BY P. GRAY MEEK. INK SLINGS. —1It is singular that nearly every Sunday since the New Year came in has either been stormy or abnormally cold. —The English are reported as hav- ing captured half of Uruguay’s navy and taken it as a prize. There are only two boats in the navy of our South American sister. —Good by, Ambassador Bernstorff! The latch string hangs out, whenever those who commanded you to do what you evidently didn’t want to do change their orders. —Every zero day in February gives the users of municipal steam n iBelle- fonte more shivers than any one else because it reduces their chances of rebates in the April and May service. —There are now four hundred and fifty thousand words in the English language. If the Colonel and his sons are not made Major Generals soon there will be a few new ones to add. —President Wilson seems to have had a bit of advice from every one lately but Charles Evans Hughes. It is quite possible that the President- for-a-night told all he knew before the election. —Senator Vare is said to have let slip the remark that “if I ever own another Governor he will have to have less education and more back- bone.” It would seem that he must have been trying to call Brumbaugh an educated jelly-fish. —The Sproul bill to investigate Governor Brumbaugh has passed final reading in the House at Har- risburg. Thus the ruthless campaign of embarrassment proceeds against the Governor who got his pants press- ed at the State’s expense. —You will notice that when Pen- rose made the boast that he would engage President Wilson in debate, should he appear again to address the Senate, that he reduced the ele- ment of danger in his threat to infini- ty by stating: “If I be present.” —Germany is now professing sur- prise at America’s action in breaking off diplomatic relations with her. In common law practice attorneys who are not prepared for every emergency very often plead surprise in order to get the case they are defending post- poned, but we don’t imagine this plea will work in international law. —Penrose announced, at a banquet in Pittsburgh, that should President Wilson again appear to address the Senate of the United States that he is going to engage him in debate. Can’t you picture a debate between Boies Penrose and Woodrow Wilson. Our Senior Senator is humiliating enough to Pennsylvania as he is, but what would the country think of us after he had come through a measure of mentalities with the President of the United States. —That everything is good that the “Watchman” has to do with is being daily proven by the letters of grati- tude we are receiving from those who have taken advantage of our big com- bination offer. Four magazines and the “Watchman”, all for $1.75 a year, made some people believe that they didn’t amount to much. They are changing their minds now that they have received the first numbers of them and writing to thank us for hav- ing made it possible for them to get so much good reading at such small cost. —The boom that Westmoreland county has launched for the Hon. Cyrus E. Woods, Secretary of the Commonwealth, for Governor has an agreeable sound to the ears of “Old Centre.” In these days when the Re- publican party is being surely ripped to pieces by those who have used it merely as the instrument with which to plunder the State the suggestion of a man like Cyrus Woods is not a matter to be passed over lightly. He might not be able to qualify as a Re- publican candidate, however, because he isn’t the kind who could think that “Pennsylvania has no ills worthy of mention,” nor is he the kind who would let the State pay his wife's can- dy bills. —“Disease is dying, crime is being arrested, ignorance can be cured and poverty starved out” sounds a little altruistic for these hustling, bustling times, but when you sit down and re- flect over what has been accomplished and what is being done now you are confronted with marvel after marvel. Nothing has changed so much within the last décade as humanity. Where old types of manhood have been pre- served at all they are invariably the higher types of the earlier day. Everyone, everything is getting better so insidiously that °° few notice the change other than those most interested in bringing it about and they keep hammering the willing horse until it has little thought of what is really happening. _VOL. 62. Under Sea Craft Disappointing. The Kaiser is likely to be disap- pointed in the results of his ruthless submarine war. It was expected that at least a million tons of shipping would be sunk every month and at that rate the food problem would have become acute in a very short time. The operations of the first day or two seemed to justify the expectations, moreover, for a considerable number of enemy and neutral ships were sent to the bottom. But since that the harvest of crime has diminished and though more than half of the month has lapsed less than two hundred thousand tons have been sunk. Prob- ably half that many tons have been launched within the time and as build- ing operations will be spurred up the terror is modified. The Kaiser imagined that his mur- derous purpose would drive all ships off the seas and speedily reduce Great Britain to a state of starvation. Even if that result had been possible the method would not have been justified because it involved direct war upon every neutral nation that had a ship afloat. No self-respecting people could tolerate such a menace to their peace and prosperity and no nation made up of red blooded men would lay under the menace for a moment. The seas are open to the free use of the nations of the world and the right of commerce is essential to in- dustrial prosperity. Because of these facts the government of the United States is ready to defend its right to the sea. Great Britain and her allies in the conflict will get all the food and other supplies they need notwithstanding the German submarines. In fact it may be safely predicted that the worst of this menace has already passed for the inventive genius of the entire world will be set at once to the task of counteracting these cowardly instruments of war. Our own gov- ernment has: begun the work of screening the ocean roadways thus minimizing the danger in the event of war with us. This precaution taken in addition to the other meth- ods of destruction of undersea craft will deprive them of their potency so far as we are concerned. Probably in view of these facts the Kaiser will soon abandon his purpose. ——Penrose appears to have start- ed something that he can’t stop. Power to License a Grave Question. The Penrose proposition to take the issuing of licenses to hotels out of the courts and lodging that power in “licensing commissions,” to be elected by the people of the several counties, will hardly meet with popular favor. It may be admitted that the grant- ing of licenses to sell liquor is not a judicial function. The authority was not conferred on the courts, it may be safely declared, because of any mis- understanding that it was a judicial prerogative. The reason for burden- ing the courts with that extra-judicial power was that the General Assembly assumed that no safer place could be found in which to ledge this delicate duty. When the power to issue licenses to sell liquor was vested in the courts it was believed that the courts would be able to fulfill the obligation free from partisan or other bias and that only public interests would be consid- ered in discharging the obligation. Soon afterward, however, men were chosen to the bench, not because of legal learning and judicial fitness, but for the reason that they favored or opposed licensing of taverns, whether the law was complied with or not. The result has been a deteri- oration of the courts without any im- provement in the morals of the pub- lic. The desire to divorce the courts from the license business has been the logical result. But this reasonable desire should not be let run to the extent that it works a greater evil than that com- plained of justly. In other words we should not carelessly bestow a power fraught with evil upon an agency which might, and probably would, use it for evil purposes. County license commissions elected by the people would be purely political machines, or cogs in the existing political ma- chine, and might work infinite harm in various ways. If the courts want to be relieved from the burden of is- suing licenses it might be well enough to gratify them. But the greatest care should be taken in lodging the power elsewhere. Game Legislation Now Pending. STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. BELLEFONTE, PA.. FEBRUARY 16, 1917. Easy Problem to Serve. XO. 7. If War Should Come. The pending game law, and there is | If Germany really wants to avoid | From the Philadelphia Record. a new game law every session of the Legislature, proposes to cut out Thanksgiving day hunting. The | war with the United States it has an | easy problem to solve. Nobody in the United States wants war with Ger- If Germany’s flagrant disregard of | the rights of neutral nations should i force war upon the United States in- | teresting questions would arise as to measure was introduced by Represen- | many with the probable exception of how this could be carried cut orn either tative Miliron, of Armstrong county, | Theodore Roosevelt who is always in- | Side. Would the Kaiser, following the but is an expression of the ideas and purposes of the State Game Com- mission. It contains thirty-six sec- tions and covers fifty-one pages of the file folio. Its number is 187 and it is entitled “an act to provide for the protection and preservation of game, game-quadrupeds and game-birds and song and insectiverous and other wild birds, and prescribing penalties for violation of its several provisions.” The main purpose, however, seems to be to license persons to breed, kill and sell game. The Pennslyvania State Game Com- mission seems to have a mania for legislation and a lust for power. It comes to every session of the Gener- al Assembly with a proposition to li- cense somebody for something. This year it proposes to license public museums, teachers of ornithol- ogy, persons desiring to raise game in captivity, persons desiring to own or sell ferrets, or to practiee taxidermy or to conduct game preserves or do most anything else with game. But the Game Commission will have a string attached to every license it grants and the holders of the license must kow-tow to the Commission and its officers and agents whenever either of these take a fancy to demand def- erence. The principal feature of the bill, however, outside of its licensing pro- visions, is to cut out the Thanksgiving day hunting. It is well known that a majority of the Pennsylvania hunters are mechanics, railroaders or laboring | men and Thanksgiving day which comes generally between the twenty- sixth and thirtieth of November affords opportunity for thousands of them to get one day in the woods or field. The Game Commissioners don’t like to give common folk so much en- joyment and provide for the closing of the season for most game on the 25th of November. Possibly this is to pre- vent the small game hunters from scaring the deer and maybe it is to accomplish both purposes at once. ——1If Roosevelt would offer to en- list as a private we might have some faith in his professions of patriotism. Investigating the Governor. The joint resolution to investigate Governor Brumbaugh’s official record passed the House finally on Wednes- day, there being 110 votes in the affir- mative and 80 in the negative. Thirty of the thirty-five Democrats in the body voted for the resolution. Of the five who voted against it, one, Repre- sentative Black, of Harrisburg, was influenced by gratitude to the Gov- ernor for vetoing the bill repealing the full crew law two years ago. Mr. Black is a member of the Brother- hood of Railway Conductors and grat- itude is a virtue as great as it is rare. We can forgive much that is done in the name of gratitude, if it is sincere and in this case we believe it is. On the second reading of the reso- lution on Tuesday the affirmative vote was 116, so that there was a loss of six votes within the period of a day. But as only 104 votes are required to pass such a measure it served the pur- pose. As Mercutio said, “’tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door; but ’tis enough.” It will go to the Governor within a few days for approval. If he vetoes it that will be the end of the investigation. The Penrose machine hasn’t force enough to pass it over the veto and would probably not do so if it could. Any investigation conducted in the temper of those concerned will be acrimo- nious and neither side in this contro- versy can afford full exposure. If Governor Brumbaugh is wise, however, he will not veto the resolu- tion. His friends. fought it bitterly at every step but they were fighting for themselves more than for him. He has nothing to lose now by an in- vestigation. He is already dead, polit- ically, “as a door nail.” But he can show that he is “game” and that com- mands the respect of an element. On the other hand his enemies stand to lose some and probably much by an investigation and unless it comes under this resolution it will not come at all. The Penrose pirate§ are try- ing to get away from the inquiry and would be delighted if Brumbaugh ‘opened the way for escape. It would “save their faces.” fluenced by selfish motives. He wants ito be a Major General and imagines ! that because he was once President { his ambition could not be frustrated. [ As a matter of fact, however, he counts for little in the public opinion and purposes of the people of the United States. He is a common graft- er, an inveterate scold and a general nuisance. All the rest of the people of the United States would cordially welcome and cheerfully respond to any overture for peace. The United States have not declar- ed war on Germany and do not con- template such an action. The Presi- dent has severed diplomatic relations with Germany because the govern- ment of that empire declared recent- ly, its purpose to wage ruthless war against the shops of neutrals on the high seas. Several months ago the President had warned the Imperial government that such action would be resented in the form that it has been resented. The severance was avoided then because a promise that such warfare would not be waged was given. It was consummated the other day for the reason that notice was published that the promise will be violated when opportunity presents itself. If Germany really wants to avoid war with the United States all she has to do is stop the ruthless war on the high seas against ships of neutral countries. The German government has a perfect right to torpedo war- ships of its enemies, or ships of any country carrying contraband goods, after search. The government of the United States will not interfere with or even protest against the sinking of the entire British navy in .that way. But we have a right to protest against the ruthless war indicated as about to be introduced by Germany and if the threat is carried out war is inevitable. The government of the United States owes this to the people and to humanity. —Henry Ford’s peace bureau at The Hague is to be closed on March 1st. Since Henry fell down on his proposition to get the boys out of the trenches by Christmas he is offering to make good by making a submarine a day for Uncle Sam. We have more faith in him as a sub-maker than we had as a peace maker. —It is rather reassuring to learn from every creditable source that Pennsylvania industries, alone, could supply all the demands that war might put upon our army and navy, clothing, guns, ammunition, projec- tiles, armor plate and much of the necessary food stuff. ——1If German statesmen are care- fully reading the current news of our preparedness they are getting closer to the facts than when depending upon the speeches of Roosevelt and Gussie Gardner. -——The Federal Trade Commission asks for $400,000.00 to pay the ex- penses of an investigation as to the high cost of living which reminds us that living is not the only thing. that comes high. ——Somebody has been cruel enough to charge the managers of the Bethlehem Steel company with water- ing stocks when everybody knows that Mr. Schwab is simply a philan- thropist. ——Nobody in this broad land wants war but ninety per cent of the able-bodied men of military age are willing to go to war if it is necessary to the preservation of national honor. cause the punitive expedition has been withdrawn from Mexico. As a matter of fact it is impossible for anybody except Perkins to please the “Coinel”. ——Dave Lane is howling for “a pure Democracy,” but Dave probably misinterprets the phrase. What he really wants is a machine that can loot and is willing to divide. ——Carranza addressing neutral nations upon the subject of the Euro- pean war is a spectacle. Carranza ought to give his undivided attention to home affairs. If you find it in the “Watch- man” it’s true. { traditional German military policy of | taking the offensive, attempt aggres- | sive action against this country? In ; view of his waning resources in men i and supplies this seems clearly impos- : sible except in the field of submarine warfare. One of his submersibles demonstrated a few months ago that it was quite feasible to cross the At- lantic ocean and, so long as there was no watch kept to intercept it, to at- tack and sink vessels of commerce. Of course, conditions would be radically different in the event of actual war- fare. A keen watch would be kept for any submarine craft, and the risks of detection and destruction would be so great that it may well be doubted whether the German Admiralty would care to expose its men and vessels to them. As a spectacular effort at frightfulness the effort might be made, but it seems hardly probable in view of the much greater need of submarines in operations nearer home. Some light on Germany’s probable course in such a situation may be had from her failure to take any action against Portugal. When that little republic, bound to take Great Britain’s side by long-existing treaties, seized 36 interned German vessels on Febru- ary 24, 1916, and ignored the Kaiser’s ultimatum, a declaration of war against her was issued at Berlin on March 9. Portugal has since aggra- vated her offense by seizing Austrian vessels, bs leasing all these captive craft to Great Britain and by taking an active part in the military opera- tions against the Teutonic forces in German East Africa. Yet Germany, though her submarines must neces- sarily skirt the Portuguese coast in seeking an entrance into the Mediter- ranean, has never attacked her auda- cious little enemy and, for lack of sufficient strength, has had to put up with the affront thus put upon her. It seems a not unreasonable conclu- sion that if Portugal, a part of the European continent, is immune from a submarine invasion the United States, 3000 miles farther away from the scene of conflict, has, little cause tion of this kind has influenced our Government in standing up firmly for its rights as a neutral. That course would have been taken if the risk had been 100 times greater. Our attitude is simply one of defense not of aggres- sion. Even in the event of war being declared it is not at all certain that there will be an actual clash with the Kaiser’s soldiers and sailors. Just how our participation could be made most effective is a matter for the strategists of the army and navy to determine. When Passion Rules. From the New York Evening Post. “It is open for any one to say that we have stayed out of the war for selfish reason,” declared one of the speakers at the student and faculty rally at Columbia university yester- day. Fear of what people will say about our selfishness is the least of the troubles the administration at Washington has to bother about. If there is any one who should be pretty well hardened to what people will say, it is Mr. Wilson; and next after him, the people of the United States. In the course of two and a half years of world-chaos a great many bitter things have been said about the United States and its government by Teutons, allies, and not the least, by American citizens. But it is precisely when passions run high and confusion is great, and people will say the first thing which comes to mind, that a na- tion and government must fix their attention upon realities. What people have said or will say about America means nothing compared with what a false step by this country would mean for the future of America and of civi- lization. The bitter and wild things that have been uttered will vanish. os consequences of our acts will live ong. No Joke to the People. From the Wilkes-Barre Times-Union. State Senator Vare of Philadelphia, in a speech at Harrisburg yesterday, in opposition to the Sproul investigat- ing resolution, said: “In Philadelphia we hold decent, clean elections.” Im- mediately loud laughter echoed and re-echoed throughout the Senate chamber. Bear in mind the laughter came from 50 Senators, 40 of whom are Republicans who are intimately associated with either the Penrose or the Vare machines. Why the laughter? The answer is easy. Every one of the Senators knows that there are at least 50,000 phantom votes in Philadelphia counted at each election for gang fa- vorites. It may be a laughing matter to the Senators, but it’s no joke to the decent law-abiding citizens of the State. Maybe the investigation will show up some of this crookedness. Official Appetites. From the Harrisburg Patriot. Auditor General Powell’s accounts reveal that it was not uncommon for the State to pay him $9 and $10 a day for meals. Either the General has a splendid appetite or is a descendant of Lucullus. ——Put your ad. in the WATCHMAN, to fear one. Of course, no cunsidera- |SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE —Mrs. Samuel Sipe, 104 years old, friend of Molly Pitcher of ' Revolutionary war fame, died at Carlisle last Thursday. She was born in Switzerland and had resided in Carlisle for a century. —The grand jury at Clearfield on Thurs- day, February 8th, returned a true bill against Miss Gertrude Lindahl, of Olan- ta, charged with killing her week-old babe at the Clearfield hospital. She has been removed to the Clearfield jail and her tri- al will come up at May court. —William H. Rebhun, aged 39, until a few weeks ago assistant cashier of the Merchants National bank at Butler, Pa., surrendered himself to the United States authorities at Pittsburgh on Tuesday, fol- lowing the issuance of a warrant for his arrest on a charge of embezzling $1,750 of the banks funds. He was released on bail. —The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Roilroad company has in view the electri- fication of its line through Indiana county, work on the plans having begun a few days ago, it is just announced. This work will be in addition to the proposed im- provements made public several weeks ago, which alone will cost in the neighborhood of $1,000,000. —Following its policy of establishing mills in various Central Pennsylvania towns, the Susquehanna Silk Mills have made plans for building a mill at Hunt- ingdon, according to a dispatch from that town on Monday. The school board and council have been asked to exonerate the company from taxes for a year. The com- company from taxes for a year. —The Delaware underwriters of the West Chester Insurance company filed a suit at Clearfield on Thursday, February 8th, against Herman Moyer, of Philips- burg, for $300. This suit grows out of the burning of the Allport Supply company’s store on the night of January 31, 1915, and involves a sum the said insurance compa- ny was obliged to pay the Allport Odd Fellows’ Lodge in the loss of furniture, ete. —Walter Wendt was sentenced by the Blair county court on Monday to 20 years imprisonment in the Western penitentia- ry for the murder of Constable Michael McGinley, of Altoona. The officer is al- leged to have been decoyed into the woods near Altoona and there ambushed and shot to death by the defendant and his brother, Alfred Wendt. Alfred was con- victed of first degree murder, but has not vet been sentenced to the electric chair. —After being released last Wednesday from the Blair county jail, where they had been held since last September as wit- nesses, Kwald and Carl Wendt applied to the county commissioners for $1.50 a day witness fees. Carl received $115, an appli- cation having been made for his release shortly ofter his incarceration, but Ewald got nothing, as the district attorney had not made affidavit that he was necessary to the prosecution. Carl and Ewalt are brothers of Affred and Walter Wendt, con- victed of the murder of Constable Michael McGinley. —HBEdward Bagshaw, aged 42, a carpen- ter employed by the Pennsylvania rail- road at Huntingdon, ended his life Tues- day afternoon by hanging. Mr. Bagshaw, who was not married, and a single sister had their rooms at the home of Mrs. Rob- inson, 1211 Mifflin street. Mr. Bagshaw ate his dinner as usual and some time later went to the barn for the purpose of cutting wood. About three o'clock, when he had not returned with the wood, Mrs. Robinson went to look for him. Not see- ing him in the lower part of the barn she went to the loft and there found his life- less body hanging to a rafter. —As a direct result of a fatal wreck August 12 last, when twenty-nine lives were lost and almost a hundred people in- jured, the Southern Cambria Railway company, operating a trolley system be- tween Johnstown and Ebensburg, on Mon- day went into the hands of a receiver, with debts totalling $3,000,000. The Cambria Trust company of Johnstown, was ap- pointed receiver, with bond of $10,000. Pe- tition was filed by Harry Swank, stock- holder, and the Swank Hardware compa- ny, creditor. The company admitted in- solvency and Judge M. B. Stevens issued a rule nullifying for the time being all damage suits, three of which had been entered, and restraining further suits for damages for claims. The road will be operated under receivership. —William K. Wheeler arrived at his home in Flemington on the Buffalo flyer Friday afternoon from Fort Porter, Buffa- lo, having been discharged from the serv- ice of the United States army. He is the first deserter to have been entirely liberat- ed at Fort Porter during the past five years. The credit of his release goes en- tirely to Congressman Edgar R. Kiess and chief of police C. E. Donahue, both of whom were untiring in their efforts to ef- fect the release. Mr. Wheeler was a mem- ber of Troop K, of Lock Haven and re- turned home without permission from Ei Paso, Texas, when he learned that his wife was critically ill. He gave himself up at once and the usual reward of $50 for his capture has not been accepted on the part of those who apprehended him. —Fuller R. Hendershot, county control- ler, has entered as assets of Luzerne county an item amounting to several thousand dollars which he claims is mon- ey due from county officials who have il- legally retained it as fees. The control- ler charges county treasurer Joseph F. Gil- lis with $3,977 as interest on sinking fund, commissions on hunters’ licenses and com- missions on mercantile collections. He has also entered up a claim against form- er treasurer George F. Buss for $4,061. He charges that there is also due $5,468 from William B. Morgan, register of wills on collatel inheritance tax. The control- ler contends that these fees belong to the county under a dccree of the Supreme court in 1915, which holds that county of- ficials have no right to keep fees in ad- dition to salaries. —County Detective Joseph P. Ryan, Rev. William H. Thomas, pastor of the African Methodist church, Williamsport, and a lawyer visited the home of Captain John H. White, colored, of Williamsport, who died a few days ago, Thursday afternoon to make an inventory of the estate at the direction of the two sons, John W. White and Charles I. White. The party found in the house $1,316.61 which had been se- creted in an old trunk. It was understood that Mrs. White, who died three weeks before her husband, had saved about $600 but upon making a thorough search of the house a woman’s hand bag lying in a large trunk with some bed clothes dis- closed $1,300 in twenty dollar bills. A fur- ther search revealed three five dollar gold pieces in a small satchel. The Whites also owned real estate valued at about $7,000.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers