentations
charities appear to be more for their own
vanity than anything else. This calls to
mind that there are men who, through the
operation of special privileges and gov-
ernment bounties grow rich ‘‘beyond the
dreams of avarice.”” Then out of the
accumulations unearned but thus acquired
they make generous contributions to chari-
ties of one kind or another. It would be
better and more just if they should re-
linguish the special privileges and keep
the money they honestly earn.
The other day J. PIERPONT MORGAN
returned to a city in Italy a valuable and
highly prized trinket which bad been
stolen and sold to him at au immense
price. For some time he has known that
the jewel was stolen property, for ne-
gotiations for its recovery have heen in
progress. But because he returned it to
its rightful owners the government of
Italy has conferred a title of knighthood
on him. He bas been decorated with
some honorary degree for doing that which
the law would have compelled him to do
if he bad been poor. If the ‘‘fence’’ who
takes care of the property of the ordinary
thieves were thus treated it would be an
incentive to crime. Yet in the matter in
mind MORGAN was nothing more or less
than a ‘‘fence.’’
There is entirely too much sham in the
world and more than our share of it is at
present in this country. Not long ago
the manager of one of the leading New
York hotels remarked that it is the
highest priced rooms that are in greatest
demand. “Our $25 a day rooms are always
occupied,’ he said, ‘‘and the cheap ones,
those for which we ask $5 a day are
frequently vacant.”’” That is the spirit ex-
pressed in the profligacy in expenses of
government. It is the idea indicated in the
big navy, the big army and the big stick.
It is a dangeroms indication, moreover,
but one that must run its rninous course
until sober, second thought asserts itself in
the minds of the people of the country.
Then there wiil be less ship building and
a smaller army will serie. Then the
cheap rooms will 4& wos. in’ demand and
Democracy will triumph as the polls.
——The Colorado Republicans who
conldn’t re-elect Labor-crusher PEABODY
by bonest means are now banking on the
fact that they have the militia and the
Supreme court, and with their power can
accomplish what they failed vo do at the
election—count him in by force. And yet
there are people who think there is no need
of a hell.
Call for Bank Deposits.
The Secretary of the Treasury has called
upon the banks of deposit throughout the
country for twenty-five per cent. of their
holdings, notwithstanding his repeated
assertions prior to the election that he
would do no such thing. The revenues
will be ample to meet all expenses of the
government, he protested, while CORTEL-
YOU was industriously circulating the hat
among the favored banks and raking in the
generous contributions. But now that the
election is over and there is no longer need
for corruption funds, he demands a sar-
render of the graft and acknowledges that
the revenue deficit is a serious matter.
Of course the Secretary is right in call-
ing twenty-five per cent. of the government
deposits. As a matter of fact there is no
warrant in the law for such use of the pub-
lic revenues and if the Secretary had deceut
respect for his oath of office he would with-
draw every dollar now on deposit and se-
cure it in the sub-treasury as the law re-
quires. In fact the present Secretary is
the first in the history of the government
to adopt such a policy. But he has so en-
grafted it into the business system of the
country that a return to the letter of the
law would probably canse great incon-
venience if not precipitate a panic.
Big treasury balances under the system
of government deposits are the most prolific
sources of political corruption. With the
more than a hundred millions of govern-
ment funds now on deposit in various
banks the bankers so favored are bribed to
activity in the interest of the party in
power and they in turn force those whom
they favor with business accommodations
to work in the same direction. The result
is that money which belongs to the people
is made the most potent agent in de-
bauching the ballot and corrupting the
voters. In view of these facts we have no
sympathy for the deceived bankers who
contributed to CORTELYOU’S fund in ex-
pectation of reimbursing themselves from
the profits on government deposits that are
now to be taken from them.
---Many a fellow’s approval of our
Thanksgiving custom is based on his ex-
pectations of a square meal.
A Suggestion to the President.
The anxiety of administration as to the
future of United States Senator COCK-
RELL of Missouri is positively pathetic.
The administration set ont to defeat the
Democratic candidate for Governor of
Missouri, the Hon. JosgpH W. FOLK and
made such skillful use of the money con-
tributed by the baking powder trust and
tal as to compass the reversal of the polit-
ical complexion of the legislature of that
State, and incidentally the defeat of Sena-
too CocKRELL. Thisis a great disappoint-
ment to the President. He would have
avalanche of adverse ballots. FOLK was
trying his best to make Democracy respect-
able by patting all the boodlers of his
party into the penitentiary and that was
inferentially at least a rebuke to ROOSE-
VELT, and consequently he was to be sac-
rificed.
Therefore when FOLK, the courageous
and capable reformer was nominated for
Governor by the Democrats of Missouri,
the boodlers of both parties joined hands
in a purpose to defeat him and the trusts
which had been debauching the legislature
of the State and the councils of St. Louis
and the President of the United States
gave them all the moral and material sup-
port they could command in their enter-
prise. But they failed to consummate
their plans. Instead they simply defeated
the President’s friend in the Senate, the
cheap skate who, elected as a Democrat,
served the purpose of the imperialists in
Congress by voting for every undemccratio
measure that was introduced in the
interest of profligacy and jingoism. Of
course this is ‘a great disappointment to
the President and he has been searching the
blue book ever since the election to find
a suitable place for his servitor.
While we have no sympathy with this
or any other form of commercialism in
us to an inclination to help the President
out. Therefore we make free to suggest
that he might avert what appears to be
an inevitable defeats of Senator COCKRELL
by indicating to the Republicans of the
legislature of that State that the election
of COCKRELL, not as a Democrat but as a
recreant, would be entirely satisfactory as
the White House. It has: been so clearly
proven that the average Republican legis
lator is out for the stuff in coin or its
equivalent in patronage that there is little
risk in the prediction that COCKRELL
could get every Republican . vote in both
branches of the General Assembly under
such circumstances. ROOSEVELT ought
to either put up or shut up on that point.
Roosevelt’ s Plan of Reconciliation.
There is nothing more amusing in cur-
rent political gossip than the stories of
President ROOSEVELT’S anxiety to con-
ciliate the South. He is going to make a
trip through that section of the country as
the first step in his plan and if that fails
he will offer that section a represenative
in his cabinet. These are certainly gener-
ous pro positions and ought to make a deep
impression on the minds of the Southern
people. The President is convinced that
he is a handsome man and that a view of
his person is worth much, and if the people
of the South. don’t agree with him it’s
their own fault. In any event, however,
he has made ap bis mind tbat if he can’t
bribe them with a. chromo he will go to
the length of offering them some of the
spoils of power.
The President’s method of communicat-
ing his notions on this subject to the peo-
ple of the South is quite characteristic,
moreover. He appeals to them through
the instrumentality of his ‘Dear MOSEBY.”’
Daring the civil war General MoOSEBY,
as he was called by courtesy, wasn’t satis-
fied with the civilized methods of warfare.
a band of outlaws which, under the classi-
fication of guerrillas devastated wherever
it was safe and murdered women and
children as they went. As soon as the war
was over, apprehending no doubt, that he
would be brought to punishment for his
crimes, he apostatized, and became a
blatant supporter of the carpet bag system
of reconstruction and has ever since heen
a hanger on of the Republican machine.
Naturally ROOSEVELT, who is himself
an apostate to all the principles he profess-
ed during the early period of his political
career, has selected MOSEBY as the agent
of his operations in the line of reconcilia-
tion of the South. He wiites to the mur-
dering bushwhacker of the civil war period
that be is greatly distressed because the
South has manifested an irreconcilable
opposition to his purpose of inflaming the
passions of the negroes and organizing a
destructive race war in that section. But
we doubt if the guerilla will be able to
accomplish the purpose for which he has
been chosen. The peopleof the South are nos
partial to that sort of schemes or that kind
of agents. Mr. MoseBy and Mr. RoosE-
VELT are in the same class.
other unlawful combinations of capi- |
been glad to have buried FOLK under an |
politics the peculiarity of this case impels
In his zeal to kill and destroy he organized"
| An Admirable Purpose.
We are glad to see thas the Philadelphia
clergymen who bave declared in favor of
honesty at the polls and have started a
crusade for legislation that will make per-
| sonal registration an essential perrequisite
| to voting are not as yet ‘weary of well
! doing,’’ but instead have invited their
| brethren of ‘‘the cloth’’ in all parts of the
| State te join them in their self-appointed
but splendid undertaking. If they suc-
| ceed in enlisting this entire force, more-
| over, we shall bave no doubt of their ulti-
mate success. The pulpit is properly a
vast power in Pennsylvania, and directed
toward so admirable a purpose as purifying
the ballot couldn’t possibly fail.
Corruption in elections is easily the prin-
cipal source of iniquity in the politics and
public life of the country. An official who
acquires place by such processes is under
double temptation to be venal. In the
first place he wants to reimburse himself
for the extraordinary expense of his nomi-
nation and election and secondly his asso-
ciates in the criminal operations which re-
sulted in his election have him in their
power and force bim to rob in order to feed
their cupidity. Itis equally certain that
corruption in politics and public life be-
gets crime in other channels. Therefore in
striving for honest elections the clergy are
really doing the work of their offices.
But is there any assurance that the
clergy can be depended upon to work for
the reform which Bishop MACKEY-SMITH
and his Philadelphia colleagues have un-
dertaken? The clergymen of the country are
not all so completely wrapped up in the
virtue of selfishness as to be beyond and
above the influence of greed and the spoils
of politics are quite as attractive to some
of them as to others who are not exactly
schooled in the university of Christianity.
For example we learn from a Harrisburg
contemporary that the present Chaplain
of the Pennsylvania Senate holds his office
! as a reward for sinister political services,
aud if that be true isn’t it possible that
this well-intended political reform will
peter oat?
An Eye Opener.
If the late election did no other good for
the people of Pennsylvania, it very effectu-
ally opened their eyes to the wrongs of our
present ‘voting system, and the abominable
and aistranchising ballot that our people
have heen compelled to use.
Conservative estimates places the nam-
chised by reason of not understanding the
proper way of marking their ballots, at one
bundred thousand. That many negroes in
the South deprived of voting, whether in-
tentionally or not, would have raised a
howl among Republican papers, the echoes
of which wonld not have died out for
yeais.
Possibly the fact that the Republicans
lost more votes, in this State, than did the
Democrats, because of the great preponder-
ance of the vote they poll, may be sufficient
reason to induce them to change the sys-
tem. If so they can do no better than get
hack to the old vest pocket ticket, when
each man could make up such a ballot as
he wanted, and, if he bad independence
enough about him, could cast it as he
pleased. An amendment to that old
method of voting, which preserved the
booths into which the voter would enter
to enclose his ballot in an envelope fur-
nished him by the election hoard, thus in-
suring the utmost secrecy, was asked by
the Democrats ten years ago. A simpler
or better method could not be devised.
It the late disfranchisement brings about
such a change we will all have reason to he
thankful even for the work of the Focht
ballot.
Should Be Earnestly Su pported.
It is to be seriously hoped that the pres-
ent Reform movement in Philadelphia
will not peter out as the many that have
preceeded it have, before a single reform is
accomplished. Philadelphia needs reform-
ing as badly as the ordinary tramp needs
a bath and we are.sure that every good
citizen, whether in that city or elewhere,
will pray for the unlimited success of the
movement just inangurated, en
For years and years the newspapers of
that city have vigorously talked about
the necessity of reform, and just as
vigorously advocated the election of the
roosters whom the machine placed upon
the ticket. Its inconsistency in this has
lost to the press,—a power that should be
able to bring about changes whenever nec-
essary—all influence for good in Phila-
delphia, and in a fight for better govern-
ment has left them about as useful now,
to the outraged and robbed citizens. as a
squirt-gan wonld be to the defenders of
Port Arthur,
While Philadelphia newspapers may
talk and pretend it is other people who
must do the work, and for this reason the
committee that is now undertaking the
job should bave the earnest and substan-
tial support of every good citizen. It is
to it that thas they must look for result.
Upon it they muss depend for any good,
that can be expected from such a move-
ment.
ber of Pennsylvanians who were disfran- |:
The Pension Drain Upon the South.
S. M. Inman, of the Southern Railway Company.
‘Through the operation of the tariff and
internal revenue, it is estimated that the
South pays $30,000,000 a year toward the
government pension bill. This sum is
(except a small fraction) transferred to
Northern States and the mountainous dis-
tricts of the South, and helps enrich them.
Georgia’s proportion of this payment is
some $4,000,000, equal to half her State's
debt, paid every year. If it were paid by
the State as a directs tax it would probably
raise a political revolution—but this drain
goes on so silently that many are not aware
of if, and it will go on when the last man
who fought against the Union is dead, and
perhaps when all his children are dead.
‘“The defeated in modern wars have usu-
ally paid the penalty—but this is the most
ingenious, insidious, silent and enormous
penalty ever laid upon a defeated people ;
in the aggregate, a far greater penalty per
capita than ever Napoleon laid upon those
whom he crushed, or the Germans exacted
from the French.
‘‘Had it not been for our natural re-
sources and energy we would never have
stood up under it. But in spite of all this,
things are coming onr way. We are get-
ting out of debt—we are doing better farm-
ing, more manufacturing and learning bet-
ter how to market our crops.’”’
Still “Corrupt and Contented.’’
From the Williamsport Sun.
The Philadelphia and Erie railioad
stock held by the city of Philadelphia was
offered for sale Monday. The city holds
45,000 shares and Drexell & Co. bid $58.-
63 per share, presumably acting for the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The
sale of this stock was made necessary be-
cause of the bad financial condition in
which Philadelphia finds herself as the
result of machine mismanagement. The
city needs the money to ward off the bank-
ruptey which threatens the municipality.
Philadelphians have come to such a con-
dition that they are indifferent to the evils
by which they are surrounded. The aver-
age Philadelphia citizen is content to be
robbed, pillaged and maltreated by the
political machine which controls the city,
80 long as the grafters do not disturb his
slumber. Tell a Philadelphian that the
machine is robbing him and he will
contentedly smile and say that to be rob-
bed in Philadelphia is preferable to not
being thought worth robbing. And ‘this
is the city which ministers and other good
men believe they can reform !
Capital and Laoor,
From an Unknown Exchange.
Sitting in the Waldorf cafe, we were dis-
cussing some deep problems of the day,
trying to photograph them, as it were, on
the brain. The question of capital -anfl
labor camp up. .
si amaiho ASAT
kil rien
‘‘Can you tell me, Colonel, what is the
difference hetween capital and labor ?’ was
asked of a retired officer of the engineer
corps, U. 8. A.
the Colonel. ‘‘Some time before my old
and very dear friend, William H. Vander-
bilt, died, he was ran down by an unruly
team at Fleetwood park. His injuries did
not amount to a scratch, sir, but they
caused a panic in’ Wall street, and the
newspapers published from two to four
columns about it. At the same instant a
brickmason fell from the top of a wall he
was building and broke his neck. One-
twentieth of a column answered for him.
That, sir, is the difference between capital
and labor.
The Irony of the Liberty Bell.
From the New York World.
Juvenal never conceived such a master-
piece of satire as was achieved by the an-
thorities of the World’s fair when they
sent the Liberty Bell to the station es-
corted by a batallion of Philippine Con-
stabulary. What did these armed guar-
dians of alien authority in a land in which
the Declaration of Independence is a se-
ditious document think as they read the
inseription : :
Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto
all the inhabitants thereof !
Was it not a dangerous experiment to
bring such a force into contact with such a
charge of moral dynamite ?
Fortunately for the principles of order,
authority and subjection, the soldiers of
the Philippine Constabulary could see for
themselves that the Liberty Bell was
cracked.
Getting It Back Quick.
From the Delaware County Democrat. -
Two days alter the election the Standard
oil company advanced the price of crude
oil four cents a barrel, pamely, Pennsyl-
vania to 160 ; Tiova, 175; Corning, 137 ;
New Castle, 147 ; North Lima, 107 ; South
Lima, 102; Indiava, 102. This advance
will inside of thirty days probably net the
company a million dollars extra profit,
which will be, no doubt, about double the
sum it contributed to the election of Roose-
velt, and all will come out of the pockets!
of the consumers.
Better Been Left Unsa id.
Krom the Danville Intelligencer.
The message which comes from Rome
is: ‘‘The Pope congratulates President
Roosevelt on the splendid returns.”” The
Pope is certainly entitled to his own opin-
ion, but Democrats and Republicans will
be sure to agree that concerning this mat-
ter be wonld show much better taste by
keeping his opinion to himself.
Would Be Telling Trust Secrets,
From the Boston Globe.
Treasurer Cornelius N. Bliss has $400,-
000 of campaign money left over. He
tells what he is going to do with it, but
omits to mention where he got it.
——If the next Legislature will give to
the State the protection of a personal regis-
tration law, and to the voter a simple bal-
lot that can be voted without mistake the
people will feel like observing many
Thanksgiving days the coming vear.
“I flatter myself that I can, sir,”’ said
Spawls from the Keystone.
—Buckwheat by the carload is now being
shipped from Berwick to be consumed by the
Russian soldiers in the Russian-Japanese
war. i .
—The headless body of a man was found
on Hickory ridge, near Shamokin, last
Friday night. There was nothing on or
about the man to give any clue to his identi-
ty.
—Rev. Frank W. Curry, pastor of the
| Fairview Methodist Church, Altoona, died
‘| at the home of his father, in Williamsport
Sunday night. Rev. Mr. Curry was taken ill
shortly after being appointed to the Altoona
charge by the last conference and never
recovered.
—Lycoming county boasts of twin sisters
who are nearing their 84th birthday anni-
versary. They are Mrs. Sarah Harman, of
Montgomery, and Mrs. Mary Ann Fowler, of
Muncy. Both are widows. They are
natives of the county in which they have
lived continuously. ;
—J. J. Deitz, a Lock Haven baker, was
found dead in bed on Thursday morning.
He had been making some improvements to
his property and had done some heavy lift-
ing on Wednesday. In the opinion of’ the
attending physician he had injured his heart
Deitz was 67 years old.
—Some idea of the importance of the bi-
tuminous coal interests of Clearfield county
may be gathered from the annnal report of
the Pennsylvania State bureau of statistics
which gives the number of mines in said
county as 168, and the number of net tons of
coal shipped in 1903 at 7,474,709.
—The big Philadelphia and Reading car
shops at Newberry Junction will be com-
pleted before Christmas, in all probability
will be operating by January 1. According
to the contract, the building is to be finished
by December 22, but Contractors Shoemaker
& Co. say that they will be able to complete
the job even before that date.
—Hastings, Cambria county, came to the
front last Saturday with a protest against
race suicide when Mrs. Lemuel Stiffler of
the East End, gave birth to three boys.
The party of newcomers totaled in weight
twenty-three pounds, one of them tipping
the beam at seven pounds, another at seven
and one-half pounds, and the third at eight
and one-half pounds.
—Rev. J. Ellis Bell, presiding elder of the
Altoona district of the M. E. church, has
been appointed on the board of control of
the Epworth League to represent the fourth
generrl conference district: composed of
Baltimore, Central Pennsylvania, Norway,
Philadelphia, Pittsburg and Wilmington con-
ferences. This appointment stands for four
years. The board meets annually.
~~James Carter, the colored man who was
arrested at Clearfield several months ago for
complicity in a murder committed in Cum-
berland, Md., two years ago, and who was
convicted of manslaughter in the Allegheny
county, Maryland, court two weeks ago, was
sentenced to five years in the penitentiary,
The Clearfield witnesses who attended the
trial thought Carter would be acquitted.
—An attempt was made to kill James H.
Noel, superintendent of the brick and coal
plants at Hyndman some nights ago. A
strike has been on at the plant. The com-
pany refused to treat with the strikers, put-
ting imported men in their places. The
night before the door at the home of Mr.
Noel was broken in. Three shots were fired
through the house, barely missing Mr. Noel.
—Jessie Edmiston, son of William Ed-
miston, of Hawk Run, Clearfield county, a
lad who recently rounded out his sixteenth
year, shouldered his gun Friday and went
out in the woods in quest of game. About
4 o'clock in the afternoon a big doe crossed
his path, and taking aim like a hunter of
of many year’s experience Jesse pulled the
trigger and the deer bit the dust. The deer
tipped the beam at 170 pounds.
—The Postoflice Department has made a
new ruling in the matter of rural mail
boxes. From now on more than one
family will be permitted to use the same
box, provided a written notice of such agree-
ment between two or more families be filed
with the postmaster of the distributing of-
fice. Tt was also ordered recently that all
approved rural delivery boxes be equipped
with a suitable signal to indicate whether
there is mail therein. ;
—The production of bituminous coal’in the
central district of this state has been less by
more than 1,500,000 tons this year than it
was in the same period last year. Shipments
of the product over the Pennsylvania rail-
road alone have fallen off more than 1,000,-
000 tons. To the operator the situation has
become alarming, and he says there is little
hope of improvement until the wage scale
is ‘made mext year. Theslump is attri-
buted to the sharp competition of West Vir-
ginia operators.
—The hunters in the vicinity of Lock
Haven will be gratified to learn that they
will have an opportunity to show their skill
as “fox chasers” in the near future. Frank
Osburne, who lives near the Island has two
fine foxes, which he will turn loose on
Great Island on Saturday, December 3rd, at
1 o'clock and then there will be some fun.
All the old hunters in that? section of the
county will be there with all manner of dogs
aud when they are puton the trail of the
foxes there will be some doin’s.
—The Pennsylvania Railroad company is
making progress in the erection of the
ventilating plant at the eastern end of the
new Gallitzin tunnel and in a comparatively
short time it will be in operation. The
buildings, ‘boilers and engines have been
completed and all that remains to be done
is to install the fans, which are now on the
road, that will send air shooting through the
tunnel at a speed of twenty-two milesan
hour to keep the tunnel free from smoke
and gasses that have caused the trainmen
great annoyance.
—John McNear,whose home is near Hynd-
man, this state, will not have as large a sup-
ply of pork this winter as he expected to
have, Saturday night someone blew up two
of his hogs. They were big, fat fellows.
Shortly after Mr. McNear and his family
retired a loud explosion was heard near the
house. The noise was so unusual that Mr.
McNear decided to investigate. Going out
he found a hole Jin the ground where the
hog pen had stood, showing that dynamite
or some other powerful explosive had been
used. Nothing but fragmentary bits of meat
were left of the hogs.