Ttf!ML"TS: ST " JfWr " rf r r1 --. 4tf9TRA7 MONDAY vv, .IK MONDAY February 26, 1917 Euenttuj HeJtger February 26, 1917 THAW A LUNATIC, GOVERNOR TO KILL INQU1RYT0NIGHT Will Demand Impartial Body in Sending Veto to Legislature PARADE IN MEMORY OF SLAIN STRIKER BOYCOTT SENDS . PRICESTMBL1NG Action of Nation's Consum ers Brings Figures Down, Washington Says GREGORY PUSHING PROBE MAYOR FOR SALE MOTHER CONCEDES OF FOOD AT COST I ''iiiMV'lvic-:gJW:K4:SS 5?T7KSSSKa3 LV " Gives Up Long Fight and rfiSSBtriSlvei' Smith Approves Director Wilson's lan to Seek Legislative Authority GOVERNOR WILL ASSIST Brumbaugh Willing to Rush Measure and May Namo Price Probe Board r-y' Asks Appointment of Commission CALLS SON IRRESPONSIBLE HALTS PENROSE FOR TIME It Wx ,TV7 wm Court Asked to Protect Stanford White's Slayer From His Infirmities I Mrs. Mary C. Thaw, mother of Harry . K. Thaw, today (Hod a petition through '"' former Judge Gay Gordon In Common Fleas Court No. S, asking for a lunacy commla Ion to Inquire Into the sanity of Thaw. Kills Ames Ballard ai appointed com- , mlsaloner. The writ Is returnahlo tho first Monday In April. It Is believed that the petition was filed to head off action con tomplated by New York authorities Prior to the Mine of the writ, the Thaw family made It known through two state ments that they had abandoned nil efforts V to keep Thaw out of tho lnsano nsjlum. pne statement was Issued by former Judge Gordon nnd tho other by Mrs. Thaw. In her statements, the mother of tho layer of Stanford White makes a pathetic acknowledgment of her son's lnsanltj This mother, who for years has stuck to her , ton through thick and thin and expended a. fortune to save him pnjlng the penalls for his rash acts, confesses at last that her son la "an Irresponsible mm, whom , the law must guard " hho now appeals to the courts of Pennsylvania to protect her on from his Infirmities. CONVINCED WATCHINO IN HOSPITAL The mother states 'that sho became con Tlnced of her son's Insanity nfter living aix weeks with him at St Mary's Hospi tal whero Thaw has been convalescing from self-inflicted knlfo wounds. Ho was taken there following his attempt to end his life . after ho learned that detectives wcro scarcli for hlm-wlth warrants, charging him with kidnapping and maltreating a boy. In his statemnt, Judge Gordon says that Mrs. Thaw has no w become the principal In proceedings to havo Thaw adjudged Insane. and his person nnd estates brought under the Judicial authority of the State of Penn sylvania. Ho states that ho has seen tho District Attorney of New York and Invited him to send his own medical experts here to see Thaw and examine his condition "Since the attempt on his life." Mild Gor don, "Thaw's mental state has been so en feebled that rational conversation with him has been Impossible. Memorj, speech and thought are so Impaired that he is a mental "Doctor Kirby, who has him In medical Charge, and who3c ability and disinterested ness cannot be questioned, has gloomy for bodlnrs as to his future ' MRS. THAWS STATEMENT Mrs. Thaw's statement follows "I am unable to resist the facts that emgn3trata my son's Insanity While tho truth shocks me, It also plainly points tho path of duty. For lsx weeks I havo lived with him at the hospital, where ho was taken because of his self-lnfilcted wounds, and now I know, ns I never knew before, that my son Is an Irresponsible man whom the law must guard Therefore, to tho courts of my State of his .State I havo applied to help a mother protect her son from his Infirmities. With this statement I should llko to oloso all discussion of tho affairs of me and mine." TODAY'S MARRIAGE LICENSES fej-fph CI. Sperry. Jr 3"47 N Sjdenh.im t . nd Elizabeth U Miller 2455 .V lillth t John P. Kelly. 3HU Aramlngo ne. oml Gcrt- ,,,, V Vmllv -Hft I-' Alhert nt. Leonardo Zappalo U.to christian st . nnd Itoslna Zappalo. (Ml) I , Charles Curtis, VMt i;nriiiiian aireec Lrl4.l uiisworin he and Mar- caret Keaton. 1NJ3 Fttzwater at John J(. i-errow. uow waua at and Elizabeth IT Unitar 1 1 Oft tltrttAn Rt Lculs H"to1. '740 a 10th at . and Anna Salbel. OHOS Race at. . . Max Obrlander, r34 Titan lit . and Hose Orenstein. 23 Washington ae Armando l.lberl. 1417 H Bancroft at . and Esther Movenzl, 1417 h lirancroft M Manllua Espy. 3510 N Carllalo at . and Trances A. Domhcrty. 3"lu N. Carlisle st. Henry Cotxen. .'3.'H S Franklin at., and Roso Ilyman, 1113 Dudley at. Ralph T. Ne, nn N ISth t , and Helen 6 short. 101') N, Hancock st. erman Fink. New York city, and Eunice tlanl,ta TlAltn In ''.i' Russell VV. folle' 113 Mnchanlc st , and Maggie EM. Kllson. 1314 VVaArlir at. Oustav A. Fries. Jr. milt Toplar ft, and Marie A. IWrgesel 3J1D X. JOth St. j iiinuupuj i'ikkb, iiu uancniK B , anu vnnia M C. titevenson l'.'Jil Hope si St. Talmage VV. Fossett, loon i 13th st , and &; - Koberta v. heweii. mi3 H 13th at. gfj.3nn Baxter, 1713, Kltzwater st . and I.llllo Wl Houston. 1S00 Halnbrldei at. ES..V run.lnl.1r flM.n. U , T 1..1..nt - rt . - y-pi arlne ilarchlano. 1852 8. Alder st. MA. v c rr . u news or ine World in Pictures In the centers of this issue of the Evening Ledcer appears, for the first time, a new four-page Picture Section It takes the place of the illus- I trated feature previously appear- iir daily on this page. This en- jarj;ea attraction or the evening riJBGBR will be Daily Fixture m' MM wiKj entitle this newspaper to nmk mv $ Greatest '-j V ' Another Week of Doing Nothing to Be Begun by Solons fJovernor IltiimbaUKh'fi veto of the Sprout r,exovv resolution will he pent to tho Senate when tho Legislature leconvencs tonlfiht according to frlcndi of tho State adminis tration. There exlits no doubt that ho will dis approve of tho measure among Vare-llrum-haugh follow eri, and when ho sendH hli veto message to tho Leg jU.ui re they ex pect hhn to aU for an luvsstlgntlng body that will not bo partisan or factional The Governor's veto Is expected to put an end to tho talk of a probe, for a time at least. The I,cci'Intur will adjourn at tho end of tlili week until Jlarch 12, and Senator 1'cnroso could not carry out his Jhrrat to push through a concurrent reso lution that would not requite the approval of tho Governor until th-vt time The Legislature, vvien It reconvenes to night, will start another week of doing nothing Senators James F McN'Ichol and Kilwln II Varo aro boih In the South, and havo taken with them several of their fol lowers who arc door leaders In tho House The deficiency bill is scheduled for action 'n the Senate lloth branches have good sized calendars, the sixty-two obsolete law repealeis being on first reading In the Mouse I Included In a list of hills to bo Introduced Into tho Legislature this week at tho in stance of the Stato Hoard of Public Char ities Is a measure tho object of which, It was announced bv Hromley Wharton, sec retary and general agent of the board. Is "to prevent tho propagation of defectives for the support of which the Commonwealth would be chargeable" Some of tho other bills on the board's list aro as follows- An act placlu;; the contiol and manage ment of countv Jails In boards of prison Inspectors This ait takes the manage ment of county Jails away from the sheriffs and places them In boards of prison In spectors appointed bv the Court of Quarter Sessions of each county, thus making the control Of Huch institutions uniform thtoughout tho Commonwealth Tho act provides elaborately for the management of the Jails by said boards of Inspectors. An act making an appropriation of $800. 000 to the building commission of the West ern State Hospital for tho Insane, for the erection of buildings on a site owned by the State In Westmoreland County. An act to provide for tho selection and puichat-c of a site for an Kastern State Hospital for the Insane. This act provides merely for the selection and purchase of a bite and tho preparation of proper plans for the bulldlngH of the Institution, leaving It to tho next Legislature to appropriate for the buildings Ai act providing for the establishment of a State home for persons suffering with Incurable diseases. There is no such State Institution now, and the two private Insti tutions. In 1'lttsburgh and Philadelphia, re spectively, are both overcrowded, with long waiting lists, so that, according to the board, it Is Impossible to get patients admitted to them even If they have money where with to pay for their support therein. An act requiring the consent of the courts committing boss to Huntingdon Keforma tory to the transfer of Incorrigible Inmates to tho Stale penitentiaries. An act providing for the" pensioning of ruperannuated cmplojes of State and semi State hospitals, penitentiaries, etc , more than seventy years old, who have been con tinuously employed by such Institutions for twenty-one ears. GRAVE ALREADY MADE FOR BABY NEAR DEATH For Economy's Sake Room Is Left for Infant When Sister Is Buried Half of a grave in New Camden Ceme terj. Camden, dug with two openings for economy's sako. Is waiting today for two-year-old Georgo Okeson, who u dying of tuberculosis In the West Jersey Homeo pathic Hospital The other half of the grave contains tho body of his six-j ear-old sister riorence, who died Saturday of burns. The misfortune of the parents, Lewis and Mary Okeson, of 121 Gant street. Camden, has given them a new start In life for the four children that remain out of a brood of nine Attention called to their distress brought food for the children, medical treatment for tho mother, who is crippled by rheumatism, and a brace for eight-year-old Albert, an Infantllo paralysis victim. It brought sympathy, too, and money for Florence's funeral, which was conducted jesterday by the Ilcv. Zed Iletzel Copp, general secretary of tho Associated Chart ties of Camden. CAMDEN MADE BIG PROFIT THROUGH ASPHALT PLANT Saved $18,000 in Cost of Streets. Workhouso Run Under Municipal Auspices Earned $1000 Camden made money building asphalt streets and running Its workhouso In 1916 according to the report of Street Commis sioner Alfred L. Sayres, which was Issued today. He showed that the cost of the as phalt streets erected last year was about (18,000 less than the amount paid In to the city for them by taxpayers. The work houso, which is directed by htm, cost al most J1000 less to run than tne receipts credited t" it. Commissioner Sayres asks the Camden Council to double the capacity of the city owned' asphalt planti In order to make its field of work wider. Almost 2C00 miles of streets were cleaned by the city department last year for $29,000. which Is a much lower figure, he said than a private con tractor would have charged. PRETZEL PLANT FIRE DOES HEAVY DAMAGE Reading Blaze Caused by Crossed Wires Police Investigate Previous Outbreak of Flames nnADINO, Pa.. Feb. 26. Defcctlvs wir ing at the Biegler & Ktchberger pretzel bak ery here caused a serious fire, with a loss of several thousand dollars, early today. A large, amount of flour, stored In the building, was burned. City and State officials will make a thor ough Investigation Into the cause of the fire, -which occurred at Bright & Co.'s hard ware store In the heart of the city early Sunday morning, causing a lossof more thB'Jt0., Teltfhneae vails were. sent tfcm tyre sXiasjMrM kfore aoVjJsirm pmmH-miBsnsmimmm:. More than 3000 men and women, wearing flowers and led by a band, defied street following the funeral of Martinas Bedacziczia, who was killed during NATION'S PATRIOTISM QUESTIONED BY ABBOTT Cleveland Cathedral Dean Says It Will Come as Country Grows Older The patilotlsm of America was ques tioned today bv the Vcrv Itev II P Al inon Abbott, dean of Trinity Cnthedi.il, Cleveland, O. wso was tho speaker at the midday lenton servlie In tho Gnirlih The atre. In ono respect.' he said, "wo are not as patriotic ns other people The leoson for this Is Uie great immigration of leccnt years The process of assimilating theso foreign peoples Into American civilization has not et been completed. Hut Ameri cans, whoso fathers havo been here for generations, who fought in tho Revolution ary and Civil Wars, aro tho keystone of our national coherence and upon them much depends " Dean Abbott said, however, that wo have every icason to bellevo that this assimila tion will eventually bo brought about and when It docs we will have n nation that will be second to nono In patriotism VALUE OF PRAYER THEME OF LENTEN SERMON The value of prajer nnd warning against hvpocrlsy apply to man today Just as thev did 2000 5 ears ago, when Christ gavo His message on prajer to the Jcwh, warning against hypocrites, according to tho Itev. I)r i:illot White, of St Maik's Lplscopal Church, who talked todav at tho noonday Lenten sei vices at Christ Church "Praver Is a special prerogative Only good men, penitent men and nngels can prnv." he paid 'Animals cannot pray Had men cannot prav Prajer Is nn Intensely real and personal thing a communication with God. It Is not time for frivolity. Our T ...1 .1a.. a.n. Hnnilnmli (.tllilt, (.CO. at I,,,, ho advises us to go In a room by ourselves wneu wo ira "Prayer Is haid work" he added, "but It Is putting hard work where It will do the ljiost good It Is a natural result. It is tho necessary consequence of exeiclso of faith " WELCOME TEMPT A TION AS TEST FOR TRUE MAN Tho "Lasiest Way" was discussed bj the Tto l"r 4'h.irlp .T. Smith, nf Trtnitv Chuich, New Yoik, who spoke at the Lenten service in diu m .ioiiiis unurcii, iiaie anu Sixth htreits, today. "Temptation Is a much hated word these days." he said, 'and it goes far to soil our modern nlcetv. Wo slink from It lather than receive It with Jos, 'Temptation tomes from the 'assajer's office' In Heaven As man tries gold to see wiipthpr oi not It Is mire : in turn he is tried to see whether ho Is pure "The experiment is dangerous to the man who may bo weak. It Is full of delight to htm who may be sliong. True Joy comes Indeed to man. the servant, who Is weighed In tho balance and Is not found wanting" HUSBAND HEIRS-AT-LAW WIN IN NEW TRIAL PLEA Sisters and Other Relatives Will Have Another Chance to Beat Widow The controversy over the will of the late Thomas J. Husband, Jr , the magnesia king, who died In 1913 was reopened this afternoon In the Supremo Court. The case has been In the courts twice before When Husband died he left a widow and no children. Ills will set forth that the estate, valued at $100,000, should go to his helrs-at-law They are Anna M. Hus band and Mrs. Margaret Comly, sisters, and children of a deceased sister. Catharine II. Husband, tho widow contended that Uie will was a forgery. She contested It In Common Pleas Court No. I. In the first trial the verdict was In favor of tho helrs-at-law A second trial, In December, 1915, resulted In a victory for tho widow. The appeal to the higher court was taken by Maurice B. Saul nnd John G, Johnson, representing the helrs-at-law. In his opinion ordering a third trial Justice Pot ter reviews the circumstances of tho con test and bustatns the contentions of At torneys Johnson nnd Saul that there were errors In the charge of the trial Judge. THE REV. J. W. RIDDLE ftfe 4fljirswmsn. ThtAi avwI'-VlW. -vt .: '",i.r- fw,i iff' ' ". jJaA, ' sf&2 JaHa f Xf' BStV-SBSISSSSSSSSSSSb - IsbHIIIIIbIIHIs MaaasllllllV'M,BMIIKI SjSJSSSBBi S wv.4- iwSmHH ;j. TXSffiSS2S28K .),35i3SS2MS&S&,;:. , SiSMCmaB&s&ssasa THRONGS LINE STREETS AT STRIKER'S FUNERAL Thousands Watch Procession as Body of I. W. W. Leader Is . Borne to Church MANY TRIBUTES AT BIER Soveral thousand persons. Including many stilkers and their wives nnd children, wero massed along the streets todav In the sugui htrikn zone when tho f uncial procession of Mai Unas Hedaezlczla, I." W W leader, killed by a policeman's bullet In liotlng last week, pabscd from Lithuanian Hall, D2S Last Mojamenslng avenue to St Casi mlr Itoinan Catholic Chinch, Iouith and Wharton streets Tho police estimate that fullv 10 000 per sons participated In the funeral procession L'ach participant In the funeial cortege wore a red lose, purchased from the I. W. W. strike committee foi ten cents The proceeds of the ioo salo will be used to defray the funeral expenses Thero was no demonstration of nnv kind along the loute of tho procession Scarcely a bound or a movement came from the thousands who watched the hearse pass by with lis burden Tears streamed down tho cheeks of tho wives of many of the strikers who stood at the curb with their infants In their arms Tor the most part, the faces of tho men vveie stolid aflei tho manner of tho Polish people. Thev showed their feeling by their calm Manv of them did not .seem to be looking at the cortego at all, but gazed elsewhere in a blooding manner There was no denionstiatlon, even when the piocesslon passed tho Moya monslng avenue nnd Dickinson btreet sta tion. Tho bullet that killed Uedaezlczla was fired by an unidentified policeman from this station Many of the strikers -had places of vantage on houso roofs; others stood In dooivvays, or peeled out of win dows. In tho piocesslon wero more than 200 negro longshoremen, who went on a sympathetic strlko three weeks ago. The longshoremen vvoie red roses and also I W W buttons. Moic than two hundred uniformed police men wero scattered along the line of march, and fortv or more plain clothes men fiom Cltv Hall mingled with the crowds and watched fot trouble It Is estimated by the police that between 11 a. in jesterday and 10 a. m today more than 15 000 persons viewed the body of Hedaezlcla as It lay In state in Lithuanian Hall following are some of tho Inscrip tions on tloial tributes which were banked about tlie coIlln. "Kallen III the Worklng nen'n Struggle", "Wo Never Forget"; "Our HrotLei ', "Krom Your Brethren " A stilker carrr.ng an American flag led tho proces nlon. He was followed by a band of twenty pieces which plajed Chopin's funeral march Six flower gills, wives of strikers, preceded the hearse St. Caslmlr's Church was soon packed to Its capacity, and the police weie obliged to push their way In There was a solemn high requiem mass, with, tho Itev. J .1. Kaulkls officiating. Interment was In Holy Cross Cemetery, Ycadon, Delaware County Manv strikers and their wives went to the cemetery In special trolley HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS BEQUEATHED TO CHARITY Mrs. Nannie D. Conarroe Leaves Large Amounts to Churches and Other In stitutionsOther Wills Probated Churches and charitable organizations benefit to the extent of several hundred thousands of dollars through bequests con tained In wills probated today by Heglster Sheehan. t The will of Mrs Nannie D, Conarroe, 1701 Spruce street, leaves (76,000 In trust, tho Income to be paid to the Church of St. Peter's-by-the-Sea, Maid Head Cliff, Maine; $20,000 In trust and a tract of land In Maine for a public library In Ogunqulet vil lage, Wells, Me.; $30,000 to the Home of tho Merciful Saviour for Crippled Children; $30,000 to All Saints' Sprlngwlll Cottage, Sprlngvvlll, Nova Scotia; $10,000 to St Thomas's Protestant Episcopal, Church, Winn, Me ; $20,000 to the bishops of tho Protestant Kplscopal diocese of Maine , $20, 000 to St. Peter's Protestant L'plscopal Church, Third and Pino streets: $10,000 to tho Ulshop White Prayer Hook Associa tion; $10,000 to the Bishop White Parish Llbtary Association; $10,600 to the Church of St. Jgmes the Less, Kails of Schuylkill. Tho vv 111 of Susannah K. Nead, Ninth and Chestnut streets, disposes of property val ued nt $132,000. The charitable bequests Include $2000 each to tho Little Sisters of tho Poor, Klghteenth-and Jefferson streets; Ilush Hospital for Consumptives, the Free Hospital for Consumptives and Home for Incurables; $1000 to tho Association of Perpetual Adoration and Work for Poor Church, Convent of Notre Dame, and $3000 each to St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum, St. Vincent's Home, St. Vincent's Homo and Maternity Hospital. Catholic Homo for Destitute Children, St. Joseph's Home for Homeless Industrious Boys, Society of St. Joseph, for the. education nnd maintenance of poor orphan children; American. Society for Visiting Cathollo Prisoners and St. Joseph's College; $10,000 to St. Vincent de Paul Societies, $2600 for erecting chapels and $3000 for the Missionary Fund. Other wills probated were those of Robert D. Wood, 1218 Walnut street, which, In private bequests, disposes of property val ued at more than $100,000; Alexander P. Robinson, New York. $4600;-Amelia-Carlisle. 610 South Forty-fourth street, $20, ; Allen Shoemaker, 914 North Eighth street, $26,000 ; Mary'.J, Madison. 2238 Tur ner street, $10,000; Catharine McPollen. 203 .North sixty-second HnAJtWi WlUlam utk. win. iwihs mmt:jmv"w the police and appeared on Broad a riot of sugar woikera last week. PHILADELPHIA'S DOPE FEEDS ADDICTS IN WEST Ralph Oylcr, Special Agent, Re turns From Round-Up of Fiends in California The bulk of the morphine, heroin nnd co caine sold llllcltlj cm the Pacific coast comes from Philadelphia, according to tho findings of oltlceiH of the Internal llcvenuo Depatt ment who have Just completed a clean-up of tho dope tialllckcrs of California Tho Philadelphia naicotlcs are shipped to a little Mexican town called Ti.i Juana and then smuggled over the bolder into Cali fornia bj- agents of the dope syndicate llalph Ovicr. special agent for tho Treas ury Department at Washington, returned to Philadelphia today after a thrll lug ex perience covering two months among tho dopcslers in the West. Befoio he left the Pacific coast Ojler biought about tho ai ret and conviction of eleven of tho biggest drug dispensers In California- In an opium den In San .lose he held off eleven Chinese aimed with knives until the imlval of the police Uvier ..employed the same methods In California that he used several months ngo In Philadelphia to round up the dopesters He went Into the underwoild of San 1'ianclsco as "Toledo Johnny" and became tho com panion of slaves of the diug habit. To mako his role of "dopo" fiend seem real, Ojler had Internal revenue olllcers nirest him with other addicts in n mid on a "dope" Joint This made him "solid" with tho niembeis of the dope ling It was while he was plajlng thn lolo of "Toledo Johnnj" that Ojler learned of a plan to smuggle a large consignment of narcotic drugs over tho Mexican bonier into California This consignment Included 800 ounces of co caine, 1100 cans of opium and largo quanti ties of moiphliic and heroin Ojler notified Governor Cantu, of Lower California, and In a laid on tho head quaileis of tho dope ring at Tla Juana n Chinese smuggler nnd a Mexican policeman wei killed and several Chinese wcro wounded MET AT FRIENDS' WEDDING; THEY WILL MARRY TODAY Sister of Detective Gconnotti Was Serv ing as Bridesmaid When Intro duced to Bridegroom-to-be. A romance that stalled a jear ngo this aflernoon ut 4 o clock will result today In the marriage nf Miss lieno ijeomioltl, twenty jears old, sister of :itj' Hall De tectlvo (leonnottl, to Lmest Vtncfll, of S10 Passjunk avenue Tho brlde-to-bo was serving as brides maid at a wedding on Febiuary 26 last, when sho nnd Venefli were Introduced Miss Geounottl will wear the same dress this afternoon which sho wore nt tho In tioductlou Tho wedding will tako place at tho Church of St Mary .Magdalen do Pazzl, Seventh and Montrose stteets Mon eignor Isolerl will officiate. Tho ceremony will bo followed by a reception at Lyric Hall, Sixth and Cnrpentsr streets, to which prominent Italians havo been Invited Miss Koso Frcderlcko will bo bridesmaid and Joseph De Camplo will serve as best man Following their honeymoon the couple will live nt C33 Carpenter street across the street from the brldo's present homo at 628 Carpenter sticct. MISS IRENE GEONOTTI ERNEST VENEFIL Their wedding this afternoon Is tho climax to a romance which began one year ngo today when they met at .a .wedding where Misa Geonottl was n brldMsmald. , Mr,. Venefli r.iivM -M 810 PMwyunk; -wiu. BBHbIK. vHHHtBBB bbbbNbibiBk sfjH f&f&f&f&f&f&r&f l ,drs J r IbbbW ifw Jf A BBBBv -iSr iL " BBBBT QlflBfltxBBPlZ 4VIBBmiI C09V'BBfljBBBBFBBlBBstS!?rjT'K"sV BBBBr, uBBBBH '"W.iW sIbbbbb' BBBBBBB & bbbbHbbh flp Ls-X31 1 I bbbbbbH: l ' C hMJt i r i I Ibbbbbt ! " "W1HWV1 I I BJBJBJBB t-gflaV ' aWHis'J I BBBBBktMHSP BBBbW y XBBBBBBBBBBJVv XBjBjpjpj , TM c BBBBBBBwVI Determined to Obtain Jail Sen tences as Example to Speculators NEW YORK, Feb. 2G. Food prices went tumbling" today when 281 carloads of foodstuffs arrived in Xcw York and broke the "corners" which had been existing- for weeks. Onions, selling at $1 1 and $15 a bar rel week ago, today were sold for $8 and $9. Potatoes last week commanded $10.50 nnd $11.50 a barrel, but today they were obtainable at as low as $7.50 a barrel. Florida potatoes arrived on the market today and sold for $3.50 a bas kct, a price lower than that at which other potatoes sold on Saturday. WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 An unplanned but well-enforced nation-wide bojeott by consumers alreadj Is reducing the prices of foodstuffs Tills In spite of the fact that no nctlou jet has been taUen against the speculators bv State or Federal authorities ,1'eports reaching the Department pf Agriculture todaj' Indicate that potatoes and onions, leadeis In tho "skyward move ment ' nio mioted In the larger cities to day at a lesser (lguie than nn last AVednes day, when the situation becamo most acute. It also Is repoited bv tho agents of the department that tho maiKet everywhere has absolutely fallen Hat as n icsult of the general understanding by tho consumers In consequence many wholesalers loaded to the guards witl foodstuffs of nil sorts which they havo been holding for highest prices, nio said to bo anxious to unload beforo spring foodstuffs are In sight from tho South and tho Pacific coast It was stated olllcially, however, that this relief was ptobably not of a permanent naturo and that It will In no way check tho operations of tho Department of Justice That department Is continuing Its Investiga tion with a view of the criminal prosecu tions which have been promised bj" At torney General Oregorj. All Federal at torneys throughout tho countrj' have been Instructed to prosecute violations evidence of which Is In their possession without de-laj- And, If tills evidence can bo used to better advantago In State Courts, they havo been authorized to tjirn 'It over to local officials. The position of the Administra tion in the present crisis is declaied to be that n few convictions, with Jail sentences, would send prices tumbling down. Chairman John J. Fitzgerald, of the Houso Appropriations Committee, has not abandoned his fight ngalnst an appropria tion of $100,000 urged by President AVUson for an investigation of tho high cost of living bj- the Federal Trade Commission. He was today lining up Democrats to vote against tho norland amendment to provide for tho food Imiulrj- when the sun dry civil bill comes up on its final pas sage. Insisting that such an Investigation would be useless, llepresentatlve Borland scored onlj a temporary vlctoij- Saturday night when tho House In committee of tho whole voted eighty-three to fifty-one to adopt his nmendment giving the Trade Commission almost half a million dollars and more than half a j ear's time to find out If food cor porations are violating the antitrust law. NEW YORK LEGISLATURE BEGGED TO SELL FOOD NEW YORK, Feb. 16 Representatives of 126 unions and Socialist and women's oiganlzatlons today planned to urge upon Governor Whitman a legislative appropria tion of JI, 0011,000 to $10,000,000 to be used for puichaso of food which would be sold at lost to the poor While officials predicted a break In prices soon, and city Investigations revealed a constantly increasing picssuro on families with small Incomes, the aimy of protest continued Its campaign today A school stilke to center attention on the hardships endured by the children of the Hast Sldo was proposed. The bojcolt plans in the Last Sldo were so tightly drawn that retail poultry dealers decided to close shop. When slaughtei house owners voted against this procedure women who have been pick eting retail stores were shifted to slaughter house picket duty Mis, Ida Hairis, who was a leader In the march on Clt Hall last week, made a spirited attack on her husband, a grocery proprietor, when ha spoke against closing of grocery stoies befoie the Hebrew Re tail Grocers' Association She led tho women at tho iffletlng from tho hall In a bodj-. The grocers voted against closing, but approved the boj'cott of potatoes, onions and lima beans, After reporting that his Investigators found no actual starvation conditions, Health Commissioner Kmerson In a state ment today said that unless wages were raised or food conditions bettered "there would be a constantly Increasing number of people whose health will be Jeopardized by their inability to buy sufficient nourish ing food at tho present prices." BALTIMORE SCOURS COUNTRY FOR PRODUCE . BALTIMORE. Md , Feb. !6 Twenty-odd five-ton and seven-ton trucks of the city departments will be sent out Into the con tiguous counties to gather in farm products In Baltimore's move to help smash tlfo cor ners In foodstuffs. This was decided upon by the board of estimates at a meeting In Mayor Preston's home, when tentative plans were drafte,dfor cutting In under the exor bltant prices. The board will meet again later today to whip Its plans Into shape The trucks will bo sent to the various mar ket houses and the produce sold "right over the curb" at "cost" figures Upwards of twenty-flva per cent, It Is expected, will be cut from the current retail prices. S. P. C. . ELECTION ROW POSTPONED BY COURT Complainants Fail to Perfect Contest Charging Frauds, and Attorneys Agree to Delay No action resulted today, when court opened, In tho contest between factlons'of tho Woman's Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of' Cruelty to Animals In dispute over the recent election. The victors In tho election were to have made answer today to the charges of the defeated faction that the. victory of the other sldo was due to "ruthless, Illegal and Improper" proceedings. James J. Breen, attorney for tho com plainants, did not succeed In obtaining serv- Zi".. -". ' aejenaante, and wt Concerted action to remedy the food i uatlon In Philadelphia has been taken b, both city and Stato officials. . Maj-or Smith has sanctioned a bill to bs Introduced Into the Legislature tonight which would authoilze Councils to buy and sell food at cost If necessary The bill was suggested by Director AVUson as a result ot tho recent food riots in South Phlladd. phla. The hill will be Introduced by Represen tatlvo l.'dwln R. Cox. Kvery effort will ba made. It was said, to rush It through, Governor Brumbaugh announced that h was heartily In favor of any measure that would reduce the high cost ot living and relievo the suffeilng It had caused "I shall gladly sign such a bill, ' the Gov ernor said, "and do all I can to rush It through the Legislature " Governor Brumbaugh also said ho had been considering tho advisability of ap. pointing a commission to Investigate the prices for food In this city MAYOR AVIRKS APPROA'AI, The bill would permit establishment of food distribution centers throughout the city to fight existing food prices It was drafted by Dlieclor AA'llson after an ex change ot telegrams with Major Smith, now In Flo! Ida. Seveial local commission merchants al ready have anticipated a drop In food prices. Tho prices will diop slightly this week! It was said, owing to Increased shipments, waimer weather and receipt of heavy food supplies from the AVest. Another plan to nld the public in the present high cost ot living "crisis" has beau evolved by the Philadelphia Retail Grocers' Association. At a meeting of the executive committee of the association it was decided to ask delegations of house wives from tho zone where the food riots occurred to attend a conference during the first two days of the Philadelphia Food Fair, which opens March 5 In Hoitlcultural Hall. RIOT SECTION XOAV QUIUT Tho food riot section of South Philadel phia was quiet this nftcrnoon Fish mar kets and butcher shops on South Fourth and South Seventh streets closed at noon In view of the general turmoil, tho butchers uij" thej will not open for the present Mrs. Fannie Goldberg, ot 419 Durfor street, who has taken a prominent pirt In the food agitation, said that many per sons downtown were considering the advis ability of taking their children fiom school. Asked how such n mcAo would improve tho situation, sho said It would simply be another reminder to the authorities that something must be done qulcklj- to relieve the suffering due to food shortage and high prices. THH MUNICIPAL PLAN' Director AA'llson, discussing the food situ, atlon, said: Just ns soon as the Legislature au thorizes Councils It Is the Intention of the Maj'or to have an appropriation made to the Department of Supplies, this money to be used for the purchase of the necessities of life It Is Impos sible at this time to give the exact amount of this appropriation, but this will be determined later. AVhen the money becomes available It Is tho in tention to establish stations through out tho city at places where they are most needed. Theso stations will bs the distributing points for the food products purchased by the city, nnd through them the suffering caused by the present high prices will unquestion ably bo relieved It Is our belief that there Is no real shortage of foodstuffs, notwithstanding the fact that tho price has Increased abnormally The present plan of action, ns far as Philadelphia Is con cerned, will overcome the present con dition, so that tho unscrupulous food trlanlpulators will not bo able to corner tho market and create suffering for the purposo of selling "their products at outrageous prices, nvery effort will be made by the officials of this city to see that our citizens obtain what they need and at a fair price. Instead of marching on City Hall today 15,000 strong, as at first suggested, leaders of the housewives of the downtown section last night announced that It had been de cided to postpone the parade and Instead i hold two preliminary mass-meetings to- . night to decide the date ot the march, on ' conference, tho largest, at 55 Reed street, at 8 o'clock, under the direction of the Socialist party ot Philadelphia, In connec tion with about 100 other organizations, and the other, at the same hour. In Mer cantile Hall, Franklin street, above Poplar. A chairman will bs elected at the Reed street mass-meeting and a definite program arranged. Just "Spuds" NEW TORK, Felj. 26. The first low.r Ing of food prices as a result of New York's war on the Increasing cost of living came In a slump In potato quotations of from seventy-five cents to ono dollar a bushel wholesale. NEAV YORK, Feb. SB. A boycott on po tatoes and onions was declared by the AVI llamsburg Branch of the Mothers' Antl High Price League in New Plaza Hall. Brooklyn, last night. CHICAGO, Feb. 26, rotato bojeotts, t bring the lordly price of spuds down to lowly price, have started In Chicago ho- At three hospitals, four institutional M homes and In households in the congested a districts, the fight to bring down the pn of potatoes by abstaining from their u was Inaugurated on the suggestion oj Health Commissioner Robertson, who saw "a real boycott will knock the pries or potatoes Into a cocked hat In a week." MAUCII CHUNK. Pa.. Feb. 26. Farmer -g throughout this county are demanding a bushel for their potatoes In their cel lars, and aro not anxious to sell at tn nrlr hftllAiini- thftv will trn higher. Many families and some communities have boycotted the tubers, buoshiu" cheaper at tides of food. -- SOMERSET, Ta,, Feb. 26. The mark value of potatoes In Somerset has been in flated to tho extent that the tubers are MPH planting the precious metals as a mediums of exchange. For two bushels of po'"'B one oi tne leaning, grocery rsmuii""""-- In tha town advertises that It will give i following merchandise: "Twenty-flve-poundysak of flour, oi owrw. wo puunua pc vapwii i MMl A wf RS 4V tr fiVfSiMsfflei MiSlHeFd
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers