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PAGE TWO
THE POST, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1939
JF
“Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of
speech or of Press” — The Constitution of the United States.
The Dallas Post is a youthful, liberal, aggressive weekly, dedi-
cated to the highest ideals of the journalistic tradition and concerned
primarily with the development of the rich rural-suburban area about
More Than A Newspaper—A Dynamic Community Institution
THE DALLAS POST =
ESTABLISHED 1889
A Liberal, Independent Newspaper Published Every Friday
THE POST'S CIVIC PROGRAM
1. A modern concrete highway leading from Dallas and con-
necting with the Sullivan Trail at Tunkhannock.
2. A greater development of community consciousness among
residents of Dallas, Trucksville, Shavertown, and Fernbrook.
Dallas.
munity institution.
and old addresses with the notice of change.
on request.
It strives constantly to be more thap a newspaper, a com-
who send us changes of address are requested to include both new
Subscription, $2.00 per year, payable in advance. Subscribers
Advertising rates
A
Moming At The Dallas Post Plant, Lehman Avenue, 3.
Dallas, Penna., By The Dallas Post, Inc. 4,
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office at Dallas, Pa.,
under Act of March 3, 1879.
HoWARD W. RISLEY... oro rats ivegsiienranis General Manager
HAROLD J. PRICE......... ccc ceisirisivirrins Mechanical Superintendent
Centralization of local fire and police protection.
Sanitary sewage systems for local towns.
5. Better water service.
6. A consolidated high school eventually, and better co-operation
between those that now exist.
7. Complete elimination of politics from local school affairs.
8. Construction of more sidewalks.
7
WE'RE FOr THE SITTING JUDGES
Since his appointment as Judge of the Common Pleas Court, this
newspaper has been impressed with the calibre of Judge ‘Michael F.
McDonald. His bearing has been judicial, his decisions scholarly and
fair. He has sublimated politics to their proper place and has de-
voted his energies toward doing a good job on the bench he serves.
It must have won the admiration of all fair-minded men who
watched the way he handled the recent highway investigation cases,
without show of political favor although pressure must have been
heavy to have him act otherwise.
In many smaller things we have had glimpses of the character of
the man. It was gratifying to us all to observe his genuine interest
as he recently advised two young couples who had come before him
to be married. “This is not the duty of a judge,” he said. “Here we
handle disputes, criminals and the sordid conflicts of life. A judge
no fit person to perform the sacred duties of the church. I advise
you to go to your respective churches to have this ceremony per-
formed..” We like the mellow maturity of that advice.. It was un-
studied, unplanned and showed the human side of a man.
By his training, by his experience and by his age, Judge McDon-
ald is fitted to perform the duties of the position he holds and to bring
honor and distinction to the bench of Luzerne County. He has a whole-
some interest in politics, but he seeks neither party leadership nor
political advancement. He will not make the bench a stepping stone
toward attainment of political power.
We, as a newspaper, have always felt that judges should be above
political consideration as far as humanly possible. We have no respect
or regard for men who use that position to build up political machines.
It must be that the founding fathers of this State felt the same way
when they made the election of Judges in Pennsylvania non-partisan.
~ IIad the political leaders of both parties in Luzerne County been
more concerned with good government than with party power they
could have made it possible for Judge W. A. Valentine and Judge
Michael F. McDonald to be re-elected without opposition. They
chose otherwise and they chose poorly.
We, and thousands of others in this county are fed up with keep-
ing politicians in power whose only interests are to further their own
ambitions through prating about party loyalty. We have little regard
for those who put party above men—and the only persons who have
~anthing to gain by so doing are those who expect party support to
further their ambitions for a job. It make no difference to any of
us whether the County Commissioners’ office is manned with Demo-
rats or Republicans. It does make a difference whether such offices
armed by capable efficient men or by job holders.
We believe that the people, if they will but look, will see that a
"real man is still a real man regardless of party affiliation and that he
will react in the manly way when put in a position of confidence and
trust.
WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE
ews that Dallas Water Company is now in a posi-
tion to furnish this community with an abundant supply of fresh,
pure water. There ill be no more washless Mondays or bathless
Saturday nights fora long time to come, and then only in emergencies,
such as a broken main or some other maintainance problem.
So copious is the flow from the new well that three other pumps
and wells operated by the company have been put on the reserve list.
Water storage tanks overflow for the first time in history during the
summer months. All of this is like a dream. Only a few months ago
experts were telling us that it would be years before Dallas could
have the water it needed to meet the requirements of expanding popula-
tion. Only a few months ago the community was considering schemes
for water supply improvements that would involve years of effort at
expenditure of large sums of money—schemes that appeared impossible
to realize for many years to come. No wonder a nightmare has been
turned into a pleasant reality—not just a pleasant dream.
Best of all our supply of water is now sufficient to meet the needs
of the community for fire protection. This announcement is a surprise
to us all. With the exception of the Heights section, where some furth-
er improvements in pipe lines will have to be made, fire hydrants can
now be installed in every section of the borough,from Goss Manor in
Dallas Township to Lehman Avenue in Dallas Borough, and from
the Brooklyn section to the Machell farm on Machell Avenue. Now
that we have the water it is up to the citizens to say whether they want
hydrants installed.
The period of tall talk is over. The time for action begins. We
have got the adequate supply of water to meet our needs. It is up to
the community to decide whether we will use it to meet the emergency
of fire.
It is welcome
THE TROUBLE WITH TRUTH
(An Editorial from the Rotarian Magazine)
“Tf I had a son, I'd swear to do one thing: I'd tell him the truth.”
That opinion is from J. Edgar Hoover, famed chief of the G-men,
whose experience with boys-gone-wrong gives it special point. Probably
few parents will disagree, yet many are concerned with the problem of
how to tell the truth to a child.
But no matter how diplomatically and tactfully information is
presented to the youngster, it is true that, as Oliver Wendell Holmes
once asserted, “truth is tough.” George Eliot put it even more dra-
matically, saying that it “has rough flavors if we bite it through.” Con-
sequently the father or mother who decides to tell the youngster the
truth chooses a troublesome—not a dainty—job. There may be a
specific time and place for some things, but truth recognizes no stop
signs, no “do not disturb” placards.
A youngster may break out in a rash of curiosity at any moment.
His quest for knowledge is not confined to the privacy of some do-
mestic laboratory, and it is seldom impersonal. Parson Jones’ manner-
isms and Aunt Lydia’s hats may start inquiries shocking to conven-
tional parents, yet prompted by the most scientific attitude.
But here’s the trouble with truth: Long ago it served all diplomatic
relations with white lies and terminological inexactitudes, with preju-
dices and propagandas. Unfortunately few adults have followed this
policy; consequently, as vigilant custodians of truth, they fall short
when a child wants to know why some children must live in slums,
why some children must go hungry, why some children must be targets
for bombs.
THE PROD THAT HURT
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Edith Blez
THE SENTIM
ENTAL SIDE
All the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment dt women—Voltaire
A PLEASANT VISITOR
(We had the pleasure last
week of receiving Edith Blez’s
column from the writer in
person. She drove over from
the Poconos, where she is
spending her vacation, to see
us on a busy press day when
we had little time to chat.
Needless to say her time in
Dallas was too short. Al-
though she writes for a num-
ber of newspapers, it was her
first visit to a newspaper of-
fice. Incidentally she also
contributes to Rives Mat-
thews’ paper, the Somerset,
(Md) News. Mr. Matthews’
editorials, which we read
weekly, contain the same
fire that his column in The
Post contained. Right now
he is after the Public Utilities
in the Pree State of Mary-
land. What it will be next
week we await with interest.
—Editor)
This morning we walked for
miles along a mountain road. All
around us stretched miles of sun-
lit hills, some of them drenched in
a blue haze, others standing out in
the clear light like great sentinels
of strength in’ a weak and weary
world. We passed a house here
and there along the road and after
we had walked several miles, we
felt the need of water and we stop-
ped at quite a dilapitated place to
ask for it. ‘We had spotted a
well on our way up the hill. As
we approached the house we no-
ticed a young-looking woman sit-
ting out in front. She had a baby
on her lap. We asked her if we
could have a drink. She was very
pleasant, and ran into the house
to get a glass and a bucket to get
water from the well. When she
came down the path again there
was seven children behind her—all
hers—two boys and five girls.
Poor, ragged children, but they
were beautiully clean and had
bright eager faces. The mother
was unusually amiable and very
proudly told wus the children’s
names and ages. I particularly
noticed one very small girl almost
immediately. She was about three
and spoke very distinctly. Her
small, chubby body was perfect.
She smiled all the time and every-
thing we asked her brothers and
sisters she answered before they
got around to it!
That small elfin creature was
like a ray of sunshine. We couldn’t
take our eyes off her. She told
us her name was Shirley. She in-
sisted that her full name was Shir:
ley Temple. When we asked her
if she had a Shirley Temple doll
she insisted that next year Santa
Claus was to bring her one! The
oldest girl told us they had one
doll and they took turns playing
with it. I asked them how far
they had to walk to school. They
said it was about three miles and
they didn’t mind the walk at all
because they had lots of fun along
the road. They told me they went
to Sunday School every Sunday.
That was quite a long walk, but
they liked it because they loved the
Sunday School teacher. She gave
them all her old shoes to play
house with. As we left we told
the children we would be back the
same way and sometime soon we
would bring them some candy.
When we asked them what kind
of candy they liked, all of them
answered in one voice, ‘Shirley
likes Hershey bars.” Evidently,
it wasn’t only to us that Shirley
seemed so important!
We walked on farther and as
we turned around to come back
we noticed the children waiting
for us quite a distance from their
home. They were sitting quietly
on a fence giggling like a group of
high school girls. They walked
along with us. They were anxious
to talk and as we walked along the
road, Shirley put her chubby small
hand in mine and tripped along
like a veteran. We passed a snake
in the road and the children stop-
ped, let it pass, and told us their
mother had been bitten last year
by a snake, but their father had
cut out the bite with a paring
knife. The oldest girl insisted it
was the butcher knife! = We didn’t
take part in the discussion. We
didn’t want the gory details. Evi-
dently the mother had come
through all right because she ap-
peared to be quite healthy.
Shirley’s hand kept getting
warmer and warmer and I couldn't
help but notice how callous her
feet seemed to be to the rocks along
the rough road. She was so chub-
by and rosy and round, and she
kept smiling up at me. I found it
it hard not to tell her over and
over again how sweet she was. She
talked at a great rate, in fact, she
told me the story of her life in her
childish fashion and as I looked
down into that lovely bright face,
was an unusual child. A child
born of poor, struggling farmers,
surrounded with hardship, but she
was like a small light burning in a
darkened hall. She was like sun-
light after several days of rain.
Young as she was her family seem-
ed to revolve around her. As she
drew her moist chubby hand from
miné and ran up the path into her
mother’s arms, I felt here was a
child of sunshine, a young radiant
human whose smile would light up
dark places all her life!
TOWN MEETING
HARMONY
Dallas, Pa.
Editor:
Harmony seems to be the watch-
word of the Republican Party of
Luzerne County. Anything that
is worth having, surely is worth
fighting for. There is a big ques-
tion mark as to the wisdom of tell-
ing Mr. and Mrs. Public that this
is your slate, be regular and vote
for the candidates of our selec-
tion. Maybe this has the smell of
dictatorial power.
Surely the voting public still has
the right of free speech and suf-
frage. The ever-seeing public eye
always has and always will, under
our Democratic form of govern-
ment be able to weigh in the bal
ance just and sound judgment of
the ones seeking office, and at
this time of great trials and tribu-
lations will not be carried away by
the hurrah and glamour of the
ones who try to convince the pub-
lic that their continuance in of-
fice is necessary for the well-being
of both the present and coming
generation.
If a man has such outstanding
ability as he would lead us to be-
lieve, why not let him prove his
qualifications in his professional
or business life? You know well
that the world is always waiting
for a doer, but the opportunity
for a hanger-on or a returner is
but a few days and full of trouble.
A sound analysis of candidates and
what they stand for will convince
you unquestionably as to your
duty to man. Let us have public
servants in office, not dictators.
You, Mr. and Mrs. Public Voter,
are the managers of Luzerne Coun-
ty. Who are you going to hire?
—C. L.
WHO PAYS THE TAXES
Editor, Dallas Post:
So much discussion is taking
place regarding forced collection
of taxes that I am tempted to offer
the following facts and figures. It
should be understood that this let-
ter refers throughout only to school
taxes and not total taxes.
I couldn’t help but think that here
The total expense of running
~
‘Fred M. Kiefer
GIMME A MATCH
Mark Twain once said, “When
I was a boy of fourteen my father
was so ignorant we could hardly
bear to have him around the place.
But when T had reached the age
of twenty-one I was amazed at
the amount of knowledge the old
man had acquired in seven years.”
We have been “in politics” but
a short time and we freely admit
that during the early part of that
period we thought we were very
wise. Now, we are truly amazed
at how much knowledge some of
the slated candidates have acquir-
ed in the last seven days.
The Middle District Republican
1 Club of Dallas Township was host
to eight of the Republican slate
candidates and one independent
an evening last week at Irem Tem-
ple Country Club. The workers
present, more or less key men,
from the surrounding countryside,
sat patiently for three hours list-
ening, intermittently, to the ex-
pounding of; certain philosophies
of government—broken by each
speaker, you may be sure, to ex-
plain why he he had been one of
the chosen people. “Economy—
to add strength to the ticket—past
records— unusual ability—"" were
their reasons. Never, you may
likewise be sure, had they been
added for any selfish motive. Al
ways for the good of the Party,
or for the benefit of the public.
Never have we heard a candidate
stand bravely forth and say, “I
want the job because the salary
represents more money than I
have ever earned in my life before.
It need that in&me.”
t Getting back to the campaign,
two things are fairly obvious. The
first is that these politicians must
now be convinced that it would be
a grand and lovely thing if a new
county should be made out of Lu-
zerne’s lower end with Hazleton
as the county seat. Moreover it
should be taken care of before the
primaries.
This sudden, alluring desire for
separation, by men who would
fight it tooth and nail at any oth-
er time, is easily understood. The
Advisory Committee has ignored
placing a Hazleton politician on
their famous slate. Don’t think
for one moment they forgot the
First District. Not at all. Ap-
parently they believed they hadn't
a man down there who could carry
a nomination. So they get around
the matter in this way, we are told.
A release has been taken from at
least one of the present candidates
which promises in writing that if
nominated (on his name, reputa-
tion and at his expense, of course)
he will resign from the race and
allow the committee to stick an-
other, whose chances for that nom-
ination was nil, in his place for the
general election. The voters of
Luzerne County wish to know who
this man is.. They take no great
joy out of the thought of voting
for a ghost.
The second item, as we find it,
is that these gentlemen, almost
unanimously to hear them talk,
are certain that Leon Schwartz
will bear the burden of holding
the toughest sector on the battle
front. Surely, to date, no inde-
pendent Republican has shown
greater aggressiveness in attack or
has pounded the vulnerable spots
of the line harder than has Frank
Slattery, Jr. And from our point
of observation General Schwartz,
on the defensive throughout, is
slowly losing ground.
What is true of Leon’s scrap is
likewise true in a few other spots.
Morris is making gains, and we
should say that Thomas gains, ex-
cept for the rumor that Bill may
capitulate before very long. This
rumor is just that at the present
time and is without definite au-
thority from any source.
John S. Fine has nursed into
unity and vigor the mobilization of
a Frankenstein that bids fair to
destroy the foundations of the
Party in the not too distant future.
We are speaking of our neighbors
whom the Judge has proudly
labeled the Newer Nationalities.
For the exigencies of the mo-
ment they were co-ordinated into
the ranks of the Republican Party
as a group that had breakfasted
but rarely at the gravy bowl, and
because representatives ‘of their
races on the ballot would pull their
legions into the G. O. P. lines.
Momentarily from every house top
their plaudits ring. But, we pre-
dict, that within a few years at
most the Newer Nationalities, as
an organization, will have grown
so strong in office and so powerful
dictatorily, that all and sundry not
of it will be aligned against the
Newer Nationalities in the battle
for party supremacy and com-
mand of local government.
Upon mentioning this trend
and its ultimate head to a local
statesman he replied, “Oh, well,
we'll cross that bridge when we
come to it.” His philosophy, like
the Indian’s seems to be—"Yester-
day is ashes, tomorrow is wood.
Today the flame burns brightest.”
Dallas Borough schools last year
was $28,775.22. The average
daily attendance was 317, making
an expense of over $90.00 per
pupil in actual attendance.
Local taxation accounted
$19,747.43 of the receipts, the
balance being appropriation, tui-
tion, and miscellaneous. On the
basis of 317 pupils local taxation
paid over $62.00 per pupil.
Of nearly 1900 items in the tax
duplicate only about 75 exceed
$62.00. In other words, on the
straight basis of cost incurred,
provided such taxpayers had one
pupil each, only about 75 would
balance even in paying school tax
and each get value for his money.
Parents now complaining bitter-
ly about $10.00 per capita tax for
husband and wife, unless at least
$52.00 is absorbed in their rent,
are not paying the actual pro rata
share of the expense of one pupil.
Families with more than one pupil
would have to have rent at the
rate of $62 per pupil per year ad-
ditional, to balance out even.
Disregarding the wails of many
landlords that rents cannot be col
lected at all, it is doubtful Wheth-
er local rents are at a level which
would return to owners taxes, in-
surance, interest, and other ex-
penses, as well as repairs and wa-
ter rent. In such cases clearly,
the owner is paying most of the
school taxes.
In looking over the tax dupli-
cate, one is at once struck with
the fact that very few of the real
ly big taxpayers ever are mentioned
or heard from at all.
for
is supposed to be: by individual
properties so that allowance must
be made for those who are charged
separately with more than one
property, whose total school taxes
would be large. It is a little diffi-
cult to sort out all such in’ 1900
items and be absolutely accurate
so the following are all approxi-
mations.
About 30 taxpayers pay over
$90 each, the total cost of one
pupil, and of these only three or
four have any pupils in school.
Included in the above 30, about
75 taxpayers, including per capita
taxes pay $62 or over, the cost of
one pupil paid by local taxation.
Perhaps a dozen or fifteen out of
these 75 have any pupils in school.
To all the above must be added
the hundreds of owners of small
vacant lots who reside elsewhere
and cannot have any pupils in
school here.
IF THERE IS ANY INJUS-
TICE IN LOCAL TAXATION
IT FALLS ON THE PROPERTY
OWNERS AND NOT ON
THOSE AT PRESENT DELIN-
QUENT IN PAYMENT OF
PER CAPITA TAX.
Naming of names is always
dangerous, not only from the
standpoint of those named, but
also of those omitted. However,
I will risk a few.
The First National Bank of Dal-
las has been most. of the time in
recent years, the largest single tax-
payer in town. It might also be
said that most of the local bank
directors, and the president, are
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