BY P. GRAY MEEK.
INK SLINGS.
—Not yet the pungent perfume of the
pearly moth ball for your winter flannels.
—Anyway the farmer who didn't get
his oats in last week is happier now than
the one who did.
—How time does change the condition
of things. Now it appears that Mayor
GAYNOR, of New York, was only a near |
presidential possibility.
—The Democratic cinch is still cinch-
ing. Baltimore city went Democratic on
Tuesday in one of the bitterest fights they
have had there in years.
—The average business woman - just
can't get over the habit of making a social
call out of every telephone communica-
tion she has with another woman.
—When the dis-Honorable JACK JOHN-
SON gets those three dress suits and thir-
teen fancy vests on we fear he will be lit
up so that poor King GEORGE V won't be
seen at all at his own coronation.
—It was a little too facetious for such
an occasion but there was a vast lot of
feeling voiced in it when they sang that old
hymn about December being as pleasant
as May at prayer meeting Wednesday
evening.
—Because there are ten thousand per-
sons over 65 years of age dying in New
York every year the Press of that city
thinks it “the best old folks town in the
world.” Perhaps it is, for the heirs of
the old folks.
—The initiative, referendum and recall
received a setback in the State Senate on
Tuesday. The trouble seems to have
been that the Senate was taken by sur-
prise and not one of the Senators would
take the initiative in pointing the way to
duty to the others.
—Judged from his work thus far it
looks as though the Washington manage-
ment had agreed to take most of that
seventy-five hundred dollar salary it is
paying pitcher WALTER JOHNSON out in
advertising. He certainly has been re-
turning very little of it in pitching.
—The esteemed but misguided Johns-
town Democrat has a prize department
that is nursing along a lot of amateur
poets. It is all very pretty. But it will
only be a few years until the Democrat
will be wondering why the clamor for the
location of a State asylum in Cambria
county.
—A poker game and cigarette stumps
are now said to have been ‘the cause of
the recent three million dollar fire in
Bangor, Maine. Large as was that loss
it is but a bagatelle in comparison with
the anguish and distress these two per-
nicious habits of man have caused since
they came into vogue.
—The Legislature is going crazy on the
tax question. Representative BENTLEY,
of Washington county, wants to tax the
receipts of base-ball and foot-ball games.
Now wouldn't the State have had to
have a magnifying glass to have found
anything to tax at the box office of those
Mountain league games last season.
—Those French scientists who have
announced that flies do not bother any-
thing painted or papered blue and that a
hop vine growing over a cottage or sta-
ble will keep the pesky fly away might
be right so far as the aversion to blue
coloring is concerned. But we have seen
too many flies in ecstacies of delight on
the nose reeking with the extract of the
hop to believe that there is anything in
the vine story.
—The Carlisle Herald states that a
Reading merchant who advertised for a
servant girl and offered her good wages,
all the comforts of home, the use of the
telephone and automobile, got one in-
stanter. Being in the same need as the
Reading merchant and in a position to
offer the same inducements we are de-
terred from doing it only out of sympathy
for the poor girl who might accept with-
out a full knowledge of what that “old
green devil” of ours is capable of doing
at times.
—P. F. STiMsoN, an “efficiency engi-
neer,” predicts a future working day of
four hours at higher pay than is now re-
ceived for eight, greater results and no
one being allowed to work who is under
twenty-one nor over forty-five. It sounds
a little as though Mr. Stimson might
have a bug, but who can tell. The eight
hour day succeeded the ten with a cor-
responding increase in pay and efficiency,
so why not the four hour day with scien-
tific management most rigidly applied in
all lines of endeavor. However, the
thing that interests us most is the ad-
vent of that happy day when the law
won't even sanction our writing Slings.
—The Democratic reorganizers are
planning to form a league of the Demo-
cratic clubs of the State. It should not
prove a very difficult task, since there are
so few. The WATCHMAN has always felt
stay by their moorings, as well as to keep
the older ones from becoming dis-
gruntled and dormant. And we know of
no other causes by which the Democracy
of Pennsylvania has been so insidiously
attacked as by these two,
judges has been finally juggled through
the Legislature. This measure has had
“a rough road to travel,” but it has over-
come all difficulties. It was introduced
early and was the first bill to get through
both Heuses. But upon the intimation
that the Governor was opposed to some
of its provisions, the votes for it at vari-
reopen to public discussion the validity of
legislation which is directly in conflict
with the fundamental law of the State.
The constitution of Pennsylvania provides
that “no law shall extend the term of any
public officer, or increase or diminish his
salary or emoluments, after his election
or appointment.” That would seem to be
conclusive. It is plain language and prac-
tical common sense. But the Legislature
has more than once, since the adoption
of the constitution, increased the salaries
of judges and though every judge in com-
mission at the time had taken an oath
that he would “support, obey and defend”
the constitution, all those in commission
accepted the increased pay.
curious interest in view of this action of
the Legislature. The first judicial salary
increase was enacted during the adminis-
tration of Governor BEAVER who vetoed
the bill, so that the temper or rather the
temperament of the judges of that time
was not put to the test. The second judi-
cial salary increase was enacted during
the administration of Governor PENNY-
PACKER but the validity of it was not
judicially affirmed until after his term of
office had expired. Every judge in com-
mission ‘accepted the increase, however,
undes the'phetense that the decision of
the court-made the law. The judges now
in commission will justify the acceptance
of the added compensation by the same
line of reasoning.
one in fifty of the judges of Pennsylvania
believes in such an interpretation of the
constitution. It may be asserted with
equal confidence that among the capable
lawyers of the State there is equal una-
nimity in the opinion that the constitu-
tion has been misconstrued. Yet the
Legislature, every Senator and Represen-
tative in which is under sworn obligation
to “support, obey and defend" the con-
stitution, has three times passed such a
law and the judges have once and proba:
bly will again acquiesce in it. Thisis a
shameful moral condition to present to
the view of the world but it is the condi-
tion which exists in Pennsylvania.
The Legislature and
the Harrisburg House Committee on Ap-
propriations will make good his promise
to keep the appropriations within the
er public outrage has ever been perpetrat-
ed than that which has grown into a cus-
amount of the appropriations. The con-
stitution authorizes the Governor to veto
any distinct item of an appropriation bill
of which he does not approve, but the
has grown up in recent years. Beginning
STONE it has been continued by PENNY-
PACKER and STUART.
ant duty to perform than that of appro-
priating the funds obtained by taxation
to their proper uses. In the performance
of that duty they are serving in a fidu-
according to the constitution and the law.
Therefore in recklessly appropriating the
funds by legislation in excess of the
amount available they are betraying both
their moral and legal obligations. But
the Governor doesn’t correct the fault by
usurping the powers of the Legislature.
Two wrongs do not make a right.
tions this year to the revenue receipts
the Governor will have no excuse for the
by precedent. A man of finer moral or-
ganism would have known that one fault
The Judicial Salary Increase. | ruaRT didn't take the trouble to offer
The bill to increase the salaries of
Legislature will do its duty this year.
Machine Managers to Fool the Governor.
The Republican machiné has determin-
ed to rip Governor TENER up the back in
so scientific a way that he will not feel
the injury, according to reports of a re-
" | cent conference in Philadelphia. In other
other salary raising measures of this ses-
sion have been. It is not likely that the
line will be drawn on the judges. Proper-
ly controlled they are a valuable machine
asset.
Public Utilities bill in such a way as to
leave him under the impression that the
operation was unavoidable. The bill will
pass the House practically in its original
form. That is expected to fool the Gov-
ernor into the notion that everybody is
playing fair with him. But whenit reaches
the Senate committee the strangling pro-
cess will be introduced. That is to say it
will be held in that committee so long
that there will be no time to pass it
finally. y
There are some features of this bill of
questionable merit. In some provisions
it is drastic anddangerous. But the Gov-
ernor and some of his friends believe that
extreme measures are necessary to put
needed restraints upon grasping coOrpora-
tions and seem willing to take the hazard
of reversal by the courts in order to
achieve the purpose. Wiser counsel
would probably recommend a more con-
servative course. The modification of the
so as to bring them
The passage of this bill will, of course,
The public will watch the judges with
come of what promises to be a lively scrap
with great interest.
Meantime, viewed from this distance,
it looks as if the machine managers are
on the Governor's credulity.
He has not had much experience in pub-
lic affairs and probably lacks something
in the matter of education along the lines
are required to pass a bill and is also
wise, probably, as to the possibilities of
secret work in the committee. If his pet
measure is held so long as to make its
passage impossible he will be more than
likely to correctly interpret such action
and if he resents an injury as a Governor
can there will be something doing later
on,
It is a conservative guess that less than
—————————
Mr. Nathan T. Folwell Protests.
Mr. NATHAN T. FOLWELL, president of
the Manufacturers’ Club of Philadelphia,
is strenuously opposed to the Canadian
Reciprocity agreement for the reason, as
he declares, that “it is an entering wedge
of free trade.” All the tariff mongers in
the country are of the same opinion and
all the members of the Philadelphia Manu-
facturers’ Club are tariff mongers. They
have grown rich on the graft that the
tariff affords them and are not willing to
relinquish their advantage. It is the most
contemptible form of robbery ever con-
ceived by the human mind, but that makes
no difference to them. It is like picking
the pockets of a drunken man or rifling
those of a corpse. But Mr. FOLWELL likes it.
We are not surprised, however, that
Mr. FoLweLL should declare himself in
this way. It has been charged, and so
far as we have been able to discover,never
denied, that the members of the Philadel-
phia Manufacturers’ Club have freely and
contributed money to buy
votes for candidates for Congress who
believed in protection. Debauching the
ballot is the gravest crime in the cal-
endar. It is like poisoning the water
supply of a community. It is infinitely
worse than overt rebellion against the
government for it is a cowardly form of
treason. But the Philadelphia Manufac-
turers’ Club indulges in it, according to
report, and the members of that organiza:
tion make money out of the perfidy.
the Appropria-
tions.
It is to be hoped that the chairman of
limit of the revenues this year. No great-
tom of permitting the Governor to fix the
framers of that instrument never contem-
plated such a perversion of that power as
with the administration of WILLIAM A.
The Legislature has no more import
not, as a matter of fact, an “entering
wedge of free trade.” It is not even a
step in the direction of free trade. From
the foundation of the government the
levy of impests has been a policy of the
t and will continue to be so to
the end of time, if the government en-
dures. But it was never imagined by the
founders of the government that the sys-
tem would be prostituted to the base
purposes of robbing the people as has
been done by the political associates of
Mr. FoLweLL. The Canadian Reciprocity
agreement is a step in the direction of
fair trade and justice between men and
that will come notwithstanding the pro-
tests of political pirates.
——The Bellefonte councilmen have
decided to heed the demands of the bor-
ough auditors and will turn over their
books for an audit of the fiscal year end-
ing the first Monday of March, 1911.
——Subscribe for the WATCHMAN.
If the Legislature limits the appropria-
in which his im-
does not make a precedent. Governor
| questions, as they were before the Key-
of statecraft. But he is hardly stupid |
The Canadian Reciprocity agreement is |:
UNION.
posed the party that gave him his posi-
tion. Under his administration, if you
sure to be up against an agent and sup-
porter of the Republican party, although
many of them boasted ox being independ-
ents. In this case he would do even
now deny to the Democracy the right the
law gives them to have a voice in seeing
that the registry lists in his and other
cities are not padded, and would put the
power, of determining who shall go on
these lists and be allowed to vote, entire-
ly in the hands of the Republican ma-
chiné and the tools it could find in the
Keystone party.
Nine tenths of the men who claim to
be Keystoners, in the cities of Philadel-
phia, Pittsburg, Harrisburg and other
strong Republican districts, are just as
much Republican today, on all political
stone party came into existence,and would
From the Portland
resort to any devilment to defeat the Every man has the to the full
Democracy, that the Republican machine value of his product. ake oo die
would suggest. Mr. GUTHRIE knows this. guce whather tho Ha digger,
He also knows that a mob, that has no | panker; what he praduces. bongs ©
fixed or recognized principles, no rules of | him, But if we tax the product of his
guidance, no purpose other than to de- labor we take from him a part of his
feat some organization that they could | Product. That is unjust. LECT rid
not rule, is not a party in a legal sense, En), at
fow-wends forth, 75 =
Surely a man who would use to
stand by the rights of his own party, or
without an effort allow the Republicans
to steal the few safe guards the law has
given it, is not the kind of a person that
should be allowed to carry its flag or
could be depended upon to see that its in-
terests were properly protected and its capitalized
privileges defended and preserved.
And Mr. GUTHRIE has virtually an-
nounced that the Democrats should have
no power to protect itself by protecting
into its
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takes in taxes what it creates—the
rental value of land? How long
I hold a $10,000 lot out of use if you
to pay to the community every year
fe value the community adds to tha
~
a ——
Representative UNDERWOOD, chairman The Democratic Program.
of the House committee on Ways and | prom the Harrisburg Patriot.
Means, in Washington, has already meas- | The present purpose of the Democrat
ured up to the requirements of floor lead- ic. pasty, as raprassated by its real lead-
ership. It is a difficult task and one that n adm
requires courage as well as capability. | at the banquet of the Pewter Platter
His antagonists are experienced and re- | club, of Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday
sourceful. Former Speaker CANNON, JOHN | evening.
DaLzeLL and JAMES R. MANN are veter-
ans and fighters. They are familiar with
all the tricks of legislation and entirely
free from the restraints of conscience.
But UNDERWOOD is a match for all of
them. He has proved his mental agility
as well as moral courage and thus far
“nothing has been put over on him.”
The other day a shrewd plan was de-
veloped to overturn his legislative pro-
gram, but it failed completely. Under It does not_represent 2 revolutionary tem-
the rules forced upon Speaker CANNON | Derorstate of mind Is puteoe i, to
ing the Tat. sion Mondays were | ES SE Fai Cu
designated as “suspension day.” That is fkitution: On the contrary, is object is
to restore them to their first purpose sim-
bills pending. The plot was to have a
motion made last Monday to discharge
the committee on Invalid Pensions from
the further consideration of a pension
bill introduced on the first day of the ses-
farmers’ free list bill, and prolonged the
session greatly as well as jeopardized the
passage of the free list measure.
Everybody knows that antagonizing
pension legislation is a perilous thing and
it was believed that UNDERWOOD would
lack the moral courage to do such a
thing. But that was a mistake. Mr.
UNDERWOOD favors liberal pensions, but
felt that the time for such legislation was
an adjournment on Saturday evening,
ending the legislative day, he moved to
take a recess until eleven o'clock Monday
and thus wiped out the suspension day
for the time and left the order of proced-
ure as the majority desired. It was a
neat bit of parliamentary practice and
proved UNDERWOOD'S ability as a leader.
——The Senior cotillion will be held at
12th, and more than one young
Bellefonte is anxiously wondering if she
will be there. o
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—One hundred and fifty men and boys have
been thrown out of employment by the burning
of the Pierce gas plant, at St. Mary's, ins olving
the Suspension of a monthly ‘wage acc int of
$10,000. hs 0
~The 200 men thrown out of employment by
the burning of the power house at the Barnesboro
shaft of the Madeira Coal Mining company are
at work again. Only four weeks was consumed
in the rebuilding.
—Hugh McCabe, a family man residing in Nor-
ristown, is having troubles of his own. Four of
his five children are in bed with scarlet fever,
while the fifth has a broken collar bone sustained
in afall from a chair.
SC SSID OTS NEW WU aie for Hunting-
—Trapper John Swope, of Huntingdon, had
two good days last Friday and Saturday with his
traps. On Monday morning he obtained the war-
rants from justice of the peace Black on sixteen
polecats and twelve weasels, caught cn those two
—Laporte is probably the smallest county seat
inthe State, the census returns giving it a popula-
tion of 245. In 1900 it had 441. Eaglesmere has
184, in 1900 it had 312. Dushore, the largest town
in Sullivan county, has a population of 813, in
1900 it had 784.
~The Wayne county jail at Honesdale became
vacant Saturday when George Adanities, who
has served six months for unfortunately getting
mixed up in a fracus in which the state constabu-
lary interfered at Lake Lodore last year, was re-
leased. He has been a model prisoner.
with this week's issue passes from the hands of
J. C. McAfee, who has been editor and proprietor
for well-nigh two years, into the hands of John B.
Parson, of Duncannon. Mr. Parson has been in
the newspaper business for twenty-two vears.
—~William Claycomb was arrested at the Balti-
more and Ohio construction camp at Husband,
§
~The house in which the late United States
Senator Matthew S. Quay was born still remains
ty. It has not been occupied for a number of
years. The ownership of the home has changed
many times since Mr. Quay’s birth, but itis now
owned by the Senator's daughter.
Springs his money was gone and with it his tick-
& So Big Home 11 Normandy. One suspect is in
jail.
~The Conneaut Lake fish hatchery has com-
- | menced the work of sending out white fish to
Lake Erie, and 5,000,000 fry per day has been sent
outto the lake since last Friday. The hatchery
this year has only run about half capacity of their
present battery, but a total of over 25,000,000
white fish will be furnished for Lake Erie
waters.
—Myron Gummo, of Bald Eagle township,
Clinton county, was out fighting forest fires last
Friday and during the day met an infuriated bear
dt " ea “ ot! pe
er.bear. Edwin Williams and James Gummo
later captured the two cubs, one of ‘which had
—~Plans are being made by the Milton Fair as
sociation for the holding of a midsummer fair
that promises to be the finest thing of its kind
ever heldin Central Pennsylvania. It will take
place on Monday and Tuesday. July 3 and 4, on
the fair grounds, and there will be horse, auto-
mobile and motorcycle races, as well as all kinds
of track and field sports.
—The tax collector at Titusville got disgusted
when he looked over his long list of delinquents
the other day. Then he started an innovation for
that town. About twenty persons who had
neglected to pay their taxes were arrested within
an hour and the news spread like a declaration
of war. It caused a rush to the treasurer's office:
and about $5,000 were paid in in one day.
—The Standard Steel works are beginning to
show substantial evidences of returning pros-
perity. One of its most recent orders was from
the Pullman Palace Car company for 600 built up
wheels. The foundries are very busy and itis
believed that the coming month will be one of
the busiest in the history of the plant. Night turn
has been placed in the hammer shop and in the
. steel foundry.
~The will of the late Henry W. Kurtz, formerly
vice president of the Harbison-Walker Refractor-
ries company, probated at Clearfield Monday,
places the estate of $300,000 in trust for twenty
years, one-half of the income to go to the parents
of the deceased and half to be divided among
three brothers and two sisters. Children of Dr.
A. J. Kurtz, of Philadelphia, are beneficiaries. No
. | public bequests are made.
—Work on a trolley line which when completed
will extend from Scranton to Binghamton, is
under way. The road is being extended from
Factoryville, Wyoming county, and it is expected
that before the summer is out a whole new divis-
ion of the road will be ready for operation. The
indications now are that the road will go by way
of Hopbottom, Brooklyn, up the creek to Hart
Lake and through New Milford to Binghamton,
leaving Montrose at least five miles away from
the line.
hinges, while on the floor lay an iron sledge and
several horse blankets, the latter being used to
deaden the sound made by the explosion. There
is no clue to the robbers, but some weeks ago
several suspicious characters were in Winburne
and made an examination of the postoffice build.
ug and other places in the town.