8 HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH k NEWSPAPER FOR TSM HOUR Founds* Ml Published evening:, except Sunday by THE TELEGRAPH PRINTING CO. Telegraph nnlldlng. Federal Square E. J. STACKPOLB President and Editor-in-Chief F. R. oISiBK, Wti.nntaa At onager GUS. M. STKINMETZ, ilanaging Editor A. K. MICIIEN'EU. Circulation Manager Executive Board I. P. McCULLOUGH. BOYD M. OGKLSBY, F. R. OYSTER, GUS. M. STEWMETZ. Member of the Associated Press—The Associated Press is exclusively en titled to the use for republication or all news dispatches credited to it of not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. . . , , All rights of republication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Member American m Newspaper Pub- Ushers'^ Avenue Building! —— Chfcago! VIL nß ' Entered at the Post Office In Harris burg. Pa., as second class matter. By carrier, ten cents a week: by mail. 18.00 A year In advance. Thoughts shut up, tcant air, and spoil like bales unopened to the sun. —Young. ■ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 191# I ' PROVIDE WORK FOR ALL PHILADELPHIA is arranging an important program of public work that has been deferred during the war. Like all other municipalities the metropolis is arranging to make available all pub lic funds set aside for undertakings that will provide employment for returning soldiers and all others who may become idle through can cellation of war contracts. Harrisburg is no slacker in any respect and we are proud to observe a disposition among "the municipal officials and heads of departments to so shape their programs that there will be no delay with the com ing of Spring in going ahead with the various enterprises that are under consideration. But the burden must not be left entirely to municijJal corporations. Every private concern and individ ual should at this time consider well how large the activities of the year may be with respect to new work and the enlargement of old enter prises. No more patriotic or con structive policy can be adopted than that which has to do with the pro fitable employment of our people in every line of endeavor. A prosper ous community depends upon a busy community. Naturally, there will be some hesi tation on account of the high level of prices for material and the wage scale, but in any readjustment we must consider the new conditions and proceed with due regard for the higher levels which are inevitable in the costs of manufacture and con sumption. So far as possible it may be as sumed the various heads of depart ments in our municipal organiza tions will outline the year's activi ties at once so that orders for need ed materials can be placed and thus avoid delay with the opening of spring. Four-liandiness will mean greater activity later in the year. Since President Wilson never asks advice of his alleged counselors at Washington when he was on this side of the ocean, it is not probable that he will waste much time considering their views when they arrive on the other side. The summoning of all sorts of alleged 'experts "for advice and consultation" in Paris is one of the humorous incidents of the great European tour. THE MAYOR'S MESSAGE MANY points of interest are covered in Mayor Kelster'B comprehensive message to Council, but several stand out above the othersyas of extreme importance and deserving of immediate atten tion on the part of his fellow com missioners. One has to do with hous ing and the other with the erection of a joint city hall and courthouse. . As to the need for such a housing survey as the Mayor recommends, there can be no argument. Hun dreds of houses rented at high fig ures in Harrlsburg are unfit for human habitation. This was clearly proved by the Telegraph's investiga tion last summer. Children died as a direct result of this criminal neg lect on the part of landlords and older people were made sick. There has been no attempt whatsoever to remedy conditions. This newspaper has stood almost alone in Its tight for better housing conditions. It jselcomes Mayor Keister to the ranks of those who believe that every mdb, woman and child in the city is en titled to plenty of fresh air and sunshine and home surroundings that are clean and healthful. It must be evident to any thinking person that good citizenship cannot thrive in filth or in homes that might be acceptable as pig-pens, but which are unfit for human habitation. Add to the conditions that exist here a ' great of houses, which WEDNESDAY EVENING HAHIUB3BUIIG TELEGRAPH JANUARY IS, 1919. j carries with it inability of people |to get away from undesirable dwellings even when they have- the money, and you have a state of af fairs that is intolerable. Either, as the Mayor suggests, we must compel owners to make their houses livable or the buildings must be closed. There is just now in this country much talk as to how we are to pre vent the Bolsheviki from gaining a foothold here. Bolshevikism is the child of discontent, and discontent is the result of unemployment, of op pression and of bad living condi tions generally. The tumble-down home is a seed bed for discontent. Oive a man a decent living and a proper place in which to live and Bolshevikism will be his last thought. What are we going to do to re move this menace in Harrisburg? As to th'e joint city hall and court house—Council and the County Commissioners have the whole city back of them in that project. A new and adequate building would cost little more in the long run than the scattered offices of city and county do now and the city is in a mood to make its own public offices corre spond in dignity and appearance to those of the state. The city and county bonding capacity is such as to permit of the expenditure without thought of running too close to the wind financially, and it Is to be hoped that the Mayor's message will be the final spur that will get the project into rapid motion. One after another the leading props of the Wilson administration are re moved by resignation or otherwise. It begin, to look as though the absent President will And his official home deserted when he returns from his European tour. Those who have been "watchefully waiting" to be sum moned to the other side are probably growing impatient of delay and this may account for some of the resigna tions. LONG AND SHORT OF IT DOWN in Delaware Senator Long has retired as president of the Senate to give place to Sen ator Short. Senator Long, it appears, had the short term and Senator Short is to have the long term. This, so far as we can see, is the long and tho short of it. MR. BEIDLEMAX'S GIFT SENATOR Beidleman has earned the everlasting gratitude of three of the most worthy char itable institutions of the city by dis tributing among them $1,600, the amount of salary due him as a mem ber of the State Senate for the term which will expire on his assuming the office of Lieutenant-Governor next Tuesday. Under the law this compensation had been regularly appropriated and could not have been set aside for any other than the personal use of Senator Beidleman. lie felt, how ever, that he would prefer to divert this money to the Children's Indus trial Home, the Nursery Home and Sylvan Orphans' Home on the eve of beginning his duties as .the sec ond officer of the Commonwealth. Senator Beidleman has always manifested an interest in the three institutions he has thus generously remembered at a time when they needed help most and there will be general approval of his public-spir ited philanthropy. GETTING UNDER WAY THERE is universal approval in city and co.unty of the proposi tion to lose no time in the erection of a joint building which will house the city and county offi cials and provide adequately for the conduct of the public business. Of course, it is important to de termine early the matter of location and there is strong sentiment in favor of a site on the proposed civic center which is developing through the co-operation of the city and the State. It is believed that the sale of the present site of the Court House and jail would be good business and a step forward in the improvement of the city. The County Commissioners are giving full consideration to the sub ject and while they have reached no conclusion they are certain to take some definite action in the near future. CITY AND STATE A3 Lieutenant-Governor-c 1c c t the present Senator from this district may be expected next Tuesday to say something worth while regarding the pleasant rela tions subsisting between city and State. His long iservice on Capitol Hill has given him unusual oppor tunities for cemeting the good feel ing which prevails between Harris burg and the official life of the Colhmonwealth and he is in position to pledge the co-operation which will continue in the making of a de lightful scat of government not only insofar as this may include the pub lic grounds, but also as it may con template the environment of the Capitol. Senator Beidleman is deeply in terested with other State officials in working out the comprehensive plan of treatment for the Capitol Park area and through him those who represent the State in public posi tion may be assured of the friendly Interest of the city and its people in all that pertains to the welfare of the Commonwealth and those in official life on Capitol Hill. In the near future the Chamber of Commerce will give a reception in honor of the folate officials and mem bers of the Senate and House and the opportunity will thus be given for further cementing the-pleasant ties which bind together the Com monwealth and this municipality. "pottttc* Ik By the Ex- Committeeman j Publication of the table of the offi cial vote of 1918 for congressional honors In the Seventeenth, or "Shoe string" district, as compiled by the return judges at Lewistown, affords an Interesting commentary on the way the voters of the eight counties of the district regarded the war by Democratic National Chairman 1 ance C. McCormick, his newspapers and his partisans and the horde of federal officeholders against Con gressman Ben Focht. In 1916 Con gressman Focht in a campaign mark ed by straight fighting on both sides won over George A. Harris, the Ful ton county cog of the Democratic machine, by 1,255. In 1918 Congress man Focht was assailed by McCor mick with all the poison gas that could be assembled and opposed by Senator Scott S. Leiby, the personal hand picked candidate of McCor mick, to show the president that if the national chairman could not muster up a candidate for congress in his "home" district he could elect one in the district "across the Sus quehanna. The result was that Focht won by 5,414. This, too, in face of the fact that Leiby in addition to having the McCormick nomination was also the candidate of the Pro hibitlohists. In spite of the stren uous efforts of McCormick and hts crew Focht carried every county ex cept Fulton and only lost that by twenty votes. Foclit's total vote was 16,762 and Leiby's 11,348. Another interesting fact in con nection with McCormick's fight against Focht Is that everyone of the eight counties in the Seventeenth elected a Republican legislator, even Fulton choosing an out and out Republican for the first time in years and the Democratic seat •in Juniata being lost. In the whole Seventeenth district the only sur viving Democratic legislator is Leiby, who was elected by an accident in 1916. —The Pittsburgh Gazette-Times is very complimentary to Harry 8. Mc- Devitt, the new private secretary, in an article on the man who will be in charge of the Governor's office. The big Pittsburgh newspaper says: "Harry 8. McDeVitt, of Philadelphia, who will officially assume his duties January 21 as secretary to Gov. Wil liam C. Sprout, has gone through a course oftratning in the last 14 years which gives him unusual qualifica tions for the position. As a news paper reporter, state economy effi ciency expert and lawyer, coupled with a wide acquaintance through out the state and topped off with the fact that he is possessed of a quiet courtesy which does not slop over, Mr. McDevitt will be of invaluable service to the Incoming executive." —The progress of the strike of Scranton municipal employees of certain departments has been watched with interest all over the state and it is possible that such oc currences may find reflection in bills for compulsory municipal wage arbi tration in the legislature. The ex perience of Pittsburgh is remem bered by quite a few people. —The visit of Prof. Frederick Rasmussen, the new secretary of agriculture, is being watched with interest by the Grangers and many persons connected with farming und politics. The new secretary, while a Republican, is said to regard the placing of the department upon an efficient basis as of infinitely more importance to the people of Penn sylvania than anything else. The changes that will be made in the personnel of the department will be made gradually, some of them prob ably not for months as the new sec retary will work out his plans and not interfere with the operation of the department for the sake of cut ting down some tall "weeds." —Considerable comment has been evoked by the interest being shown by Reading city officials in proposed third class city legislation. Reading had 96,071 population in 1910 and it is generally believed that the next census will show it well over 100 - 000 Jtr.d therefore in a class with Scranton and Pittsburgh, Eriq. Wilkes-Barre, Johnstown ana Har.- burg, the third class cities which have shown the largest growth, and Bethlehem, the newest and most energetic of the now cities, have not been heard from regarding their legislative plans. —Says the Philadelphia North America of to-day. "That Governor Brumbaugh has a little surprise in store for those who are expecting to see him fired from the 10.000-a-year post as his torian recently handed out to him by the war board, composed of the Gov ernor. Lieutenant Governor.McClain, Adjutant General Beary, State Treas urer Kephart and Auditor General Snyder, is the statement made by some of the Governor's friends. ' "According to rumors from Harris burg the Governor was made war historian with the understanding that he would not appoint any Judges dur ing the remaining days of his term. Soon after the announcement was made concerning the war board's ac tion. the Governor appointed former Assemblyman Snyder Judge of West moreland county, a little later nam ing First Deputy Attorney General Keller as judge of the Superior Court, to succed Judge John W. Kephart. elected a judge of the Su preme Court. , , . , "Some of the Governor s friends intimate that there are two reasons why he will not be tired. The first is that he never has accepted the post and never intends to; that the place was tendered to him without solicitation. The second reason is alleged to bo the fact that Governor Brumbaugh has made plans that would make It impossible for him to be the war board's historian, even if he wanted the job. It is understood that the Governor intends entering the national service in connection with a work similar to that which took him to Porto Rico at the close of the Spanish-American war. "Governor Brumbaugh reorgan ized the schools of the island. Just what the post the Governor has in mind is not stated, but friends of the Governor soy that he has all ar rangements made for entering the nationl service in connection with an Important school commission that will be engaged in reorganization work-" —Friends of A. Mitchell' Palmer, Allen Property Custodian, at Stroucfs burg yesterday, according: to dis patches, were all smiles over the news of the possible appointment of Mr. Palmer to succeed Attorney Gen eral Gregory. There is a difference of opinion as to whether the Demo cratic state leader would accept the offer if tendered by President Wilson. Mr. Palmer's paper, the Times-Dem ocrat, said: "Just how Mr. Palmer feels re- MOVIE OF A SOLDIER BACK INTO CIVILIAN CLOWES ByBRIGGS •tfse IT (UWCOIAJCIOUSLY SALUTES "GBSH! 1 ■p.DM'T TZ ~ \ STRAW<3£ To BE V AW OFFICER) MSAiu To SALUTg! (RSoUmW WA LKJ WSA(IINS REGULAR ive <3OT tue HAGIT CLOTHES A6AINJ " /A6AW UMCOWSCICUSLY ~~~ " Th£R6 1