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TUDLIC LEDGER COMPANY
CYIH.-B It. K Ct'IVrlS, I-hesidint.
Geo. W. Och, Secretary; John C. .Martin, Treasurer;
ChaflOH H lAi.llngten, Philip S Collins, John tt. WI1
kl&tni. Directors
CDiToniAti rtOAiib":
Cn It. K. Ciirris, Chairman.
r. WIIALKV tttecutbe Editor
JOHNOMAUTIN- General Puslne s Manner
Fubllnhed dally nl Ptm-lc Lttxinn Dutlillner,
lmleren.lenco Square, Philadelphia.
Leporit Ckvtiul Hronil and Chestnut Streets
Atlantic I'ltr.. Press-Union Bulldlntr
Nrsw Vonrc 170-A. Metropolitan Tower
Ciiioaoo SIT Horn" lnuranre HulMIng
LOM-ov S Waterloo Time, Tall Mall, S. V.
NEWS HL'nEAVS !
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sunscnirTio.N TERMS
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outside ttt Phltftitelnlitfl, erept here forrlpn postaire
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nut., noon r.vt,M-r kkystom:, .t t. .1000
, HW aliMrMt II rnmniuiilrntlons lo Cifntn
Ledger, iiifepeiiirenpe Sqiinr, rViltfirfctpfitrt
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I ii.ask sua mimm.
I'MIUUttll'IIIA, .smitll.U, tlinonMI 2t, Mlt.
Citizens Must Have Rapid Transit
ACOMPLKTK Mil authoritative statement
of the rapid transit situation, as It now
exists, Is presented in the adjoining columns
ot the Kvcniso Lr.r-OEn. The history of the
movement for raplil transit Is imtllnod. Prog
ress hns hern made to the point u'..ere Coun
cils anil the t'nlon Traction Company must
net. The sums which the latter Is epected
to contilbtito to the project amount to no
more annually than the Investment at per
cent. Interest of half of Its dividend yield.
Not only Is the Investment, therefore, an
attractive one In actual financial returns for
Union Traction Company stockholders, but It
offers to them aKo substantial protection for
their holdings for all time to come. Their In
terests parallel the interc-Us of the whole
community. It Is expected, as a remit, that
tho company will not delay longer, but will
quickly sanction the program agreed to by
Director Taylor, on behalf of the city, and
tho Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company.
Then Councils can act.
The Evening I.KDonn will begin the publi
cation on Tuesday, October 27, of a "cries of
articles Illustrating tho great need for better
transit and outlining the henctlts citizens
would be justified In expecting. The series
will crystallize public opinion In favor of the
Improvement, If. Indeed, there are any pro
gressive taxpayers now who are opposed
to it.
Lawyers to Correct Evils of Law
THKRE has been so little response to tho
recall of Judges and Judicial decisions that
the doctrines have been practlcallyabandoned,
But the agitation has borne fruit. For a long
time It has been evident that the question of
simplifying and expediting tho methods of
our courts deserved serious attention. Legal
processes ate too long and too costly to serve
the purposes of all the people.
It has alto become clear that such teforms
cannot bo brought about by popular agita
tion or by the mass of tho voters. But tho
lawyers themselves have taken the subject
In hand and are expressing a readiness to re
move the evils that have caused such com
plaints. Perhaps wo have had too much legislation,
and a great deal of It of a conflicting nature.
If tho mass of laws can be simplified and
clarified; If less notice can bo taken of legal
technicalities and more of tho broad purpose
of tht law; if delays can bo lessoned and
processes made more direct If these things
can bt done, our judicial system will have
moro respect, and ordinary people, without
tlmo or money to waste, will be moro certain
to obtain justice.
Coal Miners Know Penrose
BITUMINOUS coal miners, both as In
dividuals and as members of tho United
Mlno Workers of Amerlcu, are showing ag
gressive political Independence. Thero was
a tlmo In tho soft coal, as well as the hard
coal regions, when the mine workers could
bo polled in masses Just ns their bosses
wished.
But the miners know Penrose. True, thoy
are not directly Interested In his national
record, but they know that ho controlled tho
legislators at Harrlsburg. who voted down
the bills that wero designed to safeguard the
lives and improve the conditions of labor of
the mine workers.
In the anthracite regions of Northeastern
Pennsylvania tho miners voted solidly for
ISooscvelt in 1912. Thoy will not turn around
and support Roosevelt's bitterest foe In 131 i.
Thoso who know tho miners will recognize
them as a hard-headed body of men, alive to
their own interests, and not easy even for
a wily politician like Penrose to delude.
"The Silent Life"
WHAT phlegmatic people tho English! In
the shadow of the "Zeppelin neck" ono
of their engineers is worrying himself over
rubber tires for street cars. IJo says that
If heavy trucks can got 20,000 miles out of
a pair on rough roads, a street car could
pay the added cost out of the money saved
In greater speed of escapo from mangled
pedestrians.
So the world Is In for the silent life.
Everything ls made of rubber these days
even the styles. With rubber cobblestones
only waiting for some enterprising city with
bounce In It, we shall soon bo giving up our
ears to the doctors as useless organs, like our
appendixes. The only consolation Is the
abolition of accident Insurance agents. When
the traveler collides with anything In the
future he'll Just bounce about till the shock
wears Itself out on the rubber molecules of
out clothes and our carriages. The golden
ago Js coming in rubber boots.
College "NVorkera
HOW few Philadelphians realize the lump
of labor thrown on the market every
fall with the opening of our colleges. Popu
lar superstition puts down the university
youth as care-free Idlers. As a matter of
faot, the amount of money earned each year
by lha students of a, large college is surpris
ing. The University of Chicago announces
that last year a thousand students earned
aver J150.000 between them. What may the
men at Penn be doing?
Our Suburbs
NO CITY in the United States, and prob
ably none In the world, has more beau
tiful suburbs than Philadelphia Their eleva
tion makes them healthy, their wealth of
tress glies ihem a genuine rural aspect, their
well-paed roads and hedge-bordered lanes
furnish elements of beauty often absent from
suburban nrcas, and their easy accessibility
makes them Ideal places of residence for tho
tired city man. Not tho least attractive of
Iheso Is Ovcrbrook. It Is not to be wondered
nt that tho Ovcrbrook residents are protest
ing vigorously against the establishment of
a freight yard In their midst. Undoubtedly
tho ordlhanco permitting tho Pennsylvania
Railroad to build tho yards will be with
drawn from Councils, tt should bo so with
drawn nt once. Tf the railroad must havo
more yard space, another site should bo
chosen ami ono that will not mar tho ex
quisite environs of Philadelphia.
Rascality, Rampant Rascality
THE charge Is that Mr. Penrose person
ally contributed one-third of a corruption
fund of $198,000 used to debauch tho Reybum
Administration. It Is not runvr that con
nects his name with this Illicit procedure.
The accusation ls specific and direct. It Is
made by men who Pass for responsible -citizens
In this community, It Is brought by a
newspaper of comparatively largo circulation.
The chargo Is repeated day by day; It Is
being reprinted all over tho country,
The 1Jvi:nino Ijnnonn Is convlnc d that tho
revival of dominant Republicanism depends
on tho defeat of Ponroselsm, but far moro
dangerous to the welfare of this community
than tho temporary success of Mr. Penrose
would bo his defeat by means of a mnllclous
lie. If a Journal can spread a libel with Im
punity the good natno and standing of no
Citizen Is safe. Tho most terrible of all blights
on a city Is a dishonest newspaper.
The lsue, therefore, Is larger than politics.
Tho election will not end It. For their own
solf-prntectlon, Pennsylvania and Philadel
phia demand that Mr. Penrose prove that
malice and falsehood have actuated the
newspaper that accuses him "f lascality. The
Varcs. mero mnnlklns ordinarily In tho
hands of such expert string-pullers as Mr.
Penrose and tho chief of his contractors, nro
Incidental victims. It Is the whole Common
wealth that is restive under Mr. Penrose's
careless treatment of his own and other
people's reputations.
A Foolish Bond ol Fate
i GALLERY-PLAY or a gamble, which Is
j(3.tho Insuring of Westminster Abbey
against destruction by airships? Certainly
there Is no common sense In It.
It seems very unlikely that bombs dropped
from tho skies can do any considerable dam
age; Rhelms was under bombardment by
field artillery, which Is another thing. More
over, they can hardly damage the spiritual
fabric of the Abbey, the Inner essence of
national worship which caused Kipling to
write of It as the thing "that makes us we."
If complete destruction, however, should
enme to this anthem of England's glory done
In stqne. what use would bo tho $750,000?
No millions could call back the chapel hewn
In tho days of Edward the Confessor or re
artlculate the sacred bones of poets ana
statesmen from the times of Chaucer.
A Prediction
MR. PENROSE, If elected on the face of
the returns, cannot take his seat In
Washington without dragging the good name
of Pennsylvania through the mlro and pro
venting the enactment of a protective tariff
for another six years.
What Does Penrose Expect?
WHAT right has Penrose to expect the
votes of citizens who live in the Com
monwealth that William Penn called "a
holy experiment"?
What right has Penrose to expect the votes
of men who belong to tho party that Lincoln
built by the rugged strength of his honest
personality?
What right has Penrose to expect a part
and place in government that has been con
secrated and made sublime by such men as
Grant, Garfield nnd MeKlnley?
What right has Penrose to expect the sup
port of men whose most sacred and cher
ished Interests are their homes, their
churches and the schools of their children?
What right has Penrose to expect the vote3
of men who know that tho liquor business Is
filling our prisons, penitentiaries and poor
houses? What right lias Penrose to expect tho votes
of men who will have to hang their heads
and apologize for their State for six more
yeais If he is elected?
A Mad Musician
WAR is a venom that drives men mad
ludicrously mad sometimes. Even a
great composer is not proof against It,
Salnt-Sacns Is credibly reported to have burst
forth with the grandest and the meanest
asinlnity of tho war: "It Is now as impos
sible for any Frenchman to demand to hear
Wagner's opera as it would be to go to ap
plaud a marvelous singer who had Injured
one's mother."
AVhon Alexander sat upon his throne listen
ing to music so Dryden told us and the
strains turned martini, the monarch threw
back his chest, assembled his mental minions
and In Imagination
Thrlee he routed all hts foes.
Ami thrice he slew the slain.
Poor old Wagner, ho who was exiled as a
i evolutionary against German aristocracy, on
his head be Rhelms and Louvoln. Kill the
dead fon!
Rut, seriously, what are the Allies going to
do for music If they put an emhargo on Wag
ner, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Men
delssohn, not to mention present-day
Strauss?
After an Arbor Day Director Norrh would
like to see a Harbor Day.
"Habitual hedge" is an excellent descrlp
tlon of the position of Councils on the elec
tric rates.
Keats hardly touched the virtues of au.
tumn In his long celebration of that season,
Fall styles were a later Invention.
Jn the light of recent developments up In
Mr. Crow's country, It Is excusable to repeat
the aphorism: Registration Is vexation,
By carefully reading the American papers
those war correspondents ought to be able
to keep up with what's going on at the front.
What a Congress! After working almost
a solid year tt threatens to make the Presl
dent haul out a neglected constitutional
power to adjourn It.
Between the Yares and the voters, Mr.
Penrose is in as Interesting a position as
anything the war has shown. Even a stra
teglc retreat looks Impossible.
A party of "co-eds" gazed reverently yes
terday on Penrose's empty chair In the
Senate. After November S every visitor to
Washington will have the pleasure. j
STATUS OF RAPID TRANSIT
Ratification of Suggested Program by Union Traction Company and City
Councils Should Not Be Delayed Philadelphia Amply Able To
Finance Great Project Existing Lines Assured Fair Treatment,
The necessity for rapid transit becomes more and more apparent daily. The
surface lines have reached the limit of their capacity during the rush hours. They
are handling the maximum traffic of which they are capable. Realizing this, the
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company has agreed to a tentative program for the opera'
tion of the new lines. This contemplates the abolition of all exchange tickets and the
granting of universal transfers. In the following statement, the exact status of the
transit program is authoritatively given. It will be followed by a scries of articles in
the EVENING LEDGER, published on alternate days, which will take the city section
by section and visualize the benefits to be obtained by the building of the new system.
The destiny of Philadelphia cannot be realized until its transportation problem is
solved.
PHILADELPHIANS are mobilizing In
every Bcctlon of tho city to force tho
transit Issue to a successful conclusion.
Widespread public determination In this re
spect becomes more emphatic every day.
Let us see Just where tho municipality
stands In this matter.
On the 27th of May, 1912, his Honor Mayor
Rlankcnburg appointed A. Mcrrltt Taylor as
Transit Commissioner, to diagnose tho city's
transit needs nnd to prescrlbo tho best meth
ods of meeting them. His report was filed
on the 24th of July, 1913.
The report outlined In vast detail what
nddltlonal facilities aro nnd will bo needed,
where nnd how the same should bo con
structed and what tho cost will be.
Tho Transit Commissioner, backed by tho
businesq men nnd newspapers, secured tho
enactment of tho necessary State legisla
tion which clothed the city with tho legal
authority, financial ability and executive ma
chinery to carry his recommendations Into
effect. The most important of this legislation
is embodied In the following acts:
An act approved by tho Governor on Juno
17, 1913, authorizing tho city to construct,
equip, lease nnd operato subways, elevated
railways and surface railways.
An act approved by the Governor on June
1, 1913. creating the Department of City Tran
sit as a municipal agency to carry out the
terms of the foregoing act.
An act approved by tho Governor on Juno
17, 1913, making personal property taxable
for municipal and county purposes, Instead
of for State purposes as heretofore. This
act adds $570,000,000, tho assessed valuation
of taxable personal property, to that class of
taxable property which forms the basis of
tho 7 per cent, borrowing capacity of tho
city.
Increased Borrowing Capacity
Tho borrowing capacity of tho city has
therefore been Increased by 7 per cent,
thereon, and the city Is thus enabled to bor
row $39,000,000 for transit development; this
Is a fact because the Supreme Court has so
decided in opinion filed by Justlco Brown
on Mny 12, 19M, In the caso of Magulro vs.
the city of Philadelphia.
Director Taylor has recommended that the
following rapid transit linos bo built by the
city:
(1) A north and south subway line, which
will extend nearly the entire length of Broad
street, with necessary branches and a de
livery loop In Arch, Eighth nnd Locust
streets.
The cost thereof will bo $35,000,000.
(2) An elevated railway extending from a
point of connection with tho present Markot
street subway-elevated lino at Front and
Arch streets, via Front street to Kensington
avenue, via Kensington nvenuo to Frankford
avenue and via Frankford avenue to Bridge
street in Frankford.
The cost thereof will be $6,500,000.
(3) An elevated railway extending from a
point of connection with the Market street
elevated line at 30th and Market streets, via
South 30th street and a private right of way
skirting tho easterly boundary lino of the
University of Pennsylvania and of the
AVoodland Cemetery to Paschall avenue, via
Paschall avenue to Gray's Ferry avenue, via
Gray's Ferry nvenuo to Woodland avenue,
via Woodland avenue and for a short dis
tance via private right of way to Darby.
Tho cost thereof will be $4,400,000.
(4) A subway-elevated line extending from
a. connection with tho delivery loop at City
Hall Station, under the Parkway to North
29th street, thence via North 29th street
to Henry avenue, to Roxborough.
Tho cost thereof will be $8,500,000.
He calls attention to the necessity of
preparing for the construction of this line
by tho opening of the Parkway, by tho grad
ing of Henry avenue and by the construction
of the Henry avenue bridge over tho valley
of the Wlssahlckon,
Tho construction of this line will have to
bo deferred until this preliminary work Is
accomplished.
Tho cost of tho first threo mentioned
lines will be $45,900,000.
P. R. T.'s Share
Director Taylor and the management of
tho Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company
have agreed upon a program for "transit de
velopment" whereunder tho Philadelphia
Rapid Transit Company assumes to equip
and operate theso municipally owned high
speed lines, If and when built, In conjunction
with the present subway, elevated and sur
face lines of the city In a manner which
will furnish the people of Philadelphia with
rapid transit f. 'litlcs between all Impor
tant sections o ho city and enable the
people to travel limn practically every point
in the city to every other point In the city,
quickly, conveniently and comfortably, for
one 5-cent fare by the joint use of exist
ing surface and high-speed lines In conjunc
tion with the municipally owned high-speed
lines.
In securing the Philadelphia Rapid Transit
co-operation to the extent provided In the
program, It has been arranged that the Phil
adelphia Rapid Transit Company shall be
protected out of the earnings of the munici
pally owned high-speed lines to an extent
sufficient to offset any loss In its existing net
earnings which the Philadelphia Rapid
Transit Company may suffer by reason of
the net diversion of Its existing net Income
to the municipally owned high-speed lines,
resulting from participation In the co-operative
program Director Taylor has thU3 very
properly gone th- limit of fairness.
Exchanges Eliminated
Under the terms of the program, the Phila
delphia Rapid Transit Company undertakes
to eliminate tho 8-cent exchange tickets,
which are highly discriminatory against per
sons and localities and which many leading
members of the bar have branded as illegal,
and to Issue free transfers In their stead.
The carrying out of the program now
awaits the action of City Councils on the one
part and the action of the stockholders of
the Union Traction Company on the other
part.
The time has come for Councllmen and
Union Traction stockholders to heed the voice
of the people of Philadelphia. A prompt do
clslon on their part ls demanded by tho
public.
Tho program provides, among other things,
that tho Union Traction Company wilt bo ro
lled upon to aid in securing only such funds
as will be required for the normal extension
of tho existing system, which will be greatly
lessened by the establishment of tho now
high-speed lines.
The par value of tho Union Traction stock"
Is $S0 per share, of which amount only $17.50
has actually been paid In. Therefore, thero
remains an obligation on each stockholder'
to pay tho remainder; namely, $32.50 per
share, when nnd ns called for by tho board
of directors. Each stockholder Is personally
llablo for and bound to make such payments
under the laws of tho State of Pennsylvania.
It has been stated that tho normal require
ments for the extension of tho existing sur
face system will amount to about $800,000 per
year. If this be correct, then tho Union Trac
tion Company stockholders would only havo
to Invest or turn back Into the property an
nually for the tlmo being $800,000, or an
amount equal to about ono-lmlf of their
annual rental of $1,800,000, upon which monoy
so Invested or turned back Into tho property
they would bo allowed Interest at tho rato
of G per cent In addition to their present
dividends.
Tho Union Traction Stockholder
In other words, it would simply mean that
each Union Traction stockholder would ro
Invcst at 6 per cent, ono-half tho dividend
which ho receives.
Tho city now is In shape to proceed with
Its part under tho terms of tho "Program."
Tho amount of money Involved In construct
ing tho first mentioned lines ls $15,900,000,
upon which to secure this money tho city's
annually Increasing borrowing capacity and
tho ndded borrowing capacity provldod by
the Personal Property Tax Act In tho amount
of $39,000,000, plus tho annual Increase thereof,
will bo available.
Tho pending Constitutional amendment will
still further Increase tho city's borrowing
capacity by about $60,000,000. It provides for
tho payment of Interest accruing during tho
constructive period out of loan funds, Instead
of out of current revenue, and permits the
city to Issue 50-year bonds instead of 30-year
bonds, thus cutting down tho annunl sink
ing fund requirements from 2 per cent, to
1 per cent. Several other important features
are also Included. This amendment will be
acted upon by the Legislature at tho forth
coming session and finally by tho people In
the general election in November, 1915.
The City's Part
The city's part In the undertaking as out
lined only Involves tho raising of $45,582,000
during a period of four years (little of this
money will bo required during the first year).
Tho maximum total ultlmato annual charge
thereon (sinking fund payments Included)
would be 6V2 per cent, on the cost, If the Con
stltlonal amendment wero to fall of adop
tion. This total annual charge, however, will
bo reduced by the adoption of the Constitu
tional amendment enabling the city to Issue
CO-year bonds instead of 30-year bonds, to
an average of 5 per cent, of tho cost. Taking
the basis of 654 per cent, per annum, tho
total maximum possible fixed charge, Includ
ing sinking fund payments, required to dis
charge the entire Indebtedness representing
the total coBt of the lines within the term
of tho bond Issue, would be $3,033,500 per
year, and It is practically certain that the
average fixed chargo will be reduced to
$2,293,000 per year under tho new sinking fund
requirements prescribed by tho Constitutional
amendment. In any event this annual fixed
charge will be offset by the following Items:
(1) Tho net earnings produced by the
operation of tho facilities, in excess of rea
sonable payments nllowed the operator.
(2) By tho increase In tax collections re
sulting from Increase of taxable valuation of
real estate, produced by tho construction and
operation of tho new high-speed lines, prob
nhly $1,000,000 per annum and upwards.
(3) By tho value of time saved tho travel
ing public In Philadelphia, which, on a
basis of 15 cents per hour, would amount to
upwards of $1,939,000 per annum.
(4) By the elimination of tho exchange
ticket charge, which is now Imposed upon tho
public, amounting to upwards of $800,000 per
annum.
(5) By the 1 mill tax on personal property,
formerly collected by the State and sur
rendered by the State under recent legisla
tion to the city as a practical subsidy In aid
of transit development, nearly $570,000 per
annum.
(6) By the operation or the sinking fund In
discharging the total cost of the lines within
the terms of the bond Issue, to the end that
Philadelphia will thus ultimately be In pos
session of these lines freo of debt as a great
Income producing municipal asset.
(7) By the many broad advantages which
will accrue to the city, traveling public, prop
erty owners and the people In general, re
sultant from the establishment of an ade
quate and efficient transportation system.
Return to City
Leaving out of consideration the Income
produced and secured to the city by the
operation of the municipal lines, we shall
thus have Indirect but tangible and perma
nent return to the city and to the cltzens,
totaling upwards of $4,309,000 per annum,
to offset an annual fixed charge of only
$2,295,000, which Includes payment of tho
total cost of construction during the term of
the municipal bond Issue. This annual
chargo will disappear with the extinguish
ment of the bonds.
Director Taylor Is right In urging that
there shall be no delay In establishing the
recommended high-speed lines and operation
thereof in a manner which Is essential to
the welfare of the people of Philadelphia.
If the existing companies fall to promptly
Join together and accept the generous pro
tection afforded by the terms of the pro
gram, the citizens of Philadelphia will estab
lish the high-speed system regardless of
that fact. The only change in plans neces
sary will be provision for a Chestnut street
subway to connect the Frankford and Wood-
land nvenuo elevated lines, Instead of their
belnfr connected with tho present Market
street subway-elevated line through the
business district.
Tho deiay on the part of tho Union Trac
tion stockholders In ratifying tho program
for transit development ls Ihvltlng a dis
aster to that company which Philadelphia
has gone to the limit to prevent. Tho
Union Traction Company stockholders now
receive n rental of $lt800,000 per year on
their 600,000 shares of capital stock, ot par
value of $30,000,000, upon which thero has
only been paid In $17.50 per share, or n gross
amount of $10,500,000. Eaoh stockholder ls
thereforo In receipt of dividends amounting
to 17.15 per cent, on tho nctuat cash pay
ments to the treasury which his shares rep
resent. If tho city Is forced to proceed In
establishing Its own rapid-transit facilities,
without Union Traction Company or Phila
delphia Rapid Transit Company co-operation,
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Com
pany will bo annihilated by competition,
tho leaso of tho Union Traction Company
to tho Philadelphia napld Transit Company
will bo wiped out and tho Union Traction
Company will bo forced to tako back Its
property, nhorn of the advantages accruing
to It undor tho 1907 contract between tho
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company nnd
tho city. It will also bo shorn of tho
largo volumo of traffic earnings diverted by
the competitive high-speed lines nnd con
fronted with tho certainty that no distribu
tion of profits to tho extent of 17.15 per cent,
on the paid In valuo of tho capital stock
would over ngaln bo permitted by tho Pub
lic Sorvlco Commission of tho State of
Pennsylvania In the absence of the present
leaso or contract with tho Philadelphia
Rapid Transit Company, which Is tho solo
possible legal justification for that exorbitant
return on tho Investment.
Rapid Transit Mutt Come
Furthermore, In tho event of dissolution of
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company tho
Union Traction stockholders would be Imme
diately called upon to ossumo tho outstand
ing obligations of tho Philadelphia Rapid
Transit Company which they have guaran
teed. Tho people of Philadelphia expect tho ex
isting companlos to co-operato with them In
establishing tho rapid transit system; in re
turn they will afford tho existing companies
protection against loss In their net lncomo
which will result from tho carrying out of
tho co-operative program establishing tho
now lines.
If the existing companies do not want this
protection, tho city will go ahead anyway,
ono way or tho other. Which way depends
largely on tho Union Traction stockholder.
VIEWS OF READERS
ON TIMELY TOPICS
Contributions That Reflect Public Opin
ion on Subjects Important to City
State and Nation.
To the Editor of the "Evening Ledger:
Sir It would be little short of an Irreparable
calamity to the great business Interests of
Pennsylvania nnd those dependent thereon for
a means of livelihood and employment, to elect
a Democratic Governor nt this time, because If
thero Is one thing which stands out more clearly
than anything else In tho lll-advlsed and erro
neous financial policies of the present Adminis
tration, It Is that of the tariff.
Tho fact that Doctor Brumbaugh. If elected
Governor of Pennsylvania, which ho undoubt
edly will be by an overwhelming majority, will
stand forth ns ono of the most conspicuous
Presidential possibilities, of course should act
aa an added Incentive for every Republican and
Progrcefclve allko to not only vote for him, but
also to see that tho real Issues are neither be
clouded nor confused,
EDWARD NEWTON HAAG.
Philadelphia, October 21.
UNDAUNTED BELGIAN EDITOR
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir Among the unconscious heroes developed
by the contemporary unpleasantness In Europe,
none Is more deserving of a round of applause
than the unnamed editor of the Independence
Belgo of Brussels.
Driven out by the German Invaders, he calmly
moved his plant and staff to Antwerp, whero
he continued to publish his paper until the
thellflre became too warm, when he departed
for Ostend. Once menaced by the enemy, he
crossed the channel to London, probably clack
ing his typewriter busily on the way. Here he
has continued to present the nens for the
benefit of his refugee compatriots. If threat
ened by Zeppelins there, his next move doubt
less would bo to the United States.
In any case, it Is safe to predict that the
Independence Beige will continue to come
out. It takes more than shot and shell to upet
a born editor, He will get out his paper though
the building be tumbling about his ears.
ADMIRER.
Philadelphia, October 22.
A LARGER PORK BARREL
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir Republicans have vigorously opposed the
passage of the Administration's war tax
measure not because it Is a tux, but because it
is not a "war" tax. The title given to the bill
In Congress is a clever but unscrupulous subter
fuge. That the European war should be used
as a fiction to cover the dereliction of the Gov
ernment In carrying out Its campaign pledges
of economy and to hide Its failure to produce
the prosperity It promised, Is a ruse that
strlghtforward people must condemn. If the
Democrats need a larger pork barrel after so
many years of hunger, let them frankly cast
themselves upon the charity of the country.
J. T. W.
Philadelphia, October 21.
THE IDEALIST
yesterday I stood on a downtown street
corner conversing with a friend. Suddenly
his eyes stared fixedly at some one ap
proaching. "Excuse me," he blurted out. "Here comes
a specialist among specialists a good fel
low, but '' at this juncture my friend
moved hurriedly away, I was left to the
specialist.
Forthwith he unloaded himself. He found
me lamentably ignorant of hla subject. He
freely offered sympathy at my plebeian Ig
norance. After which ho proceeded to at
tempt to educate me; he started at A and
doubtless had the very definite and fixed
ambition of reaching Z before he would be
though with me.
Of course, hts words fell flat upon my
cars. I tried to assume a look of intelligent
Interest as ho prattled on, but all the while
I was doing a tremendous amount of
thinking.
Suppose, I thought, this fellow would put
one-halt the mental and physical energy In
his dally work that he puts Into golf! for
golf tt was. I learned he was a mighty
golfer. So mighty that It seldom left his
mind.
Later I learned that out on tho links he
was a fellow who assumed a bored sort of
air. The reason was quite plain. His
energy was all used up In discussing his
hobby rather than In actively pursuing It.
You cannot play your hardest if you have
consumed a goodly portion of your play
energy during the period for work. It the
man with a hobby bores you with his hobby,
don't be surprised when you discover that
he really lacks efficiency In his hobby. The
man with a hobby has one of the most
serious problems of life on his shoulders:
To locate and to keep the balance between 1
his noDDy ana the world.
y
SCRAPPLE
For Bachelors
"My fortune Is made," exclaimed thn ill
"Whnt is it now?" 1
"An alarm clock with a phonograph atiaM?!
ment that w 11 reason with a man w .
arouses him." ""en tt'
Political Stuff
(If Alfred Tennyson were press agent fr X
ai: " T.A o"u. " . ...; ;'".?" nna mm, a
,"'""h " uviiiujiniu vaney.
For dead men's votes I bent my drumt
I lead tho gratters' rally. V Um
With honest mon I stand no show
I want a scoundrel clover! '
For mon may coma and men may K0
But I go on forever. K '
Would llko to.
Literary Note
Thn wnr linn nffontnA A.r A-.i .
literary stylo. Who could have mLSthJ
author of "The Garden of Epicurus "RJ.h4
fenders,' ho Is quotod as saying, "are worJl
than tho original criminals. They dewrS
bo shot without scruple." Irony and iu
M. Anatolo France, lronv and nlVvi &M pltfcf
uu&u.u vukuoi uiiuiiv wiinr nn mnL ....
JobbcrWARky
Twas Joffre and tho Churchill Pan
Did Khlk and Mnltkn In thn Al...
All Ynrpq wuro ttio Hun Unl.ln.. ' Ai
And Bonnenkampf Lorraine.
"Bownro tho Przemysl, my son,
Tho Stryz that bite, tho Olso that scratch
Beware tho dumdum slugs and shun
The submarines that catch."
Ho took his Arras sword In hand,
Long time tho Antwerp foe he sourfil
Then rested by the Cracow tree '
And stood a whllo In thought.
And as In Woovro thought ho stood
Tho Przemysl with eyes of flame
Camo Turcolng through tho Uhlan wood
And Hasselt as he camo. '
Eeclool Thouroutt And through and throuth
His Arras blado wont Berry-au-bac,
He left It dead and with his head
Ho camo Suwallttng back.
"And hast thou slain tho Przemysl?
Come to my arms, my Ostend boy.
Oh, Antwerp day I Caloo, Calais I
He Danzig In his Joy.
'Twns Joffro and the Churchill Pnu
Did Kluk and Moltko In tho Alsnc,
All Ypres were tho San Soldau
And Rcnnenknmpf Lorraine.
A Munificent Reward
Tho Guggenhelms smelt tin and tho fish
trust tin smelts. Any ono finding tho conun
drum to this answer may keep it.
Reversion to Type
Tho time has long gono by, yet the type
writer will occasionally Insist upon maklnj
it Tho Smart Sex Instead of The Smart Set.
What is tho Mexican for "Big Stick"?
Francesco Villa, tho famous subject of
articles by John Reed, spoke yesterday of
"my commanders and my people." Not to
mention "My Policies."
Up in the Air
"Flying Competition Off." Headline.
Of course.
Baggage and Such
The sub-title of Mrs. Flake's new play ll
"Tho Adventures of a Lively Hussy." If tin
piny succeeds it may restore a good word to
the public, which now refers to "some dame,"
"swell chtcKen," "SKirt" anu -irau.
Farewell
She poured benzine upon tho stove
Tho thought, It makes mo wince
Her mortal coll she shuffled off.
And
she
ain't
bcnzlno
since.
The Fallen Hero
The soldier was limping back to camp
from tho battlefield when suddenly a vision
In whlto rushed toward him. Upon the sleer
of her dress ho saw the Insignia of tho Red
Cross. . ,. '
"Poor fellow," she cried, "you aro wounded,
Tho soldier gazed long and sadly Into htf
blue eyes. A frown furrowed his brow. He
seemed to be having a struggle with himself, j
Then ho shook his head. ,
"Dut you must be Injured," she Insisted
"You nre limping."
Again the soldier fought tho good nguufl
orlng his head, ho muttered:
"Tight shoes, ma'am."
Annoying Items
'Twould anger e'en a courteous Don
And drlvo him almost to the border
Of peevishness, to find upon
Tho elevator "out of order."
And who has not reviled and cursed,
Emitting, at tho least, a "darn,
When, after waiting long, the first
Ten cars aro labeled "to the barn ?
Topics of the Day
July Weather.
August War.
September War and Weather
October Weather and War.
November Weather.
Expert Advertising
"Your gallery seems to bo drawing quit'
well. Last tlmo I was hero the place
nearly "mpty." . ,.
"Yes, tho wife of one of our stockholder
belongs to tho Civic Club, and we had tier
start a crusade to drape some of the sUt
uary."
THE BABBLING FOOL
"We must got buck,"say the unduly iilsl
folk, "to the fundamental facts of life .
A A... ...unlt.. nlll.B..,.ln.. Thft funds
mantnl fuf.tn Onn tlilnla fit nncfi Of luV
great emotional forces at work In the nebU'
lous and chaotic aura from which life sV'i'J
and a lot or nonsense In that vein -'
may be a fundamental fact, to the MW
Perhaps Death is also. But all other '
aro equally fundamental To say that s;
for example, ls more fundamental than T
clety n exactly as sensible as saying "
babies aro moro fundamental than ""J!
dlers. And pleading the babies' nudity '
the reason.
The trouble Is that thoso who use the phra
use It loosely, in the same way that "prop".
Is used, as If there wero a certain essence "
propriety. For them, as Georgo Saiitaya"
has written. It is not enough that wn"1f11
Intoxicating to men. They must B
whisky intuxlcatlng in Itself and tanil.?f:;
drunk in Its bottle! They say that a tww
Is "fundamental" without saylngtfor wj
and their speech Is only as loose as "c"
tUUUKUl. J
And, Incidentally. It Is impossible to I"
back. If by fundamental Is meant tho 1
escnpablo terrors and trials, the Inevi 7
escapades and trivial pleasuies of "'VS
it Is not necessary to get back. nfcJS.
humanity has not gotten away If by fjn
mental is meant tho crude experience or 1
Ing. tho farther humanity gets from t""8'
fundamentals, the better. ...
Is the progress from the simple to the w .
plex; and it did not need a Chesterton"
point out that this Is one of tho ten ' ,
uennmons in me worm, Because r""Y "batl
la an m(,.V. olmnlAM .firm trifl rhA rlsnli P . 1
civilization can be measured by the numoj
of unessential, frivolous and u--eles 'r'm
It can employ without losing c-ntrol Of W"
Therefore, forward, and to irivoiuy.
1'
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