Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-28
THE CoLoNEL'S CHAT
When Colonel BeltIer Escaped" to
Mexleo-David B. Provan's Epi-
gram About the Congress
sional "Drys"
BY GEORGE NOX Mccain
COLONEL LEWIS E. BEITLER, gene

man OF any Importance in the state. AS
Mayors secretary, Governors secretary,
deputy secretary of the commonwealth,
member of the old National Guard, organizer
of inaugural pnrades. the man who 'put
over" the great Gettysburg reunion of sur
vivors of the Civil War, secretary of the
committee of public safety and Council Of
National Defense, his acquaintance is state
wide and then some.
My most vivid memory of the colonel goes
back n decade ago to the distant city of
Guadalajara, in western central Mexico.
l was on my way to visit the then active
volcano of Colima. Guadalajara is the larg-
est city in the district. The American
conductor on the train had recommended
Ortega's Hotel as the best in the city. 1t
was kept by Californian, of Spanish
parcntage, and was rendezvous for Yankee
travellers.
/ took waiting cabriolet at the station
door. I was not aware that the hotel was
distant but block and a half. The driver
sinister individual wearing twenty dollar
somberero, a twenty cent cotton undcrshirt
duck trousers and alpargatas, drove me in
n tortuous route for ut least ten blocks,
finally winding up at Ortegas.
| had detected the fake and disputed his
fare of dollar. The alteration was car
a familiar and CHEEKY voice broke in:
'Well. well. and what in heavens name
brings you down hcre?'
1t was Colonel Bcitler. Needless to say
the taking cab driver made a hasty exit
from the hotel
The colonel at that time largely in
tcrestcd inssomc Mexican mines and was in
Guadalajara looking after his interests.
A RARE story that the colonel tells about
\ himself happened during that or pre-
vious visit to Mexico. 1t occurred in the
City of Mexico.
A certain Philadelphia detective, per-
sonaly known to Colonel Beitler during his
term as secretary to Mayor Stuart, hap
pened in Mexico City at the same time. He
was carrying extradition papers for
criminal who had taken refuge in our sis
ter republic and had been away from home
for a couple of months.
In the corridor of the Iturbide Hotel he
encountered the former Mayors private sec
retary. There were the usual hearty greet
ings from acquaintances and fellow towns
men.
Weeks afterward. on returning home, a
city police official meeting him said
That must have been funny experience
of yours in Mexico City"
what experience inquired the sur
prised colonel.
"Why, your meeting with Detective
b. / thought you knew about it,"
laughed the official The day you met him
in Mexico City we got a telegram from him
reading:
Lew Beitler is here. Is he wanted for
anything? Wire quick"
DAVID r. PROVAN. of the Ritz Carlton
- and Adephia, like thousands of other
hotel men, has his own opinions regarding
prohibitions particularly in tn" exclusion
of beer and light wine from the liquid menu.
The revelations of Congressman Gallivan
and his demand that the members of the
lower house at Washington come out
frankly with a statement as TO the amount
of liquor each one has stored for use during
the arid period or rainy day of prohibition,
have been more than a personal satisfaction
to him. They are real delight.
In addition, his chronological bump of
awe and reverence for the solons in Con-
grcss seems to have diminished recently if
his description of the 'drys' in Congress is
an indication.
They are afflicted with water on the
brain and whisky in the cellar" says the
manager of the two big hotels.
COME remarkable innovations are being
~ planned by the state Department of High.
ways, Commissioner Lewis S. Sadler tells
me- Some of them are unique. For in
stance the department Is arranging to pur-
chase and distribute in various sections of
Pennsylvania forty machines for weighing
motortrucks.
These machines are of peculiar construc-
ton. They are portable and can be moved
from place to place. They are not difficult
of operation.
Wherever possible, every principal state
highway-they are known as arterial roads
will be constructed of re enforced con-
crete The greatest enemy to these roads
is the freight truck.
The pOndcrous mass of these great vehicles
causes certain amount of vibration through
the body of the cement. To prevent this
Commissioner Sadler had the new automo.
bile law fix their maximum weight, IL in
tended for use on state highways, at o.
600 pounds.
There will be no guessing as to the weight
OF these trucks: There is no guessing in
any mechanical detail in Mr.. Sadler's de-
par''heht' Hence the necessity for these
new portable weighing machines.
MANUFACTURERS of bronze memorial
A'A tablets are doing a wonderful business
these postwar days. Churches. commupi
ties. societies and lodges are giving them n
business undreamed Of in past years.
Mural tablets in brass and bronze are
being erected to the memory of the eloriops
dead of the world war I do not believe
that there is q, college or university in the
state that has not ordered or is just plan
ming to order one of these memorials
My attention was directed to this by
Edward NJ. Campbell, construction en- :
gineer of this city and New York. and RIoir
Jacket. who invited me to inspect the de-
sign for bronze tablet prepared by one
of the largest concerns in Philadelphia.
Both are Bucknell men and members of
Phi Gamma Delta, The fraternity plans q
lasting memorial in its fraternity house
at Lewisburg to the members of the chan
ter at the university who lost their lives
in France.