Harrisburg telegraph. (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, December 19, 1919, Page 20, Image 20

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    20
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
FOR THE HOME
Founded 1831
Published evenings except Sunday by
THE TELEGIIAI'II PRINTING CO.
Telegraph Building, Federal Square
B. J. STACKPOLE
President and Editor-in-Chief
OYSTER, Business Manager
GUS. M. STEINMETZ, Managing Editor
A. R. MICHENER, Circulation Manager
Executive Board
'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 in this
fiaper and also the local news pub
lshed herein.
'All rights of republication of special
dispatches herein are also reserved.
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pi Newspaper Pub
lishers' Assoeia
tion, the Audit
Bureau of Circu-
IrijMhglffl lation and Penn
sylvaria Associa-
Ifii Si M at d Dailies.
fiSSSjfISB (31 Eastern office,
j&t Story. Brooks &
Sea S flfiS VB Finley, Fi ft h
By Avenue Building
QoflpSsalfc Western office,
'.fa SSJB* e Story, Brooks &
' Gas' Building,
" —• Chicago, 111.
Entered at the Post Office in Harris
burg, Pa., as second class matter.
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year In advance.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1919
Moderation is tltc silken string
running through the pearl chain of all
virtues. — FULLER.
WANT SAFE BRIDGE
THE Rotary Club has voiced the
opinion of many Harrisburg
peopie in petitioning Council
for the erection of a guardrail or
curb between the roadway and side
walks the full length of the Mul
berry street bridge. The fact that
two members presented at one meet
ing of the club practically the same
resolution and thnt the action taken
was unanimous, only serves to illus
trate the unanimity of public feel
ing on the subject.
A few years ago Council procured
the services of an expert to pass on
the need of such a safeguard and
the engineer employed reported that
it was unnecessary, since which time,
and notwithstanding this opinion, ac
cidents on the bridge have continued
to occur with painful frequency. One
of these days the city will be sad
dled with a suit for damages as the
result of an automobile skidding over
on the sidewalk and killing a pedes
trian or two. Already one accident
of this nature has happened.
Apparently, the public believes
some safety device should be pro
vided, but, of course. Council will
have to say what it shall be.
LABOR IS ORDERLY
THE New York World's observa- j
tions on the recent coal strike j
are interesting from the stand
point of those who mistakenly be- |
lieve that labor as a body is likely ■
to be swayed by reds and radicals I
and who fear serious attempts to
overthrow the Government. Says j
the World:
In the long list of American
industrial disputes, not one great
strike can be mentioned in which
there was so little disorder. With
hundreds of thousands of men
Idle, in many eases in want, the
victims of injustice, us they be
lieved, and most of the time see
ing no hope of relief, there has
been hardly a disturbance of
the peae. anywhere. Whether
wisely led in other respects or
not, labor resumes work with
clean hands.
There is nothing more reas
suring ill the present situation
than the record thus made. l,et
all alarmists, therefore, w-lio see
in existing unrest only dread
ful symptoms of violence and
pillage under Russian inspira
tion recall the bloodshed and
terror of railroad, steel and coal
strikes in formeT days, when I,e
nine and Trotzky were unknown. '
There can be no doubt that many j
nten involved in the steel and coal
strikes would have liked nothing bet- ;
•er than to have turned those indus- !
trial disputes into revolution, but the
rank and (lie of labor is intensely j
pro-American and not to be fooled
by the alien agitators who would
turn the prosperous United States
into another Russian shamble. The
answer labor has given to the rad
icals and "direct actionists" has been
• very much to the point. Even in the
midst of industrial disturbances it is
to the credit even of many foreign
born workmen that they kept their
heads and tempers cool and avoided
trouble.
WEST SHORE SCHOOLS
EVERY resident of the West
Shore should read what Pro
fessor Clyde Hoover has to say
with regard to the schools of that
district in an interview appearing in
Wednesday's issue of the Telegraph.
Professor Hoover says the people
erred when they voted down the
proposal to erect a central high
school some years ago. It will be
recalled that the high school loan
in question was defeated by the
votes of . only one district going
against '-ft. As a result, the West
Shore has three or four high schools,
each very good in its way, but none
within fifty per cent, as desirable
as a central school would have been
and as a whole costing more in taxes.
The West Shore is becoming more
and more one big community. The
time will come when Camp Hill,
Washington Heights, Lemoyne and
FRIDAY EVENING,
Wormleysburg, a* least, will be one
borough or city, with a possibility of
West Fairview and Knola under the
same governmental roof. These
towns have many interests in com
mon and if their public affairs are
wisely conducted they give promise
of growing even more rapidly in the
immediate future than in the past.
Good schools, as high in grade and
efficiency as those of the larger cities,
are most important in the develop
ment of these thriving suburbs. Pro
fessor Hoover's advice is good. We
recommend it to the attention of
West Shore people, and to the
school directors of that section es
pecially.
LONG AGO
AND SO we are to have a com
munity Christmas pageant this
year, with Yulettde music by
trained singers, wise men in the
costumes of the ancient East, shep
herds feeding real flocks by night
and all those other scenes and
incidents attending the Natltity.
Heigh, ho, it's a far cry, isn't it,
this elaborate program, compared
with the old-fashioned Christmas
entertainments of our boyhood days
in the "infant department" of the
little frame church where first we
learned about Christmas nxtd its
gentle Founder? How it takes us
back—we who have gray in our hair
and memories of Christmas past
as well as anticipations of the joyous
season just ahead.
You'll recall, of course, with what
pleasurable excitement you looked
ahead toward Christmas Eve and
that Sunday school entertainment,
and not even the awful thought of
having to appear before the whole
audience to "speak a piece" could
rob the occasion of the joyous thrill
thnt came with the promise of Santa
Claus on hand to personally pass
out gifts to all present.
They had a way of trimming
Christmas trees in those days that
seems to have become a lost art in
the past decade or two. Surely, there
are no such dazzingly colored balls
as used to hang from a thousand
branches of the big spruce they set
up in the very front center of the
Sunday school room of that little
church of fond recollections; and
there are no such wonderful white
doves now as rested in its branches,
no such gaudy chains of glistening
rainbow colored beads, no such
airily dressed fairies, no such amaz
ingly large horns-of-plenty, no such
unbelievably long strings of pop
corn. Some times we wonder where
they have all gone, and why the
Christmas trees of to-day are so
tawdry as compared with those we
used to have. Perhaps you may
have noticed.
And, oh, those Sunday school
teachers were a cunning lot. Keside
the tree they had built a wonderful
chimney of big rod bricks. It looked
real enough to have smoked. But
they couldn't fool us. No. sir. We
knew at once that these bricks
really were boxes filled with candy
and at the proper moment old Santa
himself would appear to present
each of us with one. Oh, we were
the wise ones, yes, indeed.
The entertainment was a mere
prelude to this climax, long though
the program always was. "Little
golden-haired Mary Magee, who
lisped, led off by reciting the verses
beginning:
"Hang up the baby's stocking.
Be sure and don't forget,
The dear little dimpled darling
Never saw Christmas yet,"
which you will admit voices a pop
ular sentiment even though it be not
the best of poetry. Then we all
sang:
"Jolly old Saint Nicholas.
Lean your ear this way.
Don't you tell a single
Soul what I'm going to say,"
with more volume than harmony,
and a shivering little victim was led
forward to recite:
'"Twas the night before Christmas,
When all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a mouse."
Only on one tragic occasion he
said it this way:
"'Twas the night before Christmas
When all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a louse,"
and almost got licked on the spot. I
After which somebody announced 1
that Santa would appear, and he j
did, and you got your candy-filled j
brick out of the chimney, and an j
orange from the teacher. said j
"Merry Christmas" all around and i
went home joyously to hang up your j
stocking.
Can any modern Christmas enter
tainment beat that?
Nay, for It lacks the miraculous
habiliments of memory and the
magic of childhood's happiest sea
son. It is a* line thing to have a
Christmas pageant, but wo wouldn't
exchange for it our memories, would
we. old fellow?
PROTECTING THE LAW
DECLINING to permit the brew
ers to make beer in the face
of the war-time prohibition
act. Judge VanValkenburgh set an
example the principles of which
extend far beyond the case at issue.
Judge VanValkenburgh says in these
times of discontent and public rest
lessness it is exceedingly important
[ that the majesty of the law be up
held, even to the point of ignoring
interests of persons or institutions
affected.
In this he is right. We have seen
all too many laws, enacted in re
sponse to public demand, set aside
upon mere technicality. This is a
dnngerous proceeding. The power of
the courts to overturn an act of the
Legislature should be used but
sparingly, and then only when the
law is clearly outside the provisions
of the constitution.
Judge VanValkcnburgh very prop
erly has passed the case along to the
Supreme Court, which lias shown an
Increasing tendency to favor the In
tent of the law rather than to place
its constructions merely upon the
letter.
""PoCtttcc Ik
By tile Ex-Committeeman
"The Commission made splendid
progress in the short time that it
was in session, in fact, it did more
than I thought that it would be able
to accomplish. It has studied im
portant articles and set aside those
which are not believed necessary to
amend and its preliminary work for
exhaustive inquiries is well ad
vanced." said Attorney General
William X. Schaffer, chairman of the
State Constituliomfl Revision Com
mission to-day. "Of course, it must
he understood that our work now is
preparatory. We have to study
the constitution and separate what
is considered as proper to stand and
get the rest into shape for holding
of hearings. Hut the work done and
the references back to committee
after the illuminating discussion
show that the members are thor
oughly imbued with the spirit of
the work."
It is not probable that the ques
tion of eligibility of the Governor
to succeed himself will come up
again, but soon after the holidays
there will be an interesting discus
sion on the <r tion of appropria
tions to charitable institutions.
George Wharton Pepper, who has.
by common consent, taken charge of
a proposed amendment, will advo
cate it before the committee in
charge of Legislative matters. It
is pretty well recognized by mem
bers of the commission that the re
ligious bond is an important element
in charitable institutions and the
idea is to allow appropriations where
denominational matters do not bar
anyone from receiving the benefits
of work or service.
—Another big subject for con
sideration- when the Commission
meets again will be the Department
of Internal Affairs. There is a
strong disposition to make the office
appointive. It is possible that Sec
retary of Internal Affairs James F.
Woodward will appear before the
committee in charge of this amend
ment to present his views nnd to
outline what the Department now
does and what it plans.
—The question of taxation has
only been stavted by the committee
in charge and it is considering not
only coal and other natural re
sources but the whole realm of cor
poration anil local taxation, co-op
erating in the latter with the com
mittee "on cities. It will take some
weeks before it evolves a general
scheme. The members will study
some data during recess and then
hear State officials.
-—While Col. John O. Groome re
sumes the activities of the oflice of
superintendent of State >Police after
two years' leave of absence on war
service, it is believed that he will re
tire early in the year and take
charge of his business in Philadel
phia. The name of Captain Lynn G.
Adams, in command of the troop at
Butler, is being much mentioned as
a possible superintendent. From all
accounts he is to come here to suc
ceed Captain L. F. Pitcher, the pres
ent deputy, who resigned to become
chief of police of Wilkes-Barre, of
fered to him some time ago. If
Adams is promoted to the superin
tendency it is said that Captain Wil
liam E. Mayer, in command of the
Greensburg troop, may become dep
uty. Both men arc veterans of the
State Police service.
—-Early steps for the organization
of the bureau of rural education will
be taken by Dr. Thomas E. Finegan,
the state superintendent, of public
instruction, who is rapidly regaining
his health. I>r. Finegan had charge
of this work in New York state for
years and is planning a big develop
ment of this feature of State work
in Pennsylvania.
—Here is an expression regarding
Governor William C. Sproul at Wash
ington from the Scrunton Times,
one of the big Democratic newspa
pers of the State: "Our own Gover
nor Sproul made a speech at the
meeting and also gave the represen
j tatives of all the states in the coun-
I try a chance to see him, size him up
j and get a sample of his goods. This
would be important if the Governor
I should turn out to be more than a
favorite son candidate. The reports
I in the press of the country indicate
| that the Governor made a good
speech and a favorable impression."
—James J. Garry, well known in
Democratic politics in York county,
will be chief sheriff's deputy in
York's governmental reorganization.
—The demand of the civil service
reformers that Mayor-elect Moore
restore Messrs. Riter. Van Dusen
and Bolger, the old civil service com
mission that Mayor Smith put out of
business, is being watched with in
terest as the new mayor has some
ideas of his own on the subject.
—lt looks as though the disposi
tion in regard to delegate candidates
in the Republican party is to let
things drift for a time. Friends of
Governor Sproul want to size up the
effect of his speech at Washington.
—The headquarters of the Repub
lican delegation from Pennsylvania
to the Chicago convention will prob
ably be in the Congress Hotel, where
the delegates held forth in 1916.
—Ambition of Ira G. Lutz to be
a candidate for the Democratic con
gressional nomination in the Berks-
Lehigh district is likely to upset
some apple-carts. There were hopes
that there would be only one candi
date. The Philadelphia Press has
this to say about places in that city:
"Mayor-elect Moore's selections for
his cabinet, now nearly completed,
savors little of politics, but much of
expected service. Fitness for the
place has evidently been the con
trolling test in each case. It is par
ticularly marked in the appointment,
of James T. Cortelyou for head of
the Department of Public Safety.
His career as chief postal inspector
in this city for the Federal Govern
ment was marked by much achieve
ment in the ferreting out anil bring
ing to punishment men who at
tempted to use the United States
mails for swindling purposes."
—The Philadelphia Evening Bul
letin, in an editorial on the Gerard
boom for the Democratic Presidential
nomination, says: "The required
summary of the candidate's platform
'To make and keep the country safe
for democracy,' is a reminder that
Judge Gerard hns been for some
time holdy at variance with Presi
dent Wilson's program of making the
world safe for democracy and sad
dling the United States with the
heaviest part of. the burden, notably
in his opposition to a mandate over
Armenia or any part of Europe or
Asia. It suggests that the voice of
Democracy in the United States—•
soelled with a big 'D'—which only
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
AIN'T IT A GRAND AND GLORIOUS FEEUN'? By BRIGGS
when You wake, up ome awful - And You CAN HARDLY Eat and You Do <3o out md
COLD Mobming RcALIiINC You Breakfast For vuoRRyVkJG TRV To vaJORK The .self STartcr
HAVJ6 OOLY A iSMALC. AMOUWT ABLT CR££KCL ™ b SotSNT BytJGe
-3ICK AT HEART You - AMD
.3 END FOR THE CAR AGE A FCW TORMS- "HT IT A GRR-RRAND
mam AMD HE Gets JWL < H p Goes nr no oOioijr
BUSY WITH sorv.e ETHCR — AND GLOR- R* ROOB
AMU MOT VJAVUR PEELIM' ?
speaks in whispers in the Senate, out
side of Senators Gore and Reed and
their few associates, may find ex
pression in the coming campaign and
insist on an American, instead of a
world platform."
—Members of the House Ways and
Means Committee presented a watch
to Representative J. Hampton Moore,
who soon retires from Congress to
become mayor of Philadelphia in
January.
Optimism in Czcclio-Slouakia j
[From tho Philadelphia Rodger.] j
There is so much of heart-rending j
horror and misery attendant upon |
tho efforts of war - bankrupted :
Europe to pull itself together that |
when men like Charles R. Crane, our :
minister in Prague, report that j
Czech o-Slovalua is "politically the
healthiest and sanest place" in
Europe, this first rift of blue in the
stormy skies of the central European
world cannot but be a cheering omen.
There is every reason, too, why
Americans should rejoice in the fact
that the Bohemians and their allies,
the Slovaks, are getting on an even
keel, since a great deal of the ex
ports which are of special concern
to us and which stood to the credit '
of Austria before the war and which 1
were even labeled "Made in Ger- |
many" really came from Bohemia, j
That country was the great indus- !
trial center, the real workshop of I
Austria-Hungary, since before the I
war what is now the Czecho-Slovak j
republic produced 90 per cent, of all |
the manufactured uroduets of the i
dual empire. But it is not only be- j
cause of our interest in their special- j
ized products that the new state is
j of concern to us, but because its con- j
stitution is modeled on American j
lines and that at present Czecho
slovakia is one of the bulwarks of
central Europe against Bolshevism.
It is only recently that President
Masnryk in outlining his plans of so
cial reform made an elaborate analy
sis of just how and why the Bo
hemian plan of moderate industrial
reforms was the opposite of Renin
ism. For in this connection he
warned his own people not to expect j
too much of industrial and social re
! forms or any kind of state-supported
industrial socialization. For, as he
put it. "the worker in the first stages
of extreme socialization of industry
may be worse off than under the so
called capitalistic regime, since so
cialization demands sacrifice not only
from the capitalists but also from the
workmen." Consequently, Masaryk
advocates a moderate series of re
forms in all those matters that re
late to industry and production, and
he has been careful to point out that
the new state should enc.ourqge that
"creative spirit of enterprise, that
ingenuous utilizing of giving condi
tions, that results in the creation of
new wealth. This is not a matter of
the socialism of distribution but of
the socialism of production." It was
in contrasting the proper and friend
ly relationship of capital and labor
working hand in hand that the
President pointed out how Reninism
is ruinism and that Renine and his
followers "represent only the eco
nomic and social primitive ideas of
the illitei-ate Russian muj'k."
It is common-sense ideas of this
kind that is putting Bohemia on its
feet more rapidly than any other
country in Europe. While the doc
trinarics tried to stampede the coun
try to radicalism in the troublous
days of enrly statehood the super
abounding patriotism and the devo
tion of the Bohemians have brought
about a new state of affairs that is
making all classes realize that the
concern of one is the concern of all,
and of the state, too. The homely
common-sense philosophy that un
derlies much of what Masaryk
stands for is summed up in* his
phrase, "I can put up with the ma
terialism of the hungry more enshy
than With that of the overfed." It is
this spirit that is tiding Bohemia
over its trials and makes its experi
ment in statecraft one after which
its neighbors to the north and cast,
especially in Russia, might well pat
tern.
President and (he Treaty
[From the Philadelphia Inquirer.]
Nearly all of the proposed reser
vations merely Interpret the dis
puted clauses in the Treaty In the
manner in which the Treaty itself
intends them to be interpreted. Why,
then, should the President assume
an obstinate attitude toward them ?
• • •—With the preamble elimi
nated all embarrassment- would dis
appear and silence would give eon
sent. The President ought to be
content with ratification when the
preamble had been cut out. But if
he is to insist that nothing wjll do
but ratification pure and simple, with
no explanations whatever, then will
he be the obstacle to the restoration
of peace and the establishment of
the League of Nations.
Let Us Have Daylight Saving
By Samuel A. Welldon
Vice-President National Daylight Saving Association
THERE are practically no op
ponents of daylight saving
among the residents of munici
palities. The opposition that caused
Congress to repeal this health-giving
measure over the President's veto
was largely representative of rural
districts. Without in any way at
tempting to undervalue the great
fundamental contribution of tho
farmer to our modern life —for we
know that without his efforts the
inhabitants of tho cities could not
live—tho National Daylight Saving
Association feels that there is no
reason why the objections of the
farmers should prevent the residents
of cities from enjoying the additioniil
hour of daylight.
Since the rural representatives in
Congress seized the opportunity
when some of the representatives of
the cities were absent from their posts
to force throughout the repeal bill,
there is only one way by which cities
can obtain the added hour of day
light, and (hat is by local ordinance.
Some confusion, it is true, may re
sult, but that the confusion so re
sulting is not serious, is evidenced
by the fact that Detroit and Cleve
land operated on the daylight saving
plan long before it became a na
tional law, and the citizens of those
cities and the territories surround
ing them found no difficulty in
adapting themselves to the schedule.
For this reason, the National Day
light Saving Association urges the
adoption of an ordinance substan
tially like the following:
. "The people of do
' enact as follows:
"The standard time of [insert
name of city or town] is that of the
[insert meridian] of longitude west
from meridian, except that at two
o'clock ante-meridian from the last
Sunday in April of each year stand
ard time throughout [insert city or
to\\*n] shall be advanced one hour,
and at 2 o'clock ante-meridian of
the Inst Sunday in September of
each year such standard time shall.
Christmas Snow
Seems to me in the Long Ago
We always had more of it—Christ
mas snow!
Drifts piled high in the road and
lane,
Crystals of snow on the window
pane,
The pines and the firs decked deep
and line
With the frozen flakes and the
creeper vine
Coated with it, from root to tip.
And the eyes of children all asliine.
And a song of joy on the childhood
lip!
The coasting hill, with its merry
crew—
And your reindeer sled, how the
heart of you
Back there with me in the Christ
mas snow
Beat with that joy of the Long Ago!
In the starry night way over the hill
You heard the creak of a wagon
wheel
On the frozen flakes —and the air so
still.
And the heavens as bright as pol
ished steel,
And the whole earth bound in the
winter thrill!
Seems to me it was different then,
And I often go in my dreams again
Sliding and gliding with lightning
speed
Down hi.l at Christmas, when
Christmas snow
I Covered the valleys of Long Ago!
Sleigh bells jingled with silvery
clang,
And the air was sweet with a frosty
tang
That bit the cheeks and pinched the
nose,
But tingled the blood with a
bounding joy
In thnt far-off land of the Christmas
snows
In the niemoried realm of the Bov!
—F. JicK.
New Mexican President
[From the Philadelphia Record.]
It is rather satisfactory news that
is brought by a Mexican lawyer who
has just arrived in New York, that
Ignacio Bonillas, Liberal candidate,
is likely to be elected president. Mr.
Bonillas was educated In this coun
try, and has resided here for somo
time as ambassador. He is ac
quainted with the American people
and Government; he knows our point
of view and knows our temper.
by the retarding of one hour, be re
turned to the mean astronomical
time of the [insert meridian] of
longitude west from Greenwich, and
all courts, public offices, legal and
ollicial proceedings shall be regu
lated thereby."
It will be noted that the proposed
ordinance turns the clock ahead one
hour on the last Sunday in April
instead of the last Sunday in March
turning it back the last Sunday in
September instead of in October,
thereby giving us five months in
stead of seven pf daylight saving,
which is believed to be sufficient, as
the amount of daylight actually
saved during March and October is
comparatively slight.
The Board of Aldermen of New
York City has unanimously adopted
a daylight saving ordinance. Pitts
burgh is soon to adopt a similar law.
Hoboken, Newark, Jersey City,
Worcester and in fact the majority
of the cities and towns in the New
England States and throughout New
Jersey and Pennsylvania, antT sis far
south as Richmond, have notified
the National Daylight-Saving Asso
ciation that they will follow the ex
ample of New York City.
The enactment of town and city
ordinances will make the adoption
of state laws easy. And with state
laws, if seems to advocates of day
light saving that Congress, realizing
its error, will restore as a Federal
act the statute for daylight saving
that ib wanted by a large majority
of the people. It was the intention
of the National Daylight Saving As
sociation to confine its efforts this
year to the eastern time zone, but
the movement has spread as far as
Utah. Chicago is preparing to come
into line, and contiguous territory
will follow suit. Many places on
the Pacific Coast want the daylight
saving law. It looks now as though
most of the country next year re
gardless of Congress, will enjoy day
light saving—"tho poor man's violet
I ray."
Paderewski Resigns
[From tho Now York Sun]
The fact that the great Polish
uusician has left the direction of
iffairs at Warsaw is no proof that
piano playing and the premiership
•ire incompatible. Nor does it indi
cate necessai 11 y a weakness in the
• wly-formed government. In the
absence of direct and complete in
formation we are justified in assurn
ng that Paderewski has simply car
ried out a plan to retire as soon as
ie could do so without injury to the
national cause.
The former premier has never
been accused of political ambition
apart from the desire and purpose
to aid Poland. Long before- there
was any apparent hope of such a
turn in affairs as should make in
dependence possible he showed his
iuality as a patriot. In hours of
darkness and difficulty he gave him
self and his possessions to the cause.
No mere opportunist would have
done that.
When the revolution arrived the
musician was the tallest figure in
sight. Men turned to him naturally,
not only because they had confidence
in his integrity but also because he
had shown other talents beside those
of pianist and composer. Public
confidence was justified. Under his
leadership a new ship of state was
launched. That will always be re
membered to his credit.
But the first crisis being past it
scarcely seems needful that the
hands which possess a skill so
unique should go on signing state
pnpers; that the mind so delicately
tuned up to universal harmonies
should be concentrated longer on
political complexities. There are
many politicians; there is only one
Paderewski.
Portable Houses Wanted
[From Commerce Reports.]
Due to the consideiable advance
in rents the mayor of Seville, Spain,
considering plans to house the work
ing classes. Rents have become so
high that many poor people are
forced to leave the city, and it is felt
the demand for higher wages would
cease, or at least be reduced, if lab
orers could find houses at a moderate
rental. f
As there is practically no lumber in
Spain for building wooden houses
and the expense of constructing
them- of brick is prohibitive, it has
been suggested to the civil authori
ties that portable houses might be
imported from the United States.
DECEMRER 19, 1919.
Treatment For Radicals
[From New York Herald.]
In a recent speech in this city
United States Senator McKellar, of
Tennessee, said: "Give the foreigner
who comes to our shores five years to
become an American citizen. If he
hasn't taken out his papers by that
time—started on the road to citizen
ship and finally reached that goal—
send him back to the country from
which he came."
The senator's plan of campaign
against the radicals and anarchists
who are plotting against the Amer
ican Government and American in
stitutions involves the sending of all
such people to the Philippine Islands,
thei e to be confined and restricted
until they become safe for America
to entertain. If that time is never
reached, at least these undesirables
are unable to work the harm they
contemplate. But, of course, there
is no good reason why they should
be inflicted upon the Filipinos.
These suggestions indicate how
seriously officials in Washington look
| upon the spread of radical activity
and how important they deem
prompt action by Congress. Addi
tional legislation is necessary, yet
! that is not all. There must be vig
! orous enforcement of the laws al
| ready on the statute books. Educa
! tion is necessary, yet that is a slow
I process and will not cure the social
I disease already here and in daily evi-
I dence. The deportation of Emma
j Goldman and Alexander Berkman
I will do more to varn the Reds and
! check their insidious activity than
j new legislation or efforts at educa-
I tion.
It is useless to attempt to educate
such people as the Gotdmans and the
Berkmans. Nothing: will change
tiieir nient.al strabismus or their so
cial vision. However sincere and
sentinicntal may be their cars and
their embraces as "comrades," the
fact remains that their ideas of the
mission of social and political organ
izations. their construction of the
term "American liberty" is wholly at
variance with the teachings of the
founders of America and the aims
and ambitions of their successors.
For years the United States has in
vited tho oppressed of all countri s
to come to these shores—come to
America, the land of opportunity.
This blessed privilege has been
abused. In the courso of time a
monster has been growing up,
crouching to devour America. It is
time to strike the monster!
h ailure of Watchful Waiting
[From the Kansas City Star.]
The existing situation in Mexico is
the direct consequence of the policy
of watchful waiting. If the Adminis
tration had met the issue vigorously
at the start, "If it had intervened to
protect American citizens, tho fear of
God would have been put in the
hearts of the Mexicans and the long
agony of murder and brigandage
might have been avoided.
But the policy of Quixotic idealism
of dealing with a backward and un
developed people as if it were on the
same plane with the United States,
Britain or France, has resulted dis
astrously. The Mexicans interpreted
the American attitude as due to fear.
It a direct invitation to them to
flout the authority of the United
States, and to mistreat American
citizens. They believed they could
plot against this country and organ
ize raids against it with impunity.
There is only one language that
Carranza and his followers under
stand—and it is not the fine language
of the President's notes. Interven
tion is bound to come. Delay has
simply enormously multiplied the
difliculties and expense.
Ring-Nosed Senators
[From the New York Tribune.] 1
The latest from the White House,
that the President "has no compro
mise or concession of any kind in his
mind," expatns why Senator Hhtch
cock, when in New York last week,
wrote one speech and delivered an
other; also why the administration
Senators, when asked on Saturday
to show the stuff of compromise they
hinted they were ready to offer, sud
denly became silent and had nothing
to say. The President won't let his
Senate supporters do as they wish.
He has ring-nosed them. They knew
he would jerk them painfully back If
they dared to travel their own path.
Feminine vs. Masculine
[From the Review.]
If masculine and feminine comedy
really differ it may be in their atti
tudes toward youth. The imagina
tive woman of middle ago, you may
say, regrets and worships youth,
while the imaginative man of middle
age regrets and laughs at it, or laughs
at himself for regretting it.
letting (Eljat
Whether the high price of turkey*
is the cuuso of men turning to raf
fles as a means of getting the
Christmas bird, as many of them un
questionably did Just before Thanks
giving, is correct or not, 1 the faot re
mains that there is more interest la
chance as a means of obtaining a
gobbler than in years gone by. Polio*
prohibitions and danger of raids da
not appear to be dampening tha
discussion at least and there are ap
parently many men who are going
to have their fun out of It ss wsM
as the opportunity to win a spent
men of the great American bird. 11
I is not at all hard to find out when
raffles arc being run, If what one
hears on the corners Is trne and a
good bit is also to be heard about
crowds that are going to the p
The remarks of people who talk
about such things are Interesting;
too, for they show a spirit of going
to get a chance on the bird as a fair
means of beating the high prtoea
It is not uncommon for men ts
board late cars carrying tuiiceys and
every story of how cheaply the fowl
was won arouses the latent instinct
to take a flyer. Just before Thanks
giving Day there were so many rafr>
lies run that people were laughing
about it and the police got busy.
Hut this time there are probably
more folks Interested and the high
cost of living comes in very nicely as
an excuse.
• • •
When it comes down to conserv
ing paper one has only to look at
tlL® amount that Is being blown
about the city. Take the River Front.
Cameron street and Market street
for examples and note the amount
ol* paper that chases about on the
winds, the quantities that Is thrown
out and carted away and the heaps
and heaps that decorate the wagons
that haul away refuse. At the present
price of paper boys could make as
much Christmas money out of gath
ering and baling it as some of us
used to do with iron and bones
around the early part of December,
in years gone by. There are quite
a few Harrisburg businessmen who
can recall what a find a horseshoe
was and how parents sometimes had
to hunt around for flatirons and
other articles of domestic use of
I whose disappearance they were ex
tremely innocent, at least, when in
terrogated.
In rega©l to the discussion of
women's suffrage and what is going
to happen when women vote Mrs.
John O. Miller, president of the
Stato Suffrage Association and one
of the guiding spirits that put ratifi
cation through the Legislature, made
some interesting observations yester
day. Mrs. Miller is here attending
the meetings of the State Constitu
tional Revision Commission, of
which she is a member. "As I
understand the situation," said Mrs.
Miller, "we believe that enough
states will have ratified the amend
ment to give women the . vote in
1920. Some information I have re
ceived indicates that the ratification
will ho complete in April. How
ever, 1 am not sure on that point. It
is my understanding that women,
when they vote, will have the right
in all elections, not exclusively na
tional or congressional, as some
people think. I believe that in our
State it has been taken care of and
that women will vote in State and
local elections just like the men."
A friend who read last night's dis
cussion made this remark: "No one,
you, Mr. Editor, if it pertains to you,
should get the idea that women will
make any bother for election offi
cers. If anything they will help
them out because women will study
the requirements and that's more
than some men do when they go to
register. And furthermore, I think
that the average woman will know
what the election is about and who
are the candidates probably as well
as the average man. Probably some
heads of families will be interro
gated at the supper table the night
before about the election and will
find that they will be considered to
have the information ready. You
are right when you say women will
have a wholesome influence about
the polling places."
*• - #
"You would be surprised to know
what a prominent place letters to
Santa Claus play in the Christmas
shopping of many men and women,"
said a down-town department store
man the other day. "Hundreds of
women bring these letters to the
stores and make their purchases in
full accord with childish wishes. One
woman came to me in great distress
the other day. 'l've lost my letter
to Santa,' she said, 'and I can't make
my purchases until I find it. Won't
you please help me hunt it?' and I
volunteered, but it was not until she
had left the store in distress that I
picked up the following missive and
I give it to you as a fair example of
what these letters are and in the
hope it will reach the eyes of the
woman for whom it was intended":
"Dear Santa:
"I am a little girl. I live in
the country. I am a good girl.
I don't very often cry, so I want
a lot of nice things. I would
like to have a go cart and a nice
big dolly that goes to sleep. A
doll bed and a nice big swing to
swing my dolly in, and if I ain't
asking too much, please give
me a nice, big roll rocking chair
and a blackboard, pencil and
some building blocks. And
don't forget dishes. Please
don't forget candy. My mamma
would like to have a new dress,
a pare of gloves and anything
thats nice.
"My father I guess don't want
anything for he don't say much."
| WELL KNOWN PEOPLE
jolin Cadwnlader, well knows
in Philadelphia / affairs, has been
elected president of Academy of
Natural Sciences.
—Mayor-elect J. Hampton Moore
says that he Is going to advertise
Philadelphia.
L. o. Emmerich, librarian of
Hazleton and active in securing a
library for that city, has been again
elected to the post.
—Judge William B. Elnn presided
at the Art Club's dinner to D. J.
Smyth, Philadelphia's new city so
licitor. V
—James T. Cortelyou, new direc
tor of safety in Philadelphia, is get
ting congratulations from all over
the United States.
—Col. Asher Miner, who com
manded the 108 th Artillery In
France, was speaker at a big ban
quet in Wilkes-Barre.
—Howard J. Potts, well known
here, has succeeded the late J. G.
Mohn, as president of the Reading
Trust Company.
| DO YOU KNOW |
l'liat llurrisburg made ma
terial for gun sights during tlic
war?
HISTORIC HARRISBVRG
I —The so-called "Buckshot" waf *
which was fought on Capitol Hill,
I took place in 1838.