6 HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH A NEWSPAPER FOR THE HOME Founded 1831 Published evenings except Sunday by THE TBLEGHAPH PRINTING CO. Telegraph BnlMlag, Federal Sqaare E. J. STACKPOLE President and Editor-in-Chief F. R. OYSTER, Business Manager OUS. M. STEINMETZ, Managing Editor A. R. MICHENER, Circulation Manager Exeeatlve Beard J. P. McCULLOUGH, BOYD M. OGLESBY, F. R. OYSTER, GUS. M. STEINMETZ. Members of the Associated Press—The Associated Press is exclusively en titled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited ih this paper and also tka local news pub lished herein. All rights of republication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. I Member American Newspaper Pub lishers' Assoc ia- Bur'eau of Circu lation and Penn- Associa- Eastern office Story, Brooks & Finlaar, Fifth Avenue Bulhßng, Story. Brooks & i Chicago, n U u' dlnK ' Entered at the Post Office in Harris burg, Pa., as second class matter. By carrier, ten cents a week; by mail. $3.00 a year in advance. People eeldom improve token they have no model but themselves to copy after. — Goldsmith. I — | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1919 GOOD SELECTIONS TWO excellent additions have been made to the membership of the Harrisburg School Board in the appointment by the court of John F. Dapp and the election by the board of George W. Reily. They are high type citizens and already there are indications that they will make their presence felt in a man ner highly pleasing to the taxpay ers. Both Mr. Dapp and Mr. Reily have been prominently identified with all manner of war work enter prises and have given generously of their time and money They have been interested in public improve ment projects for years, know the city"thoroughly and are optimists as lo the future of Harrisburg. Both the court and the directors are to l'c congratulated upon the selec tions. ON HIS 189 TH BIRTHDAY Tr\l'HOPE hits n Mt of primary In "l terests, tvliich to an have noae, ' or a very remote relation. Hence she muat he engaged In frequent controverities, the causes of which ore essentially forelan to our eon ecras. Hence, therefore. It must be unwise In us to Implicate ourselves by artlflclnl ties In the ordinary vicis situdes of her politics, or the ordin ary combination and collisions of her friendships or enmities. Our detached and distant situation Invites and enahles us to pursue a different coarse. If we remain one People, under an efficient govern ment, the period is not far off, when we may defy material Injury front external annoyance; when we may take such an attitude as will cause the neutrality we may at nay time resolve upon to be scrupulously re spected. When belligerent nations, under the impossibility of making acquisitions upon as, will not lightly hasnrd the giving ua provocation! when we may choose peace or war, as our interest guided by justice ahall counsel. Why forego the advantage* of no peculiar a situation f Why quit our oar own to atand npon foreign groundf Why, by Interweaving our dratlny with that of any part" of Knrupr, entangle our peace and pros perity In the toll* of Knropean ambi tion, rlvnlsblp, interext, humour or caprice ( Tl* our true pulley to ateer clear of per mum cat alliances with any por tion of the foreign world; HO far, I mean, n* we are not nt liberty to do It—for let mc not be undcratood as capable of patronizing Infidelity to existing engagement*. (I hold tbe lnavim no lena applicable to public than to private utrairs), that honesty Is (always! the best pulley. I re peat It, therefore, let those engage ment* be observed In their genuine sense. Hut in my opinion It Is un necessary and would be unwise to extend thorn. Taking care always fu keep anr sclves, by aaitablc eiitabllahmentß, OR a respectably defensive posture, we may safely trust to temporary sl llaaces for extraordinary emtrten eles. Harmony, liberal Intercourse wltb all nations, ure recommended by policy, humanity and Interest. But even our commercial policy should bold an equal and Impartial bundi— neither sceklnK nor granting exclu sive favours or preferences; eon salting the natural course of things; •—diffusing and diversifying by gentle means the streams of commerce, but forcing nothing; establishing with powers so disposed—ln order to give to trade a stable course, to degne the rights of our merchants and to enable the government to support them r~ conventional rules of Inter course, the beat that present circum stances and mutual opinion will per mit; but temporary, and liable to be from time to time abandoned or varied, as experience and circumstances shall dictate; eohstantly keeping In view, that 'tis folly In one nation to Is ok for disinterested favors from ft most pay with a portion of Its Independence for w hat- SATURDAY EVENING, | ewt It mar anrpt under thnt chnr ' meter tkat by mark mceoptnnce. It I mar Place Itself In the eondltlon of | bavin* given equivalent* tor mona | Inal favours and yet of being: re proached with Ingratitude for mot tlvinc more. There can be a* grremter error than to expect, or calculate upon real favours from nation to nation. Tin un Illusion which ex perience must cure, which a just pride ongrht to 'discard. 7 George Washington In his farewell address. DON'T DO IT HE TELEGRAPH can see small reason in the proposal to abandon the Technical High I School for the co-education plan suggested by several out-of-town ' educators brought here to tell us j what we ought to have in the way of . / ; high schools. This newspaper is j convinced that the school board will make a grievous mistake if it enters into any such scheme. The Technical school is admittedly one of the best institutions of the kind in the country. It has re quired years to develop it to its present high state of efficiency. It | is Just beginning to acquire the tra dition and school spirit so necessary to the success of any educational institution of its type. The report of the experts deals solely with buildings. But a building is not a school, by any manner of means. X building is merely the shell around the school. The school itself is the institution, and this alone should I give those who fire back of the plan ! for the abandonment of the Techiji j cal school pause for thought. | Nor docs this newspaper look with great favor upon the co-educational plan of education for Harrisburg, whatever may be its successes else where. It is unquestionably true that the Technical High School is a better school than the 00-cduca tional Central High School ever was. Its spirit is better and the results attained there are superior. This is so apparent even to the casual ob server that it requires no demonstra tion, but if proof is needed it can be found in the records, we have no doubt. The whole rebuilding scheme has been badly bungled. Wo may as well admit that now. The best re sults have not been obtained that could have been procured for the money at the disposal of the board if prompt and united action had been taken. But let us not add an other error to the many. Let us not blot out of existence the only real high school the city has for the < doubtful experiment of co-education. Even from a dollar and cent standpoint it would seem the height of folly to tear out all of the ma chinery and special equipment pro- ! vided for the Technical school, do a | lot of costly remodeling and then j pay out a lot more money for the | installation of more such machinery and equipment in another building I to be erected at the expense of the taxpayers. We shall have to have more and better evidence than has been presented to convince us that the policy recommended is wl3e in any respect. , , Dr. Downes is unquestionably light in his choice of a location for the proposed new High School. North street, fronting on the Cgpitol Park extension and facing the Technical High School, is not only centrally located, but to place a school there would be to follow out the general plan for a civic center about the Capitol. There is some question as tb the size of this sito being sufficient, Dr. Downes believes. Very well, then; does this not fit in with the idea of * enlarging the Technical High.School to take care of all the boys and the erection of a school on North street to house all the gtrls? Such a school for girls would not have to be. nearly so large as if designed lor both boys and girls, and the Technical High School would be saved. Tho Technical High School enlarged and a new- High School for girls. It would seem would be the cheapest and best way out of a difficulty that might have been avoided If blunders had not been made at the very beginning. ________ • REGULATING TRUCKS GOVERNOR SPROUL IS ve r>- properly interested in the regu lation of motor trucks so far as their operation on State highways is concerned. There must be some limit to their alze and weight, and it would seem tbat they should be licensed according to their capacity and horse power, the larger the car the higher the fee. This for the reason that the heavy cars are very hard on the roads and they should be made to share in the up-keep of the high ways in proportion as hey are de structive to road surfaces. Hnrrisburg has suffered through the unrestricted use of paved streets by trucks almost as large as freight cars. The sume is true of countless public roads in this vicinity. The need of some regulation is apparent. On tlie other hand, we must bo oareful not to be too hard on a_ means of transportation just coming into popular favor, in the rural dis tricts especially, and which promises to bring the town and country much more closely together than ever be fore has been possible. The motor truck is going to be a big factor in solving urban and inter-urban local freight problems in the future and is fast making the small shipper In dependent of the railroads for his short hauls. A maximum ,of weight should be fixed which would at once protept the roads from cars danger ously heavy and permit a proper de velopment of this useful typo of mo tor driven vehicle. j fMUcs H By the Ex-Committeeman j ' Pennsylvania's Legislature which lias just completed one month of business sessions has just 825 bills before it. Three bills have reached the desk of Jhe Governor, one car rying the irmney to meet deficien cies in the State government, hav ing been approved. Both branches have heavy calendars and there will be much activity in the committees during the coming week. Practi cally every committee of the House which has bills in its charge will meet next week. Senator T. L. Eyre, Chester, leads the senators in number of bills pre sented, having introduced eighteen of the 253 in hand. Senator 11. W. Sehantz, Lehigh, is next with six teen, followed by S.enator G., W. Sassaman, Berks, with and Senator A. F. Doax, Philadelphia, with thirteen. On the House side, where there have been 572 bills presented, Repre sentative J. A. Walker, Philadelphia, leads with eighteen, a numer of them being election code changes; Representative W. F. Stadtlander, Allegheny, is second with fifteen; Representative James A. Dunn, Philadelphia, third with thirteen, and William Davis, Cambria, fourth with eleven. Next Tuesday for the first time in decades Pennsylvania will have two speciiil elections for senators to suc ceed the members of the upper branch of the Legislature vho were choson governor and lieutenant gov ernor by the people. The elections will be held in Dauphin and Dela ware counties. Radnor township, Delaware, will have a special elec tion on a debt increase the same day. On March 4 a special elec tion to choose a congressman to suc ceed the late K. E. Robblns, of Oreensburg, will be held in the Westmoreland-Butler district. The Republicans will win. Duplicate inspection by attaches of various branches of the State government is to be ended by ex ecutive order in a very short time. Since Governor William C. Sproul took office some investigations have been made as to whether the prac tice turned up a year or so ago of men connected with various depart ments and, indeed, inside of some departments, duplicating work, and the result is said to have been the discovery that the practive thrived last year and was being continued. In some instances it has been cur*- tailed, but enough has been unearth ed to demonstrate that some of it is still going on and orders from the Governor's office to stop it are likely to be sent out shortly. The duplication of inspection work has been found to exist in the depart ment of health and labor and indus try. Health department attaches have gone into industrial and hotel establishments which have also been under the supervisory eyes of fac tory inspectors and in some instances virtually the same work"\ has been done. Reports of similar character on identical features have been found. One of the results may be that the whole system of inspection in these departments may be brought under a system of co-ordination and limitations placed whereby the men will not tramp at each other's heels. It is also possible that some system of interchange of reports which A'ould do away with the "lost mo tion" may be devised. Discovery by some of the rural members who remain' here for tho week ends that a number of the bills they presented have not yet been lifted from the offices of the clerks of the House of Representa tives by chairmen of committees in spite of the admonition of Speaker Robert S. Spanglcr for them to get to work bids fair to precipitate some action next week. Literally dozens of bills were found not to have been taken out after being re ferred and when this was found out, after the speaker had urged chair men to get the legislation commit ted to them, caused much unfavor able contment. The chances are that the offend ing chairmen will be called to ac count when they arrive Monday and that there will be more meet ings of committees next week than in any week. Whether the mem bers will get oht their hills is a question. Speaker Spangler in his statements has asked for action, not necessarily favorable action, but to get the committees to work on hills. Many ob the measures in hand will not see the light of day and a few which were much advertised are now thought to,be contrary to some administration ideas. Battle signals were being flown here today by members of the State Teachers League against the propo sitions of Auditor General Charles A. Snyder for a new minimum salary list for teachers and they will be here to combat It on the ground that rural teachers would get most of the benefits and that It would give parsimonious school boards too much control. The league Is com posed of teachers from alt over be State and put through the retire ment bill and is hacking measures to give teachers increased salaries. Mr. Snyder has advocated a plan which would call for about $1,600,- 000 yearly from the State In addi tion to what It now gives, but ben efit over 18,000 teachers. There have been some suggestions of a compromise, but the auditor gen | eral has not changed his attitude. HAKUSBCRG AlSt TEI.EGR.APH COVLD HE HAVE STOOD THI STESTT ... By BRICGS — ~ \ fiH ME Think'- "U THE\ j What OJO YOU J OUNKE was TWO- 'THREE Tuts Hot_e MR. I Foott- OUT 'ini Fiv/e OM The vj^ sH ' MG tO/M ' '5 si* - three Belated Honors For Governor ' Cur tin (Philadelphia Inquirer) Everyone in Pennsylvania will wel come the bill which has been intro duced in the senate to authorize the erection of a statue of former Governor Andrew G. Curtin, in the rotunda of the capitol at Harrlsburg. The wonder will be that we have not lone: ago had some worthy reminder of this rare old patriot who ranked among the greatest of the Civil War governors, and who was a constant source of strength and inso.ration to Abraham Lincoln. Governor Curtin was the man of the hour in Pennsylvania at the time the nation was in danger. He was a tower of strength, not only in his own com monwealth, but throughout the country. His calling of the famous Altoona con ference, by means of which the gover nors of the loyal states pledged their support to the president, was a master stroke, and was one of the things which helped to save the union. It not only assured the United States of material hut it was the means of arous ing popular enthusiasm, without which the cause of the North would have been seriously handicapped. Few men are now living who took part in public af fairs those dark days, but the survivors can testify to the importance of the keeneyed and courageous man who was then governor of Pennsylvania. It is highly appropriate that amonu ment to his memory should be placed in the rotunda of the stately capitol at Harrlsburg. Its unveiling might be made tie' occasion of a great patriotic gs'.h crlng to do honor to one of the greatest governors of the Keystone state. The Black Regiment Clear in the ebon sky Wonders are shown to us. Great constellations gleam Day left unknown to us. Comets and p'anots wheel Ever victorious. In the black firmament Stars shine most glorious. Clear has the ebon man Marvels revealed to us, Valor and sacrifice Has he unsealed to us. Stnr march and comet rush. Ever victorious, In the Black Regiment Mars shines most glorious. McLandburgh Wilson. —From the New York Sun. No Arrangements Made Mr. Tumulty has been requested not to prepare a spontaneous dem onstration when the President reaches home.—Front the Toledo Blade. Text For the Day The prudent man foreseeth the evil and provideth an extra tire.— Froht the Newark Advocate. LABOR NOTES Toronto and Motreal, Can., have been hit harder than any other place in Canada by the closing down of the munition factories. In December, 1918, the manufac turers of Now York State expended for wages a sum larger than any which has so far been recorded. This amount was 6 per cent, greater than any similar one in November and 28 per cent larger than the totat expenditure for wages in De cember, .1917. The textile manufacturers of Zaragoza in Central Spain have peti tioned the official cotton commit tee for permission to run their mills six days of the week for the reason that this is necessary to complete contracts made before the publica tion of the decree limiting working days. From January 1 to October 31, 1918, there were 157 strikes in Buenos Aires, 25 of which-were gen eral and 12 of which resulted in violence. The strikes affected 61 trades and 121,400 employes and re sulted in the loss of 450 working days for the workmen affected. An agreement entered Into by the members of the International Hold ers' Union of North Americn and the foundrymen of Wheeling Va.. and vicinity contains the following provisions: Tha* eight hours consti tute a day's work for all molders r>nd coremnkers: that the wage rate be $6.50 for the basic eight-hour working day: all overtime shall be pafd for at the rate of time and half time, and that all worir done on Sundays and on holidays sha'l be paid at the rate of double time. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SUNDAY tLOSING To the Editor of the Telegraph: The article published in the Sat urday evening issue on the Sunday j law, was clear as to why the pres , ent law should not be changed, and it should be read by every man and womnn in the state. There are many reasons why every man and woman who works, should use every means In their power to protect the Sabbath day, and to keep the present day on the law books of the state. As stated in the article referred to above, "The Great God and Creator," after working six days, rested on the seventh. He also later in the ten commandments given to man, commanded that a man do no work on the seventh day. He oven in his mercy, in cluded the animal. "Surely he knows what was best for mankind." and the "good and true" friends of the laborer who had the law of 1794 put on tho law books of the state should be commended and hon ored for protecting man from the abuse ant] tyranny of those who at the time was oppressing man whom they made work from "sun up to sun down" for a day's work and were like those of to-day who would have men work every day In the week to satisfy their lovo of greed and pleasure. There are men living to<tay who remember whrti 12 hours was con sidered a days work. Then before the days of labor organizations it was changed to 10 hours, and after labor began to cpnbine for their own benefit tjiey succeeded in having the time reduced to 9 hours, and in many places a Saturday half-holiday and finally tho work day was re duced to 8 hours. But it took years of agitation and work to bring it about. The above being true, why in the name of "Common Sense" don't every man and woman who works rise up and protest against any changes in the present law? A law that was framed to insure every man a day of rest and pne that they can call their own. It is the greatest boone ever given to mankind. Where is the man or wo man who works that does not look forward to It as the the work of toil draws to a close? What a miserable place this world would be without one day off In seven. It would bo to use the expression "Hell on earth." It is not the true American who is clamoring for a change in the law. Look around on any Sunday and see who It Is who keeps their stores open if you do, you will find that the foreigner whs has come into our country during, the last decade and has proceeded to do business on Sunday, thus setting aside our cus toms and Institutions and defying our law, in order that they can satis fy their greed for money. They are not good American citizens, but it is the duty of good citizens to see that tliey are made to respect our customs and obey our laws and be come law-abiding. There is a certain crowd who for what gain they can get out of It are doing what they can to have the law chanced who claim that It is against personal liberty and that the people should have the right to en joy themselves, that the shows and stores should be allowed to be kept open to allow people to have alj the pleasure and luxuries they want. How ridiculous! It Is fair and just that one .set of people should he compelled to work seven days In the week In order that another set who can afford it can satisfy their whtms and desires? us he delivered from that kind of "personal liberty." j Tt seems to the'writer that the host for all concerned would he to keep the present law and enforce It to the limlj. By doing so we will come nearer to doing our duty to ourselves and to our eoun-try as good Ajnerican citizens. In conclusion, why Is it that us ually it is the men who claim that they are always working and striving for the betterment "of the working man's conditions, are the ones who ccy the loudest about the cruelty I or the law of 1794 and insist upon Its change or repeal? "Surely they do not Imagine thev could formulate a law that would be more humahe than the Almighty originated. I know that they cjalr" ihnt time and conditions change, hut God never H. T. POLLOCK. Trade Opportunities Washington machine or choice flower bowl to exchange for wheel barrow.—Advertisement in Portland Oregonlan. A Tribute to the Dog To the Editor of the Telegraph: When members of the Grand Army of Liberty gather together in future years, dogs that served in the war should be saved a warm place by the lire, for they, too, are veterans. Here is a tribute to our fricpid, the dog, that deserves a place beside the words of Senator Vest. In Johnston, N. Y„ Dr. J. Aspin wail McCuaig, a Scotch-Canadian, was recently addressing a great audi ence assembled in one of the the aters in observance of Britain's Day. At a point in his address the at tention of the speaker was called to a dog that walked into the theater and was attracting general attention as it strayed down the aisle. "Let no one touch that dog," crioa Dr. McCuaig. "Let no one put liim out. It's proper he should be here. The best friends of the British sol diers on the field have been their dogs. They fought beside the lion; they help the lion vin. I have at home an Trisli terrier who wears a service star. His brother is at the front with the Irish Fusileers. We are not sure whether or not he will be coming back. The casualty l'st of dogs has not yet been published. It is proper that this dog should be here to-day. He represents his kind. Had I my way I'd Invite him to the platform. T'd cover him with Red Cross decorations. I'd wrap around him the flags of nil allied nations— to let the world know, this Britain Day, what the British owe to their dogs. Let no one touch him. He lias a right to be here." H. E. //is Dog (He Also Serves Who Only Wags and Waits.) I'm sure I snni excitement in the air— Perhaps he s coming home! If 1 could know! But up and down the street and ev erywhere I've watched about a hundred years or so; Y'ett somehow 1 expect him any day— With cheers and shouts, as when he marched away. And when I hear that whlatle, and you see A streak of dog, in frenzied hap piness. You'll understand! He'll pat my head and say; "Hel.o, old pal! You missed me some 1 guess!" I leap to kiss his h<nd, and then— * oh boy! I wonder it' a dog can die of Joy! —LAUUA SUMMONS in Life. Belittling Britain's Bart The editor of the Villager a, small but widely quoted paper published in Katonah, N. Y., strongly criti cizes General March's recent state ment giving the numbers of the al lied forces on the western front the day the armistice was signed: France came iirst, America second and Great Britain, with the help of Portugal, third. The editor's ob jection to the statement was based on the fact that a false impression was given by the chief of staff in his failure to mention the existence of British troops on other fronts— Bulgaria, for instance,-or Jerusalem, or the Caucasus. "He mentioned Archnagel," says the writer, "but he did not let us know how many British troops there wero throughout KOssia and Siberia, how many not only at Vladi vostok, but a continent away at Omsk—in- short, General March made no mention of the fact that pretty nearly wherever the sun of November 11 set Its last rays shone in the eyes of British tlghers." An Ozark Arcadia Mountain township, in this coun ty, is without a Justice of the peace, a constable and a road overseer. The only qualified ofllcer, a Justice, re cently moved out of the township; the candidate for constable failed to comply with the election law, and the road overseer-elect is not eligible to serve because he Is not a qualified citizen of the township.—Happy Valley Correspondence Arkansas Oa zetto. Lesson in Nomenclature A sympathy strike is called a sympathy strike because It alienates about eight times as much sym pathy as It excites. —From the Houston Post. FEBRUARY 22, 1919. BOOKS AND MAGAZINES Among the recent orders that have come to Harper & Brothers from London is quite a pfyenominal one for "Harper's Electricity Books for Boys," by Joseph H. Adams. It ap pears that the growth of mechanical industries during the war has pro voked an even stronger ambition than formerly in the minds of the English boys to go in for electricity and engineering. In "Harper's Electricitj' Book for Beys" the author has opened his subject with simple explanations about electricity, slew ing how a boy may apply these prin ciples in real practice at home with a few tools and little expense. Sim ple batteries, push-buttons, switches, and other smaller appliances are the things the lad is first taught how to construct. Then telegraph and tele phone and other wider systems are brought within the boy's possibilities, including electro plating and numer ous other miscellaneous applications of electricity. Frederick William Wile,-author of "Explaining the Britishers" (George H. Doran Company), gets at the fundamentals of the British soul and talks cricket and Yorkshire pudding, believing that the understanding of large things depend greatly upon the comprehension of customs dear to the British heart. This is what he says about cricket: "Cricket is English temperament and character is composite. To our way of thinking, of course, the game isn't in the same street with baseball. I never met a Yankee who could keep awake during a whole cricket game, which isn't so surprising, see ing that a real cricket match can last three whole days: and English men have fallen asleep at a World's Championship matfh between the Giants and the White Rox. Cricket to us is slow, old-fashioned and un exciting. Baseball In Englishmen's eyes, is no'sy. nerve-wracking and upsetting. In the fact that cricket is deliberate and baseball spontan eous, we get. In my opinion, very close to the main difference in the English and American make-ups." , Former Ambassador David Jayne Hill, who for several years repre sented this country at the Berlin court, has. in his recentlv published book, "impressions of the Kaiser." let other opinions join With lifs own in order to reveal the perfidy of the ox-emneror. Among the opinion quoted Is that the distinguished alien ist. Dr. Charles Mercier, who says: "Tf the English King-Emperor were to act as the German emperor acts: tf he were to change his dress a dozen times a day: if he were for ever boasting and brage-lng and call ing to God to witness what a splendid creature he is; if he were forever rattling big sabre and blustering about mailed fists and shining armor . .we might well question his sanity.. If a king of England were to behave thus, he would Inspire only dislike and disgust and contempt. But the : Kaiser Is not the King of England. I He Is the German Emperor, and the Germans like his conduct: It suits them." The author of "Impressions of the Kaiser" firmly that, by Wil helm TI. every horror h's hordes | have committed is regarded as quite right, proper annd Justifiable, fully | in conformity with moral law as he | understands it. Not to Mention Smell The Michigan Legislature is now considering a bill providing that eggs be sold by weight only, but we still incline to some little choice by flavor.—From the Grand Rapids Press. Exalted Tactics Mrs. Knicker Henry. I must say— Knicker—My dear, I beg you not to start a discussion until after I have had the last word. To Any Mother ' If Fate had crossed your path one day. With lofty mien and gentle voice, And said, "I have within my sway Two gifts: I grant your choice." And one had been an artist's fame. With laurels fair to grace your brow; The other, motherhood, the same Love blessings you have now; And you had counselled with your heart. Would you have chosen Love or Art? Yet there be women, nothing loath. Who smile on Fate, and win them both. —Mary Gow Wadsworth In Life. Bmtmg QHjat Secretary of the Commonw(&.U Cyrua E. Woods, who is custodian < the records of tho commonwealt and to whom are addressed numei ous and varied inquiries for infoi mation of an official character, hi Just received wijat is probably tt most unique request for facts ov received at tho Capitol. It cam from a man in an eastern count who asked the secretary to pleat search tho records and ascertal whether an ancestor of the man wh wrote the letter had been legally c: ecuted by hanging. Tho IcttT ind rated that ho desired tho informi tion for family uses and was exceei ingly anxious that it bo cstabllshe front the archives of tho commoi vtealth. Tho execution took place 1 1790, according to the secretary' correspondent. Search will bo mad and the information furnished if can bo obtained, but in accordanc with the rules of the department n names will be made public. N< long ago Mr. Woods was addresse by a citizen in a western county wh said that he wished his commlssio as a notary public to be signed b the new governor and himself an that to accomplish that desired an he wished he would not have th documents made out until after th Inauguration had taken place. j Acquisition of over 20.300 acrri c forest land in Union, Lycoming an Clinton counties by the State For estry department this week wi make the aggregate acreage of th Pennsylvania forest reserves ove 1,050,000. These reserves are i twenty-seven counties and it is ex pected to add materially to th state's holdings in the west thi year. The acreage west of the Alle ghennies is small and some of wha is sought will have to be bought sub jeet to coal and other under surfac rights. • • • White rabbits bought in the Stat of Maine for distribution to Centra Pennsylvania game preserves hav been found not up to the mark aw several consignments have been sen back. Investigations are being mad to ascertain whether a better qiialit; can not be obtained in other state and also to get the reason why th Pine Tree State cottontails are no in better physical trim. Owing t the fact that thousands of rabbit in Central Pennsylvania died las year from disease the State official are disposed to be very careful abou imported stock and efforts aro bein made to trace the cause of the in feotion which brought about th drop in the number of "bunnies." One of the reasons advanced is tha tne previous winter was extraordi narily severe and rabbits which sur vived were weakened and fell ai easy prey to disease and that th young were poor In vitality. Dt Joseph Kalbfus, secretary of th State Game Commission, who ha been seeking quail in Mexico for dis tribution to the central counties am to restock some of the eastern pre serves has had word that the qua! are being trapped and that som< will be shipped to this State as soor as weather conditions are safe anc the food to be obtained is what th( birds are acc.ustome4 to eat. Th< mistakes of previous years are no going to be repeated if the game ofli cials can prevent it. Pheasants arc being sent out generally b" the gamd men. More deer will bo bought irj Michigan and it is hoped to secure some good animals in March. "Well, Harrisburg is not the onlj place which is having its trials and tribulations as the result of police affairs. Look at Chester and other cities, and especially Philadelphia," said our old friend Mr. Observer to day. "There are few police forces which are ideal, but nine times out of ten it all goes back to failure to endorce discipline in little things. Greater abuses follow. Take the mn just out of the army. They are com mencing already to exert an in fluence on daily life and some other fellows look slek beside ttyem. • * Tt is improbable that any display of cannon of various wars will be made in Capitol park until after the German cannon which It Is ex pected to secure for this community through Congressman Kreider are here. The State is moving to get some of the guns, too. and eventually there will be an interesting array. The cannon of the Revolution, the three pieces presented by General I.afayette. now at the State Arsenal, the cannon of the war of 1812, the two captured Mexican cannon and various Civil War and Spanish War pieces will be available then. Most of these pieces of ordnance are now at the State Arsenal and the State Board of Public Grounds and Buildings will arrange with Adjutant General Beary for the display. WELL KNOWN PEOPLE [ —Congressman J. Hampton Moore, of Philadelphia, says he gets his pleasure out of writing news letters. . One of his series appears weekly in a Philadelphia evening newspaper. —Congressman B. K. Focht served in both branches of the Leg islature before being promoted to Washington. —Congressman John M. Morin used to be director of public safety in Pittsburgh. —Congressman W. W. Griest was for years clerk to the County Com missioners of Lancaster county. —Congressman T. W. Tcmpleton is head of a big greenhouse firm in Luzerne county. —Congressman Thomas S. Butler, of Chester.county, conies of Quaker stock, but is an advocate of a big navy. —Congressman Henry W. Temple, of Washington, Is a college profes sor and one of the most learned men In Congress. t , DO YOU KNOW 1 —That Harrisburg Is In the ' midst of a flbc small fruit belt and lias big possibilities If they arc worked? HISTORIC HARRISBURG ln old days Harrisburg used to get some of its vegetables from Northumberland and Huntingdon counties by flatboats. Quite Tolerable [From tthe Daily Oklahoman] New York newspapers are terribly alarmed about what prohibition is going to do to this country. Pro hibition will do for the Nation as a whale Just what It has done for every individual who haa tried it. It will make the Nation clean, effi cient, selfrespecttng and decent. That may be a sad fate, but the Nation will bear up under It *ll right.—From the Dally Oklahoman.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers