Thank the Lord that we're all livin’ And the comet's on its way | A sailin’ off for somewhere Many million miles a day. It had some people guessin’ In the fore part of the week But Mother Earth just swung around And Mr. Halley took a sneak. They say it won't be back again For three score years and steen And then we'll all be hid away "Neath little mounds of green. So there's another bogy gone, Don't science skeer us slick, When it decides to pipe us off With some big astral trick. —It would be unkind to call a woman an old hen because she has a chantecleer hat on her head, yet there is something about the combination that suggests the thought. ~The surest evidence that the inter- ests haven't much hope for ship subsidies from this Congress is found in the mark to which Pacifie Mail has dropped in the stock market. —If Mr. BALLINGER goes down we can’t see how he will do so without pulling the President down after him. Horrors! What would be left of BALLINGER if that should happen ? —Judged from the letters in the case that are just now finding their way into print it is hard to understand which one Secretary BALLINGER served the best: Uncle SAM or J. PIERPONT MORGAN. —It was too bad, when Mr. BROUSE'S hobby has always been “vindication,” that that grand jury should knock the hobby clear out from under him by declaring that he had done nothing to be vindicated for. —Some of the fellows who sat up al} Wednesday night to see what the comet was going to do about it had to take so many eye openers to keep awake that had there been anything doing they wouldn't have known what it was. YOL. 55. Senator McNicHOL sharply rebuked a member of the legislative tax commission, of which he is the chairman, the other day, because of a remark the rebuked commissioner had the temerity to make concerning the fiscal affairs of Philadel- phia. Senator McNicHOL, as local Re- publican boss, feels that he is the custodian of the honor as well as the reputation of Philadelphia and any aspersion upon the character or credit of the city, made in his presence, is promptly resented. In the case in point the resentment assumed a curious form. The rebuked commission- er had said, in substance, that the city had about exhausted its borrowing ca- pacity and might be obliged to increase its tax rate. That was a grave offense. Senator McNICHOL promptly informed the offending commissioner that Phila- delphia has no financial troubles that she is not tly able to take care of and added that she would have no financial trouble at all if she hadn't at one time in her history “listened to the voice of a re- former.” If Philadelphia could borrow $60,000,000 at one time, he continued, the contractor-bosses would have no trouble in meeting the municipal obligations. But having listened to a reformer once, who recommended that the borrowing capacity be limited to seven per cent. of the assessed valuation of the property of the city, the right to borrow $60,000,000 at one time was voted away and hence the bosses are compelled to content them- selves with, small loans of six to ten mil- lions at a time as the valuation increases. Obviously Senator McNICHOL refers to the late WiLLiaM C. BuLLiTT, author of the present charter of the city, as the re- former to whom the people listened “un- wisely but too well.” There is a clause in that charter embodying the provision of the State constitution which limits the borrowing capacity of Philadelphia and all other cities. Section 8, Article IX of the fundamental law of Pennsylvania reads: “The debt of any county, city, borough, township, school district or other municipality or incorporated district, ex- cept as herein provided, shall never ex- ceed seven per centum upon the assessed value of the ‘taxable property therein.” Therefore if the BULLITT charter had made no reference to the subject at all, the borrowing capacity of the city of Philadelphia would have been limited pre- cisely as it is now. But the chances are that Senator Me- NicHOL doesn’t know of the existence of the constitution of Pennsylvania. He has probably never read that instrument. In —That Ferguson township farmer who put off doing any of his spring work until after he was certain that the comet wasn’t going to knock this old Earth into King- dom come, really might have been fearful of the result, and then he might be just merely lazy. —Be it recorded as a matter that posterity should know that D. PAuL SWARTZ was the first to weep in the new court room. And right copiously and right ludicrously did he weep over the de- tails of the fight between his daughter and his affinity. —Senator FLINN'S challenge to meet U. S. Senator OLIVER in debate on any sub. ject the latter may choose, is amusing, to say the least. About the only place either one of the Pittsburg statesmen could make any showing in forensic accom- plishments would be in a deaf and dumb institute. —The Pullman Company is fighting the order of the Interstate Commerce Commis- sion requiring it to reduce its rates. The public is interested, of course, but not nearly : ; to the same extent that it would have been Be Eh onararone a ies to com the Pull-| PY against restrai ro- had the een 0a to keep | visions contained inthe chart er and when them from holding up the traveler who | he has experienced a desire to thrust his has the temerity to enter one of the cars. a ine 2 dae WE go —It appears that Mr. C. L. GRAMLEY en or IY gu had no intention of becoming a candidate circumstances are incensing to a man of for the Assembly. His prompt denial of his temperament and he feels bitterly to- any part in the plan to have him named ward the person he believes to be respon- on the Republican ticket is quite com- | ipo “But pe is altogether mistaken in mendable, in fact in striking contrast | pie notion. The $60,000,000 loan which with the despicable attempt of others to |, yearns to grab into would be out of use him to pull their own chestnuts out | yp. question even if the BuLLITT charter of the fire. As we remarked in our last had never been enacted. issue Centre county now has an unusually able and satisfactory Representative at An Administration Outrage. Harrisburg and we are of the opinion puliic oficial “in. Washi that most good Republicans are quite content to have him remain there ; now | has paid the penalty of telling the truth that he has attained a position in the House that is calculated to make him even more useful to his Centre county con- when it conflicts with the purposes of the administration. On Saturday last a Mr. KerBY, who was employed as stenograph- er in the Interior Department, told some- thing that he knew concerning the dis- missal of Mr. Gravis. On Monday he was summarily dismissed from the em- ployment of the government. No evi- dence has been offered to disprove what he said. No charge of incompetency or inefficiency has been made against him. But the Secretary of the Interior declares he is unfit for service in the Department and is therefore discharged “for the good of the service.” What Mr. KerBy did was not an offense against the law. As a stenographer he stituency and the State at large. —GUSTAVE A. GAYER, of New York, is a doctor of philosophy and weighs two hundred and thirty-five pounds. He has philosophized about the matter and is going to fast three weeks in order to make his “body and mind, especially the sub-conscious mind, cleaner.” In the first place three weeks has recently been exploited in such a way as to lead us to believe that neither the body nor the mind could be much purified by it and in the second, if fasting is going to help his sub-conscious mind we would advise against this allopathic treatment. It would be better for him to take a job at President and the Secretary of the In- $1.50 per day and try to keep his family | ¢orior were concerned. One of the met- and himself with prices like they are | on o)itan newspapers having learned in now. some way of his relationship to the affair —The Centre county grand jury that offered him a large sum of money for a ignored the prosecution brought against | statement of the facts. Mr. Kersy felt grocer R. S. BROUSE has given Mr. Fousr | that it would be dishonorable to sell in- and some of the would-be big-wigs of his | formation so acquired and refused the pure food department a bat that they | offer. But he knew that the affair of won't get over soon. We honor the good which he held the secret was doing cruel sense of such a body of men. The Act | injustice to a fellow man and that the prosecution was brought under mined to reveal the truth, is a disgrace to our statute books and mercenary consideration, there is neither sense nor reason in perse- | agency of justice. cuting an individual because a legal abor- | The dismissal of Mr. KErBY under such tion makes an opening through which it | circumstances was a crime against justice can be done. If this grand jury had only | and an outrage upon decency. It proves put the costs on the State instead of let- | that the President of the United States ting them fall on the county, possibly we and the Secretary of the Interior are in wouldn't hear so much boosting in a cer- ' conspiracy with certain land pirates to tain department in Harrisburg about the despoil the government of vast and val amount of fines it collects. uable properties. The exposure made by not but STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION, Senator McNichol’s Funny Mistake. | Mr. GLAVIS prevented the consummation | of their purpose for the time being and the narrative of Mr. KErBY has probably prevented the whitewashing of that sin- ister transaction. But neither GLAvVIS nor KERBY ought to be punished for per- forming this useful service for the people of the country and if Congress tamely submits to the outrage the people ought to protest. Senator Penrose Loosening Up. Senator PENROSE has frankly stated to a patient public that two of the candi- dates to be voted for by his adherents, next fall, have been chosen. CHARLES FRED WRIGHT, recently appointed to the office of State Treasurer, will be nomi- nated for that office and Dr. HENRY Houck, present Secretary of Internal Af- fairs, will be renominated for that office. It is customary, Senator PENROSE adds, to give the Secretary of Internal Affairs two terms, though it will be remembered that the machine put Isaac B. BROWN “on the sliding board,” at the expiration of his first term. He had served a part of a year, by appointment, eight years before he was elected, it is true, but that wasn't a full term. Mr. BROWN was scheduled for slaugh- ter because he refused to obey orders in some things, so it may be said, as the late RiP VAN WINKLE spoke of his drinks, that his case doesn’t count. But the same complaint cannot be set up against Dr. Houck. That amiable gentleman would burn the capitol down if Senator PENROSE, or any one else authorized to speak for the machine, should express a desire to see that sort of a bonfire. State Treasurer WRIGHT is equally obliging in his relationship with the machine. Senator PENROSE needs a man in that of- fice who will serve him and his friends as HARRIS, MATHEUS and others did, and he will be able to find no one more ser- vile than Mr. WRIGHT. But there is comparatively little public anxiety with resy ect to the candidates for those offices. What the people really want to know is who has Senator PEN- ROSE chosen to serve him in the capacity of Governor of the Commonwealth dur- ing the four years from the middle of next January. Eight years ago the late Senator QUAY set an example of fooling the public which was really interesting though it turned out badly and in 1906 PENROSE took a hand in the same game which marked him as an expert. But the indications are unfavorable for a success- ful repetition of that trick and from this distance it looks as if he would better be candid with his people and let them into his secret early. President Taft Involved in Scandal. Recent developments in the BALLINGER investigation appear to cast a shadow over the White House. It appears that there was some sort of sinister collusion between the President and the Attorney General in the matter of the vindica- tion of BALLINGER and the dismissal of Mr. GLAavis from the public serv- ice. In other words according to testimony which seems to be credible, Mr. TAFT issued his letter vindicating BALLINGER and dismissing Gravis upon information alleged to have been obtain- ed. The statements were promulgated by the President and the Attorney Gen- PEILEFONTE PA. MAY 20. 1910. Of course the Democratic friends of WiLLiam H. BERRY are not trying to de- ceive the public by the published state- ment that as the Democratic candidate for State Treasurer in 1905 he polled 546,- 892 votes. All Democrats in this State and appreciate his services to the in the office to which he was elected that year. But he wasnot only the candidate of the Democratic party on that occasion but he was likewise the candidate of the Prohibitionists, the Independents and the LINCOLN party. As the Democratic can- didate he polled only 350,696 votes and the difference between that figure and the total which he received was cast by the other parties which had nominated him. Some of our esteemed contemporaries whe are more zealous for Mr. BERRY than honest are in the habit of contrast- ing his vote with that of Mr. MUNSON last year to the prejudice of Mr. MUNSON, whose total vote was something less than 350,000, which was, in round numbers,the Democratic vote of Mr. BERRY in 1905. But they neglect to state that Mr. BERRY received 51,399 Prohibition votes and 127,512 LINCOLN party votes, neither of which parties contributed, in organized form, to the support of Mr. MUNSON, though the leaders of both those elements in the electorate freely admitted that there was as much reason for co-opera- tion with the Democrats on one occasion as on the other. In Philadelphia alone Mr. BERRY received 94,244 LINCOLN party votes which were coerced to his support by Democratic organization which made that action conditional upon the Demo- cratic support of the local LINCOLN party candidates in the city. We all take pleasure in honoring Mr. BERRY whose service to the State in ex- posing the graft in the building and fur- nishing of the capitol at Harrisburg can- not be overestimated. But the friends of Mr. Munson who has also done excellent and efficient service for the Democratic party, protest that’the supporters of Mr. BERRY ought to be fair in presenting his claims which are ample to command re- spectful attention if honestly stated but challenge popular contempt when mis- represented. Last year there was no LINCOLN party in the field and there is | certain tobe no such force behind the | Democratic candidate this year, who- ever he may be. Neither is it likely that the Prohibitionists will give 51.399 votes to the Democratic candidate this year. But it is certain that a Democratic candi- date worthy of the honor, capable of ful- filling the obligations of the office and! chosen by the free voice of the delegates in the convention at Allentown will be elected, whether it be C. LARUE MUNSON po or WiLLiaM H. BERRY. The campaign of 1905 was exceptional | tha in many respects. The attempt of the Republican machine to steal the Phila- delphia gas works from the people and bestow that immensely valuable property upon a semi-political corporation had so aroused public sentiment that a political revolution was the result. In resentment of that crime 95475 voters, other than Democrats, voted for Mr. BERRY, in that city alone, not because they cared for him much but for the reason that they hated the machine more. But within a eral ordered to dig up facts to justify them. This is about as mean a form of con- year from that time the resentment had been forgotten and the vast majority of the indignant citizens had returned to their spiracy as can be imagined. Mr. Gravis had submitted certain charges the Secretary of the Interior to the Presi- dent. Instead of taking steps to ascertain the facts and correct the evils, the Presi- dent pigeon-holed the charges. Gravis tried in various ways to get action on the matter without success and finally made his charges public. Then the Presidents smoked out, issued a letter which had been written by the Assistant Attorney General, declaring that he had investigat- ed the charges through the office of the Attorney General, found them without foundation and dismissed GLAvis for in- subordination. A week ago the Attorney General was summoned to testify before the investi- gating committee and admitted that he had not réported to the President on the GLAVIS charges against BALLINGER until two months after the President had publicly declared that the report was in his possession. Later a stenographer in the Interior Department made an affi- davit that the letter signed by the Presi- dent vindicating BALLINGER two months before the Attorney General had madea report on the the subject was dictated to him, the stenographer, by Assistant At. torney General LAWLER, who was acting under orders from the President to vindi- cate BALLINGER at any cost. This is a nice scandal for the President to be in- volved in. —Well, the disaster in the swish of the comet's tail turned out to be nothing more than an astronomer’s tale. political alignment and in 1906 voted for Mr. STUART for Governor though the candidate of the the opposition had been of their own selection. If Mr. BERRY had been the nominee of the Democratic party the result would probably have been the same. These facts admonish us that the first obligation of a Democratic convention is tonominate a man who will command the united and enthusiastic support of the Democratic voters. If he has also such a measure of popularity as to command a considerable support from independent voters of other political proclivities all the better. But itis a grave mistake to stir up differences, before the convention, which will cause resentments afterward, and presenting the claims of one candi- date by misrepresentation, is calculated to work that result. We firmly believe that either Mr. MUN- case to the party and the public. ——Qwing to the protracted cold weath- er and high water in all the streams Cen- tre county fishermen have not had very much luck angling for speckled beauties since the opening day. But itis more because of the inauspicious weather than becauseof an unusual scarcity of trout, as fishermen who have been trying their kill time and again declare they can see trout in the streams but that they will neither jump to fly nor take bait. h i i { i: ai & £¥ is : i E 5 3 i § | 8 { | 5 i : 3 g : 3 2 : £ E § i | gg : 1 > | i ge» g 2 2 i : : ] : w 2 2 8 fie ct i 0 iF g H 268 i : : | £ E | § z : : : : f E : : i ws I it : | : i 2 g : § 5 g i ; : g 3 BZ s E i 5 i i ‘ g g & 2 i : I What is it? A Poser for the Stand Patters. | (Letter in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.) ‘ | i g | J j £ £ il F : i a » | : g : aes ask the Post Dispatch. 1 ask anybody. E. PLuriBus Unum. SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. ~Forty or more dogs have been killed by Chief Davies, of Barnesboro, since the quarantine against canines went into effect some weeks ago. —A well known farmer from Bedfcrd county lost $20 in money and notes to the value of $360, which were picked from his pocket while he was Sanehing the circus paradeia Johnstown last Pe- —A large number of burgesses and road super. visors of Indiana county recently formed a perma- nent organization to be known as the Indiana County Good Roads association. The action was taken at a good roads meeting held in the county is having constructed near Mapleton an incline, plane from the flag pole from the peak of Jack's mountain to the Bridge hollow, at Jackstown. A large force of men under John M. Miller is rush. ing the work. —Harry Bickford, a salesman for the West Branch brick works, had a narrow escape recent- ly when his horse went over a seven-foot em- bankment into a creek near Renovo: The ani- mal became balky and backed the carriage down over the bank. HE i 8% Eo —New car shops are to be built at Avis, Clinfon county, this year, to replace the old New York Central repair plant now located at Jersey Shore Junction. The building will be 200 by 320 feet and will cost $350,000. H.F. Chapman & Co., of , are the general contractors in charge. ~The establishment of a new archdeaconry of the Protestant Episcopal church, to be known as the Altoona archdeaconry. was accomplished at last week's session of the sixth annual conven- tion of the diocese of Harrisburg, held in Altoo- na. The Altoona archdeaconry embraces Bed- ford, Huntingdonand Centre counties. B.0: atiniils =F =The jury in the case of Mrs. Pearl A. Slusser vs. the Pennsylvania railroad, an action to recov er damages in the sum of $15,000 for the death of her husband, Bruce Slusser, at April i ‘made by the attorneys for the company, —United States immigrant inspectors from Philadelphia have traced two of the immigrants who came to that port last week in a ship infested with smallpox, to Kittanning. The men were working in a labor camp of the Pittsburg and Shawmut railroad and one of the men had a fully developed case of the disease. The entire camp of 200 men has been placed under quarantine. —A McElhatton, Clinton county, farmer was flimflammed out of $100 by a fakir at Jersey Shore, 4% when Jones’ Wild West show was there recently. The green-goods man sold the deluded one sever- al packages of seeds that would grow without sprouting and produce pumpkins of enormous size. For the slight consideration of $100 the far- mer was given theexclusive right to sell the seeds with polish. | inClinton and Westmoreland counties. Now the 19,8 snial WL 2 farmer wants his money back. outside of the State of Ohio, is the fact| —professor]. s. Koller, of Believille, has been t he is the hus Roose- chosen secretary of the Lewistown Young Men's velt’s daughter. Christian Association, succeeding Rev. I. S. Sassa- SojFe; oo Jus bili and ne doubt | man, who has resigned. After a successful pas. in an ordinary “off year" he would run as torate of nearly two years at St. Paul's Lutheran church, Burnham, part of which time he served cans migh - as secretary of the association. Mr. Sassaman But this is not an ordinary "off year” will go to State College. June 5, to assume charge in Ohio. Judson Harmon, an of a large and flourishing mission congregation. old-line Democrat, has been the | Prof. Koller will assume charge of the associa- crookedness of former tion May 23. holders, and feuds among leaders have badly the A =A deal was consummated recently that means Ios wae PATE: orried Ohio over | the wiping out of one of the few remaining tracts 60,000, Harmon's plurality was 19,372. | of timber in the region around DuBois. The Sam He is certainly he | uel B. Welty tract, just northwest of Rockton, To lead Mr. fT Eg £2 8 [| | g | ke Bs g : o < 2 : g | : : i 4 i 58 | i ie g : : : : I I FF i 5 § 3 g MAN always pays. forth next fall to the inevitable slaughter would be g i : j i three years. to work as soon as he found a job. The court sign- ed an order for his release. ~Charles Long, an operator for the New York Central at Caatanea, Clinton eounty, met with a rather serious mishap recently while playing base ball. He tried to slide home and evidently F
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers