Deworwaic Alten INK SLINGS. —Sunday was the day that gave us our first touch of spring fever and spring feet. —The most popular stream on the 15th will probably be the one the most moon shine’s on. —Isn’t it strange that the middle name of both Fatty Arbuckle and Ma- bel Normand should have been Ob- security. —We know Centre county has the $100,000 to give to her hospital. What we are hoping most for is that she will have the impulse to give it. —Right or wrong we can’t with- hold admiration for Mr. Vanderlip. A million dollar libel suit hasn’t caused him to falter a moment in his desire to purge his party of its exploiters or do his duty, as he sees it, to his government. —Grover Cleveland Bergdoll wants to come back to America and take his medicine. Why? Because he has lived long enough in Germany to find out that the country he refused to fight for is the one that he really ought to have fought for. —The Washington Star is reassur- ed by returns from various parts of the country that indicate confidence in President Coolidge. We see no ex- pression of confidence in the mere fact that he is gathering in the delegates. There seems to be nobody else ser- iously after them and, in the light of what is happening in Washington, it locks like nobody other than one who has the bear by the tail could scare up nerve enough to get after them. —The Department of Agriculture has just discovered painted fish in the Philadelphia markets. White salmon have been dipped in coal tar dye so as to give them a reddish tint and make them salable as red salmon, a varie- ty that is in greater demand and com- mands a slightly higher price. Isn’t it awful, what tricks the fish men re- sort to to make suckers out of the public. Fishermen and horse jockeys have been licensed, it seems, to put anything they can over on the public. —At a public sale at Lemont last week a wheelbarrow brought more than a sleigh, a buggy and a set of harness combined. On the face of it the disparity looks ridiculous, but if you had to move something some- where wouldn’t you rather get between the handles of a wheelbarrow and push than throw the stuff into a bug- gy or sleigh, the harness on yourself and pull it along. All of us “played horse” when we were kids, but most of us prefer pushing a wheelbarrow to doing it now. —Always the tax problem has been. Always it will be the one most difficult for government to solve equitably for the individual. Our system of collect- ing federal taxes, indirect in every re- spect except that on incomes, has had a tendency to befog the taxable on a matter on which he should have a very clear knowledge. Recently pub- lished statistics on the taxes collected by the federal government on automo- biles and accessories reveal how one class really unknowingly pay far more than is fair. This tax has been col- lected under the general belief that the federal government is returning it to the States in the way of appropria- tions for roads. As a matter of fact over half a billion dollars have been added to the cost of the automobiles we drive by these taxes while the fed- eral government has returned to the States, up to this time, only forty- five per cent. of this vast sum. —We’re off radio parties for good. Some weeks ago we told you how we’d been kept so busy maintaining our equilibrium while being shot through the air from Springfield to Zion, to Atlanta and thirty other places that we: never heard anything else than wind whistling in our ears. Well, the other evening we accepted a hurried invitation to “come down at once, it’s coming in just wonderful.” We went. It was wonderful. The Rev. Dr. Somebody up in Schenectady was just launching what promised to be a fine sermon when all the ladies in the par- ty were handed papers indicating sta- tions that were casting at that hour. Then the bargain counter claque be- gan. Until they had decided whether WBZ, WCAE, WCBD, WIP, WGY or WSB offered the best Sunday evening program the poor preacher up in Sche- nectady couldn’t be heard and then he was pronouncing the benediction and from sheer force of habit we got up and marched out when the postlude began. —Mr. George S. Bliss, meteorolo- gist at Philadelphia, may be talking from the book when he says “the cli- mate is not changing, the winters are now not less cold than former- ly,” but we, for one won’t be convinc- ed until he tells why the Carolinas are no longer the orange growing belt of the Atlantic coast and why for the past fifteen years we haven’t had any real winter up here until after Christmas. As a boy—forty years ago—we don’t recall a Thanksgiving day from school that wasn’t spent skating on the “car works dam.” Since we passed from those days of achievement in cutting “the grape vine,” and our initials in the ice we can’t recall one Thanksgiving day on which there has been skating. How is Mr. Bliss going to explain that? Don’t tell him that the dam went out about the time we had to give up skat- ing to earn our own meal ticket and haven’t been so interested in hunting places to cut the grape vine on Thanksgiving day since that calami- ty befell us. Aemacr VOL. 69. STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. SERVE CENTRE’S BELLEFONTE, PA., MARCH 28, 1924. SICK! Shameful Record of Venality. Mr. Will H. Hays, who was chair- man of the Republican National com- mittee in 1920 and set a pace in bood- ling politics which will probably never be matched, was a witness before the Walsh committee, on Saturday, and in a tone of righteous indignation de- nied that Harry Sinclair had given 75,000 shares in one of his cil com- panies to cancel the debt of the com- mittee. He didn’t give 75,000 shares, Mr. Hays protested, he only gave seventy-five thousand dollars. Here is the difference between tweedledum and tweedledee. The Ropublican Na- tional committee wouldn’t accept oil stock from Mr. Sinclair but was de- lighted to accept the money which he received from oil stock with all the taint on it. Mr. Hays, who poses as a christian gentleman and church worker, was equally emphatic in a declaration that he had no relationship with the Sin- clair oil operations. It is true, he admitted, that while he was Postmas- ter General the firm of Hays and Hays, composed of himself and his brother, attorneys at law in Sullivan, Indiana, were serving as counsel for all the Sinclair oil interests in that State though Sinclair had no oil interests in Indiana. The law firm had some dealings in bonds of the Sinclair corporations but that was a purely personal affair. No doubt Mr. Sinclair put the same construction on it. He wasn’t much concerned about law. He had plenty of real lawyers to look after his legal matters. But Hays could help him in his dealings with the government. Thus one after another of the Re- publican managers are brought into the web of corruption woven by Har- ry Sinclair and aided much or little according to circumstances in robbing the government of its most precious resources. Beginning at the Chicago convention which nominated Harding not only the assets but the honor of the government were sacrificed to feed the rapacity of a group of spec- ulative pirates who set out to get con- trol of the oil, coal and timber of the country, and to achieve the dastardly purpose corrupted the official life of Washington from the White House down to the menials. It is a shame- ful record of official venality. It has no parallel in modern history. ——— A toe eset Organized Efforts to Stop Inquiries. There seems to be in process of or- ganization a movement to check the congressional investigations now in progress. Leading Republican news- papers are protesting that needed and necessary legislation is being delayed and may be defeated because so much time is being spent in investigations. It is true that the present session of Congress has accomplished little or nothing in the way of legislation. Hardly any work has been completed though nearly four months of the ses- sion have elapsed. But as Senator Robinson, of Arkansas, declared the other day, this default is not ascrib- able to the investigations. the majority party in both chambers of Congress. The reason for this “false alarm” is equally obvious. The investigations are wrecking the Republican party and the leaders want them called off, not for the purpose of advancing the pending legislation but in the hope of saving the political bacon. The evi- dence brought out in the oil lease in- quiry and that of the Attorney Gen- eral has drawn so close to the White House and involves so many of the Republican leaders that the party managers realize impending disaster unless the exposures are stopped. Senator Borah raised the danger sig- nal a few days ago and the smaller fry are echoing his cry of alarm. But it will fail of its purpose. Neither the Democratic leaders nor the people are fooled. The investigations have not inter- fered with the process of legislation in the least. They are conducted in the mornings and discontinued each day at noon, the time fixed for the sessions for purposes of legislation. But they are making trouble for the Republican party and also making things bad for the crooks in and out of Congress who have been exploiting the resources of the people and loot- ing the treasury of the country ever since the inauguration of the Harding administration. It may be that the disclosures have had some effect in the way of paralyzing the leadership of the Republican party but that is no reason for abandoning the investiga- tions. They are serving a useful purpose. It is be- | cause of the absence of leadership in U X ' just reason for thus betraying his Impending Fight of Interest. Now that the candidates are lined up and their places on the ballot fixed we may expect a pretty fight for the honors of the Republican machine during the brief period from this time until the primary election. It is safe to predict that the feature of the fight will be the contest between million- aire Strassburger and multi-million- aire Pinchot for the seventh seat in the delegation-at-large. There is a possibility that both these candidates might “nose-in” ahead of multi-mil- lionaire Mellon, who is strangely un- popular. But the fight between Pin- chot and Strassburger will be more than political. Strassburger is the representative of the wet element in the party and Pinchot the antithesis. Moreover, both these gentlemen will be fighting for their political lives in this contest. If Pinchot is defeated he will be as helpless during the re- mainder of his term of Governor as a crippled child. All Governors exper- ience a waning of popularity as well as power after the middle of the term has passed. The patronage is prac- tically all disposed of during the first half of the term and while there are spoils to distribute there is servility in proportion. But Mr. Pinchot will feel the contact of “cold shoulder” more acutely than any of his prede- cessors for the reason that he failed to a greater extent during the period he ought to have been strong. He was too commercial even for the hucksters. There is one chance that the Gover- nor may come out of the scrap a big winner. It depends largely on the ac- tivity of the women. By some strange process of reasoning Gifford has re- tained the confidence of the women voters, notwithstanding he has done less for them than any prominent politician in the State. During the time that Senator Pepper and chair- man Baker were fencing with the question of ignoring the women in the make up of the list of delegates, Pin- chot remained as quiet as a mouse when one emphatic declaration in jus- tice to the women would have sent the machine managers scurrying to cover. But Giff never made a sound. He was looking after his own interests, and vet the women stick to him. Where there is so much oil the places must be slippery. : Sinclair Denounced Roosevelts. It is not surprising that Harry Sin- clair has fired a broadside into the ar- mor of assumed righteousness in which the Roosevelt family has envel- oped itself. It was really Archie’s revelation that “spilled the Sinclair beans” and may ultimately send Sin- clair to prison. When he notified chairman Walsh that Sinclair’s secre- tary had informed him that a large amount of money had been sent to Secretary Fall’s foreman, he opened up a floodgate of scandal which has already condemned Fall and is quite likely to submerge Sinclair. Under the Sinclair philosophy Archie had no employer. Mr. Sinclair had been good to the Roosevelt family. It has been said, and the statement has never been denied, that young Theodore Roosevelt was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy at the request of Harry F. Sinclair who, as a liberal contributor to the cam- paign fund, had large influence with the administration. It was exactly the favor young Theodore wanted. His aim was to “follow in the foot- steps” of his illustrious father who held that office in the administration of President McKinley. Then Sinclair gave Archie a job at $5000 and then $10,000 and finally $15,000 a year, and as he declares in his open letter to “the family,” “notwithstanding all the opportunities and encouragement that had been given him he never could have made good.” It may be assumed that Mr. Sin- clair was not entirely influenced by affection for the Roosevelt family in thus bestowing favors on Theodore and Archie. While he was generous- ly benefitting them he was diligently striving to get favors for himself in the shape of a lease of the navy oil reserve at Teapot Dome in which The- odore had considerable influence. But men of the Sinclair type don’t meas- ure accurately or balance nicely in calculating favors received and be- stowed. He got what he wanted from the Navy as certainly as Roosevelt got what he coveted in the form of of- fice, and in opening up the floodgate of scandal Sinclair thinks Roosevelt “welched” and possibly that is true. Senator Spencer's Futile Effort. Senator Spencer, of Missouri, is do- ing his best to serve the crooks who have been exploiting the resources of the government since the return of the Republican party to power three years ago. Spencer is a member of the committee investigating the Tea- pot Dome iniquity and from the be- ginning of the inquiry has been striv- ing to prevent disclosures that might incriminate the accused members of the cabinet. Upon the announcement, the other day, that the treasurer of the Republican National committee be subpoenaed Mr. Spencer jumped to his feet and moved that “we subpoena the chairman and secretary of the Demo- cratic National committee.” It was intended to infer that Democrats are involved in the scandal. In the course of this investigation it has been shown that some. promi- nent Democratic lawyers have been employed by oil corporations to ren- der legitimate legal services. Some of these lawyers had previously been in the service of the government. But their official relations with the gov- ernment had been terminated long be- fore they accepted retainers for out- side work, and so far as the facts have been revealed none of them has engaged to serve clients against the interests of the government. On the other hand members of the Republi- can cabinet have actually trafficked in the resources of the government and the trail has led right into the White House. It was asserted, on apparently re- liable authority, that Mr. Sinclair had settled a debt of the Republican Na- tional committee by contributing shares of one of his oil companies. The then chairman of the committee admitted that he had contributed a large sum of money to cancel the debt. That was the reascn the treas- urer of the committee was subpoe- naed, and Senator Spencer’s effort to divert attention from the truth was as futile as it was contemptible. Like every other grave scandal which has been developed within the last half century those now under exposure are purely Republican. Senator Spencer may not be well informed but he knows that much. —Those Republican Senators who are running around in circles, yelling their heads off about nothing being done don’t seem to have sense enough to stop and ask themselves the ques- tion: Why isn’t anything being done ? They are in the majority. They could go on with their regular pro- gram—if they have one. Walsh and Wheeler are Democrats and on any other occasion their absence from the Senate would be welcomed by these panic stricken Republicans if they re- ally had anything they wanted to enact. ——James R. Paul and Charles F. Schwab having withdrawn as candi- dates from this District to the Demo- cratic National convention there are only two aspirants before the coming primaries. They are John F. Short, of Clearfield, and Robert M. Foster, of Centre. ——There is a strong suspicion among well informed voters that Gov- ernor Pinchot is still secretly cher- ishing a hope that he may be nominat- ed by the Cleveland convention. Srp sts There are 2009 resolutions to amend the constitution of the United States on the calendars of Congress and one or two of them may be worth considering. I ————— A A — President Coolidge will hardly find in the Dakota primary great cause for rejoicing. He got a plural- ity but far from a majority of the votes. Secretary Mellon denies that his corporations got large income re- bates. May be that is the reason he is so anxious to cut the rates. Edward R. Benson, of Mt. Jew- ett, McKean county, is the only Dem- ocrat seeking the nomination for Con- gress in this District. ——The old shibboleth, “turn the rascals out,” is particularly appropri- ate this year, and the job should be well done, at that. Republican newspapers which pretend to be independent are having a hard time to maintain their balance these days. Wheat Competition. From the Philadelphia Record. It is probably true that Canada and Argentina can undersell us in wheat. Transportation from Argentina is mostly by water, and a larger propor- tion of the route from Canada to Eu- rope than the route from American wheat fields to Europe is by water. It is also true that the Canadian roads have reduced their rates to something like the prewar level, while in the United States the rates, though some- what reduced, are still 45 per cent. higher than they "vere ten years ago. The land values also increase the cost of raising wheat in this country, but it is necessary to bear in mind at this point that the selling price of land is its capitalized earning capaci- ty. If land is worth more here than in Canada or Argentina it is because our population is much greater, our industrial development is proportion- ately much greater, and owing to the climate and the population there is far more diversification of agriculture here than in Canada, where the ex- pansion of wheat raising has been enormous in the last 20 years, and in Argentina. The climate of the North- west provinces of the Dominion, where nearly all the wheat is raised, admits of few crops besides wheat. Argentina has a vast area and a sparse population, and there is not much market for its produce except the foreign markets for wheat and animal products like wool and meats. It is quite possible that we shall give up raising wheat for export. This is suggested in the President’s proclamation increasing the duty on wheat; in Secretary Wallace’s report at the end of last year on the wheat situation, and in a report made last summer to a convention of wheat growers in the Southwest. It is not yet certain that wheat growing for export will be given up here, but it is very probable. If our land is too valuable for wheat raising it is due to the fact that with so large a popu- lation as ours, and with so great a proportion of it living in towns, great- er profits can be made from animal industries, dairy farming and the raising of fruits and vegetables. It would be hardly correct to say that Canadian and Argentine compe- tition was driving our farmers out of wheat raising; it would be nearer the truth to say that our farmers are be- ing drawn away from wheat raising by the greater returns from the other forms of agriculture. But the grow- ing of wheat for export has so long been one of our staple industries— perhaps the most conspicuous feature, after cotton, of our agriculture—that it is hard to imagine the United States out of the world’s wheat mar- kets. And when we raise no more wheat than our own consumption re- quires, and the price of wheat is no longer controlled by a worldwide com- petition, the price of bread for more than half our population will be per- manently raised. Fritz is Found Out. From the New York Tribune. The ease with which the Germans hav: always financed their raw ma- terial purchases in this country was pretty convincing evidence of an ample volume of German dollar de- posits. American citizens were swindled out of about $750,000,000 by the unloading here of worthless paper marks. That was a mammoth nest egg. Hugo Stinnes, who has inter- nationalized his colossal fortune as far as possible, has always been able to keep generous credits in the Unit- ed States and in South America, as well as in Holland, Switzerland, Scan- dinavia and Great Britain. The reparation experts are discov- ering exactly what a common-sense view of the situation indicated would be discovered. Also exactly what the Germans and their apologists espe- cially wanted to keep in the dark. German default has been a systemat- ic fraud. Stinnes himself once admit- ted that it was. It was a good piece of mendacity while it lasted. But German mendacity has already seen its best days. mt ——— fap eee ~——The Governor will be in fifth place on the ballot, but to voters who can read and write one place is about as good as another. ——The people of Philadelphia are enthusiastically for good government ‘| every day of the year except election day. ——Poor old Missouri! With Jim Reed and “Sap” Spencer representing her in the Senate she is a subject of pity. ——In a crowd of Republicans if anybody should shout “Third Party” the whole bunch would be scared stiff. ——When a commitment is present- ed to him Mr. Sinclair will probably change his mind about testifying. SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —As he shut off the power and applied the air brakes on the incline cars of the Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon railroad, in Pittsburgh, at 4:10 o'clock on Saturday morning, Conrad Orris, 68 year old engi- neer, was stricken with apoplexy and died before a physician arrived. —Fire on Sunday morning destroyed the Nickle Alloy plant, causing a loss of about $25,000. As the fires in that department were drawn Saturday at noon, the origin of the fire is unknown. The entire plant was threatened with destruction. —An old flour mill in Montoursville is being transformed into an apartment house and the water power which was formerly used to turn the wheels of the mill will be used to manufacture electric current for lighting the structure and furnishing pow- er for electric appliances for the tenants, —The Tyrone Gas and Water company, which owns and controls the gas and wa- ter supply in that city, has authorized an expenditure of $200,000 to repair and ex- tend the present gas and water facilities. To add pressure to the gas mains in the extension of the present lines, a new gas reservoir tank is being constructed. —Northampton county officials are an- gry over the return of Walter Moline, con~ victed murderer of officer Rush Stehlin to the Northampton county prison from the eastern penitentiary at Philadelphia. The penitentiary officials have twice claimed that Moline is insane and commissions were appointed, which found him to be sane. —Announcement that he is about to re- tire to private life has been made by Dr. John Howard Harris, for the last five vears president emeritus of Bucknell Uni- versity, and for the preceding thirty years head of the institution of learning at Lew- isburg. He intends to make his home in Scranton following commencement in June. ‘ —A rehearing on the application of the Philipsburg Motor Bus company for a certificate of public convenience to operate as a common carrier between Sandy Ridge, Centre county, and Tyrone, Blair county, has been refused by the public service commission. The commission also reaf- firmed its approval of the application of the Fullington Auto Bus company amend- ing its charter by covering an extension of a motor bus route from Philipsburg to Tyrone, \ —Members of the James Banks family, of Mifflin county, have served the Pennsyl- vania Railroad company a greater number of years continuously in the aggregate than any other family on the records. Eight sons were born in the Banks fam- ily at Ryde, Pa., fifteen miles west of Lew- istown, in Mifflin county, where they all learned telegraphy at the same tower, started in life on the same basis, and now the eight all hold responsible positions in the railroad service. —Rex Jewell & Co., drilling for gas on the county home farm, half a mile south of Butler, Pa., have brought in a seven- barrel oil well in the 100-foot sand. The well is a surprise, as it was believed there was no oil in that locality. Paying gas wells have been obtained on the county home farm years ago, but they have long since become exhausted. The county owns 190 acres in a solid block, and if the pres- t oil well holds up developments are ex- “aed in that section this summer. —According to a dispatch from Vancou- ver, B. C., Thomas Gemmell, Scotch coal miner, at one time a resident of Janes- ville, Clearfield county, is heir to a $200,- 000 estate, left by a brother, John Gem- mell, who died at Nanaimo, B. C., in 0Oc- Gemmell resides in Swissdale. He has ‘a number of friends in Clearfield and was mine foreman at Janesville, ing of the coal fields in that section. a= sheriff of Blair county, will receive $20 fa month less than she has been getting, ac-. county salary board. ed $150 a month by the board and appeai- county offices. county. In the jar was found $2800 in bills of various denominations, which Gusic ad- to his old home in Europe. This amount and $2000 additional, which he had sent by land, he said, had been made moonshine in less than a year. through —Appearance of two cases of smallpox at Clearfield within the last few days, added to cases in other localities, caused a general warning to be sent out through- out the State on Monday by Dr. J. Moore Campbell, chief of the bureau of commu- nicable diseases, Department of Health, advising county medical authorities and employers to see that all new employees are vaccinated. One or more cases now are under quarantine in Braddock, Jean- nette, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Darby township, Delaware county, and Washing- ton county, he said. —Fire which started in the Jamison block, in the heart of the business section of Williamsport about 8 o'clock Thursday night, burned until Friday morning, and caused a loss of more than $100,000. Three stores were almost entirely burned out. They are the F. H. Patchen company dry goods store, the Electric Shop and I. Blon- der, ladies’ wearing apparel shop. A num- ber of offices on the second floor were dam- aged by smoke and water. The fire start- ed in the basement and had gained cons siderable headway before discovered. Sev- eral firemen were overcome by the dense smoke trying to fight the flames in the cellar, —T can whip any man in Washingloft county,” declared Mrs. Paul Waselko, of Atlasburg, when her husband failed to re sent an alleged insult by Frank Kolsh, a boarder. She immediately proved her as- sertion by punching Kolsh around the room, finally knocking him unconscious and then kicking and stamping him until his ribs, nose, jaw and other bones were broken. The woman, standing six feet tall and weighing more than 200 pounds, her husband and Andrew Gober, who was in the house, were lodged in the county jail to await the result of Kolsh’s injuries. Previous to jumping on Kolsh Mrs. Wa- selko used nothing but her fists, witness- es said. finishing department of the Hyde City: tober, 1922. At the present time Thomas Clearfield § county, during the early days of the open-" —Instead of getting the increase in sal-$. ary, for which she applied to the court, Mrs. Gertrude L. Haagen, chief deputy : cording to Saturday's action of the Blair we She had been award- ed to Judge Thomas J. Baldridge for $179, : which is the salary of other deputies "in > He remanded the matte pe to the board, which fixed her pay at $130. iE —~Searching in a darkened cellar for Vas idence of violation of the prohibition la v,. officers last Friday unearthed a glass ja T° ol 0 beneath the basement floor at the home of Ts X Joseph Gusic, at Mather, Washington £n sy mitted he had buried preparatory to going mail last week to relatives in his native ie R= Pee poe