A CHARACTERISTIC REPLY

William H. Clark.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, June 27, 1890.

PAGE FOUR/EDITORIALS.

   The editor of the Cortland Standard makes a characteristic reply this week to the very able article of Mr. Palmer, published in the last issue of the DEMOCRAT. It consists mainly of words, words, words, and charges of falsehood which prove nothing, except the lack of capacity for argument and a decent regard for the truth of the author. If it was a crime for Mr. Palmer to circulate a petition to be presented to Congress then he deserves to be punished. In the early history of this country the refusal of the right of the people to petition parliament, was among the causes that created a big disturbance, which was finally settled for all time in favor of the people and the propriety of that right has never been disputed or questioned by any one since except the editor of the Standard, although such petitions have been frequently ignored by Republican Congresses. What would be considered wrong in Mr. Palmer would of course be eminently correct and proper in the editor of the Standard, when viewed through the goggles of the latter individual. We believe it to be a notorious fact that the editor of the Standard caused a petition to be circulated, not many months since, asking Superintendent of Public Instruction Draper to appoint a certain individual in this place to the office of trustee in the State Normal School. The petition was not openly circulated but was presented on the quiet to a certain few of the heelers and special friends of our neighbor and then it was hurried off to Albany. Very few of the leading and public spirited Republicans of this place had an opportunity to sign the petition and yet Mr. Clark was not charged with committing any crime in the premises. He was simply exercising a right which the laws of the country vouchsafe to every citizen no matter how humble. If Mr. Palmer had done the same thing, we suppose it would have been a crime, possibly of the grade of high treason to his highness, who sets himself  up as the "boss" of the county, and whose dominions will be extended if his wings are not soon clipped.

   Later when he had failed to secure the appointment of his choice, another petition we understand was surreptitiously circulated asking for the appointment of two well known citizens, who were appointed somewhat hurriedly. The leading Republicans of the village were not permitted to sign the same nor were they notified that such a petition was in existence. There are a good many prominent and worthy Democrats in town who have the welfare of the public schools at heart, who were not permitted to sign the document but were entirely ignored in the premises. Mr. Palmer submitted his petition to Republicans and Democrats alike and we leave the candid reader to say which party pursued the course of an honest man.

   The editor of the Standard intimates that a question of veracity has been raised between certain of the signers of the petition and Mr. Palmer. He attempts to bring about such results by improperly reporting the explanations he claims these gentlemen have made to him. Whenever a question of veracity or integrity may be raised between our neighbor and Mr. Palmer, we shall be willing to submit the question to a vote of the people of the village or county and allow the former the privilege of selecting the tellers to count the vote. The result could be easily foretold without the aid of a political or any other sort of prophet.

   The entire question is simply stated: Mr. Palmer is interested in manufacturing and he believed that the passage of the McKinley bill would injure his business interests. After holding frequent conversations with others interested in local manufacturing, both Democrats and Republicans, he thought it would be entirely proper to forward a petition signed by the manufacturers in this place, to Congress for the purpose of notifying the members of that body of the feeling in regard to the McKinley bill among the manufacturers of Cortland. The same thing had already been done by leading Republican manufacturers and business men of Chicago and other places, and they have not yet been called to account for their action by the editor of the Standard. Possibly the next time Mr. William Gould Hibbard, of the firm of Hibbard, Spencer & Co., of Chicago, comes to town, he may have the riot act read to him by our neighbor for signing a similar petition, but we are of the opinion that it will have about as much effect as "a breeze from Solon Pond on the Virgil hills." Mr. Hibbard is a strong Republican and is at the head of the largest hardware firm in the West and it would be a good thing if Mr. Clark would set about convincing him of the error of his ways at once. One James G. Blaine is also reported as being opposed to the McKinley bill and here we suggest is another promising field of labor that should not be neglected as soon as Hibbard is whipped into line.

   No one except the editor of the Standard will pretend to deny that Mr. Palmer had a perfect right to circulate a petition for any purpose he chose without asking permission of the "boss" of the Republican party. No one will or can deny that the Parties to whom it was presented had a right to sign or refuse to sign the same as they saw fit. They were permitted to read the same and they are presumed to be men of at least average intelligence and competent to understand plain English. If they failed to read the petition they are to blame and ought not to plead the baby act now. If after reading they failed to understand the meaning of so plain and concise a document, they must not now find fault with Mr. Palmer. He contracted to furnish the petition and they the understanding. If they hope to furnish goods not inventoried among their assets, their failure to fulfill must be charged either to the lack of dispensation of Providence or neglect of early opportunities. The innocence or simplicity displayed by them under the crack of the master's lash, must be exceedingly painful to their friends.

   The DEMOCRAT sincerely hopes they have not been correctly reported in the Standard. They have done nothing they should be ashamed of, they were not deceived, and they ought to possess sufficient self-respect and manhood to stand by their signatures. Any other course serves to belittle them in the eyes of the public if it does not in their own. There is no moral or statute law constituting the editor of the Standard the censor of mind and matter in this community. His power to hear or require confession from the Republicans of this parish, is self-assumed and not delegated from on high.

   No one would have heard anything more about the petition had not the Paul Pry of the village, stirred the matter up. In trying to raise a disturbance he has placed some of his party friends in an unpleasant position. This is about all it amounts to. We are content to leave the question of intelligence as between Messrs. Clark and Palmer to the same tribunal selected to try the question of veracity and integrity. As to the DEMOCRAT'S "feeble editorial echos" we have nothing to say beyond the fact that we say what we believe and have no apologies to make for giving utterance to our belief.

NEIGHBORING COUNTIES.

   CHENANGO.— Two more parks have recently been laid out in the beautiful village of Bainbridge.

   By the destruction of several bridges last week, by the great flood, the town of Greene will lose several thousand dollars.

   Relic hunters from Norwich were in Morris recently, and bought two old clocks, a small spinning wheel and an old pewter platter.

   William Murphy, sentenced last week to sixty days for assault, died in his cell at the jail in Norwich, early Sunday morning, after several hours unconsciousness. Coroner Fernald caused a post mortem examination to be made, when it was decided that paralysis of the brain caused his death. His age was thirty-eight years.

   Warrants were issued on Thursday by G. R. Jacobson, Esq., for the arrest of A. Brewster for marrying a girl thirteen years of age, daughter of William Northrup. Rev. Elder Crane performed the marriage ceremony June 4. L. Sweetland and wife were arrested as accomplices. Brewster and wife gave bail in the sum of $500 each. The parties all reside in German.

   A new side track and switch is being put in at the D. L. & W. station in Norwich village, to accommodate the Norwich Blue Stone Company. It is located south of the freight depot, on the west side of the main track. A large derrick will be erected near the track by the Blue Stone Company, to facilitate the moving of heavy blocks of stone which they are shipping.

   MADISON.—The Canastota village tax rate this year is .015 on a dollar.

   The old homestead of the Loomis gang is to be sold by the sheriff in Utica, July 25th.

   A picnic of deaf mutes will be held at Sylvan Beach, August 2d. A quiet time is expected.

   A Chittenango man was treated to a dose of rotten eggs while visiting a Canasaraga widow, recently.

   The Chittenango gas well has been abandoned after reaching a depth of 2,715 feet, at a cost of $4,873.75.

   The Central New York Veterans' Association will hold its annual encampment at Sylvan Beach for five days, beginning August 19th.

    One hundred thousand trout were placed in Cazenovia lake, last week. This makes 236,000 trout that have been placed in the lake during the past year.

   While excavating for the new water works at Cazenovia last week, the excavators unearthed an old corduroy road some fifteen rods in length. The logs were of cedar, pine, elm and beech, and as sound as when laid.

   On Monday night some unknown person threw a quantity of meal into M. R. Smith's hen park in DeRuyter, which contained poison of some kind sufficient to kill several of his best hens. Any person so depraved as to commit such an act as this should be placed where the public will not have to suffer for their acts. Mr. Smith will pay liberally for evidence sufficient to convict the guilty party.

   TOMPKINS.— In compliance with the new ballot law Groton will have four polling places next fall.

   Recently 1,900 perch and other fish were taken from Cayuga Lake at Springport, by a party of anglers in one day.

   A Gospel camp meeting is to be held at White Church, in Abram Dennis' grove, by Mr. I. Stewart of Towanda, in August, commencing on the tenth and lasting ten days. A good time is expected.

   George Vandermark, of Brookton, was examined before Justice Monroe of Dryden, charged with chicken stealing, upon complaint of Sylvester Hile, Thursday, and was held under five hundred dollars bonds to appear before the next grand jury. The principal party in the chicken stealing, a man named Snow, who appears to have done the stealing, has not yet been secured, but a thorough effort is being made in that direction.

CHARLIE SWAN'S BIG SCHEME.

To Build the Monster Bridge between New York and Jersey City.

   One of the greatest projects in the world has been conceived and secured from both the states of New York and New Jersey, by Charles H. Swan, an old citizen of Syracuse. It is the building of a great bridge across the Hudson river between the city of New York and Jersey City. The bridge will be constructed to accommodate all the great railroads centering at Jersey City. It will be an eight track bridge, and there will be a Union depot located in the city of New York and the trouble of taking of the ferry passengers who use the various railroads centering at Jersey City will be a thing of the past. Then over 1,000 trains daily to and from Jersey City and over 80,000 people cross the river daily, to say nothing about the thousands of tons of freight.

   This proposed bridge will revolutionize traffic and the accommodation to the people living along the Southern tier of the State will be greatly benefitted. The bridge will be longer and twenty (20) feet higher than the Brooklyn bridge. Mr. Swan's old friend, Andrew H. Green, is at the head of the enterprise. Mr. Green originated and built Central Park, and anything he takes hold of is sure to succeed. The bridge approaches and union depot will cost about fifty millions of dollars.

As Other People See Us.

   We clip the following complimentary acknowledgement of the onward march of our village from the Canandaigua Repository—Messenger of last week.

   "The benefit of manufacturing enterprises to a village is most conclusively demonstrated by the situation at Cortland. In 1870 the village had 3,000 inhabitants and not exceeding 50 men engaged in manufacturing. To-day, 20 years later, the population is very nearly if not quite 9,000, and the pay rolls of the 23 manufacturing enterprises aggregate $77,000 a month, exclusive of the salaries of officers, book-keepers, etc. Imagine $77.000 a month spent by workingmen in Canandaigua!"

Burglars at Work.

   During Wednesday night burglars entered the East Cortland House on Elm street by breaking through a rear window of the bar-room. About four dollars in pennies and small coins were abstracted from the cash draw and a quantity of liquor and cigars taken. It is thought to be the work of parties from out of town.

   The barn of George Stevens who resides a short distance east of the Port Watson street bridge was also entered and two good single harnesses stolen. Hanging close by were two harnesses of less value which the thieves had no use for.

In Memorial.

   Ransom Warren was born in the town of Otego, Otsego county, N. Y., July 4, 1809 and died at his residence in McGrawville, June 14, 1890. When eight years of age he removed with his parents to the town of Solon, this county, and settled on the farm now owned by Lee Maybury. He remained at home working on the farm until he arrived at the age of 21, when, as he often remarked he shouldered his pack and started out for himself. In 1831 he worked for William Randall of this village helping to grade and fit the grounds known as the Randall garden. In 1832 he went to work on a farm for a man named Lewis Raynor in the town of Pompey, Onondaga county, N. Y., and worked for him four years.

   On February 17, 1836, he was married to Harriet L. Safford of the town of Pompey and commenced keeping house the following spring on the farm now owned by Williard Bingham, in the town of Solon and lived upon this farm until 1851, when he sold it and bought the farm formerly known as the Peet farm in Solon which he owned up to the time of his death.

   In politics he was a lifelong democrat of the old Jeftersonian stamp. He filled nearly every office in the town. He held the office of Justice of the Peace fourteen years and served the town as Supervisor in the year 1863. He was one of the first stockholders and helped establish the First National Bank in this village and held the position of one of the directors up to the last annual meeting when at his own request he was relieved from further duty. About twenty years ago he removed to the village of McGrawville and continued to reside there up to the time of his death.

   His wife and four children survive him; the youngest son Oscar, died 13 years ago. The surviving children are George L. Warren and Minnie Brownell, residing in this village, C. B. Warren residing in McGrawville and James L. Warren residing in Mamaroneck, Westchester county, N. Y. His funeral was held at the Baptist church in McGrawville, (of which he had been a useful and active member for over forty years), Tuesday afternoon, June 17 and was largely attended. The beautiful floral decorations from loving friends showed the high esteem in which he was held in this community.

   A very able sermon was preached by his pastor, Rev. J. E. Usher, from Mark 4th Chap. 39th verse, "But when the fruit is brought forth immediately he putteth in the sickle because the harvest is come," showing the usefulness of a busy life, and that sooner or later the harvest time will come to us all.

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