10 HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH A NEWSPAPER FOR THE HOME Foundtd xlj: Published evenings except Sunday by THE TELEGRAPH PHI.VTINU CO., Telegraph Building. Federal Square. .K.J.STACKPOLE, Prist and EditorJn-Chitf P- R. OTSTER, Business Slanagtr. OCS M. BTEINMETZ, Managing Editor. Member American I Newspaper Pub sylvanla Associat iva s te r n nue Building, New People's Gas Build- Entered at the Post Office in Harris burg, Pa., as second class matter. By carriers, ten cents a "week: by mail, 15.00 a year in advance. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1917. >■ It is not the pleasantest proiHdenees i that ahcays bring us the greatest bles sings.— JOHN HENKY STRONG. AN OLD-FASHIONED WINTER f A LTOONA has had zero tempera ture for the fourth time in ten days. Harrisburg has experienced •almost equal severity of weather. The •river is closed more tightly than at any time for years. And yet there are those who sigh "for old-fashioned winters"' Truth is that the winters of recent years nearly all have been cold enough for all, purposes. Not only that, but springs have been cold, Jate and wet. This is hard on the farmers who wouldn't mind the j low temperature if winter left s them as a heritage good spring ploughing and planting weather. Espe cially are such conditions desirable this year, when every effort must be to produce bumper crops of all vegetables, fruits and grains. Gen erally favorable agricultural yields would go a long way toward solving the food shortage pi-oblem. About this season we begin to fear that after all we may be wrong about thinking- this the finest climate in the EWorld. A PROPER INQUIRY f/""V)NGRESS should pass the res olution to investigate the owner ship of newspapers in the United ■States for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not there is truth in the report that a number of papers have passed into the control of foreign gov ernments, to be used for the purpose of stirring up discontent in the United States and creating sentiment in be- Jialf of European powers with which we are at variance. It is not probable that there are many such newspapers. If any;. But the good name of all is besmirched by such accusations as have been made In Congress. However, it is not difficult to be lieve that European diplomats would he ready enough to buy up a few newspapers if they thought their in terests would be served thereby. To do so would be quite In line with news paper history in the United States. Any man with sufficient money may own a newspaper. The favorite in strument of the millionaire with po litical ambitions long has been his own privately-controlled mouthpiece. Cap-' italists with axes to grind also have ■ found newspaper ownership useful in ' cultivating public opinion or forestal ling unfavorable criticism. Newspapers so controlled are per nicious Influences in any community. They profess to be the servants of the people, but they are wolves in sheep's clothing. They are operated often at financial loss to their owners, in order that those owners may present news and views colored and distorted to meet their own ends. Wealthy politicians and designing capitalists have carried this practice to such lengths that it is no wonder suspicion has been directed toward publicity-seeking propagandists from abroad. Publishers of legitimate news papers, whose good names are at take, would welcome such an investi gation as is proposed. About the time the robins come North the baseball birds go South. GENERAL FUNSTON GENERAL FUNSTON, the stormy! petrel of the American army and ' idol of the American people, Is ,or- I der against possible invasion. Instinct And fate appear to hava combined to ftake Funston where trouble was about fto break. Always keen for adventure She appeared to scent trouble almost (V-ifore It began to brew, and it was bits fortune to be assigned to the most (difficult tasks the American army has been called upon in recent years to face. The outbreak of the Spanish-Amer ican war found him the veteran artil lery commander of the Gomez forces with twenty-two battles and three -wounds to his credit. As colonel of I* Kansas regiment in the volunteer ppervlce he was sent to the Philippines TUESDAY EVENING, nnd there first distinguished himself by swimming a broad river under fire I and afterward by marching fifty miles through an unmarked wilderness to capture the Insurrectionist leader, Agulnaldo, In his own stronghold. He was at San Francisco when the earth quake and fire devastated the city and commanded the relief force there. Again, he was In charge of the expe dition to Vera Crus and afterward at the border during the troublous days of the Pershing expeditions. General Funston arose from the ranks. His career is an illustration of the possibilities that lie before any American boy of talent and resource. With not even a college education, and lacking West Point training, he arose to a commanding place in the military life of the-nation and attained a permanent place in the national hall of fame. His death removes at a crit ical period in the country's history one of its very strong arms of defense in case of war. Many a woman sacrifices during Lent in order to have money for an Easter hat. LET US HAVE IT SOON THE ready response of the Harris burg Railways Company to I the suggestion of the Telegraph that a survey be made of the trolley probleirts in Harrisburg in the same friendly and co-operative manner as has marked the school and police in quiries is a big step toward better ment of street car service in this city and Its suburbs. It is frankly admitted by the com pany officials interviewed by Telegraph representatives that there are many shortcomings which should be cor rected, but they point out that not all of the delays and congestions are due to carelessness or neglect. Drivers and automoblllsts who block the tracks are somewhat to blame. President Musser says. Right here is where a survey will do most good. Always it is easy to blame the other fellow. When traction officers place some of the responsibil ity on those who use the streets trav ersed by their lines, automobilists and teamsters will come back with a gen eral denial of the charge. In this case the men employed to make the survey would act as the Jury and upon their verdict the people, sitting as judges, would pass sentence. Prompt endorsement of the propos- i ed survey by the Chamber of Com merce, through President Tracy, and '■ offer of co-operation by Chief of Po- | lice Wetzel in solving the traffic prob- | lems, are indlcationsofthewide-spread 1 interest in the Telegraph's suggestions for better trolley service. The move is 1 in the interest of the great army of people who use the street cars as their chief means of local transportation. is in the direction of getting them to and from their work more quickly and more comfortably. Naturally, everybody welcomes it with open arms. ! President Musser says he will take : the matter up with the directors of i I his company. Doubtless they will see as readtly as he the wisdom and the benefit of such an inquiry by disin terested experts. What the people want is not unrea sonable. They ask for prompt and ef ficient service. To this they are en titled, and it Is encouraging to note President Musser's statement that the company already has ordered three more new cars than usual for the t year and that the problems of delay ed schedules are receiving the atten tion of himself and his fellow officials. ' Expert advice from the outside in [ | such a survey as is planned doubt j less will do much to supplement this I effort for betterment on the part of the local management. The sooner the inquiry is under taken the better trolley patrons will be pleased. If you want something real rare and costi*- for dinner, why not order a dish of boiled potatoes? TO FURTHER KI HU. EDUCATION IE the State's lawmakers are inter ested in the furtherance of educa tion in the rural districts, they would do well to give careful consid eration to a recommendation of the Dauphin county school directors. The directors urge a law providing half fare for the transportation of school children in the country districts, j One of the great drawbacks of edu cation in the rural sections of Penn sylvania for years has been the trans- I portation problem. It is all very pic turesque to talk of the pluck and idoggedness of the farmboy, who j trudges three miles through snow land rain to "the schoolhouse by the road" to learn his readln', 'ritln' and 'rlthmetlc. And In years past many 1/ \ MOVIE OF A MAN JUST BEFORE GOING TO BED By BRIGGS | L__ : J 7 " HAH- KF- TO TV*6 7T REMOVES —. Igg K ' ' 1 , COT 5 £ANIDW "I've noticed that. Dubbs can glance r over a pamphlet Issued by some West- ern railroad and then rave about the ' scenic wonders of Arizona as if he had 1 Just been there." —Birmingham Age s' Herald. HARRISBURO TELEGRAPH folZtbC* IK By the Ex-Oommlttce.PMM^^^j| Col. L. W. Strayer, Washington cor respondent of the Pittsburgh Dis patch and well-known here as a keen observer of political affairs, has arous- j ed quite a discussion over an article j he sent from Washington to his news paper telling how the Republican Con- | gressmen from Pennsylvania and na tional Republican leaders think about the factional row now going on. Col. Strayer sounds a note of warning such as has been heard from many news paper editors through the State. "Republican leaders in Washing ton," says his dispatch, "are concern ed over the factional warfare in Penn sylvania. The struggle of the opposing elements for political control there has attracted attention throughout the country, and the developments of the contest, whose storm center is Harris burg, are being followed with interest by politicians of both parties at the Capital. Republican leaders who are endeavoring to bring together the two wings of the party in the country at large confess that they find little en couragement in Pennsylvania. When they give utterance vaguely to the hope that a truce will be declared and that harmony will follow they encoun ter the confidence of Democrats who, taking the cue from National Chair man Vance C. McCormick and Nation al Committeeman A. Mitchell Palmer, who spend most of their time in Washington, declare that the breach is too wide to be healed; that the Democrats will gain in the municipal and county elections this year, and that next year Pennsylvania will elect a Governor who will be a Democrat. Members of the Pennsylvania delega tion make no concealment of the fact that they are heartily tired of the wrangling of the leaders over patron age in Philadelphia and at Harris burg, and that they are ready to join any movement that may end the I fac tional strife. The cloak-room gossip of the Pennsylvania Republicans shows clearly that they are for peace at almost any price and that they be lieve factionalism must cease if the Republican party In Pennsylvania is to get anywhere in the near future. Especially is this true of those Repub lican Congressmen who were elected last November by a scratch and who , hesitate at the prospect of attempting to carry their districts again unless 'they have the support of a united party." —The name of Secretary of the Commonwealth Cyrus E. Woods is again being mentioned as a candidate for Governor who would be generally acceptable to 'Republicans. Newspa pers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have been mentioning him. —-United States District Attorney E. Lowry Humes, of Meadville, men tioned as a possible candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor, declares that there is nothing to It. Roland S. Morris declares that he has no boom and one by one the Demo crats mentioned are dropping out and clearing the way for the President to once more announce his choice. —Councilman Dlllinger, of Pitts burgh, is creating quite a row. His latest threat is to go after the Mayor. —W. G. Wilkins, noted Pittsburgh engineer, took a fling at the proposed Lake Erie and Ohio ship canal to-day In a luncheon at Pittsburgh. Last week W. H. Stevenson,chairman of the board, told why the canal should be built and Sir. Wilkins to-day declared that It would not. The project is one on which the State has spent over sl6 7,000 for plans, legal services and engineering, etc., including press clip pings. —One of the funniest things about the legislative session this week has been the maneuvering of the Demo crats. They wanted to make a lot of capital last night out of the for Information on House patronage, but some of them were afraid that there would be disclosures about the way some patriotic Democrats have held places and they ducked. Likewise ■some of the Democrats were eager to take a long decess, but were afraid to show their hand. The Democrats are blundering about as they have done ever since the reorganization bosses came into control. It only needs one Democrat to start something to get others fairly bristling with sus picion. —The Socialists are becoming very active in the State again. They plan to hold a series of meetings in Harris burg next month. —More Philadelphia legislation showed up last night, this time from the Vare side. It would provide for a budget plan for the city government and regulate other matters which have been discussed. A lovely fight over what shall be done to the Philadelphia government is in sight. —George D. Thorn's bills to change the time for filing nominating peti THE TALE OF THE Under the caption, "Merciful Dogs i of War," Ellwood Ilendrlck, in The Red Cross Magazine for February, says: "Dogs are never trained to scent out the dead. Their business is to assist the wounded. "There : e canine sentries on duty on both siues in the Great War, anil dogs that are dispatch-bearers. Mar quis, a French dog, fell dead from a bullet wound almost at the feet of a group of French soldiers to whom he bore a message across a shell raked stretch of country. But tho message was delivered! And there is Stop, of the Fifteenth Army Corps, the savior of many wounded, and Flora, of the Twelfth Alpine Chas seurs, merciful dogs of war with rep utations for distinguished service. There are many Stops and Floras actively engaged in humanitarian serv ice, and it is quite unfair" for me to single out individual animals - a conference of dogs of war would doubtless so decide except as a means of giving typical stories of what are everyday exhibitions of in telligence, devotion, and self-sacri fice on the part of dogs of numerous breeds in the vast zone of battle. "The people in the warring coun tries are called on for many and vari ed contributions. The French War Department has on record a communi cation from the father of a family which poignantly Illustrates this, for he wrote: "I already have three sons and a son-in-law with the colors; now I give up my dog, and vive la France!" "In the campaign on the Eastern front Lieutenant von Wieland led a party of men in an attack on the Rus sian trenches. Seeing the task hope less on account of the Russian lire the officer signaled a retreat. Turn- tions were presented last night by Senator Crow and attracted general commendation. The propositions are favored by every one who knows how the State Department Is jammed with papers at the last minute of the pe riod for filing papers. —The Philadelphia Inquirer in an editorial to-day declares that the plan for abolishing the death penalty has won many friends in this State and that there will be a formidable de mand for enactment of such a law this year. —According to the Philadelphia Ledger Philadelphia's transit plans are being made "a football of petty politics" and It asserts that the Pen rose plan of "ripping out" the commis sion has received "unexpected impe tus" because members of the commis sion are said to favor further delays in approval of the plans. —The Philadelphia North American yesterday urged the Governor to veto the Sproul resolution for a probe and the Philadelphia Ledger to-day says "no true friend of Governor Brum baugh is to-day urging him to veto" the measure. Labor Notes Fernie, (B. C.), miners demand a war bonus. London, Canada, is to have a muni tion factory for women workers ex clusively. So short is the supply of threshing hands In Yorkshire, England, thati boys of 12 are being employed. Frisco Jitney Bus Operators' Union has affiliated with the California State Federation of Labor. Canadian Manufacturers' Associa tion is securing the names of women able to take the places of men in the province of British Columbia. The Japanese government prohibits organization of labor unions, but col lective bargaining has come Into ex istence through the formality of ap plications to tho home office. Experience has shown for hundreds of years that laborers and artisans can secure better reward by collective bargaining than by any other means; hence, the labor union. Experience ha 3 also shown that no man can take out of a union more than he may put in. Hence, the necessity to regard the union as an instrument for the com mon good only, a weapon for general defense, a plan of action which, help of life for all concerned. Arm or Convoy Our Ships [From the Philadelphia Inquirer. 1 We have said before and we reiter ate that the duty of the government is plain. It should take immediate steps to arm or convoy across the Atlantic American ships carrying the United States malls. As long as it refuses to do this, it is in an attitude of yielding to German mandate. It is not a free government. It is bondage. FEBRUARY 20, 1917, ing with the soldiers that wero left he made for the trenches and safety. When he had covered less than half the distance a rifle ball shattered the bone of his leg and down he fell amidst the still bodies of the men who had set out with him and lay there in the blood and muck and filth of the battlefield. The Russian fire was so murderous that no one dared bring him in. Presently a dark form bounded from the German trenches, rushed to Lieutenant von Wieland's side, grasped his coat between his teeth, and foot by foot, dragged him to safety. Once, but only for a mo ment, did he loosen his hold, and that was when a bullet 'creased' him from shoulder to flank. The blood gushed from the wound but the dog took a fresh hold and finished his job at the edge of the trench where willing hands lifted the lieutenant down to safety. They had to lift the dog down, too, because Just then a bullet broke both his fore-legs. "It was the lieutenant's dog Steif that, when his master's hour had struck, gnawed through his leash and rushed to him. There are evidences that Steif is partly of great Done breed, partly mastiff and partly hound, but the rest of him is pure dog mis cellany. "Man and dog were both taken to the hospital and the surgeons work ed as hard over the one as they did over the other. Then one day, when His Majesty made his rounds, they brought Steif in on a cot and placed him beside the lieutenant. The Em peror had heard the story and as he came along he took from the supply that he carried with him, an iron cross, which he pinned upon von Wie land's bosom. Then, taking another [iron cross, he tied it to the collar of the dog." OUR DAILY LAUGH THE REASON, ' What makes /On your boy so cross- \ \/f Going to three- } K Y\\ ringed circuses. /AA nj v\ DOMESTIC DTB - CUSSSION. PVr Mrs - B - : husband accuses me °' extra va gance. I spent t/wfHk\>WJlo.ooo last year. Mrß - w > : 1 ill J ?l\\ wouldn't mind v ' S'> mi fc\\ boln * scolded on 'P~\± tllat I have f to ■tand for the " same accusation on S2O a week. NASTED YOUTH. —— When I went to college I worked so hard t, at my studies that I didn't have any / jTyi time for base- vT}Jjj ■ Gee, dad, you don't know what you missed. §A RETORT PRACTICAL. Disc ontented Wife: Several of the men whom I refused when I married you are richer than you are now. Husband: That's THE SUMMER BOY. -ur * 'A With pants as IMB white as TB snow, //it (V fir And everywhere ZY\\ /1 that Mary ii/jl) HI fi The beau was aura to go. j Stoning (fttfatfl Major Simon B. Cameron, wlwn death occurred at Marietta on Satur day, was widely known In railroad circles. Veteran railroaders remem ber him because ol his friendship for trainmen, and railroad employes fci general. Major Cameron at one time was obliged to travel frequently qver the main line of the Pennsylvania railroad. If time permitted he made the trips on freight trains. When In- terstate laws did not interfere, he was a familiar figure on engines and cab ins. When he traveled by freight d> e always wore overalls, and a cap, and looked like a real railroader. lie be came quite proficient in handling an engine. Major Cameron never forgot the many courtesies extended to him by railroad men, and there were num erous times when a box of apples and other frutt, or a bag of potatoes was placed on an engine or cabin. Bail road men between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh knew him as a Jolly fellow. Some of his railroad friends are now on the honor roll and they recall many interesting incidents in connection with the life of Major Simon B. Cam eron. • • A friend who had read in this col umn last evening the article on the various propositions to Improve the navigation of the Susquehanna, calls attention to the fact that the first com plaints about the obstructions In the stream were made at the time of the Revolution. In some provincial docu ments reference is made to the diffi cults' of getting the boats loaded with grain and other provisions for the Am erican army down the river because of the rocks and that some supplies intended for steernKe at John Harris ferry could not be floated down be cause of the low stage of the river be tween Northumberland and the first mountain and the rocks which filled the bed of the stream. Much of this grain was intended for Philadelphia and evidently had to be taken In wa gons or on horses. The first move ment in 1794 was followed by meetings in 1803 and after the War of 1812, the naming of the commission In the twenties being the most systematic movement. • • * It would be interesting to know Just how far the work progressed. Appar ently the commissioners did little more than plan and possibly they main tained a force of engineers to survey, as has been done with some other waterway projects of late years. In any event there are evidences of de mands for information from time to time and any attempt to revive the project, with an appropriation in the next ten years led to pronounced oppo sition. 1823 the Legislature acting upon the data in hand provided for removing obstructions from North umberland to tidewater and in 1828 the commissioners reported that the improvements between Columbia and tidewater were well worked out and available for 50-ton craft, but that "further improvements" would be needed between Columbia and North umberland. Apparently the cost was pretty great because in the thirties meetings were held at which Congress was petitioned to tako up the proposi tion and when it refused the project was abandoned. • • • What these forefathers of ours were driving at, however, was not so much to get the coal and produce of the up- State valleys to Harrisburg and towns further down and to reach tidewater, but something very different. The memories of the War of 1812 were still fresh and the project as Indicated in correspondence between the people of Harrisburg and the War Depart ment. was "sloop and steamboat com munication between the Chesapeake Bay and the lakes by wayof theSusque lianna." In other words it was a de fense as well as an economic project. • • • It is an interesting fact that in the session of the Legislature of 1805 Wi conlsco creek in the upper part of this county was declared a public highway. This act was dated April 1 and set forth that the creek, which was "Wy conisco" should bo a public highway from its mouth to Isaac Ferris' mill dam. The Swatara had been declared a public highway very early as it' be came a waterway in colonial times in order to have produce from Lebanon county, as it afterwards became, float ed to Middletown for shipment to , Philadelphia. • The fact that the Capitol Park Ex tension Commission has found it nec essary to go into court on only two Instances to have old mortgages offi cially marked satisfied is being much commented upon about the city The titles to the 537 properties were very clear and they wero found to be ready for transfer when the title searchers began work. This Is attributed to the ample notice property owners had of the intentions of the State and to the close work of the men who looked up the properties, this having been done with the greatest care. The mort gages which were found not satisfied were for small amounts and evidently for sale of lots. • • • J. Louis Breitinger, former member of the Legislature and recent chair man of the Board of Moving Picture Censors, was here yesterday to see the first Harrisburg performance of a not ed film. Mr. Breitinger met a num ber of his former colleagues, but said that he not thinking so much of State affairs just now. [ WELL KNOWN PEOPLE ~ —Mayor J. G. Armstrong, of Pitta burgh, seems to have settled a strike on the city-county building in his own way. He Just went into it. Dr. I. K. Urich, Lebanon repre sentative, is one of the committee on legislation of the medical men of the Sl l t L < Dr. C. L. King, University of Pennsylvania economist, says that the anthracite coat report did not go far enough. —Congressman Warren Worth Bail ey, the Johnstown pacifllst, got into a row with Representative Gardner the other day and when it ended Bailey's remarks were taken out of the rec ord. —Mayor A. D. Newell, the mayor of New Castle, has finished his first year in office. Among other things he heard 3,800 cases. —Dr. S. Willis McFadden, Pitta burgh minister, preached a sermon in which he said that heavenly words cannot be applied to satantc deeds. v [ DO YOU KNOW 1 That Harrisburg pig Iron WM 1 used to moke cannon balls for three wars? HISTORIC HARRISBURG This city had a German singing so ciety 100 years ago and many promi nent residents were among the mem bers. Logic "You said your wonderful death dealing inventions would make war Impossible." "Well," answered the great inven tor, ruefully, "if everybody on earth is eventually killed oft, there can't be any more war, can there?" —Washing- ton Star,