BY P. GRAY MEEK. INK SLINGS. — Tuesday was surely one beauti- ful fall day. — Mexico evidently having decided to be good Uncle Sam is about to lend her some of his gold. —Clean out the rats about your premises. One nest of them will de- stroy as much as would keep two sel- diers in France. —Again let us remind you that Christmas is drawing near. Only sixty-six days intervene before the great festival will be celebrated. — Buying a Liberty Bond isn’t giv- ing anything to the government. It is merely lending money at four per cent. to the safest borrower in the world. —Centre county has sent more than three hundred men to the colors. And Centre county must-lend Uncle Sam enough money to properly equip and provide for them. —The “Watchman” is itself again. Thanks to the rehabilitation of a ma- chine that miserably failed last week and threatened to put an edition be- yond the range of possibility. —Really the “Watchman” had no idea that there are so many “poor people” in this community until 1t ar- ranged to sell potatoes to some of them at seventy-five cents a bushel. —Of course Bellefonte ought to be in the limelight. It was bugler Criss- man, of Troop L, who was selected to sound the call “to the standard” at the great flag raising ceremony at Augusta, Ga. — Philadelphia hotels had a “beef- less day’ on Tuesday but it took twenty-six different varieties of food and fish to coat the conservation pill that was administered to the guests of the hostleries. —If we get licked there won’t be any government to tell us that we must pay $2 a bushel for wheat. The Kaiser will tell us that we must give him and his famishing hordes all of the wheat they want for nothing and if there should be any left, mayb he’ll take that too. : — Better lend Uncle Sam enough money to equip him to lick the Kaiser, because if the Kaiser licks Uncle Sam you'll have to pay him just what he demands and it will be no small sum and it won’t be a loan bearing four per cent. interest. It will be tribute that you will never get back. —1It must have been a Hun. No- body else would have been mean or sacriligious enough to profane the Methodist church in Bellefonte as was done Tuesday “night when class leader Charley Shuey’s brand new Sunday hat was stolen while the good brethren and sisters were devoutly worshiping under his leadership. —Everything has gone up in price but the “Watchman,” and it gets bet- ter every week without adding a cent to its cost to you. Won’t you help us through the struggle by sending in a year’s subscription price NOW and suggesting to your neighbor, .f he is not a subscriber, that he is missing a lot by not taking “the best country paper published.” —What if one of our boys who are to go “over there” comes back home and asks you what you did to back him up while he was fighting for you. Are you going to have to hang your head and slink away because you’ll be ashamed to tell him that you wouldn’t lend the government even the price of a Liberty Bond with which to buy a gun, or shells, or shoes or food for him. —This isn’t the time to be asking questions as to why we are in the war or whether we ought to be in it or not. We are in it and the cheap- est way out is to back up the govern- ment in its every move. By the way. What are you doing to help along? If you haven’t sent a son have you loaned the government any money to help support the boy some one else has sent to fight for your liberty? —Get the fact through your head that all your land, all your cattle, all your other goods and chattels repre- sent the government of the United States. When it offers a bond for sale that bond is a mortgage on everything you have, as well as on everything every other citizen has. It is the first of first mortgages, there- fore what better investment could you make than by buying a Liberty Bond. —Our County Commissioners, our town council and all persons in con- trol of public business should serious- ly weigh the urgency of contemplated public improvements. At this time when men, money and material are so essential to the successful conclusion of the war public improvements that are not absolutely urgent should be postponed until such time as there is not such a demand for men, money and materials in more essental under- takings. —Good old Dr. Dixon is alarmed about the high heels on women’s shoes. He declares that they are walking on their toes and physically injuring themselves. While we agree with the learned head of our State Department of Health we are haunt- ed with the idea that this habit of the women in being “up on their toes” all the time may have something to do with their remarkable success in as- serting their rights and establishing their claim to equal opportunity with big flat-heeled, broad-soled man. VOL. 62. BELLEFONTE, STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. PA.. OCTOBER 19, 1917. NO. 41. Mr. Bryan Defends LaFollette. Mr. Bryan is neither frank nor fair in censuring citizens in private life for criticising the policies of the President as expressed in pending legislation and justifying Senators in Congress in opposing such legisla- tion. In an article in his newspaper, The Commoner, Mr. Bryan takes that anomalous position. “With the citizens,” he writes, “the question of duty is sometimes more important than the question of rights. The vi- tal question is not what he can do but what he ought to do. The Legislator must discuss questions before Con- gress—this is necessary to intelligent action by Congress, but this necessi- ty does not confront the citizen in pri- vate life.” Obviously this fine distinction with- out a difference is drawn to justify Senator LaFollette. Mr. Bryan says that “Senators and Representatives in Congress are part of the govern- ment; they exercise authority confer- red upon them by the constitution. They are as much a part of the gov- ernment as the President himself; and the oath which they take is as sa- cred and binding as the one adminis- tered to him. A Senator or Repre- sentative has as much right to ex- press himself on matters properly coming before Congress as the Presi- dent has to express himself upon sub- jects with which he has authority to deal. They not only have the right to express themselves, but should do so when such expression becomes necessary to the discharge of their official duties.” Mr. Bryan misinterprets the rela- tive value of the offices in question. All the Senators and Representatives compose'one of the three co-ordinate | branches of the government and the President another. Each has its functions clearly defined. Congress, not one Senator or five, has the right to declare for war or against war, and while that question is pending each Senator and Representative is entitled to an opinion and has the right to express it on the floor of the chamber of which he is a member. But when a majority of both branch- es . declares for war the individual members have no right to imperil the | cause for which war has been declar- ! ed by factious opposition to legisla- tion essential to the successful pros-: ecution of the war. Moreover, after war is declared the equality of the respective co-ordinate : branches of the government with re- | spect to the war, ends. Under the constitution the President is com- mander-in-chief of the army and na- | vy and in_that capacity is invested | with the authority to determine the disposition of both forces. tally with this authority he has the power to disburse the funds to defray the expenses of the movements of the | army and navy and to provide food, | The Senate ! and House of Representatives must clothing and equipment. appropriate the money and the obli- gation to do so is imperative unless ! there is an intention to betray the country and sacrifice the cause. Sen- ator LaFollette has been resisting this plain obligation to the full meas- | ure of his power. When the country is involved in a war declared according to the consti- tution, Senators and Representatives in Congress are as firmly bound by the duty to support the government as the private citizen. A Senator may imagine that he has inalienable right to chatter perennially and air his opinions constantly. But in doing this if he impairs the interests of the country, puts the lives of soldiers and sailors in joepardy or in any way gives aid or comfort to the enemy, he is guilty of treason and no sophistry will conceal his crime. Probably it isn’t worth while to mind what La- Follette says or does but when Mr. Bryan defends him it is different. ——The base ball championship has been settled for a year but Chicago mustn’t get too cocky over the victo- ry of the White Sox. Next year some bush league players who don’t make as many errors as the New York gi- ants may get into the scrimmage. ——The Philadelphia reformers who expect the Union League to de- clare for decent government are like- ly to be disappointed. The Philadel- phia Union League wants govern- ment with tariff graft in it or no gov- ernment at all. ——The Prohibitionists never knew how to accomplish their professed purpose. The liquor sellers have achieved more in that direction in one week by raising prices than the oth- ers did in a hundred years. ——Fuel Controller Garfield prob- ably means well but he is confusing. He has the coal dealers in such a frame of mind that they can hardly tell “how much the traffic will bear.” Meantime the question of who forged Governor Brumbaugh’s name to the telegram sent to General Clem- ent supercedes the mystery as to who struck Billy Patterson. they Inciden- : i Liberty Loan Bonds Dragging. The new Liberty Loan is not meet- | ing with the success that was expect- ed. Some time has elapsed since the opening of the sale and only a small pose the election of the 50-50 ticket proportion of the total has been tak- ‘en. The banks and big corporations . have done fairly well but the general | public has not responded with the en- { thusiasm hoped for. It is true that: ' the first issue of the bonds dragged | | along until near the end of the time | limit and then was greatly oversub- | scribed. Probably the same thing | | will happen this time. The President | has fixed a rally day and other stim- ulating agencies have been set in mo- tion. But the result up until the pres- ent moment is not satisfactory and there is no use disguising the fact. There ought to be no disappoint- ment in the sales of these bonds. The annual income of the United States is estimated at forty billion dollars a year. The government is asking the appropriation of less than one-fifth of this amount to protect the life of the government and guarantee its income. It is also asking for the ten- der of the lives of millions of men, and getting prompt response. Is money more precious than human | life? Do we put a higher value on ! dollars than we do on men? That is | not the American habit. It is not in | accord with the traditions of this | great country. Then why should ‘ there be disappointment in the sub- seriptions to the Liberty Loan while the response to the call for men is prompt, enthusiastic and generous. There is another and more serious angle from which to view this ques- tion. An esteemed contemporary has said that “it costs money to win a war but it costs a darn sight more to {lose it.” Subscriptions to the Liber- ty Loan are contributions to the safe- ty of the government. If we don’t provide the government with funds to make the war successful now we will have to subscribe vastly greater sums to recompense the enemy for licking us. Now contributions are practically optional. Then they will be forced and by the most cruel pro- cesses. It is for the public to choose between these expedients. No man is expected to give all he has. But every man is expected to give what he can. If Senator LaFollette is sin- cere in his statement that he “would do anything to help his country,” he has an easy problem to solve. He ‘might try keeping his mouth shut. Bernstorff a Murderer. The record of perfidy and duplici- ty which is being revealed by the State Department at Washington against Count Von Bernstorff, recent- ly Ambassador of the German em- pire, is without parallel in the histo- ry of modern civilization. Pretend- ing friendship and professing to be a man of honor Von Bernstorff was en- ‘gaged for months in conspiracies to murder innocent and unsuspecting people and destroy property where- i ever he imagined the perpetration of such crimes would work to the advan- tage of his own country. If these in- famous crimes had been of his own motion they would have stamped him as a monstrous beast. But according to the evidence they were suggested or acquiesced in by the German Kai- ser. What can be said of a people who will perpetrate such crimes for any purpose? And the entire German people stand not only indicted but convicted of them. From the Kaiser through the Chancellor, the Foreign Minister, the Ambassador, to the brutal assasins who executed the crimes the word passed without pro- test. It will be said, of course, that these emissaries of evil were acting in the name of patriotism. It will be claimed that devotion to country in- fluenced the criminals to their dast- ardly work. How clearly this proves that “patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel,” as declared by Dr. Johnson long ago and he must have had the German type in mind when he wrote. . When the war is ended there should be reparation for these crimes against humanity. Von Bernstorff, von Papen, Boy-Ed and the rest of the homicidal horde should be appre- hended and punished as other mur- derers are punished, for these brutal crimes. This country is offering the lives of thousands of her best men and tendering billions of treasure to make the world a fitter place in which to live. No indemnity or rep- aration will be asked for the sacrific- es made. But the brutal murderers who conspired to kill and destroy in the cowardly way adopted by Von Bernstorff should be hunted down and punished. There can be no safety in a world in which such beasts live. | ——And troops are being shipped to France in great numbers notwith- standing Roosevelt's statement that nothing is being done toward prose- cuting the war. ——Subscribe for the “Watchman.” The better element of the Republi- can party of Philadelphia is prepar- . Philadelphia Reformers Moving. | Liberty Loan Meetings for Centre County. On Wednesday evening , October ing for a fusion with the Democrats | 24th, the day set aside by our Presi- and other reputable citizens to op- set up by the contractors and put an end to “government by murder” in | i ! | that city. A ticket of highly respec- table citizens has been named and the machinery for an active campaign ' ‘has been set in motion. But an inau- | spicious incident was encountered at the outset. The candidate named for District Attorney has declined to ac- cept for the reason that he is under obligation to the contractors which he is in honor bound to discharge. Naturally such a situation is embar- rassing to the better element. Meantime the Vares and Mayor Smith are going on with their can- dent as Liberty Loan Day, mass meetings will be held in the following towns in Centre county: : Boalsburg, Centre Hall, Millheim, Spring Mills, Rebersburg, Pine Grove Mills, PortMatilda, Penna Furnace, Stormstown, Gatesburg, Lemont, Fillmore. These meetings are to be arranged by the publicity committee recently organized at State College to eco-op- erate with the executive committee of Centre county. The members in- clude David F. Kapp, chairman; Ray . D. Gilliland, secretary; Dean R. S. vass to elect the 50-50 ticket and Sen- ator McNichol who opposed them so vigorously in the Fifth ward prima- ry has assured them of his fidelity to their combination. has not revealed himself yet on the subject but the chances are that he will stick to the machine. The pro- Senator Penrose Sackett, Dr. Wm. Frear, Dr. Geo. F. Zook, John T. McCormick, John L. Holmes and a number of auxiliary members. In each instance the speakers will be men of prominence and ability. The quota assigned to Centre coun- ty (excluding Philipsburg) is $600, , 000, and the Federal Reserve bank of fessional politicians have their per- sonal differences and some times ' great bitterness is developed. But they are spoilsmen first and last and common purpose to loot. In the final alignment the Vares and Penrose and Mayor Smith and McNichol will be moving forward together keeping step to “hail, hail, the gang’s all here.” Philadelphia (on behalf of the Treas- ury Department) is co-operating with the county organizations and the bankers to see that the nation’s needs : ) } ; are filled. in emergencies drift together in the ; It is the duty of every loyal Cen- tre countian as an American citizen Of course there are enough reputa- | ble citizens in Philadelphia to over- come the machine and elect the ticket named by the Town Meeting commit- tee if they could be induced to sub- merge partisan prejudices and con- sult public interests. Philadelphia is a big town and enjoys a fine reputa- tion for business enterprise and in- tegrity. But the men who have earn- ed that reputation for the city either do not vote at all or are so careless in the exercise of the franchise that they serve the machine rather than the public. Once or twice they have registered an opposite purpose but so rarily that it becomes an exception to prove the rule and gives little hope for the future. Are German Spies Operating? That German incendiaries are op- erating throughout the country scarcely admits of doubt. Within a fortnight a flouring mill was burned at Steelton and 400,000 bushels of wheat consumed. Another was de- stroyed by fire in Brooklyn and more than a million and a half bushels of wheat were burned. Two garages have been burned at Harrisburg with a total of nearly one hundred automo- biles reduced to ashes and scrap iron. In Kansas City, on Tuesday, 80,000 head of cattle were burned in a fire. Powder magazines and munition storehouses have been burned in va- rious sections of the country. It cannot be possible that all these fires have been the results of acci- dent. Each one of these destroyed contained war materials for wheat and automobiles are quite as much war materials as powder and bullets. Accidental fires are less discriminat- ing in their operations. They are likely to select a barn or dwelling house occasionally or strike a general store or ordinary warehouse at times. But these fires invariably discrimi- nate in favor of war material store- houses or factories and every such fire is a contribution to the campaign of the German army. It takes bread out of the mouths of allied soldiers. We know that the Germans are ca- pable of any atrocity. We know that with the sanction of the Kaiser the Ambassador of that empire in this country conspired with other murder- ers to destroy life and property even while professing friendship. Know- ing these things it is not hard to im- agine that the recent fires, involving as they have, war materials have been caused by incendiaries in the in- terest of Germany. At least the sub- ject ought to be looked into with care and a repetition of the conflagrations prevented if possible. Flour, cattle and automobiles are too valuable to be let burn. ——The bear season opened on Monday but so far no bear carcasses have been on exhibition in Bellefonte. The season for pheasant, woodcock and squirrel will open tomorrow (Sat- urday) and a general invasion of the woodlands of Centre county is likely to occur. Up to three o’clock yester- day afternoon just 1783 hunters’ li- censes had been issued, which is not nearly as many as last year at this time. ——At the annual convention in Pittsburgh last week Ives L. Harvey, of Bellefonte, was chosen one of the vice presidents of the State Sabbath School association. The association chose Johnstown as the place of meeting next year. ——Speaking of Christmas a Lib- erty Bond would be a lovely gift. to attend the meeting in the centre nearest to his home. He owes this duty to his country, his county, his town and his home. He and his fami- ly should attend the meeting, learn the noble plans of our government, learn his own task and then—sub- scribe to his fullest ability. New Postage Rates. The new rate of postage which will apply after November 2nd, 1917, will effect letters, postal cards and all matter sealed against inspection, or in other words, matter of the first- class only. The rate will be three cents an ounce or fraction ‘thereof and must have one full rate of post- age paid at the office of mailing. This will affect letters, postal cards anc all sealed matter that is to be weliv. ered through another office only. Ali first-class matter for delivery through the local office which includes rural routes emanating from this office as well as boxes and general delivery will still be mailable at the old rate of 2 cents an ounce. The meaning of the word “drop letter” as it applies to the Bellefonte office is one that is in- tended for local delivery only, and it may be dropped in any street letter box as well as at the postoffice. A supply of three cent stamps is on hand at the Bellefonte office and en- velopes with three cent stamps and postal cards with two cent stamps printed thereon will be furnished as soon as a supply can be secured from the Department. All patrons wish- ing to order envelopes in quantities with return card and bearing three cent stamps thereon should place their order early. In this connection postmaster Gherrity calls the atten- tion of the public to the importance of mailing Christmas packages in- tended for soldiers and sailors of the American forces abroad at as early date as possible and to wrap and pack them securely and address them plainly, not forgetting to put your re- turn address on the upper right hand corner of the address side of the package. These instructions apply to Christmas packages mailed for de- livery in this country as well, and may have written or printed on the words, “do not open ’till Christmas.” The Colonel Must be Drawing on His Stock of Good Stories. As most of you know Col. J. L. Spangler, our own Jack, is now tour- ing the west as a member of Presi- dent Wilson’s special commission that has in hand the difficult work of try- ing to bring about a more peaceful situation in the turbulent labor dis- tricts of the Coast. The personnel ef the Commission we announced several weeks ago. While all of the gentlemen -are emi- nent and specialists in their lines, it is not improbable that Col. Spangler is the best mixer in the party and the one who will contribute most toward smoothing over the rough ‘places when they undertake to soothe the apparently savage I. W. W’s who are making the most of the labor trou- bles in the west. Of course the Colonel would recog- nize the futility of attempting to cap- ture and tame them with a salt shak- er and has evidently fallen back on his ability as a raconteur. The fol- lowing from the Arizona Republican, published at Phoenix, Arizona, would at least give ground for our suspi- cion. : “Colonel J.L. Spangler is a Penn- sylvania coal operator, conducting a large business and for many years has acted as the representative of the Pennsylvania coal operators in ad- justing labor difficulties. A man ac- customed to large things, tolerant and with the saving grace of humor.” i | SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —When the employees of the Pennsyl- vania Glass Sand company at Mapleton were told that they would get an increase in wages the merchants of Huntingdom advanced their prices. Butter jumped from 40 to 45 cents a pound and other ar- ticles underwent proportionate boosts. —Although his back was broken five years ago, George Whipkey, a farmer of’ Laurelville, Westmoreland county, has been accepted for service in the national army. Whipkey has only a lump now where the vertebrae was dislocated, and he says he is strong enough to make it | warm for the Germans. —As the result of a chestnut fracas last Sunday with a Salem farmer, Charles Warner and Philip Bernet, of Berwick, have paid $100 and the costs to settle the case. The men were hunting chestnuts om the Seybert farm and Seybert asked them to go to the mountain for chestnuts, as he wanted the chestnuts on his land for him- self. Enraged, they severely beat Seybert and he had them arrested. They were re- leased after paying Seybert damages and costs. —While drilling for gas with which te operate mine machinery, employees of the Rine Run Coal company, near Bethlehem, Jefferson county, struck a new oil well. The flow is at the rate of from 80 to 100 barrels a day. Immediately following the discovery of oil, many speculators visited the section endeavoring to negotiate leases for land in the vicinity. The new well is located in Clarion county, but is several miles from the recognized Clarion county oil fields. —Miss Ruth Kint, aged 25 years, of Watsontown, was instantly killed when an automobile in which she was riding turned completely over, landing again eon its wheels. Miss Kint was riding with Clyde Wenrich and was on her way to Lock Haven. When approaching Jersy Shore, going 25 miles an hour, Wenrich tried to turn out for another car and got too close to the edge of the bank. A quick turn to get out of danger tore off a wheel and the car rolled completely over. —Theatres, churches and all other pub- lic gathering places have been closed im Liverpool, Pa., by health authorities and a State-wide warning sent out to any per- sons who attended the funeral of James H. Stailey, on October 3rd. Susan Straw- ser, thirty-four, who attended that funer- al, has smallpox. Authorities say she must have had it then. Persons at the funeral included men and women from Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Milton, Altoona and probably other points. Miss Straw- ser’s case is of a mild, but well defined type. —After reporting a loss of nearly $2,000 in operating their municipal light plant in 1916, with a greater loss in prospect for 1917, the Catawissa borough council has decided to sell the plant to the Columbia and Montour Electric company, which is associated with the Northumberland County Gas & Electric company, pending approval by the Public Safety Service Commission, and the latter will furnish electricity for the town in the future. The light plant only ran eight hours a day. The receipts for 1916 were $4,425.97, and the expenditures $6,284.21. —Because William Albright, of Morgan Run, Clearfield county, has to support a family of twenty children, he stopped the editor of his favorite county paper and told him that he would have to curtail ex- penses somewhere on account of the high cost of living and that the paper should be stopped. Chief of Police Bowman, of Hollidaysburg, who happened to be with the editor and overheard the statement, after satisfying himself that Albright’s family numbered twenty children, said: “No, such a sized family could not get along without a county paper. T’ll pay for it. For any paper to lose twenty read- ers at a clip is too much for any country editor to stand.” —The largest verdict ever rendered in the Northumberland county court on a negligence charge was returned at Sun- bury when the jury which heard the evi- dence in the case of Joseph Ford vs. the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron com- pany, returned a verdict of $$11,686 in fa- vor of Ford. According to the testimony in the case, which was tried by Judge Fred B. Moser, Ford was employed as a driver in the Alaska colliery, near Mt. Car- mel, on April 8th, 1913, and while he was busy coupling coal cars another drart of cars bumped into the ones on which he was working, and his left leg was caught in the wreckage and so badly crushed that it had to be amputated. —The Central Pennsylvania Lumber company, of Williamsport, is completing a government contract for thirty portable saw mills to be sent to France. Ten of these mills have been completed and the tests which followed were successful. The company is building these mills at its several plants. The timber is being saw- ed at one place, assembled at another, and then knocked down and shipped to an At- lantic port, from where it is sent te France. These portable saw mills are to ed at one place, assembled at another, and it is probable that the company may send men across the Atlantic to assist in erect- ing and to operate them. Large quanti- ties of timber, hewn from the forests of Lyconming county, have been shipped to cantonments. —The woman track walker, forced to the front by the exigencies of war and the resultant shortage of male labor, has made her debut in the Pennsylvania yards at Sunbury and Northumberland. Nine rep- resentatives of the ‘gentler sex’ demon- strated beyond an inkling of doubt that they are equal to almost any emergency, when they took up their work as signal keepers and track walkers. All are em- ployed in the “MW?” department at Sum- bury and in the Northumberland yards. Some of the women are classed as track- walkers, covering a certain area of track each day, and reporting all unusual com- ditions that may be discovered. —One of the most interesting real es- tate deals in years has been consummated at Indiana, Pa., when, with a cash trans- fer of upwards of $150,000, the stockhold- ers of the Clymer Brick and Fire Clay company, of Clymer, relinquished their holdings to Hiram Swank’s Sons, Inc., of Johnstown. The entire block of stock was taken over by the corporative interests, the transfer netting the stockholders 100 per cent. on their original investment. Hiram Swank’s Sons, Inc. is regarded as one of the most successful and enterpris- ing corporations in the United States, and with the acquisition of the Clymer con- cern, they broaden their scope of activity and plan vast extensions which will ulti- mately place Indiana county further up- wards on the list of progressive commu- nities.