12
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
/ NEWSPAPER FOR THE HOME
Founded itjl
Published evenings except Sunday by
TBB TELEGRAPH PRINTINO CO.,
Tcltgnpk Building, Federal Square.
TS. J. STACK POLE, Prts't ana Edilor-in-Clriif
R. OYSTER, Business Manager,
tIUS M. STEINMETZ, Managing Editor.
. Member American
ui-tnt Ushers' Assocla-
S|| tion, The Audit
ijgjaH Bureau of Circu
it 5 SWtt lation and Penn
jl' S sylvanla Assoriat
gfij role nu * Bu " d ' n8 '' Is<,w
- cago, 111?
Entered at the Post Office in Harris
burg, Pa., as second class matter.
_ By carriers, six cents a
<3ZmffiR3MDDKt> week; by mall, $3.00
a year in advance.
MONDAY EVENING, DEC. IS
Trust men and they will 6c true to
you; treat them greatly and they will
show themselves great. — EMERSON.
a THE BRIDGE WITHDRAWAL/
IX* -withdrawing the petition for ap
proval of the Walnut street bridge,
which was to have been heard be
fore the Public Sen-ice Commission to
day the City Council exhibited a prop
er appreciation of the relation of the
city and the State. Governor Brum
baugh declared that under no circum
stances will he do anything to further
this proposition, but will exercise the
full power of the Commonwealth to
prevent the construction of a bridge
at Walnut street. He and his asso
ciates of the Board of Public Grounds
and Buildings are strongly of opinion
that the Walnut street project would
seriously Interfere with thc develop
ment of the Capitol Park extension
program.
It is practically agreed that an or
namental viaduct at State street with
an approach from Walnut street would
be more satisfactory in every way
than the original subway Idea or the
proposed structure at Walnut street.
While Arnold W. Brunner and Warren
H. Manning, who are making a care
ful study of the problem for the Com
monwealth, have not reached a defi
nite conclusion, it is understood that
a viaduct at State street, with orna
mental approaches from North and
Walnut streets, appeals to them as the
most practical solution. This arrange
ment and proper restrictions as to the
height of buildings in the Paxton
Creek valley between Market and Hen
streets would, it is believed, preserve
the park idea from the Capitol to the
bluff fringing the Allison Hill ap
proaches to the viaduct and which
would be so screened by shrubbery as
to create the impression of a park the
entire distance.
But the details aside, the withdrawal
of the city's petition at this time will j
prevent an unfortunate clashing of j
interests which are mutual aud should J
be harmonious at every turn. Good !
sense is a prime quality In the devel- ;
opment of individuals and communi- j
ties.
So thc Democrats In thc Legislature i
are going to stand togethe. for their j
own program. Wise Democrats. No j
pulling of factional Republican chest
nuts out of the fire for them. On the I
contrary they will now seize the oppor- !
tunity tl plant sure political thistles \
between the lines of the common enemy j
and thus make more difficult a Repub
lican harvest in 1918. A fine outlook, i
indeed!
THE EIGHTH VINDICATED
CAPTAIN SCHELL'S report of;
Eighth regiment conditions at 1
the Border are precisely what
those who are acquainted with the i
make-up of the regiment expected.
"Mutiny" is a harsh word and when
applied to the escapade of a dozen or
a score of soldiers, prompted by high
spirits and the opportunities that idle
hands find for mischief, it is not only
out of place but is an Insult to the
whole military history of the Guard.
The Eighth regiment, which includes
the two Harrisburg companies, con
stitutes as fine a body of men as ever
responded to a call to arms. There
has never been a question as to their
patriotism. One and all they might
have shirked when the troops were
at Mt. Gretna, had they so chosen.
They went to the border voluntarily,
expecting to be called upon to repel
invasion, if not to join in the chase
for Villa. That they have been held
in Texas by the piffling policies of
an administration that does not know
its own mind naturally makes the
men restive. Not one of them would
"want to go home" if they saw a
chance for active service, but nobody
can blame them for desiring either to
perform the duties of soldiers or to
return to the activities of civilian life.
Many of them have families at home
and nearly all of them sacrificed sal
ary and position to enter the service.
True, one and all of them will be
the better physically for their whole
some life in the open and all will re
turn home trained soldiers fit for any
duty, but these benefits cannot en
tirely make up for the material losses
of the privates In the ranks who will
be fortunate If they find their old Jobs
awaiting them when they return. The
longer the period of sen-ice the great
er the difficulties in this direction,
But Captain Schell ■ — supported by
Colonel Finney and Lieutenant Col
onel Kemper assart* that the men
in the main are contented, their dis
cipline excellent and their eondltlon
good. It la shameful that the retl.
msnt's good same evar akimu luv*
MONDAY EVENING,
been placed in doubt and it ia gratify
ing in the extreme that the falsity
of the reports have been so quickly
and effectively demonstrated.
Whatever the motive for changing
the loction of the Donato statuary—the
gift of Mr. Herehey to thc city—from
the River Front to a Reservoir Park
entrance, the main thing is to get the
group into public view.
Another Empty Stocking
WEALTHY residents and generous
ous corporations have given to
Denver $2 75,000 in Christmas
gifts and bequests, the money to be
expended for the beautlfieatlon and
betterment of the city. The interest
ing story of Denver's good fortune is
published elsewhere in this issue, but
the dispatch gives only a hint as to
how it all came about. Giving on such
a Bcale is seldom entirely spontaneous.
Somebody usually has to talk force
fully and eloquently, not to say at
length and repeatedly, to induce a
wealthy man or a big corporation to
put money where there can be no hope
of cash dividends. In this instance the
Impelling force emanated from the
personality of Mayor Speer—would
that he were mayor of Harrlsburg.
Mayor Speer is a man of vision, but
not merely a visionary. He has a
genius for making his dreams come
true. He sees a municipal need and
docs not hesitate to point it out to
others—at the same time gently inti
mating that tax rates and bond issues
are not the only means of paying for
public improvements. He rejoices that
the city has been presented with $275,-
000—and utilizes the occasion to point
out many other places where private
fortunes could be expended for public
welfare.
Mayor Speer tells Denver million
aires that a marble monument in a
churchyard is a poor memorial and
that a big bank account alone is no
mark of a successful life. He knows
that it is still more blessed to give
than to receive and that the real value
of a big income can be estimated only
by the number of people it serves. It
is Mayor Speer's belief that too gener
ous private bequests provide excellent
material for heart-burnings and fam
ily quarrels and that relatives often
curse the makers of wills, but he
knows, and teaches, that the city which
receives a girt at the hands of one of
its citizens rises up and calls the giver
blessed and ever after his name in
that community is associated with all
that is good and worthy. Public be
quests cover a multitude of private
faults.
Mayor Speer would find ample op
portunity for exercise of his peculiar
talents here in Harrisburg, where gifts
and personal bequests to the city
might be numbered on the fingers of
one hand, with a digit or two to spare.
Our needs are many and there are no )
Speers in our official life. Therfc is no
body to tell those who have' made
their fortunes in Harrrisburg, and
from Harrisburg, that they owe the
city which gave them their all some
thing in return for the opportunity,
for money-making which it afforded
them. There is a lot of privately own
ed money in Harrisburg that might
be spent in a public way without
anybody being injured thereby.
Father llart-is is about to hang up
his stocking, but like the poor little
boy in the story, he's likely to wake
up Christinas Day and find it empty.
Santa Claus Speer doesn't operate out
side the city of Denver, and he has
no agents here.
HUGO MUNSTERRERG
GERMANY loses a highly respected
and powerful advocate in
America by the sudden death
of Hugo Munsterberg. Nobody has
done more in the United State* to
urge the claims of the Central Powers
for public sympathy since the out
break of the great war than the emi
nent Harvard psychologist. His vig
orous defense of German policies
brought down upon his head the only
severe criticism directed at him since
he left Germany to take up his per
manent residence In this country.
However, his loyalty to the land
of his birth did not prevent him from
desiring well for tho country of his
adoption, since his most recent effort
was toward a realignment of tho
nations after the war, bringing into
close alliance for lasting peace, the
United States, England and Germany,
He was probably as much misunder
stood by his critics ns he misunder
stood many of them,
A wentern advertiser offers five
quarts of whisky and a revolver for
five dollars. Murder Is getting cheaper
every day,
Bay, fellows, isn't It hard luck that
just about the time our Christmas
stocking reaches the proper slse they
ut ux u uf
THE GOLF SEASON IS NEVER OVER By Briggs |
rr " ~—i Say \ tisTeio- i 11.
■ - " MCMBER THATI Tei L YOU UJHAT I'Lt
WELC' Thc Golf \ t& ST ' r ' l> ° w™ You- ret
SEASON/ IS ou£R ( \ 1R i fv* P TOO I TaKE V<JU OtJ RlfiHT
- I <ZUESS \JUSUU I TEH- ) * / NOUU FON EWSHTEEU
HAV/e To <3O UP I / f- S . HOLES AMO BET Yoo
To OACK DOYLF'S y < 1 A(OVTHIKI<S YOU SAY - •
AMD TRY Tt-\ AT 7 < \CAN Tte I7W Yoo - /
\ You RE _ _
ot
'"PtMvcijto'Cuua
By the Ex-Committeeman
Rivalry for "control of the trend
of legislation" in the next general as
sembly, as Governor Brumbaugh has
designated the contest for the speaker
ship of the next House of Representa
tives, has gotten to a stage unknown
in Pennsylvania politics in twenty
years and claims and counter claims
have been filling the air with sugges
tions of radical changes in legislative
methods and threats ot official be
headings and reprisals.
Senatoi Penrose has answered the
Governor's declaration that he would
not wait for legislative action to probe
wrongdoing in any department by
saying that the Governor will probably
be furnished with information and
Auditor General-elect Snyder' has
given forth some intimations that he
is making some investigations on his
own account.
Richard J. Baldwin issued a claim
Saturday in which he said that he had
information "less than three days
old" that he would have 110 votes.
Senator Penrose said that Baldwin
would win in a walk. Representative
Cox said that his election was a cinch
and Senator Vare declared the Bald
win claims "absurd." Friends of
George W. Williams say he is gather
ing up votes and that the influential
Altoona Tribune is for him. The
Democrats are looking on and pre
paring to flsh up what they can from
troubled waters. And if the ruction
goes on the fishing will be good. The
Democrats are looking forward to
1918 just as are the State administra
tion men who want to name Gover
nor Brumbaugh's successor, a job
which the Penrose people also fancy.
—Senator Penrose drove a blow at
the county caucus plan on Saturday
when he "said apropos of the Phila
delphia caucus that it would not bind
anyone. Seventeen Philadelphians, he
said, are signed up for Baldwin. The
Governor says that Is not so. Senator
Vare says it is "ridiculous." Senator
Penrose persists.
—Congressman John R. K. Scott
says that Cox's election is a foregone
conclusion and that he is now consid
ering legislation. Scott is a candidate
for Governor in 1918, if a certain
Brumbaugh, official Is not, in which
event he will run in 1922. Hence
Scott's prominence.
—Senator Penrose and his friends
intimated on Saturday that thejy
would "put a crimp In the veto power
of the Governor," as the Philadelphia
Record says, by passing the appropri
ation bills in the middle of the session
and having the House sit in review of
tho vetoes Instead of dumping them
all on the Governor and going home,
with the whip in the hands of the Gov
ernor. This suggestion has been heard
biennially since 1874, but it drew
blood from the administration side
just the same because Scott came out
with a clarion call to adopt a system of
hospital appropriations to be worked
out by a commission.
—For yearß this systematizing of
hospital appropriations has been
urged, but Scott's sudden espousal of
It seems something like a grasp for
a life preserver when a submarine
heaves In sight. Scott in a long state
ment says: "It is manifestly Impossi
ble for the appropriation committee,
to which are referred thousands of
bills calling for appropriations to char
itable and semlpubltc institutions In
the short space of time allotted to It
to make a proper investigation as to
the need's and requirements of each
Institution. Usually the amount of the
appropriation recommended Is totally
dependent upon the political complex
ion and Influence of the member rep
resenting the district in which the In
stitution is located. Each member
feels that It is his bounden duty to ob
tain as large appropriations as possi
ble for the Institutions In his district,
and many of them feel that their ser
vice to their constituents Is measured
by the amount nni) number of such
appropriations. Log rolling Is tho In
evitable result."
—The Democratic legislative con
ference adjourned lute on Saturday
afternoon with the determination to
stick together and not to vote for any
Republican candidate for speaker no
matter how great the temptation. Two
Democratic members, Isherwood and
Bell, were reported as Inclined to vote
for Co*, but aeemed to have given up
the Idea when they heard the atrong
HARRISBURG ffijiftil TELEGRAPH
sentiments expressed by the state
leaders and by their colleagues. The
Democrats provided for a steering
committee of bosses and legislators to
draft legislation and to make tip the
party program, just as they did be
fore. This year the steering commit
tee will probably get more considera
tion than before.
—The Democratic program will in
clude an assault on the assistance
clause and demand for change in hos- I
pital appropriations. Local option will I
be let severely alone.
-—The Philadelphia Inquirer gives I
this version of the Penrose comment
of Governor Brumbaugh's declaration I
that he welcomed an investigation of
the State government:
" 'So the Governor welcomes .an in
vestigation,' remarked Senator Pen
rose, and then added slowly and with
a smile almost sardonic, 'Well, 1 think,
perhaps, we'll accommodate him!'
"For some time there have been
rumors of a quiet investigation insti
tuted by Penrose adherents, of the ex
penditures under the Brumbaugh ad
ministration and the alleged political
activities of State administration offi
cials.
"Auditor General-elect Charles A.
Snyder, who spent, some time with
Senator Penrose yesterday, has ex
pressed himself freely as to what he
intends to do in this respect when he
takes office, and he is engaged in an
investigation upon his own hook."
—ln spite of assertions by admin
(istration people that leaders of mine
workers had converted some of the
legislators claimed for Baldwin in the
anthracite region it was reiterated to
day that the men aligned with the
Delaware countian in Lackawanna,
Luzerne and Schuylkill counties were
standing fast. Conrad G. Miller, of
the Hazleton district, gave notice yes
terday that he was for Baldwin. On
the other hand C. E. Cook, of York,'
claimed for Baldwin, said he was not |
sure where he was going to go. He i
was claimed for Cox.
—Threats are being made in the
western part of the State to make
public the attitude of some men con
nected with the State administration
in the Allegheny county congressional
contests.
—Judge Denny, of the Susquehanna
courts, has taken away the licenses
of hotels which have been taverns
since the Civil War.
—Coatesville people are talking of
petitioning council to name a mayor
to act now that Mayor Jones has been
recommended for ousting.
—The Democratic national admin-1
istration plan to place presidential
postmasters under civil service will af- |
feet 546 postmasters in Pennsylvania. I
It would be a fine thing to have it !
done and the Democrats placed in
office for life terms with the chances
that the next President will be a Re
publican and not a Pcnnsylvanian.
—The Philadelphia Ledger takes an
editorial crack at Chairman Harry A.
Mackey, of the State Compensation
Board, who is quoted as saying bosses
are in Pennsylvania. The Ledger
a-sks Mr. Mackey if he had ever heard
of half a dozen men whoso names
figure considerably in the political
news of the day.
The Surgeon
Because God made me wise in healing
pain,
And taught me how to straighten
crooked limbs,
I went to offer, free, my services
Unto the poor and thus to honor
Him.
The place I chose from out the misery
Of our great town was fall of little
ones.
Poor were "Purifiers of the World"
To whom no childhood pleasure
ever comes.
They crept in dozens, scores, up to my
knee,
Their poor pinched faces old beyond
their years,
The little crippled bodies, helpless
limbs.
And hopeful faces filled my eyes
with tears.
I wondered how I ever dare to nay,
That I a man of miracles could be!
I felt so utterly Incapable
Before those little tots who trusted
me!
And then the Voice came whispering
in my ear,
I knew I had a covenant to keep,
The work was this, not mine, the mes
sage said,
"Take heart, my son, for thou shalt
feed my sheep!"
So clothed In strength I had not had
before,
1 tried to save (hese little lives from
pain.
The Doctor from the Shores of Gali
lee
Stood by my side and worked his
cures again,
ANNA H. WOOD.
Harrlsburg, Pa.
UTOPIA OF SOUTH SEA TALES
IS PLACE WITHOUT SIN
L j
IN the Pacific Ocean, midway be
tween California and Australia, says
the New York Telegram, there is a
mountain of rocks two thousand feet
high, with an area of about two miles
square, known as Pltcairn Island, whose
inhabitants, numbering exactly one
hundred and sixty, including a clergy
man and his wife, have sent an appeal
through Captain Griffith Griffiths of the
steamship Port Hardy to the people of
the United States for clothing, paper
and pencils, paraffin, oil, soap and nails.
"That is all we need," said the clergy
man and the chief magistrate or gov
ernor of the island to Captain Griffiths
June 2 when the Port Hardy, on its way
to the United States, stopped after
sighting two large whaleboats, each
carrying thirty men, women and chil
dren, two miles off Pltcairn.
Captain Griffiths and the crew of
sixty men gave the natives all the cloth
ing they could spare. The women and
young girls, all barefooted, were great
ly disappointed when told there were
no women's clothes.
A sailing vessel from Tahiti, five hun
drel miles to the northwest and the
nearest island, had called at Pltcairn
ten months before, which was the only
word the natives had heard of the out
side world in four years.
Borrow an English Flag
At that time they were told England
was at war, and the island being an
English possession the natives borrowed
an English flag from the master ot the
sailing vessel and climbed to the top of
Pltcairn, where the flag was placed and
was still flying when the Port Hardy
came to a stop last June.
The natives of Piteairn are the direct
descendants of the crew of 11. M. S.
Bounty, which, April 28, 1789, mutinied
and seized the vessel after setting the
commander, Lieutenant William Blight,
and those of the crew who wished to
go with him, adrift in open boats. The
Bounty put in at Pltcairn, where It re
mained for several months. Fletcher
Christian, leader, and fourteen men then
went to Tahiti, where twelve men and
their wives were taken aboard and the
return trip to Piteairn was made. The
Bpunty was then set on flre and de
stroyed. \
No one except the masters of sailing
vessels and steamships set foot on the
Island and no one ever stopped there
more than a few days until twenty
years ago, when a clergyman and his
wife went from Melbourne on hearing
that thc natives of Piteairn were very
religious, but without a minister of tho
gospel. They are Seventh Day Advent
Thou Lovcth Me
Dear Lord! my true and previous
friend,
I owe my all to Thee;
For every blessing I depend
On Thee—Thou loveth me.
Tet I'm ungrateful, vain and rude.
And weak when sin allures;
I render evil for Thy good
And yet Thy good endures.
Our smiling land abundance yields;
No blast of famine shocks;
All verdant are our boundless fields
And flourishing our flocks.
The flowers bloom, birds sing their
lays.
In Thee rejoicing, while
The hillp and vales give Thee their
praise in nature's smile.
Adorned.
I, too, dear Lord! would praise give
Thee,
And for Thy praise would work;
But while afloat on life's rough sea
My task ot'ttlmes I shirk.
Yet when sin tempts my soul tc stray
Into the realms of night
I Thou saveth me from evil's way
And guideth me aright.
Dear Lord! Thy hand's been at the
helm
Through all my weary years;
When pangs of sorrow overwhelmed
Thou hast been more than friend to
me;
Thou art my life complete.
O, Love Divine! in thanks to Thee
I stoop and kiss Thy feet.
J. H.
Harrisburg, Nov. 27, 1916.
—Baltimore Evening Sun.
Lights in Helmets
[From the Scientific American.]
Another novelty of darkened London
Is a policeman's helmet provided with
a emal! electric bulb on tlie very top.
serving s a sort of a beacon to pedes
trians and street traffle. The electric
bulb Is connected to a battery fastened
on the belt of the "boobte," by means
of a flexible conductor.
"——t- ' >' " 1
. --v - - ,
DECEMBER 18, 1916.
ists.
AH Can Read and Write
The clergyman on his arrival found a
small hut built around the trees of
branches and straw, which was used as
a school where the mothers of the chil
dren gathered each day and gave in
struction. He was so impressed with
the piety of the natives that he has
never left the island. The result is that
all of the 160 persons know how to read
and write.
The soil of Pitcairn Is volcanic and
fertile, the climate variable and rainy,
with a temperature ranging from 70 to
100 degrees. The people live on fruit
and fish and wild birds. They do not
like beef or pork, and alcoholic bever
ages and tobacco are unknown to them.
According to the chief officer, Mr.
Allen, the inhabitants, aside from being
religious, are very intelligent and are
excellent painters. The women do the
finest of needlework, while the men
make the finest of straw hats.
Three days each week everyone who
is able bodied works at building roads
and Improving the island. The other
three days are devoted to their own
homes. Sunday, after attending church
for three hours, they make calls or rest.
There is little or no Illness among the
inhabitants. Several hundred goats are
the only animals on the island, and from
these milk is obtained.
The ambition of the inhabitants at
present is to build a schooner large
enough to trade their fruit for clothing
with the inhabitants of other islands.
They have no money, their motto being
"All for one and one for all.'
lllhlr la Their Guide
When four ot the young girls were
asked if they would not like to go to
Australia and see other people, each
shook her head and said she preferred
Pitcairn to any other place in the
world.
Several years ago, however, one
young woman. Kmlly McCoy, daughter
of Matthew McCoy, sometimes called
"King of Pitcairn" and a lineal descen
dant of the famous old mutineer and
pirate chief, "Matt" McCoy, did leave
the Island, following the death of her
mother, and came to the United States
to study medicine. Miss McCoy went to
Bridgeport, Conn., where last June she
was graduated as a nurse and llvd at
the Graduate Nurses' Club.
"There Is no sin on the island of Pit
cairn," Miss McCoy said at that time,
"for the reason that the only book the
inhabitants study is the Bible. No
elopements are of record and no viola
| tions of the marriage vow have been
known in the history of the island."
OUR DAILY LAUGH
IN BUOLAND. S&4
Hobo Bugs: /X <y*
Gee this open "J%
Are place Is
great thU cool f
weather. V *
8 CAUGHT.
Poor Jack
When he pro
posed to me h>
acted like a Ssl
out of water.
Why shouldn*
he? He kne*
he waa caught.
Jack Hufglns JTIIP
said I reminded TflP Jl
him of a dainty '
Itaning oU|at j
"I do not know whether you are
aware of It or not, but Harrisburg is
organized in regard to about an many
industries as any place I know ol
in Pennsylvania," said a man whose
business it is to keep track of labor
conditions. "I doubt if many people
know that the unions are as strong
as they are in this city. If you will
get a line on the halls about the city
which are used for the meetings you
will be surprised to see how much
they are used on Sundays, which are
the big days for meeting. If you will
look in the city directory you will get
some idea of the extent of the
organizations. There are scores ol
them. The railroad men's organiza
tions here are known all over the State
for their numbers and businesslike
management of funds and benefits
Then there are organizations in al
the building trades while the barbers
the stage hands and others in lines
of activity of which you do not know
much and whose numbers apparently
may be few which are strongly or
ganized. Some of these unions are
old organizations and they have in
vested funds of considerable size
Their memberships comprise the older
men of the trades as well as the
younger and they do a vast amount
of good among themselves of which
the average man knows nothing.
* •
The Harrisburg Public Library
whose tables containing books for sug
gestions for Christmas buying have
been surrounded by people in search
of ideas the last ten days, has taken
means to supply information on booki
to get for boys. The Library made a
special display at the time when the
Boy Scout "good reading" week came
around and has supjilied through the
Boy Scouts Library commission list;
of books which boys like. The resull
has been a marked stimulation of pur
chases of boys' books at a number ol
stores. One merchant said that he
thought people were buying more
books than toys for boys this year.
Governor Brumbaugh in congratu
lating Thomas M. Jones upon the
passage by congress of the bill recog
nizing Mr. Jones' military service a?
a drummer boy in the civil war, tolc
of Mr. Jones' gifted father, the authoi
of the history of the Juniata valley
The elder Mr. Jones edited newspaper!
In Blair and other counties and was
one of the editors of note in his da>
in Harrjsburg. He lived close to one
of the places where troops were as
sembled here during the civil war am
Master Thomas got the military fevei
from what he saw every day. The
elder Jones was not very strong foi
it, but the boy mobilized and was once
retrieved from York and another time
from Gettysburg.
• • •
There is a member of the nexl
House of Representatives who is noi
ashamed of a name and who proceed
ed call down the compilers of the nexl
legislative directory on that score. This
man's first name begins with A and ii
is not our own A. Ramsey Black 1101
A. B. Hess of Lancaster, nor yet A. t>
Miller, of Susquehanna county. Wher
the book was made up he was surpris
ed tp see the A without the name. He
wrote to the compilers to please make
his name the way it was given to him
For the information of the fresh com
pilers he wrote it out this way:
ANANIAS.
♦ ♦ *
Something bright and glowing an<j
shaped like the big stick of politica
tradition appeared in the eastern skj
on Saturday night. It was not a bah
loon and it was too fixed for any re
flection from furnaces or bessemei
mills and there was not a cloud in the
sky. It hung for half an hour and
shed a faintly luminous glow about
which was plainly visable for a &%!
longer period. Most r>eople put ii
down as one of the wandering comets
Major John M.McCourt, who resign
ed ft day or so ago from the quartet
master s corps of the National Guard
has served for years in that branch
of the service. He was at Camr
Brumbaugh when the Guard mobiliz
ed to go to Texas and was constanth
consulted by Col. Harry C. Trexlei
who handled the supply end of th
camp in such expeditious style. Fin
ally, some one asked the Allentowr
colonel why he went to talk to Mc-
Court so much.
"To keep out of Jail" was the la
conic reply. ,
Major McCourt is assistant United
States district attorney nnd not onl\
an authority on contract law, but oil
military law as well.
♦
Two weeks from to-day the prelim
inaries to the meeting of the legisla
ture will be gone through and thf
lawmakers will organize the following
day. Since 18 75 the legislature has
met only twice on January 1 and five
times on New Year's day.
f*~WELL KNOWN PEOPLE ~]
—Col. P. C. Boyle, of the Oil City
Derrick, has advanced the price of his
paper to the prices charged for most
of the other dailies. It was one ol
the first penny papers.
—John Ihlder, the new secretary ol
the Philadelphia Housing association
is well known here. He has latel)
been working in New York.
—James Scarlet, who was the chiel
Capitol prober, is the chief counsel lr
the brewers suits in federal court at
Pittsburgh and has submitted somt
questions which have stopped ' tht
trials temporarily.
—Gus Luckenbill, the Schuylkill
Haven weather prophet, who picked
the present storm date, calls for an.
other at Christmas. He does not use
s. goosebone either.
| DO YOU KNOW 1
That Harrisburg steel is used In Chi
cago buildings?
HISTORIC HARRISBURG
Some of the first color printing In
the country, was done In this city,
| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 1
COMPLAINS OF CAR SERVICE
To the Editor of the Telegraph:
Hill residents complain that the
service on Reservoir Park lino it
very, very poor. There are threo cari
on that line ordinarily, and four or
rush days. It frequently happens thai
there is a procession of these cars
with the result that 20 or mor<
minutes will elapse before waiting
passengers down town get a car. Per
haps it would be possible for the
traffic director to send Reservoir Park
cars back, either at Eleventh or Thir
teenth streets. In this manner sched
ules could be maintained with bettei
regularity and the complaints of the
thousands of patrons of the Hill llnei
silenced. Tuesday evening & Reservoli
car carried 107 passengers. Just whal
that means may be judged by the facl
that a car Friday evening which car.
ried 91 pasensgers was jammed t<
suffocation. The Hill folks are de
serving of consideration, and shoulc
get it. HILiL MAN.
Transmutation
Oh, gold is something of a bluff
That won't content the soul
Till you get out and trade the stuff
For pork and beam and coal.