Beuacaif Yim
INK SLINGS.
——Now set your speedometer to
register the velocity of Bill Vare's re-
turn to health.
—If Elihu Root gets us into the
World Court he will render a greater
:service than getting signatures to a
toothless treaty.
—As long as the penitentiaries and
Jails have accommodations for them
there seem to be plenty eager to
make reservations.
—The K. K. K,, Tom Heflin and
Bishop Cannon evidently scared Mr.
Hoover out of his apparent desire to
have “Col.” Bill Donovan in his Cab-
inet.
—Anyway the flood on Tuesday
had the effect of compelli. g us to
scrub out and so far as spring house-
cleaning is concerned we've probably
beaten all of our readers to it.
—It matters little how March
comes in: Whether it be like a lion
or a lamb. It’s how it’s going to go
out that’s concerning the fellows
whose coal piles are running low.
—Well, Lindy is really human.
‘Cupid got his nerve, whereas all other
attackers failed. Cracking up a
plane was inconceivable, so far as the
Colonel was concerned, until Anne
Morrow's charms made him a bit
nervous.
—Senator Reed refused to put in
the finishing wallop in the Vare case
because he couldn’t “hit a man when
he is down.” That’s a fine spirit, of
course, but it remains for the open-
ing of the new Congress to reveal
how completely down Mr. Vare is.
—Judge Fleming put Coleville’s
“millionaire” on the water wagon
last week, but it is reported that he
wouldn't stay put and now he’s fac-
ing punishment for failure to com-
ply with an order that, in the case
in question, was utterly impossible
for him to do.
—It is the first of March and the
first day of spring is only three weeks
off. My, before we know it, we'll be
spading up a little plot for onions
and lettuce. That's what we think
right now, but it is highly probable
that when the time comes somebody
else will actually do it.
—The Legislature promptly voted
fifteen thousand dollars of the tax-
payers’ money to pay its way to the
Hoover inaugural. This, in the face
of the fact that that an extra cent
tax on gasoline is being advocated in
order to raise enough money to keep
things going at Harrisburg.
—The reason the country is pro-
* ducing so few statesmen is because
everybody wants to be a statesman
naw... Fime was when the people of
a community got behind an outstand-
ing man among them and pushed him
to the fore. Nowadays they are all
fighting to get in front of him.
—The Sharkey-Stribling fight at
Miami, Wednesday night, was more
or less of a pink tea affair. A four
hundred thousand gate to see two
second-raters punch each other
takes only a little ballyhoo to reach,
yet what months of toil it takes to
raise such a sum to build a church,
a hospital or a library.
—Everybody who wants to pay
four cents tax on each gallon of gaso-
line he buys should write to Senator
Scott and tne Hon. Holmes telling
them of their desires. Otherwise our
worthy representatives at Harrisburg
will not know how “the folks back
home” feel about the matter. If they
don’t hear from anybody, after this
notice, it will be understood that no-
body wants to pay the extra cent tax.
—Mr. Hoover is believed to have
selected a Democrat for Attorney
General in his Cabinet. William D.
Mitchell, of Minnesota, is the gentle-
man who is supposed to be the Pres-
ident-elect’s choice for the important
government post. It is rather a joke !
on our Republican friends that no big
lawyer in their ranks was quite dry
enough to suit the Anti-Saloon Lea-
gue and, in consequence, Mr. Hoover
had to pick one out of the party that
is supposed to be so wet.
—Every time a political campaign
or Lincoln's birthday anniversary
comes around the wets and drys get
into a squabble as to which side of
the question Abe was on. We can't
see that it matters much, one way or
another. If he ran a store in 1833
he probably sold liquor. They all did
then. It is generally supposed that
he split rails prior to that time. We
are not trying to stir up an argumen-
tation, but we are just a little cur-
ious why some one hasn't done some-
thing to make it unlawful to split
rails.
—Only forty-five days remain in
which to get the old fly hook fixed,
the rod shellacked and the license
button pinned on your coat. Better
start soon, because time certainly
flies. The real fisherman never be-
lieves the stories others tell about
there being no fish. He goes out and
settles that matter for himself. We
don’t know whether the fishing dur-
ing the coming season will be any
better than it was during the last,
but by way of encouragement let us
tell you that eight sardine fishermen
got so many in their net, off the
coast of California, the other day,
that they swamped the boat and the
fishermen would have drowned had
not another boat seen their plight and
gone to their rescue.
allman:
STATE RIGHTS AN
D FEDERAL UNION.
