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| Cortland News political advertisement. |
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| Stratton S. Knox, 1883 Democratic candidate for Cortland County judge (photo 1899) |
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| Joseph E. Eggleston, 1883 Republican candidate for Cortland County judge |
The
Political Situation.
Never in the history of parties has the political
situation been so peculiar and novel in this county as it is this fall. The Tammany
Democrats, who cast but 350 votes in the county for John Kelly and against Gov.
Robinson only four years ago, have seized upon the party and actually captured
every nominee, while the regulars succeeded in their first convention in
retaining the organization.
Thus
we have Mr. Hugh Duffy, the head and front of the Tammany faction, nominated for
Senator; S. S. Knox, the most subservient tool of that wing, capturing the
nomination of County Judge, and Mr. Dougherty, the private secretary of C. L.
Hathaway, of Solon, nominated for Member of Assembly—every man of them the
bitter opponents of the regular Democracy, and leaders of the handful of
sore-heads who defeated Gov. Robinson in 1879. If the Democracy of Cortland
county gives very hearty support to such a ticket we very much mistake the tone
and temper of that party.
Then
again, so far as County Judge is concerned, Mr. Knox is playing a very dangerous
game. When he ran for Judge in 1877, his great strength lay with the men who
are engaged in the sale of liquor, in one form or another. Believing that he
could hold them on the old score he has gone to coquetting with the Prohibitionists,
and succeeded in actually getting ratified by a handful of temperance men in
advance of the Republican Convention. This was opposed by the
cool-headed men in that convention. One of them declared the sentiment of the temperance
people of this county that they did not want to be a tail to the Democratic kite.
Another level-headed minister said that he wanted Mr. Knox to come before the
convention and in an open speech declare his principles, and if in harmony with
his views he would support him.
The
fact that the committee sent out by the Prohibition Convention did not try to
find Mr. Knox has shown the hollowness and fraud of the whole thing, and the
temperance men equally with the liquor men, distrust a man who thus attempts to
play and fool with them. The temperance men of this county are men of
intelligence and of principle. They are not bent upon mischief to the Republican
party. They are earnest in principle, and their experience in electing Dr. Nelson
last fall has taught them a lesson. They will fool away no considerable number
of votes on such a pretender and alleged late convert as Mr. Knox. The defeat
of Knox is already assured.
On
Member of Assembly the situation is still more peculiar and marked. The
Democrats have nominated for Member, Mr. James Dougherty, of Solon. He is a
young man of excellent character, but of very limited experience in public
concerns.
In
the meantime the Republican party is being consolidated and organizing for success.
The mere mention of our nominees is an augury of success. We nominate no
uncertain or incompetent men. They are known and have been prominent for years.
Their nomination is not the result of fraudulent bargains or wicked or doubtful
combinations. Nobody is to be slaughtered to secure a little temporary strength
or success. These men are nominated as true exponents of the principles of this
party. They do not wink with one eye to the liquor men and the other to the
temperance men. This is a year calling for just such candidates, and if we do
not misread the signs of the times, these men will be elected by the old-time
majorities.
Let
every Republican who looks forward to next fall for Republican success, push on
this skirmish line of the great battle that is then to be fought and won.
Wisdom vs. Revenge.
The
Rev. Mr. Leet took the true position in the Temperance Convention: "I want
Mr. Knox to come before this convention and declare his principles. If they
concur with ours I will vote for him; if not, I won't." Knox didn't come.
Rev.
Mr. Sell was not far behind when he said he did not propose to be a tail to the
Democratic kite. A few more such level-headed men in the temperance [ranks]
would bring the grand old temperance question back to the confidence and
support of the people.
Temperance
was never intended to be kicked about as a foot-ball to please a few hypocrites
and sore-heads. When handled properly it finds a warm place in the hearts of
all decent men. When used as a cudgel to beat some fancied enemies or a lever to
raise hypocritical pretenders into place, when they dare not even declare their
principles, it becomes a hissing and a by-word.
In
those few words of wisdom spoken at an opportune time Mr. Leet and Mr. Sell
have done more for the cause of temperance than all the hypocrites by their
revengeful and intemperate language will do in a lifetime.
Where is He?
Last
year a circular was issued calling for the whereabouts of that "temperance
reformer," Prof. Dixon, with the above heading. It has never been answered.
A committee is now hunting for Stratton S. Knox, to bring him before the
temperance people, to "declare his intentions." If anybody has seen
Knox lately will he or she please notify that committee of his whereabouts, as
they are very anxious to bring Knox in (?)
Soliloquy.
Shall I declare my principles? This
Would be scanned. If I do say I am for
Prohibition, while this would tickle many a
Noble man, and catch their votes and
Help to satisfy my great ambition; yet
Here I pause before I take the leap; what
Of the men who drink? Ah, there it is;
The physic that doth cure one anxious
Part, doth physic unto death the other!
If I appear before the temperance men and
Shed my tears and tear my hair o'er
All the woes which liquor brings, and
Then do say I'll sit down heavy on the
Miscreant who deals out liquid death
And damns men's souls and all of that,
And wring my hands and rave and curse
And stamp the platform, and pledge my
Life and all that in me is, to fight the
Demon, what will my party say? Aye,
There's the rub! I'll hie me to the wing of
Jones and in his sanctum hide [Cortland Democrat], till
The storm is past; then with a knowing
Wink I’ll say to temperance men, "Had I
But known you wanted me, I would have
Made a speech that would have made
Each hair to stand on end, and curdled
All your philanthropic blood. I would have
Spoken of the noble record of my ancestors
And told how they did fight the puritanic
Battles, and how one by one they climbed
The golden stair, still in the fight; but
George mistook my whereabouts and I
Ne'er heard your call!" And then with
Slyer wink I'll point with pride to all my
Acts since I did come upon the stage of
Action and will say to those who
Think the other way, “Don't you see now
That I can make a noble judge? Those
Wild fanatics who thus far with many a
Manly stroke I've side by side with you
Fought e'en to victory, could ne'er beguile
Me to their net?" And so having no pledge
In public, nor in record found, I'll wink
Myself on to success.
—Shakespeare Imp.
Where is Knox?
Where was Knox when the committee went out? This is harder to
answer than the minstrel question, "Where was Moses when the fight went
out?" The committee hunted up and down Main street and reported their
inability to find the "temperance" candidate. But as soon as the
convention adjourned the delegates had no trouble finding Knox and communing
with him. That was part of the little game to keep Knox from making any speech.
"Silence is golden" under such circumstances.
Find Him!
Suppose
the liquor sellers should hold a convention, and send a committee after Knox,
do you suppose they could find him? We would suggest to that committee that
they call at the Democrat office. They would probably get the same
answer which Knox gave to the temperance committee, and they would make the same
report, which, put in legal Latin, would be, "non est inventus, non
get-at-a-bus, up-a-stumpabus!" which being interpreted into English means,
"I don't want to be found, and won't tell how I do stand."
An Outrage.
It
now turns out that James Dougherty, Esq., was nominated for the purpose, on the
part of Knox's friends, of trading him off for votes for Knox. This will cost
Mr. Knox the support of the decent men of the Democratic party. Mr. Knox is
playing the dangerous role of winking with one eye to the license men
and insisting upon his record on the license question as sufficient evidence of
his friendliness to their cause and opposition to temperance, and at the same
time winking with the other eye to the temperance men and insisting that he is
a temperance man.
This
hypocrisy ought to be sufficient to condemn him. But when you add to all this
the deliberate plan to sell out a worthy young man like James Dougherty, you
make a case calling for punishment instead of promotion to the highest judicial
office in the county.
TAXPAYERS, READ.
The Democratic State Administration.
A
meeting of Democratic candidates, committees and editors, was held in the city
of Albany, Oct. 12th, pursuant to call of Chairman Manning.
A
leading Democratic newspaper stated the object of the meeting to be "to
meet the exigencies of the Democratic canvass, and that something must be done,
and done quickly, to retrieve the Buffalo blunders."
The
Republican State Committee having exposed the record of the Democratic Senators
who voted against the interests of our brave soldiers, and also the record of a
Democratic Legislature and Governor, who created "useless offices,"
thereby greatly increasing the annual salary list of the State, the Manning
Democracy became alarmed and the meeting was called to devise some method to
allay the indignation of the thoughtful voter.
Mr.
Maynard, the head of the State Ticket, was called upon to voice the sentiment
of the gathering, and he stated: "The people ought to be shown
that the best administration ever seen in the State had been inaugurated
within the past year."
In
what regard, would we ask Mr. Maynard or Chairman Manning?
The
most important appointment made by Governor Cleveland was that of James
Shanahan as Superintendent of Public Works.
What
is public estimation of this official?
The
following extract from a Buffalo newspaper is but one of many items published
by the Press along the line of the Erie Canal:
INDIGNANT CANAL BOATMEN.
BUFFALO,
N. Y., Oct. 12.—A meeting of canal boatmen and navigators was held to-day at
Central Wharf. There was a large attendance of canalers now loading here, who
expressed general dissatisfaction regarding the condition of the Erie Canal.
The explanations of Superintendent of Public Works, Shanahan, before the
Buffalo Board of Trade were declared unsatisfactory, and resolutions were adopted
declaring that the Erie Canal is rapidly falling into a state of dilapidation through
official neglect, and calling on the Governor to remove Mr. Shanahan from office.
Is
this an evidence of "best administration"?
Mr.
Maynard further stated "that useless offices have been abolished and
reforms have been inaugurated."
The
Democratic party is challenged to prove the truth of this assertion.
Let
an intelligent person examine the session laws of 1883. They will search in
vain for a single chapter affording any substantial relief for the
taxpayer or working man.
They
will, however, find many chapters creating "useless offices"
and largely increasing taxation.
The
Legislature of 1883 abolished the Board of Audit, Canal Appraisers, Custodians
of the Old State Hall, Trustees of the Capitol, Trustees of the New State Hall, Commissioners of the New Capitol,
Port Wardens and Harbor Masters, and Auditor of the Canal Department, the cost
of maintaining which amounted to only $39,000 yearly. But they created the
following offices at the salaries named:
Commissioner of New Capitol, $7,000.
Treasurer, $4,000.
Superintendent of Public Buildings, $3,500.
Commissioner of Statistics of Labor, $6,700.
Game and Fish Protectors, $6,000.
Board of Claims, salaries, etc., $20,700.
Attorney-General, $5,000.
Commissioners of the State Reservation at
Niagara, $10,000.
Civil Service Commissioners, $15,000.
Commissioners of Immigration, $6,000.
Canal Statistics, $15,900.
Harbor Masters, $33,500.
Total, $133,300.
Abolished by Democratic Administration,
$39,000.
[Net Increase] $94,300.
The
Democratic party remains indebted to the taxpayers of this State for a NET
INCREASE of annual salary list by the several acts above referred to $94, 300. These figures should be read by every voter, and
judgment will be pronounced against the Democratic party, who by speech and
platform attempt to deceive the electors of this State.
Turn
the rascals out.
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