|)
1885 Hel alice: LOTT 1931
The that P. Gray Meek edited and published for fifty-seven years and
now published by his Estate at the Watchman Printing House, Bellefonte, Pa.
Editors.
GEORGE R. MEEK CHARLES L. GATES MARY GRAY MEEK
ROR, ,————
Published weekly, every Friday morn- Te 0 communications
A Entered at the postoffice, Belle- blished accompanied by the real
og. Pa. as second class matter. Pume of the writer.
~Until In
ordering thange of address always
give the old as wel as the new address.
is important that the publisher be
notified when a subscriber “wishes the
paper discontinued. In all such cases
A sample the subscription must be paid up to
be sent without cost date of cancellation,
ee a
SEPTEMBER 25, 1931.
: $1.50
«- 1.7%
- 2.00
BRAIN STORM.
A few months ago Governor Pinchot gave unmistakable evi-
dence of intention to call an extra session of the General Assembly. |
He was smarting under the defeat of his fantastic proposal to have
what he was pleased to call a “Fair Rate Board” substituted for the |
Public Service Commission.
For a while the Governor had some backing for the project, but
as it became generally understood that such a change mean't nothing
more in substance than placing in his hands the sole-right to “hire
and fire” at will the public lost interest in the matter. It wasa crazy!
notion in the first place, because merely changing the name of a
commission could accomplish no change in its character. If the
Governor had been given the right to “hire and fire” at will he could
have seen to it that his “Fair Rate Board,” or what ever new name
the Public Service Commission might have been given, would be
1 the diabolical intentions
stuffed with members ready to carry out a
he had of harassing the public utilities of the Commonwealth.
Even granting his intentions were good it would have been a
dangerous enactment, for the same power placed in Pinchot’s hands
last fall might have been passed to a Governor elected by the public
utilities three years hence.
There always was a suspicion in the minds of the well inform-
ed that the Governor's purpose in calling an extra session was not
so much for the public weal as it was to further his own ambition |
to control the Republican delegates from Pennsylvania to the next |
national convention.
« The matter of spending a quarte
a General Assembly together to do in the fall what it had refused
to do in the spring probably never occurred to him to be a waste of
public money. It wouldn't to a man with a mentality that doesn’t
click to the ridiculousness of begging alms for stricken (7?) Penn-/
sylvania from the Federal government one week and raising the sal- |
ary of his wife's secretary from $3600.00 to $4200.00 the next.
He is so self centered that he failed to realize that his anti-pub-
lic utility platform was dying on his hands.
Declining stock values, reductions in and passing of dividends
awoke the public, however, to realize that industry is staggering un-
der a load that it cannot carry if it is to be continually harrassed by
laws made for the exploitation of political opportunists. While Gov-
ernor Pinchot did not bring this condition about certainly his bally-
hoo was aiding and abetting it.
When he discovered that he became strangely silent about the
“Fair Rate Board” panacea and immediately set about to find anoth-
er excuse for calling an extra session. He just has to keep his
name on the front pages.
At the recent American Legion relief-plan conference in At-
Jantic City the Governor's Adjutant General let it be known that an
extra session. of the General Assembly will be called—not for the
purpose of bedeviling public utilities, but to provide jobs for the
jobless. ;
“Jobs for the Jobless” should not be banked on by people who
last fall heard the Governor offer automobile licenses at cut-rates.
He now proposes to justify his quarter of a million sxpondivare
in calling an extra session and mortgaging our children for a ten
million dollar bond issue in order to furnish jobs for us.
Ten million dollars would only be a drop in the bucket by way
of relief in Pennsylvania. When we have forty-million surplus in
the treasury now why burden posterity with payments of bonds |
that there is no necessity for floating? And what if posterity were
called upon to pay such bonds just at a time when it might be in|
the same depressed condition we are today ?
An extra session of the General Assembly could serve no other
purpose than that of keeping Pinchot in the public eye.
A bond issue, however, would not be legal in Pennsylvania, un-
less approved by a vote of the electorate. By whatever juggling of
the laws of the State the Governor might resort to to accomplish such |
a purpose there would be no money in sight for relief before next
spring. By that time, if fundamental economic conditions have not
righted themselves, the big interests back of President Hoover will
have created a fictitious demand for labor and the unemployment
situation will cease to be a smoke screen for political charlatans.
When the public discovered that the cost of electricity in the
average American home is no more per day than the cost of a good
cigar or a dish of ice cream it realized that Pinchot was making a
mountain out of a mole hill. When it understands that voting
money out of the public treasury to make jobs for the unemployed
is a step toward the dangerous policy of paternalism it will grow |
just as cold to his latest proposal as it did to the subterfuge he re- |
sorted to to make himself the overlord of the public utility corpora-|
tions.
We do not minimize the serious condition of the country.
is on the verge of panic, but we have brought it on ourselves and
eleventh hour panaceas are not going to cure it. The trouble has |
been cumulative for years. Our manner of living has been raised |
to a higher plane, but before raising it we forgot to lay a proper
foundation on which it might durably stand. Legislatures can’t bol- |
ster up such a mushroom growth. It is a problem for the in-|
dividual and the only legislation that might contribute help by way |
of permanently solving it lies in a reduction of the cost of govern- |
ment. |
Instead of that, Governor Pinchot now proposes to
calimg an extra session that can do nothing. And ali
prates about the woes of the taxpayers of Pennsylvania announce |
ments are coming out of Harrisburg daily to the effect that he has!
raised the salary of this that or the other of his already well paid |
sycophants,
It cost Centre county $74,466.78 less to conduct her affairs in|
1927 than it did in 1930. A jump of such an amount in three years
can scarcely be accounted for in any other way than mismanage- |
ment. What have the taxpayers received for the extra price they |
have had to pay?
| -_—
r of a million dollars in calling
|
It
add to it by |
the while he!
|
|
i
The thing that Centre county needs more than anything else is
a new Board of Commissioners. A Board with the courage to stand
up against the raids on the treasury that are being made
the imposition of new offices,
be eliminated if there were less thought of
of what the taxpayers are able to bear.
|
|
partisan politics and more
‘press the executive mind. On the
ly
through | county for the liberal su
and costs that for the most part could Nd me, 1 pport they
Watson Opposes Tax Increase.
Senator Watson, of Indiana, floor
leader of the Republican party, is
very much opposed to an increase
of taxes, not because it would be
inimical to public interest but for
the reason that it “would lead to
the enactment of a dole, unemploy- |
ment legislation and other radical |
or why one result would follow the
other or in what way the tax fav-
ored by Senator Reed, of Pennsyl-
vania, is more objectionable than
the tariff system of larceny which
he favors in common with Reed
and Smoot. A sales tax is an in-
direct method of robbing the con |
sumer but a tariff tax accomplishes
the same purpose in precisely the |
same manner. It is “a distinction
without a difference. i
As President Green, of the Amer-
i
jcan Federation of Labor, states, a of
sales tax “is unfair and unjust” be-
cause it discriminates against the
r and in fa or of the rich. “The
cost of government should rest
more heavily upon those who re-
ceive the greatest benefits,” he adds,
which is not only logical but true.
But the tariff tax works precisely
the same injustice and is equally
secretive in its processes. Nobody
knows how much tax is levied up-
on a suit of clothes but everybody
realizes that it is considerable and
that most of it goes to the dealer
instead of the treasury. But the
mention of a sales’ tax makes Sen-
ator Watson's heart bleed while a
| tariff tax floods him with saticfac-
tion.
Senator Watson had just emerged
from the President's sanctum when
he gave out his views on the sub-
ject, but unlike Senator Fess, on
another occasion but under similar
circumstances, he didn't claim to ex-
i
contrary he declared the President's
mind is “open” on the subject. “Ido
pot think any revision will be nec-
essary,” he said, “as long as the
Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew
W. Mellon, is on the job and can
sell short-term securities.” As long
as it is possible to borrow there is
no necessity to pay and the late
Mr. Micawber couldn't have express-
ed the philosophy in plainer terms.
— A —————
—Monday was the first day of
fall and it was ninety in the shade.
Since we haven't the wherewithal
to flit to the Riviera the Bermudas,
Florida or California we wouldn't
hold it against the weather man if
the twenty-first day of December
were to be just as hot. It isn't
buying coal that irritates is so
much. It is shoveling it and car-
rying out the ashes.
—“Fatty” Arbuckle was arrested
in Holloywood on Sunday. While
we are sorry that “Fatty” has got-
ten into the toils of the law again
we were glad to hear that he
still among the living. There
man who worked years to build a
career and let “wine women and
song” bust in in one night.
— Commissioner McGovern, the
Pinchot leader in Allegheny county,
is scared stiff lest he might be
counted out of his primary victory
of last week. If counting Pinchot
‘in last fall was sauce for the gan- |g whole took no further action in
der counting McGovern out this year
ought to be the same for the goose. |
—Why a recount of the votes in
Pittsburgh? Everything seems to be
so rotten out there that no more
faith would be had in the accuracy
of a recount than there seems to be
in that of the original tally.
——— CP ———————
THANKS.
J. M. Keichline hereby casts a
vote of thanks to the Democrats
and Republcans of the South and
West wards of Bellefonte for having
voted to make him the nominee of |
th parties for the office of Justice
of the Peace.
J. M. KEICHLINE
i
I desire to express my apprecia-
tion to the ple of Centre county
for their delightful treatment to me
during my campaigning, and the |
very liberal support they gave me.
Considering that I ran my cam-
paign absolutely alone, without any
[J tion back of me, I shall
never forget the pleasant greetings
I had from so many, as they met
met at their doors.
With very kindest
VRE oer
The campaign for the nomination
for sheriff was a spirited but friend-
contest, and I enjoyed every mo-
ment of it because I formed many
new acquaintances whose friendship
I treasure as the most precious
els in my urn of remembrance.
I said nothing unkind about any of
my opponents; and, in turn, I hold
nothing against them I would ask
them to retract. This leads me to
the conclusion that there is as
much honor in politics as there is in
any other game, if properly con- |
ducted. I have learned much of the
ts and wishes of the people of |
Centre county, and I hereby pledge |
!
| myself, if elected, to perform the |
functions of the high office of Sheriff |
to the best of my ability. Let us|
| continue to the end the willing spirit |
of give and take, and earnestly
strive to preserve our honor, which |
is a more lasting satisfaction than |
anything within our reach. i
Thanking the people of Centre
remain confidingly,
Your friend,
HARRY V. KEELER
» |
He doesn't indicate how 4p
| be marked differences of opinion on
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN CENTRE COUNTY
Items taken from the Watchman issue
White House Censorship; No!
From the Philadelphia Record.
The newspapers of America will
pot submit to such a censorship 88 of September 30, 1881.
President Hoover proposes, in his —
usual roundabout way in such mat- | — John Mullen, a clerk in Wolfe's
| store at Centre Hall, came pretty
near going up the spout on Sunday.
'He had a sudden and severe pain in
‘the region of the breadbasket. A
friend suggested that laudanum was
{goon 208 such whereupon
‘John, instead of taking a few drops,
swallowed a great gulp from a bot-
tle at hand. He became stupefied
‘almost at once. Dr. Alexander
was called and werked with him all
And the American people would
not wish to have them do so.
The President is annoyed—because
told the people
about the ers urged him to ex-
tend the war-debt moratorium. Also,
about his possible readiness when
Congress reconvenes to let it be
known to the legislators that he
would not kill an act legalizing
4 ‘day and men took relays in walking
Annoyed, because the papers have him pack and forth between Centre
performed their function of promot- Hall and Old Fort. By keeping
ing government of the people for him moving they kept him awake
the people. ‘and at about ten o'clock at night he
The bankers urged Mr. Hoover to began to regain consciousness of his
extend the moratorium. We have surroundings.
r word for it—the word of men .
unchallengeable | —The Centre County Sabbath
integrity—that |
he not only discussed such exten- School Association will meet in the
sion, but finally favored it.
If the White House had
way, one of its secretaries would
have handed the newspa
declaration that the moratorium was
not discussed.
The White House juggles with
news. It has even at times doctor-
ed the news, as when it issued an
advance summary of the findings of
the Wickersham Commission on pro-
hibition, in which those find
were represented as dry, whereas in
fact they were anti-Eighteenth
amendment.
Responsible newsgathering is one
of the most vital functions of pub-
lic life today. Swift dissemination
of news thus gathered is a public
service of supreme importance. The
public welfare depends on it. Busi-
ness depends on it for successful
operation in these times of keen
competition.
News of Government activities and
of policies under consideration
should not be suppressed but spread
through the land for the Govern-
ment’'s own good as well as the
good of the people.
There must be some regulation of
the output. A Government feeling
its way must not be represented as
committed to a policy which it may
or may not actually adopt.
And that is where responsibility
in journalism comes in. Reporters
and editors are always willing to
co-operate with Government, to
withhold publication until the right
time.
But that readiness does not and
never will, as long as America re-
tains its devotion to free speech,
become readiness to accept censor-
ship.
thei
| Tuesday, October 11.
Mrs. Blair, wife of Gen. Wm. H.
Blair, of this place, died very sud-
denly about noon last Tuesday. A
heart affection is said to have been
the cause.
—Wheat is going up.
$1.35 per bushel.
—Lawrence Cooney had the mid-
dle finger of one of his hands badly
mashed, while working on the foun-
dation for the new Centre County
bank building. He got it caught
between two very heavy stones that
he was helping set into the wall.
—The colored men of Bellefonte
who are Masons have revived old
Norman Lodge, No. 23. They will
use the upper room in the colored
school building, on High street for
their meeting place. The newly
chosen officers are: M. S. Graham,
George Simms, George Skinner,
william Mills, John Palmer, John
Moros, Thomas Stokes and Charles
reen.
—Al Garman returned from his
Hip bo the State of Maine, on Sat.
urday.
—Miss Jennie Martin, the hand-
some and intelligent daughter of
Dr. G. Martin, of Houtzdcle, is vis-
iting her friend, Miss Alice Scanlon
at Boiling Springs.
—After declaring a 209 dividend
for last year the d Eagle Valley
P. R. R. Co.,, has found that it is
‘able to put a few new planks in the
steps that surround the station here.
D. G. Bush has erected wooden awn-
ings in front of the McClain block
on High street that completely cov-
ers the pavement. Mr. Bush had
intended to put plate glass windows
in the store fronts, but compromised
by putting up something compared
with which a sheep shed might be
considered a thing of beauty.
—A slight fire in thc Peter Mc-
Mahon house on Reservoir hill, Wed-
nesday afternoon, caused a lot of
excitement for a few moments. It
was soon extinguished and little or
no damage was done.
—On Monday afternoon the audi-
torium of the court house was
crowded for the exercises in mem-
ory of President Garfield. Every
business place in the town was clos-
ed. The speakers were: Gen. Bea-
ver, Hon. S.H. Yocum, J.L. Spang-
'ler Esq, John G. Love Esq, the
Rev. Father Patrick McArdle, and
It is now
The Bar Association in Favor of
Repeal
From the Philadelphia Inquirer,
Not the least interesting action of
the meeting of the American Bar
Association at Atlantic City was
the announcement of the results of
a poll which showed that a great
majority of the members—more
than two to one—had gone on rec-
of the
lawyers alike. It is
significant of the feeling in the pro-
fession. It must be admitted that
these men are in a position to un-
judg
derstand the workings = She lgube Governor Andrew G. Curtin.
law r than those other w =
of life. Moreover, most of them are The county fair will be held
next week. Arrangements have been
‘made that insure large exhibits and
extra good horse racing.
—Last Friday evening fire was
discovered in the house of Andrew
Bell, across the dam from the car
works. It was occupied by W. A.
Taylor, the meat man. The fire
engines were gotten out but they
could do no good for there are no
plugs in that locality. The main
building was saved by a bucket
brigade of car works men, but the
kitchen annex was entirely destroy-
inclined to be conservatives, and
that fact gives their views an add-
ed value.
It is true that the organization as
the matter other than to order the
results of the poll spread upon the
records. But it will be noted that
when the president of the associa-
tion denounced the law in his open-
ing address his sentiments were
loudly cheered by the delegates. In
the course of his remarks he called
attention to a newly discovered let-
ter written by George Washington ed.
to John Hancock, in which Wash- —A new song “He Sends His
ington cited the ‘benefits arising Love to You," tten asa memorial
for President Garfield by Mattie E.
Furey, of Altoona, has just been
published and is on sale at Bunnell
and Aikens music store. The mu-
sic was composed by Prof. Hayden,
‘of this place.
A AP —
DISTRICT EDUCATORS
TO MEET AT LOCK HAVEN
The central district of the Penn.
the liquor question until the e nd of sylvania State Educational Associa-
time: but Sues is obviously a rising | to8 will meet at Lock Haven op
tide of sentiment the October 1 and 2.
Amendment and the Voistead act; General guidance, with civic, edu-
and there is sure to be some defi- cational, moral and vocational as-
nite movement toward the repeal of pects, will be the general theme to
the one or the amendment of the be discussed by noted guest educa-
other. ‘tors and the delegates from the fif-
{teen counties composing the dis-
trict.
As Centre county is part of the
| district Supt. F. Glenn Rogers will
The Four Marx Brothers, hilari- be in attendance and will appear on
ous lunatics of stage and screen the program of one of the depart-
who made you laugh in “Cocoanuts” | mentas meetings. He will address
and “Animal Crackers,” come to the the rural school teachers on “Possi-
Cathaum theatre screen on Monday bilities in a Rural Guidance Pro-
and Tuesday of next week in their gram.”
latest and best picture, “Monkey Among the educators of national
Business.” Chico, Zeppo, Harpo and eminence who will be there will be
Groucho start out to sea as scow- Dr. Alfred L. Hillquest, New York
aways and end up in the captain's ‘city; Dr. Chester M. Sanford, Chi-
quarters, after plastering the ship cago; pr. Josephine Corliss Preston,
with laughs. | Washington, D. C.; Dr. D. Montford
“Monkey Business” is the one big | Melchoir, of Girard College, Philadel-
laugh that the whole world needs | phia.; and Dr. James N. Rule, Supt.
and you will completely forget all of Public Instruction for Pennsyl-
your troubles laughing at those diz- | vania
daffy demons of comedy. There The sessions will be held in the
will be daily matinee showings, State Teachers’ College and will
starting at 1:30, with the last after- open Thursday morning and close
noon program beginning at three with Dr. Rule's address on Friday
o'clock. Evening showings will evening.
start at 6:00 and 7:45. DS
——Two passenger planes, east-
pound, were held in Bellefonte,
from the moderate use of strong
liquors.” Indeed, the Commander-in-
Chief of the Continental Army urg-
ed the erection of public distilleries
for the benefit of the soldiers. It
will be rising if the publicity
given to this letter from the Fath-
er of His Country does not raise a
storm of controversy; but it has all
of the ear-marks of authenticity.
It is quite probable that there will
THE FOUR MARX BROS.
AT CATHAUM NEXT WEEK.
——A novelty of the membership
roll call in the Methodist church, |
Sunday morning, will be that each | conditions east, the passengers be-
member will respond by letter in- ing brought from the airport by
stead of name. Other fealures bus to the railroad station and sen
will prove of general interest toall.|east by train.
Reformed church at Jacksonville on
Monday evening, owing to weather |
| fires
|
t|
| had to be started last year.
A HODGE—PODGE OF
NEWSY INCIDENTS.
Running for the nomination for &
county office is no picnic, by any
| means, and if you think differently
| ask Harry Jones, who won the Re-
publican nomination for County
Treasurer. During his primary
cam canvas he drove his car
a total of 13,842 miles, which is
equivalent to covering every mile of
‘road in the county about eight
times. Conceding that he averaged
twenty miles on a gallon of gas he
burned up approximately 700 gal-
!lons of gasoline, not counting his
oil. Every automobilist will be
able to figure out for himself about
what it cost Mr. Jones for traveling
i to convince the voters that
‘he was the right man to nominate
for the office and he still has his
campaign for election ahead of him.
At a bridge party, a few evenings
ago, in lieu of nothing better to
talk about, the women resorted toa
discussion of their husbands—their
virtues and their shortcomings.
When the various men had been
pretty well torn apart and put to-
gether again a young matron from
Linn street stated that so far she
had no real cause of complaint. Her
husband doesn't drink, lie or swear,
she said, and is not an inveterate
smoker. “In fact,” she said, “his
smoking is confined to a fine cigar
after a good meal,” and she added,
«and that's only about once a month.”
And the little lady failed to under-
stand why the other women smiled
80 knowingly.
A brief item in the Watchman
last week told about the eels clogg-
‘ing the new turbine water wheel at
the Gamble mill pumping station so
that it was unable to operate the
pump to anything near it's capacity,
but it didn't tell that all the trouble
was caused by five eels. The eels
had been literally woven into the
gates of the wheel in such a coms-
pact way that the flow of water
through it was reduced fully fifty
per cent. When the pump was
stopped and the water drawn off the
race water superintendent J. D. Sei-
bert removed the eels. They were
dead, of course, and showed evi-
dence of hard usage, but at that
they were in the neighborhood of
| forty inches in length and as thick
as & man's arm, and fishermen who
examined them aver that they must
have been close to four feet long
before they became tangled up in
the turbine wheel. All of which
goes to prove that Spring creek has
big eels in it as’ well as big trout.
A winter of unemployment has
no terrors looming ahead for many
housewives in Centre county, be-
cause they have canned more stuff
this year than ever before. Infact
they canned every dealer in Belle-
fonte completely out of glass jars
and for almost a week fruit and
vegetables went to waste because
no jars could be obtained to take
care of them. When the jar sup-
ply began to run low one or two
dealers, it is said, advanced the
price but this was the exception
rather than the rule. Most every
dealer now has a supply of jars on
hand and the old prices prevail
S of canning, a number of
families in Bellefonte put up five
and six bushels of peaches while
one woman canned sixteen bushels.
Moving is cheaper than paying
rent, but it is hard on the landlord,
as one Bellefonte property owner
learned to his sorrow. During the
past week three of his tenants mov-
‘ed out during one night and 8c
quietly did they go that the land-
lord knew nothing about it until he
saw the empty houses in the morn-
ing.
| Last Friday evening a young busi.
‘ness man of Bellefonte, on his wa)
‘home to supper, was accosted by 8
| well-dressed stranger, on the corne:
at the Methodist church, and askec
for some money to buy something tc
‘eat. The business man had nc
‘loose change in his pockets and was
| compelled to say no. That night
‘the stranger slept on the concrete
{pavement at the corner of the
| Presbyterian church and on Satur
day morning a charitably-inclinec
woman, of Spring street, gave him
haif a dollar with which to bu)
food. For three hours, on Sunda)
‘afternoon, a man again sought re
pose on the pavement at the Pres
| byterian church but whether he was
the same man who slept there Fri
‘day night is not definitely known.
|
|
| ——— A ————
|
TROOP L. TO SPONSOR
NIGHT HORSE SHOW
| Troop L., 103rd Cavalry has abou!
| completed arrangements for a nigh!
horse show that will bring the ex
| pert riders of seven Central Penn
| sylvania Cavalry troops to Belle
| fonte for Thursday night, Octobe)
| 8.
| The rodeo will be held atthe pos
|on east Bishop street and a delight
| ful feature of it will be the presence
of the 103rd Cavalry band frox
| Sunbury.
| Troops will be here from Boals-
| burg, Lock Haven, Lewistown, Al
| toona, Tyrone and Clearfield.
Capt. Smith will have the detail
|ed program completed for announce:
ment next week.
————————————_ A———————————
At this time in 1929 furnace
in Bellefonte homes wer<
practically all lighted. October 1
‘was the date on which most of them
i
|