4
lumbian.
ESTABLISHED 1868.
Columbia Jjcmorrat,
ESTABLISHED 1837. CONSOLIDATED 1869.
PUBLISHED VERY THUHSDAY MORNING
Hloomsburg, the county seat ot Columbia
County, Pennsylvania.
.EO. B. EL WELL EDITOR.
D. J. TASKEH, LOCAL EDITOB.
GEO. C. ROAN, FOREMAN.
Taatfs:—lnside tne county Sl.OOayearln ad
vance; $1.60 It not paid In advance Outside
he oounty, f 1.2S a year, strictly In advance.
11l communications should bo addressed to
THE COLUMBIAN.
Bloomsburg, Pa.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1898.
THE BTATE TREASURY IN BAD
OIROU MST AN UES.
An Estimated Deficit ot Four Millions of
Dollars For the Fiscal Year.
"There certainly must be, if pre
sent legislation shall continue, a large
reduction by the next legislature in
the appropriations to the charitable
' and penal institutions of the common
wealth, or an increase of state taxa
tion to meet past obligations and
present demands. If not this, then a
readjustment of the taxes. Either
one or all, perhaps, combined in a
more or less degree will have to be
adopted."
These- are the words of Auditor
General Mylin, who is much disturb
Ed over the financial condition of the
state. General Mylin and State
Treasurer Haywood have their hands
full trying to devise means to raise
sufficient revenue to meet the public
expenses. The last legislature appro
priated considerably more than the
state revenues will cover and the fiscal
officers have to practice the most
rigid economy to make ends meet.
General Mylin has very decided views
on the subject of state taxation and
he does not hesitate to express them.
"Under past legislation, for in
stance, the Brooks high license law,
the retail liquor license was turned
over to the local authorities," the
auditor general added. "A careful
estimate of the value of this tax made
by the department shows that it will
amount to $3,500,000 annually. This
estimate is based on the returns for
1896. Under the Boyer revenue act,
which has been in force several years,
the personal property tax of $2,000,-
000 for 1896 goes to the local author
ities. The appropriation to take care
in part of the county insane under the
act of 1883 and subsequent acts will
reach $700,000.
"The school appropriation was in
creased in 1892 from $1,500,000
biennially to $5,500,000 and has con
tinued at this figure to the present
time. This large increase of the
school fund, the transfer of the retail
license and the personal property tax
from the state to meet the demands
that properly belong to the county
and local authorities and the increas
ed expenditures by past legislatures
have been the cause of the present
financial difficulty of the common
wealth. In other words, the state has
been bereft of the revenues which
properly belong to it for the relief of
the local authorities."
General Mylin predicts there will
be a deficit of $4,000,000 at the close
of the present fiscal jear, November
30, unless the state is enriched from
unexpected sources. There is still
$3,000,000 due the public school dis
tricts and this will have to be paid be
fore the first Monday of next June.
Philadelphia has received $600,000 of
its share, which aggregates $1,020,000.
Pittsburg and a few other large dis
tricts have been paid their share of
the appropriation, but many of the
other districts have not received a
cent.
Many of the country districts de
pend upon the money they receive
from the state to conduct their school -
and do not raise cash by local taxa
tion. There is due Philadelphia per
sonal property tax amounting to
$1,031,608.93, while Allegheny county
is entitled to $246,158.59. Several
other counties have not yet received
the personal property tax due them
by the state.
The balance in the general fund of
the state treasury at the close of busi
ness was a trifle over $3,000,000. If
State Treasurer Haywood were called
upon to pay the money due the school
d'slricts and the personal property
tax owing the counties there would
not be a dollar left in the treasury for
the state institutions. This is the con
dition that confronts the fiscal officers
and proves that there must either be
a sweeping reduction in the public
expenses or an increase in state taxa
tion
There has collected during the past
two years $£,600,000 of delinquent
taxes. The delinquent taxes due six
and eight years have been nearly all
collected, except in cases where the
amounts are small During 1897 over
1,000 cases were made up for collec
tion. The large number of delin
quencies running back so many years
grew out of the fact that there was
not in the office of the auditor general
a proper method ol keeping track the of
thousands of corporations with which
the department has to deal.— Patriot.
THE BLANKET BALLOT.
Is it not time that the people pro
tested against the cumbersome style
we have of voting ? It is not only
cumbersome, but expensive and in
convenient. And so far as I can see,
it has not one redeeming feature.
One of the advantages claimed for
it, was that it enabled a man to vote
secretly, as the ballots were all alike.
Spies at the polling places could not
tell by the shape or size of the ballot,
or by the style of the paper which
party the person was voting with. In
a few instances this may be true, but
I will venture the assertion, that a
watchman at polls or a member of the
election board could if so disposed in
a majority of cases tell how each per
son voted.
For instance, a man takes his ballot
and goes into the booth, he opens the
ballot, and with two strokes of his
pencil he makes a cross at the top of
one of the columns, he refolds his
ballot and comes out. He has voted
and voted a straight ticket. It is
generally known to which party a
man owes fealty, hence it is known
how the man voted.
Where a man votes a mixed ticket,
it may not be possible to tell with
certainty how the man voted, but
from the length of time he spends in
the booth, lookers on will feel assured,
that he ts voting a mixed ticket ; and
hence will be regarded with suspir'm
by those who think that everything
that is "pure and lovel • and of good
report," is wrapt up in their own
party.
But there is another class of voters
who insist on having some one to aid
them in preparing their ballot.
They have the privilege of choos
ing their man. They choose a radical
partisan, and it goes without saying,
that he is going to vote to suit that
man.
People are sometimes accused of
selling their votes. In that case they
will no doubt call the purchaser to
their aid in preparing their ballot.
There would then be no question as
to whether he delivered the goods.
As the present style of voting is ad
mittedly cumbersome, expensive and
inconvenient, why should we longer
tolerate it ? Better go back to the
old style of voting. A man could
vote secretly, if he chose. Or if a
man sold himself lie could satisfy the
purchaser, that he was living up to
his contract. And all this could be
done much cheaper than under the
present style.
If some change is desirable, why
not adopt the style followed in Massa
chusetts and perhaps in some other
states ? Furnish each voter with an
envelope in which to place his ballot
after crossing the name of such candi
dates as he did not wish to vote for.
The names of all the candidates could
be printed in one column, under the
name of the office to be filled, leaving
a blank space under each head for'
one or two names as the case may be,
where the voter may write such name
or names as he sees proper, not ex
ceeding the number for which he is
entitled to vote.
The envelopes should be all alike
and the ballots all alike. And as it
would require just as long to vote a
straight ticket as a mixed one, abso
lute secrecy could be secured. Spies
at the polling places would then be
out of a job. I think all intelligent
men will agree, that some change
should be made in our style of voting.
There may be ariety of opinions,
as to how that change should be made,
but while we do not have money to
burn or throw away, some plan less
bungling and less expensive should be
adopted.
A ballot more liable to misconstruc
tion by plain people than the one now
in use would be difficult to form. So
a change is likely to be beneficial in
more ways than one.
The aim should be in forming a
ballot, to make it as intelligible
as possible, giving no excuse for an
intelligent man to call for aid in pre
paring his ballot.
With a plain ballot there would be
no necessity of printing two or three
ballots for each voter in the district,
the most of them to be cast aside or
burned up. In envelopes there need
be no waste, as they will be all right
for any subsequent election.
JAY EYE SEE.
Hon, W. T. Greasy, Complimented.
In its issue of January 27th the
Reading Democrat, compliments Hon.
W. T. Creasy of Catawissa. It says :
"We are informed that Hon. Will
iam T. Creasy, of Columbia county,
has consented to be a candidate for
re-election to the legislature and we
earnestly hope the Democrats of
Columbia county will re nominate him
by acclamation. His legislative career
deserves this tribute and no truer and
abler representative sat in the last
body than he. He is industrious, is
well informed, knows the parliamen
tary rules and will represent Columbia
county better and more effectively
than any new man can.
He is a man of the people and true
THE COLUMBIAN, BLOOMSBURG. PA.
to their best interest. He has become
the leader of the Democrats on the
floor of the House and his presence is
needed in the next assembly. He is
an able and fearless debater and it is
to be hoped that the next assembly
will contain a majority of such able
and conscientious public servants.
The Democrats of Columbia county
can well be proud of him."
A New Law Relating to Forestry.
