INK SLINGS. —A New York scientist declares that foot-prints are far more positive as identification of human beings than finger-prints. We have seen feet that lead us to believe that there might be something in what Dr. Interland says. —Those Democratic women who are offering a prize for the best slogan or catchy phrase to offset that of “Coolidge Prosperity” which is to be used by the opposition in 1928, can hand it right over to us. We win with the one work: “Bunk.” —Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray are in the death house at Sing Sing. Both have a chance to come back. Albert Snyder, their victim in almost the most diabolical murder of record, is in his grave. He has no chance, whatever, to get out of that. —Bellefonte has a real police- woman. So real, in fact, that there are only two places that a lot of slips of girls who had been running the streets all hours of the night can go now after nine o’clock. One of them is home. The other is the calaboose. —Governor Ritchie, of Maryland, is scouting in the west. Of course he doesn’t admit it, but there is general suspicion that he is out there to find out whether his presidential bee can get enough honey in the alfalfa and prairie grass regions to sustain life until 1928. —Farmers who have planted their corn are concerned lest the cold, wet weather will rot the grain before it germinates. Should such be the case they will be in a bad way, for very few of them would be able to get good seed corn for replanting, be- cause it is so scarce. —“Fatly” Arbuckle, premier screen comedian of former days is to return to the legitimate stage next month and will make his debut on Broadway. Strange world, isn’t it, that drives an actor from the screen as punishment for immorality and prepares to wel- come him to the speaking stage. —The awful thing about the Mis- sissippi flood is its lazy way of pro- ducing devastation. The current moves so slowly that the crest of the flood is still three weeks away from the homes along the lower part of the valley that have been under water for many weeks now. The situation is bad enough, but think of the hopeless- ness of waiting three weeks for “the worst is yet to come.” —The result of the county field meet, held at State College, last Sat- urday, would indicate that the ath- letes of the Beliefonte High have been so concentrated on their arms that they have forgotten their legs: | They won’ second place in the meet, took all the firsts but one in the field events, but not a single first on the track. It would seem that petting parties develop the arms better than dancing does the legs. —There are insurance companies for boot-leggers now. For stated pre- ‘miums the purveyors of “moonshine” can insure their wares, get any amount if they are killed “in line of duty” and fixed indemnity for every day spent in jail. We are spending millions to punish violators of the Volstead act and permitting organ- ized effort to make the punishment almost as profitable to them as the ‘business for which they have been ap- prehended. . —After a month’s stay on our shores Ramsay MacDonald, former Prime Minister of England, has ar- rived at the conclusion that prohibi- tion “is a praiseworthy effort to keep people decent.” The distinguished visitor has discovered nothing new. Prohibition is and always was a praiseworthy effort and it is keep- ing many decent, but it has also been the cause of many who had been reasonably decent before its advent ‘becoming shockingly indecent since. —The American Medical Associa- tion is in session in Washington and one of the very first things it did was to demand that the red tape be cut away so that doctors can get whiskey without so much difficulty. Since they are permitted to procure it only ‘because it is viewed by the law as a medicament it does seem that they ought to be able to get it as easily as they can any other. This would probably be thn case if all doctors would be law abiding in their use of it. Since it is reasonably certain they would not they are treated just as are the laymen who once had whiskey without stint. Those who knew how to use it had to be deprived of it entirely ‘because of those who did not. —NMiss Mary N. Spencer, a govern- ment clerk in Washington, died and left a clause in her will that its exee- utor should erect a monument to cost one hundred thousand dollars over her grave. Remote relatives in Ireland have instituted suit to prevent spend- ing so much money to memorialize such an ‘hunible person. Of course everyone knows what they are after. They want to spend part of cousin Mary’s “dough” on themselves. They are probably a poor, shiftless lot and can’t get anywhere near grasping our thought that a woman who worked all her life, at never more than twelve hundred dollars, and amassed a for- tune of nearly a quarter million de- serves a great monument. If the law doesn’t permit her wish to be carried out the public ought to build it for “her. multitude of guest lodges, its private VOL1. 72. Mr. Coolidge a Sybarite. - | A Washington correspondent writes: “So positively has the vision of President Coolidge as a frugal, unostentatious soul been registered on the eye of the great American public that it comes as a shock to re- alize that he is actually the most Sybaritic executive that has ever presided over the destinies of this nation.” This startling conclusion was arrived at after a careful com- parison of the vacation expenses of Mr. Coolidge and some of his prede- cessors in office. Grover - Cleveland took a small house in Washington and at intervals went fishing during the hot season. Benjamin Harrison spent his vacation at the Old Soldiers’ home near Washington. William Me- Kinley spent the vacation period at his home in Canton, Ohio. William H. Taft “took an unpretentious house at Beverly, and sometimes visited his brother.” Woodrow Wilson took no vacation during the first three years of his first term and during the summer of his fourth year occupied a mansion, Shadow Lawn, Long Branch, provided for him by the Democratic National committee. During his second term he took no vacation, the World war having held him to his duties in Washington. Theodore Roosevelt spent his vacations at his own home, Oyster Bay, where he indulged in considerable ostentation. It has been said that he drew rather heavily upon the resources of the railroads in his several trips throughout the country and used one of the government owned yachts pretty freely. But he was content with a body guard of a small contingent of secret service men whose wages and cost of maintenance were paid by the government. Presi- dent Harding took no summer vaca- tions. President Coolidge’s vacation last year was a perfect orgie of luxuri- ance. The correspondent says White Pine Camp is “a veritable little city in the woods, set down amid the play- grounds of New York millionaires, with its beautiful master’s cabin, its Yeor. “but the Presi- dent could fish.” He “finds it neces- sary to travel with a retinue of 200 people, which includes a guard of a hundred marines to police the envir- ons of whatever country seat attracts him.” Just now he has a group of scouts under pay of the government looking for a place in which to spend his vacation this summer. He has the choice of half a dozen places and vast estates “ranging from the Bald- win and Penrose mansions at Color- ado Springs to the luxurious homes of varicus lumber-jack millionaires in Wisconsin.” . Seen. —The Williamsport lothario who climbed onto the porch roof of his sweetheart’s home, in order to throw a bunch of posies into her room, was shot twice by her father, who thought him a burglar. Inasmuch as he is very critically wounded his attempt to “say it with flowers” might result | in her having to do the same thing. Sr ———— A ———————— —Floods in the Mississippi val- ley continue to take toll in human life and spread desolation in spite of every effort to check them. This shows the helplessness of man against the forces of nature. ri rie ——The condition of the State charity institutions are bad and grow- ing worse, but the political machine is thriving under the care of loving friends in control of the State gov- ernment. S——— ——The Nicaragua Liberals killed two American marines the other day. | They must be trying to force the | American people to support the Cool- idge policy down there. eg ete ——~Gasoline tax collections from the dealers of Centre county for the quarter ending March 31st totaled $14,679.79. The total in the State for the quarter was $2,629,110.52. el, ——The doctors of the country are | opposed to the Volstead law but the | bootleggers are in favor of it, which | makes it “hoss and hoss.” rr ——— er —————————— ‘ ——Jugo-Slavia had thirty-seven earthquakes in forty-eight hours. That experience out to subdue the war spirit of the people. ge iii | ——Esteemed Republican contem- poraries are worrying too much over the Democratic nominee for President rext year. nip serembiriadens Winter isn’t “lingering in the lap of Spring” this year. He has simply kicked the old lady out of the house. —————— i piainin ——It requires courage to attempt ————et sett tte t——-g——— to fly over the Atlantic, and lots of patience to get started. BE STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. The Electoral Code Commission. Governor Fisher, having approved the joint resolution providing for a commission to codify the election laws of the State, the people of Pennsyl- vania may hope for honest elections some time in the future. Of course much will depend upon the personnel of the commission. The fact that the Speaker of thé House of Representa- tives and the president protem of the Senate will be members of it, and that the chairman of the Republican State ! committee will probably select the others, is a discouraging element in the equation. But even at that, a code of laws on the subject may be cbtained that will guarantee consider- able improvement over the past. Much depends upon the voters. They have power to achieve. It may safely be said that the orig- inal purpose of the resolution was not to improve the electoral system or to promote honest elections. The de- mand for ballot reform legislation during the recent session of the Gen- eral Assembly was so strong and in- sistent that it could not be ignored. The inadequate measures sponsored by the Governor would have made ballot box stuffing and false returns hazardous and partially stopped the slush system of buying: majorities. The intense interest which the Mellon- Vare partnership has in the Senatori- al election next year made it neces- sary to delay any substantial reform legislation until after that event, and this commission is the expedient adopted. But on the theory that improve- ment “is better late than never,” the people of Pennsylvania have some reason to rejoice over the adoption and approval of the resolution. In all probability the scandals of the last Republican primary will be re- peated next year and the nomination for United States Senator will be bought then, as it was last vear. There is even a danger that the com- mission will be so organized that its recommendations will be against, rather than in favor of, just election laws. But we may hope for better results from this expedient, and if the men and ‘women of" : id who favor honest elections will assert themselves with proper force “good may come out of Nazareth.” Ee — lr ——— ——Clarence Darrow, famous inal lawyer, thinks Mr, titled to the Senate seat partly bought and partly he also thinks it would be “terrible” to execute Mrs. Snyder. Long con- tinued and intimate association with criminals develop curious ideas. ae pp i Worst Salary Raiser Approved. | crim- Vare is en- which “he stole,” but — i i When the Governor vetoed: a bunch of salary raising bills enacted during the recent session of the General As- sembly a hope was created that this form of looting the treasury was ended. But the hope has already been dispelled. He has since written his approval to at least two of the worst measures of this type that was passed. We refer to the bills increas- ing the compensation of Senators and Representatives in the Legislature from $2500.00 to $3000.00, with a mileage allowance that will add con- siderably to the pay check, and that increasing the salary of Big Tom Cunningham, clerk of the Philadel- phia Quarter Sessions courts, from $8000.00 to $10,000.00 a year. The increase in the salary of Mr. Cunningham may have been in the form of a reimbursement of his much too liberal contribution to the Vare slush fund last spring and fall. Aec- cording to his testimony before the Slush Fund committee of the United State Senate Big Tom contributed $50,000 to the Vare campaign fund, . which must have been a heavy draft on his $8000 a year salary. Of course it is believed that the bootleggers and other protected criminals in the city made up most of this sum, but in any event it showed that Big Tom was “solid for Mulhooley” and entitled to special consideration. But what in- fluenced the Governor to approve the salary raiser for the Legislators is inconceivable. : For many years really capable men cheerfully served in the House and Senate of the State for $1500.00 the term. Since the cost of living has been soaring upward that may have been an inadequate recompense for the service. But two years ago the salary was increased to $2500.00, which was certainly ample for the three or four months devoted to the work. There were emoluments in the way of mileage, postage stamps and stationery of the value of four or five hundred dollars to “help - out,” and . most of us imagined that there would be no * further demands for many vears to come. But this expectation has been disappointed and to public surprise the Governor has approved . a salary bill that will run consider- ; ably above $100.00 a day of actual service, LLEFONTE., PA.. MAY 20. 1927. Curious Methods of the Standard. The Standard Oil company seems to be a resourceful as well as a “soul- less corporation.” According to in- formation coming from New York, | the officers of the company held a long conference, the other day, to con- sider the question of increasing the price of gasoline. The reason given for this movement is that there has been lately an “unprecedented over- production of petroleum.” It appears that in some sections of the country independent operators have been unusually successful, with the result that competition in the market has forced prices downward to an amaz- ing extent. The “Standard” stands to lose heavily by this trend of the market and hopes to reimburse itself by increasing the price of gasoline. Gasoline is a by-product of petro- leum, and in fact petroleum is pretty nearly the “whole thing” in the manufacture of gasoline. In view of this fact the average mind would come to the conclusion that the cheap- ening of the price of petroleum would justify a corresponding decrease in the price of gasoline. But the offi- cials of the Standard Oil company don’t take this view of the subject. They are perfectly willing to engage in competition with any weaker force and drive it to the wall, but they want some certain means of recovering losses incident to such an operation. There is little if any competition in gasoline, for the rivals in that indus- try are always willing to make a “gentleman’s agreement” that prom- ises profits. In justice to the Standard Oil com- pany it must be stated that the in- crease in the price of gasoline was not the preferred method of meeting the decreasing price of petroleum. The Standard managers would much rather have gone after the independ- ent producers with “hammer and tongs” and driven them out of the competition through bankruptcy pro- cesses. Or, according to gossip on the subject, they were willing to “make an arrangement which would have been satisfactory to all con- cerned.” But the Sherman anti-trust tip before them like a spectre of calamity and there was no other expedient than that gravely consider- ed at a long drawn out conference, of increasing the price of gasoline. It is hoped by them that President Cool- idge will wink at that plan. ——The defaulting Pittsburgh banker and politician, John A. Bell, may have to go to jail in the end, though his friends still hope: to switch him into a hospital. The New Motor Law Approved. Governor Fisher, having approved the motor code bill enacted by the General Assembly during its recent session, it is to be hoped that there will be no future tinkering with that important subject for some years. Since the first motor law was enacted, eighteen or twenty years ago, the law makers of the State have felt it their , duty to pass a new law on the sub- ject nearly every time they have con- vened, with the result that the statute books are cluttered up with a variety of enactments, some improving and the others conflicting with acts pre- iouslv passed. These processes have created such confusion that for the last two years or more no motor own- er or driver could be exactly certain whether or not he was within the law. The new law commonly known as the “Hess Motor Code,” makes some important changes in the highway regulations, which may or may not prove advantageous to the public. It increases the speed limit on public roads to thirty-five miles an hour in- stead of thirty, which pleases the users of motor vehicles who seem to be always in a hurry to “get there.” It is claimed that this change will decrease the number of accidents for the reason that slow motion has a tendency to congestion, which is the cause of many accidents. This of course is mere conjecture which will be determined by time and exper- ience. If the new law is not disap- pointing in this respect it will be of infinite benefit all around. The new law also makes provision for uniform traffic control and opera- tion of signal lights in cities and boroughs, which ought to be a decided improvement. Wherever these sig- nals are installed green will mean “go” and turns either right or left will be permitted where there are no prohibiting signs. A red light will mean “stop” and every driver will understand these signals no matter what section of the State he or she comes from. The license fee for trucks is increased and that will meet with popular favor, but lower limit in the weight would have been an addi- tional improvement. We have not been able to see the new law, as yet, but if it repeals all other acts on the subject it is well. NO. 20. | Betrayers of a Sacred Trust. From the Philadelphia Record. ! The conviction at Wilkes-Barre of six school directors of Hanover town- ship on one of a long series of charges of graft extending over several years, , following so closely upon the sentenc- ting to jail of a Philadelphia Magis- , trate who had collected over $80,000 iin a single year by a wide diversity of crookedness, might at first blush | give the impression that public life {in Pennsylvania is hopelessly corrupt rand that such betrayals of trust are { common. Such an impression would, 'we believe, be quite incorrect. In- deed, the prominence that has been given to these two cases is fairly good evidence that they are of such rare oc- currence as to possess a spectacular interest. In saying this we do not mean to condone such frauds, especially those tin the holding of elections, as have given the State a painful pre-emi- .nence. These electoral iniquities are ‘in all conscience, bad enough, but it must be remembered that fhey are chiefly confined to Philadelphia, Pitts- burgh and one or two other cities. The overwhelming majority that Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, gave last fall to William B. Wilson, the Democratic candidate for United States Senator, against William §. Vare, is convincing proof of the soundness of public sentiment in this matter. The betrayal of their trust by the convicted school directors of Hanover township would, if it were a common practice, indicate nothing less than a breakdown in our civilization. But we cannot believe that such corrup- tion is common. If it were we would certainly see indications of it here rin Philadelphia, which® is popularly supposed to be addicted to all forms (of official perverseness. Yet, as a { matter of fact, the public schools of ' the city, under the control of the Board of Education, are conducted | with a degree of integrity and a fidel- ‘ity to duty that cannot be surpassed by any private corporation. With an- nual expenditures of between , $30- 000,000 and $40,000,000 the Joard spares no pains to see that évery dol- lar of the taxpayers’ money S§pent brings full returns and it fulfills its important duties with a fidelity de- serving of the highest praise. { And such, we trust, is the. spirit : that animates school directors 7 Arge £188 n- stricts e” over township directors form an in- famous exception and have been guil- ty of a crime that deserves severe punishment. The man who would rob fhe publi schools is a rascal of such , base’ quality that not a word can be | spoken in extenuation of his mis- i deeds. Peace in Nicaragua. I'rom the Pittsburgh Post. i It had been noticed for some time i—in fact, from the arrival of Ameri- . can marines on the scene—that blood- Ished in the Nicaraguan revolution had practically ceased. Hence the . world was prepared to hear yesterday | that the counsel of Henry L. Stimson, ' personal representative of President | Coolidge on the ground since April :17, had been accepted. Both sides are to turn in their arms- to American marines. President Diaz has signed a general amnesty decree and added that the freedom of the press would soon be restored. Whether the Uni- ed States is praised or blamed for “interference” in the affairs of the little country, the announcement of peace itself finds the usual favorable reaction. There does not appear to be much bitterness in the words of the Liberal General Moncada in or- dering his forces to lay down arms. “We are forced by a greater power to cease our fight,” he said, “but as peace will be the result, I shall devote my effort to help in restoring order, so that the Liberals may gain ulti- mate and honest control in the 1928 elections, which will be supervised by the United States.” Whether such policing or umpiring on our part is relished or not, it seems to be wholly in accord with the obligation implied under the Monroe Doctrine. European or other foreign powers are warned to keep hands off on this side. Nothing appears to be left, then, but for this country to do what policing is necessary to the guarding against civil war in South American countries. The good feeling on the news of peace is pretty strong commendation of the policy. This grand Jury Means Business. From the DuBois Express. In Arkansas, after a grand jury had indicted a negro for murder, it took cognizance of mob demonstra- tions that had followed his arrest and issued a warning that it would take action against any persons who made further attempt to take the law into their own hands. And this is surely a hopeful sign. The weak point in all plans to do away with lynching has been the jury itself. Pass the harshest kind of legislation against lynching, and if juries will not indict and convict, it all goes for naught. But when people know that a jury means business a lynching bee does not appear quite so tempting. This Arkansas jury has probably done more to avert violence in this particu- lar case than could be done in any other way. ——The “Watchman” is the most readable paper published. Try it. A ——————————— ——— HN SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —Yeggs blew open the safe in a post- office sub-station in a New Castle store, on Saturday. night, and escaped with stamps and currency of an undetermined value, ‘ ' : —Four full grown beavers, trapped in the Seven Mountains, :Miflin county, have been sent to Mahaffey, Clearfield county, where they will be used for propagation purposes. The animals were trapped in the region where a colony was liberated nearly a decade ago. —Mrs. Nellie Woods, of Altoona, was ar- rested on Saturday and held in $2500 bail on charge of involuntary manslaughter following the death of Francis Dale Dick- man, 7, of Juniata Gap. The boy, on his way home from an Altoona school, jump- ed from a truck and was struck by the Woods car. —Edward 8. Templeton, of Greenville, Pa., has been awarded a medal by King Albert, of Belgium, in recognition of Tem- pleton’s services in behalf of the Belgian government in adjusting the Christian H. Buhl bequest of $2,000,000 to aid destitute or needy war victims in Northern France and Belgium. —John Saunders, sixty years old, color- ed, builder of a colony of small houses at Sellersville and a trustee of a colored Baptist church, of Quakertown, is in jail at Lansdale, charged with chicken steal- ing. Police say a ring of thieves have stolen 4200 chickens from farmers of the North Penn section in five months. —Just after reading his report at the annual convention of the Lutheran Sus- quehanna Synod, in session at Milton, William T. Horton, registrar of Susque- hanna University, died as he sat down in his chair last Wednesday, May 11th. He was 68 years old and leaves a wife and two children. A heart attack was the cause of his death. —Anthony Podrobarac, Nathan Podro- barac, John Podrobarac, Joseph Herrick, and Nick Vandenmergel, residents of Cambria county, were arrested by George Sperring, a State fish warden, for violation of fish laws in setting lines in Fishing creek, Clinton county. Taken before Alderman T. Mark Brungard, of Lock Haven, the men were fined $20 each. —Burns received when he fell into an alkali vat at the New York and Pennsyl- vania Paper company, at Lock Haven last Wednesday, resulted fatally on Thursday morning to John Caskey, 30, of that place. Caskey fell into the vat at 6 o'clock Wed- nesday evening, dying during the night at the Lock Haven hospital. His widow and bis parents, Mr. and Mrs. Butler Caskey, survive. . —Acting the part of a “lawyer during an initiation of new members into the I’. O. 8. of A. lodge at Marklesburg, Paul Moore, mail carrier, was shot through both thighs by John Donaldson, of the Huntingdon High school ' faculty. The revolver used in the ceremonies was sup- posed to contain blank cartridges. In the hospital at Huntingdon, on Monday, Mr. Moore absolved Donaldson of all inten- tional blame. —The Central Pennsylvania Lumber company reports considerable progress is being made in cutting virgin timber in the Bear Creek secton, near Kane. Logs are being shipped to Sheffield where they are converted into lumber. The company hopes to elear the Section of timber within two ‘4 years and at the present rate this would |} not seem impossible. Many of the trees are so large that two men can hardly span them by joining hands. —Peter J. Hanlon, 37 years old, of Mon- essen, former deputy collector of internal revenue, was found guilty on. 51 counts of embezzlement by a jury in. United States court at Pittsburgh, Saturday morning, Sentence was postponed by Judge Schoonmaker, pending the filing of a motion for a new trial. In the indict- ment Hanlon was accused of stealing amounts ranging from 81 cents to $130, which he had collected as delinquent taxes. The total was $3,000. —Thomas M. Baker, vice president of the defunct Merchants’ National Bank, of Butler, closed by the Federal authorities Friday afternoon because of an estimated shortage of $200,000, was arrested on Sat- urday on a charge of embezzlement. J. H. Hutzler, cashier of the bank, who was arrested on Friday, waived a hearing at Pittsburgh and was released in $10,000 bail. Baker is seriously ill at his home and a policeman is guarding hm. Hutzler has confessed to irregularities. —-The body of Ferdinand W. Duerr, Pennsylvania railroad shopman of Altoona, was found in the Juniata river three miles east of Huntingdon on Wednesday, May 11th. Eleven days prior Duerr left his home for a day’s fishing and after reach- ing his destination suddenly disappeared. His cap and fishing tackle were found on the river bank. Constant search was un- successful until the above date. when a woman gathering wild flowers, discovered the body lodged against driftwood. —Awakened by shots Friday morning at 4 o'clock, Edward Heintzleman, South Fourth street, Sunbury, found the bodies of Edward Miller, 45, a neighbor, and his wife scantily clad in night clothes on the pavement in front of their home. Mrs. Miller was shot through the left side with a charge from a 12-gauge shot gun. She died enroute to a local hospital. Miller was dead when found. The left side of his head was torn away. Miller, known to be a jealous husband, is blamed for the double killing by police. —William Fetters, a Tl-vear-old farmer of Chaneyville, Bedford county rejoices in the recovery of $000 from $1200 repre- senting the last of his life's saving, stolen from his home, while Fetters was plowing and his wife was working in the garden. Thomas Redinger, 63, a neighbor, and his son Glenn, are in jail at Bedford and officers say made a complete confession of the theft. On his small farm, throughout his lifetime, Fetters managed to amass $4800 in savings. Three years ago, he lost $3600 in stock deals. Distrustful of banks his last $1200 was hidden in a bureau drawer in the house. —~George Sargent, 19, of Marietta, died on Sunday afternoon in the Columbia hos- pital from a fractured skull received when gas from an iron furnace blew a plate from a huge pipe carrying the fumes to an exit outside the factory. Roy Tracey, 38, who was working with Sargent making temporary repairs to the gas pipe, also was injured. He will recover. Sargent and Tracey were on a scaffold when the gas blew the iron plate loose from the pipe. The plate hit the scaffolding and Sargent plunged twenty-five feet to a cement floor. Tracey grasped another pipe, breaking his fall. The accident oc- curred at the Lavine iron furnace.