BY P. GRAY MEEK.
— A —
INK SLINGS.
——Late advices from the seat of war
at Armageddon indicate a change of gen- |
erals.
~—[llinois and Pennsylvania. Corrupt |
and not only contented but proud of |
their iniquity. |
—It was one time we didn't have to
wait on the returns from the back coun-
ties to know where we were at.
——Moreover it is practically proved |
that buttermilk is not a strengthening
diet for Presidential candidates.
~The Socialists polled more than
double the number of votes in this Con-
gressional district than were polled by
the Prohibitionists.
—No, dear reader, Col. ROOSEVELT has
mot gone into winter quarters on the
plains of Armageddon. He is back at
Oyster Bay planning 2 new campaign to
further inflame the restless.
—It is to be hoped that the covetous-
mess of the other European powers will
mot prevent the Balkan allies from im-
posing such terms on vanquished Tur-
key as will guarantee to the world a per.
manent cessation of the atrocities that
have been practiced by the followers of
Mohammed.
—Mr. TAFT says he will practice law
just enough to make a living for his
family which reminds us that he never,
hitherto, practiced law or anything else
except politics since he was born. Mean-
ime it may be said that ROOSEVELT will
eontinue to fool the public in one way or
another, but “at the old stand.”
—President WILSON continues to be
delightfully frank with the American
people and, above all things, his recent
assurance that he proposes having an
“open door” administration in Washing-
fon points to a successful and satisfacto,
ry administration. He says that he is
still the servant of the people and pro-
poses that nothing shall be transacted in
his office to which anyone of them may
mot be a personal witness.
—Those more or less interested pa-
triots who are spending time in arrang-
ing cabinet or other appointments for
President-elect WILSON may as well con-
serve the mental energy thus wasted.
President-elect WILSON is tolerably well
informed with respect to the capabilities
of the several gentlemen who are willing
t0 serve the public in official capacity
and will be able to pick out men for his
eabinet without much assistance.
—President-elect WiLSON should call
Congress into extra session immediately
after his inauguration. He and Congress
were both elected for the purpose of do-
ing something and the time to do it is
right away, so that the people will be
able to judge the results before the next
Congressional election, two years hence,
and approve or disapprove by their vote
at that time, It would add greatly to
she successful outcome of Democratic
legislation if each fool Congressman who
happened to be swept into office last
week, will just resolve to let the men
there, who do know how, mix the first
dose of Democratic medicine for the
eountry and not try to spoil it with de-
mands that some of their dope be put in.
~The extraordinary size of the roos-
ter we had to use to properly crow for
the WATCHMAN last week made it im-
possible for us to extend congratulations
to WARREN WORTH BAILEY, editor of the
Johnstown Democrat and Member-elect
from the 19th Pennsylvania Congression-
al district. It was a noteworthy victory
and, happily, the people of that district
have secured a Congressman with brains
enough to make a few others, we know
of in Washington, brilliant if they could
only absorb the overflow. While we
never did have much faith in the consis-
tency of brother BAILEY’S Democracy he
has been clever enough to make most of
his readers believe he was right each
time he has shot off at a tangent and
they certainly put the Buffalo sign on
HARTMAN and BRruA for him last week,
Here's hoping, above all things, that he
will not be an obsiructionist in Congress
and that he will leave all those little bugs
to continue doing business in the sanc-
tum in Johnstown, at least, until after
the first session has tried its hand at tar-
iff reduction.
—It is quite inconceivable that JouN
MoRiN, convicted in open court, only a
few weeks ago, of improperly managing
the office of controller of the city of
Pittsburgh, should be chosen to any of-
fice by the electorate of Pennsylvania,
but such has been the case. And that
Congressmen-
at-Large. In fact he received more than
double the number of votes on the Re-
publican ticket of President TAPT and
over a thousand more on all tickets than
Mr. ROOSEVELT. The only places that
there seems to have been an expressed
disapproval of such men as MORIN ask-
ing for office, when they have been de-
clared incompetent by the courts, are in
the Bull Moose, ROOSEVELT Progressive
and WASHINGTON party tickets, where he
was cut sufficiently to show that a few
voters had some sense of their duty to | been
the 3tuie a= well as to themselves,
a,
¥
§
VOL. 57.
President Taft’s Defeat. : Mr. Bryan and the Cabinet.
It may be said justly that President; Of course Mr. WILLIAM JENNINGS
TAPT was the architect of his own de- | BRYAN will not be Secretary of State in
feat. When inaugurated nearly four | President WILSON'S cabinet, though it is
years ago, he was singularly favored in | not improbable that the office will be
popular estimation. He had been elected | tendered to him. But Mr. BRYAN will
by an overwhelming majority, largely ac- | hardly make the sacrifice which accept-
quired by false promises. On the stump | ance of the office would entail. He is an
he had declared that his first efforts | exceedingly thrifty man and if he ever
would be toward a downward revision of had any aversion to wealth he has prob-
the tariff No doubt he was sincere in | ably given it up. The salary of a cabi-
making the pledge but when the time | net officer is $10,000 a year apd Mr.
came for fulfillment, he completely fail- | BRYAN can make that much on the lec-
ed. Without having tried to get down- ' ture platform in a month. The office
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
ward revision he approved a bill provid-
ing for upward revision and subsequent-
ly eulogized the measure as the “best
tariff law ever enacted by the American |
Congress.”
With his Winona speech the President
shattered public confidence in his in-
tegrity and his patriotism. But he wasn’t
satisfied with that. Following that ora-
torical folly a largely Democratic Con-
gress was elected upon the issue of tariff |
reduction and he vetoed every bill en-
acted upon the subject during the special
session. The cost of living was constant-
ly increasing and the legislation to check
the evil was destroyed by his disapproval.
Even school children could see that such
service of the predatory interests would ;
not be tolerated by the people, but TAFT !
never tumbled. During the regular ses-
could give him no personal distinction.
As it is wherever he goes he is “the ob-
served of all observers.” Where Mc-
GREGOR sits is the head of the table on
all occasions and Mr. BRYAN prefers to
be where the money flows freely.
We would not complain, however, if
Mr. BRYAN were called into the cabinet.
He is a man of high character, splendid
ability and wide experience and President-
elect WiLsON is likely to consider only
that sort of material in constructing his
official furniture. But we cannot agree
with certain enthusiastic supporters of
Mr. BRYAN that Mr. WILSON owes him a
seat in the cabinet for services perform.
ed at Baltimore. One of these has said
that but for Mr. BRYAN's help WiLsoN
would not have been nominated at all.
As a matter of fact Mr. BRYAN couldn't
The official returns have been exceed.
ingly slow in being filed. Many of the
States have only furnished unofficial re-
ports giving the majorities for the va-
rious candidates, which prevent correct
comparisons of the total popular vote
cast for the different candidates. Enough
of facts, however, have been given to
show that WiLsON will have 446 electors;
TAPT 8, and ROOSEVELT 77. This gives
ROOSEVELT Pennsylvania, 38, Michigan 15,
Minnesota 12, Washington 7 and South
Dakota 5; while TAPT has but two, Utah
4 and Vermont 4. The electoral vote of
all the other States will be cast for WiL-
SON.
Official returns received at Washington
up to yesterday, Thursday morning,
show that the Democrats will have fifty
votes or two of a majority in the next
United States Senate, and that the next
Congress will consist of 297 Democrats,
138 Republicans, Bull Moosers and other
brands of professed Progressives. It is
possible the Democratic strength in the
Senate may be increased two or three
votes, several of the States counted as
Republican are getting very close as the
official returns are being counted.
Nineteen States elected Democratic
Governors and eight Republican. Penn-
sylvania is also backward with its com-
plete returns. Enough have been filed at
sion he repeated the blunders and his have defeated WILSON if he had tried and | Harrisburg to show that ROOSEVELT'S
overwhelming defeat is the logical result. | the chances are that if he had obeyed | plurality will be between 45,000 and 50,-
TAPT is an amiable, pleasure-loving
person who would probably much rather
do right than wrong. But he accepted
the office on terms which inevitably spell-
ed disaster. Four years ago ROOSEVELT
retired from the office reiuctantly, upon
an implied promise that TAPT would keep
it comfortable for him until he was ready
to re-enter. TAPT was the only man he
could depend upon to perform this sin-
ister service and he forced TAFT upon
his party and the country. When the
time came to fulfill the obligation, TAFT
refused. He hadgot a taste of the sweet:
ness of power, and coveted more of it.
Foreclosure proceedings ensued and TAFT
protested that he was being badly treated.
As a matter of fact, however, each had
been trying to get the better of the other.
In other words it was a case of “dog eat
dog,” and neither got any benefit from
the meal. We have no patience with
ROOSEVELT’S lust for office, but neither
have we any sympathy for TAPT in his
imaginary wrong. If TAFT had had the
spirit of man he would never have
allowed T to form the impres-
sion that the office was to be relinquish-
ed on demand. If ROOSEVELT had had a
modicum of patriotism he never would
have formed the impression. But they!
are equally lacking in these essentials to
just and capable administration and if
they are suffering mental anguish in
consequence, let them suffer.
Those Turkish Atrocities.
Of course there can be no genuine
pleasure in human suffering and the hor.
rors of the Balkan war are not mitigated
by the fact that Turkey has earned a
severe threshing and appears to be get- /
ting it. But we hope some way will be
discovered to put an end, for all time, to
the atrocities which the Turks have been
practising for many years. There is a
sort of an unwritten law of nations that
outsiders are not to meddle in the domes-
tic affairs of a people even though the
elements of civilization are not highly de-
veloped. But Turkey has been offending
so frequently and so outrageously for
vears that the ordinary international
customs are insufficient in dealing with
her.
When a short time ago the Sultan was
dethroned and a promise was given to
the world that something like a just gov-
ernment would be established at Con-
stantinople hope was raised high that no
more would be heard of the practices
which had been common, The reformers
were to administer the affairs of the
government in something like a spirit of
decency if not equity. But all expecta-
tions along these lines have been disap-
pointed and the new agents have proved
quite as bad as their predecessors. Since
the beginning of the present war outrages
have been perpetrated equal to the worst
performances of the deposed Sultan and
that without protest from those in au
thority.
Thus far the results of the military
operations of the allied forces have been
entirely satisfactory. The Turks have had
the worst of every encounter. But the
chances are that before there will be
intervention of some sort will pre-
vent wiping the Ottoman empire off
the map. ID 10 be er
that the work has been so fitly it
should be continued until com
We sincerely therefore, that what-
ever
contain provisions
the
It is neither wise nor to monkey
with the rattlesnake until his fangs have
extracted. A good Turk is a dead
one.
{lic calamity. Mr. BAILEY was held in
:
the instructions ot his constituents to:
vote for CHAMP CLARK, WILSON would
have been nominated several ballots
earlier.
But whether Mr. BRYAN is invited into
the cabinet or not he will have to abandon
his pernicious habit of trying to boss the
Democratic party. At the organization
of the present Congress he “butted” in
and undertook to control everything
until he was finally rebuked. At the
Baltimore convention he pursued the
same course and when the nomination of
WILSON became inevitable, he abandoned
the leader in the fight for whom he was
instructed, and arrogated to himself the
leadership of a force already foreordained
to victory. According to the newspapers
he has already pitched his tent in Wash.
ington with the view of directing the
proceedings of the next session and if
that be true he is electioneering for |
another sharp rebuke and will deserve it. |
——Really BOIES PENROSE is a pathetic
figure. He could have put himself in po-
sition to recover control of his party by
defeating FLINN'S candidates for Auditor
General and State Treasurer, but he was
afraid. And “God hates a coward.”
Resignation ot Senator Bailey.
The information that Senator BAILEY,
of Texas, has, or will, resign his seat in
the United States Senate will not cause
much regret throughout the country.
There was a time that such an announce-
ment would have been regarded asa pub-
high esteem by the people of the coun-
try for the reason that he is able, elo-
quent and was then believed to be scrup-
ulously honest. But half a dozen years
ago this popular estimate of the man was
changed. It was discovered that his pre-
tense of serving the people was false
and that he was one of the agents upon
the floor of the Senate of the predatory
monopolies. In fact he was literally
“caught with the goods on him.”
Strangely enough the exposure of Sen-
ator BAILEY'S connection with the Stan-
dard Oil company didn't lead him to
mending his ways. Previously he had
professed virtue and the exposure shock-
ed the public conscience. He had appar-
ently been faithful to his party obliga-
tions and stood steadfastly for the rights
of the people. But the moment his hy-
pocrisy was revealed he became a polit-
ical wanton and boldly and openly flout-
ed his party obligations. His voice was
no longer raised in defense of the consti-
tution and the traditions of his country
and his party. On the contrary he ap-
peared to take pleasure in showing his
recreancy.
But now we are or soon will be, rid of
him. He is going to practice law in Tex-
as and New York, the newspapers say,
and as he is an able lawyer he will prob-
ably succeed to the full measure of his
expectations. He has already grown
rich, we understand, from big fees re-
ceived in the service of corporations and
we hope he will continue to prosper. But
it would have been better for him and
for all concerned if he had maintained
his character for ability and integrity
even though it had been necessary to
sacrifice some of the emoluments of a
successful law practice. He had vast op-
portunities of achievement along the lines
better worth while.
~Speaking of the great battles of the
world that little scrimmage at Armaged-
don, the other day, will hardly claim a
place among the leaders.
000. That YOUNG will have a majority,
over BERRY, for Auditor General in the
neighborhood of 100,000, and the balance
of the Republican ticket will be elected
by majorities slightly exceeding this.
There will be twelve Democratic Con-
gressmen from Pennsylvania during the
next session. Two of the present Demo-
cratic Congressmen were defeated—WiL-
SON, of Tioga, and GREGG, of Westmore-
land. The next State Senate will have
17 Democratic Senators, against 12 in the
last, and 52 members of the House against
44 in 1911.
WILSON’S vote in the State is over 50,
(00 less than that given BRYAN, in 1908,
——The chances are that President
TAFT is wondering why so many people
took his calamity predictions seriously,
As a matter of fact, however, nobody
took him seriously and his vote repre-
sents mainly the hopes of the tariff mon-
gers for a renewal of their license to
plunder.
Action Must be Immediate.
We cordially agree with those esteemed
contemporaries that favor the very earli-
est consideration of tariff reform legisla-
tion. The party is clearly pledged to
such action. Excessive tariff taxes are
in the main responsible for the high cost
of living. The remedy of this evil was
the paramount issue of the campaign. It
will not do, therefore, to postpone the
work for considerable time or for any
time. What is to be done should be done
promptly. Delay is dangerous as well as
ng. Parties can no longer violate
their pledges to the people. This is
especially true of the Democratic party
at this time. We must make good at
every stage of the game.
Excessive tariff taxation costs the peo-
ple of the United States $2,000,000 a day
easily. In six months that drain upon
the resources of the country reaches an
enormous aggregate. At best it will
be impossible to enact the remedial legis-
lation short of that time. President-elect
WiLsoN will not be inaugurated for near-
ly three and a-half months. He can
hardly assemble the new Congress in
exira session until a month after the
inauguration and it will probably require
a month and a-half to get the measure
through both Houses for the representa-
tives of the “interests” will fight bitterly
for delay. Why should the action be
postpone) a minute longer than neces-
sary
If the party fulfills its obligations to the
people promptly and effectively its lease
of power will be long and honorable. The
reduction of the cost of living is the
most important of these obligations.
Foodstuffs are not the only element in the
expense of maintaining the family, though
an important feature. But the cost of
clothing, the price of shoes, the expense
of education must likewise be taken into
account. Tariff taxation effects all these
things and every penny that is taken in
excess of an amount necessary to main.
ta n the government must be saved. And
it will not do to prormse this saving in
the future. It must be immediate.
———————————
——In the next Congress the investi-
gations will be more thorough for the
reason that both branches of Congress
will be interested in the exposures and
there will be less chance of dodging
troublesome questions.
—*Is it Bull Vioose or vamoose?”
asks an esteemed contemporary. Well it
was Bull Moose but now it is vamoose,
.
sa ——————— p———
®
—
amen
NO. 45.
Should Lose No Time.
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the tari
uy, and particularly their
th their wailing. The results might be
a serious reverse.
There is very little doubt thatthe Dem-
ocrats will control the Senate after March
4. March 5 President Wilson should
From the Pittsburgh Post.
No one can measure the magnitude of
the suffering and distress due to the war
in southeastern Europe, for the story has
not been told. Imagination, however, can
picture the desolation that one short
month has produced, whole States devas-
tated, thousands of families homeless
and in penury, and tens of thousands of
wounded men crowding every hospital or
slowly dying where they fell. The coun-
tries at war have no time to care for and
protest these sufferers, for in the clash of
they are busy adding to the num-
ber and throwing the withering hand of
waste over many more square miles of
fertile territory. Famine and pestilence
threaten the non-combatants and soon a
cry will go up to the world for si ccor.
the American Red Cross, an
organization that is familiar to the na-
tions of the world, has been appealed to
for early action in mee! the great
problem. Madame Bakhmeteff, wite of
the Russian Ambassador at Washington,
and Madame Slavco Grouitch, the Ameri-
can wife of the Servian minister to Lon-
don, have written letters to President
outlining the necessities of the Red Cross
in taking up the work of alleviation. The
advent of winter is bound to add to the
suffering, and the indications are that
the Red Cross is going to be put toa very
severe tesi in the
o_o,
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—Sandy Ridge schools have reopened after am
enforced vacation on account of whooping cough.
~A new creamery at Belleville, erected to re:
place the one destroyed by fire a month ago is
open for business.
—Mrs. William Scott, a bride of only a few
weeks, died of diphtheria near Lewistown. The
epidemic has become alarming.
—Arthur Thomas, of Morrisdale, had $756 in
paper money in his house when fire destroyed it.
The money also went up in smoke.
—Williamsport is taking subscriptions for the
relief of typhoid fever sufferers at Troy, where
seventy-five families are in charge of the relief
committee,
—In Somerset county court a few days age
Mrs. Evelyn Smith, of Berlin, was awarded $3.-
635 for the death of her husband in a mine be-
longing to the Stoner Coal company.
~Doyle Hummel, of Philipsburg, killed a twea-
ty-seven pound wild turkey a few days ago near
Martha Furnace and took home with him a bunch
of honeysuckle blossoms found on the mountaia.
~—Matthias D. Bastian, of Sunbury, in his wil}
recently probated left $100 to “the person I am
living with at the time of my death for the pus-
—Work on the erection of a machine shop to cov-
er 12,000 feet of floor space, as an addition to the
are going to be remarried. Both had spent a
number of years in the west and met at the same
time. Their return to the scene of their early
life was accidental,
—Judge Hyde, of Carbon county, in an opinion
handed down recently, states that the constables
are entitled to $2.50 for making their returns and
also are entitled to circular mileage at a rate of
six cents per mile. The county commissioners of
Carbon county refused to pay the mileage and
the opinion followed.
~—Mrs. Melotte Mercer, bewildered by fright,
jumped from a buggy directly in front of a pass
enger train at DuBois and was instantly killed.
The driver had forced the horse across ahead of
the train and the other occupants of the vehicle
escaped. They had tried in vain to orevent Mrs.
Mercer from jumping.
~=An oii portrait of Bishop W. P. Eveland was
presented to Williamsport Dickinson Seminary tay
Dr. S. S. Koser and wife, of Williamsport. The
portrait was painted from life during the sum-
officers. In these communities there have bees
151 cases of the disease and numerous deaths.
—People passing the home ef William Fallon,
of Centralia, at noon a few days ago saw him
standing in the front door then fall. Going to his
assistance they found his wife dead and his grand-
son unconscious from the effects of fumes from
a stove. Had not Mr. Fallon bocome nauseated
there would have been three deaths instead of
one.
=A team owned by Adam Weaver, of Prospect’
went over an embankment at Johnstown and
hung suspended ia mid-air about one hundred
feet above the P. R. R. tracks. One horse stram-
gled todeath und the other was raised uninjured
by hoisting tackie. The harness was then slash.
ed and the dead one fell to the tracks. It was
valued at $250,
=H. N. White, of Indiana, is sorely afflicted.
While his wife is lying between life and death at
the hospital, battling with typhoid fever, he has
just returned from the funeral of a two-year
old daughter. The child had pneumonia, devel
oping into spinal meningitis. She is the fifth
child of his to die within two years and he has on.
ly one left. The mother could not be told of her
little daughter's death.
—Conductor John C. Sherman,of Punxsutawney»
standing on the engine board of his slowly mov-
ing train, saw a young lady jump from in front of
a passenger train directly in front of the one im
his charge. He leaped forward, swung the gis
to safety, and in so doing struck his foot on the
footboard of the engine. It was almost by a mira-
cle that he was able to fling himself clear of the
wheels. The girl's name was not learned, but
the man’s friends think he deserves a Carnegie
medal.
~Six children in a little over thirteen months is
the remarkable birth record in the family of Ste-
twelve years and thirteen of them are living.
September 10th, 1911, she gave birth to iriplets,
two girls and a boy, and last week three sturdy
boys arrived. Of the children born last vear twe
are living. Mrs. Nageotte's sixth and seventh
FE
58
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for ail that his represents,
Jam Sh the con Rifucucy Sat swed
degert Him, put ¥t did,
hos art Tor
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2 gunsrally good record a9.a representa.
tive of people, is defeated. One
would have fancied that his constituents
would have kept him in the harness be-
|
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It goes without saying that what the
voters did in both cases was unusual,
although the successors of both incum-
bents are worthy of their confidence.
There are times when results of an elec-
tion do not seem to prove anything.
charged from the National Guard, it to
the commander-in-chief he is * to dis
charge the duties of his office,” hav"
ing disclosed the fact that vouchers filed with the
a
AO, SR SRO