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-