Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-17
Ehrntng Gi1at

Some of the struggles with the bal
lots reported by Dauphin freemen at
yesterdays primaries could be made
an excellent argument for a simplifi-
cation of the election law If they could
be collected and presented to the law
makers of the commonwealth. The
difficulties and loss of time expert
enced by men who desired to vote are
Just commencing to be heard of and
1t makes one wonder what could have
been the situation if there had been
"a heavy vote instead of one of the
nShtest known at an important pri-
mary in long time. The average
Tune taken by men who apparently
voted the whole ticket in some of the
wards where professional and busi-
nessmen live was from three to three
and half minutes. IN some pre-
cincts in the railroad districts reports
come of men taking two and half
minutes, but those fellows were going
ona fast freight schedule and were in
striking contrast to some Hill wards
where as high as five minutes was
taken. At Third and Fourth ward
precincts some men were declared to
take six and seven minutes. When
the returns can be analyzed II will he
found that many voters simply marked
few names and let it go at that.
The number of persons marking IL
at-large will probably be found to be
small and as for what might be styled
| complete ballots they will be compara-
lively few. Many men studied SAM
pie ballots or advertisements from the
newspapers before going to vote and
Undoubtedly many took them into the
booths so that they would not become
mixed up. The big ballot is one of
the things which the Pennsylvania
voter will not stand and there will be
demand for a change which will i'm
press the Governor and the next Leg
| islature.
|
One OF the small hard beetles known
Naflously as June bug or a grape bug
managed to kick up more fuss in front
| OF the Commonwealth Hotel on Satur-
! day night about o'clock than ever a
motorcycle caused. This bug, which
came to town for a Saturday night off
atter tame day out in the country,
was much entranced by the bright
| lights. 1t buzzed around the stand
ards and batted its head against the
globes for fifteen minutes, and, ap-
parently, becoming irritated at the
! bumps, started to manifest another
Saturday night characteristic by de-
! scribing larger circles. Its erratic orbit
finally began to attract attention. Then
1t suddenly made a wide swoop and
Immediately there were two squeals
| from two girls into whose faces the
bug had glanced as he sailed by. The
people had barely leased from grim
ming at the fright of the girls when
there came a loud "Oh-o" from ten
feet away and a girl with a big hat
ducked as though she had been hit by
a shower of confetti. A few seconds
later q big, tall man made a swipe at
the air and the package firmly clutched
in his right hand just missed the hat
1, hot 1ar
bug had awakened to the danger of Il
call for police and had sailed off toward
the waiting trolley cars to the quiet
suburban districts.
Farmers coming to the city's mark
cts say that they not only have to
contend with a scarcity of labor which
is disconcerting, but that they are
wondering how they are going to get
through the harvest. One man said
at Chestnut street market that he and
his whole family had been working
from morning until night and that he
wished some high school boys would
come to the country to get an idea OF
what farming amounts to. The high
er prices which he is obtaining APP
Iparently did not enter into this farm
er'S reckoning. Then, too, farmers
say that they have an unusual num-
ber of people coming around want
ing to buy produce before it is ready
and chickens which are not much
more than Matched. Another farmer
said that he could have sold his
horses five or six times in a month
and that his hay crop had been requi-
sitioned. 1t is evident from what is
heard at the markets that the farm
er is a center of attraction just now
In these days of branch exchanges
says a telephone man, the trouble is
that people do not speak distinctly
Nine times out of ten persons who
are talking through d branch eX-
change do not speak distinctly, but
talk too fast and do not make them
selves plain. 'Enunciate and don't
yell" is the advice given.
The fact that the Governors Troop
did not come home yesterday was due
to discipline, strange as it may seem
said an old National Guardsman to-
day. Instead of the men being kept
about quarters waiting for something
to turn up Captain Jack had them out
on a practice march, hardening them
and maintaining his splendid state o1
! discipline, which has manifested it.
, self so often. Consequently when
the order for relief of the troop came
the men were at work and the depart
ure could not be arranged rapidly. II
was hard on the men who had to stay
another day, but it did them good.