INK SLINGS.
—Gradually the Vermonters are el-
bowing the Ohioans off the Mayflower.
—Anyway Governor Pinchot is no
undetermined quantity. He is always
riding the crest of the wave or playing
the wreckage that the backwash of
-disaster casts up to bleach on the
sand.
—In January the Bellefonte Meth-
-odists always have a revival to rekin-
dle the sparks of brotherly love and
christianity, but by March, confer-
.ence time, when the future of their
pastor is in the balance there isn’t a
spark of either left.
—Aside from the earthquake on the
‘Atlantic seaboard, the disastrous fire
‘in Japan, the tornado in Illinois, the
defeat of the United dry bill and a few
other calamities that we’ve got to face
‘when they come March hasn’t been
:such a bad month after all.
—The Legislature is doing the right
thing in refusing to appropriate all
the money Pinchot wants for his var-
ious measures. We're going to have
a new Governor in less than two years
cand it is our bet now that he won’t
need hay for any one of the Pinchot
hobby-horses.
—The President is reported as hav-
ing decided to lean no longer for sup-
port on the “Old Guard” in the Sen-
ate. He is going to designate Sena-
tors Reed, Edge and the other young-
er Senators as his mouth pieces. You
know they were such howling success-
es in handling his nomination of War-
ren for a Cabinet position.
—The statement recently made by
Mary E. Hamilton, New York's first
policewoman, to the effect that less
than ten per cent. of delinquent chil-
dren come from criminal environment,
is astounding. It is not only astound-
ing, but a terrible arraignment of the
homes of the other ninety per cent.,
where parents, smug in their social
and other positions, are losing touch
with their children, and letting them
slip into the devious paths of crime.
—John A. McSparran, former head
of the State Grange and our recent
candidate for Governor, is seeking a
divorce on the grounds of desertion.
It will be recalled that he was married
to a very prominent Massachusetts
woman in the midst of his guberna-
torial campaign, and it is now inti-
mated that she was so obsessed with
the idea of presiding over the execu-.
tive mansion on Front St., Harrisburg,
that the shock of landing in a real
“dirt farmer” home at Furnace, Lan-
caster county, was a bit more than
she could stand.
—If we could only clear up one lit-
tle uncertainty we'd be able to give
you a right intelligent idea of what is
confronting Centre county in the way
of a judicial contest. We have all the
candidates but one indexed exactly.
If some one could get Arthur Dale out
of the twilight zone and tell us defi-
nitely whether he will be a candidate,
and, if so, what tickets he will run on
for nomination we would go so far as
to make a prediction as to who the
nominees will be. This much we will
say. If Judge Dale is a candidate at
the primaries there will be three nom-
inees on the fall ballot.
—In an article in April World’s
Work Mr. Rollin Lynde Harte says,
after having traveled three thousand
miles investigating the situation “it
did not seem to me that prohibition
was supported by an overwhelming
majority of the American people.” He
is of the opinion that the chances of.
sffective enforcement have been irre-
trievably lost more through the ap-
pointment of crooked enforcement of-
ficers than from - any other cause,
though in his conclusion he coincides
with the “Watchman’s” oft expressed
opinion that if the experiment fails it
will really be because of the fact that
it is a moral and not a political or le-
zal issue.
—Methodists are inaugurating an
architectural campaign in church con-
struction that would restore the altar
and create more imposing and impres-
sive auditoriums. It is a step toward
she ideal we have always held for the
House of God. To us the interior of
1 church, if it is subdued in light and
soloring, significant in its furnishing
ind appointments, impressive in its
solemnity, is a wordless sermon that
ften gets nearer the heart and con-’
science than the spoken one from the
»ulpit. All the atmosphere of our
deal church should so convey its
~hrist saturation as to compel entrance
nto it with bowed head and humble
nien. To us what God’s servants say
loesn’t count nearly so much as con-
sciousness that we are in God’s house.
—The Ludlow bill, now before the
Legislature, and advocated by Wom-
‘n’s clubs in many parts of the State
1s a measure that would effect great
:conomy might do so in its application
n larger counties, but it would be of
loubtful value to Centre. We are not
ible to present a comparative state-
nent as to the cost of its operation in
he collection of taxes. It provides a
ew plan of assessment, however, by
reating two county assessors at a
‘alary of $2,000 each and such assist-
nts at $1500.00 as the population of
‘he county would require. It cost
entre last year to assess properties
nd register voters $6943.29. If only
wo assessors were named there would
'e a saving, but we fear the scramble
or the $1500 plums ‘as assistants
vould be so great as to break down
he resistance of any. appointive pow-
r and the new method would §oon be-
ome more costly than the old.
STATE ‘RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
VOL. 70.
Coolidge Adopts a Curious View.
The grand jury sitting in and for
the United States District court in
Philadelphia, made a presentment,
the other day, which created quite an
excitement 4n Washington and consid-
erable comment everywhere else ex-
cept in Philadelphia. After a search-
ing investigation covering a period of
five months’ time the jury reported to
the court that “Philadelphia is the
alcohol capital of the United States,”
that “agents and employees of the
prohibition department should be
under the civil service law;”’ that “it
would be better to place the enforce-
ment end of this law directly under
the Department of Justice;” “that dis-
tilleries should not be allowed to pur-
chase alcohol from other distilleries,”
and “a complete reorganization of the
prohibition department,” should be
made.
It is not surprising that President
Coolidge was deeply “stirred” when
he read this report. The grand jury
which made the report was composed
of respectable, and presumably intel-
ligent, citizens of the several counties
which comprise the Eastern judicial
district of Pennsylvania, and was as-
sembled at the instance of Judge J.
Whitaker Thompson, a jurist of high
character and large experience. More-
over its findings are not surprising.
Other investigators had made similar
reports. Governor Pinchot in two
addresses to the Legislature had re-
vealed all the facts embodied in the
jury’s report and considerably more.
But even the speech of the Governor
failed to carry the weight of a grand
jury’s presentment, and possibly the
voice of Pinchot failed to penetrate
the White House. .
But though “stirred” by the inci-
dent President Coolidge does not seem
to have given it the interpretation
which might have been expected. He
has expressed the belief that the jury
was “four-flushing,” that “it was un-
able, apparently, to find anything on
which to base indictment,” and curi-
ously enough Wayne B. - Wheeler,
counsel of the Anti-Saloon League,
adopted the same view of the subject.
That is clearly *
tigation and - fulfilled its obligation.
The President must have known that
and understood that though the Rep-
resentatives .in the, Legislature had
been fully informed, forty of these
from Philadelphia voted against leg-
islation which would have abated the
| evil and corrected the fault.
——1In Philadelphia banditry runs
in private as well as public life, but
the policemen don’t bother the official
perpetrators. ! :
Pinchot Influence Vanishing.
Three weeks ago all signs indicated
that Governor Pinchot had not only
recovered from the shock administer-
ed to him in the organization of the
House of Representatives but that he
had achieved a complete “come-back.”
Today it looks as if he has relapsed
into a condition of absolute helpless-
ness with the enemy “riding rough-
shod” over his prostrate body and
vanished hopes. Last week his pet
piece of legislation, the United dry
bill, was defeated and this week his
hardly less cherished measure, the
Budget, was torn into shreds and tat-
ters of an adverse vote of overwhelm-
ing proportions. Three weeks ago the
machine managers were ready to “eat
out of his hand.” Now they flout him
at every turn. -
There is always more or less mys-
tery in political movements and
changing majorities perplex the most
careful observers. But the solution of
this problem is not greatly involved.
After the wet victory in the selection
of the Speaker of the House the domi-
nant faction indulged in orgies that
disgusted the conservative minds in
and out of the Legislature, and out of
the confusion that followed the friends
of the Governor formed a force that
for the time seemed able to restore
him to popular confidence. His
speeches on prohibition legislation
materially strengthened his position
and his plausible pretense of devotion
to the interests of the people con-
tributed considerable to his cause.
But the liquor interests with their
backs to the wall, rallied in a desper-
ate purpose to save the bootleggers
and defeated the dry bill by 2 narrow
though adequate margin. This result,
though hoped for, was not confidently
expected. It served to give the ma-
chine courage, however, and the mu-
tilation of the budget measure is a
logical result. It may now be safely
predicted that during the remaining
days of the present session the Gov-
ernor’s influence on legislation will be
held at the zero mark. He may make
the veto power effective in some cases
in which the rural representatives are
in sympathy with him. But in mat-
ters in which machine interests are
“vitally touched his actions will be un-
important.
tion.” The Br ul qery oat ‘a special
panel assembled for purpose of inves-
Credulous Bill Vare.
i For a politician of long and varied
experience Congressman Bill Vare ap-
| pears to be suprisingly credulous. Ac-
! cording to current political gossip he
is now building hopes of election to
i the United States Senate on the foun-
. dation of an expected division of the
“dry” vote between Senator Pepper
, and Governor Pinchot in the primary
contest. It is true that both Pepper
{and Pinchot are dry and that the
‘ wet element in the party would pre-
fer Vare to either of them for any
minor office. But it doesn’t seem
reasonable that even a self-respecting
wet voter would think favorably of
Vare for Senator in Congress against
iany other candidate. It is now said
that Grundy may be for Pinchot.
The contingency which might bring
about that combination is an agree-
ment on the part of Governor Pinchot
to place the force of his official in-
fluence: and family bank roll behind
John W. Fisher, of Indiana, for Gov-
ernor. That ought to be reasonably
easy, for Fisher pulled out of the
race three years ago and thus se-
cured the nomination of Pinchot. Be-
sides Fisher as a sizable man is held
in high esteem by corporate interests.
With his name associated with that
of Pinchot and a generous slush fund
such as Grundy and the Governor
provided in 1922 the Senatorial ambi-
tion of Cornelia would take on a rosy
hue, to say the least. So far as
Grundy is concerned he can “hook up”
with any combination. :
The Vare scheme is to enlist Con-
gressman Griest, of Lancaster, as a
candidate for Governor. That would
certainly launch an outfit that must
satisfy the wet element in the party
‘and would probably poll a record vote
in Philadelphia. But outside of that
city Griest is no more popular than
Vare. Even in Lancaster county,
where he controls most of the public
utilities, he has fallen several thous-
ands behind his party strength in the
last two Congressional elections. In
view of this fact it is not easy to im-
agine how Mr. Vare can build up ex-
pectation of election to the Senate
against either Lor Pepper,
State machine behind him.
NCL,
——When a tax was first levied on:
anthracite coal, the price was raised
to cover the tax. When the law was
declared invalid the tax price was con-
tinued as though nothing had hap-
pened.
The Question of Reforestation.
There ought to be a little difference
of opinion among the country mem-
bers of the General Assembly as to
the merits of the pending resolution
authorizing the issue of bonds for the
purpose of reforestation. It is an ad-
mitted fact that the State is on the
verge of a timber famine. Building
operations are already seriously re-
tarded on account of the scarcity and
consequently the high price of lum-
ber. Every year adds to the menace
of prosperity which this fact presents.
The only remedy lies in reforestation.
The oie feasible plan of accomplish-
ing this result is in the issue of bonds
in sufficient amount to pay the ex-
pense.
The several plans that have been
presented in the Legislature to achieve
the purpose without issuing bonds are
futile. One is that the fees paid for
hunters’ and fishermen’s licenses be
diverted to that purpose. These fees
are paid by hunters and fishermen for
the purpose of propagating game and
fish. Any other disposition of these
funds would be a fraudulent appropri-
ation of money and legalizing it by
Act of Assembly wouldn’t better the
case much. Another is that it be paid
at the rate of $300,000 a year out of
the general revenues. If there were
a guarantee that future Legislatures
would continue the appropriation it
would be a slip-shod method. But as
a matter of fact there can be no such
guarantee. :
No safer, better or more certain
method of investing the resources of
the State than that embraced in the
proposed bond issue can be devised.
It is certain to create rather than con-
sume revenue in the future, and later
on the opportunity to acquire the land
at the prices now proposed may not
be present. There is no likelihood of
graft in the proposition, either. Pos-
sibly that is the reason of some of the
opposition. In any event there is no
harm in putting the question up to the
people for final decision as the reso-
lution proposes. If it is not a desira-
ble enterprise in the public mind it
can be defeated at the polls.
——Judge Berkey has been vindi-
cated by the legislative committee
that inquired into his operations in
stocks and law, and he needed the
whitewash.
If Pinchot should be elected
Senator next year it would be a “come
back” worth while.
BELLEFONTE, PA.. MARCH 27. 1925.
| Influences in Capitol at Harrisburg.
The Harrisburg correspondent of
the Philadelphia Public Ledger sum-
marizes one phase of the legislative
muddie in this fashion: “It was learn-
ed today that Armstrong had the bill
(to tax manufacturing corporations)
in his desk many weeks, and that de-
spite pressure from the anthracite
bloc, insisted upon holding it until
the United Dry bill was disposed of.
When that measure was killed, with
the assistance of the Grundy forces,
Armstrong produced his club and
went to work with it for the purpose
of punishing the forces which, he
charges, were responsible primarily
for the death of the law-enforcement
bill.” The merits of the measure
seem to have had little influence upon !
the mind of its sponsor.
In another paragraph of his letter |
the same capable, if critical, observer
expresses an opinion that the Gover- |
nor i8 not very particular as to the}
source of revenue, and the supporters
of the bill to tax manufacturing cor-
porations are “counting upon animosi-
ties engendered by the administra-
tion’s defeat in the speakership fight
and the dry bill contest to influence
Mr. Pinchot to play their particular
political game against the manufac-
turers of the State.” The plan is to re-
peal the anthracite coal tax bill and
cover the loss to the treasury by the
proposed four-mill tax on manufactur-
ing corporations. Governor Pinchot
vetoed a similar coal tax repealer two
years ago but has since changed his |
mind.
This rather cynical view of condi-
tions in Harrisburg pretty clearly
presents the situation as it exists.
No measure of legislation, no policy
of - administration and no purpose of
the legislators is based on public
welfare. Personal ambitions or polit-
all from the Governor down, and from
the highest to the lowest the trading-
stamp method of dealing is in vogue.
They all know that the repeal of the
coal tax will benefit nobody except the
coal producers and that the manufac-
turer’s tax will tend to equalize the
considerations. They
against measures because they help
or hurt factions.
——Counterfeit $10 bills were put
in circulation in Altoona on Satur-
day, one bank having received five of
the spurious notes and three other
banks one each. The bill is a counter-
feit of one issued by the Federal Re-
serve bank of Boston. Banks in other
places have been notified to keep an
eye open for the counterfeits.
A New Serial Story.
For some time past many “Watch-
man” readers have asked when we
would begin publication of another
serial story, and the only reason we
delayed doing so was that we were
waiting for one that we felt would
appeal to our readers. We have at
last secured the biggest American fic-
tion success in recent years, “So Big,”
by Edna Ferber, the regular female
O. Henry. It is a story that will ap-
peal to every class of reader. It is a
story of a farm and city, of poverty
and hardship, wealth, ease and pleas-
ure; a true and fascinating picture of
mid-western life and development
during the past thirty years.
It is a story that the “Watchman”
editors can endorse as good, whole-
some reading. The opening install-
ment of “So Big” will be published
week after next and we advise our
readers to watch for it and be sure to
read the first chapters.
——YVice President Dawes is going
to appeal to the court of public opin-
ion for a decision in kis dispute with
the Senate. There is an adage that a
litigant who pleads his own case “has
a fool for a client.”
——March, supposed to be the most
vagarious month in the year, is almost
at an end and hasn’t been a half bad
month after all. Let us hope that
April will give us the right kind of
spring weather. :
——We will soon find out the ratio
of influence in the Legislature that
public interests hold to the slush fund
of the tax collectors’ lobby.
——The speculators know when to
raise or lower the price of farm pro-
ducts. Before the election it raised
and after it slumped.
—Jury fixing appears to be a
prospering industry in Lackawanna
county. And it is a growing evil in
many other counties.
There will be no serious inter-
ference with the bootleg. industry in
spoils system the -
support of the Washington Home for
Pennsylvania if the Legislature has
its way.
NO. 13.
~ Discoveries.
Beyond the hill
And past the plain,
The tide creeps in
And out again.
: —Chicago Tribune.
Day after day, £ :
The whole year roun’,
The sun comes up
And then goes down. :
—Springfield Union.
I'm tired of life’s
Dull roundabout—
First I breathe in,
Then I breathe out!
—~Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A deadly bore
And grind, Dear Brother—
I move one foot
And then the other,
* —Harrisburg Telegraph.
And ev'ry morn
I look ahead
And count the time
"Till I'm back in bed.
—— ————————
The President “Passes the Buck.”
From the Philadelphia Record. :
The President takes the position
that the enforcement of the Volstead
law is primarily the function of the
State and municipal authorities. This
is his reply to the presentment of a
Philadelphia grand jury that the Fed-
eral enforcement is inefficient, His
view is rather singular, and it looks
like justifying the inefficiency of the
persons in whose hands the Republi-
can ‘Administration placed the en-
forcement of this law. a
The Volstead law is a federal stat- |
ute, and therefore its enforcement is
a federal obligation. The duty of the
federal government to enforce its own
laws is too obvious to require argu-
ment. The obligation of the States to
enforce a federal law is only. inciden-
tal. Not only is the duty of enforcing
a federal law: upon the federal: gov-
ernment, but that government has as-
sumed the duty.” It maintains a s)
cial police force for the
this and nothing else at :
about $10,000,000 a year, and the
of its Ty Deve is somewhere |
ween $10,000,000 and $20,000,000.
If the efficiency of th >
policy is impaired by the f
personnel is appointed un
respons]
sident has advised them to put, the
force under the classified civil seryice,.
and they won't do it because they
want the jobs for their friends and
their henchmen. And these persons,
of course, have political pull. The list
of prohibition enforcement officials
who have been charged, and in most
cases convicted, of violating the law,
or conniving at its violation, is a very
long one. >
When 2 Republican Governor drove
the ratification of the Eighteenth
amendment through the Legislature
of this State and last spring wrote a
letter to Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler
strongly commending his condemna-
tion of ‘prohibition, how much sincer-
ity can be expected among the Repub-
lican politicians and enforcement offi-
cers? In many localities the chief en-
forcement officers seem to have been
appointed for the purpose of prevent-
ing the appointment of persons who
would really try to enforce the law.
When the Eighteenth amendment
was pending in Congress the chair-
man of the House Judiciary committee
explained that the “concurrent juris-
diction,” State and - national, which
was provided for the first time, meant
that the States might enforce the law
themselves and avert the inconven-
ience of having the State overrun with
federal officials. But as soon as the
amendment went into effect the Fed-
eral government undertook the entire
work of enforcement, and the federal
officials operated in every State.
There is no precedent for that
phraseology of “concurrent jurisdic-
tion,” and the nearest approach to an
analogy is the enforcement of the Fu-
gitive Slave law. While State officials
and municipal police were supposed to
be under obligations to aid the United
States marshals in that, and in some
cases did so, no less than ten States
were so hostile to the law that they
enacted laws prohibiting State officials
from rendering any assistance to Fed-
eral marshals. In the present case
nothing of the sort has been attempt-
ed, and many States have enacted
laws for the reinforcement of nation-
al prohibition. State officials and mu-
nicipal police will continue to aid in
the enforcement of the Volstead law.
But it is unreasonable for the Presi-
dent to undertake to fasten the re-
sponsibility upon local officials be-
cause the Federal officials are inef-
ficient in the enforcement of a Feder-
al statute.
A Tip to Tucker.
From the Baltimore Sun.
The Sun has already noted in its
Washington dispatches the determin-
ation of Representative Henry St.
George Tucker, of Virginia, not to ac-
cept the increase in salary which Con-
gress recently voted itself, we sug-
gest he give the money to the Home
for Incurables in this city. That’s an
institution which radiates perpetual
sunshine and hope over human lives.
To turn it into the treasury would be
virtually devoting it indirectly to the
Incurables that we call Congress.
—For all the news you must read
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—Falling headforemost on a pile of ma-
terial in the Pennsylvania Railroad erect-
ing shop at Altoona, Charles W. McCart-
ney crushed his skull and died. #
—Albert Brenner, 19 years old, of Guen-
tin, Lebanon county, was killed last Fri-
day when he pitched headforemost through
a hole of a hay mow into a gasoline-driven
straw baler. Cac :
—Falling in front of a hand-truck haul-
ing ties,” Abraham Traxler, a Covedale
trackhand on the Pennsylvania Railroad,
was so seriously injured that he died five
hours later. .
——-Mrs. Sarah Ann Weaver, of Burn-
side, Clearfield county, one of the oldest
residents in the State, celebrated the 103rd
anniversary of her birth on Monday. Des-
pite her advanced age Mrs. Weaver is able
to walk with the aid of a cane.
—A gang of thieves believed to have been
accompanied by a girl, robbed the store of
William Miller, of Springfield, a suburb of
Shamokin, of goods worth $500, Thursday
night. The thieves picked out the high
grade silk stockings and lingerie, taking
most of the valuable stock in the store.
—While the family was absent a burglar
entered the home of Frank X. Endress, of
Altoona, threugh the cellar window on
Monday night and carried off $500 worth
of jewelry and several suits of clothing.
.| Among the loot was the wedding suit of
Michael Auer, Endress’ son-in-law.
—The village of Portland Mills, Elk
county, located twenty miles from DuBois,
will soon be a memory. Ralph Mohney, of
Ridgway, has purchased the Elk Tanning
company’s plant and 26 houses there, in-
cluding forty acres of land. He plans to
dismantle the tannery and houses and
clear the land.
—William Barnard, aged 30 years, an
employee of the Winner packing plant at
Lock Haven, was severely burned about
the head, back and arms last Thursday
morning when a large kettle of lard in the
rendering room of the plant exploded. He
was taken to the Lock Haven hospital,
where his condition is reperted serious,
- —Thomas O. Gutelius, of Johnstown,
former delinquent tax collector for Cam-
bria county in the years of 1921-22, on
Monday pleaded guilty in court at Ebens-
burg ‘to:a charge of embezzling county
funds and was sentenced by Judge John
E. Evans to two and one half te five years
in the Western. penitentiary and ordered
‘to make restitution.
- =—Announcement that the general
spring discount of 50 cents a ton on do-
mestic sizes of anthracite has already been
made. or will become effective on April 1,
was made by coal dealers at Scranton this
week. The reductions will set the new
costs at the following averages: Egg. $10;
stove, $10.25; chestnut, $10; pea, $7.25, and
No. 1 buckwheat, $4.25. No change was
made in the price of the finer sizes.
—Work has been started. on the new
combat rifle range at Mount Gretna mili-
tary: reservation, which, when completed,
will be the only ome in the east, outside
that at Camp Bennings. The range will
cost about $14,000, which has been contrib-
uted by the federal government. It has a
maximum distance of 1000 yards, and it is
General Beary’s plan to handle larger
teone time in range work in that.camp.
“Mr. and Mrs. Willis O. Shuey, of Mt.
Rock, Mifflin county, enjoyed a strenuous
period Monday when “Lizzie” took the bit
in her teeth, plunged through ‘the guard
rails, knocked off the abutment of the
Kishacoquillas creek bridge at Alexander
Springs and plunged into the creek from
where Mrs. Shuey and three children were
rescued without injury. Mr. Shuey was
thrown through the top and landed high
and dry on the creek bank with only a few
bruises.
—The Rev. A. F. Weaver, new pastor of
the First Evangelical church of Williams-
port, is one of the busiest men in the Cen-
tral Pennsylvania Evangelical conference.
He is treasurer of the conference financial
budget, a member of the church extension
society, a member of the examining board
and on the board of trustees of the Minis-
terial Aid Society. In addition, in the gen-
eral conference of the Evangelical church,
he holds the position of the secretary of
the commission on finance.
—C. F.. Abel, acting postmaster at
Springdale, Pa., since the disappearance of
A. W. Porter some days ago, will continue"
to discharge the duties of the office until
a permanent appointment is made. Mr.
Abel with several others, will take the
civil service examination, a date for which
has not yet been set by the Postoffice De-
partment. It was said at the department
that the whereabouts of Porter is not
known, but inspectors are endeavoring to
follow his movements since his disappear-
ance.
—The Baches bill permitting fishing on
Sunday with one rod and two hooks was
defeated by the House of Representatives
in Harrisburg, on Tuesday. Representa-
tive Baches, of Berks, the sponsor of the
measure, said Pennsylvania and California
are the only two States to prohibit Sun-
day fishing. The members were asked to
be consistent in their voting by Represen-
tative Williams, of Tioga, who called at-
tention of the House to the passage of the
Huber bill on Monday night, which pro-
hibited Sunday fishing.
—R. B. Eshelman, a Pennsylvania rail-
road engineman, did an enforced barefoot
dance on the tin roof of his home in Har-
risburg, on Monday. Eshelman had re-
turned from a sixteen hour trip and went
to bed. Later he awakened to find his
home ablaze and escaped down the stair-
way that led to his room cut off by flames.
The only exit flame-free was a window.
He had no time to grab his clothes as he
leaped through it onto a tin roof. There
again he was hemmed in by flames. The
fire under the roof heated the tin and he
was forced to step lively until firemen
rescued him. !
—Township commissioners or supervis<
ors in a majority of the townships of any
county are given the right to petition
courts for orders on County Commission-
ers to apply for State road money if coun-
ty officials fail to do so within thirty days
of expiration of time limit for obtaining
allocation of funds under terms of the
Hess bill approved by Governor Pinchot.
The bill was designed to meet a situation
produced by commissioners declining to
meet the State allotment by a similar sum,
thereby causing loss of shares of counties.
Another highway bill signed by the Gov-
ernor authorizes counties or fownships to
exercise eminent.domain in taking lands to
the “Watchman.”
eliminate ‘dangerous curves or iiarrow
highways.