A
i
Tuk Slings,
—A Methodist Bishop seems to be as
hard to elect as a Democratic President.
—North Carolina has gone dry by a large
majority and the Governor is not expecting
any messages from his lellow executive of
South Carolina.
—The farmer who dido’t get his corn in
the ground on Monday or Tuesday missed
opportanities the like of which may vot
present themselves again this season.
—The recount of the vote for Mayor of
New York in 1905 is progressing but
scarcely fast enough to get Mayor McCLEL-
LAX out before his term expires in 1910.
—The gamblers are holding onto Con-
gress in the hope of forcing the passage of
a satisfactory currency bill, and, as is al-
ways the case, the public is footing the
bill.
—Surgeons have at last began the work
of paring down fat women to make them
thin. Mr. TArFris piohably sitting up
nights reading the results of the opera-
tions.
—Congress has passed a new ourrenoy
bill for the good of the conntry. That is,
if Wall street is the country for that field of
industrial disinolination gets eighty per
cent. of the benefit.
—Candidates BrRYAX and TAFT bave
both declared for a bill requiring the pab-
lication of campaign contributions before
the election of a President. Such an act
might have been the salvation of several
large insurance companies if passed several
years ago.
—Making a target of a $1,500,000
monitor, and spending $5,000,000 for coal
alone lor a pleasure tour around the world
looks to the fellow who is earning $1.30 a
day, when he has work,as though the navy
is about as big and expensive as there is
any use in baving it.
—The courts of New York have again
adjodged HARRY THAW insane and if at
large a menace to the public. According-
ly he will be recomitted to Matteawan,
where he must remain until every vestige
of donht as to his mental responsibility for
his aots are cleared up.
—Qne of the contestants in the Belle:
fonte high school selected for a subject.
“The Evils of Street Running'’ and what
more appropriate subject could bave been
thought of, especially at a time when our
quarter sessions courts are filled with the
worst fruits of shis demoralizing habit.
~The efforts of certain partisan papers
to manufacture a fiotitions industrial re-
vival are ladicrous. Business resumption
requires something more than newspaper
stories of improved conditions that are not
improved. It requires a natural basis upon
which to build and nothing but natural
conditions will prodace that,
—]Ia the ordinary course of evenis itis
back to the dish water and sock darning
stage for the sweet girl graduate. Realities
knock all the lustre off theories and the
boy or the girl who bave been carried away
with commencement brightness is destined
to find out that the old world moves on
with very few changes in our conditions.
—A makeshift carrency bill is being
jammed through Congress during the clos-
ing hours of its sessions. Wishout time
for serious cousideration or thorough debate
the House whips are trying to force its
passage at the behest of the money gamblers
who want to inflate the currency far be-
yond the wildest dreams of the old time
green-backers,
—Serving eighteen months of a five year
term in the western penitentiary before it
was found out that his conviction had heen
a case of mistaken identity is not calonlated
to leave a very wholesome respect for jus-
tioe in the mind of the victim. Nothing
that can be done will atone for the wrong
and in sach cases justice can indeed be
said to be blind.
~The sentence imposed on the two
colored men who heat and robbed
“BrowWNIE'’ some nights ago was one of
the saltiest recorded in the Centre county
courts for years. Without comment on its
merits there can be no doubt of its having
a most salutary effect. The tendency of
the law towards meroy and sentimental
influences has robbed it of much of its
terror for certain classes of the lawless and
we are glad to see that the Centre county
court appreciates that a term in jail is no
punishment to some ; in fact it is often
times looked upon a® a blessing by the
convicted thief, house breaker or assaulter.
—Upon what ground the Centre Democrat
basis ite charge that state delegates KEL.
LEY, MINGLE and GREBE misrepresented
the sentiment of the Centre county Democ-
racy at the state convention weare ata
loss to understand. By refosing to vote for
the BRYAN endorsement they did not neo-
essarily repudiate Mr. BRYAN, because
he will get the vote of the Pennsylvania
delegation at Denver if he appears to be
the candidate most likely to win. By
voting to support Mr. GUFFEY'S leader-
ship againet the efforts of Mr. KERR to un-
horse him they had a perfect right to exer-
cise their personal prelerence as it was
purely a personal contest and no party
principle was involved. In either case we
are of the opinion that they acted wisely,
but as opinions differ, a preponderance of
them are supposed to prevail and we
haven't heard a very great noise of dis-
sension in Centre county, in fact the most
of it bas been commendatory.
SOL. 35
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
BELLEFONTE. PA, MAY 29 1908...
Absurdity Run to the Limit |
Seoretary of the Navy METCALF bas |
written a letter to Mayor REYBURN, of
Philadelphia, complaining because a
restaurant keeper in that city refosed to
serve a man in the naval service with
something that be wanted to eat or drink, |
the other day. The Secretary imagines |
that the incident was a gross insult to the
navy and suggests that the Mayor do some-
thing to the restaurant man.
He doesn’t | The army was modest this year.
The Army “Inning” Next Year.
The sound of alarm now comes from the
army, it appears, the navy having exbanst-
ed its power in that direction. ‘‘There
will, I hope,” said General J. FRANKLIN
BELL, chief of staff of the army, the other
day, “be a bill insroduced at the next ses-
sion of Congress to organize a National
Council of Defense, because this pation is
the only one not baving a similar body.”
Daring
suggest the sort of punishment that | she session of Congress just closed it asked
would be appropriate, for the reason, prob- | for nothing but an increase of pay for
ably, that be didn’t have time to consult
the President, who attends to such details |
himself. Bat boiling in oil, or guartering,
or oremating or some other form of torture |
would no doubt fit the crime and the!
recommendation may follow.
Mayor REYBURN is not celebrated for
the ripeness of bis judgment or the wisdom
of his actions, but be had sense enough to
pay no attention to this particular piece of
impertinence on the part of the Secretary
of the Navy. He doesn’t know a whole
lot, maybe, but he knows enough to under-
stand that restaurant keepers have a right
to make rales for the conduct of their
business, and that if the restaurant mau in
question has a rule to refuse service to men
in uniforms it bas as good a right to run
againet ‘‘jackies”’ in the navy, as against
policemen and Pullman car conductors,
The only thing that either would have a
right to complain of is discrimination.
This notion that the uniform of the
United States army or navy entitles a man,
gentleman or loafer, drunk or sober, to
special privileges over the rest of us in
public places, is a fiument of the storm-
brain of the present administration. It is
a step in the direction of creating a military
aristocracy in this country. Jt first broke
out ina New England town where the
management of a theatre bad established a
rule that only men in evening clothes
could occupy seats in a certain section of
the auditorium. A soldier tried to force
tue violation of rule and was thrown out.
If the Governor of the State or Mayor of
the city had been the one concerned, there
would have been no complaint.
The incident provoked ROOSEVELT to an
absurd exbibition of temper and the rais-
ing of & fund to pay the expenses of prose-
outing the management of the play house.
What became of the affair we do not recall,
though the probabilities are that it wae
allowed to sink quietly into oblivion. In
any eveat nothing of the kind has occurred
since wasil this buffoonery in Philadelphia
and if Mayor REYBURN had intimated
that Secretary HITCHCOCK could ‘‘chase
himeelf,” the answer wonld not have been
entirely ivappropriate. No law was vio-
lated in the case in point and even if the
exclusion bad been enforced against MET-
CALF himself there would bave been no
difference in the result.
The Penmsylvania Democrats,
The Democrats of Pennsylvania were
wise and courageous in the work of their
state convention at Harrishurg, last week.
It was wise to send such of the delegates to
the Denver convention as were chosen by
the convention to the performance of their
duty unfettered by instructions. It was
courageous to assert this wise policy in the
face of a protest so insistent and vociferous
that it might bave deceived experienced
men into the belief that it was genuine.
As a rule conventions and other represen-
tative bodies should yield obedience to
popular demand. Bat there are exceptions
to all rules and a popular demand thats
without reason or wisdom is entitled to no
respect.
Iu the case in point the popular will was
misrepresented by the vooiferation which
clsimed an overwhelming majority for one
candidate agaivet the others. No doubt
the candidate in question bas hosts of
friends in Pennsylvania. *His magnificent
eloquence and superb courage have attach-
ed thousands to him ‘‘with hooks of steel.”
Bus the vast body of the Demooratio elec-
torate of this State cares more for the im-
mortal principles of the party than for any
individual and though they would delight
in following the Nebraska Lochinvar to
victory are not willing to sacrifice the
principles of Democracy to gratify senti-
ment or partiality. That wounid be folly.
The Pennsylvania delegation in so far as
it acquires ite authority from the state
convention is committed to no candidate
and acknowledges allegiance to no faction.
The gentlemen who compose it will go to
Denver and there confer with the delegates
of other States with the view of doing the
best for the party. The candidate nomi-
nated by that convention will carry the
southern States, whoever he may be. GRAY
or JOHNSON or BRYAN are equally certain
of that support. But those States can’t
elect a President. The candidate nomi-
nated at Denver must carry them and some
other States and the convention is to confer
with the view of ascertaining which of the
gentlemen named is most likely to achieve
that result.
—Corn planting has been the order of
the day among the farmers this week.
officers. This seems to have heen the naval
year and that arm of our defensive service
asked for everything except the earth. Af
the next session the army will have ite
inning, probably under agreement, and
General BELL is taking time by the fore-
look in the matter of beginning. It looks
as if the army and navy proposes to ‘‘play
both ends against the middle'’ so to speak,
and whipsaw the public umercifully.
During the last six months there bas
been a constant cry in the air that our
navy is indequate to compete with that of
any of the alleged ‘‘first-class powers.”
From the President in the White House to
the janitor of the lavatory in the war
office the sound of lamenation has been
constantly flowing. As a matter of fact
there is no more present need for addition-
al warships than there is for duplicate
tails on a kennel of pups, bat the ambi-
tious naval officers and the absurd Presi-
dent want to spend millions for new ships.
There is little veed for a ‘National
Council of defence,”” however, but it
sounds impressive and would cost money
and that appears to be all that is desired.
The officers of the army and navy seem
to think that workingmen may get
troublesome, and the preventive is to keep
them poor. If we give the army and navy
what they want the people will be as
docile as poverty can make them,
The trath of the watter is that we need
additions to neither the army nor pavy.
Our present army may not he ‘‘fit to go to
war with a first-class nation,’” as General
BELL declares. In other words there may
be a lot of ‘‘oarpet knights’ in control in
Washington and at other army stations
who are too lazy to perform their duties in
the event of an emergency. But there bas
heen no deterioration in the courage, man-
hood and patriotism of the American peo-
ple, and the sound of real danger would
bring into action a force which would be
fit to go to war with any or all the first-
class nations under the sun. We have no
need for such a force at present, however,
and are not likely to bave such a need in
the future unless brain-storm becomes
epidemic in Washington and we go out
hunting troable in all portions of thelearth.
This is not likely to happen, either, now
that warning bas been given.
The Revenue Deficiency.
It is estimated that the revenue deficien-
cy at the close of the fiscal year, June 30th,
will amounns to something like $65,000,-
000. It was io the neighborhood of $62,-
000,000 swo weeks ago and increasing at
the rate of ball a million a day, so that it
is likely to be about $70,000,000 as the
close of she present month. The revenues
are usually heavy iu June, however, and
there is a possibility of some recovery dur-
ing that month. Bills can be carried over,
the payments of revenues expedited in
emergencies and the administration being
interested in the approaching presidential
campaign no tricks are likely to be lost
even il it is necessary to ‘‘renig’’ occasion-
ally to save them.
But the President and the Republican
managers in Congress do not appear to be
worried about such trifles. They imagine
that the present surplus in the treasury
will last forever,and that it doesn’tjmatter,
how much is appropriated or how little
seceived, there will be plenty for all time.
The appropriations of the Congress which
has just adjourned, amounting to $1,020,
000,000, is in excess of the aggregate of two
years ago by more than $200,000,000,
which is equal to the entire revenues of
the government twenty-five years ago.
Still the President wanted to spend, or
make necessary, $40,000,000 a year more
for the navy and will ask for vast increases
in the army appropriations next year.
It may be said that a good many of the
appropriations made by the recent Con-
gress were necessary and that she public
buildings and permanent improvements
that bave been provided for will serve a
good purpose. Bat the present adminis-
tration is indulging in profligacies that can-
not possibly be useful. Take the expenses
of the naval jaunts around the world, for
example. It has developed that the ooss of
that enterprise for fnel alone will amount
to upwards of $5,000,000, and it that is
troe, it is nothing less than a criminal
waste of the public treasure, Even if no
expense had been entailed the demonstra-
tion of fighting force would bave been
wrong. As.itisit wae oriminal.
—Col, H. 8. Taylor will deliver the
Memorial day address for Grove Brothers
Post, No. 263, at Howard, tomorrow.
Give Warren the
Daring the discussion of Senator RaAY-
NER'S resolation for a court of ingairy in
the case of Colonel STEWART, of the coast
artillery, the other day, Senator WARREN,
of Wyoming, chairman of the Sevate com-
mittee on military affairs, gravely observed
that important principles were involved
and consequently there should be unusual
deliberation in disposing of it. “Why,”
continued this sapient statesman of twenty
years experience in the Seuate, ‘‘this mat-
ter concerns the discipline of the army,and
for that reason should be most carefully
considered.” Aa the fool in the farce
comedy would say, ‘‘and still we wonder
at erime.”’
Colonel STEWART, as it was clearly
shown, is within one of being the senior
Colonel in the branch of the service with
which he is serving. He will not reach
the age limit for compulsory retirement
until 1911. ROOSEVELT bas already pro-
moted five or six officers over his head,
though his service of over forty years has
been of the most meritorions character.
The discrimination was beginning to pro-
voke comment, however, and the President
proposed bat STEWART be retired on
half pay. He declined, whereupon he was
given the alteration of complying or suffer-
ing the penalty, which was to be an assign-
ment to au abandoned fort in the desert of
Arizona, without command or companion-
ship. In other words, becanse of ROOSE
VELT'S dislike of this splendid soldier be
was compelled to leave the service or suffer
a punishment little lees severe than that
inflicted upon Captain DREYFUS by the
French military satrappy, some years ago.
which aroused the indignation of the whole
civilized world, and that without trial or
a chance to meet any accusers he may bave
had.
Ouae of the fandamental principles of the
government of the United States is ex.
pressed in the provision of the constitution
that no man shall be punished either in
person or property, except by due process
of law. That all citizens are innocent notil
proven guilty by legal process is equally an
organic fact. Yet we have a beoby in the
United States Senate, in the influential po-
sition of chairman of one of the leading
committees of the hody, who can see no
evil in the violation of these constitutional
guarantees and nothing else in the incident
other than its relation to military disci-
pline. :
Booby Prize.
Something the Matter with the People,
The animus of the unjust and uncovsti-
tational punishment of Colonel STEWART,
of the court artillery, has heen revealed by
one of she Washington oorrespondents.
President ROOSEVELT has a grudge against
the Colonel and in the absence of cause for
punishments proposes so inflict the punish-
ment without cause. It is contemptible,
but not altogether surprising. A man who
bas repeatedly been couvioted of ma-
liciouns falsification, a ‘‘shorter and uglier
word’’ might be used appropriately, and
one who misrepresented a woman as ROOSE-
vELT did Mrs. BELLAMY STORER, might
be expeoted to commit any atrocity il he
felt hopeful of escaping the penalty.
We referred last week to an incident
which occurred on the field of battle at San
Juan bill, which was anything but oredit-
able to ROOSEVELT. According to his own
statement be shot and killed a Spanish sol-
dier who was fleeing for his life. Most
men would bave called it murder, but
ROOSEVELT was so proud of it that he in-
augurated a movement to have Congress
vote him a medal of honor. Colonel STEW-
ART, who was familiar with the facts, pro-
tested against such a perversion of the
badge of courage and defeated the ambi-
tions scheme of ROOSEVELT and the absurd
purpose of his fou’ friends. This, rather
than the silly chaiges which have been,
made against him {a ‘‘the head and fronts”
of STEWART'S offending.
What can be thought of a man who will
thus prostitute the power which bas been
conferred upon him by the people? Is
there anythi «z imaginable more atrocious ?
Colonel STEWART has been in the military
service of the country more than forty
years and bas frequently distinguished him-
self for bravery in Indian wars and other
service. Bat for the reason that he
wouldn’s consent to bestowing a medal on
a man who was more entitled to a sentence,
he bas been punished in a most cruel and
outrageous way. How such a man can
hold the admiration of the people can only
be accounted for on the hypothesis thas
there is something she matter with the peo-
ple.
There was a very good turnout of
members of Gregg Post to hear the annual
memorial sermon preached to them in Ss.
John's Episcopal church by Rev. John |P
Hewitt. Rev. Hewitt is an honorary
member of the Fost, baving been elected
just twenty-seven years ago, and on Sun-
day be read to the old veterans the ocertil-
icate of honorable membership given bim
at that time. His sermon to the soldiers
was a very appropriate tribute to their pa-
triotism.
NO. 22.
In Satu Quo.
From the Lock Haven Democrat.
Upon the same fondameuntal priveiples
on which its founders placed it, the Demo-
cratic party stands to-day ; and it never
will abandon those principles, the bulwark
of the nation’s freedom, until the people
relinquish the right to govern themselves
and abandon free institutions.
Evidence is not lacking to convince even
the waylariog man, though a fool, that
the policy of the Republican y, a8
promoted to day by is acoredi leaders,
is to destroy the coostitution. But the
Democratic party is not now, and never
will be, comumitted to the destruction of
this nation’s organic law. Is never will
agree to construction or interpretation to
suit the whim or the caprice of an adminis-
tration, 01 to promote any advantage of
partisan politics. .
The duty of the Demooratic party is to
stand by the ooustitution and protect is.
Never before in its history has the neces.
sity for that defense and protection been
greater than now. The party is unalterably
opposed to centralization of government
and, though it may wander fora time,
eventnally, it will return to the path,
blazed by its founders, more than a cen-
tury ago.
The Democratic party believes, as firmly
as ever, that taxes should not be levied
and collected, in excess of an economically
administered government. It believes, as
it always has believed, that unnecessarily
high sariffs are forms of robbery which are
pot justified by the mere fact that they are
sanctioned by law. It insists u a read-
justmeunt of she present tariff schedules, in
order that business may be improved, that
the dishonest and predatory trusts may be
deprived of their source of unearned gain,
that labor may be assured of real, instead
of fictitious, high wages and thats consumers
may be delivered from the extorsions of the
special interests,
On theee issues, which are the issues of
the eusuing presidential campaign, the
two parties are diametrically opposed.
While there is not a Demoorat who will
vote against the policies named, there are
Republicans who will vete for them. Con-
cerning these issues, there is too much
apathy among the masses ; there needs to
be awakening. There must be a campaign
of education ; it cannot commence too soon.
Wages Under Dingileyiom.
From the Pittsburg Post,
Pardon 1s asked of the census bureau.
For some days we have had at our disposal
Censas Bulletin No. 93, ‘‘released for use
at 12 o'clock noon, oo May 7.'" It was not
mislaid in the wrong pigeonhole, nor was
1t forgotten. Now that Congress shows
signs of speedily getting off our hwods, we
are released from this pressure of public
business and gladly return to Balletin 93.
There must be veterans living hereabouts
who have heard much about the scale of
American wages as compared with that of
the paaper rates at Enrope. There must
be survivors who have listened to the allur-
ing pleas for the beuneficence of Diugley in
pouring forth an endless and continuous
stream of prosperity. Will shese old ans
draw near and heed Bulletin 93? No
longer is the experts wage ses against the
average abroad, but Bulletin 93 undertakes
the amaziog task of presenting the Ameri-
can average rates.
The average weekly earnings of men in
the ironand steel mills was $12.56 ; blast
farpaces, $11.71; lumber aud timber
products, $9 25 ; furniture, $10.16 ; men's
clothing, $12.23 ; women’s clothivg, $13.
52 ; totacco industries, $11.14; printing
and publishing, $13 13; glass, $1410;
boots and shoes, §11 88 ; cotton goods, $7.-
71. The leading States in respect to the
average weekly earnings were : Montana,
$18.19 ; Nevada, $17.76 ; Arizona, $16.15.
New York waa 25th, with $10.40; Peno-
sylvania, 23rd, with $10.51 ; Ohio, 20th,
with $10.63, and Massachusetts, 32ud,
with $9 63.
Where arethe pauper wages of yester-
year, when the flamboyant orator prated of
the American expers of $30 per, and
the miserably eked-out English §8? As
the details of Bulletin 93 grow on she
comprehension regres doubles that such
interesting information ‘‘released for use
at 12 o'clock noon, May 7’’ bas been thus
belated.
An Inadequate Term.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
Various esteemed contemporaries persist
iu referring to and headlining tbe closing
session of Congress as a ‘‘Billion-Dollar
Congress.” This is aiely open to orisicism
as taking a term that its meaning fixed
seventeen years ago and giving it an appli-
cation in which its most ssiikiog charaoter-
istio is its inadequacy.
The term “‘Billion- Dollar Congress’’ was
established in 1891 and 1892 as referring to
a body whose appropriations for its term of
two sessions came close to the total of a
round billion. The actual aggregate was
$988,000,000 ; but expeoditares were
authorized and a scale established that
broughs the total for subsequent
above the $1,000,000,000 mark. en-
largement of expenditures was among the
oauges whioh led to the reaction of 1892 and
the second eleotion of Cleveland.
Now the advance has Ivaw fade from
the Billion-Dollar Congress to the Billion-
Dollar Session. The appropriations for this
single session are stated by the authorities
to figure out about §1,020,000,000, or $32,-
000,000 more than those for the two ses-
por dl gen Lg 8
pecan
heightened by the fact that while in-
crease is mainly for military and naval
purposes in a period of profound peace the
vast total provide very little for those great
works of internal improvement whose re-
roductive character would do most to
enable the Nation to sustain such a scale
of expenditure.
bee]
—While it is quite possible that Mr.
JorN MITCHELL would make a very popu-
lar candidate for Vice President we can
recall nothing in his life that equips him
for a position that should call for the
highest order of American statesmanship.
—
Spawls from the Keystone.
—The Clearfield County district reunion of
the Kuights of the Golden Eagle will be
held this year at Osceola on Wednesday,
August 16th. '
—A pretty young girl of Erie on Satorday
evening offered to sell some of her clothing
in order to get enough money to procure &
warriage license, as the young man she loved
was too poor to pay for the license.
—Mirs. Richard Young, of Brooklyn, N.
Y., bas remembered ber native town of
Wellsville, York county, with a memorial in
honor of her son, iu the shape of a fine
school and public library building costing
$40,000. It is to be dedicated July 8th.
~The large fly-wheel of the 350 horse
power eugine of the Nazareth electric plant
burst on Saturday night and wrecked tbe
building and engine. Several pieces of the
immense wheel were hurled through the
wall of the building, a distance of 600 feet.
No one was hurt.
—A Hollidaysburg jury has decided that
the Hollidaysburg aud Bedford plank road
shall be abandoned and made free from tolls.
It is the last of the old toll roads in Blair
county and was built fifty years ago at an ex.
pense of $25,000 a mile. The jury only gave
$4,400 damages for the road.
~The Harbison-Walker Refractories com-
pany will shortly begin the erection of a
lime kiln at their Mount Union brick works
and hereafter will burn the lime that is
necessary in the manufacture of silica brick.
When running to full capacity this brick
plant uses about three cars of lime per
week.
—William Ertel, of Lock Haven, Monday
evening caught in a net the largest carp, per~
haps, that has been taken from the Susque-
hanna river in a long time. It is what is
called a leather back and its weight was
twenty two pounds. Several carps running
frons fifte . to twenty pounds have been
landed within the last few days.
—During the past year the Woman's aux-
iliary to the Chambersburg home and hos,
pital, have been raising funds for those in.
stitutions by means of the year chain
plan, and the summary of the annual reports
of the officers and executive committees as
presented at a meeting held last Thursday
afternoon shows a total of $927.80 realized.
—Game commissioner Harry Hummels
baugh, of Clearfield, last week arrested two
Italians along Sinnamanoning creek for
bunting without a license. They were taken
before the justice of the peace at Renovo and
fined $75. Later in the week Mr. Hummels
baugh went to Medix run, where a large
crew are cutting pnlp wood, and arrested
two men for killing a bear out of season.
This case was also settled by paying a fine of
$55.
—William Brown, residing at Hudson
near Philipsburg, a typical Irishman, and
probably the oldest man iu that section, be-
ing in his 96th year, out of the kindness of
his heart sheltered for two or three days
during the past week a stranger who hap-
pened at his humble little home in needy
circumstances. He suddenly ‘‘vamoosed,’”
takiog with him $8 in money, a hat, a pair
of shoes and three or four quilts belonging to
Mr. Brown.
—A verdict for $12,013.51 damages wus re-
turned Saturday for the plaintiff by the jury
in the suit of the International Coal Mining
company against the Pennsylvania {Railroad
company for discriminating in rates in favor
of a competitor. The trial had been in prog-
ress for several days before Judge Holland in
the United States circuit court in Philadel
phia. Action was originally brought to re.
cover $37,000 and this was afterwardsamend~
ed by increasing it to $150,000.
~The Pennsylvania railroad Sunday
placed in operation the lasc section of its ex.
tensive improvements on the Conemaugh
division between Pittsburg and Johnstown.
This signifies the completion of the last por.
tion, us yer definitely uuthorized, of the
plans set forth in the company’s anual re.
port for 1902, providing for the ultimate de-
velopment of a low grade freight line from
Pittsburg to tidewater with the exception of
a twenty-four mile stretch up the west side
of the Allegheny mountains,
—Fire that started about 7:30 o'clock Sun-
day evening did damage estimated at $30,.
000 or more at Sweet's steel plant, in the
Eleventh ward, of Williamsport, the flames
raging several bours and aimost consuming
the long building north of the main steel
plant, used for the machine, pattern, drafts-
men’s und chemist's shops and the black-
smith department and contsining valuable
patterns and expensive machinery. Oue
fireman, Benjamin Dice, of No. 5 engine
company, was :eriously injured during the
spectacular blaze.
—W. A. Scarlett, chief engineer of the
American Union Telephone eompany, was
drowved while caning on the Susquebanna
at Dauphin, nine miles above Harrisburg.
With Mr. Scarlett was Granville Herbert,
and their eanoe upset, throwing both into
the water. They lost hold of the boat and
Herbert was rescued by W. Mead, of Rock-
ville, who put out in a boat. The river is
very high and it is supposed the swift cur.
rent carried Scarlett so far that his skill as a
swimmer was unavailing. Scarlett was an
enthusiastic canmist.
~The Huntingdon board of health bas re-
solved to get busy and one of the first classes
of people they are going to get after is the
grocerymen. One of the resolutions deals
with the merchants allowiag fruits, vegeta-
bles, etc., to stand in front of their places of
business uncovered and a prey to flies, bugs
and various nuisances which tend to carry
disease and unclean eatables into the city
homes. Another one of the resolutions will
call attention to unclean chicken coops,
which are a nuisance to the neighbors living
around the properties where they are kept:
—John B. Loman, a former postmaster at
Carman’s Mills, Cambria county, who is
charged with embezzling money order funds
to the amount of $1,500, was taken to Har-
risburg under arrest and taken before United
States Commissioner Wolfe and sent to jail
in default of $2,000 bail for his appearance at
court in Williamsport next month. Loman
is 34 years old and has a wife and three chil-
dren. His embeszzlements began some months
ago, it is alleged, and when an inspector
made his appearance at Carman’s Mills, Lo-
man disappeared. His accounts were exam=
ined and a shortage of $1,500 found.