VOL. “4.
ELLEFONTE, PA. MARCH 1. 1929.
NO. 9.
Borah Declines Cabinet Offer. |
Senator Borah h has decided to re-
main in the Senate for the reason, as
he modestly states, “that he can be
of more use to his party and the coun-
try by remaining in his present in-
fluential position.” He is chairman of
the Committee on Foreign Relations,
which within late years has been a
very important office. But with the
Kellogg treaty in operation and the
movement for another conference for
the decrease in naval equipment mov-
ing forward it will exercise less in-
fluence in the future. But it may
afford opportunity to promote one of
Mr. Borah’s pet projects. He may
be able to advance the interests of
the Soviet government of Russia
in its efforts to secure recognition as
a member of the family of nations.
Senator Borah has had a long and
interesting career in Washington.
Entering the Senate at a compara-
tively early age and favored with a
reputation for eloquence and skill in
discussion he soon attracted attention
of the country. Elected as a Repub-
lican he alligned himself with the so-
called independents, among whom he
soon became a leader. But his work
along those lines was lip service, for
in every emergency he deserted his
associates and voted with the admin-
istration machine. The result of this
attitude was that neither faction re-
lied upon him and his influence in the
body was diminished. Upon assum-
ing the office of chairman of the Com-
mittee on Foreign Relations he
threatened to oppose the policy of
the administration but soon after-
ward fell into line without giving any |
reason for his change.
Mr. Borah is ambitious as well as
able, and eloquent and his recalci-
trance was getting him nowhere. He
had been not only a bitter but a vi-
tuperative enemy of Herbert Hoover,
but when the signs pointed to his
nomination Senator Borah enlisted in
his force and practically controlled
the activities of the campaign. Since
the election he has been recognized
as the probable “power behind the
throne.” It is said he was offered
the portfolio of the State Department
and -it is certain that he has been’
tendered the office of Attorney Gen-
eral, which he has declined. But we
are not persuaded that he was in-
fluenced by consideration of the “good
of the country.” The ambition of
Borah had something to do with it.
——Congressman McFadden, of
Pennsylvania, chairman of the House
committee on Banking and Currency,
hints that foreign financiers are di-
recting the policies of American
bankers.
em————— re e———
Well Meant but Inadequate Remedies.
Three or four bills have been intro-
duced in the General Assembly for
the purpose of abating or correcting
what Governor Fisher has justly de-
nounced as a vicious system, refer-
ring to the coal and iron police. Each
of these measures has merit, but
neither of them is entirely adequate.
One of them would limit their opera-
tions to the property of the employer.
Another would require a searching
inquiry into the Jualifications and
character of applicants and “rigid
State supervision of their official
activities.” Still another proposition
is that such officers be required to
give bonds for the proper perfor-
mance of their duties. All these
remedies are desirable but inefficient.
At the time this force was created,
nearly three-quarters of a century
ago, it may have been justified if not
exactly economically wise. Just af-
ter the close of the Civil war there
was more or less lawlessness in in-
dustrial centers and the purpose was
to shift part of the burden of main-
taining order from the communities
to the corporations interested. It
served fairly well at first but soon
degenerated into a menace. Outlaws
and ruffians were employed by cor-
porations which had no concern out-
side of selfishness. In many instances
these irresponsible thugs were more
active in creating disturbances than
a protective force.
When a committee of Senators vis-
ited the bituminous coal producing
sections of Pennsylvania, a year ago,
the evil influence of the private po-
lice force was clearly pointed out.
But nothing was done to check the
operations until the recent murder of
John Bercoveskie, near Pittsburgh, a
few weeks ago. That outrage not
only aroused the Governor but stirred
the people of the State. The bills in
the General Assembly are the result,
but they fail of their purpose. The
complete elimination of all such
forces is the true remedy. Pennsyl-
vania is rich enough to police itself,
and it is under legal as well as moral
obligation to do so. Our splendid
State police is a nucleus which will
require little expansion.
S—————————
What Cae Over Seriator Reel?
The dominating fact expressed in
the report of the Slush Fund com-
mittee of the Senate is that the ma-
jority for William S. Vare in the
Senatorial election of 1926 was ob-
tained by the grossest frauds. It was
made equally clear, though not so
candidly stated, that the frauds were
deliberately planned by the leaders
of the Vare organization with the
knowledge and assistance of Mr.
Vare. In view of these conditions it
is not easy to imagine what impulse
or influence appealed so strongly to
Senator Jim Reed's magnanimity
that he quit the fight at the moment ;
that the triumph of justice was about
to be achieved. He was certainly not
deceived by the absurd claim that
Vare had not had a fair chance.
The evidence of the opened ballot |
boxes proved that the frauds were
systematic as well as general
throughout the city. The records of |
the tax office showed that the issue
of thousands of bogus tax receipts
was by collusion. The records of the
registrar's office indicated careful |
planning and complete supervision by ,
the ‘division leaders.” As a result!
of this systematic fraud the commit-
tee unanimously declared that “the
average chance of a Philadelphia vot-
er to have his vote for United States |
Senator counted correctly was less |
than one in eight.” The records of |
the courts show the Vare organiza-
tion defended every ballot thief
brought to trial. In fact every charge
of fraud was proved and responsibil-
ity fastened on the organization.
The records show that Mr. Vare
was given ample opportunity to ap-
pear in person before the committee
to present his defense while he was
physically able to do so, and that
when his counsel did appear he pre-
sented no evidence. The plain in-
ference is that he had no defense to
make and refrained from appearing
because of that fact. He adopted the
legal quibble of “confession and
avoidance” because in his cunning
mind that seemed the safer course.
The Republicans on the committee
were not . deceived by his. tactics’
They registered their abhorrence of
his methods by signing the report.
Why should chairman Reed and his
Democratic colleage, Senator King,
become so sentimental and sympa-
thetic ?
——Somebody has suggested that
Grundy ought to pay the expenses of
Pennsylvania at the inaugural. Grun-
dy never assumes bills he can saddle
onto the State.
Slush Fund Committee’s Report.
The Slush Fund committee of the
Senate expressed a just verdict in its
final report, submitted a week ago,
in its unequivocal declaration that
“ijt is the opinion of the committee
that William S. Vare js not entitled
to a seat in the United States Sen-
ate.” This opinion was not arrived
at by careless mental processes or a
cursory examination of the facts. 1t
was not influenced by partisan prej-
udices or grudgingly tormed with
reservations. It was the unanimous
opinion of a body of highly trained
men after a searching investigation
of the facts covering a period of two
years of patient analysis. THe plea
for further delay by Senator King,
Democrat, was an unwarranted ex-
pression of sentimentality.
The committee was composed of
three Republicans and two Demo-
crats and the report is signed by all.
But it does not guarantee the exclu-
sion of Mr. Vare from the seat. That
is left for the Senate to determine.
The fight is now on and in all prob-
ability will continue until the expira-
tion of the present Congress, which
will be at noon next Monday. But it
will not be conducted on the high
plarz set by the committee. It has
already degenerated into a partisan
strife in the interest of political ex-
pediency. The Dave Reeds, Jim
Watsons, and other political hijack-
ers will manage the campaign for
Vare and: they will sacrifice every
principle of justice and patriotism to
accomplish their purpose.
In the history of the country there
has never been a parallel case. There
have been scandals in Congress and
elsewhere that brought the blush of
shame to the faces of right-minded
citizens. The oil scandals which in-
volved in perfidy members of the cab-
inet were shameful, but no Senator
or other high official of the govern:
ment openly defended the culprits.
But in the hope of securing party
advantage dozens of Senators are
ready and anxious to sprag the
wheels of legislation in order to le-
galize a fraud which threatens the
foundation of the government. For
two years this defense of crime has
been in progress and present indica-
tions are that it will succeed.
| General! Asseinbly Abdicates.
The chances of the repeal of the
anthracite coal tax appear to be van-
ishing as the time limit for action
by the Legislature diminishes.
The latest proposition of those op-
posed to the repeal is a compromise
which would cut the levy from eight
to four per cent. of the ton price. Of
course this would defeat the purpose
of the repeal which is to reduce the
cost of the fuel to the consumers.
So long as there is a tax there will
‘be no material decrease in the price
of the coal. Unless the proposed leg-
'islation produces a reduction in the
cost of the commodity it is of no
earthly use to the public. In the ab-
sence of such a result it can’t be of
| very much interest to the mine own-
|
| The compromise proposition is the
I product of the fertile brain of Mr.
! Grundy and according to published re-
| corporation share owners from taxa-
jon It is said that Governor Fisher
is in sympathy with the plans of Mr.
| Grundy and acording to published re-
| ports the question is to be determined
at a conference to be held in Phila-
, delphia in the near future. It is rea-
soned that the operators might easily
be persuaded to accept the compro-
mise because it would reduce the tax
[they are obliged to pay by four per
cent. without compelling them to cut
the price to consumers. In other
| words it would simply put four per
i cent. on their bulk sales into the
pockets of the ‘coal companies.
The constitution of Pennsylvania
declares that “the legislative power
of this Commonwealth shall be vested
in a General Assembly which shall
| consist of a Senate and a House of
Representatives.” The statute on the
subject provides that the seat of the
General Assembly is Harrisburg. But
according to the programme above
stated the General Assembly has not
only abdicated its powers but has
transferred the theatre of its opera-
tions to Philadelphia, where the Gov-
ernor and the principal lobbyists may
meet at their convenience and deter-
mine what legislation shall be enact-
_Are the Senators and Represen-
fatives of Pennsylvania ready to con-
firm a report which so asperses their
manhod ?
{
——-A letter from the Hon. Willis
Reed Bierly advises us that he is re-
covering from what he calls the
Hoover flu, No. 2. That means, we
presume, that he had a No. 1 dose of
it. Mr. Bierly has been physically
unfortunate lately. If our memory
fails us not it was only a short time
ago that his surgeons nearly made
hamburg steak out of his rotund an-
atomy and he was just beginning to
recover from that dismembering or-
deal when the two flus got him and
he is now down to the middle-weight
class. He's a fighter, however, in any
division. In fact his letter has a
chip on its shoulder which we are
wise enough not to attempt to knock
off. We might go so far as to ven-
ture the sugestion that he got that
“Hoover flu No 2” as retribution for
having jumped the political traces
last fall. Mr. Bierly has left Harris-
burg and is back in York again so as
to get nearer to the publishing house
that prints his “Quarterly Digest of
Pennsylvania Decisions.”
——Ex-sheriff “Dick” Taylor has
had sufficient experience trying to
run a farm by proxy. He has sold
his live stock and farm implements
and rented his farm on the Jackson-
ville road to Peter Lyons, who will
plow and dig and reap the crops the
coming year. John Shutt and family,
who occupied the farm the past year,
have moved back to Bellefonte.
rn ———— a serene.
——Miss Adella Sterrett, of Erie,
Penna., has been made associate sup-
erintendent for the young people's
division of the Pennsylvania Sabbath
School Association. Miss Sterrett is
a graduate of Boston University,
school of religious education.
——The Protestant Episcopal di-
ocese of Pennsylvania is having a
hard time hunting a Bishop Coadju-
tor. If a laymen could serve the pur-
pose there would be no trouble in
getting a candidate.
——Probably the recent harmony
deal among Philadelphia politicians
has had something to do with the
renewed gang gun operations.
——
——The boom in speculative stocks
has knocked the bottom out of indus-
trial and commercial prosperity.
——The Vare campaign before the
Senatorial election was one of boodle,
and, since, one of false pretense.
—— i
——Lindy’s heart is in the right
place, all right. Look where he went
to spend Sunday.
| MONDAY NIGHT'S RAIN
FLOODED THE “WATCHMAN.”
The regular February rain and
thaw arrived this week and depart-
ing left a trail of mud and slime in
its wake. In this we speak from ob-
servation and experience because the
water was high enough in Spring
creek to flood the Watchman press
room to a depth of 17 inches—which
was not as deep as it had been once
or twice before, but plenty deep
enough to cause considerable incoa-
venience and a lot of work in clean-
ing out the dirt.
But the Watchman was not the
only sufferer by any means. Every
cellar in the row of houses on the
west side of south Water street was
flooded, and those equipped with
furnaces were compelled to go with-
out heat as the fires were drowned
out. The furnace pit of the Beatty
motor company had eleven inches of
water but not enough to affect the
fire in the furnace.
It rained hard most of Monday
night, which naturally melted the!
snow which had already been soften-
ed by the warm weather of Monday
With considerable frost in the ground
there was no place for the water tg
go only to flow into the streams,
and it was a toss up where the larg-
est volume went, whether into Spring |
creek or Logans Branch. Out at the
Phoenix pumping station the water
in the dam overflowed its banks, com-
pletely flooding the road leading out
to the Valentine home and also
breaking through the bank along the
railroad, with the result that the wa-
ter flooded the lower part of the old
mill and ran down in a stream on
both sides of it. J. D. Seibert finally
managed to open the flood gates
which prevented the water from do-
ing any great damage.
The Buffalo run overflowed its
banks at the intersection with Spring
creek, where the water was over the
railroad tracks, though not high
enough to do any damage. Notwith-
standing the high water in Spring
creek Bald Eagle creek, especially
from Milesburg west, was not unusu-
by its rush of waters.
At “Red Roost’ the run that comes
down through Armor’s gap became
a raging torrent and because of the
high water in the McCoy dam backed
up around the houses there so that
several of them were completely ma-
rooned.
Out near Roopsburg several homes
on the dam bottom were completely
surrounded when Spring creek swept
out of its channel and covered the
entire flat. No damage was done,
aside from the annoyance of having
water in the cellars and being unable
to get away from the houses except
in boats.
The water flooded the basement of
the Bush house and a: centrifugal !
pump had to be installed to keep the
water out of the furnace pit so that
there would be no interruption of the
heat in the hotel.
The water was almost knee deep in
the cellar under Ed Garbrick’s cigar
store, and it came in so quick and |
in the flood before they could be re-
from $150 to $200.
Down at the office of the Chemical |
Lime company, on north Water
street, water flooded the cellar to a
depth of three feet, drowning the
fires in the boiler . used for heating
purposes, and the result was the of-
fices above had no heat all cay.
While in town most of the snow ap-
pears to be gone there is still lots of
it in the woods and on the north
sides of the hills.
Continued warm weather is likely
to keep the streams high for several
days and another hard rain might
bring another flood.
—————————————
——XKing George was able to smoke
a cigarette, the other day, so it may
be assumed that it’s all over except
the shouting.
re ———— ere ees.
Aviation Future.
From the Pittsburgh Press.
Somehow the west coast does not
seem nearly so far away from New
York since Captain Hawks made his
record-breaking flight from Los
Angeles to Roosevelt Field.
Think of it—eighteen hours from
ocean to ocean—and it took our
grandfathers as many weeks.
To be sure Colonel Goebel did it
last summer, taking only thirty-six
minutes more than Hawks, but you
can never be sure of what a stunt
like that means until it has been
done at least twice.
The future of aviation grows more
certain day by day. The air mail
flies on schedule . night after night
and just to show that the time for
unblazed trails can be calculated
accurately, Colonel Lindbergh, open-
| ing the new line from Miami to Pan-
| ama, arrived only three minutes late.
ally high and no.damage was caused
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—Two dollar bills that had been raised
to tens by means of pasting a fake num-
eral “10” over the center of the notes have
appeared in Sunbury.
—Gilbert D. Melhorn, 65 years old, was
found dead in his home in Williamsport,
by an employee of the Pennsylvania Pow-
‘er and Light company who went to the
house to read the gas meter. Mr. Mel-
horn had been employed by the A. H.
Heilman and company store for thirty-
eight years as a collector. He resided
alone.
—Frederick Meeker, of Hunlock Creek,
and John R. Weber, of Sunbury, suffered
burns about the head and face on Mon-
day when an explosion occurred in the
chemical laboratory of Bucknell Univers-
. ity, at Lewisburg, in which they were
working. Their injuries were described
as not serious. The explosion was caus-
ed by fumes from a five-gallon can of
gasoline being ignited by coming in con-
tact with an overheated stove.
—Locking the doors of her home in
Reading, Monday night, Vera Davies, 37,
went to bed and then set fire to the bed.
Neighbors sent in a still alarm of fire, but
the woman refused to unlock the door and
policemen had to break in the door and bat-
tle with the woman, part of her clothing
burned off, to subdue her. She was burn-
ed only slightly, but the furniture was
damaged. The woman was taken to police
station after first aid treatment.
—Plans are being formulated for the
annual meeting of the Presbytery of
Huntingdon to be held in the First Pres-
byterian church, Mount Union, April 8
and 9. The Rev. Robert S. Burris is the
pastor. Charles Howard Welch is cor-
respondent for the committe on entertain-
ment. The Rev. Dr. Robert E. Speer, of
New York, a son of the Presbytery of
Huntingdon and frequently in that church
in early youth, has been invited to be
one of the speakers at the meeting.
—The historic stone bridge of the Penn-
| sylvania railroad at Johnstown, one of the
few spans which withstood the ‘‘Johns-
town flood’ of 1889, will be widened 12
feet during the present year, Pennsyl-
| vania railroad engineers said on Tuesday.
The four tracks which at present run over
{ the bridge will be relocated to provide
i more clearance, it was said. No additional
tracks will be laid at this time. A total
of $140,000 has been authorized for the
work. The bridge was erected in 1887.
—An appropriation of $5,000 each for
five Presbyterian colleges in Pennsyl-
vania was made on Tuesday at the an-
nual business meeting of the Synod com-
mittee of the board of Christian educa-
tion of the Presbyterian church. The
colleges are Wilson, Waynesburg, Lincoln,
Grove City and Lafayette. Beaver college
made no request. Other appropriations
were $4,000 for University of Pennsylva-
nia; $4,500 for Penn State, and $5,000 for
University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie
Tech.
—George Smith, 24, who has charge of
loading cars at the plant of the Empire
Oil works, Inc., at Oil City, was found
dead inside a tank car on Sunday, the ap-
parent victim of gas fumes. The car had
been used for transporting gasoline and
had just been emptied when Smith enter-
ed it. It is a rule at refineries that none
shall enter a tank car without another
man at the opening on top. It was said,
however, that Smith went into the con-
tainer without taking precautions. He was
a resident at Franklin.
—Six persons were compelled to leap
from second-story windows into the snow
on one of the coldest nights of the win-
ter when fire destroyed the home of Wil-
liam Dibble, ten miles south of Towanda.
Pa., early on Sunday. Mrs. Dibble re-
ceived burns and was injured as a re-
sult of her jump but her husband and
their four children escaped with minor
bruises. None had time to obtain clothing
and all were forced to walk in night-
clothes and bare feet a quarter of a mile
to the nearest neighbor’s house.
— Samuel Hamaker, of Manheim, Lan-
caster county, who hasn't shaved since
1 1889, was 75 years old on Sunday. His
! peard is six feet one inch long. He be-
lieves his facial adornment the longest
in the world. He was born in Donegal
township, Lancaster county. When a
young man he wagered with his father
that he could grow the longer beard.
When his beard reached a length of forty
Linches he was declared winner, but shav-
He im-
! ed when he lost an election bet.
fast that several cases of cigarettes, | | mediately ceased shaving after paying the
cigars and cut tobacco were caught | pet.
— Herman Marks, arrested by Baltimore
moved. Mr. Garbrick’s loss will be | and Ohio Railroad police for train riding,
doesn’ t believe in jails as a place of safe-
| keeping. Last Friday when he awoke
! after a refreshing nap on his iron bunk
i the jail at Connellsville, Fayette coun-
, he discovered his total gapital, $6.73,
fv. missing. Chief of police Grubb made
a search of the other prisoners and re-
ported finding $4 in $1 bills pinned in the
shirt sleeve of Wade Kimmel, another
railroad company prisoner, and the re-
mainder in silver packed into the toe of
a shoe worn by Ray Gougeon, also ar-
rested for train riding.
—QGeorge Gibson, 22, of Grovania, Col-
umbia county, was committed to jail at
Bloomsburg, in default of $10,000 bond on
fifteen charges of forgery. Corporal Carr,
of the State police, who laid the informa-
tion, said Gibson had forged his mother’s
name on notes during the last year in
Northumberland, Montour and Columbia
counties. Gibson is alleged to have at-
tended public sales, making numerous
purchases, and giving notes for them,
forging the name of his mother as indors-
er. The total amount the police do not
know, but Carr said he believed a number
of cases had not been reported. The bond
fixed is one of the highest ever set in that
county.
—Two bills to restore the right to suf--
frage to tenant farmers of Pennsylvania
are now before the Legislature. Hundreds
of farmers who rent their land were dis-
franchised in 1927 when the General As-
sembly, in a spirit of fair play, removed
the tax on horses, mares, geldings, mules
and meat cattle over four years of age.
It was not until the following election
that the farmers discovered that they
were without a vote under the State law
which requires a tax receipt as a pre-
requisite to registration. Representative
Albert B. Davidson, of Allegheny, is au-
thor of a measure which would restore the
tax on these farm animals. The amount
of tax varies in. the different counties.
In 1926 a total of $294,361 was collected
under this tax.