—The January thaw came a little earlier than usual, but it didn’t stay late enough to do any damage. —1It is back to the mittens and the ear muffs for the fellow who was certain spring was here when he poked his nose out Sunday morning. —Let us hope that Governor TENER'S administration will have no darker days for Pennsylvania than the gloriously bright one on which he was inducted into office. —There seems to have been just mere- ly an election day necessary to lift those Maryland Democrats from “hog and hominy” to terrapin and champagne ban- quets. —Anyway that diamond ring that FRED HERMAN won in the Altoona Times contest will look a sight better on his fingers than the grease of that big automobile that was offered as the first prize. —The size of the type in which Gov- ernor TENER'S name was printed on those inaugural invitations was quite in pro- portion to the size of the Governor phys- ically. Accent should be strong on phys- ically. —If they keep on coming like they have done for the past two weeks the Democrats will certainly not have any complaint to make about the field of can- didates they have to choose from in Cen- tre county. —At this stage of legislative progress it looks as though the people will rule in New Jersey, the people and the bosses will mix it up for sepremacy in New York and PENROSE will continue to run Penn- sylvania to suit himself. —St. Louis has agreed to name a grand opera house after anyone who will con- tribute one million dollars to build it. Here's a chance for the gentlemen of means about Bellefonte who have no de- sire to build memorials to themselves at home. —The movement to put a tax on resi- dent hunters of Pennsylvania should be nipped in the bud. There are now mil- lions of dollars of surplus funds in the State Treasury, so why the need of pil- ing up more by such an unfair proposi- tion as a license for resident hunters. —Among the proposed bills to be in- troduced during the present session of the Legislature is one to substitute the electric chair for the gallows in Pennsyl- vania and to have all executions in one or the other of the two state penitenti- aries. The passage of such an act is earnestly to be desired; especially as to the plan for removing executions from the county seat towns. —The protectionist Keystoners didn't relish free trader BERRY'S speech at their convention in Harrisburg on Monday. It was the first finger board pointing the Little Prospect for Civic Improvement. a. Notwithstanding the lesson that was given our Republican friends in Pennsyl- vania last fall, and the multiplicity of re- forms promised in his otherwise very ex- cellent inaugural Governor TENER'S ad- ministration starts out giving very little hope of civic improvement in lines where they are so much needed. His appoint- ment of Joun C. BELL—a representative and servile tool of Philadelphia’s worst and most vicious political element, as Attorney General, gives good ground for the belief already prevalent, that there are tobe noreforms in the executive department of this State during his term of office. As between Mr. BELL, FRANCIS SHUNK BrowN and Sheriff GILFILLAN there was little choice. Neither is fit for the great office to which, according to gossip, they all aspired. But there are so many really great lawyers in Pennsylva- nia affiliated with the Republican party, and even attached to the party organiza- tion, that the selection of a man of dif- ferent type was properly hoped for. The Democratic Senators who refused to vote for the confirmation of the Governor's cabinet were justified on these grounds. There is a little hope for civic improve- ment in the work of the Legislature. That body, even this early in its session gives every evidence of being the same profligate, boss-controlled crowd of law- makers that has shamed the Common- wealth and robbed the people for years past. It’s first work was to dive into the treasury with both hands wide open and without examination or excuse appropri ate hundreds of thousands of dollars for extra clerk hire, extra salaries for extra officials, and enormous sums to make up for alleged deficiencies in the different departments. This was done without even reading the bill investigating its ne- cessity or asking an explanation of why these extra clerks were needed or the cause for the great deficiencies they were pretending to provide for. Men, profess- ing great interest in reform, and posing as representatives of the tax-be-diveled people, sat with their mouths shut, and voted for these steals—a number of them covering items that had been vetoed by the Governor two years ago. No voice was raised to ask for deliberation in the passage of this extra and doubtful appro- priation measure. No inquiry as to the urgency of its enactment. No question raised as to amounts named; no evidence asked: no information demanded. Itwas way to the disruption of the Keystoners. Their individual policies are irreconcila- | ble, their primary incentive the redemp- | tion of Pennsylvania and their ark will | go to pieces on the rocks of national pol- itics if they don't hold to their course of | local issues. 1 —Mrs. NETTIE WEEKLY, of Minneapo- | lis, has just been granted a divorce and | six hundred and cighty-five dollars alimo- ny from her husband HENRY WEEKLY. She proved that he persisted in darning | his own socks in the front yard, much to | her chagrin and discredit as a careful wife and housekeeper. Judged from HENRY'S accomplishments he must have been almost "a perfect lady,” hence his | failure to satisfy the real woman of the | house. ' —Governor TENER’S inaugural address really contained many suggestions that might prove beneficial in legislation. But even if the Governor was sincere when ! he made them—which we doubt—he | knew there was no more chance of their getting through the Pennsylvania Legis- lature without PENROSE'S consent than {tere is of a fish climbing a tree. It isn’t what's said on the decorated stand in front of the capitol that counts. It's what's done inside the east and west wings. —When we read in the telegraphic news about the attorney for former State Treasurer FRANK G. HARRIS stepping up to the bar of justice at Harrisburg last week and making partial restitution for the loot stolen in the State capitol con- i | simply railroaded through, and is expect- ed to be a law by the time this copy of the WATCHMAN will reach its readers. But the greatest menace thus far re- vealed is in the appointment of Mr. BELL. His only public record was made as Dis- trict Attorney of Philadelphia when he served the machine with a fidelity which surprised even the machine managers. | When the question of prosecuting the ballot box stuffers was brought up to him he said in a public speech “if the time should come when I cannot go along with the organization, then I shall resign the office of District Attorney.” In other words if it should happen that the prose- cution of those party pirates could not be averted in any other way he would sacrifice himself to achieve the result. Little can be expected from an adminis- tration with such a law officer. Actions Needing Explanation. The spectacle of nine members of the House and three Senators, professing to be Democrats, and who had been chosen as such, voting for JULIAN KENNEDY, a life long Republican, for United States Senator, only shows how awfully some people's ideas of political principles can become demoralized. Mr. KENNEDY has never been known to entertain a Democratic thought or to endorse a Democratic idea. He has al- ways been a high protectionist, a support® er of corporate encroachments, an ene- my of State rights, and a builder up of struction we just naturally harked back to the trial of the editor of this paper for | libelling the extinguished Clearfield states- : man. Possibly if all had been known. then that is now a public secret that ver- | dict of “not guilty" would not have had | that rider compelling us to pay the costs. | rings and bosses. Until they got to put- ting some of the worst rascals and bank wreckers in Pittsburg into the penitentia- rv Mr. KENNEDY was cheek by jowl with them in all their schemes to wrong the city for the benefit of those who posed as leaders. In fact he helped build up its: — The State Board of Charities has rec- | Worst rings and endorsed all its robbez ommended an appropriation of $6000 for 1€S until the people became aroused. maintenance, and $5100 for building for | the Bellefonte hospital providing the pec- | ple of Bellefonte raise $6000 for building purposes. It is quite evident that the | gentlemen of the State Board have very little appreciation of the fact that the people of Bellefonte have already done more proportionately than those of any i other community we know of in building | Sena and maintaining a public hospital and | Bellefonte will not stand for this attempt | to work the CARNEGIE library plan on them in supporting an institution that is | least, from the State as other hospitals of its kind. When danger threatened he hurried to cut loose from his life time associates and announced himself as a reformer. And twelve so called Democrats of the House and Senate chose him, above all the reputable and able Democrats of the State, as their ideal of a fit man to rep- resent Pennsylvania in the United States te. Verily, some people do queer things! — swimming pool is one of the ac- cessories much desired at the Y.M. C. A. purpose. STATE RIGH _VOL. 56. BELLEFONTE, PA. JANUA 76 AND FEDERAL UNION. RY 20, 1911 . NO. 3. Mr. Corey and the Steel Trust. ————————————— y It is said that the resignation of Mr. Corey, president of the Steel trust, was forced by the directorate because he fa- vored cutting prices. Business was dull and sales infrequent, the story goes, and Mr. COREY had an idea that a reduc- tion in prices would stimulate business. Big plants were being closed up and vast numbers of employees thrown out of work. Profits were greater than neces- sary, he imagined, and the Trust could af- ford to take less for its product better As the late but unattractive SILAS WEGG was wont to “drop into poetry,” Mr. Eugene C. BoNNIWELL, of Dela- ware county, has dropped into political history. Mr. BONNIWELL was the man- |; ager of Mr. BERRY'S campaign for the nomination for Governor, at the Allen- town convention, and made the motion, which was enthusiastically agreed to, that the nomination of WEBSTER GRIM be made unanimous. Subsequently he be- came vice chairman of the Keystone than the employee could afford to starve. | State committee, but tenaciously held on The result was friction in the manage- ment. COREY'S notion was heretical and he had to go. His associates in the busi- ness believed, on the contrary, that peo- ple who bought steel are willing to pay the high prices. Anyway they felt that the high prices can be maintained if the Trust stands firm. Commenting upon the resignation of Mr. COREY the president of another Steel corporation is quoted as saying that the railroads, for example, would rather pay high than low prices for steel rails. Pos- sibly that is true, as a rule. But it is not the expression of a business princi- ple. The railroad managers who prefer high to low prices for rails are those who have greater pecuniary interest in rail making plants than in railroads. For in- stance, a railroad president who has half a million dollars invested in a rall mak- ing plant and only $10,000 in the railroad of which he isan officer, prefers high priced rails. He is plundering his associates in the railroad property, of course, but he is “feathering his own nest.” Besides he knows that those who pay the freight re- imburse the railroad, and as one of them once said “the public be damned.” We have no great admiration for Mr. COREY as a man or a citizen. But if the reasons for his resignation of the office of president of the Steel trust are accurate- ly stated in the current gossip, he is ad- mirable in comparison with those who forced him to resign. It is said, more- over, that the gentleman whom Mr. J. P1erPONT MORGAN has chosen to succeed him as the executive head of the Steel trust will not "get himself disliked” for. the same reason. He is not in favor of reducing prices even though every steel mill in the country should be forced to shut down on account of a lack of or- ders. The salary of $50,000 a year which goes with the office will “keep the wolf from his door” and itdoesn’t matter about the suffering of others. The time may come when the Steel trust will take a different view of things. to the Democratic nomination for Con- gress in the Seventh district, acquired before his political perfidy had been re- vealed. As the Democratic candidate for Congress he industriously fought the Democratic candidate for Governor, thus qualifying himself as an historian of the Keystone party. In a speech delivered in Pittsburg last Monday night Mr. BONNIWELL recited what he declared were “the inside facts” of the “deal” which culminated in the nomination of WEBSTER GRIM for Gov- He carried it back to a period some weeks before the election of 1909, when Mr. MUNSON was the nominee of his party for Justice of the Supreme court and accuses Mr. MUNSON and others of perfidy. It is a trifle singular that in view of that fact Mr. BONNIWELL should move to make the nomination of Mr. GRIM unanimous. These Keystone statesmen are a queer lot of scandal mongers, how- ever, and probably Mr. BONNIWELL ought | ind not to be held to account for such incon- sistencies in statements. He might have gone furthur and still imposed upon the credulity of his audience. But Mr. BoNNIWELL ought to show higher respect for the intelligence of the citizens who are not hypnotized by the spirit of Populism and not as easily de- ceived as the Keystone mercenaries. As a matter of fact the most insistent and vociferous advocates of an early conven- tion were Mr. BERRY and Mr. CREASY, who imagined that the party had suffered from a late convention four years pre- viously and who with others believed that the trend was in our faxor and should be kept in motion. In the half truth he tells of the attitude of one of the Philadelphia leaders he is equally dishon- est, moreover. If he had told, what he knew, that the gentleman was committed to Mr. PALMER, of Monroe county, the sinister aspect would have been remov- ed. Besides more delegates were instruct- ed for Mr. GRiM than for Mr. BERRY. ——At this distance it looks as if there is an unnecessary amount of men- tal perturbation concerning the Senatori- al election in New York. Some of our esteemed contemporaries appear to think that if Mr. WILLIAM C. SHEEHAN is chos- en the Democratic party will instantly take the toboggan for “the demnition They all admit that Mr. SHEEHAN is honest and capable. A hun- dred of his former fellow-citizens of Buf- falo, men of the highest character, are in Albany urging his election and ALTON B. PARKER, who was the Democratic candi- date for President in 1904, pays him the highest tribute of praise. But he has the support of CHARLES F. MURPHY, head of the TAMMANY society, and the dilettan- tes imagine that condemns him to the depths of political perdition. Yet Mr. MURPHY was instrumental in nominating Joun A. Dix for Governor, Judge GAYNOR for Mayor and other eminently deserving and successful men for other offices. We are not inclined to favor the election of Mr. SHEEHAN, personally. that it would be wise to select another man for the great office at this time. But if the Legislature of New York should elect him we shall not dispair of the fu- ture of the Democratic party. It will take a harder blow than that to everiast- ingly destroy the Democracy of the coun- An Outrage on the Farmers. The State Game Commission is again importuning the Legislature to put a li- cense tax on resident hunters. Four years ago a measure of that kind was de- feated in obedience to a numerously sign- ed remonstrance, and it was believed that the scheme had been finally abandoned, But this expectation has been disappoint- ed. At a recent meeting of the Commis- sion the measure was revived and will be an “administration enterprise.” That is to say it will be supported by the political machine and urged upon the Legislature as a party question. It is es. timated that it will yield a revenue of $150,000, though the money will not go into the State Treasury. bursed by the Game Commission. We have repeatedly protested against multiplying the subjects of taxation, There is no necessity for the increase of State revenues under existing conditions. Economically managed the government can be administered with much less ex- penditure than at present and increasing revenues is simply an incitement to prof- ligacy. But this proposed taxation is ob- jectionable for another and a graver rea- son. It is subversive of the constitution in the fact that it proposes to divert rev- enues into channels other than those pro- vided by the fundamental law. In other words it proposes to tax the people not for the support of the government but for the maintenance of a bureau outside of the constitution. The object of the Game Commission- ers is to make it dangerous, if not impos- It will be dis- It seems to us ——Gossip in Washington indicates that President TAFT is likely to encoun- ter a good deal of difficulty in forcing through his Congressional program. The Insurgents in both Houses are enthusias- | tic in support of his Permanent Tariff sible, for plain citizens to hunt game even | Commission scheme but the regulars are on their own premises. Farmers and | threatening trouble and the proposition i their sons enjoy the recreation and pleas- i to fortify the Panama canal appears to everybody topsy-turvey and outside of mili but if they are compelled to take out a| navel es Whe he was license in order to gratify their wishes in | ure of hunting quite as keenly as the | have turned plutocratic members of the city gun clubs | has Lord SALISBURY, ement, said “if they i during the winter season and the city hunters will bag them during the hunt- ing season. This is as unjust asit is un- American. The game belongs to no ene Some in particular but the farmers who feed it 40 ought to have an equal chance with oth- gay with ers in getting it. entitled to the same consideration, at and the Ladies Auxiliary will appreciate | Lent will begin this year on March fre any and all contributions given for this first, Ash Wednesday, and Easter will fall suasion of an | on April 16th. | i tenure of two cr— Has the Right Focus on the Job. From the Mt. Jewett Herald. In another column of this issue will tion. And beyond this, the court by allowing the D of these felonies on a J oonnection with the erouitn ang fur of have been ies, Sou last man, without any consideration what- ever of the number of dollars stolen or poled, much agajust te of its akers, to engage in the business of carrying parcels. many years for the enactment of a par- cels post law, but the representatives of the express companies in Congress have ignored it. It will come eventually, how- ever, and a lot of time would be saved if the present law could be stretched to meet the emergency. Millions More for Pensions. From the Springfield Pensions. The jaunty of the Sulloway service pension bill thro: the House reflects the existence in t body of a rather irresponsible state of mind. The measure would as estimated add $45,000,- 000 to the existing pension expenditure of $140,000,000 or so, and this means an actual result of some $200,000,000 a year on pension account. But if Congress is determined u such an enactment, what taxes will be imposed to raise the money? Nothing is being said just now about this features of the case, but some- thing will have to be done if the bill is enacted. Even on the basis of present expenditure the government is not quite sure whether it will have a surplus reve- nue next fiscal year or not. Meanwhile, if the passage of the Sulloway bill cor- rectly reflects the temper of the iring Congress, the administration might as well throw up its hands in the effort to economize and cut down the government's expenses. The Fight Nearly Won. From Bryan's Commoner. An interesting dispatch comes from ashington. It isto the effect that the Democratic leaders in Congress have con- cluded that the sentiment in favor of taking the appointment of committees = Speaker aimost won the constituents sh con- tinue to write to their Representatives and urge the change. Fixing the Classification. From the New York World. . According to Lawson Purdy, “a tax is | a contribution enforced by sovereign al property tax cannot be enforced upon | rich men, it is not so muchas 13% as “a men are somewhat anxious to have it be- | come clear to see if the trout recently put in the stream from the Bellefonte hatch- a ery are still there or were washed down stream by the high water. —— nt 4 AWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. ~The State police stationed at Punxsutawney have been removed to barracks at Butler. ~The Lessig Iron works at Potts:-=;, resumed operations after an idleness lastin; -. month. —New steel cages have been placed in the Barnesboro lockup. The chief of police intends to name the place after the first occupant. —~Harry Barnes and threeof his children have diphtheria, at their home near Donelly’s Mills, Perry county. Another child died of the dread disease on Wednesday last. —The franchise and assets of the Williamsport base-ball team have been sold to Wilmington. (Del.) parties for $2,400, and it is expected the transfer will be made within a few days. ~The old Young Men's Christian association building at Lock Haven is to be sold and a lot of large dimensions purchased on which to erect a new one. The location is not yet fixed but the directors are determined to push the work. —Mrs. Lewis Kelso, of Todd township, Fulton county, has three cows and 150 white and brows leghorn hens. She uses a cream separator and takes good care of her stock. Her income for 1910 was $602.44. Her expenses are not given. —The Pennsylvania State Corn Show will be held in Harrisburg January 24th. It is expected that many counties will have exhibits. The Corn . | Growers’ association of Chester and Delaware counties will make a display of over 200 choice ears. —The grand jury of Dauphin county has con- demned the historic old court house in which many trials of state-wide interest have occurred. It was built in 1860 and is occupied by both county and city officials, the city of Harrisburg never having built a city hall. —~Cambria county is in pocket about $7,000 be- cause in 1910 it paid its sheriff 121; cents a day for feeding prisoners, instead of 25 cents, as it had paid his predecessor. Sheriff Stutzman says he made some money, the prisoners all look wel! fed and there have been no complaints. —Chester county school directors are opposed to the new school code because they think a board composed of only nine members could not properly supervise the schools. But a board of six members has done all that has needed to be done in Altoona for a half century and more. —Eight owners of wood land adjacent to the Clearfield Southern branch of the New York Cen- tral and Hudson River railroad, in Knox and Boggs townships, Clearfield county, have sued the company for about $50,000 damages. Fire losses in the past three years are the basis of the suits. —~While Mrs. Peter Kumel, of Lost Creek, Schuylkill county, was absent from her home on Saturday her 6-months-old infant was burned to death. Two other children who had been locked in the house were rescued with difficulty. The woman's husband is a patient in the state hos- pital at Shenandoah, in a critical condition from a mine injury. —Owing to the breaking up of the ice on the river and other unfavorable conditions the Renovo gas company has decided to suspend operations in the vicinity of Hyner until next spring. The promotors of this natural gas enterprise are much encouraged with results thus far obtained and hope when work is resumed in the spring that a sufficient flow will be obtained to make the investment a paying one. ~The Blair county commissioners have been the | billed by John Francis, warden of the western penitentiary, for $2,668, representing the expense of keeping of fifty-eight Blair county prisoners in that institution. The daily cost was thirty-one cents each, making the total bill $4,135.40. The county is allowed a credit for $1,467.40, for labor performed by the convicts, leaving the net cost to the | the county $2,668, or exactly twenty cents per —The W. E. Hoffman company, of Tyrone, with which several Phillpsburg people are con- nected, is about to establish a branch ice cream factory and ice plant at Houtzdale, witha view of taking better care of its growing trade in that section. Ground has been purchased in the heart of the town, and work will soon be commenced in putting up a good, substantial brick building: which will be equipped with the most modern machinery for each department. —Ella May Forrester, 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Forrester of Nant.y-Glo, Cambria county, died Saturday night at the Al- toona hospital. Pneumonia contracted a week ago is believed to have been the cause of death. Before her death the girl charged William Moors, a Johnstown youth, with a serious offense. A post mortem examinaticn will be held to deter- mine whether or not there was anything criminal in an abortion that occurred January 6th, the day before the girl contracted pneumonia. —Mrs. Elizabeth Smeck, of South Fork through counsel, has brought suit against the South Fork Coal Mining company for $10,000 damages for the death of her husband, Michael Smeck, who was killed in the mine, December 20th. Smeck was caught on the cable tramways without chance of escape and was run down by a trip of cars going into the plant for the night shift. He left seven children, four of them under 15 years of age. He was a naturalized citizen and his family are above the average of foreigners, owning their home. —Levi Shoemaker, of Berlin, who afew days ago celebrated the 99th anniversary of his birth, is not only the oldest resident of the county, but he has attained the greatest age of any man known to have ever lived in Somerset county. Mr. Shoemaker was born in Berlin and has lived all his life in the same community. Until last summer he cultivated a farm of about twenty-five acres, doing nearly all of the work unassisted. He has never used tobacco and with the exception of a slight deafness is in the full enjoyment of all of his faculties. —An order for 150,000 tons of steel rails which had been held up for some time was released Thursday by ilie Pennsylvania Railroad and con- tracts for the material awarded. The Carnegie Steel company and the Illinois Steel company re- ceived contracts for 70,000 tons, while the Cam- bria Steel company is to furnish 63,000 tons. The Bethlehem Steel company received the smallest order calling for 8000 tons. It is understood that the railroad has agreed to pay an advance in price to cover the added cost of the manufacture of the rails from ingots. —With Mrs. Adam Mowrey, formerly of Ben- ton and now residing at Mildred, Sullivan coun- ty, ill of diphtheria and quarantinedin her room, there is illustrated again in trnth of the oft- repeated statement that trouble never comes singly. A week ago last Wednesday, her son, in a moment of anger over a trivial quarrel with his father, blew off the tor of his head. His death so preyed on his father that he refused all nourishment, and a week after his son's death, died a victim of despondency. His death was clossiy followed by the illness of his wife and the diagnosis of the iliness as diphtheria. —Train No. 158, on the Mifflin and Centre connty branch of the Penneylvania railroad, ran down and killed a catamount, or Canadian lynx, in the little trestle known as No. 9 bridge, be- tween Schrader and Naginey stations at an early hour Friday morning. Engineer Daniel Arnold and fireman Nathan Manbeck, in charge of the locomotive, say their attention was called by an uneerthly screech to something running low along the rail, but were unable to ascertain the exact nature of their victimuntil the train was stopped and they ranback to find the animal's body across the rail and cut in half. The body hed about seventy and it is ERE
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