The last legislature passed the
following act, which is important to
many ot our readers : ,
"That in consideration of the pub
lic benefit to be derived from the
retention of forests or timber trees,
the owner or owners of land in this
commonwealth, having on it forest or
timber trees of not less than fifty trees
to the acre, and each of said trees to
measure at least eight inches in diame
ter at a height of six feet above the
surface of the ground, with no portion
of the said land absolutely cleared of
the said trees, shall on making due
proot thereof, be entitled to receive
annually from the commissioners of
their respective counties during the
period that the said trees are main
tained in sound condition upon the
said land, a sum equal to eighty per
centum of all taxes assessed and paid
upon the said land, or as much of the
said eighty percentum as shall not ex
ceed the sum of forty-five cens per
acre ; provided, how ever, that no
one property owner shall be entitled
to receive said sum more than fifty
acres.
It would pay every township to
have a farm, the improvement of
which in various ways, as well as by
extensive tillage, could be made to
employ every professional vagrant.
The term of service could be fixed,
and the release of such persons could
be on the rigid conditions that he
should leave the township, or, refus
ing to take himself beyond the lines,
to be rearrested and made to work
double time. Such persons would
comply with the conditions and seek
a more favorable pasture. If every
township had such a farm, the profess
ional would find work wherever he
might go, and the place that he once
knew would known him no more.
Pennsylvania would be free of the
tramp nuisance in a few years were
the tramps compelled to work their
passage to some paradise of tramps
beyond its borders. As for barn-burn
ing—that need uot deter the people
from uniting to suppress the miscre
ants who indulge such revenges. We
have only considered the professional
because the moderate number who
would be glad to work can be provi
ded for without treating them as con
firmed vagabonds. If nothing better
can be done, put the professional at
work breaking stones along the roads
that need such improvement. Work,
not whipping posts and pillories, is
the real remedy tor the tramp nui
sance. Make laws to enforce work,
if none exist, and the work will be
well begun.
Troubles of Their Own-
The county commissioners of Dau
phin county have created a breeze
among the law officers ot that place
by refusing to pay a lot of bills for
costs in criminal cases. The cases in
which the commissioners refuse to
pay costs were discharged cases in
which the suits were of such a trifling
nature that the magistrate dismissed
them, yet put in his bill and the con
stable did likewise. The commission
ers have turned them down, hence the
breeze. The magistrates and con
stables declare they will test the right
of the commissioners to refuse to pay
these costs or to make reductions in
bills submitted.
President McKin'ey celebrated his
35th bi-thday on Saturday having
been ton at Niles, Ohio, on January
20 1543. He is in remarkably good
health, except that he has suffered
slightly from the cold he caught in
New York.
Catarrh Cured
Fullness in the Head and Ring
ing in the Ears
Bettor In Evory Way Since Taking
Hood's Sarsaparllla.
" For several yearn I had no cessation
of the suffering caused by catarrh. I bad
a sense oi f ulinesa in the head and ringing
in my ears. One of my nostrils was
tightly closed BO 1 could not breathe
through it, and I could not dear my head.
I tried several catarrh cures, but failed to
get relief. Seeing accounts of cures by
Hood's Sarsaparilla I determined to give
it a fair trial. After taking a few bottles
I was satisfied it had effected a care, for
the catarrh no longer troubled me a par
ticle and I felt better In every way than
for years. lam now able to do a hard
day's work on the farm." ALFRED B.
YINWT, Hoemerstown, Pennsylvania.
HOOd'S Carina
Is the best—in fact the One True Blood Purifier.
Bold by all druggists. $1; six for $5.
HOOD'S PUIS sssssrsr-.
SEE THE =========
- BIG REDUCTION -
IN MERCHANT
FOR 10 DAYS.
$16.00 SUITS NOW $13.00,
Made to your measure at
TOWNSEND'S, MERCHANT TAILOR.
STATb NRWB.
—Assessed valurtions have been
raised over $2,500,000 as compared
with last year in Scranton.
—The Social Democracy of Read
ing has invited Eugene V. Debs to
visit that city in February.
—A cavalry company has been
tormed at Hazleton and will be ad
mitted to the National Guard.
Richaid Simpson, Jr., crashed
through a window and fell 20 feet, at
Williamsport last week. He will die.
—General Secretary H. E. Dodge
of the Pottsville Y. M. C. A. has
resigned to accept a similar position
at Warren, Pa.
—Railroads, mills and other large
consumers of coal in Pittsburg, are
stocking up heavily in anticipation of
a miners' strike.
—Six Pittsburg men have fitted out
an expedition at i. cost of SIO,OOO to
find $40,000,000 of gold, said to have
been lost in the Pacific from Peru and
Chili sixty years ago.
—Snyder County has a jail without
a single inmate and has $1,400 sur
plus in its treasury. It is said 100,
it>at cobb webs grow on the district
attorney's desk.
—Judge Ermentrout ot Berks
County, has refused an injunction to
restrain the Borough of Boyertown
from voting 011 a propos-'tion to borrow
$35,000 for a water supply.
Aaron Yingst, conducting a Look
store in Reading the past two months
'•ommitted suicide on Saturday by
shooting himself in the mouth. He
was found sitting in an upright posi
tion on a rocking chair, his right hand
clasping a revolver.
QOAINT ANJ) CURIOUS.
In India the natives, when a bicycle
comes along, fa'l down and mention
the dame of the Deity.
A lady in Hiram, Me., has cucum
bei pickles which have been in her
possession for more than forty years.
Whistling is practically unknown
among the Icelanders who regard it
an irreligious, and a violation of the
divine law.
The first forger of a Bank of Eng
land note was Richard William Vaug
han, a linen draper of Staflord, hang
ed in 1758.
Miss Florence Hudson, of Balti
more, Md., has a tooth of solid gold,
with a diamond in the centre of it.
The ornament cost her over $l5O.
The long tails of the Shah of Per
sia's horses are dyed crimson for six
inches at the tips—a jealously guard
ed privilege of the ruler and his sons.
If Chinese children do not obey
lhei' r parents, and the latter whip
them to death, the law has no punish
ment for them, as obedience to parents
is the cardinal virtue.
VV. T. Woodward, the Kentucky
horse breeder, is going about telling
his friends that he has been cured ot
iheumaiism by carrying old electric
light carbons.
Among the many devices to assist
the blind one oi the best is a type
writer in which the keys have raised
letters and which punctuates the paper
with either letters or the dots con
tained in one of the blind alphabets.
Experiments testing the compara
tive values of salt and fresh water in
street-sprinkling are being made in
San Francisco. It is said that salt
water does not dry so quickly as fresh,
and that it binds the dirt together, so
that there is less dust.
The people of Sharpsburg, Ky.,
engage in diverting .ontests on Satur
day evenings. Forty men are each
supplied with a dozen eggs, and range
themselves in two parties, twenty on
each side. They then begin throw
ing the eggs at their opponents, and
at its close they look like omelets from
head to foot.
The lai gest lobster that has been
seen in New Haven, Conn., in years
was on exhibition at the Tontine
bote'. The big shellfish weighed
twenty-eight pounds, and was very old.
It reposed in a dish on the office
counter, and was kept cool by pieces
of ice. The lobster was alive, and
lazily moved its great claws.
A Virginian has invented a tree
protector which kills insects and
worms which try to crawl up the trunk
and eat the leaves, the new device
consisting of a pliable receptacle to
surround the tree and hold the insect
killing liquid, with a felt pad at the
bottom to prevent insects from crawl
ing up between the trees and the pro
tector.
We make you some
SPECIAL OFFERS
FOR THE
First 10 days in February.
Domestics.
One case of Cocheco Madder
Prints, the best we can buy, at
4jc per yard.
One case of light Calico, all
new patterns for Spring, the
best make we can buy, at 4c yd.
One case American Indigo
Blue Prints, all good patterns,
5c per yard.
One bale of unbleached mus
lin, as good quality as Appleton
A, in lengths from 2 yds. to 10,
at 4c per yard.
One bale of best fine Muslin;
make, Cameron D. A muslin
that bleaches easily and washes
soft, 10 yards for 50c.
25 pieces of Sea Island Per
cale, 36 in. wide, best percale
made, good patterns, worth
cts., go in this sale at 10c.
9-4 fine unbleached Sheeting,
12 Jc yd.
Ginghams.
We show a nice lot of dark
ginghams in good patterns, both
in stripes, plaids and mixed ef
fects, regular 10c goods. We
will sell them for a few days at
8c per yard.
Bate's Seersucker, 10c.
Gloves.
We offer special for 10 days
25 doz. all wool cashmere gloves
in black, worth 25c per pair.
Go for 15c, or 2 pair for 23c,
Hose.
50 doz. Heavy Ribbed Hose,
one of the best makes in the
market, good for misses and
boys. We have never offered
them for less than 15c per pair.
The lot we will sell at 1 ic a pr.
F, P. PURSEL.
East CORSER'S MBWft
sfre'ct. NEW SHOE STORE. MR
mm colb snap - - -
You want to keep your feet warm and dry.
We have just the thing
Men's Felt Boots and Overs, $2.00.
" Gum Boots, 2.00.
" Beaver Shoes, lined with felt, 2.C0.
" " Boots, " " " 2.00.
Women's Beaver Shoes, G9c to $1.25.
Our prices on leather footwear are cheaper
than others. Come and see.
CORSER'S
46 E. Main St. Schuyler's old hardware stand,
BMMSBURe.
WIDOW'S APPRAISEMENTS.
The following Widow's Appraisements will be
presented totne Orphans' Court ot Columb'a
County Keby. 7th, 1898 and confirmed nlst, and
unles3 exceptions are filed within lour days
will be confirmed finally.
John Neyhard, l'ersona'ty ISCOiOO.
llenry Rote, Personalty sßno.ou.
Hlchard Edwards, Personalty 110J.60 Realty
$197.40.
Mathlas Heller, Personalty sßoo.'o.
Jacob H. Creasy, Personalty SBOO.OO.
Pa-son Edwards. Personalty f.-0.00.
Est. of William Pfabler, late of Cleveland twp.
deceased. Personalty, SBOO.OO.
Est. of Danlol Fritz, late of Sugarloaf twp.
deceased, Personalty SBOO.CO
Est. of Samuel Fisher, late of Montour twp.
Realty $800.09.
W. H. HKNKIS, Clk. Orphans' Coutt.
SUBSCRIBE FOR
THE COLUMBIAN
Dress Goods.
The four lots of dress goods
we offered last month have been
reduced to almost nothing, so
we have gone through our laige
stock of d. ess goods and added
to each lot goods that we can
safely say are better value than
any we have yet offered. We
did not consider cost, but which
lot will they move quickest in.
Lot i, 23c. Lot 3, 29c.
" 2, 25c. " 4, 58c.
Silks.
600 yards of fine Grosgrain
Silk, in almost any color you
may want. These silks will give
you better service than Taffeta.
They are worth SI.OO per yard,
but we will sell them for the
next 10 days for 3 oc. Also
black Taffeta, 24 in. wide, extra
good quality, at 75c the yard,
worth SI.OO.
Groceries.
We invite you to come to our
Grocery Department and you
will find we have not neglected
to include these in our sale.
Austin, Nichols & Co. Sun
beam Tomatoes, the best goods
that are canned in this countiy, *
reduced to 2 cans for 25c.
Wainwright & Co. Tomatoes
reduced to 10c or 3 cans for 25c.
Good, whole rice, 5 c the lb.
Prunes, 5c the pound.
Chase & Sanborn 28c Coffee
reduced to 22c.
Arbuckle and Levering,
ioc the lb.
NOTICE.
Notice la hereby given that the following ac
counts have been filed In the Common Pleas of
Columbia county, and will be presented to the
said Court on the first Monday of February. A.
D. 1898, and ronfli .ned nisi, and unlo.sa cxceD
MODS are nied within four days thereafter, will
be confirmed absolute.
commit tee (ft' Lavlna De Wltu Dt 01 E " aS Kreta '
Bloomsburg, Pa., Jan. 6,1886 W ' HE prothV.
NOTICE.
TO ALL WHOM IT MAT CONCBRN.
A."?- undersigned, hare purchased at con
stablei s salo the personal property of A. J Ale
In Flshlngcreek township, Columbia ootmtr lnl
eluding all household goods in the house of said
A. J. Ale, and have loaned the same to A J Ain
during my pleasure for his use. All Demons are
hereby notified not to Interfere wlth.oVm w
molest the suae. w. yArijP