Harrisburg telegraph. (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, December 12, 1919, Page 22, Image 22

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    22
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
FOR THE HOME
Founded IS3I
Published eveninga except Sunday by
THE TELEGRAPH PR I SITING CO.
Telegraph Balldlag, Federal Sqaare
R. J. STACKPOLE
President and Editor-in-Chief
F. R. OYSTER, Business lfaqaper
GUS. M. STEINMETZ, Managing Editor
JL R. MICHENER, Circulation Manager
EzecatlTe Board
'J." P.' McCULLOUGH.
BOYD M. OGLESBY,'
F. It. 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 in this
f aper and also the local news pub-
Ished herein,
rights of republication of special
dispatches herein are also reserved.
A Member American
rj Newspaper Pub
lAvnue_ Bu'ilffing,
l Chicago, 111.
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.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1919
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, :
guit you like men, he strong. — l Cor. |
!
1
COMMISSION S WORK
THE preliminary work of the |
State Commission indicates the |
purpose of the Commissioners!
to make a thorough and compre- i
hensive study of the big subject j
submitted by Governor Sproul.
It is obvious that the fundamental I
instrument requires some changing j
to meet present-day conditions, but j
it is doubtful whether there is any!
serious purpose to throw overboard j
the fundamental instrument which
has shown through the experiencej
of years the wisdom of its provi- |
sions and the comprehensive char- |
acter of its several articles and '
sections.
Radical proposals of every sort !
have been suggested here and there.
but the sifting process will likely j
prevent any serious disturbance of |
the checks and balances which are i
necessary in the basic law. Some 1
measure of relief, perhaps, may be
necessary in enlarging the home
rule of cities and this may be ac- i
complished through a reclassifica- !
tion of the municipalities of Penn
sylvania along the lines which were
practically agreed upon when the j
present Constitution was adopted, ;
but which arrangement was over
turned by the Supreme Court. It is
probable, also, that certain weak- j
nesses in the provisions affecting |
the executive functions ought to be I
carefully revised but withlout chang- !
ing the principles involved.
There is a real atmosphere of j
what might be called conservative j
progress in the early stages of the ;
Commission's work and it may be
assumed that no hysteria will be
permitted to influence its discus
sions or conclusions. All outgiv- ;
ing of a proposed constitutional j
convention and intimations that the
study now being made is simply
preliminary to such a contention
are purely gratuitous and so far
as any official opinion has been ex
pressed or implied are without jus
tification.
Generally speaking, the body of,
twenty-five is striving to ascertain:
through careful investigation and I
study the real needs of the Com
monwealth with respect to a revised
or amended Constitution. When the
problem shall have been thoroughly
studied from every angle it will be
time enough to talk about a new
Constitution or revision of the old
Instrument. Until then the people
of the State may be reasonably as
sured that nothing serious is going
to happen.
Don't forget the Toy Mission when
you are buying toys for your boys
and girls; the store people will be
glad to deliver your contribution.
WHERE PAPER GOES
ADVANCE copies of the third
annual report of the United
States Shipping Board have
just come from the press at Wash
ington. we are informed. It is an
cient history and most ,of it will
never be read by anybody. It em
braces 213 closely-printed box-size
pages and all the real news in it
could be summed up In a column.
Yet there are those who wonder at
the scarcity of white paper.
IN GOOD HANDS
HAVING approved the selection
of a negro educator of high
standing and character as sec
retary of the colored branch of the
association In this city, the Central
Y. sf. C. A. directors have thus en
dorsed an Important step in the ac
tivities that have been encouraged
among the colored people of Har
risburg for some time.
Many of our people favor this
movement and now is the time for
them to show their interest in sub
stantial support. Work of this char
acter cannot be carried on without
funds and the branch of the Y. M.
rKILA* liVJtJ.IN.UNU,
I C. A. for colored people ehould have
I the consideration and sympathy and
I aid of all good citizens. It is in good
j hands and the initial work has been
I organized along practical lines.
THE COAL STRIKE
THE conl strike being at an end !
the effects of it will be felt
upon industry for many
weeks, if not for the remainder of
the winter. The miners will go back
to work at a minimum wage in
crease of fourteen per cent. The
operators will be able to sell every
pound of coal they can mine. But
the public will continue to suffer I
until summer comes again.
The miners have lost J40.000.000
in wages. The operators have lost
I the profits on 35.000.000 tons of
coal. The public has lost far more
than that, and will continue to lose.
The public not only pays the bill;
it pays the interest, too. and the
rate just now is very high.
The government which finally
brought the strike to an end could
have done so earlier had it acted j
promptly, but it is useless to com
plain about that. The thing now to
do is to create a governmental com
mission for the settlement ot all
such difficulties before they reach
the acute stage. Such a body might
have prevented the mine strike,
which was a failure from whatever
point it may be viewed.
TAKE 'EM SHOPPING
IF YOU want to get the real
Christmas spirit take the little
: folks on a shopping tour.
Yes. we know you give 'em mone> j
and turn 'em loose or you let ;
mother take 'em to the toy shops.
But what do you get out of that?
The stores are simply brimming
over with things that speak right
out in meeting of the holiday sea
son so fast approaching. You can
get an inspiration by prowling about
by your lonesome, but if you de
sire to see in yourself a transformed
Old Scrooge and get back to your
childhood delight in the visitation
of old Santa, go shopping with your
boys and girls.
Fun? Why it's more fun than
Charlie Chaplin, and more re
juvenating than a bath in the Foun
tain of Youth. Throw dignity to the
winds, cut business for an after
noon, put your Christmas money in
your pocket, take the youngsters
with you and go shopping. You 11
find it a wonderful tonic and a great
generator of old-fashioned Christ
mas spirit.
AH, HA ; NOW WE HAVE IT
PROF. EINSTEIN. eminent
Swiss mathematician, tells us
that a "yardstick is shorter
when it is pointing east and west ,
than when it is pointing north and
south."
We believe there is something in
the theory and that it may have a
wider application.
Maybe that's why a pound ot
butter looks so small in comparison
with the price. And we guess that's j
what's the matter with the buying |
qualities of our fifty-cent dollars. j
If we knew how, we'd spend all
our money north and south, there
by, perhaps, preventing our pocket
books from being knocked galley
west.
THE ONLY COMPROMISE
BY FALSE insinuation,the Demo
cratic leaders are striving to
place the Republicans of the
Senate in an unfavorable light before
the country, picturing the majority
members as standing stubbornly
against the League when a "compro
mise" would have resulted in ratifi
cation, according to their claim. The
is that the Republicans did
make all the concessions many of
them felt they could without sac
rificing American independence and
American honor.
When the general terms of the
proposed League Covenant were
made public, 39 Republican Sena-j
tors joined in a formal declaration,
that they disapproved of the Cove
nant in that form and insisting that
the League question should be elimi
nated from the Treaty, peace terms
agreed upon and then the subject
of a union of nations for the promo
tion of peace be taken up separately
on its own merits. That was the
Republican attitude.
President Wilson would make no
concession to the body which, under j
the Constitution, must be consulted j
and its approval secured before any ;
Treaty can become effective. There j
was no spirit of compromise in him. j
He declared, in a speech in New |
York the day after the Senators i
signed their"round robin,"that when |
the Peace Treaty came to the United
States it would have the League
Covenant so intricately interwoven in
its provisions that it would have to
be adopted. And so it came.
Did the 39 Senators stubbornly
insist upon their carefully formed
judgment that the League question
should be eliminated and taken up
separately? They did not. Most of
those 39 men, any one of whom is
just as capable of serving this coun
try as President as is Woodrow Wil
son, and every one of them just as
capable of forming sound judgment
upon foreign affairs as is he, yielded
that point, although a few stood out
against the League Covenant even
after the reservations had been
made. Those of the 39 who voted
for the Treaty with reservations did
so notwithstanding their Judgment
that it would be better to make a
Peace Treaty without a League Cove
nant included. They were willing,
in a spirit of compromise, to yield
their Judgment in an effort to se
cure in legal effect the peace that
has already been practically ac
complished.
The Republicans made this com
promise. What compromise did
Woodrow Wilson make or offer to
make?
'poCtttco
"peiuuAfkrtuua
By the Ex-Committecman
j y
Governor William C. Sproul's
speech before the Republican na
tional committee is generally com
mended for its Americanism, the
only criticisms being by two Demo
cratic newspapers which print
frankly partisan editorials. The
Philadelphia Inquirer praises it for
its stalwart Americanism and the
Evening Bulletin is well pleased
with its sentiments. The Pitts-
I burgh Gazette-Times says that the
Governor "got right down to the
fundamental need of tlie country,
and the Philadelphia Press says it
was sound and strong.
The Philadelphia Public Ledger
finds some objections, one being
that it is "too colored by Pennsyl
vania conservatism. The Pitts
burgh Post in a violent Democratic
article calls the Governor "a parti
san" and invites the Republican
party to keynote the speech as much
as it wants, while the Democratic
Philadelphia Record suggests that
economy begins at home and takes
a whack at the selection of Dr.
William Draper Lewis as secretary
of the Constitutional Revision Com
mission.
—L. W. Strayer, writing from
Washington to the Pittsburgh Dis
patch says that William B. Wilson
will soon retire from the Cabinet
together with Secretaries Lansing
and Lane. Similar rumors have
been heard from time to time and
there is a hope here that if he
should retire that he will consent
to serve on the State Constitutional
Revision Commission from which he
resigned a few days ago in a letter
received by Governor Sproul in
Philadelphia.
j —Just what effect Wilson's with
; drawal would have on the Demo
cratic national committeeman fight
in this State is a matter of specu
lation. He would be for Palmer
for president but between Guffey,
Sterling and Dewalt there are some
who have doubts.
—Some of the Constitutional Com
missioners take the position that
if a large number of amendments
are submitted to the electors, the
voter will find it difficult to under
stand what is before him and the
amendments either will be defeated
or enacted by a minority of the
voting power of the State. In 1909
the Legislature submitted 11 ques
tions to the voters. The highest
vote cast on any of the amend
ments was 323.000, while in the
same election the candidates for
State Treasurer received 811,000
votes. It meant that almost 500,-
000 Pennsylvanians did not vote
either for or against the amend
ments.
—There are some members of the
Commission who want the question
settled as to whether or not there
is to be a complete revision of the
Constitution. They argue that this
should be done at once and there
is prospect that the matter will be
brought before the body next
week. If this is done the answer
will be made that a decision cannot
be reached until the committees
have determined what sections of
the Constitution need reconstruct
ing. There js an element in the
Commission that will fight for a
total revision.
—The Lancaster Examiner, one
of the representative dailies in the
eastern counties, takes the Gover
nor's address as the theme of an
editorial which says frankly that
the Republicans have made mis
takes in the past and that if they
heed the word of the Governor
they will make no more. The Ex
aminer says that it recommends for
"careful consideration," inasmuch
as he has not made any announce
ment. the Governor of Pennsylva
nia, adding "He is on the right
track to victory."
—The Pittsburgh Post is not
pleased with the work of the Con
stitutional Revision Commission and
devotes considerable editorial space
to saying so. It is like a good many
other newspapers of the State ap
pear to be, opposed to a constitu
tional convention.
—Senator Penrose will probably
remain at his home in Philadelphia
or in the vicinity until after the
Christmas holdays. He is notienam
ored of the idea of going south,
but wants to return to his work in
the Senate.
—ln the course of a discussion of
the $400,000 spent in the Philadel
phia mayoralty campaign the Even
ing Bulletin sets forth these cogent
facts: "Yet, there is no good rea
son why a campaign for the mayor
alty, the city council and a few
other offices should not have been
thoroughly and efficiently conduct
ed and the voters fully enlightened
on one-half or even one-fourtn of
that amount. So far as enlighten
ment is concerned, the newspapers
of the city furnish more of it to the
voters in a single week than the
politicians and stumpers are ordi
narily likely to do in a month. Of
course, there was an extraordinary
turnout of voters, both in registra
tion and as electors, but a rate of
about $1.25 as the cost for each
man is altogether too much, even if
it was all paid out legitimately."
—Many of the State newspapers
are telling of various changes
about to be made in county offices.
In Norristown newspapers it is In
timated that some house-cleaning Is
possible, while the Scranton Times
prints stories of shakeups in that
city's government and in the coun
ty offices as well. Johnstown, Clear-
Held, Erie and Greensburg newspa
pers also intimate that changes will
be in order.
—York County Commissioners
will elect McLean Stock, well-known
here, as county solicitor.
—Governor Sproul is expected to
name one of the water commission
ers soon after he comes here next
week.
—Judge Clinton A. Groman, of
the Lehigh county court, reappoint
ed Thomas J. Fretz and Peter W.
Frantz prison inspectors, and named
David M. Garrahan, lawyer, auditor
of the accounts of the fee-drawing
courthouse officials. John H. Sieger,
Frederick C. Schlechter, Herbert
Stauffer, George F. Kuhl, Allen H.
Focht, Charles Webb, John H.
Beidler ar\d Frank H. Frederick
were appointed members of the
board of road-viewers.
—The Philadelphia Press makes
this comment on the Sproul speech
at Washington: "On the whole, the
Governor has done very well in this,
shall we say. preliminary heat.
Whether or not he has yet deter
mined to be a candidate for the
Republican Presidential nomination,
he has certainly put himself in the
front row of Governors who are
likely to figure in the Republican
National Convention as favorite
sons."
Writing in the Philnde'ohia In
quirer, George J. Rrennan thus clas
sifies the Pennsylvania congressmen:
"Of the Pennsylvania Congressmen,
Thomas S. Butler, of the Chester-
Delaware district, the dean of the
delegation. has served twelve con
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
MOVIE OF A MAN PASSING THROUGH HIS ANNUAL BRAIN CONVULSION By BRIGGS
DeCIOBS- To for -nsM IM \SfiCONDS (NJ 3o SCCOMDS
CO*JC
OM VOH-VT pftAULT COLD PERSPI R ATJOfO pEAOV To
"lo GIV/C. WIPE <3-lv/e T LIP
FOR CMRiSTfvAAS *" < j
m 4-c vsecorJi>.s in 4S s£.con£>s in SO After a full
CPCOMG3 RED IN! NEARLY ©URSTS RCASON ALMOST MINUTe OF THOUGHT
rE Sloo D v s el &\\ies WAV
EXERTION
V i "
secutive terms; J. Hampton Moore j
comes next with eight consecutive j
terms; W. W. Griest, of Lancaster
six; Benjamin K. Focht, Lewisburg,
with six terms, although not con
secutively: Stephen G. Porter, Pitts
burgh, and William S. Vare, Phila
delphia, each five terms; G. W. Ed
monds and George S. Graham,
Philadelphia, Edgar R. Kiess, Wil
liamsport; Aaron S. Krieder, Ann
ville; John V. Lesher, Sunbury; John
M. Morin, Pittsburgh, and Henry
W. Temple, Washington, each four i
consecutive terms; Thomas S. Crago, |
Greene, four terms, but not consee- |
utive; Peter E. Costello and George 1
P. Darrow, Philadelphia; Arthur G.
Dewalt, Allentown; Malilon M. Gar
land, Pittsburgh; Louis T. McFad
den. Canton; Henry J. Steele,
Easton, and Henry W. Watson,
Langhorne, each three consecutive
terms, and John J. Casey, Wilkes-
Barre, and M. Clyde Kelly, Brad
dock, each three terms, but not con
secutive; Gay E. Campbell, Pitts
burgh: John M. Rose, Johnstown, |
and Xathan L. Strong, Jefferson,
each two terms, and General Willis
J. Hulings, Oil City; Milton W.
Shreve, Erie, and Anderson H. Walt
ers, Johnstown, each two terms,
but not consecutive, and Edward S.
Brooks, York: William J. Burke,
Pittsburgh; Evan J. Jones, Brad
ford; Samuel A. Kendall. Somer
set; Patrick McLane, Scranton;
John Reber, Pottsville, and John
H. Wilson, Butler, are all in the
first-term class. t
Popular Interest Sought
[From Pittsburgh Dispatch]
The proceedings of the commis
sion on revision of the State Consti
tution just opened at Harrisburg
should be closely followed by the
public at large. Unfortunately the
subject is too apt to be considered
dry and of little popular attraction,
yet the hearings and discussions,
should be of the highest value to
every citizen of the Commonwealth,
involving as they do the fundamental
law of the State and therefore af
fecting the people in countless di
rections, public and personal. Every
one can recall suggestions, proposals
and movements that have been sub
ject to the provisions of the present
Constitution, often to the dissatis
faction of large bodies of opinion.
This will doubtless be true of what
ever revisions may be made or omit
ted by the present commission. Yet
this is the time to think these things
out, to offer suggestions in the way of
eliminations, amendments or addi
tions. Properly considered, the Con
stitutional' Commission should pro-1
vide the basis for general discus
sion of the basic law, to the end that
the people of the Commonwealth
may consider it intelligently, to weigh
proposals thoughtfully and later to
vote intelligently upon whatever re
port is submitted by the Legislature,
whether for separate amendments
or for a new constitutional conven
tion to take up the whole question.
The good citizen, that is the man
or woman who takes an intelligent
interest in the affairs of State and
community, will follow the delibera
tions of the Commission with the at
tention the potentialities of the dis
cussion warrant. This is the real
politics, the science of government,
and the better it is studied by the
people the nearer we shall come to
genuine popular government.
Starved Saving For Family
[From the New York Tribune]
Somewhere In Russia a mother
and her three children are awaiting
the return of a husband and father
who left them several years ago to
acquire wealth in America. He will
never go back.
Frank Zabielski made the Journey
half way around the world in his
quest for a fortune. He had been
living in a small basement room in
Newark, N. J. f working hard and
skimping and saving. His bank
books show a balance of $1,125 in
one bank and $92 5 In another. But
he is dead. He died the other night
in the city hospital. Newark, and his
malady, puzzled the physicians until
County Physician Warren made his
report.
Starvation killed Zabielski, the
physician said. Mrs. Rachel Lippen,
to whom Zabielski had entrusted the
care of his bank books said he told
her he was saving money to take
back to Russia.
The Silver Trumpet
And the I.*)rd spake unto Moses,
saying. Make thee two trumpets of
silver; of a whole piece shalt thou
make them; that thou mayest use
them for the calling of the assem
bly, and for the Journeying of the
camps.—Numbers x, 1 and 2.
The Census
IX view of the fact that the tak
ing of the fourteenth census
of the United States will be
gin in a few weeks, the following
items from a bulletin issued by the
census bureau are interesting:
The first census of the United
States was taken in 1790, during the
administration of George Washing
ton. It related solely to population.
A census of the country's manu
factures was made for the first time
in 1810. Under the present law a
manufactures census is to be taken
in connection with the decennial
census and every two years there
after.
The sixth census, taken in 1840,
was the first one to cover agriculture
statistics, now one of the most im
portant parts of the entire census.
About 650 people were engaged
in taking the first census. The 1920
census will require the services of
ninety thousand.
The statistics of the first census
were published in one small volume
consisting of fifty-six pages. The
statistics of the 1910 census required
twelve volumes having an aggre
Princeton's Good Fortune
[From the Philadelphia Press] .
Everyone should rejoice at Prince
ton's good fortune in getting lifteen
million dollars or thereabouts from
one benefactor at a time when all
the machinery of the institution
with its army of alumni is on high
gear in a drive for another sum
almost as large as Mr. Frick's be
quest. Had the bequest come earl
ier the drive for an additional sum
of almost equal amount would
probably not have been undertaken
at this time. But the battle for an ;
additional endowment of $14,325,000 j
is already on. An unexpected gain j
at another point is no reason for |
stopping it. The university can j
make splendid use of both sums. The :
cause of higher education in this
country will be broadened and ex
tended by this great strengthening
of one of its best known and long
established institutions of learning. I
Even with this endowment Prince
ton will be no richer than several ;
other American universities. It will |
be considerably behind Columbia,
for instance, which is the richest
of them all. But Columbia and most
of the other greater universities
have many departments and sub
divisions among which their income
is divided, whereas Princeton will
have only its College of Letters and
School of Science to absorb its
funds. No law or medical or divin
ity schools will claim a share of the
income from this new endowment.
Its graduate college has its inde
pendent and separate endowment.
The Theological Seminary that
bears the name of Princeton has no
corporate or financial connection
| with the university and is itself one
of the richest of theological semi
naries.
Princeton University, though now
! highly concentrated in, its educa-
I tional opportunities, will doubtless,
| under the influence of these endow
| ments, branch out considerably.
I Such is the intention and in the
| enthusiastic language of President
Hibben, "this new and large endow
' inent means a bigger and a better
I Princeton than its fondest graduate
! has ever dreamed." There is still
jthe danger that Mr. Frick's bequest
1 from his residuary estate may prove
less than expected. Federal and
other taxes may still further de
plete it, and the fourteen million
drive may fall short of the goal
aimed at. Allowing for all these
possibilities, it still remains true
that Princeton University is the re
cipient of extraordinary good for
tune and well deserves warmest
congratulations.
High Fares
[From Boston Transcript]
"Did you point out to him the
beauties of the scenery?" asked the
suburbanite who had hoped he had
a customer for his home.
"Oh yes," replied the agent, "he
liked the scenery, said it was grand
—the trouble was, he said, there was
too much of it between the place and
his office."
Venuses Save Tailor's Dills
[From the Ohio State Journal]
Some of the girls in our wife's
favorite fashion magazine look as if
they were dressed to have their
measurements taken for comparison
with those of the Venus de Milo, but
we suppose they really are just going
to go to a party.
grate of more than forty thousand
pages.
There were 6,361,502 farms re
ported in the 1910 census, valued at
more than 40 billion dollars. The
1920 census is expected to show
more than 7 million farms. ,
It required eighteen months to
complete the enumeration work for
the iirst census in 1790. In 1920
the census bureau plans to com
plete the enumeration work for the
entire country in from two to four
weeks and announce the population
figures in less than three months
from the date the enumeration work
is completed.
Every census so far has disclosed
the fact there are more men in the
United States than women.
The ingenious machines used by
the census bureau to count, sort and
tabulate the information gathered
by the census enumerators will take
care of three hundred cards a min
ute, the counting machine can do
five hundred cards a minute and the
tabulating machine is capable of
handling four hundred cards a
minute.
Victors in Souvenir War
The Home Sector, the ex-soldiers' j
magazine, conducted by the former j
editorial council of The Stars and
Stripes, states that the desire to re
turn with souvenirs of the land in
which they fought oftentimes caused
American soldiers to endanger life
and limb in efforts to procure suit
able exhibits to hang over the man
tel in the house back home.
According to the ex-soldiers' maga
zine: "So far, about the only things
sacred to the national memory of
France, which have come through
the American prying und lifting peril
unscathed, are the stones of the Bas
tile, which are solidly cemented in
a modern sidewalk.
"Even the most precious posses
sion of the Louvre in Paris did not
come through entirely untouched by
vandallstic Yankee hands. Unfor
tunately the Venus de Milo is of
marble and too bulky to fit in its
entirety even an army overcoat
pocket, but these handicaps did not
deter an American permissionnaire.
The details are vouched for by an
American woman who lived in Paris j
during the great part of the war and j
who is known by name to thousands I
of doughboys.
"One day a soldier, who was a
member of a party she was guiding,
approached her triumphantly:
" 'See this little piece of stone?"
he said, rolling a chip of marble
between his thumb and forefinger.
'Guess what it's from. It's off the
statue of the lady—the famous one
without the arms that's kept inside
that iron railing at one end" of the
gallery. There was nobody around :
when I was there, and I saw that 1
there was a loose piece near the bot- I
torn. It came off awful easy.'
"The Blarney stone is lighter than
it used to be, if one can believe the ]
boasting tale of an American soldier.
The hero of this tale related how he
had allowed himself to be swung
by the heels out from the castle walls
while he conscientiously knocked oft
a piece of Ireland's sacred relic with
a smaller and tougher rock."
Harnessing the Giant
[/"rom Atlanta Constitution]
H!\fi movement that has been put
under way by a group of America's
foremost scientists and financiers in
tended to speed up the development
of the water power resources of the
United States, would, if carried to
the extent of its possibilities, bring
about the solution of this country's
fuel problem for all time to come.
It is estimated that the undevelop
ed hydro-electric power resources of
the United States amounts to approx
imately 100,000,000 horse power,
having an annual value of not less
than $5,000,000,000.
These estimates are staggering:
and especially so when considered
in connection with the acuteness and
enormity of the existing fuel short
age that has been brought upon the
country.
The feasibility of the development
of the hydro-electric resources of
the country, and the economy and
profit resulting from the substitution
of electricity for steam power—and
in many localities its use for domestic
heating as well as lighting and pow
er purposes—have been so thor
oughly demonstrated by experience
as to make further argument super
fluous, and yet, in some of the most
favored localities in the country re
sort to a utilization of this source of
energy has been most pitiably neg
lected.
DECEMBER 12, 1919.
An American to Americans
[From Pittsburgh Gazette-Times.]
The business man of sterling
Americanism spoke yesterday when
Gov. William C. Sproul addressed
the Republican National Commit
tee. The Pennsylvania Executive
got right down to the fundamental
need of the country when he de
clared that "we must prepare not
only to clean up the government
mess in which we find ourselves, but
we must lay our plans for restoring
our nation to the position of respect
which it once held." Preparing and
planning at this juncture mean get
ting ready for the presidential elec
tion next year when, by orderly
constitutional means, a change of
government must be made by the
people. We have had almost seven
years of impractical idealism to the
great hurt of the country. The de
mand now is for practical states
manship at the seat of government
to recover America for Americans,
to establish better relationships be
tween labor and capital, to revive
economy and business management
in administration, to secure a firm
handling of the Mexican situation,
to find a sound solution of the rail
road problem, and to restore Ameri
canism and constitutional govern
ment.
In war we wandered far from the
accustomed paths if democracy;
such temporary expedients as were
necessary in the emergency which
then confronted the country. But
the Democratic administration ex
hibits no ability, if it have the dis
position, to relinquish its war-born
powers to meddle with a great va
riety of personal affairs. Paternal
ism of government is growing rather
than diminishing, costs are mount
ing when they should be declining.
The Wilson administration truckles
to the fomenterp of unrest when it
should, and would if it had prac
tical business capacity, adopt firm
policies in the interest of all the
people. Gov. Sproul said: "If we
will come down out of the fool's
paradise of extravagance and ineffi
ciency in which we have been soar
ing and got back to work in earn
est, our troubles and even our debts
will soon vanish." He knows. He is
representative of the practical busi
ness capacity and statesmanship of
the Republican party and it is a
most hopeful sign of better things
for the entire country that the Re
publican party in this critical'period
is united on principles and policies
that are essential to our common
welfare. Gov. Sproul truly sounded
a keynote at Washington that will
augment the rallying of the hosts
of Americanism to the Republican
| party banner.
Eclipse Trip "Hoodooed"
[From the Boston Globe]
Word has been received from Prof.
David Todd's sun eclipse expedition,
Amherst College, attributing its bad
j luck to the fact that the sailors were
"hoodooed" by the number 13. The
'ship Elinor steamed away May 13;
| thirteen sailors, were assigned to the
: four life boats, there were thirteen
port holes on each side of the vessel
| and the ship became totally disabled
ion the Equator June 13.
When the Elinor reached Pernam
i buco, Brazil, a storm smashed the
sea wall of the harbor and crushed
the hydroplane that was to take the
Brazilians on a flight promised them
by Professor Todd.
At Bermuda the sailors conspired
to desert the ship and were prevent
ed by the captain's steaming at once
j for the deep sea. •
Professor Todd left the ill-fated
ship, but failed to observe the eclipse
and could not get other transporta
tion home.
Street Name Twisters
[From the London Express]
Some of our street names in Lon
don are not beautiful, but at any
rate, we avoid lengthy "tongue"
twisters," such as they have on the
continent.
In Paris there is the Rue des Pre
tres - Saint Germain l'Auxerrois,
which is almost as bad as the Rue de
la Montagne aux Herbes-Potageres
in Brussels.
But these are simple compared to
another thoroughfare in a suburb of
the Belgian capital, which boasts the
name of Ongeschlldezilverenoeker
nootjestraat. It is said to mean
"the street of the little unpicked sil
ver nut."
Sore
[Boston Transcript]
Don'clia come 'round In yer leather
coat
Onless youse want to get our goat.
Jest been nicked eleven for shoes.
An' we puts de blame on guys like
youse-
iEtrotmg (Mfat
People who have been visiting
Harrlsburg since the coal situation
became acute have been saying some
things which indicate that they con
sider the Pennsylvania State Capital
fortunate in more than public im
provements and public spirit. They
have been remarking upon the fact
that the city is one of 10,000 that
does not have to bother about the
fuel supply for its essential indus-
Thoy m, Kht have added the
State Capitol, too, because the Com
monwealth's ofllcers have been most
active in buying up the fuel that is
dredged from the bottom of the
river and have divided the output u
that is to be had for effort with elec
tric, heating, traction and other util
ity companies' purchasing agencies.
The State has stocked up a consid
erable quantity of "Susquehanna
beans" as some one facetiously
termed the river coal that is called
buckwheat by others and dredgings
by still others. When the coal short
age occurred in midwinter of 1!>18
the State Capitol was one of the
places that kept warm and there was
no cessation of business required.
Incidentally, not a few people got a
chance to see the building under
pleasant conditions. Now the Capi
tol bins are well tilled and as for
the utilities they have huge mounds
of coal stored In various parts of the
city. There is one in particular near
the Ninth street plant of the electric
company and another at Second and
Division streets. South Harrisburg
having a few young mountains. The
two squadrons of the river coal fleet,
one above and the other below the
dam. have been working without re
gard to the weather and even mov
ing flats filled with coal around on
Sundays. The coal fleet men say that
they will keep at work as long as the
ice permits and that each one of
the periods of high water that has
occurred since September has
brought down considerable coal.
Last winter the coal fleet was busy
most of the weeks and the marin
ers are hoping that the weatherman
will hold off until January before
issuing orders for the ice bridge on
the Susquehanna.
Men who have been lnfnting in
the South Mountain district say that
the number of does in the woods at
this time exceeds those of former
years by twenty per cent, and prob
ably more. The increase of deer
under present day laws 1s shown by
tlie comparison with other game.
The other day eleven Harrisburg
hunters conducted a drive through
the mountains near the Cameron es
tate and saw in all a total of eleven .
deer, most of them does and one of
them a young fawn. The same party
scared up only three pheasants and
old hunters of the district say that
deer are actually more plentiful in
that part of the country than the
smaller feathered game which have
been hunted very closely. "Unless
some better protective measures are
undertaken we shall shortly have no
more pheasants in the South Moun
tains, where they used to be very
numerous and where the cover is as
fine for them as in any part in all
America," said one of the men who
has tramped these woods for years
and knows every foot of them. "I
believe that foxes, owls and other
beasts and birds that live on bird's
are even more to blame than the
gunners," he continued. "For ex
ample, X was with a party of deer
hunters the other day and from 8
in the morning until dark we saw
only four pheasants, while one of
our number saw a red fox which got
away and another killed a big gray
fox. Two foxes to four pheasants
shows how the proportion stands,
and the fox shot was fat and in the
best of condition, showing that he
had been feeding well." Harrisburg
hunters have been impressed with
the scarcity of pheasants this year
and are considering ways and means
whereby the numbers may be in
creased.
• • •
"With the close of the hunting
season in sight County Treasurer
Mark Mumma and Deputy Josh E.
Rutherford are preparing for the
issue of 1920 dog licenses. Mr. Mum
ma will go out of office January 5
but many applications are being re
ceived now for licenses and they
will begin issuing them soon. Treas
urer-elect Oliver C. Bishop will come
into office January 5 and for the first
ten days he and his deputy will be
kept busy issuing the licenses. The
last day to secure a 1920 dog license
tag is January 15. Incidentally, Dau
phin county set a new record for
the total issue of hunters' license,
J almost 12,500 tags going out of the
treasurer's office. Just before the
fall season opened the treasurer was
furnished 9,750 licenses, but these
were issued before the rabbit sea
son opened.
• • •
Sessions of the Constitutional Re
vision Commission have been at
tracting some attention from law
students, a number of whom have
been at the Senate chamber to listen
to the reports. More wil> attend
the debates which will begin prob
ably next week. Hampton L. Car
son, the former attorney general,
said yesterday that he was just clos
ing his student days when the con
stitutional convention of 1873 was
sitting in Philadelphia and attended
the debates of that historic gather
ing.
[ WELL KNOWN PEOPLE "
—Judge Mayer Sulzberger, of
Philadelphia, who is attending the
Constitutional Commission meeting
as a member, is accompanied by
his brother.
—J. J. Flannery, prominent In
Pittsburgh financial affairs, has been
seriously ill.
—Ernest L. Tustin, new director
of welfare in Philadelphia, has gone
to western cities to make some stud
ies.
—General W. J. Latta, former sec
retary of internal affairs, made an
address at the Philadelphia veterans
flag presentation last night.
—Major W. G. Murdock has been
attending the reunion of Philadel
phia engineer units.
—Judge G. A. Baldwin, of the
Beaver county courts, let nine radi
cals go on promises to sever connec
tion with a communist society, *">
—John R. Barbour, mentioned for
the vacancy in Pittsburgh city coun
cil, is president of the Pittsburgh
Stock Exchange.
y DO YOU KNOY |
—That Harrisburg's Are de
partment is one of the few en
tirely motorized systems of cities
of the third class?
HISTORIC HARRISBtTRG
—The Citizen fire engine was in
Army service in 1863 when the forts
were built on the west shore. It
was used to pump water to the in
treuchments. *