10 HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH A NEWSPAPER TOR TEE HOME Founded 1831 Published evenings except Sunday by THE TGLtQRAPH PRINTING CO. Telegraph Building, Federal Igaare E. J. STACKPOLE President and Editor-in-Chief R. R. OYSTER, Burine** Manager OU6 M. STEINMETZ. Managing gdifor A. R. MICHENER, Circulation Manager Executive Board J. P. McCULLOUGH, BOYD M. OGELSBY, F. R. OYSTER, GUS. M. STEINMETZ. Member of the Associated Press—The Associated Press Is'exclusively en titled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited t.o It or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local nthvs published herein. >ll rights of republication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. A, Member American Newspaper Pub fSt 8 M (ffl E9I S * r B ic" C A fig Sj Avenue Building Chicago, ?!*"*' Entered at tho Post Office In Harrls burg. Pa., cs second class matter. By carrier, ten cents a week; by mall, 13.00 a year In advance. Noble examples stir us to noble actions, and the very history of large public souls inspire a man with gen erous thoughts.—Seneca. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 20, 1018 WILSON AT VERSAILLES PRESIDENT WILSON'S state ment that he will attend the peace conference at Versailles Is not a great surprise to those who have observed his tendency to adopt the spectacular in his official con duct. It makes no difference that In thus leaving the country at a crit ical time he is violating traditions that have been observed since the foundation of the government. Am bition and vanity are expressed in this decision of the gentleman of the White House to go to Europe and the boswells at Washington are eending out to the kow-towing press of the country interpretations of this unusual and extraordinary act of the President. For Instance, with reference to his proposed address at the opening of th peace conference •we are assured that It will "furnish the peace tribunal with a chart and compass, and have Immense effect In conciliating the many conflicting in terests. which, according to official Information received here, seem to be multiplying since the cessation of active warfare, diplomatic con tests having succeeded the armed conflict." It is not difficult to imagine tho feelings of the statesmen of the Allied nations who will have to do with the peace settlement "when they are told that the head of the government on this side of the ocean will supply the "chart and the com pass" for the whole important trans action. It Is not conceivable, how ever, that the brainy leaders of England and France and Italy will accept as the last word in all that Is wise the conclusions of Mr. Wil son. Already his fourteen points are be ing dissected and the wisdom of some of them questioned. For ex ample, in the Senate yesterday Sen ator Lodge introduced a resolution regarding tho creation of an inde pendent Polish, state which was, with an exception of the first eight words, an exact reproduction of the thir teenth article of tho President's peace principles enunciated in his address of last January. But Demo cratic leaders in the Senate without realizing they were raising a question against the President insisted upon the resolution going to the Commit tee on Foreign Relations. Since the answer of tho people on the fifth of November the President realizes that Congress is still a co ordinate branch of tho government and ho is not a superman, which some of his over-zealous supporters seem to think. Nor will his going to Europe escape the severe criticism which this decision invites. "Something brewing beside beer," said a brewery witness at Washington yesterday. Yes. prohibition, for ex ample. WELL, SEE WHO'S HERE! EVERY so often sorq,ebody comes forward with the suggestion that this would be a good time to build a public comfort station In Market Square. Then the enthusias tic supporters of that doubtful pro ject get all het up and the work Is to be started Immediately. But It never gets under way, and that, It would seem, would be an exoellent plan to continue Indefinitely, were It not for the fact that public oomfort stations are a necessity In Harris burg, although not In the center of Market Square. So it Is not surprising to see our old friend turn up again disguised as a "peace-time-possibility." It was about due, anyway, and we might as well have the excitement now and get it over with for another year. Building public oomfort stations I gf ornamental design in the heart of I •' 4 * > I v ' ' \ . ' * WEDNESDAY EVENING, Harrisburo TELEGRAPH: NOVEMBER 20, 1918. the city would be about as appropri ate as constructing a bathroom in the middle of one's parlor. In the "elder daye of art" It was thought appropriate to erect etruetures of this type oa the extreme rears of baekyards, and, except in a few Chinese cities and In some anti quated towns of Europe, there has been no effort to stick them under the very noses of the people, as it were, and it has been considered good form even in those free and easy communities to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars upon them and give them places of honor in the municipality. Of course, if councilman are de termined to clutter up the center of the Square with a building of this kind there Is no means of restrain ing them, although it might be re garded as passing strange that they should decline to "encumber*' (to use the word of a councilman at that time) the heart of the city with a statue of John Harris, the founder, and now find it possible to fill It up with a building large enough to crowd automobile, wagon, street car and pedestrian traffic to an uncom fortable, If not dangerous, degree. Public comfort stations are unques tionably an urgent necessity, and there should be two or three of them rather than only one, and two or three modest, under-the-curb sta tions could be erected for a fraction of the cost of the proposed big building in Market Square. ■With the returning of thousands of men from the service of their country, the Importance of Immediate public work programs Is emphasized. Many things have been stopped In Harrls burg during the period of the war. but the Chamber of Commerce and all the civic bodies should now get busy In formulating plans for furthering pub lic improvement projects. Of course, the Stato will go ahead with the Capi tol Park plans and the construction of the monumental viaduct at State street. Incidentally, the municipal au thorities should also get into action so that the city may co-operate with the State In every way and likewise provide for employment of the men who will be Idle unless there Is Im mediate attention given to public and private work that will open avenues of employment without delay. A SUGGESTION FOR US PHILADELPHIA is preparing for a great community Thanksgiv ing service on the morning of Thankksglving Day. Ttya service is being arranged under the direction of the Council of National Defense of that city and the program of ex ercises will embrace union services at thirty-eight different places at the same hour. All churches will be asked to hold their services not earlier than 11 o'clock so as not to interfere with the community cele bration. No parades will be included. This Is precisely in line with the thought of many In Harrisburg and it is not too late to arrange for a great union Thanksgiving service which will further cement the good feeling of the various religious bodies and harmonize, let us hope, for all the years to come, some of the con flicting thought that has hindered the development of the best In re ligion. Might it not be well for the local Committee on National Defense to take the lead in this matter and ar range for a proper religious Thanks giving service on the day set apart by the President and the Governor? America is to have a great merchant marine, and the fact that more than a thousand men enlisted at Philadel phia in one week for this service In dicates the ease with which the nec essary shipping forces can bo mobil ized with the ending of the war. THE SOLDIER VOTE . IT ought to be thoroughly under stood that there is no scandal connected in any way with the taking of the soldier and sailor vote this year and that the reports of un due activity of election commission ers in getting votes for local favo rites In Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, which were rife in the Capitol last year, have not been heard. The Gov ernor is expressly authorized to name as many commissioners as needed to take the votes of the Key stone State men In military service. It Is a matter for the Judgment of the Governor and if the War Depart ment had not barred the Common wealth from sending commissioners to France there would have been many more named and the deficit of $17,000, which it is said Is threat ened because of the number of men sent and the distances they were di rected to cover, would be small in comparison with what might have been. The position taken was that every Pennsylvanian had a right to vote. It was sound. Men of all parties agreed to that and even Democrats, eager to elect congressmen, ap proved it. The number and places were matters for exercise of Judg ment when* the reports of soldiers came In. Because some soldiers had gone from camps or posts or sta T tlons before the commissioners got there, or that many Pennsylvanlans refused to be Interested In voting, are matters to be regretted. The State Is required to name commls siers where there are soldiers to vote and If some ot them did not obey the instructions so carefully given at the Btate Department and blundered It is also regrettable. Bui that la all there is to It The whole proposition is one of Judgment on one side and personality on the other. And it may be stated that the com missioners are getting ten cents a mile by footruls and nothing else. Bide trips and haek hlrs do not fig ure. Neither do meals or sleeping car berths. Its ten cent a mile by direct routs. And that's not hard to ascertain. foOtlc* U ftKK^floahlA By tho Ex-Commlttccman I ■ —The last ot the comrrileetonere appointed to take the vote* of sol dlere and eailora in camp, and eta tlona ia expected to file hia returna within twenty-four houra, and the State Department will thon preparo to certify any dgurea to county elec tion boarda which may ask for them. Under the law, the official count of ■the votes at the November election will be undertaken on' Friday, ua a tlmo allowance for commissioners to return la made. The official results will then be forwarded to the State Capitol and complied by the ifecre tary of the Commonwealth. Questions regarding payment of the bills for the expenses of the com missioners at ten cents a mile will be taken up at once with the Attor ney General, as the aggregate thus far la more than the money In hand, but there are certain war-time emer gency funds which it Is believed can be drawn upon. Capitol Hill la, smiling over the way Snyder county "put It over" Franklin In the selection of tho site for the new Btate insane hospital. President Aiken, or Susquehanna University, seems to have had the Inside track. —The Philadelphia Evening Bul letin last night, printed a report cur rent In that city to the effect that William H. Keller, of Lancaster, First Deputy Attorney General, would likely be appointed to thje su perior court as soon as Judge John W. Kephart resigned to take his seat on the supreme bench. Mr. Keller has told friends that he knows noth ing about the report and the Gov ernor's office maintains Its usual si lence about appointments. There have been reports, however, to the effect that the Governor intends to leave the filling of the vacancy on the superior court bench to his suc cessor unless certain contingencies occurred. There have also been reports current that the Governor was mind ed to leave all pending appointments or importance, including Judgeships, to his successor. The Philadelphia North Arfierl can and Record are having fun with the plans, of the Vares to bring 800 men, 200 bandsmen, an elephant and various other things here for the Sproul inauguration. The Record says that the Vares aim to "dazzle" Sproul. The North American also criticises the Vare bids for street cleaning, which are away beyond all previous figures. .~The Philadelphia Press in an editorial on the Philadelphia pri mary election bill suit says that the trouble was because the act provid ing for payment of such billp by the state was not "specific" enough in its terms. Carbondale's vote may be the cause of a contest of elections in Lackawanna county, while attorneys are gathering material in Luzerne ror a battle over results. " There Is trouble in Chester over a demand by the mayor that the po lice department cleans house. In common with every other industrial city Chester is suffering from some conditions which have given trouble to governing powers font the dawn of history. —John C. Winston, huad of the Committee of Seventy, says that Senator Vare is trying to fool the people in regard to the new char ter. —The election board of one of the districts of Forward township in Allegheny county has been cited into court to show why it . did not hold an election. —Frank A. Judd, for years a Re publican leader of Beaver county and former chief clerk of the State Senate, died at his home after an extended illness, —Senator Clarence J. Buckman, president pro tern of the Senate, last night announced his ambition to be re-elected when the Senate meets. The re-electiqn of the sena tor and of Secretary W. Harry Baker and Librarian Herman P. Miller are all assured. —George J. Brennan, writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the changes that the election will make in the next State Senate, mentions the deaths of leaders and then says: "Records of achievement, backed by popular indorsement, send two in fluential members of the Senate to higher fields of activity. Senator William C. Sproul, of Delaware county, becomes Governor of Penn sylvania, and Senator Edward E. Beidleman, of Dauphin county, is promoted to tho office of Lieuten ant-Governor. William E. Crow, of Fayette county, chairmaruof the Re publican State Committee, is the logical leader of the Republicans in the next Senate and he should, also be the spokesman of the Sproul ad ministration. A majority of the Re publican members of the Senate are in sympathy with the Penrose lead ership in the Republican politics of Pennsylvania. Senator Vare, of Philadelphia, it would app'ear, will have the backing of Senators Salus, Martin, Patton and Gray, of the Quaker City, upon all political ques tions." /I Glance at the Kaiser In a speech at New York a day or two ago former U. S. Benator Depew said: "My friends, when I think of the Emperor and what he was, and what lie had and what he might have been, when he had almost made an economic conquest of the whole world and then started for physical conquest, and then lost it all, and where he is now, it seems below the dignity of the occasion, but really it seems to inspire a nmerick that I heard ma,ny years ago: Little Willie from the mirror Licked the mercury all off, Thinking in his childish error It would cure his whooping cough. At the funeral Willie's mother Sadly said to Mrs. Brown: " 'Twas a chilly day for Willie When the mercury went down." "Hell, my friends, in Judging the Emperor—and we are Judging him now very well all over the world— we nxust remember that when he entered into this war every military man in the German army was for it and the general staff was threat ening him if he did not do it We must remember that every profes sor in the German university was for it. We must remember that every preacher in the German pulpit was for* it, and we must remember that every man, woman and child in Ger many was for it. "All sorts of punishments are pre dicted, promised, offered, or sug gested. But, my friends, physical punishments amount to nothing. Revillac was a victim of Henry IV On the third day or his torture he commenced to laugh, and his tor turer said, 'What are you laughing at?" He replied. 'You have destroyed sensation; I don't feel you any more.'" MOVIE OF A CERTAIN EX-MONARCH By BRIGGS "HP-HUMS- I *VIL - I'M GL AT " ? UR O J^* H ,^ P,N& "FOOYL J>CFT MAD A HUM' DOT KING NIHT-/ 2> 155 OV/CR _ MIT "■■> TLME ~ MOOODYY TBLCPHOME^II COMTS^TY J MBPPFI JT TSS MTUE I Y HTLLO! '"MY W .SUCH A " >*> i PUD MEWT GOTT TNH HPLLO. P#SMRUA* TO CALL ZLK-H - * WHO V/ISHES TD MAKE 3>Ls U3 'BIUL* - - AMERICAN SOPORS:* -> jj TO MC_A •' KPH'NROLLCWN-- *MH? VAH 7 WHAT CAN U "" V/OT, 143 TA ...... | J)O FOA YOU.?^> . /P>S afi i il frfm 4PHI "COME OUT UND "AH 1 ' AUCM F AWRI.*/-•' " ' MO " R ' J PT JKY T ?? I VON'"T S L ANCOA<IIR, F EEUNSO FLM I VAN ' VOT I&S TCRRQLE TO WETL T&DAV- FTSU STAFJD. SOME SPT'AK LIKE I CAN'T VRM? ' MONJSEWSI CLES DOT." CTOC OUS>.J* LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor of'the Telegraph: Below is a copy of a letter which appeared in the Williams port, Pa., Gazette and Bulletin of March 6, 1914, written by A. M. Fahrenstock, of Muncy, Pa., and which bears upon the matter that will be canvassed in your city to-morrow, namely the making navigable of the Susque hanna river. I am not an engineer, and am not competent to pass upon the practicability of Mr. Fahren stock's plan; nor is he an engineer. He is a mere layman as to such pro jects, a tailor by trade, a mute, edu cated in a Philadelphia institution; but his article shows that the un technical man thinks along the same practical lines on which technically trained minds are thinking. Here is the letter: Gazette and Bulletin — The Susquehanna river can posi tively be made navigable from the Chesapeake Ijay to Lake Brie. The United States and state governments should take charge of it. A canal can be constructed in the river. How can it be done? It is a simple plan. A cojicretp dike or wall is to be built in the rjver fifty or one hundred feet from the shore. The dike is Just high eno'ugh to enable any kind of steamer or boat to navigate in .The dikes need not stretch all the way, frou end to end, but the dikes are to be built In some places whero water is now or there are riffles. Locks, such as Williartisport, Muncy, Lewis burg and Shamokin dams, should be repaired so that t{ie places will be deep enough to allow boats to navi gate. No dikes or walls are needed in such places. The proposed cunal needs no new bridges over The public and railroad river bridges are very high. In order to go under some of these bridges, the boat can be low ered by means of locks. The dike will not add any danger of high : floods. Creeks and small streums empty into the canal. If they (such streams) are high on account of rains, they will go over the dike Into the river. The water In the canal will be better than that in the river. More fish will be found in the canal by reason of open ends to deep places. A canal should be dug from Clear field to Lake Erie through some small streams up there. j Soft coal, lumber, grain, ore, cat- | tie, etc., would be hauled through to Chesapeake bay from Lake Erie. ,Of Course the people at first do not realize it, but if they give Btudy to it, they will begin to think of pos sible navigation. Does the proposed canal have to cut through a rock mountain liko Culebra cut?. This suggestion gives an opportun ity to the public to study. Can any better suggestion be found than this proposed plan? The old canal boatmen, old raft pilots and businessmen, it is believed, approve of this proposed canal. A. M. FAHRENSTOCK. Muncy, Pa., March 3, 1914. In face of our part as Americans in damming spell It with two ms or otherwise, as you please) the Hun deluge, It would seem to be an easy task In comparison to make our great Pennsylvania river navigable. C. V. HAHTZELL. Muncy, Pa., Nov. 18, 1918. LABOR NOTES Brick and clay workers at Bcn davls, Mo., have organized. Orders of Railroad Telegraphers has 45,000 members. Toronto (Canada) ship carpenters ask 80 cents an hour. Policemen at Montreal, Canada, have formed a union. Detroit (Mich.) sign writers ask |7 a day. Job printing pressmen at Ottawa, Canada, have received an increase In pay. Coal miners in the Fairmount (W. Va.) district secured union recog nition. Statistics show a marked decrease pf pauperism In Ireland. St Paul. Minn., has a union of fur workers composed of women. Stoglemakers at Wheeling, W. Va.. have been granted increased wages. York (Pa.) clgarmakers ask an in crease of |1 a thousand. Shopmen on the Atchison. Topeka, and Santa Fe have organised a sys tem federation. ROOT SAYS AMERICA WHL LEAD NATIONS From St. John's Pulpit He Declares We Will Solve the War's Problems. (From the New York Times.) ALL denominations in New York made yesterday's service a re ligious celebration of victory and peace. In the Cathedral of St. John the Divine yesterday after noon a great audience listened to an interpretation of the war's lesson by Elihu Hoot, an unfamiliar lay figure in that pulpit. Great interest was attached to Mr. Root's utterance because of the widely accepted report that "he will be one of the representatives of the United States at the peace table. "America can meet and solve all the great problems that will be hers as the result of the war and ,lts sudden ending," Mr. Root declared. "A difficult task lies before the 1 civilized world with the problems of reconstruction presenting them selves in multiple places. The pub lic has no conception of how great and how difficult our task will be. nor of all the duties that will pre sent themselves as the world be comes once more a world of peace, nations, old and new, take up their lives where they left them off at the beginning of the struggle. Despite the difficulties and the ob stacles that already appear, and others that will follow, thero is no fear but that America *••• be count ed upon to prove the wisest of na tions- in meeting the demands of the reconstruction period." Mr. Root alluded to the forth coming peace conference, and, in commenting upon the need of wis-, dom at th£ council tablq and the gigantic import of the decisions to be made, asserted: "No man can. frame the timetable of the Al mighty." "It ig a tremendous event that has Just occurred," he said in refer ring to the signing of the armis tice. "It is the greatest evedt of modern history. It was a world struggle for human freedom, and from It we learned the lesson of sacrifice. From it will flow conse quences to all the nations and to all the peoples in them, which we can not yet begin to understand or with any certainty to prophesy in their entirety. Dawn of a Now Era "To-day we commemorate the ush ering of the dawn of a new day—a new era. The dark night of storm is over, and now that the clouds which for four years darkened the earth have rolled dway wo see plainly the landmarks to guide our future course. From all the free nations of the earth men sprang to resist the evil that threatened the earth. Many of the noblest mon laid down their lives, but their sacrifice brought victory and modern civili zation has not failed. "God himself was on our side. And so to-day, thanks to the Lord, Christian civilization triumphs. The old barbarian principle has been laid in the dust More than any thing else, the result of*the war, as we behold it now, is proof of the supremacy of moral force which in the end downed the evil fore#, let loose upon the world. Even Bis marck knew this lesson of.the world —knew that cynical evil could not forever override the power of Christian civilization, but William, the Kaiser, absorbed In his vast dream of military glory, over looked what Bismarck In his great er wisdom had understood. To-day, with the war ended and the forces of all those nations whdse cause was one of right and Justice and protection for the weak and equal opportunity for all dominant over all the battlefronts where autocracy tried to crush its way, William and his kind know better—they have learned the law of moral force now. "Germany's misreading of Amer ica was similar to her false estimate of other nations. To her we were a nation of money-fetters. Wo were Immersed In our own enrichment, And were Indifferent to the struggle tjiat occupied all of Europe. Her cynicism taught her that we were not to bo reckoned with,, but to-day. i i Germany knows that we are far from being such a nation of money getters, and that the moral stamina ?f this nation manifested Itself to ler final undoing. "Heedless and Indifferent to the real nature of other peoples, blind ed by its own conception of human and national motives, tho German military caste ruthlessly defied and sought to set at naught the laws of Christian morality. In its insane lust for power she Ignored this great Christian force, soon to be ar rayed against her. Germany blun dered when, despite all the dictates of humanity and nil the conventions of civilized warfare, she heartlessly sank the Lunitania. It was tho wanton cruelty of that deed which eventually brought the United States into the war against her, and so it was the deed which eventually was destined to bring about her down fall." Mr. Root said that when Ger many sought to remove Russia from the long list of her enemies, she decided to bring about her downfall by sending propagandists by the thousands into that nation, preaching the doctrines of socialism and anarchy to the peasants and workmen, while at the same tins) she showed her perfidy by rigidly suppressing such teachings within her own domain. In the end, he said, those very teachings, unloosed in Russia, swept over Germany and proved the undoing of those who had set them free, since they brought about the downfall of the Kaiser. "The German government," he concluded, "deceived its own peo ple, kept from them the real cause of the war and boasted to them of victories that never happened. Thus tho German people, sacrigclng and submissive, were kept satisfied. But in the end eve-v violation of the law brought its own punish ment to them. That punishment came swiftly when once the base purposes that actuated the Kaiser and his military advisers were re vealed. - America Was Awakened "Self-government changes the nature of a people, and not only in creases their power and strength for war, but teaches them restraint.' So tho American people, after liv ing for decades immersed in com mercial affairs, with wealth, free dom and ease, had grown strong and hud preserved the heroic Ideals ?pon which the nation was found ed. When awakened, they again girded themselves to fight for free dom and independence, and in the end with moral force conqueredl and liberty was vindicated." WITH THE "Y" What do you build when you build a "Y"? A home-roof under a foreign sky! A little house by the side of the road Where a brother eases his pressing load! Where still the Good Samaritan May come and be' a friend to man! Whero a lonesome lad, in a woman's eyes, Can see his mother's face arise! Where a chap can write what he longs to say To a true-blue girl in the U. S. A.! Where there are a hundred brands of Joy To welcome and cheer a home-sick boy! Where caste is banished, and sect is gone— But the Ten Commandments thun der on! Where Youth gains manhood to deny The ceaseless lure of the Lorelei I Where America spans the seas to dwell With her knightly men on the rim of hell! . ' A hut that father's love has founded! A place that mother's love has bounded! A spot by sweetheart's love sur rounded 1 A taste of home for hearts that sigh— It is this you buld when you build a "jf." —Daniel Henderson, Don't Desert the Troops Even should the German mission now speeding to receive the word of Foch result In an Immediate cessa tion of hostilities, the need for a large oversubscription to the United War Work Campaign fund would not be lessened. On the contrary. It would be increased, says the New York Tribune. That was the message Dr. John R. Mott, director general of the cam paign, drove home ugaln and again to the group of prominent persons who gathered in the home of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., yesterday after noon In an Informal pre-campatgn meeting. Dr. Mott dwelt at length upon the time that must elapse before the overseas troops can hope to return to this country. To provide recreation for the long period the organizations asso ciated In the drive, Dr. Mott an nounced, have prepared an elabor ate program. Hopes to Double Quota "We have asked for $170,500,000," said he, "but I am here this after noon to ask you. to increase that by 50 per cent. For large as the ori ginal sum asked may seem, It would only provide our soldlerß and suilors with an Individual allotment of eight cents a day for a period of one year. And we're going to do much more than slmpl> look after our own soldiers, sailors and marines." Women of the various organiza tions, here and abroad, he explained, must be provided for. Arrange ments, too, have been made to give aid to Frenph, Italian and colonial forces, and extensive corps are to be dispatched on educational errands. "Two thousand professors and teachers have already been sent overseas," said Dr. Mott, "but for eign educators have asked us to send 2,000 more. A thousand women are working 'over there.' Within the month, we want to double that num ber. Wo need $5,000,000 to supply tho American soldier alone with text bocks. We need $3,000,000 more for reference books." Money must also be„ra:sed, he said to send preachers of all denom inations and lecturers whose mission it will be to carry the message of hope and valor needed to prepare the troops for civilian tasks In the "new - era."—Exchange. The Farmer's Viewpoint (Pennsylvania Farmer) The amendment authorizing the $50,000,000 bond Issue for road building In this state passed by an overwhelming majority at the recent election. All classes want good roads. No class needs them more or can benefit more from them than can the farmers. With the advent of the automobiles and motor trucks, well built roads are as potent in the in dustrial development of the state as are the railrouds. There has been an honest difference of opinion on the best way of financing road building. A la/ge Conservative class of voters has believed that the state is wealthy enough, with a little wiser handling of Its funds, to build roads from cur rent income, leaving only the main tenance of such roads to future gen erations. These voters defeated the bond amendment four years ago, with the hope that a serious effort would be made to build roads from direct taxation. The reversal In the last election does not necessarily in dicate u change of opinion on the basic principle, but the experience of tho past four years has shown that It Is hopeless to expect the leg islators to economize on their pet expenditures for the sake of good roads or other needed improve ments. The amendment was adopted because we need the roads, not nec essarily because bonding is thought to be the wisest plan of financing. The Incoming Governor has long been a good road advocate. He spon sored the bill creating the present Highway Department. He will have the means and the opportunity to put the state in the front rank In quality and mileage of its roads. Extensive Scraps of Paper Austria-Hungary Is paying for the "acrap of paper which she made of the treaty of Berlin when she stole Bosnia and 'Hersegovlna. Germany will presently have to pay for the "scrap of paper" which she made of the Belgian neutral treaty. "Mightily expensive some mere scraps of paper are!— N. A. Re view's War Weekly, - , fumting (Eljat Capitol Hill la catting ready tor the coming of the next Legislators which will open Its 133 rd sitting la a little more than six weeks and the preparations for this event and tbe gubernatorial Inauguration just two months away are going hand In hand. The legislative balls are In the hands of the renovators. The big curtains have been taken down to be cleaned and the sound of the electric sweeper Is heard In the aisles and about the rostrum, while the great hall of the House of Represen tatives la filled with scaffolding for the workmen to reach the huge chandeliers and replace globes and retouch the gilt where needed. All of the desks have been gone over a couple of times and the final rub bing down will be glvgn in a few days. In the Senate chamber there will be less work to be done, but It Is expected that It will all be ready for the sittings In a short time. The committee rooms, which are occu pied by various branches of the state government, are being gone over and made ready for the committees to meet. The occupants will go to the top floor or to temporary quarters In other buildings. ♦ • • The first of the giant locomotives to be sent into service on the Penn sylvania railroad by the federal gov ernment and marked with the In itials "U. S." has reached here. The Reading system has been using en gines marked "U. S. A." for months, these engines having been built for Russia. The new engines on the Pennsylvania are umong the largest ever seen here. Their favorite place to stand while awaiting trains Is within sight of the Public Service Commission offices. Once in a while some humor creeps Into a Public Service hearing. Yesterday during the much combat ted Springfield Consolidated Water Co. case, the largest of Its kind ever presented In the state, Commissioner M. J. Ryan said that he had once sent out a dove In an effort to get peace and then hud sent another. •Possibly It found something green and did not return," remarked Chair man Ainey, "There was more water then," in terjected M. Z. Paul, one of the law yers. "Rut what happened to the dove? asked Commissioner M. J. Rrecht- • * • Few people know that the consul generul of Sofia is a Philadelphian and that years ago he used to visit in Harrisburg. This is what the Philadelphia Ledger says about him: "For many years no reunion of the Central High School alumni was quite complete unless "Nick" Mur pny was on hand to speak. Of late years, Consul General Hominic 1. Murphy—to restore to him his august official nomenclature —has has had his hands full with King Ferdy and the rest of them in tho Balkans; but his heart s right there when It comes to the old school that conferred the sheepßkln on him In *65. Murphy's official experience r has been too long and varied for the limits of a column, and his memoirs would provide matter for a shelf of novels like "The Prisonel of Zenda." While he moved fam-> llarly among us here, among those who knew him best were the late William F. Harrlty, chairman of the Democratic National Committee from '92 to '96 and Philadelphia s postmaster from 'BS to 'B9, and Roland Morris, our ambassador to Japan, now sitting in at the great game at Vladivostok^' While the war may bo practically over and the government moving to return men to the ways of peace, but the fact remains that the pall of smoke by day and the pillars of fire by night that mark Harrisburg industries are still to be seen. The glow of the mill at Stecl ton continues on Saturday nights and Sundays and the Hares from blast furnaces are evidence that the demands of peace are going to put a strain on even the enormous pro ductive capacity which has been built up hereabouts. Thanks to th construction and railroad needs th bulk of the plants here will be busy for a long time to come, say men in ! charge of big plants. The official! of the railroad systems hereabouts, who have been anxiously stud/lmj the effects of peace, say that th< freight movement through Harris. burg the next two years will be Im mense. • • • Perhaps, now that peace is here It will be permitted some day to tell of the tremendous number of freighl cars that were handled through th Pennsylvania and Reading freighl yards in the Harrisburg district. N one will ever know just what portion of the munitions of war for Europ* went through this city, but it Is ai open socret among railroad men thai' almost everything from Bholls t high explosives, airplanes to tanks clothing to gas and almost every, thing else was Handled right througl the middle of this city and in thi safest and most expeditious way. II was nothing uncommon to see parti of aircraft and more than once soll< trains' of motor vehicles wenl through. While no one was sup posei, to speak about It, tho letterlnf on the cases told plainly enougl where the things were going an! often what the boxes contained. | WELL KJSOVtTPEOPLE | —H. S. Spackman, Phllndelphll engineer, well known here, lias beei promoted to lieutenant colonel li France. —John Wanamaker is taking a* active part In the making of the ne budget for Philadelphia schools. —J. E. Mullen, of Kane, counn for big natural gas companies, ha been a visitor here this week to at tend hearings. / —Senator-elect M. G. Leslie* <1 Pittsburgh, has been spending th last week In Philadelphia and got ting some fences built for next win ter, —Judge W, H, Staake, presidira In the Philadelphia primary bij case, is one of the authorities on unj formlty In law, 1 DO YOU KNOW j —Ttat Harrisburg has mt shells to almost every front fan tho Allies? HISTORIC HARRISBURG ' The first fire company dates fM litis - •> >- v■ J
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers