POST OFFICE APPOINTMENTS AND HOB-NOBBING WITH THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND

James J. Belden

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, July 26, 1889.

PAGE TWO/EDITORIALS.

   It is pretty generally understood that Democratic postmasters in Homer,

Marathon and Cortland will not be disturbed until after election. The leaders in this county, it is said, informed [Congressman] Mr. Belden when he was here last, that it would never do to make the appointments of postmasters in the principal towns in the county until after election as they would have hard work to elect a republican County Judge in any event and that if the appointments were made before that time, it would be utterly impossible to do so. This is the only reason for the delay in making the changes.

   The leaders of the party in this county care nothing whatever for the civil service rules and seem to take especial delight in violating them, and in this respect they are in full accord with the administration at Washington. The leaders here believe that if the appointments were made now, all of the candidates who get left, would vote and work against the republican candidate for County Judge in November, and they are undoubtedly correct in their diagnosis of the situation. The candidates have all been informed of the situation and as a result most of them are resting on their oars.

   It will be anything but pleasing to some of them to be obliged to support a candidate for County Judge that they believe to be unfit for the place, but the leaders are determined to force them to do so. There will be lots of kicking after election however, when the appointments are made. There will be a heap of satisfaction for the nine candidates for postmaster of this village who get left, in realizing that they have been forced to work for an unfit candidate for County Judge, in the hope of being rewarded, and that their enemy has taken the plum and they get nothing. The duplicity of the leaders, who undoubtedly know now who is to receive the appointment, will be fully appreciated.

   And now the publishers of school books are talking of forming a trust. As the trade is immense and the books are now sold for more than double what they ought to be sold for, people will have some idea of the greed of these cormorants. They are not satisfied with a profit of from 50 to 100 per cent, but want to increase the profit. An increase in their profits will allow them to contribute large sums to the republican boodle campaigns.

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   There seems to be several candidates for the republican nomination for county Judge this fall. We hear the names of Hon. A. P. Smith, Jos. E. Eggleston, Lewis Bouton and H. L. Bronson, all of this place, mentioned. We have been assured that some of the candidates mentioned have been doing considerable work already and that the fight for the nomination will be a decidedly warm one. We can assure the gentlemen who are anxious for the nomination that the fight for the election will be a much hotter one. The slickest politician will probably secure the nomination prize, but the prize is quite likely to turn up a blank.

   

   Russell Harrison, son of President Harrison, dined with the Queen of England one day last week. Of course the English people were displeased over the election of Harrison or the Queen would not have invited young Harrison to break bread with her. It is only a few weeks since that the Cortland Standard was denouncing the democrats of this country as "the English-loving, free trading, Ireland-hating Bourbon Democracy." What has it to say now of the republican party, the head of which is hob-nobbing with the Queen of England? When has a member of the democratic party been invited to dine with her Royal Highness?

TRUXTON.

   Early last Monday the change took place at the post office in this village. Few were surprised at hearing of a change, for it was expected. But those who read the papers last fall and heard the promises made to the soldiers could scarcely believe but that there must be some mistake, for they well knew that two veterans, both republican in politics and on the field of battle, had each presented long petitions urging his appointment as postmaster. Some lay the blame to Belden, some to Clark, some to Peck, and Frank gets a little of it too. Now we would like to have the editor of the DEMOCRAT tell us, if he can, who really is to blame, if anyone. We democrats here are big-hearted, whole-souled, liberal-minded fellows, and don't feel disposed to blame anyone.

   We knew last fall that the promises made to the soldiers were intended to outlaw the day after election. But they say if we never carried a musket we are veteran politicians and have fought for the republican cause since our infancy and are our claims to be thus disregarded, a mere boy who has never done anything in politics put in the place that rightfully belonged to us?  

   Before answering this question we are obliged to turn away to hide a wicked smile and turning back we answer, Oh, you must give the boys a chance. It is true you have cried until you were hoarse "long live Harrison, Belden, Peck, etc," and did all you were allowed to do for them at the polls. But you must remember that the boys did most of the hard work here last fall, in fact they turned the republican crank without any of your help and were even good enough to say to you old men, "You are getting too old to work so hard; just sit down, and let us boys take a twist at it." Don't you remember how they held a boy caucus and never put you to the trouble of even voting while there? And don't you know how they ran the whole campaign here last fall without any of your help? Don't you think such services as these ought to be recognized?

   I tell you when boys come out swinging their little flags and tooting with their bright tin horns as your republican boys did they should be appreciated. Yes, by George, they did run the campaign here last fall and I think their services should be appreciated by the democrats for they beat us by 20 votes, a thing unheard of in this town before.

   Here we are obliged to laugh in the face of our republican friends before we have time to turn our backs and are obliged to admit that they may do better. Yes, the answers they may learn but God help the republicans here while they are learning. Now, if the editor of the DEMOCRAT can tell us why it is that the claims of soldiers are so totally disregarded both here and in adjoining towns we would like to know, and if he cannot tell us perhaps he will be kind enough to confer with his neighbor Clark, who said so much last fall in favor of the soldier.

July 17, 1889.  A VETERAN.

Abundance by Karl Bitter, Central Park, New York City.

HERE AND THERE.

   Marathon post office has become a Presidential office with an annual salary of $10,000. [This figure was a printing mistake. It should have been $1,000. It was corrected the following week--CC editor.]

   The Universalist church which has been substantially rebuilt will be dedicated August 21st.

   Mr. Jay Hopkins has been appointed railway mail clerk on the road from Syracuse to New York.

   The mail between Marathon and Freetown is carried daily now, instead of every other day as formerly.

   Dr. C. B. Trafford of Marathon has been appointed a member of the Board of Pension examiners for this county.

   James M. Warner of Cincinnatus has purchased the Eagle Hotel at Windsor, N. Y. and takes possession Oct. 1st next.

   Next Sunday morning and evening, service at the Universalist church will be held [upstairs], the church having been finished. The subject of the discourse in the morning will be "The Christian Socialist."

   Mr. G. W. Allen, a recent graduate of the Normal School, has commenced his labors as local editor of the Standard. We extend to brother Allen a hearty welcome to a participation in the trials and tribulations, as well as the pleasures of the profession, for all these abound in the newspaper calling.

   One night last week some prudish person or persons tore the lovely female statue from the top of the drinking fountain, corner Groton Ave. and Main St., and deposited the poor and almost nude girl [at the corner of] E. Keator’s door yard, where she was left to shiver in the night air until discovered in the morning and properly cared for. The police are anxious to learn the names of the parties who committed the assault.

   Andrew Burch is a party whose name has been in these columns quite frequently, on account of his bibulous tendency. Once he came near drowning by falling down an embankment into Hilsinger's mill pond. Another time he met with a serious accident caused by a runaway. Last Saturday he came from his home on Merrill creek to this village and got in his customary condition. He then returned home, and after arrival there went to a tree not far from his house and with a rope halter hung himself to a limb. His wife, discovering him, took a knife and severed the rope, and help being at hand, he was taken into the house and restored to consciousness. Since that time nothing startling has occurred.—Marathon Independent.

  

FROM EVERYWHERE.

   Willard insane asylum has 2,059 inmates —1,072 females, 987 Males.

   George Hopkins, a Manlius chicken thief, has been sentenced to fourteen years hard labor in Auburn prison.

   H. H. Warner & Company of Rochester, are said to be negotiating for the sale of their proprietary medicine business to English capitalists. The price is said to be $5,000,000.

   A letter from Greytown, dated July 10, says that work on the Nicaragua canal is progressing favorably. Both the Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans warmly favor the pushing forward of the work of construction, and the little misunderstanding between the two Republics over the canal is likely to be amicably settled. The health of the construction corps is remarkably good. Nearly 1,000 men are employed at different points on the line of the canal.