DISTRICT ATTORNEY BRONSON'S BILLS

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, October 19, 1888.

Bronson's Bills.

Editor Cortland Democrat,  
Dear Sir:

   In the abstract of county audits page 71 of Proceedings of Board of Supervisors, it will be seen that District Attorney Bronson presented a  bill (No. 23) for $1,036.17. This included his salary and expenses. It will be seen that the Board only allowed it at $887.86, it being found on investigation that of the expenses charged, the large sum of $148.31 was made up of items not proper charges against the county, yet the bill was sworn to as correct by the District Attorney.

   You last week gave some specimens of the items for drawing room car, cigars, blacking boots, one dollar dinners, and the like, thrown out or cut down by the Board.

   On the same page appears another bill (No. 19) of $42.50, which, though presented and sworn to by Bronson, was found not to be a proper charge against the county, and was rejected. This makes $190.81 of improper charges presented by this law officer of the county, sworn to by him and rejected by the Board after investigation.

   And on the same page is still another, (No. 44), a bill presented in good faith by Mr. D. F. Wallace, of whom the District Attorney had purchased goods, having Mr. Wallace charge them to the county on his representation on the honor of a county officer, that they were for the county, and a proper charge. On investigation it was found that only $7.00 of the bill of $26.50 was a proper charge against the county, and it could only be allowed at $7.00, leaving Mr. Wallace to look to Bronson personally, for the rest, consisting of photograph album, letter press, and the like.

   This makes $210.31 of improper accounts which Bronson presented, or caused to be presented in one year only.

   A REPUBLICAN.

Vote for an Honest Man.

   MR. EDITOR:—The Democratic candidate for District Attorney is worthy of the earnest support of every good citizen without regard to party. His election will remove the uncertainty and suspicion that now hangs over the office, and restore confidence in the management of the criminal law business of the county. Mr. Dougherty has risen to his present standing as a citizen and as a lawyer by his own efforts. It was not his fortune as it was Mr. Bronson to inherit wealth and position, but as usual in such cases he has found that honesty is the best policy and that true success can only be obtained through continued industry. As a result he is to-day a much better lawyer than Bronson and if elected will not depend on A. P. Smith or anyone else to manage the office or draw the indictments. His habits and his honesty are unquestioned and no such crookedness can be found in his business dealings as the DEMOCRAT called attention to last week in Bronson's career.

   He did not obtain his nomination by a majority of one in the convention by begging for complimentary votes after a long and hard worked canvass. Mr. Dougherty's nomination came to him unsought and unasked for. He will bring dignity, sobriety, ability and learning to the office. The people will do well to elect him.

   REPUBLICAN.

   CORTLAND, Oct. 17, 1888.

PAGE TWO/EDITORIALS:

   The millionaire votes to protect his own interests. Will the poor man do likewise?

   There are a good many Italians in Syracuse, and they have formed a Harrison & Morton club. Whenever the republicans have a meeting or a parade in that city the club attends the meeting and marches in parade. There is no good reason why the Italians and Chinese should not support Harrison because he has always stood by them, while he has denounced the natives and defendants of Ireland as men who were only fit to fill our penitentiaries and work on railroads.

   Weed, Parsons & Co. used the Matt Quay "political pay envelope" in paying their employees on Saturday. One of its lying mottoes reads: "A tariff for revenue only means tree trade; free trade means pauper wages or no work." If the firm believed that, they would advocate free trade, for every Union printer knows that it is a "rat concern," and pays as near to pauper wages as it can screw the men down —Albany Argus.

   The Cortland Standard attempts to explain the resolutions passed by the Grand Jury in 1884, censuring Borthwick, then sheriff of the county, for allowing too much freedom to his prisoners and giving them easy opportunity for escape, by saying that they were "originated by a partisan or personal enemy, and by means of false testimony given by criminals who had a grudge against the sheriff, and through misrepresentations and misapprehension, the assent of a majority of the jurors was obtained to their passage." Grand jurors do not pass censure on a public officer on "false testimony given by criminals." We challenge the Standard to name a man on this Grand Jury that was then or is now a personal enemy of Mr. Borthwick. A majority of the jury was composed of Republicans, and there are no better citizens in the county. The Democrats on the jury were all men of equal respectability who would scorn to do a political opponent an injury. We can furnish our neighbor with the names if he wants to see them. A better grand jury was never summoned in this county, and they performed their duty as men should who have the interests of the people at heart. The Standard should furnish a better explanation, or none.

Workingmen Protected at Groton.

(From the Dryden Herald.)

   A gang of fifty Italians have been hired to work putting in the water-works in Groton.

(From the Newark Valley Herald)

   This is protection for the American laboring men with a vengeance. The people of this country talk a great deal about protection for American industry, and this year especially have a great deal of thought for the poor laboring men, and yet, in a small place like Groton, when they have a job that will furnish work for a large number of men, they send away and engage a gang of Italians or Hungarians simply because they will work cheaper than the Americans.

   We are all the time paying heavy taxes on our clothing and nearly all the articles used. These taxes are supposed to go to some manufacturer in a distant city, and we pay them so that he will be enabled to pay his workmen higher wages. And yet, when he wants more men he hires those he can get the cheapest, the same as they do at Groton, and the price he gets for his goods has nothing to do with the case.

Politics in McLean.

   The Republicans of McLean advertised a pole-raising for that platform Tuesday afternoon and promised to have Epenetus Howe and D. C. Bouton on hand to address the crowd. The speakers were present but when the managers found that the Democrats had a meeting advertised to take place in Galloup's large hall the same evening, they changed their programme and Howe spoke at the pole raising and announced that Bouton would address the crowd in Webster's hall in the evening.

   This proceeding it was fondly hoped would result in breaking up the Democratic meeting, and to make the thing doubly sure, they prevailed on the Republican members of the band, engaged to play for the Democrats, to decline to appear. Six members of the band are Democrats and they put in an appearance at the Democratic meeting and acquitted themselves very creditably.

   What was the result?

   Galloup's hall was packed to hear Thos. W. Burns of Ithaca and Pierce Pierson of Danby, expound the living principles of Democracy, and many were turned away, while a very small audience, composed mostly of ladies, looked lonesome enough in Webster's hall. This foolish piece of business will undoubtedly result in breaking up the band.

   It has already resulted in stirring up the Democrats of McLean to renewed efforts in a just cause. The Dryden Glee Club furnished music and a large Cleveland and Thurman club was organized after the meeting.

The Warners and the Tariff.

(New York Herald.)

   BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Sept. 24.—Perhaps the most notable firm in this locality is the corset firm composed of the Warner Brothers. They employ 1,200 hands, and form probably the largest corset concern in the world. They built the Seaside Institute here for their hands, who are boarded at cost—something like $2.50 a week. Dr. Lucien Warner runs the New York city end of the business, and is a tariff reformer of the deepest dye, as well as a philanthropist—as his munificent gift of $40,000 to the Y. M. C. A. in Harlem testifies.

   The brother who manages affairs here is not an avowed reformer, but the fact that the firm wrote a long letter to the Secretary of the Treasury at the time the late Daniel Manning was in charge, declaring that they were prevented from making certain grades of their goods, for which sale could he had, because the raw material of which they were made was taxed so highly, shows that their heads at least are in the right direction.

   They complained of the immense tax on Sisal grass, etc, which they use, and said they could stand a reduction down to twenty-five per cent. As the Mills bill proposes to bring the duty from thirty-five per cent down to twenty-five per cent, it is evident that their prayer has been heard, and that they want the bill to become a law would seem to be only a matter of course.

   The tariff on manufactured corsets remains by the Mills bill at thirty-five per cent, the same as now.