HITCHCOCK MANUFACTURING COMPANY REBUILDS BOILER ROOM

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, June 10, 1887.

HERE AND THERE.

   Several new passenger coaches have been put on the E. C. & N. road.

   Erving Stevens has his new building on Orchard street nearly completed.

   The old settlers of this county and vicinity are to hold a picnic in Homer, on June 21st.

   A pretty good start has been made on the foundations for the new blocks on Railroad street.

   The foundations for the new Grace church are completed, and the walls have been commenced.

   The three-mile running race, under saddle, between two ladies, will be well worth seeing during the fair. Don't miss it.

   A parrot belonging to Mrs. Martin Bartlett, of Homer, known to be sixty-five years old, died last week. It has been in Mrs. Bartlett’s family thirty-five years.

   A nine from Wickwire's shops in this place went to McGrawville, last Saturday afternoon, to play a game of ball with the nine in that place. The McGrawvilleans proved too strong for the wire boys.

   The June races, to be held on the Cortland Co. Fair Grounds, June 21st, 22d and 23d, promise to be unusually interesting. A good field of horses has already been entered, and there is no doubt but that the sport will be fine.

   Mr. Fairbanks, of Homer, purchased a traction engine of parties in Ithaca, which was delivered to him last week. It attracted the attention of horses in its immediate vicinity as it passed through the outskirts of this village on its way to Homer.

   Parties have been in town making arrangements to dress beef, cattle, &c., in this place, to be shipped to New York in refrigerator cars. They purchased the building east of the D. L. & W. freight house, which will be fitted up with a large refrigerator for their use.

   The Hitchcock Manufacturing Company commenced clearing away the debris, last Monday, preparatory to the erection of a new boiler house on the site of the one that was demolished by the explosion last week. The insurance adjusters settled the loss with the Company on Friday last. They have procured a boiler from the E. C. & N. R. R. company to run their works until the new building is completed.

   A large and intensely interested audience gathered at the Congregational church, last Sabbath evening, to listen to the talented Mrs. J. C. Stone, of Cleveland, Ohio, who addressed them upon the temperance question. She is a very pleasing and entertaining speaker, and handled the subject in a very able and womanlike manner. Her earnest utterances proved that she was not only a firm adherent of the cause she has espoused, but a bitter and uncompromising enemy of the liquor traffic. She was formerly a "crusader," and is doing valiant, efficient service for the cause in the capacity of Grand Lodge lecturer of the State of New York. Her remarks were "right to point," and she gave some very apt illustrations in support of her arguments, which greatly amused the audience. She was particularly severe on that class who pretend to be such zealous Christian (?) temperance men and women, but who never "lift a finger" for the maintenance of the cause, and compared them to a farmer praying for abundant crops, without even "turning a furrow" or doing anything to bring about the desired result. She declared herself a firm believer in the power of prayer, but thought each one should do his or her duty in the temperance work, instead of quietly "folding the arms" and expecting the Lord and His Faithful followers to do it all. She averred that when the 17,000,000 Christian men and women of this land say the liquor traffic shall "go," it will, and not till then. Should she ever address another Cortland audience we bespeak for her an overflowing house of as attentive hearers as greeted her upon this occasion.

   Don't fail to see the double team running race between Miss Myrtle Peck and Miss Alice Barry, on the fair grounds, during the races. These ladies will appear in contests each day of the meeting.

   Deputy Shirley, of Homer, went to Fulton county, last Saturday, and returned the following day with Nora Condon, whose child died under suspicious circumstances near Homer, a few days since. She was brought to this village, where she was lodged in jail.

   Floral Trout Ponds [located near South Franklin Street—CC editor] will open for the season to-day. Mechanics Band will furnish music. Music will be furnished all who desire to dance. This is an elegant place for picnics and social parties. The grounds have been greatly enlarged and beautified, and a pleasanter retreat would be hard to find.

   Dunsmoor's Park, on [144] Port Watson street, was opened to the public on Wednesday evening, with a grand ball. The grounds were filled with Chinese lanterns and the crowd was simply immense. The dancing hall was full until the party broke up at a late hour. We predict that this will be a popular resort.

The Vedder Bill Dead.

(N. Y. Times—Ind. Rep.)

   The governor's judgment on the Vedder bill to tax the sale of liquors in this state is that it was "conceived in political expediency, born of political hypocrisy, and has had its growth in rank injustice and in the utter violation of every correct principle of taxation." He further expresses the opinion that it was passed with no expectation that it would become a law, and for the purpose of embarrassing the executive rather than of promoting temperance or raising revenue. This plain language indicates that the purpose of embarrassing the executive was not successful, and the governor has no difficulty in disposing of the measure in a way that will satisfy everybody who is not disposed to condemn him whatever he may do.

   The specific objections to the bill, which the governor presents, are two, and these have already been made familiar to our readers. It would be unequal and unjust in its operation, and it would tax the interests of localities for the benefit of the state at large. The bill claimed to be only a revenue measure. Its purpose was not to promote temperance or to reduce the sale of liquors, whether or not it might have that effect incidentally. As a tax measure it was flagrantly unjust, levying a tax upon certain cities eight times as great as that upon towns and villages. It was not proportioned in any way to the amount of sales, but the rate was to be determined by population, which is no more equitable for a tax on one kind of business than another. The governor shows that it not only violated sound principle but all precedent.

   The other objection is quite as strong. While the bill proposed to put the main burden of the tax upon the large cities it deprived them of its benefit. A double share and more of the revenue was to be drawn from those cities, but it was all to go into the state treasury for the relief of communities which paid the smallest part or none at all. There might be no licenses granted in a city or town, and hence it might pay no tax on liquor sales, and yet it would enjoy the benefit of a reduction of taxes at the expense of New York and Brooklyn.

   There are many arguments in favor of using the revenue from liquor sales for local purposes which the governor does not refer to, but they are obvious to all intelligent persons. The special evils, losses, and expenses entailed by the liquor traffic have to be borne by the people where the sales are made, and if there is to be compensation by license fees or special taxes they should have the benefit. But the general principle is sufficient to enforce the objection. As the governor says, there would be just as much propriety in appropriating for the state treasury the revenues derived from local franchises and privileges of other kinds.

   The passage of this bill was one of the many political blunders and miscalculations of the session. Its motive was too transparent and its injustice too obvious to gain any man's support for the party responsible for it. It was a bid for the temperance vote and the heavy tax upon the cities for the benefit of rural communities was a bribe to secure the support of country members. But its passage will satisfy no temperance republican, while the unfair purpose which the governor was called upon to defeat will add to the distrust of fair-minded men for those who assume to direct the policy of the Republican party. It is a device which will plague the inventors far more than those against whom it was directed.