TfrJru5'
lrnrmMmmmmmmmmn
- 40. j.-fJCj - U- j-j, W 'JiygTJj
A..
trtU10
l&tiigtfr
f V.yys . . irftcV
TUBtlG LEDGER COMPANY
tTivs it K nn-tta, fHrtiDvt.
eSLMtf if. LudltiKton Vl 1rn,ldfnt! John C Martin,
Wtffi5lg"il,,'r' ,,w"p Coll""'. "
EDfToniAunoAnm
Otrtt-s It K CinTin, C'halrmAn
rJf yHALfit . . Bml a Editor
jOtrttfttfAntm.. . aelTeriiTnulnelTlniigef
FuklUhed dally at Plm.io t-rnow Building,
independence Sauaro, Philadelphia. '
fcttxiEti CRNTnr,,.1M,,,,,,nro(iilnn(l Chestnut Street
AtMNtro Citr , rr-yiili)n UiilMIng
NtW YoaK ...(,..(.... ltO-Ai Metropolitan Tower
Prltcsoor , 817 Home Insurance HutMIng
LftKbgjf .,8 Waterloo Place. I'all MaII, S. XV.
NHWH tltIlltAf a.
wimriKnTOK Tcnu.,. .,, . .. -rii ratt huiioing
SJjrw Vbjh Hmwo The Times Htill.linc
iKfU.tN IhiflMt...,.. iin. .(10 FrletlriehMrnMa
-OtugN ihidltlll.., 2 Put! Mnll Kant. H. XV.
Ubi Sobww 3S Iluo Louis le Urnnd
BunscnirrioN terms
tly rarrlf r, Pif Ovtr. Blx renip. Ity timll. pmtpaM
JHiUld nf 1'Jillailelphia except nheri foreign pontnRo
rrnqlrttl, pill.t Ovr.r, one month. twtnty-no cent,
Dill,? ftkf.f. An toAdf Iltr. Inllafi All Mialt nut..
f j, driptlpnq pitjatjle In ndinnce
Mix, 3000 WAtMJT km s mr.. M UN noon
CT ltlibt oil irmriuiifiHoii lo 7,icitfnp
t.tiTgttf liKlrnemkiirr S'luuiA riftoflcfjififa
iviiuirnit TIlBriiii.Anrt.riiii rosTomcK as sfcond-
CtAUR MAM, MATTNI.
rilUlAnHLTWA, 1IIUHM)A1. MAIICII 2S. 1913.
Polct-Jj fro teen cnJcrf ic .?j7i sense, but it
the poor had the money sanso they
Mould not be in poverty.
Ilnnc! The Gang's All There!
BANG I Tito gang's nil there, and like
wise, wnssnll In Hairlsburg.
By n. Volo of 29 to 3 the Semite yesterday
if passed tho toothless housing bill, thereby
;' condoning and Indorsing tho action of our
own City Councils In nullifying tho housing
net now on tho statute books and likewise
surrendering the Interests of tenument dwell
ers to tho more Important Interests that hap
pen, tp pwn the tenements. It Is so easy to
put things over, nnd if there did lint happen
to bo a Governor with a spine at Harrlsburg
fl tho present Legislature would eclipse nil pre-
E' l...a .......S.. .. .... t .. .1 nn .... t .... I . f lin.t
viuuil ivuurutt 111 'V ll'Yt'l illlU VilllllVMI UL uuu
legislation. Ho Is about tho only effectlvo
it" Instrument for good government left In tho
I- capital.
Conditions In Philadelphia have been fairly
exhibited In picture and In type. No legis
lator who voted for the toothless substltuto
bill can Justify himself on the ground of
iS ignorance. If he did not know what ho was
doing he ought to have known. Yot 23 Son-
K fitors voted for squalidness and dirtiness and
discomfort. Anything Is good enough for the
1$ Poor.
t' Thero Is but one thing for the Governor to
do, of course, and that Is veto tho bill. Ho
efeKl.t.T nninm.nrt. ,tin nnl,, ll'tll. vlnt-lfl!
u DIIUUII UV.UI1'UIJ H.t v.fcw .oiii . ...o...r
UUIIUUIIlllUltUll VI Wll' WllUlt scili-'iur lu tiu-
"Tent aecont housing in the tenement districts
of Philadelphia, for that, In truth. Is the
object of tho bllL
fielding Tight to the Record
THH building record so far for March shows
Philadelphia at tho front or American
Cities, with only New York ahead of her.
Penults have been Issued for the construc
tion of 984 two-story hnuf.es. and two-story
houses make Philadelphia the city of homes.
Thero aro apartment houses, plenty of them
nnd us good as can be found anywhere, but
tho pride of Philadelphia Is her individual
houses, In Which single families reside. Thev
Ij maks up the hpmes that give the community
Its ppcpllar characteristics, not the least im
portant of which Is stability In viewpoint and
Industry, a conservatism that refuses to be
disturbed. But two-story houses, with such
n vaBt population to be taken care of, mean
a largo city area, and that in turn Implies
the most modern transit facilities possible.
From circumference to centro must bo a
quick trip. A comprehensive rapid transit
Bystem, with universal transfers, will nssuro
"K- b. .future cty of homes Instead of a city of
If apartinent houses.
This Is a Federation of States
r
fT HAS remained for the Democratic Sena
tor from Ohio to remind the Democratic
President of tho United States that tho
States aro not meroly geographical divisions
of territory, but that they have certain
powers reserved to them by the Consti
tution. The President has urged the pas
sago of a law providing for the nomina
tion of candidates for the Presidency in pri
maries, apparently forgetting that all tho
fc machinery for the election of Presidents is
controlled by the States. The States choose
their electors In such ways as their Leglsla-
I iUrefl direct, and Congress has no power over
them, Vlioy nro theoretically State agents or
ambassadors in an assembly that chooses tho
FregldWlt, but actually they are agents for
F.'TecordlnEr the vote of tho State. Senator
Pomereno has written a letter to the one
time profQSs,or of politics and Jurisprudence
now trying to practice what he taught, in
Which these elementary facts aro set forth
and Informing him that there can be no
Presidential primary legislation by Congress
until tho Constitution Is amended.
But what Democrat, with the memory of
Thomas. Jefrerpon, Andrew Jnckson and the
ClvJI WP fresh In his mind, can get up In
m his; place and offer a resolution amending
State ppyerdgnty out of the Constitution?
Tho, Air Raiders
TIII3 raid on Antwerp by British alrshlpa
hail mora apparent Justification In military
strategy than the German airship raid on
London. The British airmen deliberately wero
bent on th destruction of German submarines
in dock ftt Antwerp, They held persistently
to their course until they camo to tho placa
whera the 9ubmarines Werp resting; then
they descended to within 9og feet pf tha
Wound, dropped bombs on tho vessels nnd
Jfeaped-
Hut It In difficult to understand what pur
pose tho Germans are seeking to accomplish
1 by dropping bombs in the residence districts
r J,m!on wl Paris. They might even de-
fctroy ti a Houses of Parliament without
IwaakplnK tha military efficiency of the Brit-
; teh, apd ,thiy might wreck the Touyre with-
r fut affectlnff the power of the French armies.
J'ower Depends on Power
The poIitlMl force of a power in time of
pae t always in proportion to the military
for It wquld exercise or would be expeated
ttt MTQHa in time of war. Qufllehno
THH distinguished Italian historian faced
tlmt fotn when ho made this eaplent re--n$rtc
(he course of a discussion of tha
yriHt Wr. But he said only what every
VurttflMH observer of any standing haB long
h-lmittW; It U only on this side of the ocean
pttiBt t Elusion prevails that a nation can
:1m tKnrfiil In International council wlin
itv-kvA oy bj- the high moral sentiment of
h Mktta. The worhj haa pot yet readied
pmm f development where moral ponti-
ito wttt IQ& JjHlta or where M$ h-aund-
MS', beautifully engrossed on
parchment, tart slacken the speed ot ft battle
ship headed for our const.
Colonel Itodsevelt reminded the nation sev
eral years ago that It wris destined to play a
largo part In tho world'H nffalrs through
events ovor which It had no control, and that
tho question for It to docldo was Whether It
would play that part nobly or meanly. It wo
nro to piny It nobly, wo must bo prepared to
sustain our position by forco If necessary.
This moans a large navy of modern ships, for
power depend? on power,
"Facta nnd Fnltnclcs"
THR rnllroads haVo learned tho value of
publicity. They havo found public opinion
to bo moro dependable than anything else,
nnd bellevo that they enn be assured of a
sqtluro deal when tho electorate Is fully In
formed of tho facts.
The Philadelphia Lager Beer Brewers' As
sociation appears to have reached a similar
conclusion, nnd Is now publishing a scries of
advertisements under tho gencrnl caption,
"Pacts vs. Fallacies." It is seeking to edu
cate tho people to bcllovo that tempcrnnco
Is the truo solution of tho liquor problem, al
though temperance, most people havo con
ceded, Is a matter of character, possible for
ono Individual and entirely Impossible for
another,
Everybody behoves In temperance ns a
goal. It hns been tnught by philosophers for
nges. Yet wo do not speak about tempcr
nnco In murder or tempcranco In cilme, and
to talk about tomporunco In vlco Is merely
to bo ridiculous. Tho man who Is temperato
in all things, if there Is such a mnn, need
not ask the community on that account to
let hint try burglary or a llttlo footpad work.
Thero nro some things so dangerous to tho
health of society as a whole that society
will not permit even their temperato use.
Tho Philadelphia Lnger Beer Brewers' As
sociation Is entitled to a hearing, although
It would bo well for citizens to rcnllzo that
Its advertisements aro directed against Pro
hibition, whet ens, of course, tho Issue bo
fore the people now Is local option. Tho
pcoplo nro trying to solve tho lUiuor prob
lem temperately; tho liquor Interests are try
ing to compel them to decldo It In temper
ately by their Ill-advised opposition to tho
American principle of local self-government.
Thero nm probnbly few fathers who would
care to Instruct their sons In tho uso ot
"booze" In the heller that tills would Induce
tempo! unco. They prefer to follow the good
old principle which teaches that to keep out
of the wny of temptation, when possible, Is
a good thing.
When a Woman Is a Man
rpi
JLa
HIE taunt that women who desire the voto
are endeavoring to make Imitation men of
themselves is rather laughable In view of
tho call for aid which has gone out to the
women from all the warring nations of Eu
rope. "Take the places of the men," Is tho
cry, and tho women are answering. Theirs
nro not the tears nnd tho heartburns only,
for they at homo must fight tho wolf nt tho
door, bo fathers as well as mothers to chil
dren, ho also wage-earners and pioducers In
dustrially. They aie taking the place of men,
of course, and doing the work they are called
on to do without grumbling. No wonder,
then, that they e.pect from their several
governments recognition of their faithful de
votion, for they have earned It. AVhen the
necessities of Ooernments make men of
their women, they must make voters of them
also.
Dogs, Dead MBit and Repeaters
0l
UT In Indianapolis, where the utter col
lapse of Democratic government in Terro
Hnuto is being proved In court, tho defend
ants havo been arrested for attempting to
tamper with Government witnesses. Tho ef
frontery of the corruptionlsts has been ex
hibited in tho series of articles appearing In
the EvnxiNO I.uncinn. It remained, however,
for Ad Rogers, who hns pleaded guilty, to
show how utterly scornful of even ordinary
respect for estnbllbhed forms the corrup
tionlsts were.
Rogers, according to his own testimony,
"mado out an application for registration in
tho namo ot n dog; It was placed on tho reg
istration books nnd wna voted by a Negro."
Too often when election returns In this coun
try hcem to show that citizens love grafters,
the fant is that thoir chief fnult consists
In not having taken proper precautions to
pievcnt the aforesaid grafters from nullifying
the popular will by voting dogs, dead men
nnd n long array of repeaters
Relaxation in Conversation
POLITICS and religion havo long been In
tho list of subjects to bo avoided in a
promiscuous company. This, is because per
sons differ so widely In their views and hold
them with such great tenacity that discus
sion of them Is llablo to degenerate Into dis
pute and disturb the genial friendliness of
the company.
Aa social gatherings nro for relaxation,
the allowable topics of conversation are
those which touch upon one's amusements..
There Is little opportunity for controversy In
talking about the concerts ono has heard,
the lectures ono has listened to, the plays
ono has seen, or what one thought of tho
latest novel.
If the women, tired with household cares,
would talk of their relaxations when they
meet, Instead nf their servants, or their
clothes, or of the cost of things, they would
find life less wearing. Indeed, the cost of
things should bo forgotten when they aro
paid for, and clothes are worn for covering
and adornment, rather than to supply topics
of conversation; and In tho well-ordered
household the blunders of the servants nre
kept In tho kitchen where they were made.
The worrying things nro as Improper topics
for conversation aa the controvtralnl opes.
Root for Root!
Nothing Is too good for the man who can
earn It.
As the Swedes would say to McNichoI: Be.
Vara! Be-Vorel
You not enly get more bread for your
money in Philadelphia than In New York,
but more of everything else worth while.
Put It down to the credit of the Blanken
burg Administration that the city now geta
H per c?nt- moro Interest on its depoltif,
me' jiwmhi i m i hi
"We have "tho Jitney 'in our midst,' " says
tho New Haven Journal, apparently falling
to realize that It is a much more serious ail
ment than appendicitis,
New York experts say that eyery fourth
pajsepger Jn a, street car ia a germ Wrier.
Pnt why maho the number no email? p pot
the dpctora way we ii parry sermgr
Up far as the Bulgarians, are concerned.
It U perfectly safe to prophesy that they
Will live- longer by sticking to buttermilk
than by becoming targets for shrapnel.
SCOTCHING OF AN
INFAMOUS TRIO
How Should Pennsylvnnia's EJlootivo
Componsntion Act Denl With the
Old Defenses of Common Law
Liability?
My RAYMOND Q. FULLER
A.V INFAMOUS tilo are those thrco coni
.rltnnn'law defenses available In suits In
volving employers' liability for personal In
Jury to employes, Their names nro ana
thema: "contributory negligence," "assump
tion of risk" and "fellow servant." As wns
shown In a previous artlclo In theso columns
they contradict tho ordinary conceptions ot
Justice. They nro archaic, having been laid
down lu tho dnjs of tho smnll shop, few em
ployes and simple machinery. Under tho
common law of employers'- liability no re
covery at law is possible In 83.19 per cent,
of tho Instances of accidental Injury or death
In industry. Tho proportion of actual recov
eries Is, of course, still smaller. Tho logic
of theso threo rules Is ono-slded.
In tho annotated edition of the workmen's
compensation act proposed by tho Stato Ad
ministration tho commentntor romnrks, In
reference to the defense of contributory neg
ligence, that tho courts of Pennsylvania
hnvo In their teccnt decisions shown a dls
tinrt tendency towuid tho recognition of tho
Impossibility of expecting u constant watch
fulness from persons absorbed In tho per
formance of Industrial labor. So wo havo In
our own Stato a. Judicial acknowledgment of
the menaco lurking In a too-long established
rulo of common law. Despite tho modern ten
dency, however, tho Pennsylvania courts
have hold that a brakemnn It guilty of con
tributory negllgenco In coupling cats not
having n snrcty coupling dovlco conforming
to tho Federal safety appliances act, If ho
inlses his head a llttlo too high, death lc
sultlng from the crushing In of tho top of his
head, an accident that would not have taken
plnco had the icqult omenta of the Federal
net been followed.
Too Fast to the Scrap Heap
To the scrap heap with tho Infamous liln
of common-law defenses! Wlpo them com
pletely out of existence! For 2." years theso
cries havo been heard at many legislative
sessions In many American States. Mending
nnil tinkering havo failed to produce employ
ers' liability statutes adenuato to meet tho
demands of present Ideals of social Justice.
Hardly ilvo years ago camo tho real begin
ning of workmen's compensation laws In this
country.
In Article II, Section 201. ot the proposed
Pennsylvania net It Is provided thnt In any
action at law against an employer to rccoer
damages' for Injury to un employe, such In
Jury arising "in the course of hia employ
ment," the defenses of fellow servant and as
sumption of risk are abolished. Tho defenso
of contributory negllgenco Is removed with
this exception: "Unless It bo established
that tho injury was caused by such em
ploye's Intoxication or by bis icckless Indif
ference to danger." The modification Is
morel v dcclurntniy of tho law as already In
terpreted by tin1 courts of Pennsylvania.
Aitlrle It Ik pini'ttcnlly an up-lo-dnto lln
lillily law. Artlclo III hots forth tho com
pensation plan. Acceptance of the compen
sation plnu on tho part of employers and
employes Is presumed unless they take defi
nite steps to reject, if nn employer accepts
and one of his employes I ejects In the pre
scribed manner, tho employe may sue nt law
for damages In casn of Injury. In such a
situation the common-law defenses aro not
restored to the employer. This is wrong.
Give Employer What Is Offered
Ideal results In social legislation como
slowly, at best. A variety of difficulties beset
its progress. A compulsory compensation act
Is more desirable than nn elective net, hut In
Pennsylvania theie is a constitutional obsta
cle which prevents our having a compulsory
act nt once. "Wo nro dealing at present,
therefore, with an elective plan of compen
sation. Tho absolute and immedlnfo aboli
tion of tho old common law rules, antl
nuatcd ns they aio and certain as they aro
to disappear within a few years, turns their
one-sldedness against the employer In such
rnhes us that almve Indicated.
It Is true that tho employe would still h.-uo
to piovo Hint tho employer was negligent,
nnd that ho himself was not Intoxicated or
recklessly Indifferent to danger. An Im
partial Investigation of Industrial accidents,
however, has Mhuwn results which prove that
theso considerations would apply to only
about one-fourth of tho total number of ac
cidents. It Is manifestly unfair to forco the
employer into acceptance of workmen's com
pensation, which Is offered him as a substi
tute for tho former condition of expensive
and troublesome litigation, nnd then leave
the employe a road, not nn easy one, indeed,
but nevertheless a road, leading back to tho
old stato of things where now tho employer's
resources havo beon taken from him. It la
a breach of good faith toward the employer.
It Is not fair play. It Is not sporlsmansjlke.
"When wo have compulsory compensation we
nro playing ono game, but when wo have
elective compensation we have to take care
that neither side secures overmuch advan
tage by soleotlon and elimination among tho
rules ot both the old und the new game.
In its draft of an outline ot an elective
workmen's compensation act, tho National
Civic Federation, which had worked with
the American Federation of Labor In an ex
haustive study of compensation In this coun
try, recommended that the effect of rejection
by an employe, as to any employer who had
accepted the act, should be to enable tha
employer to Interpose In a suit for damages
tho previously available defenses.
Experience of Massachusetts
Under tho Massachusetts act an employo
of an Insured comes within its provisions
unless ho gives notice that ho elects to stand
upon his common law rights. In which case
his employer continu.es to be fuly prptected
by the common law, a,nd the prospects of an
Injured workman recovering damages aro
open to all its uncertainty and delay. Less
than 500 employes out of 700,000 whose em
ployers have Insured In Massachusetts havo
elegted to retain their previous status. Con
sidering accidents in the aggregate, the em
ploye of Pennsylvania, under the proposed
act, would be four times better oft in the
situation brought about by rejection of com
pensation than the employes of Massachu
setts. But the Issue Is not merely tempta
tion. Whatever might ba, the praotloal and
statistical effect of th flaw in tha PeppsyJ.
vanla, agt, Iba principle vlekted s much
more important.
The moral efftwt is irtjt to. he wwldered
lightly. The abolition of tha old common
law defenses is a elub wielded over the head
of the unwilling employer a beneficent club,
perhaps, but still a club. It js wielded oyer
Jssg "1 J
tho employer alone The defenses' may be
Iniquitous In themselves, but use Is mado of
their abolition to compel acceptance of
compensation nets where an, outright compul
sory act is Impossible. Tho employer Is
told, "Accept or take the consequences."
Ho feels Hint, as compensation acts nin
based upon tho theory that industry should
bo charged with tho cost of Industilal acci
dents, icgardlcss of fault, and that, If negli
gence of the I tij tn ot 1 wnrkmnn Is to ho Ig
nored niul he Is lo recover compensation, io
gindlcss of his nets, then likewise tho em
ployer's negligence, which In modern Indus
try is generally the negllgenco of his .serv
ants nnd ngents, should nlso bo ignored. So
runs the argument. Now remember that tho
success or woikmon's compensation depends
largely upon the spirit in which employers
ns well ns employes approach the new sys
tem or claim adjustment. Consider nlso ono
of tho posltivo reasons why employers ac
cept workmen's compensation. A prlmo in
ducement is to get away from tho old system
of litigation, waste and uncertainty. If tho
employer's attitude toward the innovation is
to be favorable any retention of the old sys
tem should work as well one way as the
other, and theie should be as llttlo of It as
possible.
Cioinp; in With Open Eyes
Voluntary acceptance of a workmen's com
pensation plan is pieferablo to coercion, for
len&ons which are entirely obvious. Under
the pioposod Pennsylvania net employers
nnd employes aro presumed to accept tho
provisions of Aitlclc III unless they shall
in writing notify each other of their inten
tion to l eject and shall file a copy of such no
tice witli the bureau created by an auxiliary
act. It has been said In favor of piesunip
tlvo ncceptanco that It moio faltly regulates
competition among cmployeis and more uni
formly protects woikmen. Cut Michigan and
Massachusetts, for example, with the method
requiring an nfllrmatlvo action on tho part
of employers in place of presumptive ac
ceptance, havo been ns successful ns New
Jersey in bringing employers nnd employed
under compensation. In Massachusetts 90
per cent, of tho employers In hazardous In
dustries nro insured under the act. In all,
nbout 10,000 employers of labor havo volun
tarily provided its protection for .'iO,flO0 em
ployes. In view of theso facts, nnd of tho further
facts that tho sum tendency in compensa
tion legislation Is toward compulsory mis,
and that Pennsylvania is already preparing
and planning for its compulsory law, it
would seem wise to permit employers to
elect voluntarily In tills Stato. "We want a
good beginning. The spirit ot co-opeintlon
between employer nnd employe in Mlohignii
und Massachusetts Is remarkable, mid thnt
spirit is ono of the chief alms and benefits
of tho new legislation. In those States tho
plan led to a moro widespread Interest In the
principle of compensation than in Now Jor
sey, with a corresponding stricter observance
ot the law; so reports tho Nntlonnl Civic
federation. The employers ot Pennsylvania,
granted tho same privilege, would come un
der tho new plan with their eyes open, testi
fying by a voluntnry get that they hclloved
in tho principle nnd submitted willingly to
tho law.
THE BIRD'S HOUSING PROBLEM
from Urn Ohio Statu Jounil.
The city of Cleveland proposes to encourage
frlondllness toward birds, and no ono will be
lieve It inlsillreeten effort. There Is growing
appreciation everywhere of the deslrablllty.oco
nomle and sentimental, of bringing back our
native tons birds In ns largo numbers as pos
sible. Fast Technical Hlnli School is making for the
city forestry department 200 model bird houses
which will be placed In various parks. Some
of them have already bepn delivered. U Is s, flno
pleco of co-operation between two branches of
municipal activity.
Forester noddy bus prepared a list of frult
bearlng tree, thiiilm and vines that furnish
food for birds, which will be a help for tho
who wish to put out bird houses about their
own premises. The time is nt hand when the
native birds return from the warmer climate,
and wilt he seeking nesting spots,
It Is all an excellent bit of city government
usefulness of which the public will approve. Jt
bhould result In u widespread revival of Interest
In the whole subject of bird conservation, !
may bo considered to represent the same sentl
irent wllleh demands of the present Legislature
that nuall he further protected from hunters,
LENGTH OF LIFE INCREASING
From the Pathfinder.
According to Dr. V. C. Vaughn, of tho irni.
verslty of Michigan, tho average length of life
In this country is now 15 years greater' than it
was 35 years ago. The death rate from tuber
culosis, he sayi, has depressed 61 pep cent
iilnce 1&S0. Doctor Vaughn regards crm4 as a
disease, and asserts that the only way to
eradicate it Is to treat It as such and "disinfect
Its breeding places."
TRUE LEARNING
Uses cull their several sweets from this
flower and that boapm. here and there where
they find them, but thgiuselvea after make
the hensy, whleu is all purely their own, ana
po lQiiner thyme and marjoram) so the sev
eral fiaiments lha minll boriowfl fiom olliers
he will tiansform and blend together to com
pile a work that shall be absolutely his own,
that Is to say, fits Judgment, which is bis In
struction, labor and study, should alone tend to
form -Montaigne.
ANOTHER UNRECOGNIZED BLOCKADE
WHO'S WHO IN
Uncle Sam's Tender Regard for the Niceties of Taste Masqqeiv
ade of California Crawfish Chewing Gum Habit
Unaffected by Government Comment.
BF. WAR 13 the
isn't a lobsl
Panulirus Interruptus! He
ster. lies a crawfish. There
Is only ono lobster, recognized ns such under
n now ruling of tho Department of Agilcul
turo contained In ono of the "scrvlco nnd
regulatory announcements." Ho Is ot tho
Homnrus family, which has its exclusive
habitat on tho Atlantic const.
Tho P. I, Impostor haunts the shores of tho
Pacific and flaunts his flappers In the gilded
cafes of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle
and Portland. He Is a runt specimen, but
toothsome. You may sometimes pick him up
two for a quarter, or a pair for two-bits. If
you go down to tho beach at Santa Uarbara
or San Luis Obispo or some placo llko that.
Wo Easterners havo been eating untold tons
of him out of cans In recent years and knew
It not. Now a paternal Government warns
us not to bo deceived when wo read on n can
"Pacific Lobster," "Spiny Lobster," "Itock
Lobster" or "Capo Lobster." The Govern
ment also warns tho dinners that they must
not label any member ot the Panulirus Inter
ruptus family as plain lobster. A qualifying
adjective must ho nttached to put this moro
crawfish of tho Golden West In Its placo.
The Impostors Look Genuine
In Justice, to tho ennner wo must point out
that tho lobsterologlsts ot the Department
of Agriculture do not object to tho Pacific
coast crawfish on tho ground of flavor. Thero
Is no taint in his flesh, nor the slightest
blemish upon his pink Integument. A la
Newhurg you could not possibly tell lilm
npnit from tho highest podlgreed lobster that
slides through the rocky depths Pf the Gulf
of Maine. If you should seo him brought out
ot tho water you would probably Jump at tho
conclusion that he really was a young lob
ster. When you camo to tear Into him, as
they Bay in some chop houses, you would be
disappointed only In the size of his claws.
It seems a good deal llko splitting hairs
when wo nro brought down to theso fine dis
tinctions. AVo accept our canned cornbeef
hash ns having been produced upon the
trnmewoik nf a beef critter. It wouldn't
mean much to us to know whelhor the beef
camo fiom a Hereford or an Angus steer,
fiom a Shorthorn or u Longhom. We might
object to It If we had reason to suspect that It
was horse-meat or mule-meat, though thero
nio some scientists who tell us that thero Is
nn sound reason for refusing tho MeBh of tho
Iioibq or tho mule. However, thero Is no uso
going Into this, nn it would bring ua bach to
tho aborigine who is ecstatically fond of rat
tlcsnaUo stew. Canned lobster, on tho other
hand, Is a fascinating subject for many rea
sons. Middle West Is Stirred Up
Dining that recent period, of extreme agi
tation over tho purity of our food nnd drugs
there wero many weird tales In the air con
cerning the manner nnd kinds ot substitutes
for canned lobster. Wo nro told that
large, extremely largo, Mississippi and Mis
souri Itlver catfish were contracted for by
lnhhtcr ennners. There were many who be
hoved this to bo truo and who slmnly on
hearsay would pass along a clrcumstuntlal
story of how dreadnought catfish, weighing
100 pounds and more, were cut up into neat
lobster chunks', painted a delicate pink and
sprinkled with ft aynthetlo Jobster flavoring.
Here wns a gross fraud that stirred tho Mid
dle West to Its very vitals, Nowhere Jn our
Union Is canned lobster mora beloved than
in the Middle West, and nowhere In pur
Union Is tho channel cat that slithers along
In tho silty depths of the Mother of. Rivers
less beloved than In tho Middle West, If yqu
ovor happen to glimpse a channel cat wear
ing Us full set of whiskers and complete
coating ot slime you will know why.
But honest to gracious! It was all a myth.
Scouts went scouting up nnd down the Mis
sissippi Valley, but could find no trace of the
outrageous fraud. The transmutation of
catfish Into Ipbster was not an apcompiished
crime, nor had It ever been contemplated.
The Middle West sat down again to Its
canned lobster without any qualms, and to
day tho dwellers In that prosperous and lit
erary region "tear Into It" with mora zest
than ever,
gild Reflections or Chewing qum
Passing on from "crawfish lobster," which
hereafter must on pain of penalty be desig
nated aa such, we find our food and drug
experts down In Washington warm upon tha
trail of rneretrlelpualy labeled ebewlngf gum.
Shltt your Pande4 GUI And slva pausa to
your jaws, a moment whH ygw read thisi
The attention of tb9 Hwreau (of ijheow
tstry) has been called to the fast that
brands ot chewing sum Bra found upon
the market bearing labels which indicate l
he presence ot fruit or flavor derlvwl from
fruit, when, aa a matter ot fact, no fruit
or fruit flavor of any kind is uaecj In their
preparation. Such product are regarded
CANNED LOBSTER
ns iiiluttcrnteri and mlsbramled within tht
mcnnlng of the food nnd drugs net. This
notlco Is Issued for tho purpose ot warnlnE
manufacturers against tho sale of prpcjucts
of this nature under false or misleading
labels.
Expert gum-chewers may have had faint
suspicions that they often champed away
upon gum cuds' that contained fruitless fruit
flavors. Tho suspicion had evidently not
disturbed them to any great degroe, nor la
knowledge of the fact and the ofHclal Gov
ernment comment thereupon likely tu break
them of the gum-chowlng habit. Tha flavor
of chewing-gum Is ono of the most transitory
of all things, provided you aro a hardened
gum-chower. You chew gum to chew Bum,
not to got Its' flavor. Only thosa who chew
gum for tho purposo of concealing the fact
that they have Imbibed spirits ot high and
lusting flavor are primarily Interested In the
flavor of the gum. It Is then used as a sub.
stltuto for cloves, cinnamon, orris-root or
something of the sort, and, alas! for purpose!
of deception.
In the Matter of Figs
Of course, It Is unethical and not In accord
ance with the present-day morality of the
business code for manufacturers to deceive
their customers, but when tho victims o de.
ceptlon nro themselves bent upon the prac
tice of deception wo como to a nice lltlty
problem that will wind back into a snare no
matter how we untangle It.
Thero Is one other little matter we find
referenco to In this recent Government bub
letln of Interest to the lovers of sweets,
Again wo quote from tho official document:
Thero has come to tho attention of this
bureau a form of confection designate as
"tig pasto lemon" and "fig paste orange."
in which figs havo not been used In the
preparation of the product. It Is considered
that tho term "fig paste" applied to con
fectionery not containing fig3 Is mislead
ing and deceptive, and the term should
not. accordingly, bo used unless the con
fectionery contains figs as the principal
flavoring Ingredient.
Ton mny nnd this pale and colorless by
comparison wijh Doctor Wiley's poison
squads and tho great clamoring sensations
and tho Unoscyeltiau era of food purifica
tion. It is convincing, nevertheless, that
Undo Snm still maintains a tender regard
for tho niceties of our taste In selecting con
fectionery tidbits and tho labeled products
contained In cans, D, W. C
NEUTRALITY
It was a neutral meeting.
That cheered Itself to fits
(The cheering led. It may ba said,
By Hans und Franz unrl Frits!)
With Joyous bawls.
The Brits mid Gauls
Were put upon the grill.
It was a neutral meeting
(And how It cheered for BIIII)
It was h neutral meeting.
At which n Frenchman rpap.
He'd just unslung his facile, tongue
When enme five thousand neeal
He tried to say
"La llberte!"
Hilt some ono threw a bench I
It was a neutral meeting
(And how It loathed the Prenchl)
It was a neutral meeting,
At which nn Englishman
Would fain orate, but, ss4 to state,
On him they tied tha pan I
They yowled nnd yelled
Till' ho was quelled,
They bade the wretch beeronal
It was u neutral meeting
(And how It silenced Jqhnl)
It wns a neutral meeting;
At least they called It sueh.
Although the horde In sgorn lfner4
Italians, Belgians, Dutch.
They drowned a Ituss
With cry and cuss
They gave a Yank a fiootl
It was a neutral meeting
(Except that It was Teqt).
-John- Q'Keefe, in lsew Tqrlc World,
BELGIUM'S "DAY"
Athwart the ripening grain and flower,
Fruit of a patient toll,
From wings of war dark shadows fall
And blood-red is the boIL
From humble, e'en from princely hsfwfi
The fugitive must flea
Would they not bow to ruthless power.
And sua on bended kneel
Tha avenging angel, sword n hand,
Seems hopeless held at bay;
Have cpurage, faith and hope, brave lanl,
For thee must dawn "The Dayi"
"M. P. P.." In the Poetea Tfllfr,f
THE FIRST DANDELION
Simple and fresh and fair from. Winter" S10
emerging, ,
Aa l( naarllflM 9t fashion, business, politic a"-
t ver been.
Forth from Its sunny nook of sheltered fr""
Innocent, golden, calm as. dawn. . ,
The spring! flrt dandelion shows U truitw
i face.
.-Willi wmt-
m
- !
31
1
- .