Democratic watchman. (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1855-1940, February 22, 1929, Image 1
] INK SLINGS. ——The snow that started falling early Tuesday morning was the heav- jest of the year but only about five inches of it fell. —Up to the moment that he put Coleville’s “millionaire” on the water wagon for an entire year we really believed that Judge Fleming had a heart. —Why call it “the busy” bee? This over exploited hymenoptera exponent of energy really works about three weeks and then eats honey all the rest of the year. * —The inauguration is only ten days off and so far as cabinet mys- ‘teries are concerned Mr. Hoover has a better one than any magician we have ever heard of. —It is supposed that there is a “sucker” born every minute. Judg- ing from the number of them that are haled into court all over the country there must be a boot-legger born every second. —We fear that the country is soon to suffer a great disappointment. In a month or so Mr. Coolidge will be expected to be making a noise like a retired President and silent Cal. just can’t make a noise. —The time is about here when the average farmer will spend about eight hours every day at a public sale. You ask: Is that all he has to do. No! ‘A year hence he'll probably have a sale note to pay. —At the coming Stribling-Sharkey fight in Miami “pop” is to be sold in paper containers and not glass bottles as usual. - Thus the sore-heads after Mr. Dempsey’s first promotion event will be confined to those who didn’t get their money's worth. — We regret exceedingly that we have never had opportunity of meet- ing Mr. Edison. We are sure he nev- er would have said that man knows next to one-millionth of nothing had he met us before making such a sweeping assertion. He would prob- ably have omitted the “next.” —We are hoping the New York courts will publish the “sucker list” of the fake Canario Copper com- pany. We'd like the world to know the soft sisters who thought they were buying stock in a copper mine but were really buying automobiles and diamond studded dog collars for the ladies of New York’s night clubs. Mr. Hoover had no sooner de- parted from Miami than the business men of that city called a meeting to solve the unemployment problem there. As-long as Herb was-in town’ we presume every fellow who was out of a job had hope, but when the apostle of prosperity started north—- well, that was something else, again. —Senator Reed, of Missouri, is holding the spotlight in Washington just now. He will retire from the Senate with the close of the present session and he is singing swan songs daily. On Monday he sang a rather acrid little ballad entitled “Wet Drinkers and Dry Voters,” dedicated specially to his colleagues in both branches of Congress. —The Legislature of Pennsylvania would do well to let the rival politi- cal gangs in Philadelphia wash their dirty linen at home. At this distance from the scene Senator Salus looks like a poor sport. If he and his crowd can’t take a licking without running to Harrisburg to get the State to do what they couldn’t do themselves they're pretty small po- tatoes and few in a heap. —Two hundred men lined up for seven jobs that were open when they started work on two new school houses in Sunbury on Saturday. Af- ter looking up the last fall election returns in Northumberland county we have concluded that probably one hundred and ninety nine of the ap- plicants voted for Hoover. And if they did it must have been because they thought he would bring them prosperity. Certainly it wasn’t be- cause Smith wag wet. Northumber- land isn’t so dry as that. —From New Hampshire, Ohio, comes the story that a young man fasted thirty-five days “to drive the devil out of his father.” We note the incident not because someone doing a fool thing is unusual. As a matter of fact such things are being done every day. The interesting phase of the exhibition in question is the rév- elation that there is a son in this broad land who is worried about his dad. In this day and generation of youthful sophistication we are amazed to learn that there is one shoe on the other foot and one old fashioned boy left. —We're getting soft. Nobody seems to be able to stand cold weath- er anymore. This hasn't been an unusually cold winter yet we hear comment on all sides as to its sever- ity. In 1904, from Thanksgiving day to February 19, there were only sev- en days when the mercury failed to go below the freezing point. We have had no such consistently cold weather this winter. We are coddling ourselves with super heated homes and offices, discarding woolens for silks and expecting summer raiment to render winter service. That's why we're cold in weather that our fore- bears considered merely exhilerating.. C Er ies » 7 7a emacral ARN a———— [ufc STATE RIGHTS AN D FEDERAL UNION. VOL. BELLEFONTE. PA. . FEBRUARY 22. 1929. NO. 8. The Gas Tax Question. It may be accepted as a certainty that there will be a hard fight over the gasoline tax question during the present session of the Legislature. Governor Fisher favors a four cent’ levy and the gas consumers are per- suaded that the present rate is high enough. There seems to be a wide- spread opinion that additional reve- nue will be needed during the coming biennium. The alternative to an in- crease in the gas tax is a tax on shares of manufacturing corpora- tions. Joe Grundy is unalterably op- posed to such a tax, and the Mel- lons are in sympathy with his atti- tude. These forces combined on any question are invincible. The Gover- nor could not possibly oppose them. A few years ago the question of tax on gasoline was of little impox- tance to the public outside of the owners and users of automobiles. But the development of electrical power has so expanded the demand for gas that it has become an item in the budgets of every household, small factory and farm. The automobile owners are still the largest consum- ers but the others require enough to make the price a matter of consider- ation, and a large proportion of the people believe that gas consumers have been ‘the goat” long enough. Hence they are preparing to put up a strong opposition to the proposed in- crease. They are persuaded that it is not needed and are averse to vol- untary sacrifices. While Mr. Grundy is the ostensible “power behind the throne” in the movement to increase the gas tax, the Mellons are not indifferent ob- servers of the impending conflict. They are extensive producers of gas- oline and the flow from the refineries of “Good Gulf Gas” contributes to the wealth of the family a good deal more than the quantity consumed by : their automobiles subtract from it. Maybe some good will come out of : the controversy, however, It may Little Improvement in Philadelphia. The real reformers in Philadelphia have little faith in the sincerity of the group which Senator Salus de- scribes as the “new combination.” This group is composed of (ireenfield, Monahan, Hazlett and others, who offer themselves to take the place of the old Vare machine. In an address made before the Legislative League in Harrisburg, the other evening, Thomas Reyburn White, head of the Committee of Seventy, said, “no new leadership which may emerge from Philadelphia’s tangled situation can hope to survive for more than a fleet- ing moment unless it takes note of the need for improvement in the ad- ministration of Philadelphia’s busi- ness affairs.” When Senator Salus appeared as sponsor of the bill providing for a new form of government for Phila- delphia wise observers began looking for “an African in the woodpile,” and he was soon revealed. Mr. Salus proposes to insert a provision in the measure that the manager shall be chosen by councils, and councils shall be elected by the political ma- chine. This would simply give the. machine increased power and les- sened responsibility. The purpose of Mr. White, in addressing the rural. members of Legislature, was to ad- monish them against this danger. In the original bill proper precautions are expressed to secure a selection by the people, but the proposed amen- ment would destroy it. The “new combination” is not con- cerned about improvements in the government of Philadelphia. The members of it may be dissatisfied , with some of the methods of Vare "and are opposed to such raw stuff as has been exposed in the police de- partment. But they all swear al- legiance to Vare, and if Cunningham and one or two others of the present bosses are thrown out others will obedient to the Vare will. The only Reaction to the Cruiser Bill. The statement of Sir Esme How- ard, British Ambassador at Wash- ington, of the purpose of his govern- ' ment to initiate a new effort in the direction of naval armament limita- tion may be London’s reaction to the passage and approval of the cruiser bill. The conference on the subject at Geneva a year ago failed because the British government believed the people of the United States were so completely committed to peace poli- cies that Congress would submit in- definitely to the disparity in naval equipment between that country and this. The passage of the cruiser bill by an overwhelming majority and its prompt approval by the President has effectually removed that illusion. The Washington conference in 1922, in which British and Japanese statesmen made rings around the Harding administration, provided for a petfect parity in the naval strength of the United States and Great Brit- ain, to accomplish which nearly a billion dollars worth of perfectly good American war ships, afloat or near- ing completion, had to be scrapped and sunk. Nothing having been said about cruisers in that agreement Great Britain proceeded to build cruisers until a ratio of five for Great Britain to about one and a-half for the United States had been reached. Then the administration at Washing- ton woke up and proposed a ‘limita- tion conference” in which our repre- sentatives were practically “laughed | out of court.” The recent cruiser legislation, how- ever, has altered the situation. It plainly conveyed the idea that while the people of this country are devoted to peace they are determined to be prepared for emergencies and if a contest for superiority should ensue we have the means to go over the top, however high it may be. Sir Esme Howard quickly grasped the | take their places who are equally | significance of this fact and at the | probable suggestion of equally keen lead to legislation that will correct way to make substantial improve- | minded men in London submits a sug- the faults in the collection of the | ment in the government of Philadel- i gestion for another limitation con- gas tax that will supply any deficien- | phia is to turn out not only Vare but cy in revenues. from that source ; nee’ exists. In any event equalization in | taxation is as important as volume of revenue. ——The great mouth duel between Senators Reed and Borah has. been successfully pulled off and “the gov- ernment at Washington still lives.” Just Indignation Expressed. The recent death of John Berco- veskie, a miner employed by the Pittsburgh Coal company at Santia- go, near Pittsburgh, after having been brutally beaten by three coal and iron policemen, appears to have aroused Governor Fisher to a belat- ed appreciation of the evil of such an organization. The coal and iron po- lice is an organization authorized by an Act of Assembly passed many years ago. It conveys to private corporations authority to organize and maintain forces which may ex- ercise police authority without re- sponsibility. This license to arrest without responsibility for ‘excesses or abuses has invited recklessness and in many cases grave offenses have been perpetrated in the name of the law. In the case in point the victim of the brutal attack was in the home of his mother-in-law and is said to have resisted an arrest attempted without cause. Thereupon the three private policemen beat him with clubs and pistol butts until he was fatally injur- ed. Upon compiaint of friends Gover- nor Fisher promptly ordered an in- vestigation and revoked the commis- sions of the offenders. The Pittsburgh Coal company has since engaged to care for the dead man’s family and the local authorities will probably in- flict just punishment upon the offend- ers. But even such generous and just promises afford meagre recom- pense to the bereaved widow and children and small reparation to an outraged community. There will come a material gain to the public, however, if this lament- able incident shall culminate in the correction of a great fault in the police system of Pennsylvania which has been pyramiding outrages for many years. And Governor Fisher's comments inspire hope for that re- sult. “The viciousness of tha system,” he says, ‘consists of the surrender by the State into private hands of police power. These powers ought to be jealously guarded by the State and exercised only under its jurisdiction.” No greater truth has been uttered, no truer principle ex- pressed by a public official in recent years, and, fortunately, Governor Fisher is in position to bring it about. em ent— nse e— ——The relief work in Philadelphia is in progress but not in the form of that soup houses. all those who acknowledge allegiance to his corrupt dynasty. Honest elec- tion laws will help to accomplish this result. ; BS I * ——One trouble with Senator Reed, of Missouri, is that he keeps “too many irons in the fire.” If he had given less time to a hopeless effort to rehabilitate John Barleycorn he | might have achieved a splendid tri- umph over fraud and coruption hy keeping Vare out of the Senate. reese eee ee, Hoover's Uncertain Mind. Unless appearances are misleading President-elect Hoover is a hard problem to solve. He is impulsive, emotional and uncertain in purpose. He won't “stay put,” if we may use an expression common among politi- cians. That sort of man in power is difficult to manage and unless the President is manageable the party managers have all sorts of trouble on their hands. No engagements can be made or plans laid if the boss cannot be completely relied upon, and every act of the President-elect, since the election, shows that Herbert Hoover is sort of a question mark. He acts upon his own impulses regardless of the effect upon the party or the country. Soon after the election the an- nouncement of his tour of the South- ern Republics came to the country like “thunder from a clear sky.” It was variously interpreted by the press and public, and to a considerable ex- tent was taken to mean the remov- al of embarrassments to President Coolidge during the closing period of his administration. But before he had completed his “mission of good- will” he changed his mind and re- turned to Washington to engage in conferences with party leaders upon current questions of policy. After a period he suddenly “pulled up stakes” and hied himself to an inaccessible re- treat on the Florida coast to remain until the eve of his inauguration. Now, he has changed his mind again and is back in “to clear up a number of matters which must re- ceive his attention before March 4th.” What influenced him to this action has not been revealed but may be as- cribed to various causes. The party managers may have been doing some- thing that does not meet his approv- al or he may have imagined that his presence in Washington during the closing days of the present Congress would be helpful to his friend Vare who served him in an emergency at Kansas City. Then again the Presi- ident may have done something. ————————p Are —————————— ——Pat Crowe, whose greatest achievement was the kidnapping of a rich baby, also denies that he com- mitted suicide or died by any other process. rence in which the representatives "of Great Britain will be more rea- sonable. It is to be hoped that his , gesture will be followed by action and | that it will come in time to check expensive building operations. | ———— A | .——Next week we will publish a | thrilling story of the early cattle days -in the northwest. It is really a blood | curdler and what makes it all the | more interesting it is told by a for- ‘mer Centre countian, Larry Curtin, Hoy, who left Centre county in 1870 {and became the cattle king of the | Brown's Park country in Wyoming. ——In Governor Fisher’s recon- | structed code the recommendation of | the 1927 Legislature that Rockview , penitentiary be made a separate and , distinct institution with its own board of managers is to be dropped and | Rockview to remain under the super- vision of the board of the western ! penitentiary. ——Highway engineers are mak- ing a survey of the Bald Eagle. Val- ley road from Milesburg to the Cen- tre-Clinton county line, and it is rumored that it will be rebuilt with a concrete surface the coming sum- mer. —————— A ee ee — ——Probably the most important achievement of the proposed new code is that it will substitute the name of Fisher for that of Pinchot an the principal law for the government of the Commonwealth. ——Judge McDivitt, of Philadel- phia, is doing his part in the effort to discourage crime. The other day he sentenced four gangsters to a total of 210 years in prison. ——Last Sunday's canvas for the annual budget of the Bellefonte Methodist church resulted in pledges of over $400 in excess of last year. re gr emi ——The Senators were entranced by the eloquence of Reed and Borah, the other day, but it’s a safe bet, not a vote was gained on either side. rm ———— A en ——Mayor Mackey is still trying to unload some of Mitten’s burden- some responsibilities on the tax pay- ers of Philadelphia. —— ee ——Coloniel Lindbergh may or may not be an ideal lover but he allows no opportunity to boost aviation get away from him. RI a — Leon Trotzy, late dictator of Russia, appears to be “all dressed up with no place to go.” ——— fs ————— ——“Swearing he'd ne’er consent” Senator Salus appears to have con- sented. and concerns the murder of Valentine: DON’T WANT FOUNTAIN PLACED IN SPRING. Only five members were present at the regular meeting of borough coun- cil, on Monday evening. Fire mar- shall John J. Bower was present and turned over to council a check for $16.50, being two-thirds of a volun- tary contribution to the Logan fire company for services at a recent fire at the Kohlbecker hotel, in Milesburg, and another check for $134 from res- idents of Spring Mills, one-third of which will be returned to .the fire company. Elmer E. Rockey appeared in per-. son and presented a complaint and petition from residents of east Lamb street regarding the bad condition of ' the pavements as well as portions of the street. The matter was referred to the Street committee. A lengthy communication was re- ceived from M. J. Barrick, district en- gineer of the State sanitary water board, protesting against the placing of an illuminated fountain in the big spring on the grounds that it might contaminate the water. Mr. Cunning- ham, of the Water committee, stat- ed that no portion of the fountain will go into the water but the triped on which the fountain will rest, and as it will be made of galvanized iron there will be nothing about it to con- taminate the water. He further stat- ed that the fountain is almost ready for installation and recom- mended that it be installed. The matter was left in the hands of the committee with power. The Water committee reported the collection of $300.00 on water dupli- cates and $38.22 for rent and miscel- laneous items. The Finance committee presented the treasurer's report in which he. stated that tax collector Sarah Love reported a little over forty thousand dollars having been collected on the 1928 duplicate to date. The com- mittee also asked for the renewal of a note for $4,000 which was author- ized. The Fire and Police committee re- ported that it will cost approximately $97.00 to secure the necessary valve rings and put the Undine steamer in good repair and the matter was left in the hands of the committee with power. The committee also reported that bids had been received for new tires for the pumpers. The Johnston Mo- tor Bus company will furnish four tires for $400 and allow $50 for the old tires; the Smead Service Station bid was $394.88 and an allowance of $50 for the old tires, while J. B. Ross- man gave a bid of $398. The com- mittee advised in favor of keeping at least two of the old tires for emer- gency use. The matter was left in the hands of the committee with power. Mr. Cunningham, as a member of the Fire and Police committee, pro- tested against the chairman of the committee making appointments and awarding contracts on his own ini- tiative without consulting either of the other members. As the chairman was not present no action was taken on the protest. A committee of the Undine Fire company was present and requested council to paint the floor of their building, similar to the painting done for the Logans. The matter was re- ferred to the Fire and Police com- mittee. Mr. Cobb, of the Special committee, reported progress. in the matter of lighting the proposed airport mark- er, and also progress on the proposed building code for the purpose of se- curing a reduction in insurance rates. Mr. Cunningham called attention to the fact that inasmuch as the new milk ordinance had been duly passed and published, and was to go into ef- fect April ist, council should appoint a milk inspector so he could have ample time to make any preparations necessary to take charge of the work on that date. President Walker re- quested the committee to be prepar- ed to make a recommendation at the next meeting of council. Mr. Cunningham also stated that a serious misconstruction of the ordi- nance is prevalent among the milk dealers in Bellefonte, some of whom contended that they will have to pay to the borough as a license fee one dollar for ever one hundred quarts of milk sold during the year. This is a grave mistake. The one dollar is all they will have to pay to secure a license good for one year. Milk deal- ers who handle two hundred quarts daily will be required to pay two dol- lars for a license and any who handle three hundred quarts three dollars, but that is all they will have to pay. Bills totaling $586.31 were approv- ed for payment after which council adjourned. ——Centre county's allotment of the three cent gasoline tax from July . to. December, inclusive, is $14,201, SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —Three weeks ago an armed Negro held up Theresa Basial, 24, of Pittsburgh and robbed her of a $350 diamond ring. The ring was left in her mail-box last | Friday, with a scribbled note: “Was just i a joke. Sorry to put you to any trouble. —Milton Shipley, who escaped from the { Clinton county jail at Lock Haven last | fall, was captured at his home in Sunbury, | on Monday by State highway patrolmen | Flick. Milton and patrolman Swartz. He {had not been at his home half an hour | when a woman called the State Highway { Patrol. He said he was glad the chase was over. —An arduous hug may cost John Schwartz, of Erie, $5000. Suit has been brought in county court by Mrs. Alda Porter, of Meadville, in which Schwartz is charged with hugging her so tightly that one of her ribs was broken and two others injured. She asks for medical ex- penses and for compensation for time lost from her work. —The final touch was put to his quarrel with his wife nearly a sixth of a century ago, when George H. Michener, of Nor- ristown, in his will, filed for probate on Monday, pointedly remarked that he makes no bequest to her from his $250 es- tate, because she deserted him 14 years ago. The estate was bequeathed to the four children of their marriage. —State police are searching for bandits who early Monday morning beat G. C. Woods, a steam shovel operator, at his home in Derry and took $3600. They knocked him unconscious while he was placing an automobile in his garage. The highwaymen are believed to have been in hiding awaiting his return. When Woods recovered consciousness he gave the alarm. —Lodging of a piece of peanut shell in the windpipe of Charles Decker, 16- months-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Decker, of Williamsport, R. D. No. 2, indirectly resulted in the infant’s death in the Williamsport hospital, authorities said. The child was taken to the hos- pital to have the shell removed, but be- fore it could be done pneumonia develop- ed and proved fatal. —City and county authorities at Pitts- burgh are searching for Rev. Harry H. Rutchel, 33 years old, pastor of the First Baptist church of Vandergrift, who dis- appeared after purchasing a ticket on the Pennsylvania railroad for home on Satur- day night. As he was known to have more than $500 and several pieces of jew- elry on his person, fear for the safety of the missing pastor was expressed. —TForty guests of the Marble Hall hotel, at Mt. Carmel, on Monday, were forced to flee when fire swept the east wing of the building, causing damage estimated at between $25,000 and $30,000. Three firemen were overcome by smoke but no one was seriously injured. The blaze, cause of which has not been determined, was believed to have originated in the basement of a pool room adjoining the hotel. —Mine workers of the Lehigh Coal and ‘Navigation company may soon be wear- ing goggles at their work. The accident report of the company for 1928 shows that 366 men suffered injuries of their eyes as the result of being struck by fiy- ing particles of coal and ro ks. Officials are now considering the sugiestion that miners be forced to wear goggles in an effort to curtail’ the annual number of accidents. | —Thirty-eight head of cattle and four mules burned to death in a fire which early on Monday destroyed the D. L. Gibbony farm barn, five miles east of Ev- erett. The loss is $8500. Barking dogs awakened Carl Foor, the tenant farmer, and fire companies were called, but were unable to save anything of value. A water tank on top of the silo burst due to the heat of the fire, but the water failed to quench the flames. —That a “bank” in a woman's stocking is unsafe has been proven to Mrs. Cora V. Thomas, of York, Pa., who charges Lewis Hawkins with making a ‘touch” of $11 while she was asleep. Hawkins is in jail at York waiting a preliminary hearing be- fore Alderman Jacob Stager on a charge of the larceny of the money and also a $65 gold watch, which, she alleges, he stole from her bedroom when he extracted the currency from her stocking. — While Jacob E..Garthoff, of Juniata, was motoring to Lock Haven, last week, to attend his father’s funeral, he failed to note the red signal lights at the New York Central crossing north of Beech Creek, and crashed into a slow-moving freight, wrecking the motor and causing his wife to be hurled through the wind- shield, Mrs. Garthoff was badly cut about the face and head. The other mem- bers of the party escaped with slight bruises. —Progress in the drilling of the test well for gas and oil, conducted by the Juniata Gas and Oil company at the George Gates farm, two miles east of New- ton Hamilton, is slowing up. The test well contract calls for 3200 feet. Ten days ago, when at a depth of 2000 feet, the dril- lers encountered a bed of rock so impreg- nated with iron as to resist their every ef- fort to go through with the machinery they have on the grounds. Machinery of a different type will be hurried from New York at once to complete the well. —Mrs. Bertha Haffner, a divorcee, was i acquitted of the murder of State tropper J. Busch by a jury in criminal court at Brookville, on Monday. As the verdict was read Mrs. Haffner wept. Her parents and fiance, R. C. Larson, Jamestown, N. Y., were in the coutroom with her. Busch was wounded fatally in Mrs. Haffner's | room at Punxsutawney, October 4. Mrs. Haffner told police he shot himself acci- | | dentally. The State submitted evidence in i | an effort to show that Mrs. Haffner learn- ed the day of the shooting that the po- { liceman, who had been attentive to her, | was married. —A search of the fringe of the woods in which the body of Blaaz Ahazic, 59, of White valley, Westmoreland county, who committed suicide, was found Tuesday, revealed the charred remains of the man’s savings amounting to $5900. Before leav- ing home Ahazic gave his wife a $20 green- back and taunted her that she would never get any good out of the remainder of his $6000 savings which he had just taken from his trunk. State police ended a three day search by the discovery of the money, partially burned, in a tobacco can. The Treasury Department will be asked to re~ een the money. : 3