BY P. GRAY MEEK. INK SLINGS. —New Jersey's student Governor is not likely to be caught with a “pony” when the public examination of him be- gins in earnest. What was the use of the war any- way? Poor Alabama negroes are mort- gaging themselves “heart, body and soul” to the richer of their own race. —The appointment of young DAvIs ELKINS to succed his father as Senator from West Virginia does not look much as if the Governor of that State had a very serious notion of what a Senator of the United States should be. —A lot of candidates have publicly thrown down the gauntlet this week and from now to the 3rd of June lightning rod and book agents will have to step lively if they want to keep pace with the fellow who covets an office in that re- modeled court house of ours. —Esperanto has been added to the cur- riculum at the University of Pittsburg. If coach THOMPSONS quondam students at that institution should happen to elect that course what a time State will have trying to get onto Pitt's signals in their big Thanksgiving game next fall. —Anent the nudity of the BARNARD groups for the entrance of the capitol, many a prude will be mortified to death to see a spade made a spade in art who won't think of having a blush of shame for the terrible plunderingfand crimes that besmirch the building itself. —Capt. PEARY'S statement that he didn’t take any white man with him on his final dash for the pole for the reason that he wanted all the glory of its discov- ery for himself might also be read to mean that he didn’t want any one around who could bear tales if he actually didn’t find it. —For goodness sake, don't advise a friend to be a candidate for office un- thinkingly. Too many men are induced to try the game by the thoughtless sug- gestions of friends. They go into it with- out a chance to win and lose half as much as the office would be worth should they secure it. —The state capitol grafters have com- promised the civil suits against them by paying back to the State $1,500,000. In the first place we don’t believe there ever would have been a compromise had TEN- ER not been elected Governor. In the second, we'll never believe that they have paid a cent of real money back unless we see it. —In an address before the Medical school of the New York University AN- DREW CARNEGIE, on Tuesday, declared his belief that “man can conquer all things in time." He also expressed regret that he cannot live long enough to see his prediction come true. Is this notice to the world that he has abandoned his hope of “dying poor” for want of time to carry his plans for conquering his wealth into execution. —The Hon. SAMUEL PENNYPACKER, once Governor of Pennsylvania, has just delivered himself of the opinion that most of the writings of BENJAMIN FRANK- LIN were trash. On Tuesday the capitol grafters paid back to the State of Penn- sylvania one million, five hundred thou- sand dollars in cash as part of the loot they were convicted of stealing. It will be recalled that this same Hon. SAMUEL PENNYPACKER declared that all the talk of frauds in the construction of the capi- tol were folderol. —Captain PEARY must realize now that Eskimos, as well as chickens, come home to roost. He used the Eskimo testimony almost exclusively to prove that Dr. Cook never reached the pole and now the Eskimo boy whom PEARY brought to this country on one of his former voy- ages, writes from the frozen north that PEARY, himself, never reached the covet- ed goal. Verily, the next man who un- dertakes to discover the pole will have to bring it back with him before anyone will give him even respectful hearing. ——The Democrats of the House of Representatives in Washington may have been a trifle inconsistent, the other day. in reversing themselves on an attitude assumed during a legislative crisis last March and “consistency is a jewel” just as much as it ever was. But as one of the gentlemen stated during the discus- sion of the subject on Monday, the minor- ity resorted to revolutionary expedients to avert a positive peril in the spring and in the absence of such necessity they properly refrained from repeating the action the other day. Besides itis worth while to consider that they won out in each case and in politics there is nothing as successful as success. ——The nomination of Hon. A. MITCH- ELL PALMER, for member of the commit- tee on ways and means of the House of Representatives in Washington, by the Democratic Congressmen-elect, was a wise use of a new power and a safe solu- tion of a difficult problem. Mr. PALMER is a comparatively new man in Congress but he is a gentleman of ability and character and has already revealed an aptitude for legislative work that has challenged the attention of his associates in the House and won the admiration of his friends everywhere. The compliment involves a heavy burden of exacting labor, but it is safe to predict that Mr. PALMER will make good. _VOL. 56. BELLEFONTE, PA. JANUARY 13, 1911. STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. Niles as Ananias. Mr. Since Mr. Henry C. Nites, of York, has set himself up as a censor of public morals it may become necessary for the rest of us to find a new decalogue. It is certain that the feature of the supreme law of the Christian world which declares “thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” will not be accepted by Mr. Nimes. For example in a recent article published over his signature in an esteemed Philadeiphia contemporary he says: “It is certain that more Democrats voted for BERRY than for GRIM; possibly as many Democrats voted for TENER as for GRIM; possibly two-thirds as many Republicans voted for BERRY as for TENER.” The average Democratic vote for Gov- ernor in the last four campaigns for that office was 357,475. It is reasonably cer- tain that at least twenty-five per cent. of that total refrained from voting last fall, not because of dissatisfaction with the candidate but on account of the hope- lessness of the contest, which would leave 268,000 to vote for somebody. Of these, according to the official returns Mr. GRIM received 129,395, leaving 141,000, ap- proximately to be divided between BERRY and TeENER. If it is true, therefore, that as many Democrats voted for TENER as for GRIM, there is left only a corporal’s guard of 12,000 to vote for BERRY. Of course this is not a correct statement of the vote. Mr. BERRY may have received in the neighborhood of forty per cent. of the Democratic vote. But the figures quoted sounded well in the ears of Mr. NILES, and that is all he cared for. In the same article Mr. NILES says “it is reported that the Democratic and Re- publican members of the Legislature who waited until the arrival of Senator PEN. ROSE in Harrisburg to tell them how they should begin, what to do and when to ad- journ, are hilarious in their expressions of contempt for their fellow members who were elected by Keystone party votes.” So far as Democrats are concern- ed there was no such report. Mr. NILES sim- ply invented what looks like a deliberate and malicious lie. The handful of con- spirators. who under pretense of being Democrats held a secret caucus with the view of devising a plan to stampede the regular Democratic caucus afterward, earned and probably secured the con- tempt of a good many gentlemen of all parties who believe in decency in politics as well as in other things. ————— “Gift Bearing Greeks.” Representave MANN, Republican of Iili- nois, has introduced bills reducing the tariff tax on fifteen articles in common use and among the necessaries of life. President TAFT is averse to tariff tinker- ing at this time and most of the Republi- cans in both branches of Congress are of the same mind. They recognize that during the year which must elapse before the next Congress can get a fall out of the ALDRICH atrocity the trust magnates and tariff barons can round up vast for- tunes. But Mr. MANN has a clearer idea of political expediency. He understands that unless some effort is made by the Republicans to give the people relief the next election will sweep the party off the face of the earth. Of course it looks alike ungracious and impolite to “look a gift horse in the mouth,” but the public will properly wel- come any movement which promises the decrease in tariff rates and logically in market prices. But it is not improper to view with suspicion the approach of “gift- bearing Greeks." Representative MANN is now pursuing precisely the same course which Governor PENNYPACKER adopted after the political upheaval in this State in 1905. If the iniquitous legislation en- acted by the General Assembly of that year had remained on the statute books until the election of 1906, there would have been such a weeding out of crooks that genuine reform legislation would have been inevitable. But Governor PEN- NYPACKER called the crooks into special session to modify their work and fool the people. That is precisely what Representative MANN, of Illinois, aims to achieve by his fifteen tariff tax reduction bills. He im- agines that a trifling reduction in rates now might prevent a substantial decrease next year and at the same time fool the people into a false notion that after all the Republicans are doing their best to promote the interests of the masses. By calling the Legislature into extra session in 1906 Governor PENNYPACKER saved his party from overwhelming defeat in the gubernatorial election of that year. If Representative MANN'S legislative pro- gram were adopted by his party now it might give TAPT a remote chance for re- election. But that is not likely to occur. -—W. Francis Speer has accepted a position as local writer on the Bellefonte Republican. Saving and Wasting. The Postmaster General may deserve | An esteemed contemporary pretends all the praise (?) that will be bestowed | upon him by increasing the hours of la- | bor of the railway mail men. It will! save the government the salaries of a| considerable number of clerks, said to be | needed in the New York postoffice to handle the magazines and trade journals issued in that city. But the railway mail men are about the hardest worked | and poorest paid servants of the govern- | ment. Those who run between New York and Pittsburg, for example, are kept at their tasks, and they are severe, almost day and night for the six days | necessary for their round trips and dur- ing the six days of rest, which follow, they are obliged to spend most of the time studying. It is said that the Postmaster General expects to save the salary of four hun- dred clerks in the New York postoffice by the scheme which he proposes to put in operation next week. At the rate of $100 a month the saving will be in the neighborhood of $480,000 a year which is a snug sum and ought to be saved if that result can be achieved without impair- ment of the service. But by cutting out one battleship the government could save as much as will be saved in ten years by overworking the postal clerks and we have about as much need for two battle- ships a year as a dog has for two tails, while the additional labor which itis pro- posed to put on the postal clerks will cer- tainly undermine their health and short- en their lives. The trouble with the present administra- tion is that it “saves at the spigot and wastes at the bung.” In other words it cuts down the wages of men who are lit- tle better than laborers, so far as com- pensation is concerned and adds vastly more to the cost of government in other directions. This is neither wise policy nor good business. One of the Presi: dent's useless junkets to Panama, for ex- ample, costs more than can be saved by this overtaxing of the railway mail clerks in six months, but the junkets go on, nevertheless, and the burden of the ex- pense is put upon the poorly-paid mail men. The President and the Postmaster Gen- eral may imagine that such expedients fool the public but they are mistaken. No Need for a Tarif Commission. Some Democratic leaders in and out of public life appear to be falling in with the preposterous scheme of the stand- patters who favor a permanent tariff com- mission. Such a body, they imagine, would take the tariff question out of poli- tics and work other miraculous results equally absurd. Possibly they are right in their idea that it would take the tariff out of politics. Certainly that is true if the present President of the United States were given authority to appoint the com- mission. He would select men for the service in entire sympathy with the "“in- terests” and the people would have no recourse. This is precisely the reason why the stand-patters all favor the plan. The late Judge JERRY S. BLACK once said “noman can be a Democrat and a protectionist.” In other words no policy which bestows special privileges on one set of men can be Democratic. The fundamental principal of that party is equality among men. Equal rights and equal opportunities are the basis of the faith. Tariff tax for protection necessa- rily gives those who are protected special privileges and special opportunities for which others must pay. Probably ex- perts might be able to achieve this re- sult in a more plausible way than those who are not specialists. But if we desire to be just and Democratic we do not need such service from experts or others. The only tariff tax which has the sanc- tion of the constitution and the endorse- ment of real Democrats is that which has no other purpose than to raise revenue and no tariff commission or “economic sharps” are needed for making such a tariff. Any intelligent man fairly familiar with the science of political economy and guided by conscience can do that. CHAMP CLARK, for example, could write a tariff bill in less than a week that would serve the purpose completely and he has no less thon a hundred Democratic associates on the floor of the House equally well | equipped. In view of this fact there is no necessity for a tariff commission permanent or temporary. - —That Chicago woman who says she has a 'phone through which you can talk to the dead will probably never realize much should she decide to have it pat- ented. It might be absolutely necessary, in the case of some of one’s friends, to have a ‘phone with asbestos receivers and no one would wish to traduce the memory of a departed friend by having such a thing on hand as living evidence of where he had taken up his residence. The Question of State Taxes. that it is unable to see why the PENROSE machine is searching for new subjects of taxation when the State is out of debt and the revenues are already redundant. Our revenues are ample at present, it de- clares, and if nothing is to be considered except the legitimate expenses of the State gov:inment, that is true. In fact in that event the question of reducing taxes might well be considered. But there are other things to consider. The greed of the bosses has not been satiated. The campaign corruption fund must be maintained. And the additional taxes proposed by the McNICHOL commission are to meet these requirements. It is confidently believed by the Ma- chine bosses that there are greater op- portunities for graft in the proposed Philadelphia to Pittsburg boulevard than there was in the building of the State capitol. Such an enterprise could be car- ried out with benefit to the people, and without any exorbitant outlay, but under the management of the Machine, it wont. That thieving combination will make it cost anywhere from twenty to fifty mil- lions of dollars and under skillful man- agement a dollar can be stolen for every dollar's worth of real work done. That is why new objects of taxation are being sought. The Governor vetoed the last boulevard bill because he had been de- ceived into the notion that there would not be sufficient money in the treasury to begin operations. If the present revenue program is carried out there will be no such cause for veto. Taxation of the people for any other purpose than the payment of the legiti- mate expenses of the government, is rob- bery. Under the existing revenue laws not less than two million dollars are an- nually taken from the people more than is necessary. This amount, with a sur- plus of from eight to ten millions already in the banks, is used for debauching the voters of the State in one way or anoth- er. For this reason the Legislature ought to set its face against any additional tax- Soy ation. The present surplus might be used for the improvement of roads throughout the State and to increase the facilities for education and after that the effort should be to reduce rather than in- crease taxes. ——The eyes of the country are cen- tered upon three or four available men for the Democratic nomination for Presi- dent in 1912. Governor HARMON, of Ohio, Governor WILSON, of New Jersey, and Governor Dix, of New York, are favorites among their respective friends and the friends of each are legion. One may easily find abundant reasons for praising either of these distinguished Democrats and it will hardly be considered invidious to specially refer to the manner in which Governor Dix, of New York, in precept and example, respected the obli- gations on the executive branch of the State government to refrain from in- fringing upon the prerogatives of the co- ordinate branches. Among the imminent perils of our time is the tendency of Presidents and Governors to encroach upon the legislative and judicial depart- ments and in view of this danger the ac- tions of Governor Dix deserve special attention and ~ommendation. ——The weather man on Sunday pre- dicted for this section the “tail-end” of a storm on its way east from Alaska. It reached here all right Sunday night when the wind blew at a fearful velocity. It con- tinued all day on Monday with a very low temperature, and if that was only the ‘tail-end” of an Alaskan storm we hope that the head and body will never be able to wander this far from home. During the high wind on Monday afternoon the exhibition show case standing in front of Willard’s store on High street was blown over and the glass smashed into fragments. ~The Altoona Times is conducting a popular subscription and voting contest in which a $2,300 Buick automobile will be given to the winner and twelve other valuable prizes given, and well up among the fortunate thirteen is J. F. Herman, of Willowbank street, this place. Mr. Her- man has been close to the top for several days and his frieuds need not be very much surprised if some day he is seen driving that automobile around town; or at least capturing one of the smaller prizes. The contest will close tomorrow. —If Senator LORIMER has the sweet scented, pure passport he claims to have why doesn't he offer to put the matter of his having a seat in the upper house of Congress up to the people of Illinois to decide for themselves. If he is their choice that should end all the bribery charges. ' i NO. 2. Did the People Pay the Trip. From the Kansas City Journal. a resolution requiring an the Smithsonian institution, never made a report of this remarkable exploit. It will be remembered that a few months before the expiration of his erm of office, President t made ; i 2 2 -, fi : oF So ; 5 3 : rt i gE g : g g : 5 g proach. It is not enough, they say, protest that comparatively few votes of those given in the Legislature of Illinois for the election of Senator Lorimer are shown to have been bought, there is no proof of either hi or guilty knowledge of any corrupt trans- action. It is not enough to denounce the sensational exaggeration of the yellow press in. dealing with the matter. The admitted conditions are scandalous enough to appeal to the self-respect of the Senate. The reason for this development of the right sort of senatorial dignity is shrewd. lv discovered in the adoption by many States of the plan of the senatorial pri- mary. Many Senators have to look for- ward to such an expression of popular opinion preceding the effort for their own re-election, and there is so much to be said about the Lorimer scandal that they fear the effect of a ready acquiescence in the whitewashing of the matter. A few years ago no one could have hoped for such sensitiveness in the Senate. Thus do we march along, slowly, but surely, towards higher ground of political morality. The people everywhere are beginning to realize what very low they have been traveling th how perilous and costly and slow that sort of progress must be. £ packages pass- ed out within the fiscal year 1910, which covers the i between June 1909, and July 1st, 1910, although it is e the latter bonus was intended The most any other government employes, many of them being away ftom the Cabitel during the summer months when . gress is not in session. But as these places are political stations, the Senate is willing | to be liberal. Government employes who really work, but who are not a part of the Republican machine, do not participate in the easy money. The policy of the standpatters who are in charge of the people's ney ie $0 spend it principally among viduals and in districts where it will do the G. O. P. the most This policy is not es- pecially to economy. ~——County surveyor J. Henry Wetzel is now occupying his new office in the court house. Ty SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. ~Ranging in ages from 60 to78 years, six daughters of the late Jacob Bordner, of Baums- town, Berks county, several of whom were twice married, are now all widows. ~Indiana county has but eight prisoners in its jail, but two of them are women, both charged with murder. Never before has a woman beem tried for murder in that county. ~A corps of raiiroad engineers are reported as again running lines across the southern end of Clearfield county from up above Cherrytree to the Big Fill, between Sandy Ridge and Tyrone. —Jacob P. Ringwalt, of Atglen, Montgomery county, paid $500 for a prize white Orpington rooster that was on show in New York iast week. Mr. Ringwalt seems to be an enthusiast over chickens. ~Blair county during the year 1910 paid out te the farmers of nine townships in the county, the sum of $797.25 as indemnity for sheep killed by dogs. The money is taken from the fund created by the assessment of dog tax. ~The Ebensburg Coal corporation has been buying large quantities of valuable coal land in the Blacklick region. The company is also said to be reconstructing the old Yellowstone and Blacklick railroad. ~The grand jury of Luzerne county has found true bills against Frank Carlucci, the contractor, and McCormick and French, the architects of the new $2,000,000 court house at Wilkes-Barre, on the charge of conspiracy to defraud the county by the substitution of inferior material in the or namental plastering of the building. —Alleging that after an injury sustained in the plant of the American Car & Foundry company of Berwick, he was detained against his will, kept in a private hospital maintained by the company, and subjected to wrongful, improper and negli- his attorney, Paul J. Sherwood, has begun suit to recover $10,000. —For the 23rd time, the stork on Tuesday visit ed the home of Morris Connor, owner of the Al- toona theatrical baggage transfer and ticket taker of the Mishler theatre, and left a fine little boy. Connor is as proud of the lad as if it was his first. He has been twice married. Eighteen children were born to the first union, four of whom are living. ~The State Live Stock Sanitary Board is now for the first time vaccinating hogs to prevent their infection with hog cholera. The work has already been done intwo herds in Montgomery. county and at Lock Haven. Two applications for vaccinrtion in Montgomery county have been - | filed. Vaccination has not been attempted be- fore by the State Board. —Awakening after midnight and finding his house on fire, James Watt, residing in York coun- ty, near the Maryland line, barely had time to rescue his wife and five small children. After watching the destruction of their home the Watt family were compelled to walk in their night garments across the snow covered fields to the nearest farm almost a half-mile awav, where they were given shelter. —Meyersdale people, to the number of over 200, are discovering that they have been victimized. Some time ago a large number of accident as- surance policies were written at $1 each. They appeared to cover every accident but, on close reading, are found to cover scarcely any. Policy holders who have suffered accidents are not get- ting returns and the Commercial hands out some very sensible advice onthe subject. ~Mill Hall is to havea new factory. It will manufacture tops and bottoms for peach, grape and other baskets and will employ fifteen men at first. Work on the building will begin soon and homes for employes of these —Burglars entered the store of Reuben Berney. at St. Benedict, a few ‘nights ago, and stole two dozen suits of clothes, several suits of underwear. shoes, and other articles of dress, also a watch and some small pieces of jewelry. Entrance was made through the back door. There is no clue, although tracks in the snow lead to the belief that there were three or four men in the party. Chief of Police Gill, of Patton, is investigating the case. —Cambria county police and detectives are hot on thetrail of the thieves that on Wednesday night robbed the store of B. J. Berney, a local man, at St. Benedict, Cambria county, carrving away several hundred dollars’ worth of merchan- dise.” Mr. Berney, who conducts a furnishing store on Twelfth street between Eighth and Ninth avenues, also has made trips to the scene of the robbery and has started the search for the crim- inals. The crime was full of sensations. —Mrs. Henry Hilty, of Edri, Indiana county, had her husband arrested for breach of the peace. At the hearing it was shown that during a fam- ily brawl, the wife had thrown a butcher knife (which stuck ia the wall) at her husband. He had threatened to use it when the woman hit him across the palm of the hand with a heavy iron poker and it must have been wielded with some force as it left quite a bruise. The man was discharged, but refused to return to his home. —The balance in the Clearfield county treas- ury was swelled $900 last week by the seven pleas of guilty entered in court by three Italian residents of Clover Run, Bell township; three Italians, of near Tyler, and one American, of the latter place, all of whom were hauled in for selling liquor with- out license. Judge Smith allowed all the cul- prits to enter pleas of guilty and suspended sen- tence on payment of $100 each and costs, except- ing one of the Tyler bunch, who was soaked $300 and costs. A late act of assembly provides for such disposition of liquor cases, first offense. —Adjutant General Thos. J. Stewart, of the Pennsylvania State National Guard, has attrached his signature to a formal order directing the trans- fer of company C. Tenth regiment, from Union- town to Somerset, and it is likely that the equip- ment will be received in a few days. Many Som- erset people are taking a lively interest inthe proposed company and have expressed a willing* ness to aid the organization in every way possi: ble. They hope the day is not far distant when the State will authorize the erection of a permanent armory there,an edifice that wiil be an ornament to the town. —By a decision of the supreme court news of which was received yesterday with elation by taxpayers, a number of coal companies will be compelled to pay into the Northumberland coun- ty treasury many thousands of dollars in back taxes. In 1907 the county commissioners, sitting as a board of revision, raised the value of coa lands, pending affirmation of the county court.l Counsel for the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron company and the Mineral Railroad and Mining company appealed, and the court appoint ed a coal tax commission to take testimony and arrive at a true valuation. —Advertising swindlers are using the Penn- sylvania Station in New York as a means for swindles in many parts of the country. A number of these have been brought to the attention of the Pennsylvania Railroad and vigorous means are to be taken to put an end to them. One swindle which has been perpetrated most gen- erally is that of a large advertising poster, which it is claimed will be hung in the Pennsylvania Station in New York and in addition in various places and waiting rooms at other stations along the lines of the Company. This poster contains a large picture of Pennsylvania Station, surround- ed by advertisements.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers