Bevo tp. BY P. GRAY MEEK. INK SLINGS. —Eighteen days until the election. —Seventy-one days until Christmas. —1It is up to CARRANZA now to pacify Mexico. ~ —Cheer up, there is still Indian sum- mer to look forward to. —Of course the Phillies played good ball—but not good enough. —And Mexico hasn’t been the object of all the “watchful waiting” after all. —Anyway, ALEXANDER the Great is still great in that he won the only game the Phillies got in the series. —For all the observance it got poor old CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS might just ‘as well have not been the cause of Tues- day’s holiday. —With the new lighting system in- stalled in Bellefonte it will be clear to the outskirts of the town for those who are most heard and not seen. —MTr. JOHNSTON's withdrawal from the judicial race clears the atmosphere and leaves only one course to pursue for those who think our court should be pre- sided over by the ablest jurist possible. —Everyone admits that Centre county has seldom, if ever, had as clean and efficient a set of county officials as it has right now. If good officers are not to be rewarded for good service what's the use. —FRANK SMITH is going to be re- elected Register of Centre county. Why shouldn’t he be. He is a splendid man morally. He is a splendid man officially. He is a fine fellow socially and he is en- titled to another term. —As a Prothonotary DAVID FOREMAN probably hasn’t a superior in any court house in the State. Almost any attorney practising at the Centre county bar will tell you that. It is an office of peculiar importance and it is only the part of wisdom to have a competent man in charge of it. —PFacts and figures concerning what has been done for the good of the coun- ty by the present county officials have no appeal to the “ragtag and bobtail.” They seldom pay any taxes and economic administration of public office counts little with them. Their vote hangs in the balance until election day and then goes which ever way there is most “in it.” : —Mr. HUGH FULLERTON is some dope- ster. In fact he has made such an im- pression on us that we think we would send for him to dope the outcome of next month’s election were it necessary. That is already a foregone conclusion. The voters of Centre county are toc practical and sensible to let go of such a corps of splendid officials as the county now has. —When the present board of County Commissioners went into office the coun- ty debt was $139,505.84. On January 1st, 1915, it was only $6,585.61. That is cer- tainly some business management. And adding to it the fact that right now we are paying less county tax than we have paid since 1905 it must certainly look to every practical voter as if we want no change in that office at this time. —In three years time the present board of County Commissioners have reduced * the county debt $132,920.23 and at the same time they have reduced the tax levy. What has any reasonable person to complain of with such management. Every taxpayer in Centre county, if he wants to save money for himself, ought to be hustling to keep Messrs. NOLL and GROVE in the office they are now so splendidly managing. —In order that we are not deluged with wild turkeys by our sportsmen friends and to save ourselves the dilemma of having two or more in the refrigerator at the same time, because our refrigera- tor is small, we will hang a large red placard in the front office window when a turkey has been presented to us. Those of you contemplating hunting turkey with the thought of presenting it to the editor, if successful, will kindly arrange your trips to the woods on days on which the red placard is not displayed. —Who pulled Centre county out of the hole it was in four years ago? The pres- ent board of County Commissioners man- aged it and every other public official in the county helped along by economizing wherever it was possible, without inter- fering with public service. All of them are entitled to a share of the credit, from the Sheriff down to the Auditors. They are the men to whom the taxpayers of Centre county owe a debt of gratitude and such gratitude can best be expressed by a vote to retain all of those who are candidates for re-election in office. —Whatever may have been the cause of Mr. JOHNSTON'S withdrawal the effect will be to put the Prohibitionists in a far better position when a Legislator is to be elected in Centre county than they would have been had they insisted on keeping him in the contest. He could not have been elected Judge, hence they had noth- ing to gain; while they stood to lose in later contests the co-operation of a great many people who are for state wide or national prohibition, but who re- garded the attempt to accomplish any- thing through the present judicial con- test in this county as more'harmful than good. ‘President of the United States as much lics was the last hope and the recogni- “| would be futileand that the only remedy STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. _VOL 60. Settlement of the Mexican Muddle. ! President WILSON has assented to the | act of the A. B. C. conference which rec- ognizes General CARRANZA as the head of a de facto government in Mexico. This action was taken after careful con- sideration of the question in all its as- pects. For upward of three years that Republic has been in a state of anarchy. War and brigandage have reduced the people to want and wretchedness and every attempt to restore order and re- establish a government of law has fail- ed. No other subject has given the anxiety or a greater lot of distress. The conference of the other American Repub- tion of Carranza is the result. . There is little in CARRANZA as a man or in his career as a civil or military leader to recommend him to popular confidence. Measured by any available | standard he is a narrow, selfish,sordid and’ ambitious pretender. But the close in- vestigation which President WILSON has made of conditions én Mexico has per- suaded him that any outside interference with internal affairs in that country for existing evils lies in the recognition of the strongest and fittest of the claim- ants to power. CARRANZA has demon- strated the fact that he most nearly ap- proaches that requirement. HUERTA was an usurper and a murderer and therefore impossible. "“CARRANZA is not a criminal. This expedient may fail of its high purpose because CARRANZA may not ful- fill the hopes that have been placed in him. But the President of the United States and the representatives of the other American Republics will have the consolation, in that event, that they earn- estly tried to solve a difficult and vexed problem and finally adopted the most promising course to that end. If CAR- RANZA has a spark of patriotism and a BELLEFONTE, PA., OCTOBER 15, 1915. For the Consideration of Centre County Taxpayers. Centre county. merit in competent officials. volved in an expensive campaign. alone. perience whatever. those of their opponents. ty officials have scored heaviest. to whom we are talking. modicum of good sense, there will be no disappointment. He can restore peace and prosperity to his countrymen if he will and the only thing that is left for us is to hope he will measure up to the re- quirements. Any way President WiLsON has done his part well. ~ bie —1It may be remarked without much risk that the “M. P. Pennsylvania,” which excited so much popular interest a few weeks ago, has not appeared upon the White House register lately. Com-. mercializing Presidential confidences is not popular in that neighborhood. Fast Ships Contemplated. After a conference at the White House in which the President, the Secretary of the Navy and the Chairman of the House Committee on Naval Affairs participated, the Washington correspondents dope out that the construction of a number of bat- tle cruisers will be part of the naval policy for the near future. Battle cruisers are powerful ships of great speed and they will be substituted for battleships which are powerful without speed. We have no battle cruisers now and no other country except - Great Britain has any. But it is said that they are exceedingly efficient in sea fighting and as they will cost no more than battleships it is thought wise to add a few to our equip- ment. Of course the building of battleships will not be given up and the probabili- ties are that the coming Congress will authorize one or two. But the enthusi- asm for submarines which was so obvious if not obtrusive a few months ago has subsided to a considerable extent and the expenditures in that direction will not be as large next winter as they would have been if the session had been in July. Of late the German submarines have not been doing much and if the stories now current with respect to de- stroyers of undersea craft are confirm- ed, it may be safely said thatsubmarines will not cut much figure in future naval preparedness. The Secretary of the Navy, according to Washington dispatches, favors the con- struction of six battle cruisers within the next three years but is averse to in- terfering with the battleship program. The battleship program, it is un- derstood, contemplates two new ships a year and with a schedule of six cruisers in three years it would mean an expenditure of say $60,000,000 a year on that type of vessels. This would be dig- ging into the treasury pretty strong and caution would suggest a softer pedal. The work of preparedness is all right but the danger of bankruptcy should be avert- ed if possible. We are in no immediate danger of invasion and there is no ne- cessity for excitement. ——The belligerents are certainly bor- rowing a lot of money and burning it too for that matter, but that only shows that the art of coining money out of sweat is 920.23 in only three years. they close their second term. kept at their posts. In the contest for the county offices that are to be filled by your suffrage on November 2nd the argument is so preponderatingly in favor of the present in- cumbents, who are seeking re-election, that it seems almost like a waste of your time and our space to discuss the matter at all. However, there are some features entering into it that might be lost sight of by the candidates themselves and it is for the purpose of bringing them clearly to your notice that we direct this article to the voters who are paying the taxes in The WATCHMAN has always maintained that even one term is too long for an incompetent official and two terms, at least, should certainly be the reward of In the first place the emoluments of any one of the court house offices today are not large. And deducting the campaign expenses and other gratuities that our county officials are compelled to make continuously, from their salaries for one term it will be found that the net income is small indeed. Looking at it from i this light, alone, it would appear that the competent ones, and they have all been exceedingly competent, should really be given a second term without being in- Looking at the situation from another angle everyone will admit that ex- perience increases efficiency. All of the men who are seeking re-election on the Democratic ticket have been in office for one term. They have had the advantage of four year’s experience in the offices they fill and are now at the very height of their efficiency, so far as service to the public is concerned. Therefor it would seem only the part of wisdom to accord them a second term for this reason By virtue of the experience gained no one will deny that they are better qualified than the gentlemen who are seeking their places and who have no ex -Without indulging in personalities it might be added that the candidates on the Democratic ticket would have the balance of your favor were you to carefully investigate their personal habits and mental attainments and compare them with But over and above all these reasons there is that paramount one. That one that appeals most directly to the voter who has to go down in his pocket each fall and dig up enough money to pay his taxes. There is where the present coun Men may lose sight of the fact that an officer has been clean, has been courteous, has been competent, but they always remember as to whether he has been extravagant or economical. That is, practical men do, and they are the ones On January 1st, 1912, Centre county was in debt to the amount of $139,505.94. Today the county is in debt only $6,585.61. Think of it ! A reduction of $132,- Ah yes, some might say, that was easily done because the tax rate was raised. Let us see. There was an increase of 2 mills in the levy in 1912. The same in- crease was laid in 1913, while in 1914 only 1 extra mill was laid. The total income from this extra millage for the entire three years was $58864.49. Deduct this amount from the amount paid on. the county, debt in. t ‘still "$74,055.74 to be accounted: for. ' Where did that great amount of money come from. It didn’t come from increased taxation. It came from actual saving, through careful management in everyone of the county offices. In other words, each year the present officials have been in office they have saved the taxpayers $24,685.25. In addition to being competent and courteous they have been, best of all, most economical. Such surprisingly gratifying results have not been accomplished at the ex- pense of the public service or public utilities either, for when we look further into the matter we find that in addition to having actually saved the taxpayers the stupendous sum of $74,055.34 they have spent $32,083.52 on public improvement® such as bridges, road views and repairs to public properties. The proof of the pudding is the eating thereof. Every taxpayer in Centre county today is having this all proved in the way that counts most with him. He finds, in looking over the statement of his taxes, that his county tax is only 4 mills Lower than it has been since 1905 and if the present corps of officials are re-elected it will be 3 mills and possibly 2, with all of the county debt wiped out by the time debt in three years and. there are The election of county officials is a business matter. There is nothing else to it and surely the voters who have to foot the bills will be wise enough to see to it that men who have made such a wonderful recordin saving them money will be Another Blundering Law. Another of the new-fangled election laws is causing no end of trouble and confusion and may result in injustice in some of the cities of the Third class in which it operates in the nomination of city councilmen. It is the law which provides that in the nomination of candi- dates for non-partisan offices candidates receiving fifty-one per cent. of the entire vote cast at the primary election, shall “be the sole nominee for such office at the succeeding election, and his name, and none other, shall be printed as can- didate for such office upon the official ballots for use at such succeeding elec- tion.” Under the provision of this law Judge JoHN B. HEAD, Judge GEORGE B. ORLADY and J. HENRY WILLIAMS, Esq., have been practically elected to the vacant seats upon the Superior court bench. At least no other candidates will be presented on the official ballot and it is not likely that a sufficient number of voters will take the trouble to write in another name, to defeat either of them. So far as Judges HEAD and ORLADY are concerned the pres- ence of other names on the ballot would probably make no difference. They are experienced, capable and thoroughly honest jurists and would be elected by overwhelming majorities in any event. But Mr. WILLIAMS is not entitled to such consideration and with an opposing can- didate on the ticket it is not certain that he would win. In the cities in which candidates for councilmen have received the necessary vote it works confusion. Under the law to which the act in question is a supple- ment, the eight candidates having the highest votes at the primaries are entitled to be fully developed in the future. to places on the official ballot at the gen- eral election, there being four to elect. But if one of them receives more than fifty per cent. of the primary vote, his name goes on the ticket without opposi- | tion, the number to be elected is reduced to three and one of the eight highest, and probably the fittest of the lot, must be dropped from the list of candidates, and is thus deprived of a right guaranteed him under the law. He incurred the ex- pense and performed the labor under the sanction of a law which is nullified. Thus these bogus reformers and ama. teur politicians are always playing into the hands of the Republican machine. If there were another name on the ticket for the Superior court bench WiLLIAMS might easily be defeated for election. His only recommendation for the office, so far as the public is informed, came from the Republican machine and as the friends of Judges HEAD and ORLADY were anxious for their success, the vote for the third place was divided among the four or five candidates in the running. At the general election there would have been a concentration and the machine candidate might have been defeated. In view of these facts the law ought to be repealed by the next Legislature. —If our esteemed contemporary, Hon. WARREN WORTH BAILEY, M. C. is as wise as he is interesting and earnest he will discern in the stars a message that will admonish him against opposing the administration plans for strengthening the national defenses. Going up against a buzsaw has never got much for an one. : British troops don’t cut much figure in the operations on the firing line but the British press is exceedingly valiant in attacking the policies of the govern- ment. NO. 41. LET BER VOTE. ~ If you think she knows as much As the steerage Turk and such, Let her vote. If you think she has a mind Equal to the steerage kind, Let her vote. If you think she’s earned the right That you grant without a fight To the foreign bedlamite, Let her vote. If you thing she is as good As the burglar brotherhood, Let her vote. If she’s more deserving than Any bum or hold-up man, Let her vote. You don’t bar out the thug, Or the anarchistic bug, Or the gin-mill ugly mug, | Let her vote. If you think that she is just, And is worthy of the trust, Let her vote. If you think her heart beats true For the right, it’s up to you— . Let her vote. If you think she’s earned her way, Don’t be stingy with the pay, Let her have her little say. Let her vote. : —Erchange The Inviolability of States. | From the Philadelphia Record. i dependence of every other State. This is a fundamental principle of the law of ‘nations. Respect for the independence of a State implies respect for its sovereign ‘ rights; and among the sovereign rights ‘ of States none exceed in importance the right of territorial inviolability and the right to remain neutral in a war between other States. These rights of sovereignty being inherent to all States, they need not be specifically guaranteed by treaties; just as the constitutional rights of per- sons do not need to be guaranteed by express contracts with every potential violator. If one comes by night and burns your house, he has injured you in the in- alienable right to security of life and property, even though the incendiary be not under contract to insure you against loss by fire. When a belligerent with his armed forces invades the territory of a neutral State he violates the neutrality, inde- pendence and sovereignty of the State invaded; and this is so whether or not the invader has agreed by treaty to re- spect such neutrality, independence and sovereignty. It would have been just as wrong for Germany to violate Belgium if the convention of 1839 had not existed. Nor is the violation of Greece by the landing of French and British- tsoops. at Saloniki justifiable by the fact that there is no treaty specifically forbidding such l invasion of neutral Greek territory by belligerent armies. Of course, the con- sent of the nation whose territory is in- vaded would alter the case. The invasion would cease to be a wrong; but the coun- try invaded would have ceased to be neutral. If King Albert had consented to the entrance of the Germans he would have become their ally. King Constantine, of Greece, desiring that his government continue in a state of neutrality, has protested against the French and British proceedings at Salo- niki. Whether a mere protest will be enough to save the Greeks from being regarded as in alliance with the invaders of their territory is doubtful. A State incapable of making any resistance— Luxembourg, for instance—might satisfy the requirements by a verbal denuncia- tion of a violation of its sovereignty. But Greece has a considerable army. Her passivity, therefore, would alter her status from one of neutrality to that of an ally of the Entente Powers. How- ever, Germany, which is the only Power likely to question the attitude of Greece, would be in no position to make a" very strong objection. The Greeks are doing for the allies no more than the Germans expected from the Belgians. - The Cost. From the Johnstown Democrat. Forty-eight first class battleships is the figure set by the navy league. If Uncle Sam has that number, the experts say, the country is safe. If there is one less, we are in for a trouncing. a Forty-eight battleships represent an investment of approximately $750,000,- 000, not counting the upkeep cost. ‘That means an annual interest charge of at least $36,000,000 a year. But the battle- ships are only.a part of the projected navy. Scout cruisers, torpedo boat de- stroyers, colliers,submarines, and all that sort of thing figure on the program for $500,000,000 more. In other words, the navy the jingoes have in mind represents an expenditure of at least $1,225,000,000. And that navy will have to be renewed at least every ten years. This would make the annual expenditure for ships approximately $122,000,000. Every de- cade, of course, there will be a turn over. The big battleships will be scrapped. Something new in the way of fighting machines will make its appearance. The old battleships will disappear and new ones will take their place. : But who is simple enough to suppose that forty-eight battleships will satisfy the navy boomers? Japan may have more than that. Germany may exceed us in tonnage. England may “put us to shame.” The cry will inevitably go forth that forty-eight battleships is not enough. It will be argued that we must have “the greatest navy on earth.” That will mean more billions invested in preparedness. The battleships, however, represent only a part of the expense involved. The more ships we have the more forts, the more forts, the more big guns, the more big guns and more marines, the more munitions of war. And so the circle widens. It is a big game the navy boom- ers are playing. There are literally “millions in it.” Col. Sellers missed his . mission when he failed to launch a pre- paredness campaign. Every State is bound to respect the in-- SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. | De — | —The will of the late Justice John P. Elkin be. queaths all his property of whatever description to his wife, to be disposed of according to her pleasure, —Notwithstanding the rigid quarantine insti- | tuted in DuBois three new cases of diphtheria | have been reported there and the quarantine is ! likely to be continued. —Two robbers, early Monday morning, blew open the safe in the postoffice at Menges Mills and carried off $200 in stamps and $15 in old coins. Nitroglycerine was used by the burglars. —Some sharp politician is said to be frighten- ing the foreigners who live in Conemaugh by tell- ing them that they will not be allowed to keep pigs and chickens if the Democrats get into pow- er in Cambria county. —By the explosion of a gas tank in the cellar of the A. E. Bittner residence and restaurant, in Boswell, Somerset county, the entire structure was blown almost into atoms.” Nobody was kill- ed although three persons were badly burned. —Conscienceless burglars entered the resi. dence of the United~ Presbyterian minister-at Scottdale and carried away with them several pairs of shoesand about $7 in money. This is the second time robbers have taken shoes from Pastor Miller’s home. —Miss Edith Cummings is a candidate for reg. ister and recorder of Union county on the Demo. cratic and Washington party tickets. She is the | Present assistant register and recorder and it is said she has performed practically all the duties of the office for the last three years. —A large mill owned and operated by Napo- leon McDonald and located at Home Camp, Clear- field county, was destroyed by fire one afternoon of last week involving a loss of $8,000. The struc- ture housed four separate milling operations» having been used for a saw mill, grist mill and cider mill. —Howard Kaufman, aged 21, of Altoona, was sentenced in the United States district court at Pittsburgh on Monday to serve five days in the Allegheny county jail for passing counterfeit money. He has already been in jail seven weeks and the court took this into consideration in pass- ing sentence. : , Because he had no faith in banks H. G. Jef- fress, a Pittsburgh tailor, kept his savings for some time, amounting to $500, in the pocket of a coat in the cellar of the building in which his shop was located. A fire brok out in that part of the building early Wednesday morning and the money went upin smoke. .—Orders were issued at Harrisburg last Friday by Adjutant General Stewart, announcing the commissioning as a first lieutenant of artillery of Garrett Cochran, of Williamsport, and his assign- ment to Battery D, Williamsport. Mr. Cochran, who is a son of Senator J. Henry Cochran, was a noted football player at Princeton several years ago. . —Charles B. Spatz, editor of a weekly news- paper at Boyertown, recived a cablegram from Germany telling him he is heir to a third of a $1,500,000 estate left by an uncle, Frederick Spatz, who died recently in Crefeld, Germany, leaving the estate to. sons of three deceased brothers. Spatz was the unsuccessful candidate for Con- gress last year. .—The little daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Redner, of Coneville, some time ago swallowed a stalk of hay. Every effort to dislodge it failed. The stalk passed into the right lung, causing many abscesses. Finally it workedits way out beneath the shoulder blade, but the child’s condition re- mains critical. The stalk was about three- eighthsof an inch long. —The Black Hand is held responsible for dyna miting the home and store of Frank Antonuch, at Creekside, Indiana county, early last Thurs. day morning. Mrs. Antonuch was hurled nearly twenty feet by the explosion; both arms were broken and she received internal injuries. Sheis said to be dying. Antonuch received many cuts and bruises but was not badly hurt. "Two chil- dren escaped unhurt. —William H. Webster, a well known miner em- ployed in the Electric Colliery near Osceola. was instantly killed Thursday afternoon about four o'clock by a fall of rock. He had completed his day’s work, and was just leaving the heading of the mine when the accident occurred which so suddenly and unexpectedly crushed out his life and brought deep sorrow to his family and friends. The deceased was aged about 29 years, was married and leaves a wife and two children. —Charles Mullen, 39 years old, son of John Mullen, Shamokin banker and manufacturer, was killed when his automobile turned over two miles east of Sunbury and his sisters, Helen Mul- len and Letitia Mullen, escaped with superficial hurts, late last Thursday afternoon. Harry Sny- der, of Harrisburg, the chauffeur, suffered lacer- ations of the head and face. Mr. Mullen was a brother of W. A. Mullen, whe is well known in Bellefonte, and an uncle of John Mullen, a for- mer Bellefonte Academy student, now a Sopho- more at State College. —The ashes of John Mozanni, aged 21, of Greensburg, Pa., who disappeared from his home last December, were found on Monday afternoon by his brother-in-law, Edward Chuchran, in the morgue in Pittsburgh. Through a description Deputy Coroner Hugh Gilmore found a record showing that a man named Mozanni had been cremated on January 7. The body had remain- ed in the morgue several weeks following Mozan- ni’s death in the Braddock General Hospital De- cember13. He had been struck by a street car in Wilmerding. Chuchran was given the ashes. —"Good-bye, fellows; here I go,” cried an un- identified man on Monday as he leaped under the locomotive which Engineer Blake Bothel was driving into Johnstown on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the Eighth ward. The man was decapitated. Several lads playing beside the rail- ~road told the police that the man had followed the engine a short distance before he shouted his farewell to the engineer of the train. The man was about 30 years of age, was fairly well dress- ed and was an American. No money was found in his pockets. The body will be held a few days in the hope that identification may be established. —Ira Van Horn, a Middleburg automobile deal- er, is a sadder and wiser man, also poorer by $375, as a result of a transaction several days ago when he purchased a Ford automobile from a pair of strangers for the above named sum. Shortly after the strangers departed a sleuth ar- rived from Philadelphia and identified Van Horn’s newly purchased car as a stolen machine. A description of the auto confidence men was fur- nished the officer by the duped dealer and the ac- cused men were arrested shortly thereafter in the Quaker city. With the culprits under arrest and the stolen car returned to its owner, Van Horn is wondering where the 375 good round dol- lars he paid out are going to come from. —After having marked passages in the pocket- worn Bible which was found in his clothing D. M. Burman, once a prosperous real estate holder of Williamsport, Pa., went to a high bridge near Montgomery, Ala., on Sunday morning, where he drained a poison phial and awaited the com- ing of death. The poison proving slow, he cut an artery near his elbow and then tried to find the artery in his wrist, making several gashes. Becoming faint he sat down on the edge of the bridge and when unconsciousness came he fell 65 feet to his death. Burman had been in Ala- bama but fourdays. He was without funds and expected to find money. there. Saturday nigh he left his suitcase at his boarding house, went down town to a barber shop, paid his last 70 cents for a haircut, shave and a bath, and with the poison already in his pocket, went to his death. A brother at Williamsport was notified of the tragedy.