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.