BY P. GRAY MEEK INK SLINGS. . ~The weather man is about as pop- ular now in this neck-o-the-woods as the Kaiser. —Melting snow is likely to make the streams too high and cloudy for good fishing on the opening day of the season, next Monday. —Had Tuesday’s snow kept up ‘much longer farmers would have had to use snow-plows on their fields be- fore they could have resumed plowing. — Just as we turned the clocks forward somebody seems to have turned the season back and nearing the middle of April we are enduring the most atrocious type of March weather. —1Js Centre county going over the top with the third Liberty loan. Of course she is, and with the fourth and fifth and sixth as well; should they be necessary to equip and feed our boys right. —The lovely (?) snow storm that made Centre county look like January in April made us feel like yanking a lot of personals off of page 8 of this edition that tell of sundry families who have arrived home to “open their houses for the summer.” — Australian wheat is now begin- ning to find its way to our allies and will continue in greater quantity as the pressure for ships for other serv- ice is relieved. It is interesting also to note that Australian farmers are receiving only $1.54 a bushel for their crops. —The revelation that American submarines have been working in for- eign waters since early last fall is another gag in the mouths of those misinformed claquers who are contin- ually railing about our government’s not having done anything since enter- ing the war. ’ —The robin, the daffodil, the onion and the saplin’ bender snows must have formed an alliance for they all came together on Tuesday and Wed- nesday and buried everything under nearly a foot of “the beautiful,” if that is what it can be called when so unacceptable. —There seems to be a lull in the fighting on the other side. About the only news we have had during the past few days has been estimates of the German casualties and they run so high as to lead to the belief that the Kaiser must be running short of cannon fodder. —Gradually the patience of easy- going America is being worn to the breaking point and you need not be surprised if, ere long, a lot of loud- “mouthed seditious characters who "mistake liberty for license in this country are stood up against a wall with a firing squad in front of them. —Judging from the -amount of in- terest farmers are evincing in the new Liberty loan we will not be surprised if they play a very important part in putting it over. They have been won- derfully prosperous; the government has been most considerate of them and, if for no other reason, one good turn deserves another. —Hindenburg is telling the German people to “wait.” Not to get uneasy because his much heralded drive on the west front has been checked. But if Hindenburg and the German peo- ple wait much longer we will be there and he'll have no chance to wait. He'll beat it for the Vaterland with an American bayonet jabbing under his coat tail at every jump. —Col. Hugh S. Taylor is in the field for the Democratic nomination for Congress in this District and the Hon. John Noll has a paper in circulation that is designed to make him eligible to entry in the race for the nomina- tion for Assembly. A few more sur- prises of this sort and Democrats will begin to sniff some political activity that if it does nothing more will at least put a little pep into an organiza- tion that certainly needs it. —On April 6th we celebrated the first anniversary of our entrance into the great world war. A resume of our work in that time shows much of mistake but more of achievement than even the most optimistic had hoped for. We are going fine now and can’t be stopped until the best traditions of American chivalry and determination have made their impress on the world. Let us all stand behind the President, with noble impulse and hopeful pur- pose. —A recent compilation of the cost price of a loaf of bread from the time the grain leaves the granary on the farm to the time it reaches the con- sumer reveals the startling fact that the farmer receives forty-five per cent. of the whole cost. In other words, practically all of the increased cost of bread today goes to the far- mer in the increased price he is al- lowed for his wheat. In 1913 the far- mer received only twenty-six per cent. of the cost of the bread. —Charles M. McCurdy, chairman of the Liberty Loan committee for Cen- tre county, makes quite an address to the public in this issue of the “Watch- man.” You should read it, because it is the opinion of the head of one of our splendid banking institutions, the judgment of a man who has spent a life time in weighing financial prob- lems in their relation to the economic welfare of the country. Mr. McCurdy looks like Col. House, the President’s confidential consultant, and is very like him in the respect that he doesn’t often make public his thoughts, but when he does the public may well ponder over them seriously. Tema 4 RE VOL. 63. War of the Republican Factions. Interest in the Republican faction | fight seems to have shifted within a | week from the contest between Sena-. tor Sproul and Denny O’Neil to the strife ‘between John R. K. Scott and State Senator Beidleman, of Harris- burg, for Lieutenant Governor. The candidacy of Paul W. Houck for Sec- | retary of Internal Affairs has stirred up some feeling among the factionists of Schuylkill county but is unimpor- tant otherwise for Houck will be dis- tanced in the first heat. But there are all sorts of dickering over the second place on the ticket. The Vares insist on Scott and Penrose is equally “set” in his determination to nominate Bei- dleman. Several offers of harmony have been turned down in order to keep Scott off the ticket. On Saturday last at the weekly con- ference in Philadelphia an offer was made to withdraw Houck if Beidle- man would also be withdrawn. Butit was indignantly rejected. It is under- stood that Sproul would have been willing to make this deal for he real- izes that one Quarter Sessions law- yer on the Pardon Board is quite as good as another and Beidleman’s practice has been largely in that court. Besides Sproul is not as con- fident as Penrose. He realizes that the road to success, after the momi- nation, will not be strewn with roses and that it will tax the party resources of the organization to elect any can- didate even with an entirely harmo- nious party behind the ticket. There are a good many voters who are in- clined to support the President re- gardless of past affiliations. But Penrose is compelled to op- pose Scott’s nomination. In the fight against the Vare machine in Philadel- phia last fall he made such pledges to the reformers as to make the support of a Vare emissary utterly impossi- ble. Heretofore he has not been so particular about keeping political promises but heretofore his promises were made to men of the rough neck variety and didn't require any subse- quent consideration. Now it’s differ- ent however. His pledges to oppose the Vares in all their ambitions were made to men of social and commercial standing and the betrayal of them would involve important consequences. The Senator -is particularly anxious to stand right with big business and business men are afraid of Vare. ——The German press may misun- derstand the President’s Baltimore speech in some respects but it will hardly misinterpret the notice con- tained in the text that the terms of peace will not be framed in Berlin. Senator Vare’s New Departure. We have heard of “Satan reprov- ing sin,” and there is a tradition that “when the devil was sick, the devil a monk would be.” But neither of these incidents is as ludicrous as Sen- ator Vare, of Philadelphia, publicly urging his rough neck followers to “cater to the church vote,” for the reason, as he stated it, that that vote has “to be reckoned with in the com- ing primary.” Stuffing ballot boxes and employing gunmen can no longer be depended upon to carry elections even in Philadelphia and Senator Vare advises the adoption of “the livery of heaven,” as an expedient worth while. “If any candidate has been set aside because he was for prohibition,” the Senator added, “the mistake should be rectified.” Possibly it. is true that “there are many churchmen willing to aid” his gang, and he may, be wise in warning his friends “not to cross the church people.” But to those who have ob- served his methods and estimated his associates from a distance it seems incredible. From the beginning of his political activity he has been affil- iated with the toughest element of the slums. A collector of garbage his companions were of the lowest type. But his influence with them was com- pelling and he became an important figure because their servility was com- plete. Petty criminals invariably found a safe refuge in his friendship and in them he had a dependable po- litical asset. That was the source of his power. fet : But the Senator has always been ready and willing to adapt himself to existing conditions. His admonition to his followers means that the time for rough-housing in politics is end- ed. This year at least he believes that the appeal must be made to decency rather than to base passion and he makes the pretense of virtue. But he is not ready to go the limit. That is he is not willing to abandon his can- didate for Lieutenant Governor though he frankly and freely advises the adoption of reform methods as a bait for the “church vote.” How far he will succeed in his purpose remains to be seen. To what extent he will fool “the decent element” is problem- atical. But he will do his best. ——FEngland and France are buy- ing wheat in Australia at $1.54 a bushel but Senator Gore is helping the Kaiser by holding out the promise to American farmers of $2.50 a bushel. not express the full measure of the ’ STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. President Wilson’s Baltimore Speech. On the anniversary of our entrance into the great world war, at Balti- more, President Wilson made clearer than ever the ample reasons why we took that epochal step. On behalf of the people of the United States he had asked Germany whether her purpose in the war was “justice or dominion.” Germany had closed the seas to our commerce and ruthlessly murdered our men, women and children. In a spirit of kindness he appealed to those who had a right to speak for Germany why these outrages were perpetrated. The military leaders who are the real rulers of Germany replied that their purpose was “dominion, and the exe- cution of their own will upon the oth- er nations of the world.” | To prevent this world wide calami- ty the Congress of the United States, on the 6th of April, 1917, declared that a state of war between this coun- try and the German empire existed. In behalf of all civilization as well as in the interest of our own national lib- erty and safety this action was taken and the cheap conquest which Germa- ny has achieved over Russia, proves the wisdom of the act. But to make the declaration effective, to fulfill the purpose for which it was made, the vast cost of the greatest war in his- tory must be met and the great pro- portion of the burden is upon the peo- ple of the United States. It was be- cause of this that the President, at Baltimore, on Saturday, recited the facts and drew the conclusions. The medium of meeting this obliga- tion which is upen the ‘people of the United States is the Liberty loan. Every man, woman and child in the land must contribute to this achieve- ment. It is not a gift, for the govern- ment guarantees the repayment of the money and a generous interest for the use of it. But even if it were a gift it would be wise to supply the funds for if the war is not won every sort and description of the resources of the people will be confiscated to re- imburse the Huns for the expenses they have incurred in the conquest of the world. The government asks but a moiety of this vast aggregate but the Hun will take all and other things of greater value to honorable men and women. Petr Of course lynching alien ene- mies who use their mouths too freely is to be deprecated. But Congress re- fuses to provide a proper method of administering just punishment. Sheep Killing Dogs Must be Stopped. In Ohio, during 1917, dogs killed 24,000 sheep, according to the exper- iment station of that State. The same authority estimates the total number of sheep in Ohio as 3,000,000, so that the per centage of loss from that cause is small. But under ex- isting conditions it is vastly too large. The country needs every pound of wool that can be produced and more. The loss of that number of sheep means the loss of nearly 150,000 pounds of wool. It is estimated that twelve pounds of wool will clothe a soldier for a year so that the product of 24,000 sheep would clothe 150,000 soldiers. With three or four millions of soldiers to supply, the country can’t afford this loss. There probably never was an Amer- ican, sound in mind and body, and with red blood coursing through his veins, who didn’t like a dog. He is the most faithful and affectionate creature in the world if properly trained. But dogs of that type don’t kill sheep. It is the vicious type of dog, such as were underfed in puppy- hood and compelled to forage for sus- tenance, that develope the destructive habit. Persons who breed and keep dogs under such circumstances ought to be punished. It isn’t always the fault of the dog that he does things that are reprehensible. Sometimes they are taught to do wrong and oth- er times they are forced by hunger or exposure to commit depredations. But they ‘must quit killing sheep. Wool is too valuable and necessary to be wasted. Moreover the loss of wool and meat of sheep actually killed by dogs does evil of sheep-killing dogs. In a sec- tion where sheep-killing dogs operate extensively farmers become afraid to breed sheep and thus the wool pro- ducing power of the community is di- minished in a ratio that can’t be esti- mated. All know that there is always a ready market for wool and at prof- itable prices. But if a considerable portion of the clip is to be lost every year because of sheep-killing dogs the enticement of markets and profits is lost and for the reason that the pro- duct is reduced the government is un- able to properly clothe men who are entitled to the best of everything. Von Hindenburg is simply dem- onstrating that defeat comes high when an enterprise for “victory at any price” fails. ——A tip to von Hindenburg: “He who hesitates is lost and he who BELLEFONTE, PA., APRIL 12, 1918. German Defeat a Certainty. years and it may end in six months but when it ends it will be in a vie- tory for Democracy and in the elimi- nation of autocacy. The recent drives of the German forces have made these facts plain. With brutal disregard for human life the helpless Huns have been driven up against the deathly fire of the allied guns to be slaugh- tered. If such a sacrifice of man pow- er had been rewarded by achievement, it might have been justified as a mili- tary necessity. But it accomplished nothing of value. It failed of its pur- pose in every respect. It cost nearly half a million men and yielded no rec- ompense. The grand total was a dead loss to the German empire. The German man power has been taxed to the full measure of exhaus- tion. Every male inhabitant of the empire between the ages of sixteen and seventy has been taken into the ranks. There is no reserve capable of bearing arms and enduring the la- bor of military life in war. Finan- cially the empire is equally exhaust- ed. The debt is greater than the val- ue of all resources. The interest on the debt created for the prosecution of the war amounts to more than the revenues of the empire. That means national bankruptey as certain as fate. It makes universal poverty inevitable. Even a victory without indemnities would be of no value to a people thus burdened with debt and dishonor. Under these adverse conditions the Kaiser may be able to keep up a pre- tense of war and inspire in the hearts of his helpless victims a hope of ul- timate victory for some time. It all depends upon what the allies do and largely upon how the people of the United States act. If envious and malignant traitors are permitted to give aid and comfort to the enemy by wilfully lying about our achievements a forlorn hope may be maintained for some time. If our troops and those of our allies are not abundantly sup- plied with food, clothing and war equipment, the enemy will be encour- aged to struggle on. But if the trait- ors are silenced and the Treasury kept full the beginning of the end will soon oe aX Lr re a i ‘The very fact'that many young men in Centre county have not volun- teered for service in the army but have waited their call for the nation- al army is no evidence that they are lacking in either patriotism or cour- age. On Wednesday one of the young men who was summoned for examina- tion and who lived quite a distance to come to Bellefonte by automobile on aceount of the deep snow so he got out one of the old farm horses and rode the distance of fourteen miles to Bellefonte. Since the advent of the automobile farmer’s sons have gotten out of practice at riding horseback and when the young man above re- ferred to stripped for examination be- fore the local exemption board he looked as if he had gone through a German barage, but smilingly told the members of the board that any man who could ride horseback fourteen miles through a foot of snow to re- port for examination ought to be fit for service, and he was passed by the board. — Thomas Beaver has been shorn of his glory of being first lieutenant of Troop C, Pennsylvania reserve mil- itia under an order issued Monday by Adjutant General Frank D. Beary to Capt. Edgar McKinney, of Tyrone, to proceed at once to complete the or- ganization of the troop by enlisting all its members at Tyrone. In conse- quence thereof Capt. McKinney has recommended the appointment of John Elliott Trego as first lieutenant and Charles T. Snyder as second lieu- tenant. Under the new order Belle- fonte will not contribute any mem- bers to the cavalry troop. —There are some sections of Cen- tre county where some of the resi- dents have so far persistently refused to turn their clocks ahead the one hour, according to the recent act of Congress. Others in the same com- munity have turned on their clocks and the result is rather confusing. In fact, it is stated that the preacher in a certain locality has set his preach- ing hour just midway between the old and new time so that he can catch his parishioners coming and going. ——1If you have given all you can after having determined to cut out every possible needless expenditure, you have fulfilled your obligations to the country, but not otherwise. ——If Roosevelt would pay some attention to public opinion he might discover that unjustly knocking the President is a poor way of getting public favor. : ——Anyway Lenine and Trotsky gained nothing by their perfidy aad there is some reason to hope that they have lost a good deal. A ——They are all good enough, but doubts is damned.” the “Watchman” is always the best. i The war may continue for three from the railroad, found it impossible. NO. 15. ' New Rules for Wheat Conservation. comm Patriotic conservation of wheat requires that we limit our family con- sumption to one-third that used in normal times and in no case to ex- ceed a total wheat diet of six pounds per month per person including flour, macaroni and wheat products of every kind, nature and in every form what- ever, including flour used for thick- ening gravies, binder in quick bread and other culinary purposes; this to continue until the next wheat harvest, or further notice. To permit wheat conservation in this degree, it is necessary to employ in the family diet, an equal quantity of the official cereal substitutes or, with every pound of wheat product used in any form a pound of corn meal, corn flour, buckwheat flour, bar- ley flour, oatmeal, oat flour, rice or rice flour, feterita flour, and meals, potato flour, rolled oats, corn starch, hominy, soy bean flour, corn grits, sweet potato flour, tapioca flour. These. cereals should be mixed with wheat flour in home bread making as nearly as possible in the proportion of one pound of cereal substitute to two pounds of wheat flour, and in no case should more wheat be used than in the proportion of one pound of ce- real substitute to three pounds of wheat flour. The balance of cereal substitutes should be used without wheat flour in the preparation of eorn bread and muffins, buckwheat cakes, breakfast cereals, ete. In the application of these regula- tions to families dependent upon bak- ers’ bread and doing no home bread making, it should be understood that the baker’s “Victory” loaf contains only 25 per cent. substitutes. Patri- otic observance of the conservation rules requires a limit in the use of “Victory” bread to 13 pounds per per- son per week. Where this amecunt of bread is used, only one-half pound of flour per week per person may be used for all additional purposes of cooking and pastry, as macaroni, crackers, cakes, wheat breakfast cereals ‘and every other form combined. The foregoing rules apply to fami- ly practice only and do not affect in any way the regulations for wheat consumption in public eating places, clubs, etc. Public eating places, clubs, ete., will continue to observe two wheatless days per week as heretofore, Mondays and Wednesdays, on which no wheat product will be served in any form whatever, except in “Victory breads | or other “Victory” products.” Né pub-- lic eating place, club or similar estab- lishment will serve more than two ounces per service of breadstuffs, of any kind, including bread, rolls, pas- try, cake, crackers, macaroni, and any and every form of food containing wheat. No public eating place, club or similar establishment will place on tables or offer foods containing wheat in any form unless especially order- ed. No public eating place, club, or similar establishment may buy wheat flour, wheat products or wheat food in any form, in total combination, in excess of six pounds per month per person entertained, figuring on the basis of three meals served per day per person. Retail grocers and other retail deal- ers in flour, including flour millers who retail, shall not sell or deliver wheat flour to individual consumers, residing in towns or cities, in quanti- ties in excess of 24% pounds, nor to any individual consumer in rural or farm communities in quanties in ex- cess of 49 pounds. In no case shall he knowingly sell or deliver to any individual consumer an amount of flour which will make the purchaser’s total supply greater than is reasona- bly required for his household or es- tablishment during the next thirty days, on the basis of six pounds per month per person. This rule is not intended to authorize at any time sales in an amount in excess of that above prescribed. ; The dealer (including the miller) shall not sell or deliver wheat flour to any individual consumer thereof, un- less the buyer purchases at the same time one pound of wheat flour substi- tutes for every pound of wheat flour purchased, or in case of whole wheat or graham flour containing at least 95 per cent. of the entire wheat, six-tenths of a pound of wheat flour substitutes for every pound of such whole wheat or graham flour pur- chased. Bakers may not purchase wheat flour in excess of seventy per cent. of the average consumpion during four months preceding March 1, 1918. Manufacturers using edible wheat flour or other wheat products for non- food purposes will cease such use en- tirely. : To furnish our allies with the amount of wheat required to main- tain their war bread from now until the next harvest, is a military neces- sity which can only be met by a rigid observance by all American people of the foregoing rules as an irreducible minimum of wheat conservation. Those among our population who are well-to-do, and thosé engaged in the lighter occupations, as well as those in agricultural districts, when cereals other than wheat are abundant and where housewives are more skilled in their preparation, can make greater sacrifices in the consumption of wheat products than are here provided for. Many thousands of patriotic families throughout the land are using no wheat products whatever except the very small amount required for cook- ing purposes and are doing SO In per- fect health and satisfaction. WwW. F. REYNOLDS, . Federal Food Administrator of Centre County. SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —John G. Thompson, aged 72, poor di- rector of Westmoreland county, died last Thursday at Mt. Pleasant. . —Last Saturday twelve members of the | Johnstown police force rounded out am even decade of continuous service—the first time in the history of the city that any policeman has attained to ten years’ serv- ice without interruption. —DeWitt Spencer, of Williamsport, re- ceived an injury recently while nailing the floor in a chicken house. He struck a nail, the hammer hitting the edge and it flew up, the end going into the ball of the eye. It was not known whether or not the sight would be lost. —The Cresson Board of Health officials have ordered the closing of the first six grades of the public schools for a period of two weeks owing to a number of con- tagious diseases in that community. This is the second time this term the Board of Health has closed the schools. —By order of the federal food admin- istration the flour supply of the James- town Supply company, Jamestown, Mer- cer county, has been confiscated and the company forbidden to deal in flour fer sixty days. It was alleged that the rules of the administration were violated. —The first arrest of an illegal trout fish- erman under the new fish code has been reported at the Department of Fisheries. The man was arrested in Elk county for fishing two weeks ahead of season and having forty trout, or fifteen more than the new legal limit in his possession. —E. B. Dysart, a Tyrone lad, seventeen years old, cannot go to war, but he is do- ing. his share at home by buying ‘war sav- ing stamps and Liberty bonds. The chap has already purchased $175 worth of stamps, owns two Liberty bonds and ex- pects to purchase two more of the late is- sue. —The fire that swept over 8,000 acres of forest lands along the old Coudersport pike last week proved very destructive. The fire spread over 5,000 acres in Clinton county and 3,000 acres in Lycoming coun- ty. The roar of the flames could be heard for a quarter of a mile and came with such a rush at times that the fire fighters had to flee for safety. —Four girls employed by the govern- ment as clerks at the aviation and ord- nance depot construction developments near Middletown were injured and four others bruised when the automobile in which they were riding from home to their work struck a pole and was overturned. They will recover. One of those injured was secretary to Major William B. Gray, officer in charge of construction. —~—Because he failed to report to the city authorities that a case of smallpox exist- ed in his home, H. Shiffen, of Morrellville, near Johnstown, was sentenced to pay a fine of $25 and costs or serve thirty days in jail. He paid the fine. City physician L. W. Jones, testified against the defend- ant. It was brought out that the defend- ant’s daughter and a boarder at the Shif- fen home had the disease in February. —Frank Krise, aged thirty-six years, of Roaring Branch, Lycoming county, fell from a hay loft at the home of his moth- er on Saturday afternoon and died with- out regaining consciousness. XKrise had just returned from Florida. He left the house about 9:30 o'clock to go to the barn to look for eggs and when he did not re- turn a search was made for him, result- ing in the finding of his body by his aged ‘mother about 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon.” —Approval has been given by the Pub-+ | lic Service Commission to the mergers and lease of various companies of the Pure Oil system. Some of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey properties are transferred to the Ohio company. The formal transfers to the Pennsylvania Railroad of the Corn- wall and Lebanon and Susquehanna, Bloomsburg and Berwick Railroads were approved and the Hog Island branch of the Pennsylvania in Philadelphia approv- ed for two years. —The State Livestock Sanitary Board has placed an embargo against importa- tion of dogs and cats from the State of Wisconsin. This action was taken on in- formation received from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, that serious outbreaks of rabies, or hydrophobia, had occurred in twenty counties. Rabid dogs running at large through the southeastern part of that State have bitten and caused the destruction of a number of valuable farm animals. —Under the act of July 11th, 1917, it is incumbent on the register and recorder of every county in the State to carefully in- vestigate and report on the death of each individual in the county from infancy to old age, to the Auditor General, so that the direct inheritance tax may be collect- ed in all cases. This work makes necessa- ry an additional clerk in the office of the: register and recorder, to be known as an investigator of deaths, who will also be assistant deputy register and recorder. —After terrorizing passengers on a Chi- cago-Pittsburgh express on the'P. BB. R., for several hours on Monday, and forcing two of the crew to jump for their lives, Karmino Carcio, a Mexican, 60 years old, barricaded himself in the baggage car and was shot and killed by George Martsolf, a railway detective, when the latter went to arrest him when the train reached Pitts- burgh. The Mexican, thought to have been crazed, went through the sleeping cars and with a long knife slashed the berth curtains and threatened the people. —The Watsontown Door and Sash com- pany has just booked a contract for twelve thousand sash, through a New Yerk con- tractor. The sash are for the U. 8S. Navy Department, to be used in the construc- tion of a big storage building. The sash will contain six lights each, requiring sev- enty-two panes of glass, the glazing being no small part of the job. The contract will tax the capacity of the sash depart- ment of the plant for several weeks, but the hustling managers are confident of completing the work in good order and on time. —The State opened two of its large camps for the reforestation of large areas of land in central Pennsylvania on Mon- day and by the time the tree planting season ends Forestry Commissioner Rob- ert 8S. Conklin hopes to have 9,000,000 young trees in the ground. It will be the most extensive tree planting operation ever conducted in Pennsylvania. Seven million trees will be planted by the State, while two million will be planted by coal, water and other corporations on their open lands or by organizations interested jn reforestry. The State has grown the trees in its own nursery. The two camps opened are in Union county, one of which will plant two million trees. Later on camps will be opened in Lycoming, Potter and Tioga counties. The coal companiés which will reforest have programs cover .ing years.