—We have balloon tires and bal- loon trousers. We might have balloon skirts if there were enough to them to inflate. —That Chinese astronomer who in- sists that the earth stands still is partially right. That part of it called China does. —>So long as circuses are able to get seats we will know that the forests have not been entirely denuded of their hard wood. —It must be possible to wear out a strong physique with talking. Mr. Bryan had to sit while delivering a lecture in Pottsville a few nights ago. —Let us hope that Bryan has more success in his campaign to “save the world” than he had in the various ones he inaugurated to save the Dem- ocratic party. : ——One borough councilman out of town and three on the sick list did not leave enough active ones to constitute ‘a quorum, consequently there wasn’t -any meeting on Monday evening. —Henry Ford’s peace ark didn’t get the boys out of the trenches be- fore Christmas, but that’s no reason ‘why the government shouldn’t sell him the sea going white elephants it ‘has on its hands. —Just when we were beginning to ‘think that Mr. Volstead had written the swan song for jails we come face to face with the probability of having. to build them larger in order to ac- scommodate all the “illegal possession” -guests. —The Governor’s veto of the salary raise for Judges doesn’t seem to have caused any of the contestants in the ‘Centre county race to change their minds. Possibly they are thinking of getting the job first, then getting .another Governor. —Governor Pinchot has been deco- rated with the Roosevelt medal for “distinguished service to the Ameri- «can people.” President Coolidge, when he pinned the medal on Gifford’s chest, -didn’t state just what the distinguish- ed service was so we are all left to decide for ourselves whether he got it for settling the coal strike or getting rid of Finegan. —The blab that is coming out of Washington because three hundred and fifty naval vessels, all armed to the teeth, have blockaded rum row, off the New.Jersey coast, reminds us of the early days of the Spanish-Ameri- can war. Every time one of our capi- tal ships captured a Spanish fishing boat in Cuban waters we turned three ‘handsprings and got out an extra -edition to celebrate the victory. —Those Penn State students who rough-housed a poor little traveling 4 “tent Show Monday night have “set another college record—but one they have little reason to be proud of. Big shows, with crews strong enough to give rowdyism what it deserves, some- times venture into College towns and have trouble, but this is the first time we have ever heard of college boys. mauling a cripple with its own crutch. —One assurance we have that the world is growing better is that we haven’t seen a Police Gazette in a bar- ber shop since the women started to having their hair bobbed. Another is that there has been no protest from what is left of the old “blind horse” ‘gang in the West. ward of Bellefonte to having the polling place for that precinct transferred from the alley of half-pints to the basement of a church. —=Snow Storms in May are very unusual. That may have been the reason we were attracted to a store ‘window in town where an imitation storm is designed to create atmos- phere for an advertising feature. It isn’t a bad imitation, at that. The only criticism we have to make is that the thread on which the snow flakes .are pendant is too heavy. It would have been much more realistic had the designer used invisible hair like -ours. —It seems that nobody is too poor to have an automobile. A woman who was begging cast off clothing at a back door in Bellefonte, a few days ago, was given such a lot that the donor was afraid the burden of carry- ing them home was too great for the recipients’ strength. When she ex- pressed her thought the very poor woman who needed the clothes to cover her family’s nakedness replied: “Oh, I've only a little distance to go. Our automobile is waiting just around ‘the corner.” —With one sweep of the pencil the Philipsburg Ledger makes fun of us for not knowing where Sykesville is. With another it undertakes to help us .get into the A geography class by stating that “Sykesville is in the only county in this State that is honored by the name of Jefferson.” With still another it denies that Sykesville was taken into the Centre and Clear- field baseball league because, as we had hinted, the other teams were look- ing for something soft. Finally, it adds insult to its raillery by declaring that if they had been out for soft op- ponents they would have made over- tures to Bellefonte. We ought to stay in the B. geography class for not knowing a softer spot to get a rise out of than the Ledger office. The C and C. did make overtures to Belle- fonte and Bellefonte wasn’t soft enough to go in. That’s that. But what we want to know is how many counties in = Pennsylvania does the Ledger think ought to be “honored by absence of 4 VOL. 70. Centralization in Worst Forms. During last Saturday’s session of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, at Philadelphia, Colonel Oscar T. Crosby, of New York, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Woodrow Wilson ad- ministration, gave the audience and incidentally the public some valuable information on the subject of foreign obligations to American bankers. Ambassador Houghton, in his recent Pilgrim club speech in London, made some reference to this subject and admonished the debtor nations of the world that unless they did certain things required by President Coolidge their credit would be curtailed or cut off in this country. Colonel Crosby reminded Mr. Houghton that the gov- ernment should have nothing to do with transactions, financial or other- wise, between American bankers and foreign creditors, whether govern- ments or individuals. eis The speech of Ambassador Hough- ton meant one of two things. It im- plied that the administration at Wash- ington would forbid the loaning of money or extending credit to Euro- pean nations or persons unléss the transaction was first approved by the administration, or else it ‘meant that money loaned or credit advanced by individuals or syndicates in this coun- try would be collected by forces of the government in the event of default in payment. Col.Crosby protested that either or both of these premises were revolutionary and unlawful. The ad- ministration at Washington has no authority to regulate ‘the business transactions of citizens of the United States, and if individuals in their free- dom of action make bad investments the administration at Washington has neither the right nor the power to enforee> payment, even- “though the advice had been given. This is the most dangerous form of paternalism which has developed in Washington during recent years, and all forms of paternalism are haz- ardous. One of the speakers, a New York banker named Lisman, had sug- gested that applications from abroad for help should be‘ submitted to the administration for approval and in the fused. To This proposition Colonel Crosby replied “it is all very well for American bankers to. ask advice on foreign loans but if the government gives the advice ten years from now some loan is bound to fail and then heard of your bond, will be sent out to be shot in its support.” This is the truth in a nutshell. It is against such conditions that the people must move if they desire to avoid wars or- ganized to protect banking in busi- ness. ———————r lp ———— Passing of an Old Newspaper. The absorption of the Philadelphia North American by the Public Ledger is more a triumph of monopoly than a service to the reading public. There have been and probably are yet com- hunities in which too many news- papers are burdensome to the busi- ness and reading public. But it may hardly be assumed that the purpose of this merger was to correct that evil, for simultaneously with the transaction the owners of the merged property began the publication of an- other paper. But it removed from competition a medium of considerable force and influence which frequently expressed views on public questions directly opposite to those held by the absorbent journal. i The Philadelphia North American was the oldest daily newspaper in that city and probably the oldest in the country. Its friends and admir- ers imagined that it was traceable back to the time of Benjamin Frank- lin and even claimed that it grew from a plant established by that il- lustrious philanthropist, statesman and printer. In any event it existed under one name or another for more than a hundred years as a daily news- paper and it may safely be said that during the last period if its existence it enjoyed a more vigorous life and exercised a larger influence on the public mind than at any previous per- iod. It certainly revealed no sign of “infirmity of age.” The owner of the Philadelphia Pub- lic Ledger seems to be fostering an ambition to monopolize the newspaper service of that city. With the new daily publication started on Tuesday morning he has control of three of the six daily newspapers in the city be- sides a number of monthly, weekly and class Publications in Philadelphia and New York. Possibly he is influ- enced by the opportunities for profit which this control affords. But there is a suspicion that the desire for monopoly is responsible in part at least for his aequisitions. Happily he is not likely to extend his holdings in Philadelphia by further acquisitions. ithe name of Jefferson?” The other three daily papers there are ‘beyond his reach. : some boy in Kansas who has never | Congres bok foo les bide ‘STATE RIGHTS AN Handing an Olive Branch to Vare. | Senator Pepper, like the late Mr. Barkus, “is willin’”, but timid. Pursuant to announcement of Senator Reed, on his return from Europe last week, the two Senators and chairman Baker held a conference in Philadel- phia last Saturday. Senator Reed urged his colleague to make prompt and positive declaration of his can- didacy for re-election. Senator Pepper adopted the opposite view of the sub- ject. He admitted that he is a candi- date and expressed the belief that everybody knows he is a candidate. But he questioned the expediency of public announcement of the fact. In other words, he imagines that the few months that will intervene be- tween now and next spring may be used to better purpose in negotiations. Senator Reed is of the opinion that Congressman Vare is of no conse- quence in the existing conditions. Outside’ of Philadelphia he has no in- fluence and little strength. Senator Pepper concurs in this opinion in so far as it relates.to securing votes for} Senator. But in Philadelphia he is a potent figure and has power to throw a vast number of votes to any candi- date he favors. For that reason Mr. Pepper proposes to conciliate him, if possible, rather than enrage him. In obedience to this notion Mr. Pepper proposes to delay public an- nouncement of his candidacy until after Mr, Vare’s return from Europe and a conference is held. Such recog- nition of Vare might secure the float- ing vote. of Philadelphia. As the Watchman has heretofore suggested, there is a good deal of uncertainty concerning the alignments and attachments of the leading Re- publicans in Pennsylvania. For ex- ample, if Vare and Grundy should support Pinchet for Senator:against’ Pepper there would’ be plenty of room for doubt as to the result of the poll. Pinchot has the “ultra dry” vote se- curely “wrapped up” and Magee, of | Pittsburgh, and Vare, of Philadelphia, are able to hand him a considerable block of the “wet” element, For this reason Mr. Pepper is reluctant to take any step that might influence Vare would “take the bull by the horns” after the Penrose fashion. ——The death of Senator Spencer, of Missouri, will not impair. the Re- publican majority in that branch: of. that State at the next election. Dr. Haas to Head the Schools. There are few reasons for criticism and many for praise of the appoint- ment of Dr. Francis B. Haas to the of- fice of Superintendent of Public In- struction, which was announced by Governor Pinchot on Monday. He is an experienced educator, a capable ad- ministrator and was recommended for appointment by the State Eudecational association. He began teaching in his native city, Philadelphia, in 1906, im- mediately after his graduation from the School of Pedagogy. In 1920 he entered the State Department as as- sistant director of the teachers’ bu- reau. In 1922 he was promoted to di- rector of the administration bureau and in 1924 was advanced to the office of Deputy Superintendent. In this continued service in the schools of the State Dr. Haas fulfilled every obligation in full, and with credit to himself. As teacher, district superintendent of schools or business manager of the State Department he was equally efficient. When Dr. Becht became an invalid last fall a large part of his work devolved upon Dr. Haas and he met every requirement, and as Governor Pinchot states, “his contact with the Legislature during the last session has made it clear that he is eminently qualified to carry on that important portion of the work of the department which deals with leg- islation and appropriations.” No doubt this experience had influence in commending him to the favor of the Governor. Since Dr. Finegan came from New York to administer the school code of Pennsylvania there has been little change in the policies of the Depart- ment of Public Instruction. The code made for centralization and Dr. Fine- gan was in entire sympathy with its provisions. His successor in office, Dr. Becht, introduced no material changes in practices. If what Gover- nor Pinchot says on the subject is true, the installation of Dr. Haas will bring changes. “There will be the minimum of friction in this field,” the Governor states, “because Dr. Haas believes thoroughly with me in the decentralization of school work and in local initiative and home rule.” It may well be hoped this will work an improvement. ——— Ay t— ——It is now known exactly who won the world war. Rear Admiral fluenced by D FEDERAL UNION. BELLEFONTE, PA.. MAY 22. 1925. Attacking the Two-third Rule. - If there were even a hopeful chance of success in ‘his enterprise the an- nouncement that Mr. William G. Me- Adoo is now in Washington for the’ purpose of organizing a movement to abrogate the rule of the Democratic National committee which requires a two-third vote of the National con- vention to nominate a candidate for President, it would be a matter of con- siderable importance. The rule is over a hundred years old and a custom of that antiquity is hard to up-root. It was adopted for what were consider- ed good reasons and has withstood many attacks. The proceedings of the New York convention of last year have stimulated opposition to it and is probably responsible for the present mevement. The “two-thirds rule,” as it is called, has merits as well as faults. It made Woodrow Wilson the nominee of the party, and incidentally gave the coun- try one of the greatest Presidents in 1912. If it had not been in force in the Baltimore convention Champ Clark would have been nominated and the party might have been defeated that year. On the other hand it pre- vented the nomination of Stephen A. Douglas at the Baltimore convention of 1860 and the election of Abraham Lingoln, which followed, gave the Re- publican party a foothold in authority hieh it held without interruption for more than thirty years. Possibly another candidate might have been nominated last year under a majority e but not a fitter one. 2 ajority rule is a fundamental principle of Democracy, but for rea- sons which may only be measured by conjecture the two-thirds rule was adopted by the founders of the party and it seemed to them not only wise but just. - Conditions have changed since then, however, and possibly the’ abrogation of the rule would have a harmonizing influence on the party. itating the subject and this is as a time as any to give it considera On the eve of a convention, or at a time when candidates are laying liies to control a nomination, impar- -could hardly be secur- In any event there is no harm in ag- on. the highest motives and hope he: will persist. —T, J. -Smull, of Mackeyville, will celebrate his 91st birthday anni- .versary on Sunday. Born in Brush valley, Centre county, in 1834, he nat- urally was a Democrat and for this reason his parents named him Thom- as Jefferson and the tradition has clung to him ever since. Seventy-six years ago he left Brushvalley and lo- cated at Mackeyville, where for three quarters of a century he has been among the town’s best citizens. In fact nothing was ever done or transpired in Nittany valley that had anything of good in it that Mr. Smull was not identified with in some way. He was one of the leading spirits in the or- ganization of the Centre-Clinton coun- ties business men’s ‘association years ago and could always be depended up- on for a spirited talk at the annual picnics at Heecla park. - His many friends will be glad to know that he is enjoying splendid ‘health and is still interested in the welfare of his home community. ? : Eu ——Heavy frosts prevailed on both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings of this week, but we have had so many of them this spring that all kinds of vegetation ought to be frost-proof by this. time. ——The Atlantic rum fleet has practically disappeared and wet goods landed on the Pacific slope have a long and rocky road to travel before they reach Pennsylvania. ——Everybody takes a shot at. the farmers. Baseball commissioner Lan- dis has put a partial embargo on the “farming” operations of the big league managers. —————— ee ——————— ——The success of the recent thor- ough-bred sale at Lexington, Ken- tucky, refutes the idea that horses are going out of the life of the coun- try. ——It may be merely a coincidence but the fact is that as soon as Corne- lia got away on a trip to Europe Gif- ford began arranging for a vacation. —— c——— fp re a————————— —It is to be hoped that Henry Ford’s offer to buy ships will not pro- voke as much discussion as his offer to take over Muscle Shoals. ———————— pp ———————— ——It looks as if Von Hindenberg will disappoint everybody except those who hope for peace and prosperity of the German Republic. ———————— A —— ——Whatever else may be said for or against Gifford Pinchot it must be Fiske “owns the soft impeachment.” Sein admitted that he has set a high rec- ord for vetoes. is in. Bios-opsis. Fades the rose and falls the leaf— Would you have no flower or tree? Though our life seems all too brief Better ’tis than not to be. Life is good: ’tis worth the while To behold the sky's parade, d Evening’s veil and morning’s smile, Endless fugue of light and shade. Worth the while by stabs of pain To be roused to consciousness; Truth and virtue to attain Through the spirit’s storm and stress. Precious is the welcome shining From the face of friend and brother; Priceless is the love entwining ; Heart of child with heart of mother. Painless, deathless,—man would move Like a soulless, sad machine; Worse than Wandering. Jew he'd prove; Love would leave the earth, I ween. Life with death is ever blending In a pauseless onward wave; : Life is good, e'en though its ending Be the silence of the grave. z C. C. ZIEGLER. —— ees Perseverance of Women Voters. From the Pittsburgh Post. There is a significant feature in the announcement of the program for dis. cussion at the meeting of the Western Pennsylvania members of the League of Women Voters to be held in Beaver June 11. It is that arrangements will be considered for a survey of the cost of county and other local taxation for a renewed effort to change laws: for the assessment and collection of taxs. A renewed effort. That Shin of .perseverance is one of the. that singularly appears to have been overlooked in most of the learned at-. tempts of masculinity to analyze the feminine vote, . We hear repeatedly. that the women are such novices in politics that they appear. to be getting nowhere; that their influe political field is negligible.’ that ‘their force has a : ‘in politics ie extent expec gd. t give them time—as 7 a husband and father will Tot home affairs, CHT It is true’ The Pennsylvania League en Voters apparently was nr 0S! iously defeated in Bs recent session of the Lagis obtain revision of e Teo sures of local tax; hee wre. T. 7 2 fou votes for its profess. Th Tax Collectors’ Associat rs’ Association omen. tarily permitted itself to believe that that was the last that would be heard of the reform program of the women voters. Scarcely had the 1925 session end- ed, however, until we heard of the re- sumption of activities of the women’s league for the cause of tax revision, The 1927 session will find the same demand before it as was presented to that of 1925. A still more thorough survey of the subject will be made and the educational campaign for it conducted with more vigor. It is a reminder that among the things that women do not appear to know is when they're defeated. Sur- render is a terry that does not seem in such instances as this to be within their ken. Regularly for something like 50 years they were defeated in ‘heir campaign for woman suffrage. Then one day it dawned that they had won. The Pennsylvania tax barons might as well yield gracefully while they may. They have drawn upon themselves the opposition of a force of voters who will keep on fighting along the same line for 50 years or more, if necessary —who will never stop until they have won. ; Distorting Mexican History, From the Philadelphia Record. . Admiral Fiske and Secretary Dan- iels did not get on well together in the Navy Department, and this threw upon the admiral the entire burden of saving the country and winning the world war. He has admitted that he did it, but it over-worked him, and he does not feel kindly toward the Wil- son administration. This explains his amusing account of the relations of Mr. Wilson to Mexico’s decade of law- lessness, which touched the facts of the case occasionally, at considerable intervals. The Madero revolution oceurred while Mr. Taft was President. An- other revolution overthrew Madero, put him in prison and assassinated him. President Taft had already con- centrated all the available regular troops on the Mexican border, and he left to his successor, who was to be- come President in a few days, the task of recognizing or rejecting the gov- ernment of the man whose duty it was to protect Madero, who was under strong suspicion of conniving at the assassination, and who was the chief beneficiary of it. Beyond refusing to recognize Hu- erta President Wilson took no part in Mexican politics, He was ready to recognize any government that had a colorable title, and he recognized Car- ranza as promptly as he decently could. He would not recognize a man who was President by virtue of a mur- der, his complicity in which was strongly suspected. ——President Coolidge paid a mild complinient to Governor Pinchot the other day in bestowing the Roosevelt medal but itis’ suspected ‘that the honeyed words concealed: 4 mental reservation. lence in the: - —Cecil Kerr, ‘| Arcadia, Allegheny county, was fined $300 EEE eens remem SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. « KE ——— 4 Cia —Six motor vehicles confiscated by the Police while being used in rum running were sold at the Hollidaysburg jail last week for $137. i 5 7 —Declaring he had been unable to sleep for three weeks, Thomas Reught, 32 years of age, walked into police headquarters at Pittsburgh, last Thursday, and confessed to the robbery of $5,000 worth of diamonds from the jewelry store of M. Saunders at New Kensington, three years ago. —The plant and equipment of the Com- mercial Drop Forge company was sold at Warren on Tuesday, by the receiver, Har- ry D. Kopf ,to W. W. Beaty for $50, sub- ject to a mortgage of $100,000 held by the Warren savings bank and trust company, $60,000 and accrued interest being still out- standing. —Posing as a solicitor for a local volun- teer fire company and soliciting advertise- ments for a card bearing the fire alarm signals, a stranger on Monday swindled Cresson business and professional men out of sums varying from three to twenty dol- lars, the total being estimated at between $125 and $150. ed to the ground about 3 o'clock Saturday morning in what is believed to have been an incendiary blaze. The loss will reach about $3,000. All the instruments of Ma- ler’s band and a valuable piano were lost. Owing to the fact that there is no water in that section the fire companies were not called. te 3 —Buried alive when a large quantity of earth fell upon him while he was working in a new sanitary sewer trench at Johns- town, George McKeam, 60 years old, died shortly after being extricated by fellow workmen on Saturday afternoon. He was buried only a brief time and it is believed that death resulted from shock rather thao suffocation. : : —Notice of the arrest of Ralph I. Orr, treasurer of the Home Trust company, of New Castle, charged with misappropria- tion of funds, was announced on Saturday at the Department of Banking. A depart- ment examiner reported discovery of a shortage of about $75,000 in his accounts. The bank was not affected as complete res- titution was made. —S8eeing a light in his big garage at 11 o’clock last Friday night, Thomas McEl- wee, of Mount Carmel, went to the main door, to be informed by some ome inside that the door was locked. He then went around the corner to climb in a windew and was hit by the lookout man of the thieves, and when he awoke an hour later [found a large quantity of his tools had been stolen. . —As a reesult of a gun battle in a shanty eccupied by five miners, two miles southeast of Stoyestown, George Lyton, aged 60 years, was shot through the head and killed; John Harness, aged 45 years, was ‘shot through the neck, and Pete Boy- cick, aged 35 years, was shot through the :| face, the bullet lodging in the right shoul- der. Harness will die. John Selesky and Michael Oliskey, were arrested. } formerly postmaster at by Judge F. P. Schoonmaker, in United | States district court at Pittsburgh, on Sat- ‘urday, after Kerr pleaded guilty to em- bezzling $1,072.28 of postal funds. He was {also paroled for two years. E. J. Galla- re | gher, a postoffice inspector of the Arcadia Was appointed parole officer, The fine was ordered paid on a basis of $12.50 monthly. .—Mrs. Lulu Williams is in a serious condition in a Washington, Pa., hospital from stab wounds inflicted by her drink- crazed jealous spouse, Arthur Williams, on Sunday night in the presence of Mrs. Donna Lee, her sister, and Charles Struth- ers, who are held as material witnesses. Williams is held in jail without bail, awaiting the outcome of his wife’s in- juries. It required 196 stitches to close the wounds. —Warren Henderson has been dismissed from the position of postmaster at West Downingtown because of his political uac- tivities and a commission has been given to Howard E. Harvey, a world war veter- an, who took charge of the office on Mon- day. The dismissal of Henderson followed his announcement that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for county controller at the next primary. He has been a worker for the party for several years. —Newton H. Drake, of Lake Wesauking, near Towanda, received fatal injuries last Thursday when he was gored by a four year old bull in the barn yard of the farm where he was born and spent his entire life. Tuesday of last week he celebrated his sixty-sixth birthday and. his fortieth wedding anniversary. Drake went, to water the bull and was preparing to take it from the stable when it rammed its horps through him, piereing his heart. A few moments later he was found dead hy a farm hand. 13 ‘ —Roy Diamond, of Annville, on Monday pleaded guilty to sending twelve hacksaw blades to Mrs. Steve Bradley to deliver to Philip A. Hartman convicted of first de- gree murder for the slaying of Trooper Francis L. Haley, and now confined in the Adams county jail. Hartman planned to saw his way out of the prison. Instead of delivering the saws, the woman turned them over to Sheriff Shealer. Diamond was sentenced by Judge McPherson to the eastern penitentiary for not less than one year nor more than two years for conspir- acy. —Experts from the Pottsville Depart- ment of Public Safety were astonished on Saturday at the pranks played by light- ning in a storm at Branchdale Friday night. They reported to Mayor Bearstler that a bolt lifted the roof off the residence of Edward Gehris, bulged out the side of his home and twisted and broke up nearly all the furniture, but left the occupants unhurt. The investigation showed _that lightning has been striking close to the same spot at Branchdale for years, and an effort is being made to learn what is the attraction, a —The judges who presided at the trial of charges against Sheriff John W. Norris, of Cameron county, in J. anuary, on Saturday handed down decisions in which petitions for new trial were refused. Sentence was immediately imposed upon the defendant. Judge Alfred Smith, of Montrose, Susque- hanna county, before whom Norris‘ was tried and convicted of gross ‘negligence and of wilfully permitting a prisoner to escape, sentenced Norris to from two to four years in the western penitentiary, and a fine of $500 and the costs. Judge J. Franklin Graff, of Kittanning, before whom Norris had been convicted of extor- tion, imposed a sentence of from one to two years in the penitentiary. —The Morrisdale Ftalian hall was burn-. at A tec ai an CA 0. i i amin
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers