.is through the Legislature. TE A Dewi. BY P. GRAY MEEK INK SLINGS. —And this is March. —If it is Germany’s plan to re-es- tablish Czardom in Russia a German Prince has probably already been made it. —In just forty-six days a mighty army of fishermen will mobilize along the banks of streams somewhere in Pennsylvania. —Talking about brotherly love, Bellefonte can have little to regret at the way she responded to Lock Ha- ven’s appeal for help. —Our prognostication, made last December, has come: true. Circuses will be permitted to travel next sum- mer and the small boy, and his solic- itous guardian who always thinks it necessary to accompany him, are no- tified that all the joy has not yet been extracted from life. —Has anybody heard of anybody who has a bee in his bonnet to become a Democratic candidate for nomina-, tion to the Legislature. There was a time when the Hon. Bob Foster's lightning rod was always in the air, but even it came down after he land- ed the postoffice of his home town. —TIt won’t be long now until Amer- ican made ships are sliding into the water at a rate faster than the sub- marines are sinking those of all the allies combined. When that day comes the tonnage problem will be solved but the more important one of cargoes will still be up to the produc- ers of America. —1It is curious that Secretary Mec- Adoo, Secretary Baker and Mr. Hoo- ver, having all the sources of infor- mation that the government can com- mand at hand, don’t know half as much about what ought to be done to win the war as nine-tenths of the in- dividuals who sit around warm stoves in isolated districts and air opinions founded on air. —Here’s hoping that Japan goes into Russia with the same determina- tion that she did in 1910. She could render her allies a wonderful service now by setting her redoubtable fight- ers to the task of driving the Ger- mans back and depriving them of the great store houses of food and other supplies that they are subjugating Russia to command. — Last week the “Watchman” ex- pressed the opinion that the govern- ment would make no price ruling on . wheat that would be unfair to those farmers who have already sold their crops. That is to say we were had Ji even if an advance “wold: not LD] fot 1 the longer the old wheat stays in the granaries the more it will lose in weight and run the risk of destruction by fire and rats. —When Governor Brumbaugh gets home from Florida he will announce his intentions regarding the calling of an extra session of the Legislature. It would seem that all the agitation for an extra session is for some cov- ert purpose of the bosses. Why spend half a million dollars on such a meet- ing at a time when every penny ought to be conserved and when it is rea- sonably certain that an apportionment bill would not be put through or the Prohibition amendment ratified. The latter is the really important matter and the next Legislature is the one that should act upon it, for the reason that its members will have been elect- ed because of ther pledges regarding the amendment. —Bellefonte grocerymen who are trying to reduce the cost of an over extended delivery service might find the solution of their problem by offer- ing a discount on purchases by cash- and-carry customers. If they were to get together and agree upon a rate of discount to be given those persons who pay cash and carry their goods home with them we have no doubt that the result would be a very marve- rial reduction in the cost of delivery. As at present conducted the business offers no inducement to cash cus- tomers or to those who carry their own purchases and under such a system the purchaser naturally says to himself: Why should I pay cash and tote my own goods home when Mrs. Doe pays her bills only once a month and won’t be seen carrying even a box of matches on the street. —On another page of this issue ap- pears a report of the proceedings of a temperance meeting held in Bellefonte recently. If it is reported correctly the temperance advocates have decid- ed “to oppose any candidates for office who have ever opposed temperance ef- fort.” We trust that our reporter has misstated the attitude expressed at the meeting in question. The “Watch- man” has repeatedly pointed out the fact to temperance advocates that the one and only place for them to strike By no distortion of the imagination can it be shown that any other public official is clothed with authority that can law- fully promote the cause of temper- ance—the word here being used as synonoomous with, Prohibicion. In other words, the temperance peo- ple could serve no purpose by proscription of candidates for local or county offices, other than those for the Legislature. And if it is their intention to do so we here make the prediction that it will cost them the loss of powerful support that they would have if they confined their ef- forts to the one field in which their eause justifies their campaign. STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. VOL. 68. BELLEFONTE, PA.. MARCH 1, 1918. _NO. 9. Promising Signs for Democracy. The Democratic leaders who assem- bled in Philadelphia on Saturday wisely limited their activities to con- ference with respect to men and meas- ures. To have named candidates or framed a platform would have been a usurpation of power. It was not only fit but needful that the party leaders should so confer in view of the near approach of a campaign for the elec- tion of a Governor. Frequent meet- ings of the sort would be helpful in the work of maintaining a party or- ganization and keeping the voters in condition for a vigorous fight. But the matter of selecting candidates and constructing platforms should be left to the people and the methods pre- scribed by law. The meeting in Philadelphia on Sat- urday, according to authentic reports, was harmonious, enthusiastic and large. That is to say there was a considerable number of active, earn- est Democrats in attendance and they cordially agreed in confidence of suc- cess in the coming contest. Such in- cidents cannot fail to be heartening to the rank and file of the party throughout the State. It plainly indi- cates that while the party leaders are fulfilling their obligations they are not usurping authority or undertak- ing to boss. Democrats will not tame- ly submit to anything of that kind. Being free men they want to exer- cise all the rights and privileges of free men even though it entails some trouble. The meeting of Saturday was a sort of hand-picked affair, assembled on invitation, and expected to be acqui- escent. Those in attendance were not chosen by the Democrats of the communities they represented. But they refrained from assuming to speak by authority and thus justified themselves. They might have done harm whereas they did good by call- ing the party “to the colors” for the important contest impending. It is to be hoped that other meetings will be held and that at some time in the near future a representative meeting 1d at which ——Of course the United States Senate will not expel LaFollette so long as Chamberlain, Weeks, Wads- worth and Hitchcock represent the Kaiser on the floor. They need some- body for a goat. Railroad Bill Passed the Senate. After considerable mischievous op- position the administration railroad bill passed the Senate in Washington on Saturday without a roll call. It provides for the restoration of the roads to their actual owners within a year and a half after the close of the war and gives the President the au- thority to fix rates as it should do. Most of the opposition was against these features of the measure. The Populist element in the Senate wanted to make the bill a vehicle for ultimate government ownership and to continue the rate making power in the Inter- state Commerce commission. The first of these poropsitions would have made it dangerous and the second rendered it worthless. The wretched operations of the Bolsheviki in Russia should serve as an admonition against all the schemes of the so-called Socialists in this country. Government ownership is among the cardinal doctrines of that misguided contingent and in what- ever disguise it appears it ought to be resisted. Unfortunately the exi- gencies of war compelled the govern- ment to take over the railroads not because of mismanagement or disloy- alty but in order to secure the full measure of co-ordination. Necessary traffic agreements made it impossible to get complete efficiency from roads individually managed and complete efficiency had become necessary. But with the end of the war competition may again be resumed to public ad- vantage as well as in the interest of the roads. Since the government took over the management of the railroads the ele- ments have conspired to create diffi- culties. But capable and industrious effort has minimized the troubles and it may now be hoped that within a week normal conditions will enable the General Director to prove the wis- dom of the step. He found cars scarce, motive power inadequate and labor unattainable, But he bent his vast energies to the task of improvement and is now practically on “Easy Street.” Conjested terminals are no longer subjects of concern and ample motive power and abundance of cars will make his task an easy one. But he shouldn’t be hampered by absurd conditions. ——Maybe the food regulations are annoying to certain well-fed gentle- men whose only enjoyment comes through the belly. But if they refuse to obey now they may have to take worse later on. Kaiser Gets the Harpoon. President Wilson threw another harpoon into the Kaiser's body the other day when he fixed the price of this year’s wheat crop at two dollars and twenty cents a bushel. For some time the enemy's emissaries in Con- gress have been trying to tie up the reserved wheat by promising legisla- tion providing for a higher price. But the President has put a stop to that sinister bluff. Under an act passed last August he fixed the price by proclamation and that puts an end to the false pretense. In this action he expresses confidence in the patriot- ism of the farmers and it is not mis- iplaced. We must have an increased crop next year and that means in- creased planting. But the price is en- ticing. Wheat at two dollars and twenty cents a bushel will be a profitable crop under ordinary conditions. With the best effort invested and favorable weather it will guarantee a generous reward. That being the case why should Congress undertake to fix a higher price for the cereal? A three dollar a bushel price will cause suf- fering among the poor all over the country. It would add considerably to the profits of wheat culture, beyond question, but what farmer wants ex- cessive profits at the expense of wide- spread distress among the poor? Be- sides it is a good idea to let well enough alone. The farmers are en- joying splendid and deserved prosper- ity and poverty is not as prevalent as it might be. : But the important thing in this con- nection is the harpoon in the side of the Kaiser. His only hope now lies in his efforts to debauch public senti- ment in this country as he has in Rus- sia. Through the German-American Alliance he has been operating in this direction for many years. He has reached the end of his tether, how- ever. He can’t fool the American public and he can’t deceive President Wilson even for a brief period. Our farmers will not lend themselves to his selfish and sordid schemes and they will not only refuse to hoard 5, a the supp — Meantime keep in mind the fact that Senator Wadsworth, of New York, is a share owner in the Beef trust which is an additional reason why he doesn’t like the President’s war policies. “That Hoss’s Eyes is Sot.” There are no new developments in the trenches of the Republican fac- tions of Pennsylvania. It may be safely predicted, however, that there will be no extra session of the Legis- lature. That absurd notion of Gov- ernor Brumbaugh met with no favor anywhere. It would have made a good deal of trouble for some of Pen- rose’s friends who want to get back. But it is too expensive a method of bulldozing. Denny O’Neil is still making cam- paign speeches over the State under the false pretense that he is perform- ing his duties as Highway Commis- sioner. Thus the public is compelled to pay his campaign expenses. If there were even the shadow of a pros- pect of his winning this cheap form of grafting might easily justify itself to the enemies of Senator Penrose. But he hasn’t the ghost of a show. A well-informed Republican is quoted in one of our metropolitan contempo- raries as saying that he won’t carry a single county while Sproul’s vote in Philadelphia will be greater than O’Neil’s in the entire State. It’s a shame to make Nevin Deitrich steal the State’s time under the circumstan- ces. The failure of John R. K. Scott and Harry Mackey to appear on the same platform with Sproul at Pittsburgh, the other day, was a day’s wonder, but that’s all. They are Vare mouth- pieces and it was expected that Vare’s purposes to support Sproul would be expressed by one or both of them on that occasion. But without sending regrets or. offering an explanation they stayed away. It was an unim- portant matter, however. The Vares are for Sproul and a vehicle of con- veying the fact to the public will be found in due time. Probably Broth- er Ed thought it a trifle early and possibly he wanted to enjoy another Penrose disappointment. But it won't be long delayed. “That hoss’s eyes is sot.” ——FEven a cursory survey of pres- ent conditions in Russia ought to have some effect on the minds of men in this country inclined to favor Social- ism as a governing agency. ——We are still arresting and in- terning alien enemies but it may be for the reason that there is a scarcity of bullets. At least there ought to be some reason. ——If anybody has discovered an unsinkable vessel let every ship yard in the country get busy building. will hump themselves in | Appealing to Popular Fear. Wisely or otherwise there seems to have been established in this country a propaganda to spread alarm as to the result of the war. Public speak- ers, mostly men who have been with the armies of the allies in one capaci- ty or another, are visiting cities and towns painting gloomy word pictures of impending calamity. The purpose is, no doubt, to arouse the public to a realization of danger that German success, with all its horrible conse- quences, is not only possible but prob- able, unless prescribed economics are practiced, stated conditions adopted and men and money supplied in vast- ly greater proportion in the immedi- ate future than in the recent past. There are various ways of arousing popular interest in public questions and the people of the United States are proverbially lethargic. In view of the fact that it may be wise to ap- peal to their apprehensions, the evil consequences of German victory can hardly be overstated. Before the re- cent invasion of Russia and the whole- sale slaughter of a lot of helpless cowards, the beastliness of the Ger- man rulers was revealed. Since that their inhumanity has been magnified and men though blind must see what is to be expected from German victo- ry. But a less forbidding form of admonition might have been devised. An appeal to pride and patriotism might have achieved the purpose. The United States are the richest and most resourceful power in the world. The entente allies compose the most potent military force that has ever been assembled. It is pos- sible that failure to respond to the requirements of the occasion might neutralize these advantages, how- ever. But there ought not to be even the suspicion of failure. Thus far there can be no charge of that kind against the people of the United States. The response to the call for men was ready and full. The answer to the demand for money was prompt and liberal. But we have not equaled France and England and we are as much concerned as either. It is to be long remain ~Farme in Centre -e should awaken to the fact that the greatest care should be exercised this year in the selection of their seed corn. During the past few weeks this fact has been brought to their atten- tion through the newspapers of the county by R. H. Olmstead, county farm agent, who has collected many samples for germination tests. But with all that there is likely to be a certain lack of diligence in this mat- ter. And for that very reason the “Watchman” wishes to impress the matter most forcibly on the mind of the farmer, because a big crop of corn is most essential this year. If you are not positive of the fertility of your corn have it tested by the farm agent. Just last week a number of samples were sent in for tests and two of them showed absolutely no fer- tility. Others ran as low as three, five and seven per cent., while only a few showed a good rating of fertility. The white corn last year developed the best, while practically all the samples of yellow corn sent to the Farm Bureau are low in germination tests, showing that it had not fully matured when caught by the heavy frosts. —The death of Dr. Samuel G. Dix- on constitutes a distinct loss to socie- ty. All of the mature years of his life were devoted to the welfare of his fellow men to the end that they and their offspring should become more rugged, higher types of manhood. As Commissioner of Health for Pennsyl- vania he threw all of his profound knowledge, gained through years of research work, into a campaign of ed- ucation that has been of inestimable value to this and coming geners ions; because it has shown that pr entive medicine in many cases make cura- tive medicine obsolete. a Ne DUT] —“QOver the Top” begins in this is- sue. Read it, by all means. It will show you exactly what our boys will go through on the other side. There is no gloss or veneer to “Over the Top.” It is the naked truth about a soldier’s life in the trenches. — Tt is not altogether easy, eith- er, to work up sympathy for the Russian people. There ought to be a severe penalty for that sort of stu- pidity that makes statesmen out of demagogues. —————————— : After all what’s the use of prosecuting editors of German lan- guage newspapers and letting editors of English language papers who do vastly more harm go free. — Wheat fields are not looking very promising in Centre county, but neith- er did they look promising at this time last spring. ——There is still a possibility of south Water street being paved the coming summer. Government and Railroads. From the Lancaster Intelligencer, The Senate has very properly de- feated by an overwhelming vote an amendment to the railroad bill pro- viding that government control of the railroads should continue after the war until stopped by act of Congress. Government control of the railroads has been recognized as a war-time necessity, quite as imperative as gov- ernment control of shipping, or of the manufacture of munitions and weap- ons. It is necessary in order that all the operations may be harmonized upon the keynote of national aims and needs, regardless of the profit or loss of any railroad or any section, and with that singleness of purpose which is recognized as the first essen- tial for success in war. But what is warranted in time of war may be in- tolerable in time of peace. It would be folly to weight ourselves now with a government control of railroads to outlast the war and to be terminated only by an act of Congress which many influences might defer. The experience of the last few months has opened our eyes to the grave deficiencies of our vast and wonderful railroad system of which we have been so proud. We see that although we have double the railroad mileage of all Europe and do things on a scale that makes foreign rail- roading seem child’s play, we yet have much to learn about the systematic working of a whole national transpor- tation equipment. Therefore, our es- say in government control may find us after the war, well disposed to con- tinue some degree of such supervi- sion; but surely, it need not urge us now to bind ourselves in any way to this war measure after the war. Bring Potatoes from Hiding. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press. With food so badly needed not only in Europe, but right here in the United States it seems incredible that the loss of thousands upen thousands of bushels of potatoes should face the country. Yet we have the word of the Department of Agriculture that such a loss does threaten. The potato crop of 1917 totaled 442,636,000 bushels, the largest on record in the United States. Here was enough food to take care of every- body and relieve the drain upon lim- ited supplies of wheat. But the crop Deon Jovi Ket, de V available for distribution has been shipped up to December 31 last. The remainder was on the farms or in the hands of dealers, by far the largest part on the farms. Now comes the trouble. Potatoes will not keep like grains. They must be eaten within a comparatively short period or thrown away; and the sea- son is getting late. How te speed up marketing is the problem. The Department has started a cam- paign with an appeal to the farmers and dealers to market their holdings at once. The appeal should meet with a ready response. A break in prices probably would result, but potato prices have been too high, anyhow, in view of the big crop. Lower prices would put more potatoes on the tables and help everybody in the end. The Russian Tragedy. From the New York Sun. It is difficult to the point of impos- sibility for the ordinary enlightened citizen of a free and democratic na- tion to enter into the psychology of the Bolsheviki mind. In the name of liberty they are ready to surrender to the most autocratic, the most bru- tal, the most liberty-hating govern- ment that exists in the world today. They suspend hostilities with an arch- enemy of democracy. At thé same moment they turn their arms against their fellow countrymen and at least one of their former allies. Out of the dark mists that swirl and eddy in the east we catch glimpses of the Bolshe- viki forces fighting fiercely against Finns in Finland, Poles in Poland, Lithuanians in Lithuania, Ukrainians, in the Ukraine, Cossacks in the Don and Rumanians in Bessarabia. It is clear that they do not object to fight- ing, they merely refuse to fight the enemy. They prefer to fight those of their own household. They declare their adherence to the principle of the “gelf-determination of peoples” but apparently to the Bolsheviki mind the term “people” does not apply to the Finns, the Poles, the Lithunaians or the Ukranians. The Way to Do It. From the New York Commercial. Our best chance to win this war lies in letting President Wilson act the part of commander in chief of the forces without interference. As Sen- ator John Sharp Williams caustically remarked: “If the President hasn’t brains enough to run this war, we cer- tainly can’t give him brains by act of Congress.” Now Let the Show Proceed. From the Pittsburgh Gazette Times. It is understood that before the cir- cuses were given. permission to go ahead, Mr. Hoover made some point- ed inquiries about the upkeep of the fat lady, only to learn that she has been observing his rules carefully and will be billed this season as the living skeleton. ——Roosevelt must have got some late information from the munition factories of the country. He hasnt attacked the President for a week. EE RR es aly, SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —David R. Burkey, a Civil war veteran, aged eighty years, of Philadelphia, takes a twenty-mile hike for his daily exercise. —Burglars broke into the home of Mrs. Amadee Franks, at Uniontown on Monday, and stole two dozen fresh eggs, some po- tatoes, a jar of blossoming plants, several dollars in money and a gold watch. —Fire of undetermined origin destroy- ed the four-story flour mill at Benton, near Bloomsburg. More than 10,000 bush- els of grain, together with all machinery, were consumed. The loss is estimated at $35,000. —Owing to the growing scarcity of coal workmen have begun tearing down more than 100 coke ovens at the Derry plant of the H. C. Frick coal and coke company. They will be taken to Saxton, Bedford county, which is in the heart of the Broad Top bituminous district. —Lawson Calhoun, aged 23 years, of Dayton, near Kittaning, was killed on Monday night by an unidentified miner. Young Calhoun was assisting has father, Contsable Harry Calhoun, to quiet a dis- turbance in the miners’ camp when the shooting occurred. The murderer has not been apprehended. —Arch Turner, who a few days ago shot and killed Edward Ralph while the men were in a lumber camp, on Tuesday in criminal court at Smethport, Bradford county, pleaded guilty to voluntary man- slaughter and was sentenced to serve not over seven nor less than six years in the Western penitentiary. —Extensive building operations are now going on at the plant of the Aetna explo- sives company beyond Mount Union. They are erecting a dining room to seat 600, a refrigerating plant and a bakery. Six new dwelling houses are also being built. This construction calls for additional labor. The work will be completed in about six weeks. : —Determined efforts are being made by the State Live Stock Sanitary board offi- cers to prevent the spread of some report- ed cases of rabies. The outbreaks have occurred in Chester and other eastern counties and rigid quarantines have beem established. They are the first to be put into effect since the new dog code went into effect. —Thomas J. Jennings, of Scranton, Pa., who heads the Pennsylvania Elks, recent- ly appointed a committee to look after the members of the organization who have joined the colors. Mr. Jennings was elect- ed grand exalted ruler of the Pennsylva- nia association at the last convention pre- vious to which time he was exalted ruler of the Scranton Lodge. —Fire broke out at 5:15 o'clock Sunday morning on the top floor of building No. 23 at the Hershey Chocolate company’s plant at Hershey, .causing a loss of more than $500,000. The room in which the blaze occurred is about 200 feet long by 60 deep and more than a million pounds of choco- late in powdered form, one of the advanc- ed stages of manufacture was stored there. —~Sixteen machine guns have been se- cured by Adjutant General Beary from manufacturers for the arming of the re- serve militia, detachments of which are expected to be mustered in this week in Philadelphia, Chester, Coraopolis, Media and Reading. The guns are to be issued : to machine gun detachments, four each 0 : TR INAS —Claiming the Susquehanna Coal com- pany violated a contract to lease them coal lands in Hazle township, Luzerne coun- ty, James G. Bolin and J. P. Williams, of Wilkes-Barre, have started an action in assumpsit against the company in which they ask $100,000 damages. They allege they spent $21,315 in the proving and in preparing mining operations and that they lost the gain on 500,000 tons of coal. —Elias Phillips, the well known mine inspector, who resided in DuBois, just as he was entering the Adams Express office in his home town on Thursday, February 21st, fell over and expired instantly. De- ceased, who was aged 58 years, was not only a most competent mine inspector, but a gentleman of sterling character. He is survived by his wife and several brothers and sisters. He was quite prominent in Masonic circles. His funeral took place on Sunday afternoon. —The Tyrone police are holding as sus- picious characters Heinrich Busch, a Ger- man alien enemy, and one of the crew of the German cruiser Shoenig, which was in Manila harbor when Admiral Dewey de- feated the Spanish fleet and Bruno Muel- ler, another German alien enemy who was attached to the German steamer Pisa in- terned at Hoboken when war broke out. Both men were arrested on their arrival from Philipsburg, where they worked at the brick works. —John P. Gephart, county road engi- neer; Edward McCollough, his assistant, and Edgar Powell, county draftsman, have brought mandamus proceedings in the Fayette county court against County Con- troller Harry Kisinger, following Kisin- ger’s alleged refusal to sign their wage warrants for the month of January. The County Commissioners have approved the warrants, but Controller Kisinger refused to sign them because of no work being done on the county roads during that month owing to inclement weather and the war. —Special agents of the Adams Express company throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Eastern Ohio have instituted a search for a clerk of the Pittsburgh of- fice of the company, who disappeared late Saturday following the reported robbery of approximately $86,000 in currency from the office in Pittsburgh. The money ac- cording to express company officials, was delivered to them by a Pittsburgh bank to be sent to a manufacturing concern at Do- nora, Pa. for making up a payroll. The money was in direct charge of the clerk, for whom a search has been started, ac- cording to officials of the express com- pany. —Ralph Fagan, of Oneida township, Huntingdon county, has a full bred Hol- stein cow that is making quite a record. He bought her at a sale on November 16 last. On the 23rd of December she gave birth to twin heifer calves which he is raising. He weaned the calves on the 9th of January, and from the 10th of that month until the 10th of February, after giving the calves a couple quarts of milk apiece for their share, he sold her milk through his dairy, 541 quarts at ten cents the quart, bringing in $54.10. He fed the cow fifteen pounds of chop and two sheaves of fodder daily, her feed for the month amounting to $13.80. In a single month she had gained $40.30 on her keep, and bid fair to be a clear investment long before the year is out.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers