BDemoorai atc BY P. GRAY MEEK . INK SLINGS. —This is surely growing weather. —April showers are beginning to shower. —All vegetation looks as if last week’s blanket of snow had done it a world of good. . —Good morning! Have you prov- en yourself 100 per cent. American by buying a Liberty bond? —Save your money and buy thrift stamps. That’s what thrift means. Cut out some luxuries and some ne- cessities, as well. —The flexibility ofthe allied lines in France suggests the idea that the Huns might send them back a little too far for their own good. Where there is so much flexibility there is danger of a mighty rebound. —The United States Steel Co. ex- pects to complete its first ship for the government in May and after that it will deliver one every ten days as long as they are needed. Hold on England and France! We will be there sooner than you expected us. —A¢t the primaries in May the Re- publicans will have an opportunity to show whether they are more for Penn- sylvania than they are either for the Vares or for Penrose. They will not be for Pennsylvania if they give John R. K. Scott a chance to become her next Lieutenant Governor. —Centre county has already sub- scribed for more than one-half of her allotment of Liberty bonds. Remem- bering, however, that the first half is invariably easier to get than the sec- ond we’ll all have to go it for the next two weeks with determination if we expect to put old Centre over the top. —As a sign of the times we have no hesitancy in stating that during quite an extended fishing excursion along the two most favored trout streams in this section, on the open- ing day of the season, we saw and met up with less “bait” of the bottled variety than we have seen on sim- ilar occasion during the past thirty- five years. Now don’t rise up and say that this probably accounts for the small catches reported. —For the benefit of a few of our Republican friends who seem obsess- ed with a mania to criticise the gov- ernment and show all too plainly that their spirit is one of puny partisan- ship we quote from an unusual editor- ial in one of the leading Republican papers of Pennsylvania the following excerpts: “It ought to be apparent to noisy and selfish political groups that they are out of joint with the spirit and purpose of the people* * * Away with all bitter controversy, pel - sonalities and factional or partisa machination.” ne IE —Next week the “Watchman” will begin the publication of one hundred and one German lies which have been run down and nailed by the St. Louis Republic. Every reader of this paper should read them carefully because, many of them are stories that have been in circulation in this county and when you have finished with them hand your copy of the “Watchman” +o a neighbor who does not see it reg- ularly so he will be informed as to just what extremes of lying malicious- ness the Kaiser's agents in this coun- try have gone to in the effort to cre- ate distrust and unrest among loyal Americans. —The valor of the Italian boy from the hard coal regions of Pennsylva- nia, who is with Pershing’s troops in France will make American hearts swell with pride. After having single handed killed one and captured three Huns he marched his prisoners up to his superior officer to whom he turned them over and then calmly asked for a match with which to light a “fag.” In a joke the officer promised him a match if he’d bring in another Hun. The little American of Italian parent- age took it seriously and beat it for No Man’s land where he cornered a six foot Hun which he marched in and the officer had to make good on his bargain. It is too bad that men of such spirit will have to be sacri- ficed, for many of them will, but our glorious heritage of democracy was won by just such sacrifices and if it is to be perpetuated and not perish from the earth forever more of them will have to be made. —Judge Eugene C. Bonniwell, of Philadelphia, is out for the Democrat- ic nomination for Governor on a wet platform. This is interesting but not freighted with much of possibility. It will have a tendency to make the fight for the Democratic preference one purely of conviction and not of fac- tion; for there are men of Mr. Guf- fey’s faction in our party who will not support him because he has declared himself dry and there are men of Judge Bonniwell’s faction who will not support him because he has de- clared himself wet. To our mind it will be purely a Prohibition contest; the interesting character of it remain- ing to be revealed in Judge Bonni- well’s decision to run independently for Governor on a wet platform should Mr. Guffey defeat him for the Demo- cratic nomination, which he will very likely succeed in doing. In such an event the dry forces would be divided between Guffey and Sproul, while the wets could unite on Bonniwell. The undertaking would be of little avail in the final action of Pennsylvania on the Amendment for the General As- sembly will be either for or against ratification with such a majority that the influence of either a wet or dry Governor will not exert a balance of power. {without - forming Mobs. VOL 63. How Long Will Perfidy Prosper? One potent reason for the progress of the German army in France and Flanders lies in the fact that there is nobody pulling it back from behind. The Reichstag is in session in Berlin as Congress is in Washington, but there are no critical reports of the work of the army being discussed and no motions to regulate or restrain the constituted military authorities have been made. Grave mistakes have been made by the German military leaders and costly blunders have been com- mitted on both fronts. But the Ger- man newspapers and the German poli- ticians have not condemned those re- sponsible for them. Even regrets for this mistake or that have not been published to discourage the people at home. But with us it is vastly different. The administration at Washington has performed the most herculean la- bors and achieved the most marvelous results. Like a craft in mid-ocean without compass it has had no guide. But it has gone forward with energy and expedition and the occasional mis- takes have been promptly corrected and never repeated. Yet at every step in its progress it has been hindered by mouthing traitors in and out of Con- gress, who hoping to make partisan capital, have imperiled the lives of our soldiers and impaired the inter- ests of the country by captious and mostly unjust criticism of the admin- istration. Because of this the Ger- man army is now threatening the English channel. It has been found impossible to pass the Overman bill which would cut out red tape and make both the army and the government more efficient, for the reason that Republican Senators are playing politics rather than practic- ing patriotism. Other legislation of almost equal importance has been de- layed for the same reason. So long as this spirit of patriotism prevails in Washington the German army will be kept in heart and the slaughter of American soldiers “over there” will continue, How long will the people endure this perfidy. Now that an es- t To be a gre: 1C. — Of course we don’t know and possibly he does, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to conceal impa- tience that the newly created Com- mander-in-Chief of all the forces in France and Flanders doesn’t do some- thing. : Refuting a False Pretense. A correspondent of the Philadel- phia Record says: “The time has now come, and it is fully ripe, to cast out the capitalization of the Baltimore battle, for its use now savors too much of watered stock, since the ideal- ism and achievements of Woodrow Wilson stand on their own bottom. regardless of who ‘started things.” This expression was suggested, obvi- ously, by the false claim already set im motion, that because of the work of one of the candidates and some of his friends in behalf of President Wilson at the Baltimore convention, the Pres- ident is much interested in the suc- cess of that candidate in the primary contest in Pennsylvania, now in prog- ress. As the: esteemed Record has said editorially, “President Wilson has not selected the Democratic candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, and he will not personally or officially attempt anything of that sort.” He believes in home rule as a fundamental princi- ple of Democracy and will not violate that democratic tenet by selecting or even suggesting candidates of the par- ty in any State. But it serves the purpose of the office brokers who claim ownership of the Democratic party of Pennsylvania to set up this false pretense now as they did four years ago, and they are working it to the limit. Then it worked grave harm to the party and it is not likely to have a different result this year. In announcing the candidacy of one of the aspirants for Governor last week the principal organ of the office brokers declared that he was largely instrumental in the nomination ‘of President Wilson at Baltimore. In fact it asserted that because of his efforts all the Pennsylvania delegates in the convention except four voted for Wilson. It failed to add, however, that two of the four who voted against Wilson represented Pittsburgh con- stituencies and outside of Pittsburgh nobody then knew that such a man as the present candidate existed. He may have been for Wilson but so was his antagonist in the present contest and it is not probable that Wilson cares which of them is nominated. Two Democratic Senators have died within a week but fortunately the party still retains a safe majority in the body and Democrats will be chos- en to succeed both of them. ——When it comes to picking can- didates most voters think they have a right to a voice in selecting their own. “| down a traitor. © «olin STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. | Chamberlain Serving the Kaiser. | Senator Chamberlain, of Oregon, appears to find as much pleasure in criticising .the administration as the Kaiser gets satisfaction from reading lhis criticisms. The other day, for ex- ample, the Oregon Senator submitted a report, purporting to express the views of a majority of the Senate com- mittee on Military Affairs, in which he alleges that the air-craft pro- gram has completely failed and of course he blames the administration for the failure. As a matter of fact splendid work has been done by those entrusted with’ this branch of the pre- paratory work and there was no need for a public report on the subject by the Senate committee or anybody else. Probably no department in the pre- paratory work of the government en- countered as many adverse conditions as that charged with the construction of flying machines. warfare was in an early experimental stage when the war began and con- stant changes and improvements were being made. As each new device or system was developed the older and less effective types were abandoned in this experimentation. Besides that unforseen difficulties in procuring ma- terials were met, so that one element of delay followed another, retarding the work. But every difficulty was taken up as it appeared and even Chamberlain has been compelled to admit that great progress is being made now. As a matter of fact there is nothing to criticise in the work of those en- gaged in supplying aircraft for the war.. Beginning with nothing twenty- five plants to manufacture and equip flying machines have been created and all of them are working to their full capacity in turning out machines. Of course while this preparatory work taxed the energy of those engaged in it no product could be shown. But now machines of all types are being constructed and the training of men to man them is going forward with gratifying success. Senator Cham- xt Ls 11 Germany has lost nearly half a million men since the present move- ment on the Western front began on March 21, without anything like com- mensurate gains. But the butchers in control of German military operations are probably determined to leave few | for their successors to manage after they have been disposed of them- selves. eT rT ———. Put “Pep” in the Work. The sale of Liberty bonds is not meeting with the success expected. Under the plan adopted it was hoped that the three billion issue would be oversubscribed a couple of times with- in a month from the opening of the sale. At the expiration of one-third of the time less than one-third of the total had been taken. Probably some of the mest liberal subscribers are holding back as they did on the occa- sions of previous loans and that the finish, of the “garrison” variety, will go over the top as the others did. But delays are dangerous and holding out on such things hazardous. “There's many a glip ’twixt the cup and the lip,” and promptness is a great virtue. We can imagine nothing that would be so disheartening to the soldiers at the front as the information that the bond sale had proved a failure. No other thing would gratify the Kaiser so much as to learn that the expecta- tions of the government in the sale of bonds had been disappointed. Even now it may be said that he is watch- ing the reports of sales with as great if not greater interest than any other man. Why not throw a real scare in- to him by making the returns better than expected. It can easily be done. The money is in the country and the spirit ef patriotism is amply aroused. The only trouble is that seme think it is wise to hold off until the last mo- ment. One fact may be taken home and pondered seriously. If the funds nec- essary to finish the war are not given to those charged with the collection, they will be taken by the Kaiser later. The government now offers good se- curity for the tise of the money and liberal recompense to the lenders. But when the Kaiser comes with his de- mand it will be to keep and without interest. There is time yet to bring up the average to where it ought to be if everybody gets busy and does the best possible for that result. But there is no time for “loafing’ on the job” and less for slacking on the part of those who can afford to buy. Therefore get busy now and keep busy until over the top has been attained. —The statue ‘of Frederick the Great was removed fiom the War around its neck. But the fellow who removes the Kaiser will need nothing but an ax. t —Buy a bond and bust a boche. That method of | and considerable time was consumed’ berlain may interpose discourage- ments as much as he likes. He may % Saal College campus by putting a rope | BELLEFONTE, PA.. APRIL 19, 1918. The Evil and the Remedy. A committee of independent Re- publicans of Philadelphia has issued a protest against the candidacy of John R. K. Scott, the Vare candidate for Lieutenant Governor. He “per- sonifies an implacable, degraded sys- tem,” the protest declares, “which would indellibly disgrace the honor of Pennsylvania if it should succeed in stamping itself across the map of the State by his election to the second highest office in the gift of the peo- ple.” The protest is signed by Mr. Francis B. Reeves and other well known reformers, and expresses the sentiment of a vast number of voters of the city. If they will vote as they talk the Vare candidate is not likely to get far in his ambition to run the State. Mr. Scott is the candidate of the Vares who have indicated a willing- ness to sacrifice all other political | Claims in the pending campaign in or- der to compass his election. Obvious- ly they must have some pressing rea- son for their anxiety in this matter. It has been said that the object is to put a man on the Pardon Board who would protect the criminals in the slums of Philadelphia when they go too far, or are caught in the act, in the service of the Vares. The narrow escape of those higher up from com- plicity in the Fifth ward murder last fall was an admonition to be prepared for contingencies in the future and the government by contractors will end if ballot box stuffing is to be pro- hibited. But what’s the use in keeping one Quarter Sessions lawyer off the Par- don Board in order that another law- yer of the same type may get on. We have it from the very best authority that Senator Sproul was and is entire- ly willing that Scott shall be placed on the ticket with him. Of course he had in mind some recompense in the way of the Vare support of himself but overlooked the moral side of the subject. Nor can it be said that Pen- rose is influenced by ethical consider- ations for his candidate, Mr. Beidle- man, of Harrisburg, would be quite as dangerous on the Pardon Board as The remedy is to-defeat the fox the-offic the only ‘candidate lawyer. e not a The season for war gardening has come and this year it is to be in earnest. The war gardens may save many a stomach from pangs of hun- ger before another spring comes. Exemption Board Will Complete Examinations Today. The local exemption board will to- day complete the examination of all registered young men in class Al. Every man who has been examined was promptly notified if he passed or not, and all those who desired to put in a claim for a deferred call had the opportunity to do so. The final sum- ming up of the board will not be com- pleted for some days, but when it is finished it will give the number of young men who are available for serv- ice at any time, as well as those whose call has been deferred for agricultur- al reasons or otherwise. A bill is now before Congress pro- viding for the registration on June 5th of all young men who have at- tained the age of twenty-one years since the registration on June 5th, 1917, and the same has been favora- bly recommended and will undoubted- ly pass and become effective at once. If such is the case it will largely in- crease the list of class Al men and probably prevent the necessity of call- ing men from any of the other classes. — Farmers and gardeners were very much concerned last week lest the deep fall of snow would do irrep- arable injury to the grain, gardens and fruit, but so far as can be seen at this writing very little, if any dam- age resulted. Fruit growers have ex- amined the buds of peach, cherry and apple trees and say they are uninjur- ed, while nothing that had been plant- ed in the gardens was affected in the least. A peculiar thing noticed by the writer was that the dandelions came in bloom under the snow. Dan- delions that were just coming in bud when the snow fell last Tuesday were out in full bloom when it disappeared on Saturday and Sunday, and they looked just as thrifty as if they had not been under the snow. ——Now that the big snow has gone away and the weather is more season- able the war gardeners will be more in evidence. —Government figures show that 719 tons of cabbage were manufactur- ed into sauer kraut by canneries in the State last year. — Emperor Charles, of Austria, can easily qualify as an honorary member of the Kaiser’s Ananias club. | ——Count €zernin now knows how Wolsey felt on that sad day when he lost his job. : I i —Subscribe for the “Watchman.” d- elect NO. 16. | Simmering Down. | From the Pittsburgh Dispatch. The Armageddon in France has eclipsed the crisis in the Orient. Most people have already forgotten that there was a political problem of the first magnitude looming in re- gard to Japan’s action about Siberia. nese Premier, Count Terauchi, in the House of Peers, it no longer im- pends. The government of Japan is not, he says, considering interven- tion in Siberia. It does not consider its interests in that section menaced by the presence of large numbers of Teutonic prisoners of war, whose power he characterizes as negligible. This statement of the comparative impotence of these Austro-German | prisoners in Siberia disposes of the alarmist rumors so much insisted up- on as imperative reason for immedi- ate Japanese armed intervention there. The prospect of Germany challenging Japan in Siberia never seemed an imminent peril. Long be- fore the Kaiser could cross. the bor- der of European Russia on such an Alexandrine march into Asia Japan could act, no doubt with the approval of the Allies, to check so mad a ven- ture. There are limits even to the spectacular dashes of Wilhelm into devastated and helpless neighbor- hoods. Shooting a nine-inch shell 75 miles would be simple beside shooting a German army of 2,000,000 into Siberia to fight Japan. And where are they to come from? Where can they be spared? The Western world will perhaps take a calmer view of the Siberian situation when Japan refuses to be alarmed about it. The Arousing of the West. From the Philadelphia Record. It looks as if the West were wak- ing up to the war. Two incidents point to this. South Dakota’s Legis- lature has taken the initiative in or- dering a draft of unemployed men for work on the farms, and has given guarantee of the seriousness of its in- tent and put teeth into the enactment by attaching a $1,000 fine and three months’ imprisonment for attempt at evasion. e act is aimed at the un- employed in cities who refuse to un- dertake farm work. St Dakota has ‘started in the direc Be States should follow ¢ ' one, if the government at Wash 0 ni ‘ahead of the E enactment. The impeachm Senate of Montana of a former Judge, on charges of sedition and disloyalty, is quite as significant for that State as the draft law for South Dakota. With the arousement of the West, to which such incidents as the above point, the thorough awakening of ‘the whole country, whose vastness in ex- tent and heterogeneity of population sensing the situation and comprehend- ing the issue, may speedily be looked for. Thank God! The young giant of the West is sitting up and stretching his limbs in preparation for the great drive. : : When that comes there will be no Hindenburg line left. It is quite con- Seivanle that there will be no Hinden- urg. D The Approach ef the Crisis. From the New York Times. It must be remembered that the British will win the new battle of the Somme if they with their brave allies stop the German advance, although it may take a month or more; and that the Germans will lose the" battle of the Somme if they do not route the en- emy in their front and clear the way to Amiens and Paris. Behind the lines French reserve armies await the order to throw themselves ‘into the conflict. At open fighting the Ger- mans have once been badly worsted and it is likely to be their experience again, for if they advance much farth- er they will have to deal with the ele- ment of surprise on a larger scale than at the battle of the Marne. A drawn battle of the Somme would be a decisive defeat for the Germans, for they would never be able to use their mass system of assault so effec- tively again, and the temper of their people at home would not endure an- other disappointment of their hopes. With the lessens of the Marne and Verdun before us, the power of the British and French commands to deal with the German thrust will have the confidence of those who watch the goat battle from this side of the At- antic. : Blood-Letting of Traitors Might Prove Beneficial. From the Easton Sunday Call. According to a telegram from Chi- cago a number of persons celebrated in a most shameless way, on Monday last, the advance of the German ar- my in France. While we are opposed to violence, it seems to us that a little blood-letting of these traitors would have a beneficial effect. However much any of us deprecate the war and its dreadful consequences there is only one position for an American, or for that matter one who breathes the air in the United States, and that is to do all possible to aid the cause our sol- diers are fighting for. The Circus Season in Arkansas. From the Austin, Ark., Chronicle. Owing to the fact that the show ar- rived in town Wednesday this paper may come up a little short. We couldn't watch them unload, listen to the band and edit a paper all at the same time. According to a speech of the Japa-. SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —A record price for farm land in Le- high county was reached when George M. Lutz and John H. Newhard purchased the William L. Laros farm of seventy acres in South Whitehall township for $125.000 an average of $1,780 an acre, —When John Salonski and his bride of a. few days returned to their home, 348 Olivia street, McKees Rocks, on Monday, “| from a wedding celebration held in their honor in Ruthenian hall, they found their house ransacked and $1,780 missing from a cupboard drawer. —PFriday, April 12, and Friday, April 26, have been designated by Governor Brumbaugh as Spring Arbor days. In his proclamation he makes appeal for plant- . ing of trees about public places and the planting of fruit and nut trees, as well as advancement of general reforestation. —At Shamokin within a half hour after they had partaken of canned tomatoes pur- chased at a grocery store near their home, Mrs. Margaret Frazer, her three daugh- ters and two sons were violently ill from ptomaine poisoning. Mrs. Frazer and twe daughters were unconscious several hours. —It is alleged that thousands of pounds of butter have been sold in underweight packages in the last month in stores and markets, and scores of prosecutions are threatened. In many cases the shortage in packages was so large as to make an increase of thirty per cent. or more in the price. —Thearon Bloom Jr., who operated one of the motors for the Kelley Dros. Coal company, at Glen Hope, Clearfield county. was killed on Tuesday, April 9th. His foot became fastened in a frog and he was so seriously injured that before the bear- ers carried him to the surface, life was extinct. —Alexander Sebie, an 89 year old Con- federate veteran, appeared before Serg. C. C. Hackett, in charge of the recruiting of- fice at Jeannette, seeking to enlist. Sebie served three years in a cavalry regiment. He was a teamster for 70 years and says he can help Uncle Sam by driving a mule team in France. —The State Teachers’ league at its ninth annual convention in Harrisburg adopted resolutions declaring that teachers whe have reached the age of sixty-two years should be retired on annuity continued partly by the State and partly by the teachers. This action was taken after a presentation of the situation in regard to the teachers’ retirement fund law, passed by the last Legislature, by H. H. Baish, secretary of the state board in charge, and an address by Senator E. E. Beidelman. —PFirst Lieutenant Thomas G. Murphy, of Windber, Pa., chief medical officer im the 312th Infantry, at Camp Dix, N. J., was found guilty Saturday of neglect of duty by a general court martial and sen- tenced to six months’ confinement at the cantonment and the forfeiture of $50 a month in pay during that period. He was ordered to perform his regular duties at the camp during confinement. Lieutenant Murphy was charged with neglecting to properly treat a sick soldier who after- ward died. —Judge McCormick, of Clinton county, on Tuesday ordered J. Denny O’Neil, State Highway Commissioner, indicted because of the condition of the state highway near Avis. The Highway Department has prom- |ised on numerous eccasions to make the rj ncoeseary repairs, Bo hay token. A constible was weft to Harris-- but no action has been ‘burg by the district attorney to serve a warrant on O'Neil. A similar action, brought .against a former Highway Com- missioner, was held to be illegal by the Dauphin county court. —Miss Cora L. Bixler, of Lancaster, who has filed nomination papers at Harrisburg as a candidate for Congress on the Social- ist ticket, is a young and attractive wom- an, who has been associated with the So- cialist party of Lancaster county for ten years. For some time she was editor of a local publication called “Justice.” . She is actively associated with woman suffrage work. She says that it is her purpose te make an energetic campaign for Congress, even though the Socialist vote at the elec- tion is likely to be small. —The State Highway Department has announced that with the purchase of sev- enteen miles of the Lancaster, Elizabeth- town and Middletown turnpike and twelve miles of the Lancaster and Williamstown turnpike in Lancaster county for $158,000, the State had freed 138 miles of toll roads in six months. In most of the localities authorities bore half the cost. The coun- ties where roads were freed were Lancas- ter, Dauphin, Lebamon, Berks, Fayette, Westmoreland, Blair, Delaware, Fulton, Montgomery, Franklin and Bucks. —Last week at Reading Mrs. Florence Burkholder , Young-Snyder, a twenty-one year old brunette, was arrested on a charge of bigamy. She is alleged to have married Alfred E. Snyder, of Lebanon, while the wife of Warren J. Young, of Coatesville. She faced the charge with smiles and declared her love still was with the Coatesville husband, while she hated the very sight of the Lebanon man. Sny- der met the young woman in Reading dur- ing the Christmas holidays, when she gave her name as Florence May Dillin. They were married on December 26th, and she deserted him, according to Snyder's story, in January. ® —Daniel Foster, of Youngstown, Ohio, has brought suit in the United States dis- trict court against Mrs. A. W. Seltzer, the wealthy widow of the former head of a packing firm of Pottsville, Pa., her son-in- law, William Knight, manager of the Tilt silk mill, and her daughters, Mrs. Dora Knight and Miss Amie Seltzer, for $75,000 damages. Foster is a son-in-law of Mrs. Seltzer, and alleges that the defendants alienated the affections of his wife, who was a Miss Seltzer, before her marriage. He says that, owing to this interference, his wife no longer lives with him. He also alleges that the defendants committed many overt acts in their conspiracy to damage, injure and defame him for which he demands $75,000. —George Wentzel, aged about tewnty- one years, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wentzel, of Tamarack, Lycoming county, committed suicide some time Thursday night or Friday morning of last week, by shooting himself with a 12-gaugeé shotgun. The bullet entered the left eye and the top of his head was blown off. As far as can be learned the young man werried about going to war in the select draft in the near future, and an alleged charge that he had been engaged in illegal fishing. He left his home about ten o'clock or later Thursday night, after the ether members ‘of the family had retired, and as he was not in the house the next morning, his brother and sister went out to look for him, They found the body lying along the road some distance south of his home, near the farm of A. D. Wilson.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers