Republican News Item. VOL. VII. NO. 36. } Better Than £ lam better prepared \ ? than ever to supply your C s wants in ) $ Clocks & V C AND STAPLE JEWELERY, S j I invite your inspection v \ at your earliest S s convenience. \ S RETTENBURY, ) $ DUSHORE, PA. The Jeweler. S 112 112 HARDWARE No PlacS* Place For Reliable STOVES and RANGES, COAL OR "WOOD HEATERS; ONE OP WINTER'S GREAT DELIGHTS. House Furnishiug Goods, Tools of Every Description, Guns and Ammunition. Bargains that bring the buyer back. Come and test the truth of our talk. A lot of second hand stoves and ranges for sale cheap. We can sell you in stoves anything from a fine Jewel Base Burner to a low priced but satisfactory cook stove. Hot Air, Steam and Hot Water Heating and General Repairing, Roofing and Spouting. Samuet Sole^usftore,fa. The Shopbell Dry Good Co., ~-" h- 313 Pine Street, -iIWILLIAMSPORT, PA. The Sale of Muslin Underwear IS AT ITS HEIGHT. Don't let the best things go before you do your shop ping. All the low prices previously advertised are still current. Every garment fresh from the best manufactur ers in the land. We urge you to examine them carefully. Note materials, workmanship, style, trimmings and every other detail. At the Linen Counter. Here are goods and prices that will surely interest the "head of the house." Real Irish Damasks, the perfection of fineness and finish, new spring patterns. If you are ready for a few new cloths or a dozen of Napkins, never a better time than now to purchase them. At 50 Cents We are showing a very superior quality of bleached and unbleached Table Linen in neat patterns that are worthy of con sideration. At 75 Cents We sell 72-inch wide unbleached and full bleeched Table Linen, very heavy Scotch or Irish sort. They come in a large variety of new, neat designs. We own them cheap and you're going toj get the benefit. Subscribe for the News Item LA PORTE, r SULLI VAN COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1903. Our SI.OO Quality full bleached Table Damask is a leader that has never been equaled. Their white satiny surfaces show in strong relief many new striking designs. Pro nounced cheapness is unquestioned. Then we have napkins to matoh all paterns. At $1.25 to $2.50 Our assortment of pure Irish satin fin ished Table Damask is complete. There is a firmness and grace about these that nothing but pure flax can give. Then the designes you'll be fascinated with. LINEN SETS Damask Cloths and Napkins is a large variety of designs and qualities that range in price from f5.00 to $23.00 for the set. We are showing some new Lnnch Cloths, Centerpieces, Carving Cloths, Scarfs, Doilies and Squares. [ coumvjEws I STiiXS Happenings of SSSEjr* Interest to Readers Tose. He will carry back with him the memory of a delightful evening full of social pleasures and material good things. Among the recent festivities was a dance at Hotel Alleghany at which Mrs. "W. H. Vanßuskirk entertain ed a large circle of friends. On Friday of last week Miss Ada Chase returned home from an ex tended visit with friends in Tren ton, N. J. It is in order now to give her a reception. As she does every winter, Mrs. Ingham entertained the young peo ple of the village at Hotel Eagles Mere on Tuesday evening of last week. She holds a large place in the hearts of the young people and that of course makes for her the very warmest friends of the fathers and mothers. Not to be behind the procession Ulayton Dunham took possession of lis father's house last Tuesday and llled it full of his friends at which le had the absolutely necessary as sistance of the oldjpeople. Mr. A. C. Little came up and ipent part of the day on Friday tak- ' ng in the situation, and Frank Lit ;le has concluded to stay two or three veeks with Mr. and Mrs. Hainan. We r.grct to hear that on last Friday Mr. John Converse, engineer >n the Eagles Mere railroad, was in ] >sme way jolted or thrown from the ■mining board of his engine near the iplash dam above Sonestown and suffered very severe injuries to one >f his knees. The Doctor says the , endons are ruptured so that he wijl irobably be lame for life. Some doubts are expressed about he Sones Mills being able to keep •unning during the extremely cold weather and our community is some what fearful that if the mill shuts iown it may result in the abandon ment of the trains on the Eagles Mere R. R. which would be much to be deplored. Dr. Voorhees is filling his ice house at Sonestown with a supply cut by Captain Chaso on the Lake ind taking it down by railroad. He mys it is better and cheaper than anything else he can do. Supt. W. H. Pletcher of the Chau tauqua with the assistance of Geo. W. Smith is gathering logs and load ing them on cars to be taken to the little mill down at the Falls and be sawed into planks and lumber for use in and about the Chautauqua grounds. Nothing but fallen tim ber is used and the growing trees are carfully protected. MVNCY VALLEY. Mr. M. Donovan were called to Laporte on Thursday of las* week to attend the funeral of the former's grandchild. Masters James and Donald Miller, and Bertie Slarr are on the siek list. Miss Mable Hazen of Sonestown, was the guest of Miss Myra Long on Friday. Mr. O. P. Johnson, an aged and respected citizen of this place, and father-in-law of J. P. Miller, died last Saturday night at ten o'clock, at the age of 81 years, 6 months and 28 days, and was buried on Tuesday of this week at Sonestown. Mr, Johnson was a resident of this coun ty all his life. He is survived by a widow, two sons and one daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Taylor en jbyed a sleigh ride to Eagles Mere on Sunday. , Miss Blanch Miller has returned to the Normal School at Blooms burg. X SONESTOWN. Harry Sharp, the thirteen year old son of Mrs. Rose Fairman, was bur ied last week. The boy had been unable to walk for many years being a sufferer of curvature of the spine. Mr. M. P. Gavitt who has been seriously ill, is able to be out again. Chas. Weed of Williamsport is vis iting his sister, Mrs. Geo. Hazen. Mrs. Alonza Converse is visiting relatives at Wilkesbarre. Walter Lorah last week returned to State College where he is taking a course in Civil Engineering. Mrs. Elmer Lowe of Muncy has been visiting her sister, Mrs. Sarah Robbins, and assisting her in the care of her mother, Mrs. Anna Lit tle who has been sick. A delightful party was tendered Orville Hall last Wednesday even ing, it being the occasion of his 19th birthday. A large crowd was present and thoroughly enjoyed themselves until 2 a. m. John Converse was seriously hurt on Friday. His knee is broken and head cut. On coming from Eagles Mere, he rode outside on the engine with a board as snow plow and when hav ing no further use for it where the road was blasted among the rocks, he placed it as he supposed securely, and himself continued near the bell, on th« running board. The board jarred from its position and threw Mr. Converse between the engine and rock with the above mentioned result. Miss Myrtle Ellison of North Mountain is visiting here. "smmic. Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Kilmer have begun housekeeping in part of the house occupied by Frank Packard on Water street- Abalines Rightmire had the mis fortund to mash his hand in a feed cutter last week, consequently a large number of friends and neigh bors were invited to a wood bee on Thursday. H. H. Green spent Saturday at Hillsgrove. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Mingle of Sen eca Lake, N. Y. are visiting the lat ter's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Reubin Wilbur. Miss Lottie Fanning of this place was married on Christmas to Mr. Calvin Fleming of Crooked Creek, Pa. The happy couple are at pres ent visiting the lady's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Elisha Fanning. Mr. and Mrs. Sammy Rightmire and family of Eagles Mere, visited relatives here last week. Mrs. Fred Manley is visiting her sister, Mrs. Herbert Foster. Miss Julia Brown is visiting her aunt, Mrs.JChas. Hines at Lake Run. Lew Wheeler and family of Owe go, N. Y. is visiting at W. H. Fan nings. E. G. Salisbury, who is teaching school at Newellton, was home over Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Allen Rightmire of Caldwell, Clinton Co. are visiting relatives here. Miss Josephine M. Strong died at Boulder, Colorada, on Dec. 6, aged 17 years and 5 days, the daughtei of George H. and Delia Strong. Ten years ago the then little girl's mother died in McCook, Nebraska. The child was cared for there by rel atives for a year, after which she in company with her grandmother came east to reside with her uncle, Smith Strong, at Muncy Valley, and where she lived four years. She then went to Judge Taylor's, at Strawbridge, where she remained until last June, when symtoms rap . idly developed which indicated quick t consumption. Miss Strong,s father had her come to Nebraska hoping that the climate might prove bene ■ ficial to her health. After remain ) ing there for a few months and de riving no benefit from the change, . she was placed in the Boulder Sani -1 tarium in Colorado, but without - avail, the dread disease baffling all medical science that could be obtain ed for her. Government Ownership of fiail-^ rOadS By BEHJ.6.WELCH. One of the popular fallacies ia ref erence to railroads is that as they are consolidated it results in higher rates and poorer service to the public. No greater mistake was ever made than this. We do not undertake to say that there are no local instances in which these things may not have re sulted but they are so out of propor tion to the reverse conditions that they are scarcely worth considering. Except in cases of railroad wars, rates are lower to-day than ever be fore and with every consolidation the same result follows. If the W. & N. B. R. R. was a part of the Reading or the Lehigh system pas senger rates would be three cents per mile instead of four and yet as an independent road it cannot afford to make rates less than they are. In through freight rates the exist ing system gives almost the same consolidation for while the roads are separate the through rates are made up 011 a consolidated basis that gives us the advantage of the greater earnings on the Trunk lines. Bituminous coal is now haul ed at less than a quarter of a cent per ton per mile in some cases. It seems hardly possible that this could ever be reduced. It can only be done with heavy tracks, engines and cars and so reduced tranportation ex penses. Passenger facilties on the large railroads are not equaled in any country in the world either for com fort, luxury or moderate cost. It seems as if nothing more could be done in these directions or speed and yet a year does not go by without some improvement not heretofore thought of. Largely those things are the fruits of centralization and centralization has only just begun. It would not be safe to say that ten years will go by withouta practical consolidation of all the roads in this country. As a result traveling fa cilities would be improved at prob ably reduced cost and transportation would be less expensive than it is now. The danger to be apprehended is the autocracy that would be estab lished as£a natural sequence. Not every man is fitted to be trusted with such a sway. Not long since Wall Street hud down the law to the Treasury Department jibout certain bond issues and the Department sub mitted, but when another issue was to be made the "people" asked for the privelige of subscribing with the result that some men of very limited means made small fortunes out of their subscriptions. It was an ob ject lesson not to be forgotten. That was financing by the people and the government business was done at the government offices, and"it paid." We suppose the most complete monopoly in the world is the Oil Trust and the writer is of opinion that the cost of oil to consumer has been reduced because of the concern tration of interests that has been brought about, but we believe its powers are abused. It ought not to be posssble for any such combination arbitrarily to increase the cost of one of the necessaries of life to working people and at the same time realize enormous fortunes every year out of it, we might almost say thas fortunes are reaped every day. No one has yet been inspired to formulate a law to meet the case, but if the Socialists will keep on with their revolution ary appeals it will come some day like a flash of Light just as "contra band of war" came to General Benj. Butler in New Orleans. Probably the day is not far distant. When the Oil Trust can buy up the Texas Oil Fields over night and put out the fires in thousands of homes, fac tories and locomotives with a few hours notice it is time for a "John the Baptist" to be heard in the wild ernes. We have been accustomed to believe that "a man can do as he pleases with his own" but it has , come to pass that College Chairs are . being endowed to find out whether we have not been mistaken, or at least whether a new light has not ; shone on the subject, and they call [ these new teachers " Professors of . Sociology." It is only a different way of spelling "Socialism" that's 11. 75 CTS. PER YEAR t COMMUNICATION. EDITOR, NEWS ITEM: What's the matter with Editor Newell anyway? When you and yours readers are discussing the ad visability of Government Owner ship he undertakes to settle the whole matter by declaring that it wont pay and that is all there is to it. The only argument he has is that the Post Office Department don't pay and when somebody tries to answer that argument he snarls, says mean things, and replies that the question is not Post Office but Railroads and Coal Mines, when all the time he is the fellow who start ed the Post Office discussion. Let him gi% r e us a reason why the Gov ernment cannot operate the Rail roads or Mines to pay and let him leave out his mean flings. They are not argument. Answering his assertion that the Post Office Department don't pay let us make a comparison and ask a question. A man has an ice pond and cuts a hundred tons of ice from it—his expenses are twenty-five dol lars and he sells eighty tons of it to his neighbors for twenty-four dollars and keeps the other twenty for him self at a cost of one dollar—does his ice business pay or is he losing money? That's just what the government does—it sells post office serviee to the people and gets a little less than the money it pays out but the result of it is that its own service for which it charges itself nothing costs it the trifling difference like the man with the ice. Let Editor Newell give us another reason why the Government can't make mines and railroads pay and then perhaps some of your corres pondents can answer him intelligent ly and it is hoped he will keep his temper, and write in a gentlemanly fashion as he knows so well how to do, if he wants to. RUSTICUS. ***** LOPEZ. Last Wednesday night two men thinking that they were at the Jackson House made a slight mis take and entered the house of E. VV. Woodward and in striking a match set the curtains on fire. Mr. Wood ward hearing the noise quickly arose and rushed down stairs and extin guished the fire which the men made no attempt to put out when they saw their mistake but ran from the house. The parties are known but as yet nothing has been done with them. The loss was about $25. Harry Messersmith while riding down hill last Monday had the mis fortune to break his leg. He is now at the Sayre Hospital. Miss Annie Gardner who had been sick for several months, died last Thursday. The funeral was held on Saturday. Mrs. J. O. Young who has been visiting her mother, Mrs. Heverly, returned to her home on Saturday last. Joseph Heverly of New Albany, was calling on friends here last Sat urday. Mrs. W. L. Jennings who has been sick with pneumonia is some better at this writing. Rev. Klingerof Dushore was call ing on friends here on Saturday. Come again. A. L. Dyer is hauling coal at the rate of fifty tons per day from the Murray mines. A young daughter arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lynott, at Murray mines, recently. Miss Benjamen of Dushore, visited friends here last week. Mr. James Kelly of Leroy, was in town on Monday. Mr. C. A. Lewis, of Syracuse, spent Sunday with his son Homer. Mr. Chas. McKibbins of New York City, is visiting his brother Henry at this place. They say that some of onr boys can't tell corn from oats. For sale. —A six horse power traction engine, will be sold cheap. Inquire at this offiee.