-r"rg.nM . !Mo-J i uiftl IWIIIIVIIN' mmnr-r-K'' uTf i"ts- 1 r ,Hr'' - --fvrwwi mm 'i THE SCRANTON TlUBUiN 14-MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1809. Published Dally. Except 'Sunday, by Th Trlbuno Publishing Company, at Fifty CcntB a Month. Now Tork Office: 150 Naiwnti St.. 0. s. vhisbIjAND. Bote Agent for Foreign Advertising. Entered nt the PostnfTlcn nt Scranton, Pa., as Scccnd-Class Mail Matter. When pnco will permit, The Trlbuno Is always glad to print short letters from Its friends bearing on current topic but ltn rule Is that these must bo signed, for publication, by the writer's real name. TEN PAGES. SCRANTON. DECKMIU3H 11, 1809. Saturday cvonltiR'a Hlreet enr acci dent ut the West Luckuwnnna avenue crossing; forcibly enipliuslzcs the need nf a viaduct nt this place. With a movement of freight trains ncross tho nvonup ncnily four times ns great now ns nt anyi prior time and a cpntlnual increase ot pedestrian and vehicular traffic, the time is nt hand when tho viaduct proposition will need to bo taken up In rurnest nnd pushed through to completion. The snfety of tho people demands It. Safeguard City Funds. " f HE LAW.we understand, pro- Ivldcs for the paying over monthly to the city trens tirer by the mayor of all finis cnllectod. Non-observance of thin Inn has In the past occasioned enn fuslnii .Hid Its honest observance In future should lie Insisted upon. Tlicstfitement presented by Control ler Unwell to select council at Its last M'sslnn Indicates that for several months the mayor had In his posws slon in a manner not contemplated by law funds belonging to the city. The aggregate of tbese funds was sufllc Ifntly largo to make It worth the city's v hlle to secure, when due, the full use of them. It Is not, to our knowledge, charged that the withholding of these balances has been dictated by any wish on the mayor's part to reap personal benefit; on the contrary, It must be as sumed that carelessness alone was re sponsible. Hut should a dishonest man ever get Into the mayor's olllce nnd hold back these balnnces for the. purpose of pocketing Interest upon them, a scan dal would be Inevitable; nnd the way to prevent that Is to require monthly settlements. Had this requirement pre vailed during the administration of Mayor Halley, there would have nrisen no necessity for the adoption nt the last meeting of select council of n reso lution directing the city solicitor to proceed against that ofllclal for the re covery of money alleged to be duo tho city In the matter of lines not yet ac counted for. Had It been observed by Mayor Moir, he would havo been spared the necessity for the explanation of his (ourse which npjieared In print on Sat urday. This Is in no sense a political issue but a matter of simple arithmetic. When money is collected for the city, the city should get- the use of it and not any particular olllclal In the em ploy of the city. Such provision for the proper accounting for all city funds should bo made as would botli cut off dishonest use of said funds, should such use ever exist, and likewise pro tect nn honest olllclal from the possi bility of getting into embarrassment through the carelessness either of him self or of his subordinates. In such a demand there can be no unfairness to any man or any party. The lnte Judge Ward was peculiarly fortunate In his picking of proteges for advancement In the legal profes sion. From his ollico were recruited some of the brightest ornaments of the Lackawanna bar. He was him self a great lawyer ami a line type of citizen; but in nothing did he" show to better advantage than In the help ing hand which he extended to the junior members of his profession. Tho preceptor of such men as Judges fiun ster nnd Kdwards and fJeorge S Horn, leaves behind monument Willi h local history will peipetuato. The Water Question. Dt-'itl.W, TIIK present lull In the Interesting controversy vecently excited over the water question. It may be well to re-lnvile the attention of tho public to what we conceive to bo the nub of tho whole matter. We have not yet arrived, and we may never arrive, at a point in the community's relations with the Scran ton (ias imd Water company where the question of the city's taking over of thut company's plant Is a practical question. Those who discuss that topic are indulging simply in the pleasures of debate. A city government which cannot clenn the streets, provide sew ers for infected localities, afford a paid lire department, properly pollc. the residence sections, grant franchises on a basis of equity or keep tho police court's financial records In Joint with the law Is not in position to under take large projects of municipal owner ship and control. A time may come when this will be feasible in Scranton, but it U not In sight yet. Nor Ijas the time nrrived for th. adoption of the Melvln ordinance or a similar ordinance fixing arbitrarily tho rates which tho wnter company shall charge; A step of that character is not to be taken savo under the "pressure of public necessity clearly" es tablished nnd not otherwise to be re- llevort. 7'he, .courtB, we may bo sure, would nullify all parts of an ordinance going beyond the well-defined line of public equity; and before Inviting a test In court the community must, If it would win, equip Itself with a sub stantial und accurately measured grievance. What, then, is tho starting point ot the present outcry? The Introduction of meters In -water connections for in dustrial and commercial use. Tho conditions governing tho domestic use " of water evoke no complaint. The. charges for commercial and Industrial, V and chiefly for industrial, use are alone "in rju,estlon.yThe board of trade has undertaken to donVlnco Mr. Scranton , that It would be advantageous to his Water company7 to tfuote to manufact urers easier terms on a water supply. It la golns to sen4 a. committee to him to have a talK upon the subject. The board's -object Is to ndvunco the city of Scranton. Mr. Scranton's object, we assume, Is to advance tho Scranton Wnter company. Hut are these ob jects Irreconcilably hostile and is It necessary, before a conference to har monize them Is held, that the air should be filled with thunder nnd the heavens with lightning flashes? Wo cannot believe so. Neither side In this controversy has the right pri marily to question the other's motive or exhibit excitement before tho con ference has taken place. There is complaint at tho meter rates and these complaints are proper subjects of In quiry nnd Investigation. Hut tho first thing In such a case Is to get together nil tho facts. After these have been fully collected and compared, If abuse remains nnd amicable settlement is de nied, then will bo the time for thun der nnd lightning. How would the citizens of Scranton like to have the vastly Important mat ter of sanitation, which Is none too well attended to jiow, put In charge of a committee of councils and thus made, In nine Instances out of ten, the sport and byplay of peanut politics? That Wreck at Paterson. IfHIS AFTERNOON at Patcr- I son the Inquest of the cor- JL oner Into the accident nt that place on Nov. 29, which, was begun on Friday night, will bo continued. Tho testimony heard on Frlduy brought out nn fact of Import ance not already known. It was said by one witness that a flagman. of train No. C, the one In which many passen gers were killed or Injured, started back to signal train No. 08, the one which did the mischief, as soon ns No. C stopped, but 90 was too close at hand. Another witness said that the flagman might have jumped oft befora train 6 stopped, but It does -not appear that Jumping off before the train stopped had been customnry or that it was called for In tho rules; nnd In view of the fact that the trainmen on were believed to know that train fi was Just ahead, It may rondlly have been supposed on board C that 9C was being run cautiously and under easy control. So far as we can see at this dis tance from the scene, the proper ob jective point of tho coroner's Inquest will be to ascertain why train 98 was running within the city limits of Pat erson, around a sharp curve, near the station and In full knowledge that No. 0 was not far ahead, at a rate of speed which ordinary Intelligence should have condemned as unsafe. Was this the fault of the men In Immediate charge of the train or the manage ment above them, or was it due to' peculiar circumstances not subject to human control? The clearing up of speculation touching these Inquiries Is necessary both In respect to the fixing of responsibility for this par ticular wreck and as a lesson. I'ntll the judicial processes of In vestigation shall have been completed, honest men will suspend Judgment. No man has the right to assume that the Investigation will not be thorough and Impartial. Nor will any man of discretion, however keenly he may be wounded In feeling on account of the destruction wrought by that wreck, subordinate fairness to Impulsive re sentment. With the election ot Governor Taylor settled, It Is to be hoped that Ken tucky will set a better example of self-go-crnment for our ambitious colonies. Faith Not Declining. TO THE proposition recently put forth and voluminously, (llseuFsed In the New York Sun that tho men and wo men of this generation are experienc ing a decline of religious faith a prop osition assumed by very many able philosophers of our time to be correct our venerable friend, P.ev. Dr. N. O. Parke, of AVest Pittston, one of the patriarchs of Pennsylvania Presby terlanlsm, enters vigorous dissent. "Is It true," he asks in a letter to the Sun. "that men or women have ceased to attend tho sanctuary or have lost their faith In the Bible as our rule of faith and practice'" and ho replies; "Personally, I do not believe they have. I believe that the Hlblu and tho ordinances of God's house never had a firmer hold on tho masses of our pea pie than they have today. "The Presbytery In Pennsylvania, with which I have been connected since Its organization, Is next to the largest In the state: nnd, In this Pres bytery wo have heard of no abate ment ot the Interest felt In maintain ing the ordinances of God's house. Tlv I'.lblo critics and the heretics ar" talked about, and, to some extent, lionised; If that Is what they are after they have It, and prosecutions bs fore the General Assembly ure help ful in that line. Hut these llonlz-id ministers, chiefly professors, who ap parently covet martyrdom, nre to the church of God In ojr land very largely as driftwood on the swollen river that Is moving its waters to the ocean. They are not to be Ignored, but they are not of as much Importance as they and their friends imagine. Our churches nnd our pastors, our organ ized church workers, were never doing better work than they nre doing now. "It certainly' is a fact that In the church's history, as I have read It, there has been no time when there was moro of a spirit of toleration among tho professed followers of Christ than there Is at tho close of the nineteenth century. Thero has been no time, too, when tho Hlblo was more universally acknowledged as the word of God, and there are now more tons of Ulbles published annually than aC tho commencement ot the century. Moreover, there has been no time when the membership of tho entire church, Including men, "women and children, was bo fully engaged In christian work. Tho Young Men's Christian associa tion, tho Sabbath school, tho Christian Endeavorers and the missionary so cieties aro features ot the age, und they were never more In evidence than they are now. Nor has there been a time when money was given ub it is given now for missions at home and abroad, for church erection, for edu cational institutions and (or every type of samarltan work. Tho deliver ances of tho. churches of every nanus on the subjects of Sabbath observance, temperance, marriage, social nnd po litical purity, have never been more In line with the teaching of the Illble. It Is true that Iniquity abounds; Satan Is not bound: offences have come and they will come. Pride nnd envy and Jealousy nnd worldllness nnd selfish ness pre In the hearts of men, ns they always have been; but only a child, In view of the work that the church under its Divine Lender is doing, can usk, 'Is Clod dead?"' Tho proelnlmers of a decline In faith may bo sincere In many Instances, but In all Instnnces they nre mistaken In their estimates of contemporary events. This Is nn age of fnlth mani fested In works. The works of right eousness wen; never larger. No reason has been presented from any quarter tending to show why tho proposed location in this city o a six mill tin plate plant capable of manu facturing G.O0O boxes a week should not result profitably to the subscribers for stock and to the city at large. Tho de mand for tin plate nearly always ex ceeds tho supply; Scranton Is a good distributing center for the eastern mar ket; nnd If to the natural advantages of the city were added, ns it is reason able to assume would be added, capable expert management of the processes of manufacture nnd modern methods In tho sales department, success could hardly bo avoided. We accept the Judg ment of the gentlemen who are back ing Mr. Torbet In the promotion of this contemplated new Industry and trust that it may speedily materialize. Pittsburg has produced the latest npostle of "Darius Green," In the per son of n Mr. Whitehead, who has In vented a flying machine. Unlike tho scientific models of the day, Mr. White head's machine has wings and wheels, and on the ground looks like a huge bird. When Mr. Whitehead gets his machine In operation he expects to pre sent nn appearance ns Imposing as that of a Pittsburg politician at a state con vention. - Instances have been reported where diphtheria nnd scarlet fever signs have been removed from the front to tho rear of Infected houses, thus depriving the public of due warning. This Is dis tinctly contrary to law; and we will forward to the health officers properly authenticated complaints from our readers setting forth such a condition of facts. The recent fire at Heading, In which one woman lost her life and several girls were badly injured, again points out the necessity of having fire-escapes that are fire-escapes, Are all of tho Scranton factories and hotels properly equipped In this respect? Mr. Gran, the operatic manager, figures up his losses In the endeavor to create a musical sentiment In Chicago nt $30,000. He still avers that he can not understand Chicago. The country will be Impatient for the next few days to learn what Consul Macrum has up his sleeve. The Star Document oi the Whole Lot From the New Haven Register. WITH each new day the value of the retxirt ot Secretary ot War Root become more Impressive. As the doctors would say, the realiza tion has "set In" that It is the most businesslike, thorough and uninfluenced report from that department at least since the close of the civil war. "He aeen his duty and he done It." o For a dny or two after Its publica tion, this report seemed not at all like ly to meet a new and moro flattering experience. It appeared as If It, too, would answer the purpose merely of an ofllclal expression and thereupon lose Itself In the great mass of depart mental literature. There were, how ever, a few men who read It carefully, word for word and who Issued forth from the self Imposed task with the very decided conviction that hero wan a report wholly out of the ordinary In Its form and point of view, a report which revealed the presence back of It of a man who manifestly saw no gal leries to play to and who therefore stuck to the business of clearly and ex plicitly setting forth the conditions and needs of the regular army. We cer tainly do not Intend to exaggerate, and we do not think we do when we de clare the report, In our opinion, to be the most convincing of all ofllclal state ments In regard to this entire off-continent problem. Wo are quite sure It will be found elastic enough to answer all of the quack arguments our antl lmperiallstlc friends can conjure up for many months. o Tho chief quality of course of the Root war report .Is Its common sense and business simplicity. It Is that which strikes the reader and at once convinces him that the cheap spirit of Algerlsm has Indeed taken wings and departed from the department, and that the department itself is under the control of the strongest man since Stanton's time. We should find, for ex ample, no such recommendntlon nB this proceeding from a machine made and driven secretary: "Whereas It Is nec essary to employ Americans (In Porto Hlco), except In the chief otlices, a sys tem of civil service examinations should bo provided, under which requests from the governor of Porto Hlco, for suitable persons to bo nppolnted, may be tilled." Secretary Itoot Is seeking tho simplest and speediest way of put ting that Island upon us political feet, and known, Just as we all know, though few of us are honest enough to admit It, that an essential of uniform prog ress and administrative honesty Is a system of civil service examination. Otherwise. If not nlready under a dif ferent expectation, the Island will be filled with ne'er-do-wells, with a record for loenfl political sefulns which they point to as cause enough for such ofllclal preferment ns they covet. Sec retary Hoot sees this nnd would an tlcluate Its evil. o There are a lot of Illustrations In this report of the man's freedom from par tisan bias and organization control. He treats the economic questions, which have already arisen between Cuba and Porto Hlco and the United States, as something to be settled upon a broad nnd natural basts, nnd not at all upon exclusive grounds. There nre a great many who will shift, uneasily In their chairs, ns they read this: "I wish most strongly to urge that the customs du ties between Porto Hlco and tho United States bo removed," and yet every sense of Justice demands that that should be the point of view of nil pro posed legislation, In reference to econ omic oft-continent problems. It Is with like dlrcctnesA that Secretary Hoot con siders the nrmy post canteen, which so many well (mentioned Christian people, carried among by emotions which will not bear analysis, have condemned as a clasp of the flesh between tho devil nnd Uncle Snm. This report sweeps all of this religious misrepresentation aside, without for a moment giving any attention to its possible political value, nnd declares that the canteen, In stead of being demoralizing, "has pro moted the temperance, discipline, mornla and henlth of the enlisted men, nnd that In the Interest of morality nnd effective service It should be re tained." o We have thus commented up.in this report because It seems to us to pos sess tho quality which needs most to be Impressed upon political parties and public officials, namely, that of com mon horse sense nnd directness. The surest way to party success is the straight and narrow business way; the surest way to retain power Is to give the very best possible administration for the least money. This Is not the Piatt way nor the Croker way, and these men have been .successful in a sense. but it Is tho way ot every man In American history who made and Is ac credited with a career and a prominent place In history. It will be found, for example, before the next presidential campaign Is over that this simple business-like report of Secretary Hoot will do more to offset nnd upset the schemes of the opposition to the exist ing order ot thing.? than all of the ofll clal public utterances that have been or will be made. A comparatively un tried man has won out because he did his duty with his cyis upon it, instead of upon politics. NUBS OF KNOWLEDGE. A native Maori chief, tho descendant of cannibal kings, Is now completing his medical education In Chicago. An attempt on a large scale Is soon to be made to stock the abandoned farms of Malno with cattlo from the West. Coffee as a beverago had a slight start of tea In Lordon, for the first coffee house was opened about the year 1032. Today moro than 80 per cent, of the cost,ot running thin government is caused by wars, past, present nnd prospective. Builders while excavating In Hrussels recently unearthed a boat which is sup. posed to bo nearly, If not quite, 2,000 years old. All tho European navies nro practicing shooting. Our soldiers taught them tho necessity for good shooting In the Span ish war. Tho two counties of Brewster and Pre sidio (Texas) having a Joint area of fi.000 square miles, have, It Is suld, fewer than 3,000 inhabitants. Lord Kelvin In a lecture stated that as a result of recent Investigations It was estimated that the earth hud been the abode of life for about C0.0o0.000 vears. According to the Canadian Hank tho yield of gold from the Klondike this sea son Is about Jv.dOO.OOO. which Is one-third less than the output last season. In some parts of Holland a birth Is announced by fustenlng a silk pincushion on tho door knob. It tho pincushion is red tho baby Is a boy and If white a girl. Herlln booksellers nre strictly forbid den to sell school children books stitched with wire, as several' cases of blood poi soning have been traced to scratches from rusty wire. The Austrian minister of commerce Is contemplating tho Introduction of motor cars for conveying mall bags to and from railway stations, and also for the col lection of letters from the mall posts. Th American brldgo Is flinging Its ma jestic spans and arches across the rivers of many lands Egypt. Siberia, Japan, China, Peru and others and a group of twenty-six skilled American builders has Just departed for Rangoon, Hrltlsh India, where nn American company has ono of Its construction In progress. A SONG OF THE STORM. The lake's dark breast Is all unrest. It heaves with a sob and a tlgh; LIko a tremuluus bird From Its slumber stirred, The moon Is a-tllt In tho sky. From tho silent deep Tho waters sweep, But faint on tho cold, white stones, And tho wavelets fly With a plalntlvu cry O'er tho old earth's hare, bleak bones. And tho spray upspilngs On its ghost like wings, And tosses a kiss at tho stars, While a water sprite, In sea pearls dluht. Hums a sea hvmn's solemn burs. Far out In tho nlcht. i On the wnv'rlng bight, I sco a dark hull loom; And its light on high, Like a Cyclop's eye, Shines out through the mist and the gloom. Now tho winds well up From tho earth's deep cup, And fall on the sea and shore, And against tho pier The waters rear And break with a sullen roar. Up comes tho gale, And tho mist-wrought veil, Gives way to the lightning's glare, And tho cloud-drifts fall, A sombre pall, O'er water, earth and nlr. t Tho storm king files, His whip he piles, And bellows down the wind, Tho lightning rash, . , With binding flash, Comes pricking on behind. Hlse, waters, rise, ; And taunt the skies With your swift-fllttinc form. Sweep, wild winds, sweep, ' And tear tho deep To atoms In tho storm. And the waters l'ant, And tho wild winds swept, And blew out. the moon In tho sky; And I laughed with glee, It was Joy to mo As tho storm went raging by. Paul Laurence Dunbar. Limtlher Keller LIHE, CEMENT, SEWER PIPE, Etc. yard nndOnios West Lackawanna Ave., SCRANTON, PA. Merccrcai CiiKlL No. 130 Wyoming Avenue. Our Thirty-fourth Year. A GRAND Christmas Display 0 o BARGAINS IN EVERYTHING. Fine Diamonds, Rich Jewelry, Stone . Rings, Watches of the reliable sort from $2.50 to $150.00. Sterling Silver Wares, Sterling Silver Novelties, Clocks, Etc. Our prices are at the bottom. Our guarantee is perfect. Hill & Connell's Christmas Pmrmiitiuire . The largest stock to select Irom of Writing Desks. Dressing Tables. Toilet Tables. Chevnl Glasses. Parlor Cabinets. Music Cabinets. Curio Cabinets. Book Cases. Waste Baskets. Lounges. Work Tables. Ivasy Chairs. Gilt Chairs. Inlaid Chairs. Kockcrs. Shaving Stands. Pedestals. Jardinieres. And novelties in PICTURES. All marked in plain figures. A fine selection for early callers. Hill & Cooeell 121 N. "Washington Ave, Scranton, Pa. Heating Stoves, Ranges, FtuirnacaSc. and Tiningc GUNSIEIR & FORSYTE, 125-327 PENN AVENUE. The Hent & Connell Co Heating, Plumbing, Gas Fitting, Electric Light Wiring, Gas an Electric Fixtures, Builders Hardware. IS YOUIl HOUSE VACANT? IV SO, TRY A "FOR RENT" AD. IN THE TRIBUNE. ONE CENT A WORD. 5, $!3llgSllltt$lltiSg3& TUB MoDKItX llARnWAItK HfORli I OPEN ft f GRATES 2 fii Do you have them in J your house? J Perhaps you need new 2 Andirons or a Fire Set. $ We have them from $ ,. J! Foote & Shear Co. J J 9 N. "Washington Ave jl f $3HIISNIMM5tlll3NIISNSt HENRY BELIN, JR., tieuoral Agent for tlia Wyoming District f j. DUPONT lilulng, mauling, Hporttnj, Uuiokalau and the Ilepauno Caonilca; Company'! HIGH EXPLOSIVES. tafety Kuhp, Oupi unit ICxploijci Itooui 101 Co mi el I Uulldlii;. ticrautao. AUHNUIKi THOB. FOItD. - - - Pittston. JOHN B. SMITH & SON, - Plymouth. W. E. MULLIGAN. - Wilkes-Barro. mWML Jo irciL. ' A New York journeyman printer writes : " On Saturday last 1 went to sec one of the best if not the best physician and sur geon in Brooklyn. After paying some money I owed, we spoke of my boy of ten years whom I had along with me. The boy tvas not feeling well, his stomach appaarcd to be out of order and lie was getting thin. I told the doctor that I had given the boy 1 Ripans Tabulc the night before. Then I told him what the Ingredients were rhubarb, ipecac, peppermint, nux vomica and soda and he exclaimed ' What's that ? What's that?' Upon repeating the formula he said, 'Good, very good. You could not give him anything better. The rhubar.b is what he needs for the stomach, and the nux will tone up the system. Con tinue giving him one each night and he. will be all right.' He gave nie no further prescription for the boy and charged me nothing for the advice." A new ttylt ps.-ket rontolaltur tiv KiriNf Tiiri.Kt In A parr rat-ton (without rUsi) la now foi& at torn in urca ro m ckkth. TLI. luw.prUv-4 nort If Irrftwfwi fur tho pMir and the rcunoiukvil. Onedotta nf tM nro-ont cartons (It tabu I) ran Em had tr mail by arndlntc forty-tlgul rvutl to tha Hiram fnucal foaraxi, No. ! tyvue 8Ul,tiw Jura era lnjj rarUu(TiIiVLl wlil txacnt for flit oeata FINLET HOLIDAY .GOODS; A Fine ilk Umbrella As a CMstinas is as appropriate as anything we can suggest. We had this in view when we made our selections and the goods fully meet our ex pectations, The handles, of Natural Woods, Plain and with fine Pearl, Sterling Silver and Gold Mouutings,are the most artistic and unique of any line we have ever shown, "The wearing qualities are beyond question." The"Golf, "Tally Ho" and "Automobile', are among our latest handles and these we are showing in exclusive de signs, and in regard to prices, you can take your choice from $3-75 to $17.50. Select now, while the line is unbr,oken. Should you want the Best One Dollar Umbrella pro. curable, our $1.35 quality will be yours at this price for just ten days. Fine line of Children's Umbrellas from 50c up. 510 and 512 LACKAWANNA AVENUE Holiday Opening . Calendars, Booklets, Bibles, Prayer Books. Gold Pens, Gold Ink Stands, Leather Card Cases, Fountain Pens. and a Handsome As sortment of 1900 Diaries In fancy bindings, suit able for Cliristmas Gifts. Reynolds Bros Office Supplies Our Specialty. 339 Wyoming Ave HOTKL JKUMV.N.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers