6 HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH Established IS3I PUBLISHED BY rHU TELEGRAPH PRINTING CO. E. J. STACKPOLE President and Editor-in-Chief F. R. OYSTER Secretary GUS M. STEINMETZ Managing Editor Published every evening: (except Sun day) at the Telegraph Building, 214 Federal Square. Both phones. Momber American Newspaper Publish ers' Association. Audit Bureau of Circulation and Pennsylvania Associ ated Dallies. Eastern Office, Fifth Avenue Building, New York City, Hasbrook, Story &> Brooks. Western Office, Advertising Building, Chicago, 111., Robert E. Ward. i Delivered by carriers at six cents a week. Mailed to subscribers • t 13.00 a year In advance. Entered at the Post Office in Harris burg, Pa., as second class matter. tnorn dally average circulation (or the three months ending Nov. 30, IDIS. Average for the year IBM—2I,KM Average for the year 1813—19.MJ Average for the year 1912—19, M» Average for the year UII—ITJWJ Average for the year 1810—16.261 The above figures are net. All re turned, unsold and damaged copies ae tfacted. FRIDAY EVENING, DEC. 31 Life is not so short but that there is always room for courtesy.—Emer son. MR. TAYLOR'S GOOD WORK CITY COMMISSIONER TAYLOR will retire to-morrow with a record of substantial achieve ment in his particular department. He has accomplished much in a prac tical way and it is unfortunate that the political flim-flamming that seems part and parcel of the new system of municipal government should have confused the public mind regarding Mr. Taylor's work. It is creditable to him that in the closing days of his term he has taken over another im- j portant stretch of the city parkway j which has been under negotiation for I some time. Of all those who are more or less familiar with the things that have been done during Mr. Taylor's term of two years, none is more cordial in praise of this official than Mrs. William Henderson, president of the Civic Club, which has had the hearty co-operation of the commissioner right along. It is worth while to have the commendation of such or ganizations in the midst of misrepre sentation and misunderstanding of unselfish public service. The taking over of the St. Lawrence Catholic Church property is practically the final step in the acquirement of the important property of the Capitol Park zone. There are still other parcels of land to be bought, but it is expected by the commission that there will be no serious difficulty in taking title to what is left. There remains about a year in which to acquire the remaining property and meanwhile the State au thorities will have a study made of the landscape treatment so that the next Legislature will be In nosltion to direct what is to be done with the en tire section east of the Capitol as well as the older part of the park bounded by Fourth, Walnut, Third and North streets. THK COM.MISSION WHIRMGIG HARRISBURG is being treated as j are the other third-class cities j of the State to the usual whirli- I gig of political manipulation as a re- I suit of the commission experiment. Instead of being able to give their at tention to the important public du ties, which are delegated to them, the five managers o£ the city's afTairs are. pulled this way and that by political interests to the detriment of the best interests of the people. It was obvious from the beginning of this new system that these unfor tunate differences would arise. In stead of promoting harmony of action, the exact opposite has been the case. We have heard much of nonpartisan ship and all that sort of thing, but it must be plain to the wayfaring man that politics will always prevail without regard to the particular form of administration imposed upon thc munlcipalities by the Legislature. All that the citizens of Harrisburg desire is that the political eruption may not striously impair the efficiency of the government which will start out on a new lap next Monday. In the playing for position the commis sioners will do well to keep In mind that their first and most Important duty is the transaction of the people's business. Naturally there will fee some political by-play; that is to be ex pected. Hut this should simply be a diversion and not in any sense al lowed to Interfere with the more seri ous duties of the commissioners. We hear much of combinations of one sort and another and such com binations are certain to develop from lime to time. Just as they do in all legislative bodies; but it doesn't fol low that all the energy of the com missioners shall be exerted in rivalry of any sort. If anything will ever force civil ser vice as an inflexible rule of our munici pal sdminlstratlon In Pennsylvania, It Is the demoralisation that seems to come with every change of admlnis tratton The Colonel Is not putting his O. K. on several ambitious persons who sspire to be candidates for the Presi dency, He Is'maintaining at Oyster Bay a strong position on the watch tower, and what will be his final con FRIDAY EVENING, HARRISBURG s?Sii& TELEGRAPH /DECEMBER 31, 1015 • olnsion remains for the Oyster Bay Rage himself to declare. It is rather amusing that practically every man mentioned for President thus far is said to be ac ceptable to T. R. We suspect that all this may foreshadow a situation in which the Colonel may determine that he himself is the only solution. THE PASSING YEAR THE passing year will be recorded on a dun-colored page in /he history of the world. It has seen more of bloodshed, more of sor- I row. more of waste, more of wicked ness than humanity a year previous could have thought possible. It has witnessed no great progress in any line of endeavor. It has watched Europe in its march back toward the Middle Ages. It has seen the flower of German, English, French and Russian youth destroyed. Its journey of twelve months has been along a road strewn with human hopes, shattered cathe drals and ruined towns. Its way has been marked by the corpses of women nnd children slain without excuse and without warning, in sheer wantonness. The wreck of civilization has been left in its wake. "Frlghtftilness" has been Its keynote. And all this for what? That the selfish ambition of one man might have sway; that brute force might be matched against moral suasion; that autocracy might be substituted for the individual freedom that has been growing apace In the world for the past century or more. Fortunately for Europe, fortunately for us, fortu nately, indeed, even for those who nre at this moment laying down their lives In such gallant manner in behalf of that monarchal government that would sway the world, the sun so long dimmed is beginning to show Itself a trifle just over the horizon and another New Year's Day may see a brighter future in prospect for Europe and the world at large. That seems to be the biggest promise of a year that has had but little indeed for which humanity may give thanks. In our own country, even, the arts and the sciences have lagged. The accomplishment of wireless telegraphy and the perfecting of long distance talking by wire have been the only out standing mechanical developments of the year. We have not been thinking of promoting the ways of peace; our minds have been turned to war and preparations for defense against some such unscrupulous foe as laid waste all Belgium. Perhaps in the end it has been well that we are awake to possibilities of that kind, but the sub ject has taken much of the time and the thought of our best minds and civilization is the poorer therefor and Americans have been robbed to some extent of the birthright of progress which otherwise would have been theirs. The year has been poor in accom plishments for immediate good both here and in the world at large and the only hope held out Is that the sacrifice will not have been in vain; that from the blood and travail of the past twelve months a new civilization and a new hope for humanity will be born. Else 'twere better that the year now waning had never been. craws PLAY THE newspapers of the present week have published the first of a lot of photographs made on board the Ford peace ship, and one of them shows what the photographer has labelled "Two distinguished mem bers of the Ford peace party playing leap frog; the Rev. Charles F. Aked leaping over the Rev. Dr. Jenkyn Lloyd Jones." That picture, it seems to us, sums up the whole Ford peace project— play. If a Legislature had undertaken the voyage it would have been called a "junket" by the opposition press. As a vacation trip for tired business and professional men it might have been a boon to many. As a serious effort to end the war in Europe it would be a joke were it not for the pathetic failure of its founder to measure up to the standards many of his admirers had set for him. Flash lights of the delegates gath ered in serious conclave aboard the peace ship might have elicited smiles of pity; snapshots of two of the most "distinguished members of the party" playing leapfrog when the world thought they were weighing between them weighty problems of interna tional welfare excite only derision. The picture ought to be preserved for use in school histories accompany ing the paragraph that will some day bo devoted to setting forth the fruit less voyage of the Oscar 11. It sums the situation up so well. A LESSON FROM GERMANY IT is estimated by careful students of the subject that when the Euro pean war is over American tourists will swarm to trans-Atlantic coun tries, spending annually not less than $500,000,000 there and depleting our own resources to a corresponding de gree. Perhaps! and then again, per haps not. It is not at all unlikely that the same public sentiment which puts the stamp of disapproval upon the hyphenated American will also place a mark of disfavor upon that species of citizen who can see noth ing of Interest or superiority In his own country, but must spend his leis ure time and surplus money to gratify the pride and replenish the pockets of natives of Europe. Probably we shall learn and practice the economic principle enunciated by the Emperor of Germany when he said to his peo pie: "Always remember that when you spend your money In other coun tries you make your own country that much the poorer." ["Pollttc* OV 'Pejovoifttfuua By the Ex-Oommlßcemu ' "TTTI—m• Mayor-elect Thomas B. Smith, of Philadelphia, who Tiad Governor Brumbaugh for a golf partner at At lantic City, and continued the political "conversations" he had with him in this city just before Christmas, was visited last night by Senator Penrose, and It is intimated that the harmony program on which the mayor has been busy lately is being worked out. Mean while, there are said to be some move ments under way between William A. Mugee. former mayor of Pittsburgh and now Public Service Commission er, and the Vare brothers which may upset things. Friends of Senator Penrose say that there will be no contest and that the election of Republican State commit teemen favorable to him for national committeemen cam be expected. • —Judge John Faber Miller, who was appointed 'ge and then elected for the full tei in Montgomery, took the oath yesteraay. —Chester's new mayor is going' a head appointing olficers without. regard to the proceedings to test his election which have been under way at Media. —York city firemen have joined in a protest to city council against re duction of appropriations to the com panies. They will make a lively con test against the ordinance. —Judge Mayer Sulzberger, the noted Philadelphia jurist, in a sort of farewell talk yesterday declared that he thought the old method of se lecting judges was preferable to the scramble under the new acts. —C. E. Albrightwas yesterday named as chief of surveys to succeed George S. Webster, who becomes director of docks in Philadelphia. The Vares take credit for him. He is considered an expert. —Daniel Haggerty has been ap pointed the Democratic real estate as sessor In Philadelphia. Both factions claim him. —Representative James A. Dunn was yesterday re-elected president of the Twenty-third ward Republican club in Philadelphia and given a por trait of himself at a banquet. —Stephen J. Toole, retiring county commissioner of Allegheny, was ap pointed mercantile appraiser and there may be a tight over it with the new commissioners. The office pays about SB,OOO. Toole is a Democratandfollows the Old Guard flag. —Ellsworth Kelley. city clerk of Scranton, may have to light for re election. —Wilkes-Barre and Altoona will have very peaceful changes of admin istration, it is said. —Senator P. W. Snyder, of Blair, is said to have congressional bees buzz ing about him. —Some notable changes in the bench of Pennsylvania will be made on Monday and judges whose names have been household words will retire. In the Cumberland district Judge Sadler will leave the bench after a long and not able career, being one of the few judges in State history to be succeeded by his son. In the Juniata Valley dis trict J. M. Woods, a former senator, will be succeeded by Thomas P. Bailey and in Adams county, ex-Senator D. P. McPherson ascends the bench on which several members of his family have sat with distinction. Judge Swope, whom he succeeds is one of the well-known judges of the State. In- Lancaster, Franklin and York sitting judges begin new terms. In Chester, Berks, Lawrence, Mercer. Center and Tioga counties well-known judges re tire. —The commissions for Justice Wall ing and Judge Rossiter were sent from the Capitol to Erie last night. —Reading's mixed municipal situa tion is said to be on a fair way to be settled without the aid of the courts. —Governor Brumbaugh is now said to have his eye on several noted en gineers for public service commis sioner. The men boosted for the place change from day to day. —The borough of Sayre is having trouble. The volunteer tlremen have refused to serve any longer because of lack of support from town council. —Suit to prevent $160,000 being placed in the sinking fund, which would place Montgomery county out of debt, is threatened in Norristown. —Congressman S. Taylor North of PunxsAtawney, is being boomed for renoniinatlon by his friends. They say that he will be renominated without difficulty. —Erie county will likely have a couple of candidates for the full term judgeship which will be filled at the election iiv 1917. It is said that op position to Judge Whittelsey is cer tain. —Some of the cities are finding compensation expensive. The new city of Bethlehem must spend S7OO for insurance at the start. —State Chairman Crow is in Phila delphia looking over the situation. THE CHIIISTIANS OF MODERN BABYLONIA Throughout Mesopotamia you will find the descendants of th» ancient Babylonians still living Tlie.v call themselves Nasranl or Christians; Europeans frequently call them Chal deans. Though they all speak Arabic, they stiff retain among themselves their Chaldean language, whieh is similar to the ancienl Babylonian. They are a large, well-built people, with light skin, and with features re sembling those upon the sculptured fig ures from the walls of the ancient pal aces. They are by far the most pros perous and progressive people in the valley. The Christian Herald. TOM IHBVMN OF YA 1.13 [From the Philadelphia Public ledger.] There is a certain spirit which In the exultant day of victory or In the mourning hours of defeat is held to be typical of Yale; and that Yale spirit was In the blood and mettle of Tom Shevlln. Be "was ever a fighter;" and he did nut sit for the portrait of a carpet-knight or a "barley-sugar efflgy." The real, live man had faults enough, but Yale loves him for the ends he has made, the halfbacks he set on fire, the teams that on nerve and grit played better than they knew. Ills proteges did lose mightily to Harvard, to be sure, in the reaction of that, galvanic impetus thai triumphed over Princeton. But as a captain of lost causes, an eleventh-hour Phil Sheridan from Winchester, no other man like Shevlln lias been known at New Haven. To steer a winning eleven from strength to strength Is one thing: to be called In and given full charge of a demoralized assortment of plavers on the eve of the all-Important matches Is a different business. To Shevlin it was sufficient glory to serve Yale. Be Rave his life for her athletic renown. Others have laid their intellectual laurels at the feet of their alma mater. He did what he could for her. and he did his best. "DON'T I,END MONEY TO KEI,\- TIVBH," SAYS MINISTER Says a minister In the Family's Monev department of the January American Magazine " 'lf a relative "strikes" you for a little loan, and you have the money and are generously disposed, make him a present of the amount; If you do not care to give the monej away, harden your heart and say. "No!" You'll keep the relative's friendship longer, and you'll have a little larger bank account at the end of the year.'" - THE CARTOON OF THE DAY mmmmrnmmmu I ■ ————MMMJ NEXT TURN! ifSJ%jh|i| t £%5»jJ %W ''"'"FFPL HEYI ]^/ APPEARANCE P . I VAUDEVILLE lj TELEGRAPH'S PERISCOPE ] —Getting up in the morning when one has the "grip" is like pulling loose from a plank to which one has been glued. —Now prepare to write it 1916. —Forty-cent gasoline would do much to settle the jitney question. —Dr. Cook is finding it as hard to get to Germany as to the North Pole. —Substitute an H for the first capital SI and you'll know what we think of those Mummers. 1 EDITORIAL COMMENT" "We congratulate the President on his novel vigor," sneers tho London Chronicle. Perhaps in time we shall be able to congratulate the British Government on some novel military vigor in the Balkans and at the Dar danelles.—New York World. "Germany has such immense stores of copper as to suffice for years to come," said the Chancellor in the Reich stag, and the cheers that greetMll structor: Yes, I jM wV understand there IjU are two towns Em j dancing my last * one alike. VERY CLOSE. How did It hap m e up on the tele- MY MEW YEAR'S WISH By Wine Dinger If one wee wish I could express, And have that wish eome true. I'd wish that each and everyone (And that would take in you) Might have a New Year full of joy. And Incomes of the sort That Uncle Sam demands shall be ' Covered by long report. By Frederic J. Haskin AFTER wrangling through three sessions over il, the Democratic senatorial caucus finally de cided to refer the question of cloture lo a nonpartisan committee. There it will probably repose for a long lime, but sooner or later it Is sure to come up again, for It always has a few ardent supporters in the Senate. Now that senators are elected by popular vote, these agitators are as serting that they will make a national issue of cloture and appeal to the common-sense of the people. This being the case, the people might, like to know what cloture is. Cloture means the act of shutting:, and in this country it refers to the mouths of senators. It would not shut them arbitrarily or abruptly, or in any undignified way, but it would set some limit of time upon their speaking. The United States senate is one of the few parliamentary bodies in the world which has absolute freedom of debate, so-called. In the House of Representatives, debate may be brought to an ehd at any time by moving the prev'ious question. Nearly all parliamentary bodies, including most of our State and municipal legislatures, have some similar rule. The British parliament formerly had unlimited debate which was finally brought to an end by the efforts of Mr. Gladstone. In the French parlia ment the closing of the debate is by one or more of the mem bers crying out, "La Cloture!" Ile question is then put by the president and voted upon immediately. In the German Reichstag a vote upon cloture may be had upon the demand or thirty members. In Austria-Hungary cloture must be put to the vote upon the demand of any member. Belg ium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland are other countries whose parliaments make use of cloture upon the demand of anywhere from one to ten mem bers. Cloture is opposed in tlie Senate upon the grounds that absolute free dom of debate should be retained in one house of congress and that it strengthens the minority, which is an effective check upon the tyranny of the majority. In the Senate every one may have his full say, every jot of material and information is brought to bear upon the subject: It cannot be "steam»rollered," no matter how strong the preponderant party. The senators who have demanded first of the year has been changed, it 18 safe to sa£ that an amount of nion<* not equaled in years will be put into circulation in Harrlsburg to-morrow. To begin with, there is a large amount of city and counly indebtedness on i (. h (oupons fall due to-morrow and quite a large amount of industrial art«i ot er securities held by Harrlsburgers and their institutions have payments due on January X. Business transac ts due on the first of the year con tribute quite a good bit, more than most, people think, according to one of the city's bankers. Anil then there whlri,",'i,?! er ? US Private obligations ani on ~ 0 . f om ,ho flrst " f the Of ™,rl Payments will be made. J ' J he holiday will prevent . rCa ' ly al,d the cn «h Is nn nf ti Pl s °t° speak, for the closing these affairs. No two bankers nhS.l? 1, V ? the same estimate in ."I" 0 ' 1 ,non ey Will be paid out in Harrlsburg to-morrow, but thev ''' •! eo "' «° b « I" high figures with sicferaWe S ° " mUBt bc c ° 11 " * ♦ • ~w as "weeding out" day in n«r»ir.,?i , ''', ty and county offices " where present incum- ♦ ® Way ,0 ncw officials or subordinates on Monday incident to changes of administration. Clerks and ?n™" g^,P K °. r u sma " "house clean ing " the i r d( ' Bks and old letters s ° onc k,nd or another 'hrown away or dumped Into the waste baskets. Kven in the olllces ! e V'r e w be 110 changes the Deads of departments and their clerks cleared the decks and closed their year - The official year ends .Monday and as to-morrow will be generally observed as a holiday the office statfs to-day finished up all the odds and ends of business for 1915. ♦ • ♦ < apitol Hill has been seeing more twenty-dollar bills lately than the average man runs across in half a life time. The reason is that this is the period of the year when automobile licenses are taken out, and as Father Penn wllKnot take anything but cash, eel titled checks or money orders, a good many owners of cars send him twenties, especially as a twenty pays ;° r a type of car that is in general use. The result is that every day the State Treasury that often goes through a day without actual cash but thousands and thousands of dollars represented by checks has been overrun with hank notes. The "yellowbucks," however, are pleasant to look at. • « • The ruins of the houses in South 1' ourth street which were wiped out. by fire last autumn are serving ad mirably for advertising matter these days. The other day twenty-one dis tinct advertisements were counted on one building alone and there were signs of varied hue on all the others. It is a rare space that the shrewd ad vertising man lets go unadorned. There are some automobile owners in Harrisburg who are progressive to a degree. Under the law every car run on January 1 must display a iicense for 1916, but cars may not bo run in 1915 with only 1916 licenses. Hence some owners have attached their yellow 1916 licenses to the backs of their blue 1915 tags. The new one.