PE Deworealic Waldm INK SLINGS. —If Republicanism were not so greedy in Pennsylvania it would not be so disgraced. —Surely a certain sign of return to “normalcy” is stuck up in the an- nouncement that admission to circuses this season will be on the pre-war basis. —Parlor socialists have run the president out of the University at Valparaiso. Here is more evidence that it is a very dangerous thing for light heads to dabble with heavy sub- jects. —With the Abramsen Engineering Co. project put through and the silk mill already considering the addition of another unit the industrial outlook of Bellefonte isn’t so worse. Cheer up, the recent frosts didn’t kill every- thing. — Anthracite coal is to go up fifty cents a ton on May 1st. A new tax has been put on coal and, as the ulti- mate consumer always pays the taxes, you will find this one of the pleasant ways of contributing your share to- ward making the administration of Governor Sproul one of magnificent achievement. —What we can’t understand is why, when Penrose forced Sproul and Crow to accept Spangler in January, he didn’t compel them to leave him alone in April. We have a lurking suspi- cion that the Senator is dealing some cards that Governor Sproul will dis- cover at some future date that he didn’t know were in the deck. —Boy, page Mr. Know-it-all. We want to ask him why so many prod- ucts of the farm have gone down in price three hundred per cent. and those of the factory and the mill scarcely a hundred. And while we have him cornered we're going to make him tell just when and how that new emergency tariff is going to help the farmer. —The last time the Legislature passed a bill taxing anthracite coal the opeators clapped the tax right on the price to the consumer. Later the bill was declared unconstitutional and VOL. 66. STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. BELLEFONTE, PA. APRIL <9, 1921. NO. 1%. Disgraceful Proceedings in Harris- burg. It is fairly fit that after an orgie of profligacy covering a period of nearly four months the House of Representa- tives in Harrisburg should degenerate into a disgraceful mob. That is pre- cisely what it did on Monday night. of three hours one of the members called for the orders of the day. The order of the day provided for ad- journment at midnight. That hour i having arrived and in obedience to the i demand of the member for the orders , of the day, the Speaker declared the | ody adjourned and left the rostrum. | Soon afterward a number of the mem- ! bers locked the doors, elected a tem- "porary Speaker and proceeded to ' transact the business of legislation. This was not only revolutionary. It was ruffianism. But those engaged in it and those responsible for it even went further. Though the rump ses- sion began after midnight and there- | fore on Tuesday morning, an adjourn- "ment was taken an hour or so later. During the brief mob session certain important measures of legislation were taken from the coramittee to which they had been previously refer- red and passed on first reading. A new session was then organized and ' the bills passed on first reading an . hour previously, were put upon second reading and passed. The State consti- | tution in mandatory language declares , that “every bill shall be read at length on three different days.” This rump body gave the legislation enacted by it After a noisy and confusing session Ratification of the Colombian Treaty. The ratification of the Colombian treaty by the United States Senate, the other day, is a substantial, though tardy, expression of justice. It had been alleged and is generally believed in Colombia that the Panama rebel- lion was organized in Washington for a sinister purpose. It is well under- stood that it was supported and made ‘successful by the intervention of the two readings within three hours on , the same day. the tax couldn’t be collected. The op-' When the Speaker shortly after erators forgot to take it off the price, '1nignight adjourned the Monday ses- however, and we have been paying it gin in obedience to the call for the or- ever since. So far as getting any of erg of the day, he fixed the time for that back is concerned we view it as reassembling at 11 o'clock Tuesday water that’s been over the wheel. But morning agreeably to the rules. At we do think the operators might have io; o'clock on Tuesday morning the conscience enough to let the tax they jngurgent members assembled and anticipated years ago answer now, in- ,qceeded to business. When the hour stead of soaking us again for the of eleven o'clock arrived the Speaker same thing. attempted to assume the chair and —“Big Bill” Haywood, who was to was refused access to the rostrum. have reported at Leavenworth, last He was told that his seat had been de- Monday, to begin n- clared vacant: by-the insurgent mem- tence fot anti-Americanism duringethe bers and a Scdiseor had Deen clocted war didn’t report. Bill is a grand ex- Upon a sign of, protest he was met ponent of I. W. W., principles and with armed resistance, officers of the could not have been expected to have House interposing actively and the any respect, whatever, for law, his head of the state constabulary was word or his honor. The truth of the conspicuously present as a menace of matter is that he has skipped off to a purpose to employ that force to car- Russia, where he is safe for the pres- ry out the plans of the rioters. ent and while it might appear to some According to the published reports that it is a happy solution of the case, of the affair Speaker Spangler was to be rid of him entirely, he is a very subsequently permitted to address the dangerous man and his activities in a House and occupy a seat near the two federal prison would have been cir- colored members and through the cumscribed by iron bars, whereas it is same medium the public is informed now possible for him to use Soviet that all is quiet on the Susquehanna. gold in disseminating his incendiary But the incident can hardly fail to propaganda in all parts of the world leave a bad impression on the minds and more especially among his fanat- of thoughtful citizens of the State. ical followers in this country. ! Mr. Spangler in his brief protest said: — Times are so hard in Altoona that “Republican institutions are at stake it seems to be everybdy’s business to in this State and the House must meddle in the other fellow’s business. either assert its independence or rec- On Tuesday, for instance, a carnival ognize its masters who are determin- show that was having a perfectly ed to pass two measures if they have good time was raided and nine men to blow the dome off the capitol.” He and one woman arrested for running also charged the Governor with dra- gambling devices; then inspector gooning some members and threaten- Greenburg started out with a band of ing others in order to accomplish his assistants to demolish a lot of “tum- purposes and from such a source these ble down shacks” every one of which, are grave charges. we’ll bet, has a history to be proud of If this disgraceful episode had been and then a fellow by the name of the result of honest differences be- Samuel Wood, who had just made the tween high-minded men upon ques- hopeful discovery of a “phoney” tions touching the welfare of the peo- liquor concoction that tasted pretty ple there might be some excuse for nearly as bad coming up as it did the exhibition of ruffianism. But it going down, was gathered up with appears to have been based on a fac- one hundred and twenty quarts of his tional quarrel between selfish Repub- exhilerator and Judge Baldridge took lican politicians.” The Governor wants the meal tickets away from three men to create a vast army of officials for whose wives had married them for use in future political ambitions and better, but they were worse. Some his opponents are almost equally self- doings, we should say, for a town ish in their purposes. But the State where there’s supposed to be nothing is shamed, nevertheless, and public de- cency outraged by a proceeding that casts a doubt upon the validity of all legislation enacted since midnight of doing. —The Legislature adjourned as per orders yesterday. The session has been a great disappointment. Start- ing with so much promise it ended with little of accomplishment. That this default of duty can be laid whol- | TT Eee ly to politics no intelligent person will ~~ —The factional fight among the Re- refute. We mean factional politics publicans who control the Pennsylva- within the Republican party, for there nia Legislature brings no good to the have been too few Democrats in Har- Commonwealth. Ordinarily, when risburg to charge any of the derelic- thieves fall out honest men come by tions to them. The sorry showing of their own, but in this case they don’t, this session brings home to the people for all the salary raising grabs and of Pennsylvania, most convincingly, bills creating new offices and new tax- the plight they are voting themselves ' es went through just the same. into by blindly voting for party and | _——————— not for men. From many counties of | — Probably General Wood imag- the State last fall men were sent to jjeq that the head of a University has Harrisburg because they were Repub- | 3; easy road to the White House. If licans in spite of the fact that thelr pe had consulted with Dr. Butler he contestants for the office were better _ . : : qualified to be Representatives. | might have changed his mind. Pennsylvania is a Republican State and such turn-overs as elected Patti- | son and Berry happen only once in a Pa¥s life-time, but Pennsylvania needs, more than anything else, a strong minority party. The Republican par- ty needs it and it would not be in the position today of having betrayed its ercise of his prerogative adjourned the House. their demands. —— iin Monday when the Speaker in the ex- —— Complaints that Senator Pen- | administration at Washington. We were at the time under treaty obli- gation to support Colombia, and inter- vention in behalf of the Panama in- surgents was a violation of faith, pre- cisely as the invasion of Belgium by German forces in 1914 was a violation of faith. The treaty just ratified is a reparation for that injustice. There may have been cause of com- plaint against Colombia in relation to the Panama Canal. Colombia for some reason repudiated an agreement to cede the Canal Zone for a consid- eration of $10,000,000, and demanded more. But the process employed by the administration at Washington to enforce the agreement was neither le- gal nor just. If what subsequently became the republic of Panama had had sufficient force to achieve its pur- pose unassisted, the government of the United States might have held aloof and let logical results follow. But it is alleged that the administra- tion at Washington sent a force suffi- cient to make the revolution success- ful, and after the event President Roosevelt boasted of the act. “I seiz- ed the Canal Zone,” he said, “and let Congress talk afterward.” That act of violence against a weak but friendly sister Republic has been a stain upon the honor of the govern- ment of the United States ever since. As long ago as 1914 an effort was made to redress this wrong. The Wil- son administration negotiated the treaty which has now been ratified but the Republicans in the Senate pre- vented ratification for the reason, as they asserted, that it cast reflections upon Roosevelt. The failure to ratify cast reflections upon the whole Amer- ican people but that made no differ- “ence to them. Finally with a Repub- - lican majority sin the Sendte commers cial interests have obtruded them- selves and justice is done. It is taint- ed justice but we never “look a gift horse in the mouth.” ——Senator Vare, of Philadelphia, lobbied against a measure in the House which he supported in the Sen- ate. He was playing the ash cart game on the public. een sme sm eee sma General Pershing to be Shelved. Unless the gossip in Washington military circles is misleading General Pershing is in for a rather sharp chas- tisement for some of his official acts in France. It will be remembered that during the active operations in France in October, 1918, General Ed- wards, a favorite of Massachusetts politicians, was summarily relieved of his command, and General Bundy put in his place. No explanations were given for the change, as military com- manders are not expected to make ex- planations. But the New England politicians were greatly incensed and when Edwards’ name was omitted from the list of Brigadier Generals recommended for promotion to Major General by the War Department, in- dignation was openly expressed. The list for promotions was submit- ted by Secretary of War Baker, large- ly upon the recommendation of Gen- eral Pershing, and the Senate refused to confirm them. Bundy’s name was among those favored and Edwards’ was not. After the adjournment of that Congress and the assumption of office of the Harding administration the old list was withdrawn and a new one submitted. In the new list Ed- wards’ name is conspicuous and Bun- dy’s is absent. This surprising inci- dent has led to all sorts of specula- tion in military circles and has devel- oped the fact that in resentment of ' the treatment of Edwards in France, Pershing is to be disciplined, or what is worse, laid on the shelf to rust his life out. Some of the Democratic Senators are inclined to resist this program of the War Department and have been giving Secretary of War Weeks a good deal of trouble in explaining his ‘share in the matter. The investiga- tion thus far has not had smooth sail- "ing but has developed that the reason for the removal of Edwards in France was that he was inclined to be insub- ‘ordinate and while reluctantly obey- | ing orders he freely criticised the tac- | tics of his superior. Military men de- { clare that such action should prevent ——Germany moves slowly and yi hromotion but the politicians who reluctantly but it's a safe bet «1a the roost” in Washington re- that the indemnities will be discharg- | garg it as a conclusive reason why he ‘ed if the allied governments stick to 14 be honored. It is precisely | what they have been doing. ——Senator Norris admits public- trust to the Commonwealth if its cam- | rose has not been giving attention to ly that Congress is a rubber stamp in paign of deception last fall had not patronage are silenced by the evidence , the hands of the President. We doubt misled so many voters that it has that he selected the Internal Revenue it. A good rubber stamp is worth broken down under its own weight. , Commissioner. something. oni Profligacy in Harrisburg. During the present session of the Legislature twenty-four of the public officials of the State have been voted increased salary to the aggregate amount of $150,000. Most of these men are enjoying what are commonly call- ed “soft snaps.” There are dozens of capable men ready and willing to as- sume and perform the duties of each of these offices at the old rate of wages. But it appears to be a part of the program in creating a strong po- litical machine, to have plenty of offi- cers with generous salaries, so that the financing of party enterprises may be safely and easily assured. An offi- cial with a big bank balance will re- spond promptly to a demand for “the sinews of war.” During the same period eight new offices have been created with an an- nual salary list of nearly $50,000. These offices are intended to take care of useful party workers who are out of jobs and need money to indulge in their = political activities. Besides these there are a number of jobs new- ly created without definite salaries at- tached but capable of yielding gen- erous remuneration. For example, the director of the bureau of women and children in the Department of La- bor and Industry is authorized to ap- point an unlimited number of persons at any salary he chooses to allow while the director of the legislative reference bureau has an equally free hand in appointing and paying clerks and other help. During the campaign for President last year Governor Sproul spoke in nearly all the northern States in vig- orous denunciation of the profligacy of the National administration in con- ducting a war without parallel magni- tude. multiplying officials or increasing sal- aries but in expediting products essen- tian to victory. But now he has clos- ed his eyes to this record of profliga- cy, which has no excuse under the sun except to build up a political machine to promote his ambitions for even higher offices in the future. And this profligacy comes at a time when the industrial life of the country is threat- 5 with destitution. —The fact that the percentage of aliens in this country has fallen to as low a figure as it was in 1850 doesn’t reassure us so much when we know that the propaganda that they are .spreading has increased both in vol- ume and danger to a far higher per- centage than it has ever been. Germany Offers a Vast Sum. Germany is slowly but surely ap- proaching the point of reason. Some time ago the cry was raised in Berlin that it would be impossible to pay any considerable indemnity for the atroc- ities perpetrated during the war. Now it is admitted that 200,000,000,000 marks can be paid which is only 26,- 000,000,000 marks less than the Al- lies demanded. It may safely be pre- dicted that if the demand is persisted in it will be met. But the wisdom of such a course may well be doubted. The demand of the Allies extended the payment over a period of forty years. | The German tender reduces this time limit and adds a moral obligation to the legal promise to pay. Germany forced the war upon the world as a speculative enterprise. If the expectations of the Kaiser and his military advisers had been fulfilled the whole world would have been “bled white” to pile up profits. The war was conducted with comparative- ly little expense to Germany. None of her cities were devastated and none of her industries destroyed. Under the terms of peace Alsace and Lorraine were taken from her and she was de- prived of her colonial possessions. But her title to these was spurious any- way. On the other hand France, Bel- gium and Italy were looted merciless- | ly and the United States and great Britain were compelled to give up vast sums of money and a great number of lives to win the war. Two hundred billion marks is a vast sum of money. It will not be sufficient . to cover the property losses sustained by the Allies but it is probably as much as Germany can pay or will pay no matter what sum is exacted by | treaty. Forty years is a long period of time and with German thrift and industry applied her strength and pos- sibly her ambition might be restored before half the time limit is reached. Then forced promises might be repu- diated and another destructive and de- moralizing war precipitated. In view | of these facts the “bird in hand is worth two in the bush” and the ac- ceptance of the offer might be good as well as safe business policy. —The Pennsylvania Legislature, overwhelmingly Republican, has this week let it be known to the world that The extravagance was not in ‘paralysis and wage earnels rights as‘one of the Allied and Asst- We Are Not Bound by Treaty. From the Philadelphia Record. The Japanese reply on the subject of Yap is not expressed in the most courteous terms, and the temper in which it is conceived leaves a good deal to be desired. We need not, how- ever, pay too much attention to these things. A translation from Japanese into English is quite likely to give an inaccurate impression, and the Japan- ese Foreign Office was thinking a good deal about public opinion in its own country, and perhaps of Californian legislation, But there is another thing that it ought to have had in mind, and that is that the American delegation to the peace conference assented to the Japanese claims to Kiao Chau, and it was not the American delegates, but the delegates of the British dominions on the Pacific, and the representatives of governments with large Asiatic and African possessions, that opposed the “racial equality” provision which Japan was extremely anxious to em- body in the Versailles treaty. Disregarding the secondary and in- cidental elements, the fundamental points in the Japanese case are that the Supreme Allied Council and the mandatory provisions of the treaty of 1 Versailles give Japan exclusive pos- session of Yap. It ought to be clear to the Japanese statesmen that we are bound by neither of these. In regard to the Japanese claim that the United States offered no objection to the ac- tion of the Supreme Allied Council, the present administration accepts, as it ought to accept, the contrary state- ments of President Wilson and Secre- | tary Lansing. Administrations change, but the government of the United States is continuous. The Supreme Allied Council, how- ever, had merely temporary authority. It could act only until the peace con- ference acted. It was virtually a mil- itary authority which should maintain the rights of the Allied and Associat- ed Powers until the peace conference : should act and its action be ratified by the several governments. i The peace conference had no power , to bind any of the Allied and Associat- ed Powers. It could only make a ten- tative agreement to go into effect when ratified. The United States nev- I er ratified the treaty. It is idle, there- " fore, to pretend that the United States + is bound by it. The United States has , certain rights as a member of the family of nations, and it has further | ciated Powers which won the war, and | possess the right to dispose of the pro- ceeds. The peace treaty proposed a disposition which was satisfactory to , all the other parties, but was not sat- , isfactory to the United States. The United States, then, remains with all the rights it had as a member “of the family of nations, and all the rights that it acquired as one of the , victors in the world war. It cannot be | outvoted by the other nations. It is ; not bound by a treaty which other na- i tions have ratified, but which the Unit- i ed States has rejected. Japan’s title under the Supreme Allied Council and the treaty of Versailles may be per- fectly good as against the other na- tions, but it is not good as against us, "and Japan's elder statesmen ought to | recognize that it is not for the inter- est of their country to press a weak , claim against the United States, which .is seeking no advantage for itself in- ' dividually, but a basis for telegraph- | ic communication for the whole world. i : Canada to Send a Minister. From the New York World. i Premier Meighen’s announcement ‘ that Canada will send a Minister to Washington puts upon our govern- ment the duty of promptly responding | by placing a diplomatic representative | , in Ottawa. i How the new Canadian diplomat will work with the British Embassy is ‘not for us to conjecture. The wise ' tact that for half a century has left ! Canada a self-governing nation prom- ises cordial co-operation. However { that may be, there is no doubt of our ,cordiality. We have seen Canada | grow to a nation of power and prom- {ise on our northern border with the ‘ keenest interest, without thought of | jealousy, in an amity rarely and nev- "er long disturbed by serious quarrel. i In a war-saddened world Canada ! and the United States present the memorable example of peace main- | tained unbroken for more than a cen- | tury on the longest unscientific boun- | dary in history. Mountain ranges, big lakes, valleys grooved by ancient i glaciers, operate by natural law to throw trade and travel across this highly artificial line; yet no fort or ‘gun or armed ship guards friend against friend. Across such a line | ; the new envoy will be welcomed al- | most as our own. Jobs for the Senate. From the Indianapolis News. | As soon as the Senate perfects its scheme for keeping government bonds | at par it will probably take up some | easy job, such as writing a tariff law | which will please every one. 1 ee i It Can’t Be Done. From the Cincinnati Enquirer. It is all right to say exactly what you think. But you are going to spend most of your time in the hospital. ——The esteemed Philadelphia In- its sessions have the welfare of the quirer protests against the profligacy Commonwealth only as a secondary of the Legislature but the esteemed consideration to the triumph of one or | Inquirer has spent its whole life mak- the other wings of the party that ing the profligacy of the Legislature rules it. | possible. . SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. -——Sherman Rogers, aged 16, a Johnstown boy, was electrocuted last Wednesday afternoon while climbing a telephone pole. - Bert Hudson, a companion, was badly burned. —A rooster which William Jones, an Avis farmer, was trying to catch, flew at the man’s face, and struck him in the eye with one of its spurs, injuring the optic so badly that it was removed by Jersey Shore hospital surgeons. —Auditors of Venango county have been working continuously on the county books since January 3rd, and are not able to even approximate the length of time re- quired to complete their work. It is said the audit will be the longest and the most expensive in that county’s history. —While baking in the kitchen of her home on the farm in Helfenstine valley, near Mount Carmel, Mrs. Elizabeth Graff failed to notice the upper part of the house was burning until it had great headway. Her face and hands were badly burned when trying to save the property, which burned to the ground. —How the religious people do things in Sunbury was illustrated on Sunday when the First Presbyterian church, the Rev, J. W. Todd pastor, raised the last of $50,000 for a new Sunday school building. Three days previous a campaign was started to raise this amount and they went “after it.” Sunday night it was announced that the necessary money had been raised. —Lebanon is to have the largest maca- roni factory in the country, according to plans announced last week by the Key- stone Macaroni company for the extension of its already large plant. A six-story an- nex is to be built at once at a cost of $200,- 000. The present output of the plant is to be increased from 420,000 to 850,000 pounds of macaroni a week and the operating force increased to 300 hands. —The wisdom of Solomon was shown by Justice G. W. Stroup, of Mount Carmel, recently, when Mrs. Labora Orlando and Mrs. Peter Gigunski, both of Kulpmont, claimed a prize hen that the latter had in her possession and which she was charged with stealing. Justice Stroup took the hen to a neutral point in the neighborhood and liberated it and the queen layer went right home to Mrs. Orlando’s coop. Mrs. Gigunski must pay the costs. —Twelve bunkhouses of the Dwight P. Robinson company of New York, contrac- tors erecting the power plant of the Penn Public Service corporation at Seward, Westmoreland county, burned to the ground late on Sunday and 500 workmen were rendered homeless. Some are being cared for at Seward homes, but a large number are destitute. Nearly all the men lost all their possessions in the blaze, some of the losses consisting of large sums of money. —Paul A. Webb, a Junior in Allegheny College, at Meadville, has met all expenses and cleared about $1000 a year by collect- ing “hell-benders” and fishing worms and selling them to institutions where they are used for dissection purposes in the study of comparative anatomy. Webb, a Rus- sian by birth, is specializing in biology. He has compounded a secret solution which, sprinkled on the ground, brings ar- mies of worms to the surface, even in the middle of January. —Investigating reports of destitution at ayscoke plant mear Uniontown, a committee of women found nine families virtually in want and each of the families owned an automobile. While money was rolling in at a lively rate, the families purchased the machines and when work got slack they were unable to dispose of them. The com- mittee will assist in selling the automo- biles and render other assistance. It is said that similar conditions exist in other sections of the coke field. —Hereafter men who have occasion to go to the Uniontown postoffice must confine their visits to mail and not include female, and the women will no more find male in- stead of mail there, according to an edict just issued by Mayor W. H. Smart, which says the postoffice must cease as a rendez- vous for the young. “I'll see you at the postoffice,” will cease to be a byword in Uniontown if the mayor carries out his threats. sons caught loafing or spooning in Uncle Sam's building. re —Bond holders of the Sunbury and Sus- quehanna Railway company, represented by John W. Whitaker, on Monday bought the property at receivers’ sale for $55,000. This includes six miles of line operating between Sunbury and Selinsgrove and a mile opposite the Pennsylvania railroad yards north of Northumberland, and known as the Sunbury, Lewisburg and Milton railway company. The property has been in the hands of receivers for eight years. Bonds and mortgages total | more than $350,000. —Although two men who attempted to break into the bond house of the McHenry distillery at Benton, Columbia county, one night last week, were fired at by guards, and one of them was wounded, they made their escape in an automobile before the guards could give the alarm and take up the chase. One of the guards emptied his rifle at the fleeing figures. One of the would-be thieves dropped a pair of steel clippers, which it is believed, they intend- ed to use to cut the telephone wires and also to cut the staples from the doors holding the padlocks. The other man dropped a revolver in his flight. —Stewards representing the executive committee of the Danville district of the Central Pennsylvania conference of the Methodist Episcopal church met at Sun- bury and fixed the salary of the Rev. J. E. A. Bucke, Newberry, district superintend- ent, at 7 per cent. of the pastors’ salaries, which is estimated at $7000 yearly. Pas- tor Bucke succeeds the Rev. Dr. John S. Souser, Sunbury, who died several days ago. Twenty-two men, representing the sixty-five charges in the district, were in attendance. It was also decided to buy a home in Sunbury for Mr. Bucke, and the “Episcopal Fund” was assessed at 214 per cent. of pastors’ pay. This also is raised by the churches in the district. —Watsontown is left without hotel ac- commodations for man or beast by the closing of the Cooner hotel as a public house. This was Watsontown’s oldest ho- tel and has never been managed by any other than a member of the Cooner family. It was built in 1856 by William Cooner, widely known as the keeper of the stone tavern on the road from McEwensville to Muncy, which was one of the stopping places on the stage route between Harris- burg and Williamsport. He managed the house for fifteen years, when his son suc- ceeded him, and since then, although the management of the hotel has frequently changed, it always remained in the hands of a member of the old hotel proprietor's family. a He declares he will arrest all per-