Demo adn BY P. GRAY MEEK. INK SLINGS. — Good morning! How is your gar- den growing? Much, but not near all of the corn has been planted in Centre county. —The men who fail to register for military service when the call comes are to be officially called slackers. —The Kaiser had to send for an American dentist to treat his teeth. We presume he has been biting his nails so much of late that they are ‘pretty well worn out. —The almanac tells us that the “ice box” was the sign for the 15th. It was cold enough to make us feel as though the air were coming from some sort of a refrigerating plant. —Plattsburg is a great democratic camp. It has been made very plain to the men with millions that they will count for no more than the men without a penny unless their personal “activities win the preferred places. —We met a lady on the street the other evening and with the same ex- _ultation in her voice that she used to use when telling of a feast on lobster a la Newburg or terrapin, she gloated out “I had fried potatoes for supper.” —A few years ago the livery busi- ness alone had one hundred and thir- ty-four horses in daily service in Bellefonte. Today there is only one stable and it keeps only four horses for livery. Is it any wonder that the sparrows play such havoc with our gardens nowadays. —The Johnstown “Democrat” thinks that the price of coal could be kept within reason if enough miners could be kept on the job. We are of the opinion that cars have more to do with it that the lack of miners. If enough cars could be kept under the tipples to keep the miners working regularly who are willing to work coal would be very reasonable in price in a short time. —The Legislature is to adjourn on June 14th. Little has been done at this session and it is just as well that such has been the case, for Pennsyl- vania is beginning to show signs of being legislated to death. We have too many laws, too many commissions and too many needless state depart- ments already so that the less that is done in the General Assembly the bet- ter it is for the Commonwealth. —Don’t let the war scare scare you out of making your usual and need- ful purchases. Business must go along as usual and each individual is responsible for his or her share of it. There is plenty of money in the coun- try, in fact more than ever'in its his-- tory and even if commodities do ad- vance still further in price economic adjustment will follow that will make the purchasing power of the individu- al commensurate. What we need to do is save. That means don’t waste anything. For most of their lives the American people have been throwing away enough to have kept the same population in India, for instance, in luxury. If we stop the waste we will not need to be niggardly with our- selves. —Col. Bob Cassidy, of Canton, oc- cupied the center of the stage at the Monday night’s celebration of the cen- tennial of local Methodism. While we enjoyed exceedingly the reminis- cence of the man who joined the “old church on the hill” here sixty years ago we suffered all the while we were listening because of the ever recurring thought that there will probably never be another with the temerity of Col. Bob, after he is gone. “Why, bless my soul,” to use his own most favored expression, there wasn’t a person died in Bellefonte from the time he came here in 1857 up to the time he moved to Canton, who isn’t surely in Heaven now. Col. Bob knew and named them all and declared, without qualification, that he will meet them all again in Heaven. Think of it! Who will stand up in the Metho- dist church fifty years from now and reminisce over us and declare that he is certain to meet us all in Heaven. We hope some one will, but we fear that there will be none to handle the cloak of charity as gracefully as Col. Bob did on Monday night. And, talking about handling the cloak of charity gracefully did you notice him hand- ling the tail of that frock coat. —The “Watchman” evidently punc- ‘tured the feelings of the burgess and the policemen last week, when it call- ed attention to their derelictions that had been aired at the last meeting of council. = For several years the “Watchman” has been the one paper in Bellefonte to promptly recognize and commend the good works of the officials in question, therefor its com- ments last week were made solely with the hope that a warning might be sounded to these officers lest they deteriorate. They knew that it has been the history of Bellefonte police- men, as well as that of officers in many other small towns, that they gradually lose their usefulness and, finally, their jobs. And that is exact- ly what the “Watchman” attempted to convey to them. The advice was evidently not accepted in the spirit in which it was given, for we are inform- ed that immediately after the “Watch- man” appeared instructions were giv- en to all of the officers to “get” the writer. We presume, therefor, that other motor drivers can go on park- ing their cars and exceeding the speed limit in defiance of council’s ordinance while the entire force Hawkshaws after a rattling old 1913 Tin Lizzie tagged 17311. STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. VOL. 62. BELLEFONTE, PA., MAY 18, 1917. . In the somewhat heated debate in the House of Representatives in Washington on Saturday upon the question of authorizing Roosevelt to muster a body of troops for service in France, those who . favored the proposition assumed that the other side was influenced entirely by the fear that an affirmative issue of the subject would rescue the Colonel from the political oblivion into which he plunged himself when he betrayed the Progressive party last year and make him a formidable figure in the future political = life of the country. No doubt that is the reason that influenc- ed Roosevelt to persist in his ambi- tion to set the military authorities aside. It is probably the beginning of his campaign for President in 1920. The Senators and Representatives in Congress who supported the Roose- velt proposition may have been influ- enced by that expectation also. The Republican party is done for. The de- feat of Justice Hughes last fall bur- jed the Republican party as effective- ly and as enduringly as the sentence to Elbe disposed of the ambitions and activities of Napoleon Bonaparte. But in the resurrection and resuscita- tion of Roosevelt there is a vague hope of maintaining something like ‘an organized opposition to the Demo- cratic party and scurvy politicians of that party faith are willing to resort to any expedient to accomplish that result. They know that sending un- trained and inexperienced troops to France under command of a homici- dal maniac is sacrificing them to slaughter, but in the hope of prolong- ing their own tenure in public life for a brief period they are willing to per- petrate the crime. But the opponents of the proposi- tion were influenced by vastly differ- ent impulses. - Military experts are unanimous in the opinion that the Roosevelt enterprise means disaster. When Great Britain entered into the present war a military policy anala- gous. to that expressed in the Roose- velt enterprise was adopted with the result ‘that: the flower of the young manhood of the ‘couiitry was mowed down like grass before the reaper. Then General Kitchener was placed in charge of the military affairs of the country and he instantly stopped the slaughter and introduced the system which our military experts have adopted. Since that the army of Great Britain has developed into an effective force and though men are killed there has been no senseless slaughter. — The Democrats in the Legisla- ture at Harrisburg are trying to get a few reform measures through but with little hope of success. The pres- ent Legislature is not of the reform type. Penalties of Food Speculation. If there is any legal process of pun- ishing the speculators in food stuffs it ought to be invoked and applied. Granting that there is a scarcity and admitting the prospect of a short crop this year, there is no excuse for the prices of potatoes and other food ma- terials now being demanded. Reason- able charges for storage and care of potatoes over the prices of last fall would be justified. But multiplying the prices of last fall by three or four, by those who were unable to sell then and now have a surplus, is robbery. At this particular time it is a graver offense against the country. It is treason for the reason that it gives aid and comfort to the enemies of the country. : Food speculation carried to the ex- tent of inflicting suffering upon the public is about the most atrocious crime that could be perpetrated. Ac- cording to the current news miscre- ‘| ants are at present engaged in this dastardly crime in various centres of food supply. Men are holding wheat, potatoes, beans, and other products of the soil for speculative prices while others are starving because of the impossibility of procuring them for food. Electrocution would be too easy a punishment for such beasts of prey. Unfortunately, however, the fundamental law of the land forbids cruel and unusual processes in punish- ment and electrocution is the only le- gal way of taking life in Pennsylva- nia. It would be a great pity if these dastards should inflame the public mind by their cruel exactions to such an extent that law would work no re- straint on public indignation. Every serious outbreak in the history of the world has been the result of the scarc- ity of food under circumstances which justified the belief that it was the result of selfishness or greed. If the present food speculation is con- tinued until a reign of terror ensues, those responsible will pay the penal- ties, not of the law but of the mob, in- flamed by the passions induced by starvation. That would be a sad and shameful incident in the life of the country and it is a present menace [unless existing evils are abated. Roosevelt’s ‘Ambition’ and Enterprise. | i plished diplomat. The Russian Commission. . uw i The Russian commission has been completed and in personnel leaves nothing to be desired. Elihu Root, the chairman, is a great lawyer, an experienced statesman and an accom- General Hugh L. Scott, Chief of Staff of the army, is a capable soldier and Rear Admiral Glennon a splendid seaman. The oth- er members are equally fit for the service to which they have been as- signed. The only cause of complaint in connection with the matter is on German emis- | account of tardiness. saries are busy at work in Russia fo- menting trouble. The American com- mission ought to be on the job coun- teracting the German efforts. In this case delay is essentially dangerous. The purpose of the commission is to strengthen the provisional govern- ment of Russia. If there is a reason- able hope of endurance the govern- ment of the United States will supply funds as it has given similar aid to England, France and Italy, to but- tress it against German intrigues and. demagogic conspiracies. But there is danger that before the help has been extended the provisional government will be overthrown. As in the case of bestowing charity timeliness is the important feature. After a hungry man is dead food is no use to him. This extraordinary Russian embassy ought to have been organized and dis- patched a fortnight ago. But possi- bly it may yet achieve its purpose. The provisional government in Rus- sia was created to strengthen the fight against Germany. The German emissaries, including many of the royal family of Russia, are striving to pervert it to the opposite purpose and because the provisional govern- ment was badly equipped in money and materials, the aim of the conspir- acies have been advanced. Whether it can be checked now is conjectural. The splendid personal of the Ameri- can commission is a source of encour- agement. If any human agency can accomplish the result these capable gentlemen will score. But they must get on the job. soon. The German emissaries are. already busy on the ground and long distance effort is fu- tile. ’ High cost of living suggests no thought of restraint upon salary rais- ers. The bill increasing the compen- sation of Senators and Representa- tives in the General Assembly from $1500 to $2500 a year is going for- ward at a great rate and that increas- ing the salary of the Governor from $10,000 to $25,000 a year is practical- ly certain to pass. Armistice in the Factional Fight. From the best information attain- able the conclusion may be drawn that the Legislature will adjourn sine die on the 14th of June. This determina- tion plainly implies an armistice in the factional fight between Penrose and. Brumbaugh. It gives the Gover- nor the opportunity to continue the officials he has appointed since the ad- journment of the session of 1915 until the expiration of his term of office. It also affords Brumbaugh a chance to turn all sorts of tricks with the ap- propriation bills and leave the Pen- rose interests without substance or sustenance during the period between now and then. It is equivalent to an unconditional surrender and will be a sad disappointment. The Senator appears to have lost ground since the organization of the Legislature on the first day of Janu- ary. Then he had things his own way and fairly radiated the spirit of war. A war council was organized and proclamations of hostile purpose were issued frequently and regularly. Cer- tain measures of legislation were proposed for the express purpose of eliminating Brumbaugh and the Vares from the political equation. But one after another of his schemes was de- feated, though some of them had dis- tinct merit and it looks now as if he is prostrate with the ample brogan of the Governor pressing his windpipe. Like Caesar “now lies he there, and none so poor to do him reverence.” Fortunately for Penrose his term of office doesn’t expire until March 4, 1921, while Brumbaugh will “hit the toboggan” two years earlier. But few come back and by the skillful use of the public patronage during the in- terval the Governor may entrench the Vares so effectively that they will be able to control the party organization. It has been an interesting contest so far; as Sir Lucius O’Trigger would say, “a pretty quarrel.” But in the armistice which seems to have been declared, unless the signs are mislead- ing, there is concealed the final and complete destruction of Penrose as a party leader and political factor. But he has had his day and didn’t make the best use of it. ——There are 10,000,000 men avail- able for military service in this coun- try between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-one. But if twice that number is needed they will be on hand. ; Roosevelt's tard enlistments and embarrass the administration rather than help the allies is revealed in his prompt and | gleeful acceptance of the offer of the State Fencibles of Philadelphia to be- come a part of his proposed army. | While the proposition to provide for ' his army was pending in Congress he declared that he would accept only re- | cruits above the age limit expressed ! in the selected conscription act. Now {as a matter of fact a considerable proportion, if not the actual majori- ty of the State Fencibles, are not out- side of that age limit and if the or- ganization goes as a body to the Roosevelt contingent, those eligible will not be able to join the army. . The patriotic citizens of every State in’ the Union are striving earnestly to recruit the regular army and the Na- tional Guard of the several States to full war strength. Philadelphia and Pennsylvania have found just cause for pride in the fact that the Keystone State leads in this laudable enterprise. Of the two thousand or more officers and men of the Fencibles it might have been reasonable to expect half to join the real army. But because { the commanding officer of the force expects spectacular service or some ‘special opportunity to acquire dis- tinction he offers them as a whole to ' the bogus army which Roosevelt con- templates. Every manly member of the force ought to resent his action. No government can afford to have an army in the field which is or as- sumes to be independent of its author- ity. That is the sort of army which Roosevelt wants to take to France and if he should get such a force there his only purpose would be self ag- grandizement. If there were no oth- er reasons against the proposition that should prevent it. But there are other reasons equally potent. The time and money spent in equipping such an army would be taken from and necessarily delay the organiza- tion, equipment and training of the real army. Every trained soldier and military expert in the country un- against the. Roosevelt scheme. ——1In the news columns of today’s “Watchman” will be found a story of the forest fires that raged in Centre county this week destroying much val- uable young timber and causing a lot of anxiety and hard work to keep them from doing more damage. In one case the fire was caused by a far- mer burning dead grass in a field and not giving it proper attention to con- fine it to the grass. Other fires were blamed on sparks from a locomotive. The very fact that so much valuable young timber was destroyed is a sub- stantial argument why the very great- est of care should be exercised by peo- ple when in the woods or farmers liv- ing adjacent to the mountains. Centre county has a good quota of foresters and fire wardens but it also has a land, so that it is impossible for the the fires to a limited area demon- strates the efficiency of their work, because young timber that is destroy- ed by fire is done for and it will take years to replace it by reforesting. ——The centennial exercises now being held in the local Methodist church have been wonderfully inter- esting and well attended. It has been noticeable, however, that most of the speakers have evidently been impress- ed with the idea that they, won’t have a chance to talk again for another hundred years. —General Joffre is pleased with West Point but then he has no reason to be displeased with anything that has come within his observation in this country with the probable excep- tion of that railroad accident in Illi- nois. > —It may be true that the farm- ers live longer than men of other em- ployments, but they work longer, and though enjoying big profits now they don’t get rich as fast as some others. — Strange! The English rich men cherfully pay a tax level more than double that imposed by the pend- ing revenue bill and the rich men here are kicking like steers. ——The Legislature has fixed June 14th as the time for adjournment. But to do so they will have to work harder in the future than they have done in the past. —Don’t ' chuckle because warm weather has torn you from the clutch- es of the coal man. The price of ice has gone up. - —— That “the Hohenzollerns' must go,” isn’t a bad slogan and besides that it has the merit of truth. — Raising flags is all right but raising vegetables should not be neg- lected either. . Purpose is Sinister. U. S. That Roosevelt’s purpose is to re- | is and for that reason is: large acreage of mountain and timber wardens to cover every foot of the: ground. That they were able this week to marshall a force and confine | | two orderlies and twenty-four drivers. Torpedo Boats Doing Duty in War Zone. Queenstown, May 16.—A squadron of American torpedo boat destroyers has safely crossed the Atlantic and is patrolling the seas in war service. The American navy’s actual entry into the war zone has already been productive of a brush between a de- stroyer and a German under-water boat, according to an anouncement by | the British admiralty, but. the result of it has not been made public. The destroyer squadron arrived in Queenstown after an uneventful voy- age across the Atlantic, but almost immediately after a formal exchange of greetings with the British naval of- ficials put to sea again for the hard work that is before it. : A crowd of several hundred per- sons, some of them carrying tiny American flags, lined the water front and cheered the destroyers from the moment they first sighted the flotilla until it reached the dock. The crowd cheered again when a few moments later the American senior officer came ashore to greet the British senior offi- cer and Wesley Frost, the American consul, who had come down to the dock to welcome the flotilla. Every- thing was done in a simple business- like manner. There was an entire ab- sence of formality. The commander of the British flotil- la was waiting on board his ship and sent wireless greetings to the Ameri- can units as soon as they hove in sight, steaming in a long line into the harbor. After the exchange of shore greet- ings and the British commander had congratulated the American officers on their safe voyage, he asked: “When will you be ready for busi- ness?” “We can start at once,” the Ameri- can commander replied, promptly. This response, so characteristically American, surprised the British com- mander, who said he had net expect- ed the Americans would be ready fo begin work on this side so soon after their long voyage. When he had re- covered from his surprise, however, he made a short tour of the destroy- ers and admitted that the, American tars looked prepared. 5 ‘ “Yes,” replied the American com- mander, “we made preparations on the way over. That is why we are rely. os er ie oe a AT mda . = rh Ten Recruit Two Army Ambulance Units: at State College. State College, Pa., ambulance units for immediate serv- ice in France have been recruited at The Pennsylvania State College. Within twenty-four hours after the summons came from Washington for this institution to provide one unit of thirty-six men, more than double that number of students had volunteered. The State College authorities were told that the Surgeon General’s office of the War Department needed 1400 volunteers at once to take places in motor ambulance corps which would be sent abroad with the first expedi- tionary force. While State College was asked to supply but one unit, seventy- five desirable applicants appeared and word was sent to Washington that two bodies had been raised. The men will be summoned to headquarters this week for examination and enlist- ment, and will sail soon after. Each unit will have one sergeant, two corporals, one chief mechanic, two mechanics, two cooks, two clerks, B. M. Hermann, an instructor in the history department and Freshman athletic coach, has been selected as sergeant of one unit. Ben Cubbage, ’18, of Philadelphia, football and track “8S” man, will be made sergeant of the other unit. State College to Shorten Activities. State College, Pa., May 16.—As measures of war economy, the com- mencement program at The Pennsyl- vania State College has been stripped of all unnecessary activities. Today the Board of Trustees voted to limit the commencement celebration to three days instead of the customary six days; the Greek letter fraternities agreed to eliminate house parties; neither the college nor the Senior class will issue commencement invita- tions, and the American flag wiil be the only decoration used at the annual Senior class reception. Penn State’s shortened commence- ment, celebration will begin June 10. Weather a More Striking Topic. From the New London Day. After people have read war news morning, afternoon and evening fora week, the minister need not feel it ab- solutely necessary for him to preach on the same subject Sunday. Another I ingo Confesses. from the Detroit Free Press. The people of Germany are said to be growing tired of the war. We don’t wonder at it; we're tired of it already, and we've only been in it two weeks. Great Year for Vermont Toll Bridges. From the St. Johnsbury Caledonian. . We wonder if New Hampshire's go- ing “bone dry” will have any effect on the income of the toll bridges along the Connecticut for the next two years. ——For high class job work come to the “Watchman” office. {ees of the A. J. Haws Refract May 16.—Two SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —Mike Dennery, better known as the “Big Swede,” the hobo found guilty last February of killing John Rowles at a shanty in Clearfield on the night of Janu- ary 31, 1916, was on Friday morning sem- tenced to death in the electric chair by Judge Singleton Bell, of Clearfield. —Houtzdale is to have a new state bank- ing institution to be known as the Houtz- dale Savings and Trust company, with a paid capital of $125,000. Members of the Berwind-White Coal Mining company are among these interested in the new institu- tion. A new building will be erected at am early date. —Bartoli Aveni, the demented Italian who shot and killed his friend, Samuel Cadili, in Clearfield, on April 23, was put on trial at Clearfield on Thursday morn- ing, the 10th, and after all evidence had been presented, the jury pronounced him to be of unsound mind and Judge Bell consequently directed that he be sent to the asylum for the criminal insane at Fairview, Pa. —Though but four weeks have elapsed since the Eddystone horror, announcement was made Friday by Harry A. Mackey, chairman of the Workmen's Compensation Board, that awards on death claims total- ing $71,167.30 had been made in the cases of persons who lost their lives in the ex- plosion. The adjustment was made on 4 deaths out of the total of 128 killed, and in addition compensation is being paid to 68 injured employees out of a total of 89 disabled. ; —Mrs. Mary Kenna, of Osceola, through her attorney, A. R. Chase, Esq., of Clear- field, has brought suit against the Monto- la Water company for $20,000. damages growing out of the death of her husband, who was one of the recent typhoid fever victims in the epidemic at Osceola Mills. She asserts that he contracted the fatal malady by drinking water furnished by the said company. This is said to be a test: case of other suits which are liable to be brought. —The Harbison-Walker Refractories company have subscribed for one million of the war bonds to be issued July 1, 1917, $500,000 of these bonds being for the company and the other $500,000 to be sub- scribed for by the employees of the com- pany individually. Already approximately $200,000 of these bonds have been subsecrib- ed for by employees, and there is little doubt that the whole $500,000 will be cov ered at an early date if the patriotic spir- it already exhibited by employees is any criterion. fs! ie —The jury in the case of Dan Alexande- ro, charged with the murder of Fred Ros- si at Naginey, on February 18, rendered a verdict of voluntary manslaughter in the Mifflin county court last Thursday and the prisoner was admitted to $800 bail pend- ing his application for a new trial to be heard at the August session. The testimo- ny submitted indicated that Alexandero had committed the deed in defense of his life. Alexandero is the man who was canght at Potters Mills while trying to es- cape after killing Rossi. : - —Frank Carroll, of New York, and Os- car Mingle, of Thompsontown, were beat- ; en and robbed of $460, last Wednesday night, which represented their savings of several years. The two ‘men are employ- Lewistown Narrows, and -were returning. . to the boarding house late at night after a trip to Millerstown, when they were set upon in the darkness, beaten into insen- sibility and their pockets rifled. Carroll thinks that the yeggs followed them from Millerstown, where they had made a fool- ish display of their wealth at the hotel. —To make Mt. Gretna ready for the troops expected to be mobilized there after the passage of the draft act, the State is now pressing every effort to complete many of the improvements already under way on the ground. The Cornwall and Lebanon railroad is being double-tracked from one end to the other with numerous sidings to expedite the handling of soldiers and supplies. A large wharf for the hand- ling of freight is being built along the lake. The management of the park is alse preparing to handle immense crowds. The bathing facilities and dance floor are be- ing enlarged and other amusements are being installed. —William Decker, Montgomery's wealth- jest citizen and leading manufacturer, is up against a serious proposition. He has just completed a new $25,000 factory, a four-story brick building, finished and equipped in the finest modern style. By a decree of the county court, handed down on Wednesday, Mr. Decker is ordered to remove that portion of the building cov- ering and obstructing an alley. The own- ers of the property abutting on the alley notified Mr. Decker not to obstruct the al- ley, but he paid no heed to the notifica- tion, and the matter was taken into court, with the above result. It looks now as though the disregard of the rights of oth- ers will prove an expensive proposition to Mr. Decker. —The Harbred Silk company, in which W. J. Hartman, S. B. Seeley and M. 8. Bredbenner, the last two former residents of Berwick, are interested, propose to erect five additional mills this year. While the company has not decided definitely upon the location of the new mills, they will in all probability be erected in Potter coun- ty, where the company recently erected two mills and is operating them with much success. The Harbred company is rushed with work and has contracts sign- ed for eight years’ continuous work, to the full capacity of their present five mills, located at Scranton, Shickshinny, Benton, Shinglehouse and Galeton. Each of the mills is taxed to its full capacity and un- able to turn out another pound of silk. The orders are placed by the largest silk manufacturer in the United States. Stockholders in the African Ostrich Farm and Feather company, of Blooms- burg, a $1,000,000 Arizona corporation, in which more than $100,000 was Invested, will not receive one cent, according to the report of I. Clinton Kline, of Sunbury, the master appointed to make distribution of $20,518.47 in the hands of L. 8. Walter, of Mt. Carmel, who has been receiver for the property for mere than a year. Many of the stockholders are women and wage earners. They are distributed from Pitts- burgh to Philadelphia, including Altoona, Wilkes-Barre, Shamokin, Sunbury, Harris- burg, Bloomsburg, Selinsgrove, Rochester and Huntingdon. Unsecured creditors get 16 per cent. of their claims. Great things were promised for the concern, promoted on a co-operative basis by William H. Hile, its president, about ten years ago.. Farms and an office building were bought, ostriches imported from Africa by Hile personally, and riches were promised.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers