CARRIAGE MEN IN CORTLAND, POLITICS AND TEMPERANCE

1899 Butler photo of Cortland Wagon Company floor stock, courtesy Grip's Historical Souvenir of Cortland.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, March 6, 1891.

Carriage Men in Cortland.

   The Carriage and Harness Retail Dealers' National Protective Association held its semi-annual convention and banquet at Syracuse on Tuesday of the present week. The representation of members from the various states of the Union was most satisfactory. Among other matters of interest at the session, the question of what constitutes a "dealer" was settled "as one who carried at least six four-wheeled vehicles on his door at the same time."

   About fifty new members were admitted. The association pledge was amended to read "that no member should sell jobs for less than 20 per cent over net wholesale prices." At the banquet in the evening an invitation was presented from the Cortland Wagon company requesting the convention to visit Cortland on the following day, and the invitation was accepted. At 10:06 A. M., Wednesday, a special train of two elegant coaches left Syracuse with veteran engineer, J. Caton, at the throttle.

   A stop was made at Homer to permit the party to inspect the Brockway wagon and carriage plant, and the train rolled into Cortland at 11:50. After alighting from the cars a line was formed with Penn & Lee's band, of Syracuse, at the head and the party marched to the offices of the Cortland Wagon Co., where an hour was spent in resting and inspecting.

   Dinner was served at the Messenger House, mine hosts Ingraham & Bauder laying seventy-three covers at 1 o'clock. The tables were decked with ferns and flowering plants, while the menu was in keeping with the occasion and was a decided credit to the house. A tour of the factories then occupied the time until 5 o'clock, when the guests departed, expressing themselves as having an excellent opinion of Cortland and the royal manner in which they had been entertained at the hands of their business bretheren.

   Besides the head officials of the Cortland Wagon Co. and other factories, there were present: I. S. Remsen, of Brooklyn, president of the association; George Penn, Syracuse; W. S. Cavender, Flint, Mich.; George W. W. Houghton and G. H. Bushe, New York; C. H. Redding, New York; W. P. Nolan, Cincinnati, O., J. M. Potter, Amesbury, Mass.; M. R. Hyman, Indianapolis, Ind.; H. D. Sides, Dayton, O.; W. A. Stratton, Benardstone, Mass.; I. B. Lovell, Tarrytown; C. W. Scheldwachter, New York;  T. C. Pool, Lockport; Adriel Parshall, Cooperstown; A. D. Wilcox, Unadilla Forks; S. C. Trussell, Middletown; P. D. Randall, Troy; L. M. Long, Buffalo; R. C. Callahan, Buffalo; B. E. Carpenter, Troy; L. W. Hulse, Goshen; A. S. Gary, Binghamton; C. W. Curtis, Syracuse; Theodore Foster, Utica; W. J. Field and G. E. Plumb, Elmira; A. Bristol; Fulton; H. F. Wells, Friendship; W. O. Bunn and George A. Brockway, Homer; Clark H. Veazie, Rochester; James Ellis, C. C. Bradley and R. C. Morse, Syracuse; B. Linderman and George E. Burrows, New York; G. P. Little, Montrose; J. A.Taylor, Detroit; G. W. Lord, Homer; and Penn & Lee's band of eighteen pieces.

   The object of entertaining this large party was that of setting forth through personal observation of representatives from all quarters, the magnitude of Cortland manufacturing industries and natural location relative to shipping facilities as well as the extension of business acquaintance.

Mining Interests of Honduras.

SAN RAFAEL MINING AND MILLING CO.

   Dr. Foster, the manager, informs the Honduranian Progress that the Huntington gold plant is completed and that results of the milling are very favorable, both as regards the mill and the ore. The ores are free-milling gold quartz, easily crushed and they produce on an average from the six mines opened, $22 per ton of 2000 pounds, the tailings assay from $1 to $2 per ton. The milling expenses amount to 66 cents per ton.

                     GUADALUPE HONDURAS G. & S. M. CO.

   Owing to mismanagement during past year has made but little progress. There is on mill site a 15-stamp silver plant partially erected. Mr. J. E. Foster has been made manager, and will place affairs of company on business footing and must soon realize success from the rich ores of the mines of the company.

Farmers' Institute.

   The programme for the two days session of the farmers' institute to be held in the court house in this village, March 11 and 12, has been announced. The first session will be open at 10:30 A. M. Wednesday with an address of welcome by Hon. J. E. Eggleston, Cortland county Judge, to be responded to by a member of the N. Y. Agricultural Society. After which the management of sheep will be discussed by Edward VanAlstyne of Kinderhook.

   At the afternoon session 2 o'clock, Fruit Culture as adapted to Cortland county, by James A. Root, Skaneateles, and Commercial Fertilizers, Dr. L. L. Van Slyke, State Exp. Station, Geneva, will be listened to.

   In the evening at 7 o'clock, the Yellowstone Park and Garden of the Gods, illustrated by stereopticon views, Miss M. F. Hendricks, Normal School, Cortland; Advantages of the Silo in Stock-keeping, George T. Powell, Ghent; Poultry for Profit, F. E. Dawley, Syracuse.

   Thursday at 10 A. M., Improved Methods necessary for the dairymen in care of stock and milk, if he is to succeed, Geo. A. Smith, Cheese Instructor, Dairy Commission; Is the National Banking system of any benefit to farmers, and what "Financial Legislation" would best promote their interests? James H. Tripp, Marathon; principles to be recognized in the feeding of animals, Col. F. D. Curtis, Kirby Homestead. The session will conclude with the following subjects in the afternoon: The rearing and training of the horse, Dr. H. O. Jewett, Cortland; cattle breeding, W. L. Rutherford, Waddington; culture of clover, Hon. Seth Fenner, East Aurora.

   A question box will be provided which will be opened at the beginning of each session. Ladies and young farmers are especially invited, although free to all.

Health Officer's Report.

   Health officer, W. J. Moore, reports for February, 1891: Deaths 7; males 3, females 4, of which 6 were natives of the United States and 1 of Ireland. Two were under 5 years of age; one between 10 and 20, one between 20 and 30; one between 50 and 60; two between 70 and 80. Births 15; males 10, females 5. Married 3.

Blended Goods.

   If it is true that "all roads lead to Rome" it is equally true that all paths lead to the same destination in Republican politics. A more striking instance of this fact would be hard to find than was exemplified by the selection of delegates to the Republican Convention to nominate village offices last week. Take for instance the list of delegates chosen for the fourth ward last Saturday evening. The ticket is headed with the name of a deacon of one of the prominent churches in this village and a strong temperance man. Then follows the name of a very conservative member of the same church, whose temperance record is yet to be made. The third delegate is a highly respectable citizen who does not belong to any church. The fourth name on the list is worn by a hotel keeper, well known to be a dispenser of wet goods. The fifth delegate is a retired citizen but an office holder. The sixth man on the ticket is a hotel keeper and sells rum and molasses to the faithful, as a preventative of La Grippe, super-induced by the cold winds of March. The funniest of all comes next. The seventh man is a temperance man, although he votes the Republican ticket straight every time. The eight name is that of a stranger and the ninth has often rode into town offices on the strength of being a Grand Army man . The tenth is a well known hotel keeper and a former Democrat, the eleventh is an office holder, a member of a prominent church, slightly tinctured with temperance and the twelfth is a total stranger.

   What strange associates. Here is the truly good man, who believes in temperance, hobnobbing with that holy terror, the liquor seller, simply for the purpose of keeping life in the g. o. p. Undoubtedly he would shake his religious convictions, as readily as he does his temperance principles, rather than see "the only party that ever done anything for temperance" come to grief. What wonderful consistency?

  But the liquor selling delegates are no more consistent than were those who profess temperance. They attended the convention and participated in the nomination of a candidate for president of the village, who has repeatedly stood at the polls and worked all day for the election of a no license excise commissioner, and who is one of the most radical temperance men in town. So long however, as he votes the Republican ticket and don't go over to the Prohibitionists, his temperance principals don't count with the Republican liquor element. Truly the Republican party is full of elasticity.

   The delegates from the fourth ward were composed of four church members, three liquor-dealers and five other Republicans.

At the Baptist Church.

   Mrs. Mary H. Hunt, of Boston, Mass., National Superintendent of Scientific Temperance Instruction of the W. C. T. U., will lecture at the Baptist Church, March 11 and 12, on Temperance in Schools. Mrs. Hunt, speaking of this important work, says:—In 1882, trembling at my own temerity, backed by the noblest constituency the world ever produced, I pleaded before the Legislature of Vermont for the passage of the first educational law, a law requiring teaching physiology, with special reference to effects of alcoholics and hygiene. Michigan and New Hampshire followed the same year. The Legislature of New York, in 1887, enacted such a law, and the next year nine states, including the great state of Pennsylvania, and the smaller, though perhaps as influential, state of Massachusetts enacted similar laws. Then we went to the Congress of the United States. The bill passed the Senate unanimously; and there were only eight votes against it in the House.

   We had no books of the kind desired. There rushed into market a great flood of books not containing the teaching desired. Then followed the four years' book war. A great petition, signed by distinguished men and women, was sent to publishers, asking them to bring their books up to this high standard of total abstinence, and the publishers surrendered on condition that I would revise those books. Last year I reported to you we had four separate series well graded, in which the nature of alcohol, hygiene, food, including physical culture in all its departments, were incorporated.

   This year the work of legislation has been going steadily on. Virginia has recently enacted a law, and the only states now having no law providing for scientific temperance instruction in public schools are Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.

   WOMAN'S TEMPERANCE WORK.