BY P. GRAY MEEK.
A ———
INK SLINGS.
—Take the office away from Belle-
fonte and save the party in the county.
—Take the State Committeeman office
out of Bellefonte and save the party from
another fight like this one.
—The frost is on the pumpkin, and
that just three days after the poor old
pumpkin was shrivelling up with the
heat.
—Vote for SMITH for State Committee-
man and thereby get a man into the
office who will be nobody's tool or no-
body's fool.
—ZERBY must have been pretty badly
frightened when he sent to Philadelphia
to bring kurtz up to help pull his chest-
nuts out of the fire.
—We are temporarily rid of HARRY
THaw, but Mrs. PANKHURSY is coming to
our shores. Verily, life is just one d=
thing after another.
—The new Democratic tariff bill has
passed the Senate and now all that re.
mains is for the House to concur in the
changes made in the upper branch of
Congress.
~——Possibly HUERTA may relinquish
his ambition to become a real President
of Mexico and leave the country. Few
of us imagine that he is sufficiently pa-
triotic for such self abnegation.
-—Mr. Attorney JEROME certainly found
himself in a pretty plight when he went
to Canada to procure the deportation of
HARRY THAW and landed in prison him-
self on the charge of gambling on the
streets.
—At the first crack of TAYLOR'S guns
ZeRrBY flew under kurtz's coat tail and
kurtz came running to his rescue behind
BRYAN'S picture. A pretty pair of politic-
al cowards to be bossing the Democrats
of Centre county.
-If the county Democrats are wise
they will take the office of State Com-
mitteeman away from Bellefonte. If this
bone of contention is gone there will be
that much less for the Bellefonte Demo-
crats to fight over.
—Mayor GAYNOR, of New York,
sailed for Europe right after he was nom.
inated for re-election. Whether his ob-
ject was to escape from those who nom-
inated him or make arrangements for an
alibi after the votes are counted is a
mooted question.
—It seems to us that President WiL-
SON appointed charles r. kurtz to be
Surveyor of the Port of Philadelphia.
But if he has to run back to Centre coun-
ty to poke his nose into every fight that
his foiis here stir up he won't have much
time to put in along the Delaware.
—If the MORGAN firm imagines that
the public will believe it abandoned the
New Haven and Hartford because that
corporation was badly managed, the
MORGAN firm is entitled to another guess.
The bad management of the road was
mainly the fault of the MORGAN firm.
—The girl with the silhouette slouch
is the lady who will welcome the Pina
cloth a new fabric that is being sent to
this country from the Philippines. It is
said to be more Diaphanous than the
sheerest voile and so transparent—well,
that it would be a shame to look at the
wearers.
—We want to call your attention to
the fact that we might have had a nice
clean centest between Mr. SMITH and
Mr. ZERBY for the office of State Com-
mitteeman had not the Centre Democrat
at once begun to abuse Mr. SMITH and
then let the overflow of its spleen run
onto all those persons who think they
have a right to support Mr. SMITH.
—Rumor has it that Col. Jon A.
WOODWARD is to be the new postmaster
at Howard. It is understood to be the
reward for the stand the Colonel took
last year, as well as pay for delivering
Howard Borough and township to ZERBY
next Tuesday. While we had under-
stood that another man was slated for
that job funny things are being done in
the name of the Democratic party in
Centre county these days, as a gentleman
who was promised the postoffice in Phil-
ipsburg and didn’t get it might tell you
were you interested enough to inquire.
—How the people love to be fooled!
Down at the fair last week there was a
common snake show flamingly ad.
vertised as “Wild Minnie.” All day long,
irom the bowels of the canvas pit in
which “Minnie” was supposed to be
chained, came a groan or a roar, that
sounded like a cross between the trumpet
of an elephant and the roar of an en-
raged lion. Of course everybody ought
to have known that it wasn't “Minnie.”
But they didn’t until they had flocked
into the show by thousands, only to see a
hideously garbed man clawing at the
flesh of snakes. The roar that had at.
tracted attention to the show came from
under the platform and was produced by
a boy with an old “horse-fiddle.” It was
a great fake, but it fooled the people.
Exactly such a fake is being worked on
\
Take it Away from Bellefonte.
The time to save the Democratic party in Centre county is right now.
If the warring factions in Bellefonte will persist in fighting those who are
not mixed up with either faction ought to take the situation in hand and
take the bone of contention clear away from them. No matter which side
is right the fact remains that there is a fight and it will continue with
disastrous results unless we begin right now to healing up the sores in-
stead of opening them wider.
Mr. ZerBY has made himself distasteful to many active Democrats in
the county through the prominent part he has taken in the fights against
them, consequently it is unreasonable to expect them to rally to his lead.
ership. It isn’t human nature to enthusiastically work with a man who
has openly fought one Democrat for the benefit of another. And unless
we have enthusiasm we might as well say goodbye to the future prospects
of our party in the county.
If you are supporting Mr. ZERBY because you were a reorganizer and
and he was a reorganizer let us call your attention to the fact that that
should not be the issue. Reorganization has won in Centre county and
in the State and instead of injecting that old fight into this contest again
all should be trying to forget it. You must keep in mind that we are all
Democrats and we can’t get together unless there is a disposition to give
and take a little in the adjustment of our differences.
We are reminded of the old German fable of the father who had nine
sons. They were continually fighting among themselves with the result
that every one of them was suffering something. Finally the father call-
ed all the boys together and picked up a bundle of sticks. Anyone of the
sticks he could break easily by itself, but then he tied nine of the sticks
together, and try as he would he couldn’t break them.
So it is with our party in the county. Distracted and divided we can
be beaten easily, but if we are united then we can stand against the com-
mon enemy.
It will be an empty honor for anyone to win the contest for State
Committeeman and have a wrecked and disintegrated party to represent.
The country Democrats can go a long way toward closing up the
breach, if they will. They can give this office to Mr. SMITH, of Millheim.
Personally he is not antagonizing to anyone. He has taken no active, of-
fensive part in any of the fights of recent years and is splendidly equip-
ped for the office.
If he were elected it would take the office clear out of Bellefonte and
remove from this place one of the causes of the trouble. Won't you do
your part toward saving the party.
Won't you try to see the situation in the right light and vote for
Mr. SMITH.
The One Way t
o Stop the Fight.
Tuesday, September 16th, 1913, will be an epoch marking date in the
history of the Democratic party in Centre county. It will be the day when
those who have given a life time of allegiance to the party must decide
whether it is better to permit the factional fight that is now rending it in
pieces to go on or whether it is better to uproot the cause of the fight
and begin the work of getting the factions together and united before
another county or general election comes round.
Let us have an end of this Reorganization, Regular, BRYAN, GRIM,
PALMER, GUFFEY, HALL, DONNELLY talk, and get down to the business of
saving Centre county from the disaster that met Clearfield when her Dem-
oratic newspapers started warfare.
What the Centre Democrat means and what it hopes to accomplish by
pounding men who are needed in the Democratic organization in the coun-
ty we can’t understand. Since it has been under the control of its pres-
ent editor the records show that it has drawn one and one-half times as
much patronage from the county offices as any other Democratic paper in
the county. At present its editor is fixed in a $5,000.00 job in Philadel.
phia. Surely the Democratic party has treated it well enough to expect
something better in return than a persistent determination to drive men
out of the party.
There is no use beating around the bush about the matter. Mr.
ZERBY is personally distasteful to a great many Democrats in the county.
No matter what the cause may be the fact remains that such is the case.
It was not good politics, nor was it well for any future political ambitions
that Mr. Zersy may have for him to be a candidate at this time. Don't
regard this statement as a veiled threat, for it is nothing of the sort. We
are talking to you for the good of the Democratic party and we have re.
spect enough for your goed common sense to believe that you will under-
stand that it was folly to put Mr. ZErBY forward at this time. He is a
factionalist, he was a leader in the fight last year over the county chair-
manship and no matter whether he was right or wrong it is undeniable
that he is primarily responsible for much of the trouble that exists in our
party today.
If there were any great principle involved. If Mr. ZERBY were lead.
ing any great moral or uplifting crusade it would be a different matter.
But there is not. He is a politician, pure and simple, and while we would
not detract one whit from his character everybody who knows anything
about him knows that when it comes to playing the game of politics he is
far from being a saint.
You know he represents a faction in Bellefonte. You also know that
hes is Another Saction in Bellelyhts oppoged to Wim, And it has the best
of reasons for that opposition. t be the result? If Mr. ZERBY is
chosen State Committeeman the faction that i opposed to him still
have their reasons for opposing him and will keep on fighting. That is
only it last year so it will fight him. And the
fight will thus be contin until the party will be
and in the end defeated.
Now the solution is this: Mr. WILLIAM F. SMITH, of Millheim, is
candidate for State Committeeman also. He has never been offensive
any faction of the Democrats in the county. He has not rode over
county electioneering for or against any particular
no leading part in the fight of last year and has alwa
liable, intelligent man. He lives away from
il
Si
i
2
te,
the hot-bed of d and cannot be controlled by anyone. He was
a Ti
STATE RIGHTS AND
BELLEFON TE, PA... SEPTEMBER 12, 1913.
1
i
FEDERAL UNION.
Throwing Dust Isn't Argument.
The Centre Democrat of yesterday devotes a little more than a page
and a third to abuse of P. GRAY MEEK, Col. TAYLOR and the Hon. JAMES
SCHOFIELD, but not a reason has it to give you why BILL SmitH, of Mill
heim, should not be elected your State Committeeman.
P. GRAY MEEK, Col TAYLOR and the Hon. JAMES SCHOFIELD are not
running for anything. Mr. SMITH and Mr. ZERBY are the candidates.
They are the men you are to measure in the balance next Tuesday.
We have told you repeatedly that there is nothing in the present con-
test but the question as to which of the two men would prove the more
satisfactory to all the Democrats of the county. By its own confession
the Centre Democrat admits that WiLLIAM F. SMITH is a good clean man
and quite capable of being fair. It does not have the same to say of its
candidate Mr. Zersy,
All this subterfuge of publishing the picture of Secretary of State
BRYAN and heading it with “BRYAN Sends Greetings” is only designed to
fool you. At first glance the unthinking might be caught by the sugges.
tion that Mr. BRYAN is interested in the contest in Centre county but if
you read the article you will find that it has reference to an entirely dif-
ferent matter.
Under the head of “Democrats Do Your Duty” the Democrat again de-
votes two columns of space to rehashing the old PALMER-GUFFEY fight of
years ago. What has that to do with the contest between SMITH and ZER-
BY. It hasn't anything and the Democrat is merely using it tc call up past
differences and inflame your mind over something that has nothing to do
with the present contest.
Calling people liar doesn't prove anything. Abusing Democrats who
have done far more for the Democratic party in Centre county than
charles r. kurtz ever could or would do isn't helping to unite the party.
Talking about corruption funds has nothing to do with who should be our
State Committeeman and when it comes down to that kind of thing this
same charles r. kurtz has been afraid to deny that he was the fellow who
carried the largest “slush” fund that was ever transferred from Elk to
Centre counties. The WATCHMAN charged him with it the last time he
went raving and you have noticed that not a line has appeared in the
Centre Democrat in denial. You will also notice that in the spasm it had
this week it forgot entirely to deny that time and again it kicked about
putting up the county ticket and had to be scared or bought into doing it.
It forgot to deny that it made a vicious public attack on MITCHELL L
GARDNER, when he was Prothonotary of the county. It didn’t forget, be-
cause it is guilty and it knows itself tc be guilty and can’t answer.
Only last year this same man who charges everything and substanti-
ates nothing deliberately held up the county auditors, Messrs. Hoy, BRUN-
GARD and Goss and practically forced them into paying him several hun-
dred dollars more for publishing the county statement than it should have
cost. Call either of these gentlemen on the telephone and ask trem
whether he didn’t refuse to print the statement at all for them unless they
circulated it all three weeks in his paper at two cents per copy when al-
ways in the past the second and third circulations required by law had
been given to a paper with a smaller circulation in order to save money
for the county. A pretty way to help the new Democratic county officials
give you an economic administration. A pretty fellow to talk about hang-
ing onto the public teat isn’t he, when the records show that charles r.
kurtz has drawn one and one-half times as much from the county treas-
ury since he has owned the Centre Democrat as any other paper in the
county.
As for the defeat of the county ticket at the time Hon. J. C. MEYER
was elected to the Legislature call up FRED SMITH, of Philipsburg, candi-
date for Sheriff, G. F. WEAVER, of Gregg township, candidate for Regis-
ter, F. PIERCE MUSSER, of Millheim, candidate for Recorder; JouN D. MiL-
LER, the present County Treasurer; C. A. WEAVER, of Penn township, can-
didate for County Commissioner; John D. CoLE, of Walker township, can-
didate for Auditor. They were all on the ticket with the late Hon. J. C.
MEYER. They will all tell you that W. D. ZERBY was the county chair-
man and that he more than any one else was responsible for their defeat.
Because he forgot that there was anyone else on the ticket with Mr. MeY-
ER and left all the candidates for the important county offices without sup-
port or funds to carry on their campaign and left them go down to defeat
when they might have been elected had he been fair to them all.
We are not asking you to take our word for this. Call the gentlemen
who were in the breach at the time. They will confirm it.
Yet the Democrat would deceive you into thinking that it was some-
one else than ZERBY who defeated that ticket.
This man ZERBY not only was more responsible than anyone else for
the defeat of the ticket in 1908, but always he has been doing under-
ground work in the party. Ask him who brought out the opposition to
JOHN M. KEICHLINE when he was a candidate for justice in the South
ward and ask him whether he didn't help defeat this life-long Democrat.
Right now hé is peddling promises of postmasterships and other offices in
order to buy votes for himself and ROBERT FOSTER is whispering more
than ever about how he will get the office at State College if ZERBY is
elected.
We could give you scores of instances which unfit Mr. ZErBY for rep-
resenting us fairly, but what's the use. The fact that he has fought so
many Democrats is enough to prove that he couldn't work in harmony
with them and our party needs harmony more than anything else just now.
Why did charles r. kurtz leave his office in Philadelphia last Sunday
morning and hurry to Bellefonte? Why has he spent the whole week
here writing and fighting when the government is paying him for being
in Philadelphia? What has kurtz done, anyway, for the Democratic par-
ty in Centre county? Did anyone ever see him holding a window book
on an election day even for an hour? Did anyone ever see him working
at the polls for anyone? He never spent a day at an election place in his
life. No, No! Farbe that from him. But he is on the ground the min-
ute a Democratic official is chosen “sucking” for patronage and black.
guarding when he doesn’t get it.
Certainly he flew to the rescue of ZERBY because he is ZERBY'S boss
and through ZERBY expects to boss the Democrats of Centre county.
If you are one of the voters who wants to wear the kurtz yoke vote
for Zersy. If you want to do the very best thing for the Democratic par-
ty at che present time by securing a State Committeeman who can be
bossed by no one vote for SMITH.
NO. 36.
i
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—The state forestry commission recently pur-
chased 4,000 acres of land in Clinton and Ly-
coming counties.
—Six children of Harry Derr, of Montandon
were stricken with ptomaine poisoning after eat.
| in summer sausage. Prompt medical attention
saved their lives.
—Sparks from the engine are blamed for fire
which destroyed the portable saw mill operated
by Evans Yearick, near Mill Hall. Loss is $1.500
with partial insurance.
—Thirty gypsies were arrested near the
Mifflin-Snyder line and gave up stolen money
and turkeys. Then they were released on prom-
ise to leave the region.
—A doe with a broken leg was captured a few
days ago at Philipsburg and taken to the sani
tarium. [It died, however, a few hours later of
exhaustion and was buried.
—The old Juniata furnace tract, west of Graf-
ton, which years ago was bought by the com-
pany for $25,000 was sold for $1,800 a few days
ago. The iron ore had been removed.
—C. M. Schwab has purchased the Rudolph
farm adjoining his summer home at Loretto and
will build chicken barns thereon. It is his pur-
| pose to have the finest chicken farm in that part
of the State.
—Sheltered by a corn shock with his father in
a field on their farm near Montoursville, Mahlin
Freezer, aged 14, was stunned by lightning. The
father carried him home and he was resuscitated
with difficulty.
—William Force, of Curwensville, whose father
was at the Erie station during the war of 1912, is
the guest of the government at Buffalo during
the festivities incident to the arrival of the
Niagara at that place.
=A story of councilmanic graft has been ex-
citing Punxsutawney, but councilmen say the
alleged secret meeting was for quite another
purpose and had nothing to do with the letting
of the contract for paving.
—Curiosity as to whether a whiskey barrel was
worth anything led Mike Stakivitch, of Browns-
town, near Johnstown, to place a match in the
bung hole. A piece of the ba:rel struck his 10-
year-old son Frank, breaking his thigh.
~Striking his head on a rock as he dived into
Fishing creek, near Bloomsburg, Albert Mec-
Henry, of Benton, was rendered unconscious.
Companions dragged him out and sent for a doc-
tor. Although seriously injured he will recover,
—From the few cases reported late last week
twelve cases of smallpox have developed so far in
that vicinity. But'one is in Lewistown, the others
being at Burnham, Yeagertown and Mann's
Narrows, near Reedsville. Schools have been
closed at Burnham and Yeagertown.
=Mrs. Frank Huff, who was shot last Tuesday
afternoon at Penfield andiwho had been at the
DuBois hospital since that time, died Friday after-
noon at 3:20 o'clock. Two bullets entered the
lung and she had grown steadily weaker from
day to day until the end came Friday.
—Harry Cromer, of Fort Littleton, out on a
fishing trip, cut a hole in a tight shoe to allow
room for a toe to protrude. One suffering was
relieved only to bring another, for a copperhead
snake bit the unprotected toe and the young
man has had a serious time with his affliction.
=The fact that a considerable amount of mon.
ey is missing from the home of Alexander Bor-
ing, the Swede Hill merchant, leads police to the
theory that he was murdered. His wife and her
neighbors stoutly maintain her innocence and
she still deciares she thinks her husband killed
himself.
| —Ayear-old baby of Mr. and Mrs. Karl Wil.
liams, of Whiteside, Armstrong county, playing
around the kitchen, fell head first into a crack of
water with limbs hanging over the edge. There
was just enough water to cover the head and the
baby was drowned before the mother could come
to the rescue.
—Held up by a monster black bear that stood
blinking at the lights of his automobile was the
experience of Gus Oleson, of Benton, en route to
his home from the Patterson Grove campmeeting.
The animal weighed about 400 pounds. It took
to the woods when Mr. Oleson started his engine
after the stop.
=—Frank and Joseph Nevitt were given ninety
days each by Judge Woods at Lewistown for
forcing liquor down the throat of 9-year-old
Harrison Banks until he was unconscious. His
mother, who was a witness to the atrocity es-
caped under suspended sentence because of her
little children at home.
—Percy Crownover, who left his Pittsburgh
boarding house for his home at Huntingdon a
fortnight ago, has not turned up at Huntingdon
vet much to the grief of his mother, Mrs. Jennie
Milier. He had been ill and stated that he was
going home to get well. His nother is having a
search ot the Pittsburgh hospital smade.
=An old landmark was destroyed recently in
the shape of the old mill that stood along the
river near Petersburg. The machinery had been
removed long ago and it had been used chiefly
as a boat house by people having boats on the
Warrior Ridge dam. A motor boat belonging to
W. R. Wilson, of Altoona, was damaged.
=R. J. Hutchison, of Williamsport, who march-
ed with Sherman to the sea, has carried in his face
| since that time a minie ball lodged in the flesh.
A few days ago while he was being shaved the
barber feit the razor strike something hard. It
was the bullet, which was taken out with little
trouble and is now preserved as an interesting
souvenir.
—Stepping into a tinshop owned by L. B. Rey-
nolds, of Vandergrift, to solicit that gentleman's
town and that section Sunday evening, bringing
the first effective rain since June. Barns on the
John Zeigler and Frank Almond farms, near
Lockport, and on the Haubeck farms, in Fer-
guson valley, were struck by lightning and
burned, with crops and
and went through the center of the table, making
a hole an inch wide and three inch « long. The
display of hair goods was complete., ruined and
the Kline store experienced a most narrow es.
—The Wilbur Coal company of Blairsville, with
the eastern side tonycreek
~——Admiral DEWEY thinks the navy = ——The indignation expressed against | Sonoma: county. The incorporators are J. W.
is in fairly good shape at present but Mr. JEROME for playing a game of “pen. Philadelphia; James A. Hill, New
the Democrats of Centre county now.
DONNELLY and RYAN and GUFFEY and
HALL and all the other bugaboos are
being held up to scare them into voting
for ZerBY for State Committeeman when
probably none of the gentlemen men.
tioned even know that we have a con-
test for State Committeeman in Centre
county.
Campbell,
i * taken in connection York; Telford Lewis, Johnstown, and W. P.
RICHARD PERSON HOBSON knows that jt DY Poker’ n with the Graff and F. M. Graft, Blairsville. The work of
lionizing of HARRY THAW calls to mind
e at least a hundred new battle- the figure of speech applied to the an-
put th cients who “choked on a gnat and swal-
lowea a camel.”
- ET ———
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