—And this is the first day of spring.
—We know if our old friend GOTLIEB
HAAG were living he'd have a garden
made by this time.
—This is Good Friday. Make a reso-
lution to be just a little better henceforth
than you have ever been before.
—A few more days like Wednesday
and yesterday and that “all gone” feel
ing will be stealing over the multitudes.
—You can't come, Write! Is Secretary
McADoO's latest message to office seek-
ers. He says he hasn'ttime to see them
personally and must insist upon their
applying by letter.
—Jonquils and hyacinths are peeping
through the ground already. Being the
first flowers of spring let us hope that
their beauty and fragrance is not to be
arrested by freezing weather.
—President WiLsoN has called the
extra session of Congress to convene on
il 7th. His call does not state that
berations shall be confined purely
consideration of tariff measures.
¥ —The assassination of King GEORGE
of Greece, on Tuesday, was a lamentable
!
|
|
VOL. 58.
President Wilson’s Wise Course.
President WiLsoN has done nothing,
before or since his inauguration, more
deserving of popular commendation than
his statement upon the Chinese loan.
As a matter of fact we recall no state
paper of any period in the history of the
country which expresses more clearly the
true spirit of Americanism. It completely
divorces the government at Washington
from the unholy alliance with big busi®
ness which was established under the
ROOSEVELT administration and fostered
through the period covered by TAFT’S
term in the office of President. It is pre-
cisely what was needed to set the man-
agers of the Money trust right before the
world of finance and politics.
In pursuance of the policy of enticing
American bankers into schemes for ex.
affair. Doubly so because of the brilliant | : :
tut ploiting foreign enterprises the TAFT
part the victim has played in the Balkan | ,pinistration had invited J. P. MORGAN
war for the extermination of the un-|g co the First National and the City
speakable Turk.
—Probably not one per cent of the
people of Pennsylvania knew who their
Lieutenant Governor was until it was
discovered that Mr. ReyNoLDsS had had
a twenty-two thousand dollar state road
built through his farm in Bedford county.
—Wooprow WiLsoN has been our
President for seventeen days and on each
one of them some fresh assurance has
come out of Washington to the effect
that he is going to give us a better
country to live in than it has ever been
before.
—After forty years of public service
“Uncle’’ Jog CANNON, kicked the dust of
Washington from his heels and started
back to Danville, Ill, on Sunday. A
quaint public character, a sort of com
bination of bad politician and good pri-
vate citizen.
—Pictures of amateur boxers, shaking
hands before their bout, always show the
amiable, friendly disposition of the con-
testants. We fear that after they have
gone several rounds and one has given
the other a few good wallops on the jaw
good natured physiognomies.
~If all the States in the Union and the
federal government were to combine and
put every penny they propose spending
on celebrations, naval manceuvers, mili
tary encampments etc., into a pool for
one year we believe that a great national
highway from the Atlantic to the Pacific
could be built out of the proceeds.
—We notice that the Senate has pass-
ed a bill prohibiting unnaturalized for-
eigners from fishing or killing fish within
the State. Now what do you suppose a
poor Dago is going to do about it if he
should be forced to ford a stream and a
vicious eel or sucker attacks him. Such
a law won't allow him to defend himself
by killing his assailant.
—Banker MORSE, who was pardoned
from the federal prison at Atlanta be-
cause he was supposed to be on his death
bed, has recovered so rapidly since his
release that he thinks he will live for
years yet. Pardons of that sort should
have the recall attachment so that when
the pardoned fails to make good, as
Morse is doing, he could be sent back to
serve out his term.
—One of the very happiest outcomes
of the recent Methodist conference at
Altoona was the reassignment of Dr.
Ezra H. YocuM to the Bellefonte charge.
His profound theology and rare diction
are a combination not so often found in
ministers of the gospel; while his per-
sonality isa daily inspiration of deep
spirituality and his manner that of a
gentleman, by the grace of God.
—Mrs. PHILIP VAN VALKENBURG, of
New York, is suing her husband for her
keeping during the past two years, dur-
ing which they were separated. Her bill
of expenses amount to $100,000, and,
they say, PHIL is kicking. How much
does a man expect a woman to live on?
Of course we have our own ideas on the
subject, but then we didn’t start Mrs.
VAN going at the fifty thousand per year
pace, so we feel that the fellow who did
should either throttle her down a little
or keep paying for the gasoline without
a murmur.
—Someone stole Chancellor McCoRr-
MICK’S automobile on Monday evening.
The Chancellor has the job of chancelling
the University of Pittsburgh and he was
to have been host at a chicken dinner to
a lot of preachers that night. The theft
almost caused the dinner to be called off,
so the papers say, but why the disap-
pearance of his auto should interfere
with the serving of a chicken dinner few
people can understand. The only con-
nection we can see is that possibly the
Chancellor intended to make a few
chance calls at neighborhood hen roosts
in the machine in order to be well pre-
pared for his preacher guests. But then
such a thing isn’t probable.
|
National banks of New York and KUHN
Logs & Co., to participate in a loan of
$125,000,000 to the Chinese government
upon conditions which practically gave
the money lenders a mortgage upon the
property and liberties of the people of
China; our government substantially
guaranteeing the payment of the loan.
The other day a committee representing
these bankers called upon President WiL-
soN and served notice that unless his ad-
ministration would renew the invitation
upon the same conditions, they would
not engage in the enterprise. President
WILSON'S answer was good and plenty.
“The conditions of the loan,” writes
President WILSON, “seem to us to touch
very nearly the administrative independ-
ence of China itself; and this administra-
tion does not feel that it ought, even by
implication, to be a party to those con-
ditions. The responsibilities on its part
which would be implied in requesting the
bankers to undertake the loan might con-
ceivably go to the length, in some un-
happy contingency, of forcible interfer-
ence in the financial and even the politic-
al affairs of that great Oriental State,
. just now awakening to a consciousness
of its power and of its obligations to its
people.
How refreshing this admirable Demo-
cratic policy sounds in ears attuned to
mercenary expedients of Dollar Diplem-
acy. Itinspires hope and faith and con-
fidence.
Nothing more acceptible to the
thoughtful American people could have
been done by the President. American
bankers have the full right to invest
their money in foreign enterprises and
make the best of their ventures in ex-
ploitation. But the administration at
Washington has no right to enter into
partnership to share the risk without
claim on the proceeds and to bind the
American people to pay losses even if
the only currency available be human
lives. :
Therefore President WILSON has filty
answered Mr. MORGAN'S emissaries and
inferentially dissolved the partnership be-
tween the government and Big Business.
It was of all things the action that was
needed at the outset of the administra-
tion.
——We notice that some esteemed Re-
publican contemporaries are figuring up
probable deficiencies in the treasury at
Washington in 1914 and the exercise ap-
pears to give them agood deal of satis-
faction. But they are welcome to all the
enjoyment they get out of it. In recent
years we have not had to contemplate
probably deficiencies. The real thing
has been ever present.
—According to the Harrisburg
of a first class hotel in that town. It will
hardly escape notice, hovrever, that most
of the capital for construction and equip-
ment will come from the outside.
Greece, who wasn’t a bad fellow as Kings
too coward-
~The WATCHMAN this week pub-
lishes the first installment of that won-
derfully interesting serial story, “Shenan-
doah,” and we feel sure if you read the
opening chapter you will want to con-
tinue it to the end.
~—Dr. SIMON FLEXNER has no doubt
SELLEFONIE
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
President WILSON has not undertaken
to limit the action of Congress in his
| proclamation calling an extra session on
| April 7, but it is now considered to be
certain that nothing other
| than tariff revision will be considered,
| The leaders of the party are confident
that the tariff bills will be ready by that
time and in that event there will be no
trouble in putting on the necessary re-
straints. When the tariff bills are passed
a motion to adjourn without delay will be
in order, and no doubt it will prevail
The Senators and Representatives will
not enjoy the midsummer temperature
of the capital city and it is practically
certain that they will take advantage of
the first opportunity to get home. That
will be presented when the tariff legisla-
tion is completed.
No doubt President WiLsoN would have
put a restriction upon the legislation to
be considered if he had had authority to
do so. But as a matter of fact he has no
such authority and the best he can do 1s
to advise, in his message to the new Con-
gress, against any general legislation.
This can be appropriately and certainly
done when the tariff regulations are
made, and the President can point out
the facts as to what legislation is requir-
ed. The message to Congress will afford
a vehicle for the expression of the Presi-
dent's views on the subject, if there are
any doubts. But it is not likely that
there are any for President WILSON has
already expressed himself as favoring the
limited policy and he generally under-
stands himself.
The financial laws now in force are faul-
ty beyond question but no material harm
will result from postponing action upon
them until the regular session. In any
event it might not be wise to alter the
financial laws until the effect of the pro-
posed tariff legislation is feit. Possibly
much of the evil now attributed to bad
currency and banking laws really belongs
to the bad tariff laws and when the great-
er evil is removed the lesser may disap |
pear of its own accord. It is certain
that the State Legislatures will be able to |
_ correct many of the faults of the bank-
ing systems and with the improved fiscal
conditions certain to follow the proper
revision of the tariff it may be that there
will be no necessity for tampering with
the currency question.
~ —If we are to have a commission to
' study the question of mothers’ pensions
it will not be necessary to go outside of
the Legislature to find grandmothers to
make up the commission.
Constitution Convention Project.
The forty Democrats who voted against
the constitutional convention bill, in the
House of Representatives at Harrisburg,
last week, expressed the sentiment of a
| vast majority of the Democrats of the
State on the subject. The thoughtful
people of the Commonwealth are of the
opinion that the popular mind is not, at
this time, in proper frame to direct
fundamental legislation. The cranks
who have axes to grind and the dema-
gogues who have selfish ambitions to serve
are too much in control now. Men who
opposed Mr. BRYAN for the Presidency in
1896, 1900 and 1908 because of supposed
heresies are now supporting the same
heresies, not because of a change of heart
but on account of personal ambitions.
The present constitution may be anti.
quated in some respects and inadequate
in others but it is a pretty useful and
efficient instrument yet. It was prepared
by the most distinguished body of men
| which has ever assembled in this State
since the convention which framed the
constitution of the United States. Those
gentlemen were honest as well as capable
and if a convention were called now it is
not certain that those to compose it
would be either. The lust for office has
the State. We hope the measure will
fail in the Senate.
The Democratic Representatives in the
, Legislature were under no legal or moral
obligation to support such legislation at
this time. The State platform of last
year made no such promise. The real
party leaders had no thought of such an
enterprise during the campaign. But
after the election some gentlemen who
imagined they had acquired the right to
direct the official action of Democratic
performed a valuable service in discover. Senators and Representatives in the Leg-
ing the germ of infantile paralysis. But islature saw fit to join with BiLL FLINN
what is really needed is something that in the movement. They succeeded in
will kill the germ the moment it gets carrying the measure through the House,
busy. but happily more than two-thirds of the
TT Democrats in the body voted against it
—It may have been noticed that the and we hope all the Democrats in the
enthusiasm of a legislative appropriation Senate will follow their wholesome ex-
committee is largely influenced by the ample.
quality of the entertainment givenby the It will make for civic safety and re-
local institution. buke false leaders.
The declination of RICHARD OLNEY, of |
Massachusetts, to accept the office of |
Ambassador to the Court of St. James, |
will be widely, though not universally |
regretted. The ambassadorial office has '
come to be regarded as somewhat of an |
ornamental position. So far as the rec-
ords indicate the main duties are to at- |
tend
REID was a model. He was immensely |
rich and a good deal of a toady, as we!
understand that term. But he was a
scholarly gentleman and whenever he |
came in contact with British or other |
royalty, he acquitted himself with dis- |
lionaire could do that. |
In the earlier periods of our diplomatic |
history the Ambassadorship at the Court |
of St. James meant something else. As
a matter of fact we had no Ambassadors
then, our representatives at the several
foreign courts being styled Ministers |
Plenipotentiary, with an occasional Min. |
ister Extraordinary when there was some
question of unusual importance to be
considered. But since we have had
Ambassadors, instead of ministers, diplo- |
matic matters have been considered by |
the Secretary of State on one side and
the corresponding office in other coun.
tries, on the other. Under the circum. | themsel
stances the Ambassador became simply a
gentleman of social distinction and a
good figure and long purse could be
upon to shine.
Itlooks, from this distance from the | General Burleson will work
seat of government, as if there is a
change impending in this as in other ad-
ministrative affairs. Of course the
Ambassador at the Court of St. James,
under the present administration must | be
be an accomplished gentleman, entirely
capable of meeting all social obligations
as well as attending to the diplomatic
business of the country. For that rea-
R. Francis, of Missouri, is the
choice of the President proves true,
public may rest assured that little
been lost.
always be interested in politics. Politics
has made him a rich man and if he had |
given it half a chance it might have made
a statesman of him. 4
Penrose Understands the Question.
Senator PENROSE, according to a state-
ment contained in one of our esteemed |
Philadelphia contemporaries of last Sun. |
day, is in complete agreement with the
views expressed by the WATCHMAN, with
respect to Governor TENER'S bad break
in censuring the House of Representa- |
tives for investigating the charge that
public money is being wasted through
dual official service and double pay to
employees of the State government. In
ecutive business and executive maladmin-
istration. If the Governor were involved
in some delicate administrative work of
cerning it might be appropriately refus-
ed. But the looting of the treasury in
order to provide generous recompense
for party “lame ducks” or political favor-
ites, is not in that class and refusing the
justified in cutting out all appropriations |
for the maintenace of the executive de-
partment of the so-called government, or |
at least of such officers as have at
drawing double salaries, until the desired |
information had been supplied in the way |
i
that the legislative committee desired it- |
get himself out of the untenable position |
into which he has permitted himself to
fall.
——
| ducts of the labor of workers in mills,
| to be as agile as an athlete to get there.
Tee
cu .
| SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—Farmers of Boyerstown bought a new kind of
watering trough when a lot of steel coffins, too
heavy for use, were sold at 35 cents apiece.
—Gallitzin is getting anxious over its water sup”
| ply for next summer. A stream condemned
| some time ago is to be inspected with a view to
establishing a municipal plant.
—Forty-one of his sixty-one years having been
| spent behind prison bars, Abe Buzzard, the no-
| torious outlaw evangelist, was released from the
- =O | Eastern penitentiary on Wednesday.
~The petition of Huntingdon liquor sellers for
a writ of mandamus to compel Judge Woods to
call in another law judge and hold license court
over again has been refused by the Supreme
court,
—Jonas Fisher has offered to present to the
city of Williamsport 100 squirrels and two swans.
He also offers to cement the cellar of the Fisher
house, to make an artificial lake on the plot
which will soon be the Way's garden, the new
recreation park recently presented to the city.
~The body of Michael Dayton, an aged resiv
dent of Renovo, who disappeared from home on
January 18, was found on Wednesday about
From the Harrisburg Star-Independent.
The motion to exempt farmers from
SE es aren Sh She or
the Pennsylvania
tives on second the other day. | three miles down the river at North Bend. It
Needless to say, the was made by | was supposed at the time that he had fallen into
who own farms. the river, but careful search failed to discover the
An act that does not y to all per- | body.
sons would uncon: | Recently Stuck atilda
| stitutional. At any rate it should be. doa ey CA Stuck, of Pon: Watiuges "da
| There was not one for exempt- the trip to his Snyder county home by rail, stay-
ing The spirit of one plea was | ng 5 few days, then disappeared. A few days
later, with bleeding feet and sunken sides, he
made his appearance at his old home, a distance
of more than forty miles, as the crow flies.
~—Albert L. Scholl, J. H. Spencer and Dr. F.L.
Mover, former officials of the National Protective
association, are in the Lycoming county jail
awaiting transportation to the penitentiary.
They paid their fines and sent their attorneys to
Philadelphia with an appeal to the Supreme court
and had money enough left to have their meals
sent from a restaurant. An eighteen month's
sentence is ahead of them.
—Lock Haven has a sensation in the arrest of
Paul Harter, a druggist’s clerk, on the charge of
he doesn’t do that in a spirit of philan-
thropy. Jledoss Romore thi eakhange
commodities, as everybody else does. He
gives a bushel of wheat in exchange for |
what he fixes as its value in some other
commodi
crops
all food supplies. But he is enabled to
do this only with the labor of other men.
He cannot get al without the pro-|
stores and houses and of those | being a hair snipper. For some time young girls
on railroads and shi He needs them | have been mysteriously losing their tresses at
as bad as they need him. In modern life | theatres and not until this week was anyone able
all classes of men to detect the perpetrator. The young man was
caught in the act by Miss Amy Diem, and two
pairs of scissors were taken from him. Police
still believe others are implicated in this peculiar
“amusement mania."
~Corry has started a crusade against tramps,
who have been making their headquarters near
the outskirts of town. Since it has become
known that the railroad company is putting all
the menit can find to work on track improve
ments along the Allegheny Division, the profes-
sional hoboes are giving Oil City the goby.
Many homeless men have been given lodging
during the winter, and many have secured em,
ployment at railroad construction.
~—]Joe Shank, a well known character of Sanker -
town, near Cresson, disappeared some six months
ago and since then nothing had been heard of
him until last Thursday, when his dead and de-
composed body was found near Cresson in a
copse of elderberry bushes. It is supposed that
he crawled into the bushes while intoxicated last
fall and died of exposure. He was aged 45 years
and single. The remains were given over to
Undertaker Buck, of Cresson, for interment.
~The Lycoming Foundry and Machine compa-
ny, which a little more than a week ago was
awarded a contract for $500,000 worth of motors,
to be manufactured for the Velie Motor compa-
ny, of Moline, Ill, has received a message from
Thomas H. Lynn, the company's general sales
out
contract for a half million dollar's worth of mo-
tors. With contracts on hand for $1,000,000
worth of motors, the Lycoming plant will be one
of the busiest places in Williamsport during the
year of 1913.
~The fifth shooting affray that has occurred in
Williamsport during the last few months took
place in that city Sunday night about 10 o'clock,
when Burguers Ricco, an Italian living at No.
136 State street, was fatally shot by a 20-year-old
Italian youth giving his name as Joe Dene, who
had been in Williamsport only about three days,
and is said to hail from Cross Fork. The shoot-
ing has all the elements of a dark Sicilian mys-
tery, the fatally wounded man refusing to identi-
fy his assailant and declaring that he would die
rather than offer any explanation.
—A warning that several school buildings are to
be dynamited and others destroyed by fire, the re-
port being from an unknown party, has caused
many desertions from the public schools of Du.
such
is believed
Bois. The alleged catastrophe set for a time be,
Use tae Tools at Hand. tween March 23 and 26 has caused alarm among
From the Altoona Times. ihe children and theie parent. The peliocls ans
There has been introduced in the Gen. | being attended by one-third the regular quota
eral Assembly a bill for the creation of a | the enrollmont is dropping rapidly. School offi
State Department for the suppression of cials visited the various schools in an effort to al-
vice. Isn'tit peculiar that every time lay the fears of the children but without success.
tions they ask for new laws and new | dictions.
officers and more red tape and more| —The people of Loretto are to have gas at last.
salaries? Recently the town was excited over the drilling
ries lh eas
or gas . were
statute books to accomplish it. Why | and tured out dry. The verdict of the drillers
not enforce them? was that the whole territory was dry. But the
If the leaders of the Legislature do not | town is to have its gas anyhow. The trunk line
exert a, shung Liang, the record of the | from Johnstown to Altoona is to be tapped at
session will not be an improvement over | Cresson and a branch run into Loretto. There is
sessions which were dominated by political | no coal near Loretto, which has some difficulty
interests which were to be | in obtaining fuel at times, and the introduction
selfish and didhionest ore is an i gf the sas will probally lead to the piping of every
more interested in creating sinecures
—Shortly before noon Monday, the body of
hai they are in effecting any radical James Kyle, familiarly known as “Jerry,” was
found ia the weedy back of Iu Lieven =
Huntingdon, three sons, Andrew, ames
A Sensible Move. and Davia The man had been missing for two
weeks an empty threeounce bottle
Pugin the New York Sur. ¢ of | contained laudanum told the story of the trage.
w Be oe. U5. On February 27, the Kyle family moved to
oa tes Presiden of Huntingdon from Warrior Ridge and on the fol*
United that it I aot lowing day Kyle left home saying he was going
his A el to look for work. He had been in the habit of
hi LA going away for two or three days at a time and
ee, io. 3 Sosiag was thaw of‘Yigs dbpetice for several
proclamation which rings with
hy rls the on Feloa), stipnmed Yidhtoe, Willig of de
Sdlled a gD a 3 1 the
us at on
ET a et Tap day. The verdict followed a vigorous contest be-
trate who begins by refusing to fritter | tween the attorneys for the Commonwealth and
himself away the legal representatives of the accused, the lat-
Tuesday but his machine was equip- | ing as peacemaker between Pellagi and his wife,
ped with ordinary tires and proved a | Who Wasbeing abused by her husband.
poc: climber. The result was it struck | —The system of the Huntingdon & Clearfield
Telephone company is to be completely rebuilt,
it is announced. At the recent sale of the hold"
ings of the American Union company, of which
the H. & C. was apart, the former owners of the
latter concern purchased back their stock. The
confirmation of the sale a short time ago enables
the stockholders to go ahead with the improve
ment program which they have been contemplat-
ing. Thousands of dollars, it is said, will be
spent in rebuilding the company’slines and every-
thing possible for better service will be done.
New exchanges are to be installed and extension
of the lines and an expansion of the company’s
business in other ways is being planned.
the tree head-on and the sheriff is
in the market for a nice line of repairs.
A friend of the sheriff has kindly sug-
gested that when his machine is ready
for the road again he equip it with pole
climbers, which might prove a good thing
President goes to church even if he has
‘agent, to the effect that he. has closed a seconde wees