The sun. [volume], March 12, 1914, Page 6, Image 6

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THE SUN, THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 1914.
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 1014.
Eatered at the I'm! Office it New York Second
Class Hall Hatter.
akserlBtleas by Mali, PttM.
DAILY, Ifr Monti
DAILY, Per Year
SUNDAY, I'er Month SB
SUNDAY (to Canada), Ter Month 44
SUNDAY. I'er Year
DAILY AND SUNDAY, Per Year
DAILY AND SUNDAY, Per Month IB
FoailoN IUTM.
DAILY. Per Month I ll
SUNDAY. Per Month M
DAILY AND SUNDAY, IVr Month 1 0
TTIE EVKNINO 817N, Per Month
THE EVKNINO SUN, Ifr Year
THE EVEN1 N (1 S U.N t Korel gn ) . Ifr Mon th ,
9B
a bo
1 OS
All checks, meney orders, Ac, to be made pay
able to The Sum.
Published dally, Including Sunday, by the Bui
Pruning and Iubllthlng AssoelaUon at 170 Nassau
atreet. In the norouth of Manhattan, New York.
President and Treasurer. William C. Ilelck. Ill)
Naaaauatrert: Vice-President, Kdward P. Mltchrll,
I7D Nassau atrret Secretary, 0. E. Luiton, 170
Najeau street.
London office. Effingham Ronae, 1 Arundel
treet. Strand.
I'arlt office, 6 Itue de la Mlchodltre, od nue du
Quatre Septemhre.
Waahlnrton office, Ttlbbs nulldlnf.
Brooklyn office. 104 Livingston atreet.
It our frUnts irAo furor tit tetth manu$enplt and
tttutlratloni for publication cli to hart rejected
article returned ttuy null in alt tain ttni itampi
for ttalr.urpoie.
Is Rorkhllt to He Culled?
It mny be dlRlcult to And the light
man to (ill the shoes of Professor John
Bassett Moore, counsellor to the State
Department, hut the report thnt W.
W. Rockiiiix mny he appointed his suc
cessor seems too good to be true. Sir.
Rockiull Is not mi cncyclopivdla of In
ternational precedents like Professor
Moore; his practical knowledge of dip
lomatic Intercourse Is very extensive,
however. .Seldom hits nny American
seen so much service. Mr. Kockiiill
has been thirty years In harness, be
ginning as Secretary of the American
Legation at I'ekln In 1S8-I. On Far
Eastern affairs he Is Mrhnps the great
est living American authority. Minis
ter to China for four yearn niid Ambits
sador to Russia for two years, he had
been Ambassador to Turkey since April,
1011, when he was relieved by Presi
dent Wilson.
Mr. Hock ii ill has also served as
chief clerk of the State Department
and as first and third Assistant Secre
tary of State. Under the auspices of
the SmltliKinlan Institution be was In
charge of two scientific missions that
spent four years In China and Tibet.
Also a linguist and a writer on Oriental
Mabjcvts, Mr. ItocKiui.t. would be of
Krcat value to any Administration, Re
publican or Democratic. lie has served
under live Presidents, nml. like an offi
cer of tho army or navy, he hits never
had nny politics In the performance of
bis duties.
If President Wilson has reconsidered
his decision not to employ William
Woodville Rockiiiix It Is n matter
for congratulation. He Is worth an In
calculable number of the kind of nolltl
clans who have lieeu displacing good
men In the diplomatic service to cancel
obligations incurred by tho President
and Mr. IIryan.
Need the President Proclaim Any
Canal Tolls lit Present?
The duties and powers of the I'resl-
dent with regard to the opening, main-1
tenance, protection and operation f '
the Panama Canal and the sanitation
ana government or tno canal Zone are - -
partly defined In the act approved on;- Tlle" caum the efTort to resuscltnte
August 2-1, 1012. The requirements of , organization as a national estitb
this statute and the provisions of the ""bnient. Tho capitalized adjective
Hay-Pauncefote treaty constitute the"'-N'ntlonnl" w"8 tacked to tho front of
codo for tho President. Wo mention . "Democratic Club," dinners were held
the Hay-Pauncefote treaty In conuee-i 1,1 which well known visitors from afar
Oon with tho Puttanm Canal act be-' ,nlUwl Jefferbonlan philosophy, modi
cause the treaty, not less than the stat-j ,0 meet tuo tluu'8' nn1 "lhe KOle
Ute, Is part of the supremo law of the. of tho t,lu,) was Rreatly widened."
land.
Suppose thnt Congress should over-
Jook all considerations of mitlonnl 1
honor and contract obligation and fob
low the lead of Senator James A.
O'Gorman of New York and Represen
tative) OscAn W. IJ.NDEiiwoon of Ala
bama In refusing to vote for the repeal
of the coastwise exemption clause.
What, then, would Ik? the President's
duty under the existing law?
The existing law. meaning thereby
both the Panama Canal uet of 1012 and
the Hay-Pauncefote treaty of 1002, for
1. nr. l.nth t.ln.iln? unnn l.lm. i
mandatory in two particulars, both neg
ative: 1. The President must not lmiiose
tolls upon vessels engaged In the coast
wise trade of the United States. This
express prohibition Is contained In Sec
tion 5 of the Canal act of 1012.
2. The President must not prescribe
tolls discriminating lu favor of one na
tion as against another or Involving
terms of Inequality In resject of the
conditions or charges of tralllc. This
prohibition Is contained In Article HI.
of tho Ilayl'aiineefote treaty of 1002.
Of coiii'M! both of the foregoing pro
visions of law would be oneyed by the
President If he refrained from prescrib
ing any tolls whatever; thut is, if ho
carried out the plain requirement of
Section of the Canal act exempting
American constwlso vessels from pay
ment for passage between the oceans,
and also carried out the plain require
ment of Article III. of the treaty by
exempting tho vessels of other nations
likewise.
What Is there to prevent that solu
tion of the difficulty, a canal free to
all until the President Is able to pre
scribe tolls which discriminate against
Do nation oberlng the Suez rules?
Well, there Is this further provision
f Section 5 of the Cunul act, appar
ently fixing a maximum and a mini'
mum of charge, and reiterating, lu a
clavia freoucurrf overlooked in discus-
stons of the subject, the offenntre prin
ciple of discrimination In favor of our
own vessels:
"Tolls may bo based upon gross or not
reentered tonnage, displacement ton
nue, or otherwise. The
rate of tolls may be lower upon vea
els In ballast than upon vessels carrying
passengers or cargo. When based upon
net registered tonnage for ship of com
merce the tolls shall not exceed one dollar
and twenty-flvo cents per net registered
ton, nor be lets, ofaer (Aon or vessels of
the United State and ft citltcni, than the
estimated proportionate cost of the actual
maintenance and operation of the canal,
subject, however, to the provisions of Arti
cle XIX. of the convention between the
United State and iht Republic of Pan
ama the Hay-Uunau Varllla treaty, en
tered Into November II, 1003. If the tolls
shall not be based upon net registered ton
nage, they shall not exceed the equivalent
of one dollar and twenty-five cents per
net registered ton aa nearly as the same
may be determined, nor be less than the
equivalent of seventy-five cent per net
registered ton. The toll for each pas
senger shall not be more than one dollar
and fifty cents."
It will be observed thnt the first Rail
clued passage In the foregoing extract
from the Canal act directly contra
venes n requirement of law contained
lu the HayPnuncefote treaty. The sec
ond passage which we have Italicized
expressly recognltes as binding on the
President another provision of lnw con
tained tn another treaty, the Hay-Bu-nau
Vnrilln treaty. What Is he to do
in face of these contradictory, Inconsis
tent and In one sense Impossible pro
visions? These provisions as to maximum and
minimum of toll charge apply to the
President only In cuse he undertakes to
prescribe nnd proclnlm tolls. By the
canal law he Is "authorized" to pre
scribe and proclaim tolls. But does
the law anywhere require, that he shall
do so at nny given time, at least be
fore It becomes possible for him to ob
serve the limitations of the act with
out violating the provisions of the
treaty?
Why This Parade of Stuffed Stilt?
When Riciiabd Croices. seeing the
parsing of the lean years for Tammany
that followed the Lexow investigation,
returned to America In 1807 and drove
John C. Siieehan out of the Hall's
leadership, he wanted an uptown home,
nnd picked the Democratic Club ns Its
site. The club had known days of mod
erate prosperity in the period between
Mr. Cleveland's administrations, but
wns of no particular am sequence po
litically until Csokmi net up his head
quarters there.
During the four years of Van Wtck
the Democratic Club was Influential
and Important. All loyal Tammany
men were given to understand that they
must Join and dress the part. Therein
the late Tom Dunn, responding to a
(Milltlcal worker not famous for devo
tlou to the niceties of dress, on being
asked what he thought of his associ
ate's evening clothes, said: "Fine; you
look great In 'em: why don't you buy
n suit?" Cbokeb held court nightly,
and many were the strange sights to be
witnessed in the club.
When Croker and Van Wtck brought
another licking to Tammany Crokkh
quit the chairmanship of the finance
committee, and after Nixon and the
Trlmnvlrate Muhfiiy reorganized the
Wigwam forces. Murphy's uptown
seat was In n public restaurant. Hu
did not care for the Democratic Club
and his Inck of Interest In It was hit'
mediately reflected In Its attendance,
Mkuy of the men who hod Joined tV
caue of Croker ceased to use It. nnd
tho club relapsed Into its previous con
dltlon of Inconsplctioimnetw. Its rolls
bore the liann of maiiy promlneiit men,
' business" further down
Wherein Its Influence has been effective
would be dlfUcult to say, but some good
rt,nMers mive lweu w"D,n lts
vails, and a noblo jwker game once was
uouseti unuer its roor tree.
It Is tTom tins .National Democratic
Club that Mukphy has now been ex
truded by the friends of Choker, who.se
activities In local politics have been
Increasingly apparent since the defeat)
01 U,L '"ny "ckm last ran.
I Cbokir himself lias put n spoon in the
porridge. Ills remaining friends here
SPOm tH lmvo B0,ne lcnnito and specific
lrposo behind their assaults 011 Mtm-
riiv. Certainly they are annoying him;
IK-rhitps they uro hurling him. The
suggestion that Crokek luies once more
to "come back" Is grotesque, but to
what end Is an old stilt of his clothes
stuffed with straw being paraded about
the. Democratic enclosure?
Qtilrn Mnhr?
The commission appointed by "First
Chief" Cahuanza to Investigate and re
port uMtn the manner of William S.
Uenton's death accomplishes nothing
as tho days pass and Is dropping out
of public notice, (ieneral Fkausto, the
head of tho commission, being asked to
account for a rumor that It hud gone
to Chihuahua when it was still drows
ing at Juarez, shrugged his shoulders
uiid said, "Quleu saboV"
That Is tho stock question on the
border. Why does General Carranza
dally nt A gun Prletn when General
Villa Is oppressed with the cures of
state at Chihuahua nnd the world says
thut tho real leader of tho Constitu
tionalists Is tho cx-outluw? Qulen
sabe? How comes it that "Pnticho"
Villa has ceased to bo n rude, unlet
tered, ragged bandit and has developed
Into it suave, wUo, self-relluut, and
well informed administrator lu a new
General's uniform? Qulen subu?
What has become of tho military
operations to tlrivo the Federals out of
Torreon and carry the war to the Rates
of the capital? Qulen sabe? Why
doesn't Hvebta crumble? Qulen sabe?
Why was it said that when the em
bargo upon arms was raised the Con
stitutionalists would take city after
city and sweep the Federals like chaff
before them? Qulen sabe? Is there
ever going to be n pitched battle be
tween the Insurgents and the Govern
ment troops? Qulen sabe? Is not the
IKillcy of both sides in Mexico one of
"watcbfu.1 waiting"? Qulen sabe?
Mr. Vast TuyPs Banking Bill.
All bankers doing business tinder
New York State charter should obtain
and proceed to consider carefully the
so-called Van Tuyl bill for the revision
of the State banking laws which has
been Introduced In the Legislature at
Albany. The bill is a result of the
work of a commission which Superin
tendent Van Tcyl caused to be created,
nnd It Is evident from an Inspection
of the measure that a good deal of
Its work was thoughtfully done. It
Is also quite as apparent that the
labors of the commission, which by the
way were headed by a banker more
conspicuously Identified with operations
In the national than In the State Held,
tire likely In turn to need revision.
Here Is a paragraph which one stum
bles on In Article III., devoted to State
banks:
"Within ten days after the date on
which the annual meeting of stockholders
la held the directors elected at such
meeting shall, after their due qualifica
tion, hold a meeting at which they shall
elect from thetr oxen number a president,
a vice-president, a cashier and such other
officers as are provided for In the by
laws." This paragraph Is section 12S of
Article UI. Practically the same par
agraph constitutes section 213 of
Article V., dealing with trust compa
nies, the only difference being that the
words "a cashier" do not occur In the
trust company section. Merely to di
rect attention to this peculiar provision
is almost enough to demonstrate Its
absurdity.
If sections 128 and 213 of the Van
Tuyl bill should become law as they
stand they would operate almost auto
matically to project the executive of
ficers of all State banks nnd trust com
panies In New York Into the boards of
directors of their respectlv Institu
tions. Tiro responsible managements
of bunking Institutions know well that
this is neither necessary nor wise. If
It were, if any advantages could ac
mie therefrom, legislative compulsion
would not have been awaited.
All banking corporations have a suf
ficient representation of their execu
tlve stnff In their directorates. To
require them to choose their officers
from their boards of directors could
not full to bring about some very queer
results if It were a practlcnl possibility.
Hoards of directors are for the most
part composed of men of large affairs
measured by the standards of the com
munltles In which they live and do bus!
ness. They have graduated from sal
aried ranks as a rule and would hardly
make the best material for subordinate
places In the roles of bank officers. At
the eamo time the best material for
bank officers is as a rule that which has
hurdly qualified Itself for membership
In bank directorates, however promis
ing It may be.
Again, If the sections referred to
should take effect ns law they might
oblige a number of Institutions either
to enlarge their directorates undeslr
ably or cut down their otllclal stuffs
undesirably. No one can pretend that
the executive ofllcers of a bank should
have control of the board of directors,
which supervises the workings of the
bunk. Yet without other changes In
relationship the foregoing sections of
tho Vim Tuyl bunking bill might, In
many cases, havo tho effect of pluclng
the ofllcers of a bank or trust company
In control of the board of directors.
It Is possible that it strained read
ing of the text may permit the con
struction that directors are to elect
from their own uumher only presidents
mid vice-presidents, but the plain mean
ing of the language Is that till the
ofllcers ure to come from the directo
rate. The. provision seems to lw ho ri
diculous on Its fuce as to carry its own
certainty of umendmcut. However, It
has u more Inqiortuut significance, the
suggestion thut if It could find Its way
Into a bill for the wholesale revision of
the State hanking law the bill probably
culls for enreful nnd Interested scrutiny
lu nil Its parts.
A Good Citizen.
John Lammirt CadwalaVmi, who
died yesterday In Ills seventy-seventh
yeur, was a lawyer of tho old fash
ioned tyH) that may be said to have
made ull law Its province Instead of
restricting lt.self to the sharply divided
mid narrow provinces of tho specialist.
His mind was singularly iieiietruting
atid capacious; he seemed to huvu the
gift of almost Instant comprehension
of the obscurest and most complicated
details.
To this city Mr. Cadwaladkr gave
long ami fruitful service as trustee of
the Public Library, of the MetrojKill
tun Museum of Art, the American Mu
seum of Natural History and other in
stitutions. He was u loyal sou ami
faithful friend of Princeton University.
Ills life wus rich lu multiform labor for
the community.
Huppose Secretary Urtan had been kid
napped and butchered hlmscU. Would It
linvi) amounted to any moie than In the
Vergara crho? Oovernor Colquitt,
What an nbaurd quratlon ! No onn
Is going to kidnap Mr. Huyan, A plot
to spirit him across tho I'otomac would
I probably miscarry, for the chances are
that ho would not.be found at tho
Ktato Department, No one would ever
think of butchering such a pious gen
tleman, although the Dove of Peace
might he excused If it pecked him
soverely.
It stems that Mrs. U. a. Woltb iif Kl
Paso has received a despatch from her
husband, who was on Senator Fall's list
as murdered by tho Mexicans, saying
that ho is alive and well and has never
been molested by them. Up la superln-j
tendent of the Creston-Colorado mines
at Torres, Sonora. The Senator's list
Is obviously padded with outrages, and
It may be suspected that most of his
evidence is 'hearsay and' extremely
flimsy.
It Is wise for us to wait a little and see
what the reiulte of the experiments with
tne initiative and referendum measures
will be In other States, before we adopt
them In Massachusetts. We aro not In
a parlous condition where we need tn
resort to any means which we are not
sure will be a benefit. President Lowkll
of Harvard University.
Traitor! It Is unwise to await the re
sult of any experiment before adopting
the course urged by its advocates; and
Massachusetts, along with all the other
States, is, and of right ought to be, In a
parlous condition so long as cyery new
remedy for ancient Ills remains untried.
A moving picture man who Induced
General Villa to sign a contract and
pose for the films says that the Gen
eral Is "a Bcrlous, dignified man who
conducts the affairs of his army In a
systematic and orderly manner, which
would do credit to a much older and
more experienced military man." All
the likenesses of "Pancho" Villa seen
In these parts show him to be a robus
tious chap on a broad grin. It Is won
derful what the "movies" can do for a
man's reputation.
We know of no coming vacancy on the
Supreme Court bench, and Mr. Taft's
name has neither been suggested nor con
sidered by President Wilson for any Judi
cial appointment Secretary Tumulty.
The firm of Wilson A Tumultt will
be bothered In this way every time
Chief Justice Wiiitc or Associate Jus
tice Olinku Wemiclx Holmes has a
birthday.
The word "social" ta misunderstood,
rather than misapplied. A portion of the
younger element In the community asso
ciates the word "social" with dancing
and dining, to the exclusion of those
phases of the term which stand for rnentHl
enjoyment and Intellectual betterment.
Dr. Wild of the Board of Education.
Can't "social" In this sense maintain
us title, or at least make a strong show
of rbfnt? One can have mentul enjoy
ment, and perhaps Intellectual better
ment, by one's self Bitting by the lire
and reading or looking Into the coals.
Uut who cares to dance or dine alone?
THE MllWLK t'F Tin: HO A It.
Mhere Snow Mboukl lie riled when Mkle
iU and ;uttrr Are 'lcenrl.
To tub Koitor or Tut auN Sir: la
there nut sume uay of calling tho atten
tion of property holders to the irccmslty
not only for cleaning off the snow trout
their sidewalks but also for cleaning and
freeing the gutters? It would entail llttlfl
expense una trouble upon cucli house
holder to have thla done, to pile the, ma
tarlal up tn tho centre ut the streets with
an occasional ' opening in the ul that
would allow for the paaalng or turning of
horses and vehicles, tiucli irai'orialbll
Ity, borne by the householder, would save
the city a large sum, reduce the uvar and
tear upon vehicles and the Injury to
horses and prevent the obstructions to
truffle which now occur.
For years 1 have followed thla plan In
the atreet where I llw. and hau got the
neighbors on either side and opposite to
cooperate with me, ao that In our block we
have free passage for vehicles and room
for them to turn.
Could not the Street Cleaning Depart
ment facilitate the work of clranlnK the
city by following the same plan? The
snow, piled In the centre of the strict,
could then be carried off at the conve
nience of the depirtment. but meanwhile
traffic might gw on unimpeded, particu
larly If the Police Department wrre en
listed to aee that this plan were carried
out. E. C. P.
Nrw York, March 11.
fiovernmrnt .Made t'nemplii)eil.
To the C111T0H or Tub Sun sir: If
the express companies are finally com
pelled to go out of buslnesi, what will be
come of the old employees who will be
thrown out of employment? I am led to
ask thla question by tho fact that my
brother-in-law, In addition tn many others,
lost his position with the American llr
prnss Coinpan when their business fell
off owing tn the parcel pot. Ai he Is 50
yt..r old, he Is debarred hy the civil ser
vice rules, from getting a position with
tile Government. He has now been out
of employment for some months and can
not find work. It seems to mo that there
should be some way of employing tlie.ne
men In the parcel post. They certainly
are valuabla by their experience. What
chance have they to find employment In
otner lines ot work?
! I think It Is tho height of cruelty on
1 the part of a rich Government tn throw
1 these men out of work fur no fault of
their own. J. S. I..
I New Yoiik, March 11,
I The Armr-Navy (lame.
To Tin KniToa or Tne St' A'i: All loyal
I New Yorkers should be pleased at the an
nouncement that an effort Is being made to
haw the coming Army-Navy football gnme
staged In th metropolis There l nn ether
I city or town In the United Hutu In which
I the facilities ae ' up to dute and perfect
for handling the Isrge crowd that the game
attracts an New York.
The IBIS game was played here and It
1 was played under pecutUr conditions, Iimk.
much as It was the tint time the (ami w.ie
tared In New Vork and It was prnctleally
In the nature of an experiment. Thoxe In
i'hari'0 at the Polo Grounds, and In fart the
entire city, were on trial, and made good tn
every way. Persona who hae been preeent
at the gridiron strucrle between the two
academies for many years were pmfue In
their praise of the nay In which the game
j k.is handled In thla tlly. It waa the beat
' aver.
Hit there Is no reaiim why tha great etrur
I ale should not take place here In 1HI4. It
may t' a little Inconvenient tor the Mid
dles, but the authnrltlei of that Inktltiitlnn
should remember that West l'olnt ha trav
elled to Philadelphia for many seasons, and
tb Navy should return tha favor,
Nsw Yiisk, March tl. Kmi'i.
The r.ratrful rirraWaatrr.
To thh KniToa r Tna Hen ifr; I'ar be
It from m to Introduce nny more liUarri
effects In American bieakfasls, but thla mut-
imr nf ,.fia hnrn,n,il tilat Hit innrnlni. In
I -ie and 1 am full nf tl. I felt hungry nfter
I tn all night railroad Journey, and etopplni;
I In a Liberty street restaurant ordered lamh
I chops, toaet nnd coffee, Willi the chops ar
rived fried potatoes anil gteen pens, llxcel
ent breakfait, Hllrka to your litis.
Naw Yobk. March 11, r S.
The Watchman 011 the Timers nf Stale.
To TH8 KniToa or Tns Svi Sir: I aee
that my friend M, U. Vigil of Allniiiuernue,
New Mexico, has been appointed Coiumla
aloner to the t'annmi-t'nclllc ,-xiii.ii
Seems to me the Hall nf Fame might bet
ter put him on the Watchful Walling Com
mittee down In his detnlrlck. p. 8.
Naw Yeas. March II.
"Apple t'le Order."
To Ttia Knima ur Tus tins Sir: Speaking
of apple pie, what la the orlk'ln of the
phraan "apple pie order"? la It from that
old game "A wus an apple pie, 11 bit It,
C cut It," c ! ' i:. Wkiseniuuit,
ScaiNToN, l'a., March 11,
Streets vf New York.
To Tits Kpitiib ok Tub Sin -Air; wii Is
U that most of the drtvs of tho wagons
uaed to cart awuy the mow ure big, "huaky"
fellows, while many of tha man doing tha
hard work of shovelling ure email und oldT
Nswaax, n. J., March u. ruiNcsTu.!
JO, PVXXSVTAWSin'f
The Olorleui and Sacred MHe ef
the
World's One Clrottndhog Club,
To Tim ttuiToa or Tits Bun sir: I
have been it leader of Tus SUN for fifteen
years. 1 wlah .to cudgel It lor its couiae
concerning the gioundhog, for 1 be
lieve that It Is partly the fault of the es
teemed Manhattan luminary that the little
marmot has been al.owed to delve, prog
nosticate nnd multiply. Allow me to give
you a basis for the complaint.
l'uuxsutawney, Pa., my native town, lo
cated In the central western part, boasts
of tho only Oroundbog Club In tho wot Id.
1 was In at the organisation ot It In 110:2,
and, was Its poet laureate and secretary
until I'jdv, when It had a membership of
460. it was organised for the purpose of
exterminating tlx woodchuck. Kvery year
In September the club calls a meeting nnd
conducts a hunt. The foothills ot the
Alleghanlcs are scoured for miles and
mdes and the proceeds brought to a cen
tral point, where a great feast Is pre
pared. In this manner Puiixsutawncy
came to be recognized as the official
home of the woodchuck, and here. It Is
claimed, Is the main office of his weather
works. This claim was challenged by other
towns In the Keystone State until August,
1909, when, under the auspices of the
Groundhog Club, a great hunt and feast
were held on the third day of Old Home
Week. The club advertised that the offi
cial westherworks of IJr'er Groundhog
would be transferred to Punxsutawney
for the day, and that It would guarantee
that the only real weather prognosticate
would produce fifty-seven varieties of
wenther In three hours. The demonstra
tion was given before Kdwln H. Stuart,
then Governor of the State; Justice John
P. Elkln of the State Supreme Court.
Professor Alexander T Ormond of Prince
ton University, members of the Btate
legislature, men prominent In politics,
society, finance, meteorologists, astrologlsts
and marmotolnglsts. Fully 30,000 people
could testify that It was a huge success,
for from fifty-seven great floats were dis
pensed that day fifty-seven varieties of
wenther. Including rain, snow, hall, sleet,
blizzards, fog, backward, cloudy, partly
cloudy weather; volcanic action, thunder,
lightning, ic.
The parade was called the Clrcumgy
ratory I'agennt of the Prophets nnd Me
teorologists of the Punxsutiwney Weather
works. It Included the fifty-seven floats
aforementioned, 150 prophets and me
teorologists afoot, and 200 nnlmnls from
the Jungle, known as the Coon Hollow
flunch. Hr'er Groundhog, ensconced In
his observatory, took his position along
side of the stand occupied by Governor
Stuart and the other dlgnttarls. As each
float passed In front of the Governor the
part'cular weather brewed therein was
turned on. He was so well pleased that
he naked to have the parade repented,
which was done, the whole show consum
ing a period of over five hours.
During the day the hunters had been
busy with spade and mnttock. and that
night at the Governor's 'hnnnuet over 400
marmots were served. As to the delects
blllty of the groundhog sa a table delicacy
let those hereinbefore mentioned and some
400 others attest.
Now here Is mv "grouch." The Ft'N
iwns Invited tn nend representatlvs to that
banquet, but tho Invitation went unheeded
The club could have condoned that, but
.when you made comment about thnt name
lrti"iiet from second hand Information you
referred to the patron snlnt of the I'unx
sutawney Groundhog Club as n rnnk
faker, an Impostor nnd a fat dullard. The
weather you have been having In Little
Old New York nnd elsewhere In these
t'nlted States this winter, excepting In
nntli Florida, shows how greatly you had
underrated the activities of KlngArrtomys
Monax. nnd I am delighted to read In Tits
St'.v ymtr rail tn gourmets to lay for him
nxt fall during the "doverlng" season.
Th Invitation tn Join the Punxsutawnev
Groundhog Club Is bcrebv renewed, see'ng
that Tun Son has come to realize the
situation, and unless the author of what
vou chnrnrterlze "The Crime of Febru
ary 2" la supP',ese.. or at leat mini
ded here Is one nitlee of the oM Key.
stone State who will remain In the land of
flewers. Were, beieen be n-ned. th
billow of the woodchuck enn nev come
athwart. C. H. Ffeas.
IlnooKsviM.g, Fla., Mirch 7.
A Krrnian Centenarian.
To the Kpitok op The Sun sir: There
Is. or very recently w.ts. living In Hlank
nbiirg. Urunwlck, Germany, a re-lred
district official w ho completed ht.1 I Old
ear Jnnuaty 31, 19H, His nime Is Ctrl
Wllhelm Kdtiird t.erche. born 1512.
studied law In Oottlngen 1S30-33 and held
Inter nnd until retirement civil ofilces of
'ncreaslng responsibility nnd honor. He
was pensioned In 1 S2.
In 1 SI 2 nnd fur many years before In
Germany all births were made a matter
of ulllelal record In the church books of
the purlh nnd these records nro readily
accessible. Hecauie of his social status
this gentleman's birth must have been a
matter of sufllclent note and Importance
to family and friends to remove It from
the atmosphere of tradition and hearsay
gossip on which most claims to great age
are based.
As the Information contained In thin
I letter Is furnished solely as n contribution
to an Interesting discussion that has been
given snaco In The Sun from time t
1 time, I forbear to trench upon the privacy
, of a man. probably still living, by citing,
I as Is usual, his regimen, either with the
glee of predilection or the sniff of preju
dice. K.
1'asapena, Cab, March 8.
rieetrlesl Wiring.
To the F.niTon op The Si'n Sir; It
is about time the electrical fraternity
, generally "put up" a vigorous "kick"
about the odium cast upon the business
by the repeated reports of nil the news
papers attributing practically every fire to
'crossed electrical wires."
That they do not do so Is probably due
more to the contempt they feel for the
statement than to any other motive.
nitctrlcal wiring aa done nowadays Is
tinder tho strictest supervision of the
proper agents of the nre Insurance com
panies, and can only be done by compe
tent workmen under responslblo con
tractors. 1 The statement In probably nn per cent
I of the cases Is a lie, and Is either duo to
I the Ignorance ur carelessness or both of
1 the parties who tu.tko It. Reporters gen
1 orally are Intelligent men and It Is up to
1 them to slop thlx. K. W. Stevenson,
New Yoiik, March 11.
The Art of Driving an Ab Tart.
To tub KniTiia ur Tna Sun sir: ! there
no one In the Street (.'leaning Iep,irtment
lih eeine enough to atop cruelty to Its
horses7 Ash curt drlvera should he mule
In atnrt with the empty curt at the head
of the street tn load up with ashee and work
toward the .lump Instead of starting near
the dump und furring the poor horse) to
pull the heavy load tivlce over the same
grmind j. MuatiEa.
Nrw Yona, Manh 11,
Amiirla Ilemrntla.
I'm sick all through, from top to toal
The way my pulsea ebb and flow
Would seem to Indicate, ack,
Thnt my complnlnt la rardlaet
Hut 1 bay Inst all mate for food,
Ho aaairlc Ills 1 must Include;
Again, though far Indeed front deata,
At times a i atrh comes In my breath;
My bosom heaves till 'twould appear
That pulmonary trnuhle'a near.
Next there's a Uncling of the nerves
Thut dliigminl will deiervea,
Flnca of all Ills by which man's cursed
The neuroiuthln nre the wont.
I met a lady fair hint week
To whmii I found It hard to speak.
My vocal cords must he aml,
I'.lee, whence cume their paralysis!
Orebrlc Imlntis, loo, I fear,
llerauae my mind wns far from clear.
Hut I've one symptom stranger yet,
Though thus completely I'm upttt.
Life aeems more Joyous, strange to tell
Than e'er It did when I was well,
Wluil'a wrought me up tn such a pitch T
1 am the victim of a wltchl
I feel her apell Is o'er me thrown.
TIs aha can cure and she alonel
Qaoaos II, Mosiwooii.
political com'Ksrwsa.
Mr. Llneetn'g lie so lut Inns Hi Their Vater
In IM.1.
To tub EniTon of The Bun Sir: 1
notice In The sun a letter signed by
Klmcr H. Youngman assuming to dtes
strate by quotations from the "Life of
Abraham Lincoln" by Ida M. Tarbell that
Mr. Lincoln was opposed to the Institution
of political conventions and would be at
tho present time It alive. The last sen
tence of the letter Is 'as follows: "Have
we any warrant for believing that were
lie living now the position he took in
1835 would bo alteredr I answer yes;
tho very best, bis own words. Let mo ic
fer Mr. Youngman to Nlcolay and llny's
"Complete Works of Abraham Llnoeln,"
Volume I., pages 240, 241 and 242, title,
"rtesolutlonsof a Whig Meetlnc at Spring
field, Illinois, March, 1141." "The object
ot the meeting was stated by Ur. Lincoln
of Springfield, who offered the following
resolutions, which were unanimously
adopted." The first four resolutions nre
not material to the subject now consid
ered, relating to a tariff on Imports, di
rect taxation, a national bank and the
sale of public lands; but note this:
Resolved, That we recommend to the
Whlga of each Congressional district of th
Stat to nominal and aupport In th ap
proaching (lection a candidate of their own
principles, regardless of their chance of
success.
Ileeolved, Tha w recommend to th
Whlga of all portions of th Stat to adopt
and rigidly adhere to th convention system
of nominating candidate.
Ileeolved, That w recommend to th
Whirs of each Congressional district to hold
a district convention on or before th flrst
Monday of May neat, to ba composed of a
number of delegates from each county equal
to double th number of representatives In
the General Asiembly, providing each
county shall have at least one delegate, aald
delegates to be chosen by primary matting
of th Whigs at such times and place as
they In their respective counties may ate fit.
Ileeolved. That A. T. llledsoe. 8. T. Logan
and A. Lincoln be appointed a committee
to prepare an address to the people of tha
State.
This address was written by Mr. Lin
coln and signed by the committee, and
the discussion of tho sixth resolution,
pages 253, 254 and 255, was as strong an
advocacy of the convention system as It
would be possible to write.
All the foregoing can also be found tn
Volume II. of the "Works of Abraham
Lincoln," centenary edition.
In the volume first quoted, page 210.
.s found the following letter to John Den
nett, dated March 7, 1848:
In It you will find a brief argument tn
favor of conventions, and although I wrote
It myself 1 will say to you that It ta con
clusive upon the point and cannot be rea
sonably answered. If tfier be any
good Whig who Is disposed to stick out
against conventions, get him at least to read
the argument In their favor In th address.
For his attitude In 1935 we have tK
hearsay testimony of Mies Tarbell. cor
roborated by the way by Nlcolay and
Hay In another work nnd In almost Iden
tical language: but for bis position In
1U3 there Is the evidence of his own writ
ing". Thnt this was no sudden conver
sion on his part Is shown by tho following'
quotation from the address:
We do not mention the fact ot many ef
the Whigs opposing the convention system
heretofore for th purpose of censuring them.
Par from It. We expressly protest against
such a conclusion. We know they were gen
erally, perhaps universally, as good and true
Whigs as we ourselves claim to be.
Hero he distinctly aligns himself with
those who had previously favored the con
vention system, as against those who op
posed It.
Tho question Is answered, Is It not?
And the following Is a pertinent query;
fa not The Sun's position that Abraham
Lincoln Is "worshipped for the most part
ipmorantly," well taken
OKonoE W. Kerr.
SrniNoriEi.D, Mass, March 11.
IIIS IIUXimEtt YEARS.
A Quaker Farmer er Aurora Approach.
Ing lilt Centenary.
To the nnfroa or The Sun Sir: If
Mr. Alfred King, an old resident of thla
town, shall live three or four days longer
he will be able to celebrate the comple
tion of his hundredth year. Notwith
standing a scepticism regarding similar
claim of longevity, I think the evidence
In thla caso establlshes the fact beyond
any question. He waa brought to this
country from Knglarul by his parenta.
members of tho Society of Friends, over
ninety years ngo ; and he ha In his pos
session n somewhat unique document, his
certificate of birth, which reada:
On the Fourteenth day nf the Third
Month, One Thousand Plaht Hundred and
Fourteen, was bom In the Pariah of Thorn,
boroush In the County of Ituiks, unto Will
iam King of Thurnborough. Farmer, and
Mary his wife, a Son, who Is named Alfred.
We, who were prevent at the eald birth,
have subscribed our names as wltnesaea
thereof, Kiiwp. SncTiiin, Surgeon.
M xrtii a CciLra.
I.ojipon: Printed by
W. Phillips. .
Ueorie Yard, Lombard Street.
As a member of the Society of Friends
nnd by vocation k farmer, It Is hardly
nieess.try to hay that he has lived n aober.
Industrious nnd quiet life. Until he was
past 95 or 96 years of age he mado hie
garden every spring. 1 see no reason for
anticipating his enrly decease,
Ai.rfkt LerriMawgLL, M. I).
Aurora, March 11.
"The sitin's" llreatl Depot.
To the F.ditor or The Sun Sir: It
Is the opinion of our class that many
deserving poor are ashamed to go to
vour bread depot nt 2C0 F.llzaheth street.
We think that by "the darkness be
friended" many more would avail them
self of Mr. Kamlier1 kindness. We there
fore suggest that the hours for distribution
be changed to read 7 to 9 I. M.
CI.ass 8113, I". S. 2, Manhattan.
New York, March 11,
Woman Kulfragc In Chicago.
To the EniTon or The Sun Sir: 1
have obtained from Chicago the following
figures: The number of women of voting
age lit Chicago eligible to register und
vote g estimated to bo G1G,S92,
The number of women who registered
was 1SS.S-4 ; those who voted nt the prt
m.iry election were 47.C74. That Is, a
little over 30 per cent, of the female citi
zens registered and a llttlo over 9 per
cent, voted, c. H. L.
i IIoston, March 10.
I The Memory uf Htalraman.
To Til UtMTiui or Tn Bvi Sin I always
knew Jim Martin was a great hand to re.
member people, but I hadn't never give him
full credit till down lu the store the other
nlsht vve nil put our heada together and
sort of sited him up. Wo wua ulmlchty
surprised how fur buck Jim can really ga
remrmberlng namea, and 1 calculate you'll
be too when you hear hat AmuiUh It mi
yon had to tell about It.
Amailah he waa telling about how Jim
dropped lu over.tn his place to burrow a
rip saw the morning after Amazluh's last
boy was horn u spell mo, Jlni he com
Into the kitchen, und he spied the nurse
lugging the hoy along through the buttery,
and he walked right up tn the woman and
putted the little fellow on the head und
ea, uy hei "Well, Hell, well! And hovv'a
little Willie this bright spring morning t"
Jim had It right. Amailah went nnd named
the hoy after Wllllum Jennings llryim the
very nest week, JiK", Jri uf Jersey.
PUIM'tiLli, X, J,, March 11.
Itoor ef Karap.
To in Kniriia or Tns sun Sir' I read
with pleasure tha admirable paragraph an
Mlit Davis's plan for setting th criminals
tn work cleaning the streets of New York.
It occurred to me that If, ua aba suys, "the
technicalities of th courts" open u door for
th escapo of suniu ut the criminals, that la
hardly a reuaon for opening to them an
other door of eacap.
MaltTtN P. CUMUINUa,
IlciTo.t, March U.
HUNGARIAN PEASANT
ART EXHIBITED HERE
Gorgeously Embroidered Tex
tiles and Laces and Potion
at National Club.
C0L0R8 ARE BKILMant
As Novel as Futuristic Work
Compares With Tivtiu-
Artisans' Products.
The exhibition of Hunearlun
art was opened In the galleries , t
National Arts Club last night v n, 4
members reception, which was ni- a(
tended by the Hungarian Consul-lie
and by M. JurJIevltch, private ch
lain to the Czar of Itussla, who h,ii.n
to be here.
The walls of the clubhouse are n aj,
gorgeous by the display, which Is cf em
broidered textiles, laces and pottery tl.i
textiles predominating. The colors utti
are as brilliant aa those employed by the
futurists, and the designs, while equallr
as novel as futuristic work, are less open
to criticism.
In short, this peasant art, like the art
of tho primitives, Is at once vivid np'
strong, unaffected and attractive, be auts
born of genuine racial experiences. Mth
the Increase of railroads and travel
barriers between the nations have Ven.
almost annihilated and the differences t
national art products along with then
France, Germany, Sweden, almost every
country In Europe, In fact, has watch-4
the abandonment of national costumes by
the peasants and the decadence of native
arts with alarm, and most of these coun
tries have societies now whose aim is t
check It
In Hungary there Is a home Industry
association to encourage the peasant
worker of the country, moat of nhctn are
farmers and have plenty ' of leisure In
winter, during which they manufactutt
the objects of their household use.
The Government In founding the aoclety
was guided by two considerations Hrt'.
the desire to preserve the old patterns of
peasant art, which were gradually being
superseded by machine made products,
and secondly, It desired to aid the pea-ants
o earn money during the winter moi hs
J. Nltson Laurvlk, the art critic, with
Dome Koperly, director of the ooc,ef,
chose the objects of the present dtvpiay
which in fact given a most comprehMiih
and creditable account of Ilungaiiat
peasant art
Some of the moat Interentlng plc I
the collection are the decorated horns
made by the Hungarian herdsmen am
shepherds, whose only tool Is a pockt
knife. Although thtse men have no pat
terns to guide them the work compare
favorably with tho beat work dn
truined artisans.
The gala costumes, both of the m n
and women, have all the qua'lt
Ilrst rate works of art, and he e a e
a number of small Hungarian ! i
dressed In their ".Sunday best" to
plain the manner In which then- eof'
are worn. The sleeves of the tn w
gala occnslons, for Inntance. are vt '
and hang In long folds far bi ou
hands. The material Is of while I m
heavily embroidered In brilliant w I- I
The men wear bifurcated skirts, and e e
an apron, also heavy with embroider
The ment striking of the nnbro
Is In wild color harmonies upor
linen, but there are many cushlot
and "runners" In pale vermh n -'
btlght blues thnt have an oriulr note
The exhibition remains on view it1
March 23, after which It tours the tun
try, going tlrst to Newark.
ECOXUMV I'LEA Hi ItEVOCItATS
fflrpnl.llenii Kilravagance I Oaf
done, rnntor Thomas Hays.
W.vslilNr.To.s', March 11. A Democt'a .la
protest was heard In the Senate to-aa
against Increasing appropriations a
growing extravagances. More than rs
Democratic Senator raised his o '
agalnar the tendency toward larger a,
ptopriations.
"The Democratic party Is 'seeing' fie
Republican extravagance. If I may an
poker parlance," said Senator Thomai e
Colorado, a Democrat, "and Is 'going ttw
party one better."
"I might say that the total appmprla
tlons for this year will exceed thone of St
year by 1100.000,000," ventured Senitor
Hmoot. a Republican.
"I think the Senator Is mistaken a
to the final aggregate," suggested Sena'nr
Overman, Democratic member of the "
proprlatlons Committee, who had b
protesting against Increasing approrr
tlons.
Senator Smoot expressed a willing-"
to stand by the prediction he had mao
to the total und asked Senators to k-e?
mind his prophecy.
"We ought to upologlze to Jtep . '
for all the years of abuse lnw
have railed ut their extr.ivagan e
Senator Thomas. "I see thut e are e e'
going to greater lengths than ' icy
thought of doing,"
"We accept the apology ' oJ ? ft
Senator McCumber, Republican vsi ? e
Senutors luughed.
.Senator Overman attacked U,n- "'
Iriet of Columbia approrrlattm b '
ported by Senator Smith of M ''
which he said was 11,700 000 m
the same bill last yrar.
The bill was before the Re- -e u '
noon. Much of the debate w.i '
against an appropriation of 1'
build a Halt market at tv
wharves as a sanitary me.i .
Democratic Senators aigm-J i
wns too large and some . Me
appropriation. .Senator Wil
that If the Senators who
visit the tlsh whntf they twi i
of the apptoprintlon.
'Senator La Follette hv a e
killed nn amendment prupi
of the Washington llm 1-g
with the Georgetown tl ia I. '
Senator lteel of Mts-nie .
t.tclt on nil of the pub.'.- u'
tlons In th District, p uti -phone
company, wltleh he s.i i -the
District I In ch.ui.id '
ratei were three tunes m 1
should be.
I r
LAHOIt nVllEATIUIJ I' ,,w '
Dremner 54 pen I III ' '"" "
WnrklnK for the Mei
Washinoton, Mnrch II "
Ing u bureau of labor eaf"i
pnrtment of Labor pusn-.i
to-day by a unanimous ot
u union of two bills, one
Republican Leader Maim
the lato Reprr senlntlvo
Jersey. Representative 1
the last painful bourn
working for the piifmgi- -f "
Tho bend of the mw -known
us the Commleei.
Safety, Will be a rrte'd--
nnd will get u salary ot 5 ,rr
provides for a muaeuui or f
devices, so that opportutu'j Jf
for tho study of modim u "
venting Industrial ill.ititi
IIryan fiora A t ,ul""
Washington, March ' '
State Uryou went to A
noon and di-llvt-red an a
font tho Maryland Iys1
Inlttntlve nnd referendum '
to Washington this evening
wren
i . . .