WAR MENACE-MUCH GREATER.
President Wilson Calls Congress to
Convene on Monday, April 2nd.
Washington, March 21.—President
Wilson today met the constantly in-
creasing probability of war with Ger-
many by summoning Congress to as-
semble in extraordinary session Mon-
day, April 2, two weeks earlier than
the date he had chosen before the lat-
est assault upon American rights on
the seas.
When the President addresses Con-
gress he is expected to show how a
state of war actually has existed for
some time, because of the unlawful
aggressions of German submarines.
Congress is expected formally to
declare a state of war existing, vote a
large sum, probably half a billion
dollars, for national defense, and
clothe the President with authority
to use the armed forces of the United
States, as it empowered President
McKinley to deal with the menace of
Spain in 1898. Such action would not
be a declaration of war, except in a
technical sense, and the United States
and Germany actually going to war,
in the fullest acceptation of the term,
will depend on what the imperial gov-
ernment does before Congress is as-
sembled or after it acts.
Dispatches from abroad tonight,
declaring that the German govern-
ment expected a state of war within
the next forty-eight hours, placed an
ominous aspect on the situation.
Much to change the present inten-
tions of the course of the government
in the crisis may develop before April
2. The first American armed ships
will by that time have reached the
war zone. The ruthless destruction
of one of them unquestionably would
be an act of war.
On the other hand, sinking of a
submarine by one of the armed mer-
chantmen probably would be met as
an act of war by Germany. Even the
arming of American ships with the
avowed purpose of defending them
against U boats may be declared such
an act.
In any of these events practically
nothing would remain except for Con-
gress to acknowledge a state of war
existing from a certain specified date
—probably last Sunday, when three
American ships were sunk, with loss
of life.
The next ten days, until Congress
meets, will be days of tense anxiety,
of eager waiting and watching,
fraught with possibilities of tremen-
dous consequences to the United
States.
Meanwhile every preparation for
putting the nation’s defenses in con-
dition to meet a state of war are go-
ing forward. The principal activities
centre in the navy, where far reach-
ing preparations are being carried on
to deal with the submarine menace,
whether it is to be met in the war
zone, about the British coasts, or at
the gates of American cities.
The army’s plans are in a less
definite state because of the uncer-
tainty as to what part it will be called
upon to play. General staff plans to
fit several contingencies have been
worked out, however, and every step
that can be taken in the present sit-
uation has been taken.
CRISIS WITHIN GERMANY.
Next to war, the attention of the
American government is upon one
other object—the internal situation in
Germany. With a military censorship
screening the history making events
transpiring within the German Em-
pire and equally screening from the
German people the full meaning of
events in the world outside, the real
condition of affairs in that country,
guardedly reflected in dispatches
from abroad, commands close atten-
tion.
Murmurings of a revolt against au-
tocracy, emboldened by the revolution
in Russia, reports of food riots in Ber-
lin, which are said to have necessitat-
ed the withdrawal of troops from the
fighting lines, military successes by
the entente on the western front and
in Asia Minor, the submarine cam-
paign operating far below the effi-
ciency predicated for it, lead to the
belief among officials here that pos-
sibly before Congress can assemble to
meet the situation the world may be
confronted with an entirely different
set of conditions.
Preparing for Campaign On the Sea.
Washington, March 19.—Prepara-
tion for aggressive action by the na-
vy against the German submarine
menace began today, at the direction
of President Wilson.
The President authorized the ex-
penditure of the $115,000,000 of the
emergency fund, provided by Con-
gress to speed up naval construction
and pay for special additional war
craft and the suspension of the eight-
hour law in plants engaged on navy
work. .
Immediately afterward, Secretary
Daniels ordered the New York navy
yard to begin building 60 submarine
chasers of the 110-foot type, to be
completed in from 60 to 80 days.
With the President’s approval, the
Secretary also ordered the gradua-
tion of the first and second classes at
the naval academy. The first class
will go cut March 29, releasing 172
junior officers to fill existing vacan-
cies, and the second in‘ September,
furnishing 202 more a full year be-
fore they otherwise would be avail-
able.
While the energies of the navy will
be concentrated for the present on
efforts to get into commission craft
designed particularly to destroy sub-
marines and guard the coast, warship
building generally will be speeded up
under the recent agreement with pri-
vate builders and with the fund now
made available.
A large number of privately-owned
motor craft available for navy use
may be drawn upon at any time. Re-
tired naval officers have been at work
along the entire Atlantic coast, sur-
veying boats for a month. Contracts
have been made for their purchase
and a telegraphic order will make
them government property over night.
Volunteer crews for the boats have
been enrolled among yachtsmen and
others along the coast. Commanders
of naval districts are ready to call
them out and begin patrol work with
virtually no delay.
Navy officials estimate that within
four months a fleet of 2,000 patrols
——————————————
and chasers will be ready for action.
It is planned to assemble the volun-
teers within a few days to begin actu-
al operations as a matter of training,
subject to orders from the President
for complete mobilization of the navy.
Three American Ships Torpedoed.
London, March 18.—The sinking of
the American steamships City of
Memphis, Illinois and Vigilancia was
announced today. Fourteen men from
the Vigilancia are missing, as are
some of the men from the City of
Memphis. The crew ‘of the Illinois
was landed safely.
The City of Memphis, in ballast,
from Cardiff for New York, was sunk
by gunfire. The Illinois, from London
for Port -Arthur, Texas, in ballast,
was sunk at 8 o'clock this morning.
The Vigilancia was torpedoed with-
out warning. The submarine did not
appear. The captain, first and second
mates, first, second and third engi-
neers and twenty-three of the crew
have been landed at the Sicily Is-
lands. The fourth engineer and thir-
teen men are missing.
Base Hospital Gets Notice.
New York, March 21.—The first na-
val base hospital of the American Red
Cross, stationed in Brooklyn, has re-
ceived word to hold itself in readiness
for active service, it was announced
late today. Its equipment is stored at
the New York Navy yard.
Wilson Names Tariff Board.
President Wilson has selected the
following men as members of the
Tariff Commission:
Professor Frank W. Tausig, of Har-
vard University.
Former Representative David J.
Lewis, of Cumberland, Md.
Former Representative William
Kent, of Kentville, Cal.
Daniel C. Roper, of McCall, S. C.
E. P. Costigan, of Denver, Col.
W. S. Culberson, of Emporia, Kan-
sas. :
Prof. Tausig, who will be chair-
man of the commission, is a native of
St. Louis. He has been connected
with Harvard University since 1882
and has obtained a leave of absence
from that institution until September,
1918, to accept the position on the
commission. Prof. Tausig is an
authority on economics and has writ-
ten extensively on the tariff.
David J. Lewis, Democrat, was
chairman of the labor committee of
the last House of Representatives. He
was defeated for election as Senator
from Maryland in the last election.
He is a native of Pennsylvania.
Daniel C. Roper, Democrat, was
connected with the House ways and
means committee during the forming
of the present tariff bill as an author-
ity on statistics. He is a native of
South Carolina and until recently was
first assistant postmaster general.
William Kent, Independent, was a
member of Congress from the First
California district in the last Con-
gress but did not run for re-election.
During the last campaign he support-
ed President Wilson and was presi-
dent of the Wilson Independent
League. He is a native of Chicago
bt has lived in California most of his
ife. attr
E. P. Costigan is a lawyer who is
looked upon as one of the founders of
the Progressive party in Colorado.
Originally he was a Republican but in
1912 and again in 1914 he was the
Progressive candidate for Governor.
Mr. Culberson, a Republican, is an
examiner in the Legal Trade Com-
mission. He comes from Emporia,
Kansas.
Salt Makes ‘Sea Blue.
The blueness of sea water is in
ratio to its saltness. In the tropics
the tremendous evaporation causes
the water to be much saltier than it
is in the higher latitudes, says The
Marine Journal.
For about 30 degrees north and
south of the equator the waters are of
an exduisite azure. Beyond these
latitudes the blue changes to green,
and in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans
the greens are almost as vivid as the
tropical blues.
The extraordinary blueness of the
Mediterranean has two causes. Few
large rivers of fresh water run into
this sea, and, moreover, the Mediter-
ranean is virtually land locked, and
exposed to a powerful sun, so that
evaporation is rapid. By actual test
the waters of the Mediterranean are
heavier and saltier than those of the
Atlantic Ocean.
But blue and green are not the only
colors observed in the sea. In Janu-
ary, 1909, a river of yellow water
three miles wide was observed run-
ning parallel with the Gulf Stream.
It stretched from Cape Florida to
Cape Hatteras, and its color was un-
doubtedly due to some tremendous
submarine upheaval, probably vol-
canic. :
Again, nine years ago, the sea turn-
ed almost black off a large part of the
California Coast. The whole of Santa
Cruz Bay assumed this extraordinary
inky hue, and fishing came abrubtly
to an end. The darkness seemed to
have been caused by millions of the
tiny animalcules, known as whale
food. The dull reddish tint that has
given the Red Sea its name has a
similar cause. The water becomes
full of microscopic algae—tiny weeds.
‘The Yellow Sea of China is usually
supposed to owe its color to the flood
of muddy water that its great rivers
pour into it. But there again living
organisms are responsible for the
peculiar tint.
Occasionally,
for some cause yet
undiscovered, great areas of the
ocean turn milk-white. In March,
1904, a Japanese merchant vessel,
steaming at night between Hongkong
and Yokohoma, ran into a snow-white
sea. It was not an opaque phos-
phorescent surface, but an expanse of
pure snow white that dazzled the eyes.
The phenomenon lasted for six hours.
—Ex.
A Distinction Without a Difference.
From the Altoona Tribune.
1tinerant evangelism will soon van-
ish after a few men of the Bob Fitz-
simmons type enter that overworked
field. Properly licensed and identified
evangelists are usually all right, but
the free rover is another sort.
BIG R. R. STRIKE AVERTED.
Railroads Grant Practically Every
Demand of the Brotherhoods.
Eight Hour Law Upheld.
The four great railroad brother-
hoods have won their fight for an
eight-hour working day and there will
be no strike.
Realizing that the country is on the
verge of war and that a strike at this
time would be a national calamity of
the gravest character, the railway ex-
ecutives gave in to the men’s de-
mands on Monday morning and ac-
cepted their terms almost as they dic-
tated -them.
An agreement was drawn up by
President Wilson’s mediation board,
presided over by Secretary of the In-
terior Lane, and this was signed by
all the principals. The attaching of
the signatures ended almost seven
months of bitter controversy, during
which the nation has twice stood
perilously on the edge of a paralyzing
strike. Secretary Lane was in direct
communication with the White House
at Washington during the previous
night. After his last communication,
he laid before the railway executives
the status of the grave international
situation and it was then the railroads
submitted,
Under the agreement, the men will
get their eight-hour day, and time and
one-eighth for overtime work. This
was the only point on which they
yielded even minutely. They had orig-
inally demanded a basis of time and
one-half for overtime.
All the principal railroads of the
country will immediately put on an
eight-hour schedule. This remains
effective regardless of the decision of
the United States Supreme court as
to the constitutionality of the Adam-
son eight-hour law. A plank to this
effect was inserted into the document,
The men will get back pay on the ba-
sis of the above agreement from Jan-
uary 1, when the Adamson law was
scheduled to become effective.
ADAMSON LAW UPHELD BY SUPREME
COURT.
Following close on the agreement
between the railroads and the four
brotherhoods the Supreme court on
Monday handed down its decision up-
holding the validity of the Adamson
eight-hour law passed under spectac-
ular circumstances in the closing
night hours of the last session of Con-
gress.
Justice White said “there was an
authority: begotten of the public in-
terest” in the action of Congress.
He declared it could not be main-
tained—as the railroads had—that
the law had not been considered in
view, first, of the time the controver-
sy was before the public; second, of
the fact that the President had acted,
and third, in view of the discussion of
the question before Congress acted.
Besides declaring the Adamson law
constitutional, the highest tribunal
held Congress has a right to legislate
wages.
'The Supreme court’s decision is a
formal reversal of the opinion of
Judge William C. Hook, of Kansas
City, who held the law unconstitu-
tional.
The ruling of the court was not
unanimous. :
Justice Day read a dissenting opin-
jon as soon as Chief Justice White
concluded the majority ruling.
The court held the law constitution-
al by a division of 6 to 3.
Justices Pitley, Day and Vande-
venter dissented.
Amazing Figures of United States
Steel Earnings.
New York, March 20.—The unprec-
edented prosperity attending the op-
erations of the United States Steel
corporation for 1916 are set forth in
the annual report issued today.
Total earnings of $342,997,092 ex-
ceeded those in 1915 by no less than
$202,747,026; net income of $294,026,
565 showed an increase of $196,058,-
602 and surplus net income for the
year aggregated $201,835,585 as com-
pared with $44,260,347 in the previous
year.
This last item is the more remarka-
ble from the fact that it includes reg-
ular and extra dividends of $44,476,
469 on the common stock, as against
only $6,353,781 disbursed in 1915.
Expenditures during 1916 for main-
tenance, renewals and extraordinary
replacements totalled $69,329,627, an
increase of 60.01 per cent. over 1915.
To meet the corporation’s enormous
output of finished materials, produc-
tion of iron ore, coal, coke and other
by-products - show corresponding in-
creases. Net expenditures on prop-
erty account amounted to $64,680,648.
Volume of business done by all the
subsidiaries during 1916, as represent-
ed by combined gross sales and earn-
ings, equalled $1,213,473,779, as com-
pared with $726,683,689 in the preced-
ing year.
The average number of employees
in the service of all the subordinate
companies during 1916 was 252,668,
as against 191,126 in 1915, with total
salaries and wages of $263,385,5602, an
increase of $86,584,638.
A Unique Record in Advertising.
Foster-Milburn Co., whose product,
Doan’s Kidney Pills, is advertised in
our columns, is one of the oldest ad-
vertising firms in the United States.
They began using the daily and week-
ly newspapers 3b years ago, and have
kept it up ever since. This is one of
the strongest proofs of the value of
newspaper advertising.
Twenty years ago Foster-Milburn
company. conceived the idea of prov-
ing the merit of their goods with lo-
cal testimonials. It took them fifteen
years to collect the testimonials from
every one of the 3500 United States
towns in which they do this kind of
advertising. It was a tremendous |
task, but they stuck to it until they}
succeeded, and the result is that
Doan’s Kidney Pills are one of the
best advertised and best recommended
remedies in the world.
Could Sympathize.
He—I told your father frankly I
couldn’t support you.
She—What did he say?
He—He said that he had the same
experience.—Boston Transcript.
Victor records, supplies and.
Victor machines, at Cohen & Co. 62-12
New Advertisements.
XECUTRIX NOTICE.—Estate of Thomas A.
Shoemaker, late of the Borough of Belle-
fonte, in the County of Centre and State
of Pennsylvania, e
Letters testamentary in the above named es-
tate having ted to the undersigned by
the Register of Wills of Centre County, Penn-
sylvania, all persons indebted to the said estate
are here-by requested to make payment, and all
persons having claims against said estate are
requested to present the same, duly authenticat-
ed, without delay to
AUGUSTA C. SHOEMAKER, Executrix,
BLANCHARD & BLANCHARD, Bellefonte, Pa.
Attorneys. 62-11-6t
UDITOR’S NOTICE.—In the Orphans’
Court of Centre County Pennsylvania.
In the matter of the estate of John Ston-
er, late of Millheim Borough, deceased.
The undersigned, Auditor appointed by the
said Court to audit and distribute the balance
in the hands of Henry Stoner, Executor of etc.,
of said John Stoner deceased, as shown. by his
first and final account, duly filed and confirmed
by said Court, to and among those legally en-
titled thereto, will meet the parties in interest,
for the purposes of his appointment, on Wednes-
dav, April 4, 1917, at 10:00 o'clock a. m. at his
offices in Temple Court, Bellefonte, Pa., when
and where all parties interested are required to
make and prove their claims, or be forever de-
barred from coming in upon said fund.
HARRY KPLLFR,
62-11-3t uditor.
—
Louis Dammers
Philadelphia
Eyesight Specialist,
ONE DAY ONLY
in the Following Towns :
HOWARD
Mr. C. E. Yearick’s Residence
Thursday, March 29th, 1917
9.30 a. m. to 4.00 p. m.
CENTRE HALL
Centre Hall Hotel Parlors
Friday, March 30th, 1917
8.00 a. m. to 3.00 p. m.
BELLEFONTE, PA.
Garman Hotel Parlors
Saturday, March 31st, 1917
8.00 a. m. to 2.00 p. m.
Mr spel $1.00 GLASSES
» 1 offer you a fine pair of glasses, in-
cluding Dammers’ eye examination, clear
crystal lenses, gold filled frame and ele-
gant case as low as
$1.00
Special Ground Lenses at Lowest Prices.
_ Invisible Bifocals
Two pair in_one. No lines.” No cement.
Last for years.
_ Eye examinatiorl by the Dammers Scien-
tific Method, without asking questions,
without drops, test cards or charts, abso-
lutely free of charge. Don't fail to take
advantage of this remarkable offer.
807 Chestnut St., Philadelphia.
Fehl Blg. Eckert Blg. Goldschmid Big.
Lancaster Allentown * Altoona
p—
—The “Watchman” has all the news
EAT SE
16DAY
XCURSION
Atlantic City
Wildwood, Cape May,
Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Anglesea,
Stone Harbor, Avalon
Saturday, April 7
ROUND-TRIP FARE
$8.50 rrom Bellefonte
25 cents additional to Atlantic City via
Delaware River Bridge Route.
Proportionate fares from other Points
See Flyers Consult Agents.
A%Similar Excursions July 14, 28,
August 11, 25 and September 1. Annual
Ocean Grove Excursion August 23.
ENNSYLVANIA B. B.
62-11-3t
Wy a Second Telephone
)perator Sometimes
Answers
Usually it’s an “Information Op-
erator,” and her question means that
the numerals were transposed when
you gave the number, or a letter was
omitted. or some such error crept in.
Or it may pe the “Special Oper-
ator” to whom are referred calls for
numbers that have been disconnected
or changed.
This second operator is there to
help you, for she can straighten out
the difficulty much faster than can
your own operator. This you are
urged to remember when she proffers
her assistance.
THE BELL TELEPHONE CO. OF PA.
W. S. MALLALIEU, Local Manager,
BELLEFONTE, PA.
No Extra Charge for Alterations
Spring Suits,
Coats
and Dresses.
Up-to-date Merchandise.
Newman’s Ladies Shop
AIKEN BLOCK.
ie.
No Extra Charge for Alterations
69-9-1m,
STANDS FOR
POWER. . EFFICIENCY. DURABILITY.
"FOURS. SIXES.
Touring from $ 940.00 t 85. i ,180. 8
A ; : 0.00 Rll Roadate h ho Te w : geo
3 ,140, ,180. t] § ,380. “1,450.
Chassis “85000 * 883.00 Chassis (Ref w 1000.00 “ 1,150.00
Heaslet Victoria Top 1.450.00 1,575.00
““Exten. © 1450.00 * 1500.00
GEORGE A. BEEZER, AGENT,
North Water St. 61-tf. BELLEFONTE, PA.
OVALS SSL SSP PSPSPS SPALL PSPSPS
This is the Burroughs Posting Machine, with which we keep depositor’s accounts. Come and see it in operation.
THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK,
BELLEFONTE, PA.
|