Bemorrait Wap
BY P. GRAY MEEK.
INK SLINGS.
—Stand by the President of the:
United States.
—Philadelphia is making a noise
like she is waking up from a long
sleep. .
—“Qur country! May she ever
be right, but right or wrong, our
country.” .
—This year the Fourth of July
will mean all that the Fourth should
always mean to us.
_ —Roosevelt dined with Hughes in
New York on Wednesday night. Ma-
homet simply had to go to the moun-
tain.
—Don’t look for the “Watchman”
next week. It will not be published
because all the employees are going
to take the week off.
—Recent activities on the Belgian
front give rise to the thought that
the long looked for “great English
drive,” is about to begin. Something
of the sort ought to be done to re-
lieve the pressure on the French at
Verdun.
—Every member of Troop L will
have all the news from home each
week he is at the front for a copy of
the “Watchman” will be delivered to
each tent as long as the boys are in
service, and we hope they'll enjoy it
as much as we will the sending.
—Hay cutting has begun in Cen-
tre county, but hay making is anoth-
er thing. The grass is so rank and
full of moisture that it takes several
days to dry and during that several
days, as you know, we have had sev-
eral showers to add to the difficulty.
—Bellefonte made history last
Sunday morning and that is why the
“Watchman” has devoted so much
space to the departure of Troop L.
If the undesired clash comes our
boys will have the opportunity to
add more lustre to the fame of Cen-
tre county soldiers and this issue of
the “Watchman” may turn out to be
a very valuable reference number in
years to come.
—The khaki-clad boys who started
Sunday morning to march, the Lord
only knows where, were such fine
and well set up looking young men
that any community might well be
proud of them. Bellefonte is and
will be proud of them because they
will be true to themselves and their
colors wherever the uncertainties of
this crisis may lead them. Sad were
the scenes when they left, but tears
are not symbolic of weakness; they
are expressive only of that part of
sentiment that makes men love their
homes and because they do love
their homes they love the flag that
protects them and go forth unfalter-
ingly to defend it.
—Here’s to the Rookies. The
twenty-eight boys who left Belle-
fonte Tuesday noon to swell the
ranks of Troop L up to the full war
strength. Looking square in the
cannon’s mouth they held up their
hands and took the oath and march-
ed away without arms, uniform or
accoutrements. Why? Let us tell
you in the language of one of the
youngest of them when he was
pleading with his widowed mother to
give her permission, which was nec-
essary before he would be accepted.
He said: “Mom. How can we have
a country if we can’t fight for it
when it needs us?” That’s what
took the Rookies away. Heroes,
every one of them.
—It is regrettable that everyone
could not have heard the exceeding-
ly sensible talk of Rev. P. McArdle
upon the occasion of the closing of
the parochial schools of Bellefonte.
The “Watchman” has been able to
secure some extracts from it, how-
ever, and they are published along
with the story of the closing exercis-
es. We would especially like to have
all the readers of the “Watchman”
read Father McArdle’s remarks. He
is a man many of you know little or
anything of and this slight revela-
tion of what is-back in his mind will
probably be a revelation to some of
you. Certainly the venerable Priest
was thinking of an ideal manhood
when he spoke as he did.
—Let us pray that we don’t have
war with Mexico. Not because we
are cowards nor because we are
fearful of the outcome of it. We
know what our manhood is too well
to believe the former. We know
what our resources are too well to
give a moment of concern to the lat-
ter. But after looking at the splen-
did types of young men who march-
ed away Sunday morning and re-
- flecting on the loving care that par-
ents had lavished in the effort to
raise them properly for peaceful
pursuits let us pray that God, in his
wisdom, will some way shape the
destiny of our Nation that it may
yet not be necessary to send one
good *‘American boy to lay down a
life that is worth a million of the
Greaser kind.
i
VOL. 61.
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
BELLEFONTE, PA.. JUNE 30, 1916.
Only One Avenue of Escape.
There is only one way to avert war
with Mexico. If Carranza will re-
store to their commands the soldiers
taken prisoner at Carrizal, declare
that it was not his intention to have :
the troops of the Tenth cavalry fired
on and give a guarantee that full
reparation will be made for the sol-
diers killed and wounded, the decla-
ration of war may be withheld. If
all these things are not done prompt-
ly and the miscreants who made the
attack are not severely punished, the
Mexican banditti in office and out,
civil and military, must be scourged
to the full measure.
no mercy shown in dealing with
these homicidal wretches. Their
crimes are deliberate and their pun-
ishment must be severe.
Carranza has enjoyed the friend-
ship of our government and betray-
ed it. His pretense that he was in-
fluenced to that course by the patri-
otic impulse of National pride is not
only false but absurd. He has no
pride of any kind and no principles.
He is simply a criminal and deserves
only such treatment as is meted out
to other murderers. In the nature
of things our government might
justly claim his life as a vindication
of the law he has outraged. But that
would be contrary to the methods of
civilization. A demand for full rep-
aration for the families of every sol-
dier killed is within the line of jus-
tice and reason, however, and that
demand should be made and prompt-
ly enforced.
The country can’t well spare, even
for a time, the splendid young men
who have responded to the Presi-
dent’s call for mobilization, The life
of one of these young heroes is of
more value to the world than those
of a million of the *“greasers” who
have betrayed their obligations to
hunt down the murderous bandit
who led the attack upon peaceful cit-
zens in New Mexico. But the perpe-"
trators of the crimes of Columbus
and Carrizal must be punished if it
be necessary to sacrifice thousands
of lives in the achievement and bil-
lions of treasure. The honor of the
nation is involved and Woodrow Wil-
son may be depended upon to defend
that. He knows his duty and will
fulfill every obligation.
Hughes Champion of Plutocracy.
The opposition which Justice
Hughes, at the time Governor of
New York, set up against the income
tax accounts for the zeal of Wall
Street operates in his behalf now.
Congress having adopted the amend-
ment to the Federal constitution
authorizing legislation imposing
a tax on incomes, the question
of ratification came up in the
session of 1910. Mr. Hughes sent a
special message to the Legislature
urging the rejection of the amend-
ment upon the ground that it would
work an impairment of “the essen-
tial rights of the State.” The result
of his protest was the defeat of the
ratification. In 1911, however, the
Democrats had a majority in both
Houses and the amendment was rati-
fied.
Ever since the Civil war the aim of
the Republican party has been to
shield the wealthy from the burdens
of government. In tariff schedules
rates invariably discriminated
against the poor and in favor of the
rich. The cheaper grades of goods
used by the poor were taxed twice
and in some instances as much as
four-fold more than the articles
used by the rich. The policy of tax-
ing incomes was resisted with all the
energy the party leaders could com-
mand, and when finally, underpres-
sure of public demand, the constitu-
tional amendment authorizing tax-
ing incomes was carried through
Congress, Charles E. Hughes contin-
ued his opposition and delayed the
reform a year.
This year the tax on incomes of up-
ward of $3000.00 yielded a revenue
of considerably more than $100,000.-
00 and reiieved the industrial life of
the country of burdens to that ex-
tent. If Hughes had been President
then the amendment would probably
not have been adopted as his concern
for the plutocrats and his protector-
ate of special interests would have
influenced him to oppose its passage
through Congress. If he should be
elected President in the future he
would likely bend his energies to
compass the repeal of the income tax
legislation , thus benefitting such
friends as Morgan, Perkins and
other recipients of large incomes.
But the people will see that he will
not get the chance.
There can be
Roosevelt’s Forehead Branded.
| No man has ever fastened the lie
open the face of another as clearly burgh, President of the Pennsylva-
and ineffaceably as the Secretary of
! the Interior, Franklin K. Lane, has
tressed people of Belgium.
roving about telling any one willing
to listen that because of President
Wilson’s policies, all the world, and
especially Europe, has lost respect
for the government and people of the
United States. Even in his recent
“dirge over the grave of the dead Bull
Moose party he reverts to his cus-
tomary falsehoods in this respect.
| In addressing the great conven-
tion of advertising men in Philadel-
‘phia on Monday evening Mr. Lane
"said: “Herbert Hoover represents the
spirit of America. He has fed the
“people of a nation and has put in
working order a great financial sys-
‘tem for that poor country. A modest
man he is and one day when I said
to him, ‘tell me, is it so that we are
‘not held in the highest repute
abroad.” He answered, ‘Oh, never
believe it. Tell any one who says
{that to go to Brussels and tell him
to stand in front of the American
‘legation, where the Stars and Stripes
wave from dawn to sunset. He will
see a procession of Belgian artisans
and peasants, and to this one flag,
not to that of any other nation but
to ours, do these peasants take off
their hats and bow in reverence.”
What more complete answer
could be made to the mendacious
mouthings of a disappointed grouch.
Because Woodrow Wilson has pre-
vented his election to a third term as
President, in contravention of Wash-
ington’s advice and in violation of a
cherished tradition of the country he
has been vilifying the President and
‘aspersing the country for ‘two years.
But he deceives no one except him-
!self. Every day developes new evi-
dence of the high esteem in which
the government and people of the
{ Uuited States are held in all coun-
| tries except that in which the ruling
power had arrogated to itself the
right to control our national policies
and domestic affairs.
Roosevelt Out for Hughes.
Theodore Roosevelt has finally re-
vealed the full measure of his hypo-
crisy. In a letter addressed to the
National Committee of the Progres-
sive party and read at its meeting in
Chicago on Monday, he formally de-
clined the nomination of that party
for President and declared his pur-
pose to vote for Hughes. Like a dog
he “has returned to his vomit.”
When he left the Republican party
four years ago he pretended that he
was influenced by patriotism. His
action now proves that he had no
other reason than a lust for power.
Ambition has obsessed him and the
{yearning for opportunity to graft
and dominate has carried his reason
away. His appeal to thoughtful Pro-
gressives is not likely to avail.
Theodore Roosevelt is the most
despicable figure in America life to-
day. While he was President he
drew upon the public treasury for all
his personal expenses. His valet was
billetted as a clerk in the Adjutant
General’s office, his cook as an em-
ployee of another department and
so on through the list. He used three
war ships for personal service and
held up the railroads for transporta-
tion expenses. His desire to get
back to this mode of living rather
than interest in betterment of public
methods influenced him to break
with his party then and a hope that
some way will be open to re-enter
public life and resume graft has in-
duced him to return to it now.
Since the adjournment of the Chi-
cago convention negotiations have
been in progress for his return to the
party. These dealings have finally
resulted in an agreement though the
public will not be informed as to the
terms until after the election, and
probably never. It may safely be
conjectured, however, that he has
made arrangements to get an in-
fluential and lucrative office in the
unprobable event that Hughes wins.
To be the “power behind the throne”
might satisfy him if it carried a
generous compensation. An office
brokerage might do but that is pre-
carious and Roosevelt wants certain-
ty. The matter of principle or ques-
tions of reform had no consideration
in the conferences, however.
|
i
imprinted it upon the forehead of : Springs on Tuesday presented some
Theodore Roosevelt by telling the statistics in reference to office hold-
story of an American mining engi- ing which are more interesting than
neer who has been helping the dis- his deductions are valuable.
For | states that there are in the United
nearly a year Roosevelt has been States, including Federal, State and
Office Holders and Franchise. |
Mr. George B. Gordon, of Pitts-
nia Bar Association, in his annual
address before that body, at Bedford
He
municipal offices, a civil list aggre-
gating 2,196,400 and that the sala-
ries or wages paid them annually
amount to $733,066,000. Estimating
the population of the country at 100,-
000,000 this involves a tax upon
every man, woman and child of a
considerable fraction more than sev-
en dollars each. This accounts for a
good part of the high cost of living.
Mr. Gordon’s remedy for this
obvious evil is such a curtailment of
the franchise as would deprive all
government officials, from President
of the United States to the sweepers
on municipal streets of the right to
vote. He reasons, justly or other-
wise, that the office holders, through
their large number and activities in-
fluence legislation in the direction of
extravagance. <The number of offices
is constantly increasing, he observes,
because the interests of the office-
holding class are thus promoted.
The fact, he adds, that every wage-
earner “must contribute twelve per
cent. of his energy toward the sup-
port of the civil employees of the
government,” is abundant justifica-
tion for his suggestion.
But how would he procure the
necessary legislation to put his idea
into operation? In the first place no
legislator would be likely to vote for
a system that would disfranchise
himself. Senators and Representa-
tives in the General Assembly are
included in his “civil list,” and the
Governors who must approve legis-
lation to validate it are in the same
situation. Besides «it is doubtful if
the plan would work out well. A man
who would consent to his own dis-
franchisement, who would voluntari-
ly relinquish his highest privilege,
would be lacking in the moral fiber
essential to good service in the Leg-
islature. We agree that there are
too many offices but a better remedy
for the evil must be discovered.
——In his his letter to the Pro-
gressive National Committee Mr.
Roosevelt says: “It is urged against
Mt. Hughes that he was supported
by the various so-called German-
American Alliances. I believe that
the attitude of these professional
German-Americans was due, not in
the least to any liking for Mr.
Hughes, but solely to their antagon-
ism to me,” which calls to mind the
story of the Chatham street second-
hand clothing merchant. Having en-
ticed a passer-by into his “em-
porium” this merchant presented
for his examination a dirty and
possibly infected garment and
after fulsome praise asked the
proposed victim to buy it. “Why,”
remarked the stranger, “that coat is
filthy. It stinks.” “Mine got! mine
frieunt you wrong dot coat,” replied
the merchant. “Dot coat don’t stink.
It’s me that stinks.”
——Of course the boys who are
heading for the Mexican border are
entering upon a hazardous enter-
prise. But they will get all possible
care and every comfort that can be
procured and most of them will get
back to resume an honored place in
the life of the country.
——The Pennsylvania National
Guard has certainly justified the
promise of the friends of that force
that it is entitled to the rank of
“second line of defence.” The regu-
lars could have hardly mobilized in
less time.
——Liberally translated Roose-
velt’s letter to the Progressive com-
mittee means that having lost its
power to further Roocsevelt’s ambi-
tion it has lost its usefulness and
may as well be abandoned.
I ——— Tc ——————
——Bill Flinn is back in the Re-
publican party but he will soon be
given to understand that he must
keep quiet.
——The report that Villa is dead
has been revived but it will fool no-
body even part of the time.
—Are we going to have a citizens
parade next Tuesday.
—Put your ad. in the WATCHMAN.
NO. 26.
The President was Prompt.
From the Philadelphia Record.
Republicans who are giving a
grudging support to the Government
in this emergency are ill-naturedly
accompanying it with grumblings
that the President has been very
tardy; the Mexican situation, we are
told, is due to the dilatoriness of the
President; if he had acted earlier it
would have been averted.
This is at best nonsense; at worst,
it is petty partisanship. If the Pres-
ident had sent troops into Mexico
prior to the raids of last September
he would have intervened in a for-
eign country on account of local dis-
orders, which affected Americans
who put themselves under a foreign
Government, but not others. The
United States is not a superior Pow-
er, authorized to police the Western
Hemisphere, and charged with re-
sponsibility for the internal condi-
tions in Mexico. = We should have
had great difficulty in justifying
ourselves before the world if we had
invaded Mexico on account of its in-
ternal troubles. :
In September the situation was
changed by the beginning of raids
across the border. But these raids
were made by small parties of ban- |
dits which the de facto Government
was presumably trying to control,
but had not yet succeeded in re-
straining. Neither American opinion
nor the opinion of the world would
have justified us in risking war with
Mexico on account of the lawlessness
of small bands of freebooters; any
Government is liable to have some
subjects of this troublesome char-
acter. The President continued to
endeavor to deal with the de facto
Government and induce it, or enable
it, to preserve order within its own
dominion.
The raid on Columbus was much
larger than the previous raids; it
had more the appearance of an in-
vasion; it followed six months of
similar but smaller attacks on our
frontier. The time for action had
arrived, and the President acted.
Just as soon as men could be got to-
gether to safeguard the frontier a
substantial force was sent into Mex-
ico to hunt down the Villistas whom
the de facto Government did not
make sufficient effort to control.
This force received no support or
co-operation from the de fasto Gev-
ernment, though: Villa was its. enemy
as much as ours. At las’ one of the
subordinate de facto commanders at-
tacked a squadron of our cavalry.
This brings the two countries very
close to a state of war. The worst
may be averted, but it is criminal
ignorance or mendacity that charges
the President with tardiness; he had
no right to act until our own soil
was violated, and he would have been
unworthy of the head of a great na-
tion if he had acted even then while
there was any hope of energetic ac-
tion by the Mexican Government
against its own desperadoes. If it
shall make common cause with them,
of course, we are in for a war, but
any decent Government would have
avoided war just so long as it was
possible to hope for adequate action
by the local authorities.
Germany’s Baiters Busy.
From the Johnstown Democrat.
The country seems to be in for an-
other “blame it on the Kaiser” per-
iod. Washington’s news dispatches
take theview that much of the up-
roar southof the Rio Grande has
been stirred up by German agents
who want to create a condition that
will make it impossible for the Unit-
ed States to capture any of Ger-
many’s Mexican business.
There are a few blowholes in that
point of view. First of all, Germany
does not have any Mexican business
just now. Next, German agents are
tolerably busy with affairs at home.
The Kaiser, it would seem, has about
enough trouble on his hands without
attempting to start anything on this
side of the world.
The “blame it on the Kaiser” idea
illustrates just how far some of the
news agents are willing to go in their
efforts to create hatred for Germany.
The same news stories that tell how
German agents are plotting against
the peace of this country go on to
state that the allies are using every
effort to induce Carranza to dodge a
break with this country. It is not
likely that the allies are devoting very
much time to the Mexican muddle.
They are tolerably busy just now.
True, Great Britian is interested in
Mexican oil lands but she is letting
Uncle Sam handle the situation. But
the fact that she is doing so does not
prevent her publicity agents from
planting stories on papers that are
foolish enough to take the tales seri-
ously.
—A bulletin recently published by
the U. 8S. Department of Health de-
clares that a flyless town has few
funerals. This sounds well. It is
alliterative and anything savoring of
alliteration rolls on the tongue
pleasantly. But that is about all
there is to it. If “the flyless town
has few funerals” how does it come
that we invariably have most fun-
erals in the cold months when there
are no flies?
—If Carranza were to grant am-
nesty to Villa that would be adding
insult to injury, sure enough.
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—The citizens of DuBois are preparing
for a big celebration of the coming anniver-
sary of the Declaration of Independence.
—In the Juniata valley the wheat harvest
will be about ten days later than usual while
the cherry crop has been badly damaged by
recent rains.
—Mrs. Fanny Best, of Reynoldsville, Jef-
ferson county, one of the oldest residents of
that section, is dead from paralysis at the
age of 90 years.
—Richard W. Williamson, of Huntingdon,
who was defeated for Congress on the Re-
publican ticket at the May primaries, an-
nounces that he will be a candidate again
in 1918. :
—Some thief who thought he needed the
money broke into the rooms of the Frater-
nal Order of Eagles at Renovo the other
night and got away with all the money in
the cash register, some $10 or $12.
—The commissioners of Clearfield county
will shortly act on the issuance of bonds to
the probable amount of $500,000 to furnish
funds for the erection of the two wings to
the court house ordered by the court.
—Mrs. John H. Weaver, of Williamsport,
has caused it to be known that if battery D,
which left that city for Mount Gretna on
Sunday, is called to the border she will fur-
nish a fully equipped ambulance for its use.
—~Charles, the two-year-old son of Mr. and
Mrs. Robert Morris, of Mosscreek, Cambria
county, has a portion of a toy rake in his
stomach, having swallowed it several days
ago. It is an inch wide and contains six
pointed teeth.
—F. A. Messler, general secretary of the
Young Men’s Christian Association, Wli=
liamsport, has been granted leave of ab-
sence and has offered his services to the
State organization for duty at Mt. Gretna or
on the border.
—Rockwood, Somerset county,
cial election a few days ago on a proposi-
tion to authorize a bond issue to the
amount of $4,000 for’ High school ' better-
ment. Forty-nine ballots favored the pro-
ject; 124 were cast against it.
had a spe-
—James Meeks, alias Mason, alias Molden,
an escaped prisoner who worked his way out
of the Michigan, Indiana State prison four
years ago, wes arrested while at work in a
barber shop in Clarion last week. He had
been working there for five weeks.
—Cleo Phrobesky, aged 12 years, living
near Ernest, Indiana county, sent by his
mother after the cows, laid down on the
railroad track and was fatally injured by a
train which ran over him. He died while
being taken to the Indiana hospital.
—One day after Mr. and Mrs.
Johnston, of Columbia county, celebrated
their sixtieth wedding anniversary, the
death of the former occurred at the age of
83 years. He seemed in fine health during
the day but became ill in the afternoon and
died in the evening.
—A house owned and occupied by Mrs.
John B. McCarty, located near Philipsburg,
was destroyed by fire recently. Mrs, Mec-
Carty and the George Green family, who
jointly occupied the building, lost almost all
their household effects. A defective flue was
responsible for the loss.
—Mrs. Reed Knepp, a resident of Boggs
township, just outside of Clearfield borough,
gave birth to triplets two weeks ago. There
are two girls and one boy in the lot and all
are healthy. This is the second set of trip-
lets that Have been born in that township
in the past twenty years.
—While Michael Kratzer, of Mount Zion,
Clearfield county, was cultivating his corn a
swarm of bees came along and began to
alight on the shoulders of one of his horses.
By the aid of a thick-leaved bush he was
able to divert their attention and the bees
went straight down the road.
William
—C Citizens of Williamsport held a meeting
in the court house last Friday evening with
the members of battery D in the front ranks
and in a few minutes raised the sum of
$5,520 for the relief of the families of the
soldiers. On Saturday additional subserip-
tions brought the fund up to $7,570.
—~Carl Lloyd, aged 6 years, son of Mr. and
Mrs. E. J. Lloyd, of Winburne, Clearfield
county, stepped in front of a passing auto-
mobile and sustained a fracture of the skull.
The child is in the Philipsburg hospital and
his recovery is looked for. The offending
car belonged to Gus Bergen, of Grass Flat.
—While holding her 18-months-old son
John in her arms, Mrs. John Donnelly, of
near Blacklick, Indiana county, undertook to
hasten a fire by pouring coal oil from a can.
The usual result followed: Both woman and
child were so badly burned that they died
about five hours later, within a few minutes
of each other.
—Elizabeth DeLarme, aged 25, disappear-
ed from her home on the DeLarme farm,
near Rathmel, Jefferson county, on Thursday
of last week. Last Sunday afternoon her
body was found in a creek about a mile and
a half from her home. It is not known
whether she fell into the water accidentally
or committed suicide while laboring under
mental aberration.
—Joseph Servinski, aged 16 years, a resi-
dent of Portage, learning to ride a bicycle,
came into violent collision with a pony rid-
den by Thomas Slautter, aged 15 years. The
bicycle and rider were thrown to the
ground and the pony fell upon them, Ser-
vinski suffering concussion of the brain.
The accident happened about 1.30 Sunday
afternoon and the injured lad died five hours
later.
—Fire on Saturday evening about six
o'clock totally destroyed the home of Mrs.
John B. McCarty between Philipsburg and
Osceola, on the hill just above the Mapleton
branch railroad, near Monarch shaft. In
addition to Mrs. McCarty, well advanced in
years, the house was occupied by George
Green and family. Both families suffered
the loss also of practically all their person-
al effects.
—D. H. Faulkner, of Sandy township,
Clearfield county, whose residence near Du-
Bois was destroyed by fire and his wife and
three children burned to death last Februa-
ry, says the fire was caused by the explosion
of kerosene oil sold by the Freedom Oil
Works, a Pennsylvania corporation, with a
branch in DuBois, and he has brought suit
against the company for damages in the
sum of $95,000.
—The will of the late Eliza Sprankle, wid-
ow of John A. Sprankle, a former Altoona
merchant,who died at her home, 1403 Ninth
street, June 9, bequeathed her entire estate,
estimated to be worth $35,000, to charity.
The sum of $20,000 was given to the theo-
logical department of Lincoln University,
Lower Oxford; $5,000 each to Altoona and
Mercy hospital, and $5,000 to Passavant
Memorial Home for the care of epileptics, at
Rochester, Beaver county.
——Subscribe for the WATCHMAN.