ELECTION NIGHT IN CORTLAND

Messenger House was located at southeast corner of Port Watson and South Main. Grip's Historical Souvenir of Cortland, page 160.

Cortland Standard and Weekly Journal, Friday, November 11, 1892.

Election Night in Cortland.

   Nov.9.—The telegraph bulletins on the results of the election which the Western Union company collected and distributed last evening were read and appreciated by bodies of Cortland citizens in a number of places. The [messages] were received at Mr. Glenn A. Tisdale’s office, and as soon as the necessary dozen carbon duplicates could be made out, as many boys were sent out with them. Among the places where dispatches were so received and read were the Republican league rooms, Democratic headquarters at the Messenger House, the Cortland Water company’s office, where a number of prominent Democrats heard the returns, the Orris Hose rooms, the Y. M. C. A. rooms and the office of Jerome Squires, chairman of the Republican County committee.
   The early evening saw all the indications favorable to Mr. Cleveland and by 12 o’clock the jubilant Democrats organized a parade. They hired a drum corps and aiding it with tin pans and horns proceeded to serenade some of the Republicans. At the residence of Hon. R. T. Peck the crowd marched in triumphal procession around the house. At the STANDARD office they shrieked and yelled and left their compliments.
   Before 3 o’clock, however, reports strangely favorable to Mr. Harrison began coming in and the Republicans took heart. By 3 o’clock, with Illinois, Indiana, Connecticut and Alabama in sight the Republicans held an impromptu parade and called on Hon. R. T. Peck and Judge Eggleston for speeches. The news that came in at this time weakened the hearts of the Democrats, and the fickle players in the drum corps changed sides with more celerity than grace.
   The news that commenced coming in by 8 o’clock this morning, however, set the ball rolling the other way, and it has not stopped yet.

Grover Cleveland.

Electors.

   The following table shows the number of presidential electors chosen for Harrison, Cleveland and Weaver as closely as can be estimated from returns now in:

CLEVELAND.

Alabama, 11

Arkansas, 8

California, 9

Connecticut, 6

Delaware, 3

Florida, 4

Georgia,13

Illinois, 24

Indiana, 15

Kentucky, 13

Louisiana, 8

Maryland, 8

Michigan, 6

Mississippi, 9

Missouri, 17

New Jersey, 10

New York, 36

North Carolina, 11

Ohio, 23

South Carolina, 9

Tennessee, 13

Texas, 15

Virginia, 12

West Virginia, 6

Wisconsin, 12

Total, 300

HARRISON.

Iowa, 13

Maine, 6

Massachusetts, 15

Michigan, 8

Minnesota, 9

Montana, 3

New Hampshire, 4

North Dakota, 8

Oregon, 4

Pennsylvania, 32

Rhode Island, 4

Vermont, 4

Washington, 4

Wyoming, 3

Total, 112

WEAVER.

Colorado, 4

Idaho, 3

Kansas, 10

Nebraska, 8

Nevada, 3

South Dakota, 4

Total, 32

A Republican Hero.

   Nov. 9—Mr. W. H. Livermore of the Government printing office at Washington, D. C., arrived in town last night and after casting a good Republican vote started to return. Mr. Livermore lost a leg in the war, and was afterwards for some years editor of the old Cortland Weekly Journal. He has been in Washington since 1872. This is the fourth time he has cast a vote against Grover Cleveland.

   Four years ago the Democratic authorities refused him leave of absence to vote, and he came away without leave, determined that an administration which would send back Southern battle flags should not deprive him of the right to cast a soldier’s vote against it, even if he lost his place by it. It is needless to say that under the administration of Benjamin Harrison he was not put out. Mr. Livermore looks well and strong, and found time to call on the few of his old friends who are still in business here.

1892 election results in Cortland County.

Happy Crowds.

   Nov. 9. —Before 3 o’clock this morning Main-st. had the appearance of having been struck by a cyclone. It was the work of enthusiastic Democratic politicians, ranging in ages from five to sixty years. Horseblocks were removed to places entirely foreign to such things, step-ladders and lumber were piled in the entrances to stores, and altogether the town looked as it sometimes does on Halloween. About the same crowd of “kids”  and voters paraded the streets, during the forenoon, armed with brooms and Democratic flags, and made noise enough to elect several presidents.

   About 3 o’clock this morning, when the news looked favorable to Harrison, the Democratic crowd vanished and jubilant Republicans paraded Main-st. in their stead. It was their last chance to be politically happy in some time—though the boys didn’t know it—and they did their duty nobly.

Democratic Celebration.

   The Democrats are making preparations for a grand parade in celebration of their victory, Friday night. The line of march is as follows: Form on Church-st., right on Port Watson; down Port Watson to Greenbush, to Elm, to Church, to North Church, to Grant, down Main to Tompkins, to Owego, to Union, to South Main, up Main and countermarch back down Main, during which fireworks will be set off.

A Sudden Death.

   Odell Marvin Sears died about 8 o’clock Monday evening of heart disease, at his residence at 30 Hubbard st., aged 76 years. He is the last of a family of four brothers and sisters and was born in DeRuyter, April 4, 1815. He was married to Miss Mary Gridley at Manlius, in March, 1832. He was well known in Cortland, having lived here for the past twenty-one years. He was engaged in the manufacture of linseed oil for ten years in the shop now occupied by Cooper Brothers on River-st. For the past four years he had been janitor at the Pomeroy-st. school.

   Yesterday morning he went to the school building and after attending to his duties there, went to Brayton’s mill and called on some neighbors. Soon after his return home at noon he was taken sick. He was assisted to a chair and in a short time said that he felt as well as usual, except that the blood did not appear to circulate in his arms below the elbows. He remained in the house nearly the entire afternoon, ate supper, read the papers and talked about election. Almost his last words were that he hoped Election Day would be pleasant. He then went out and had only just got back in the house when he exclaimed “Oh, Sarah! Sarah!” (calling to Mrs. Jepson, his niece.) He was placed on a bed and lived but 30 minutes.

   Mr. Sears had the reputation of being an honest, upright and honorable man. About a year ago he joined the Universalist church, and attended it services last Sunday. He leaves a wife, two sons, George A. Sears of Syracuse, and Frank Sears, who lives at 15 Elm-st., three nephews, William Sears of Dryden, John Sears of Owego and George Spear of Syracuse, and one niece, Mrs. Lewis Jepson of Cortland.

   The funeral will be held from his late residence on Hubbard-st., Thursday afternoon, Rev. H. W. Carr officiating.

Mr. A. G. Newton Passes Away.

   Nov.10.—Mr. A.G. Newton, late proprietor of the National hotel, died at a quarter past 11 o’clock this morning at his residence on Port Watson-st. He has suffered from partial paralysis for a number of months but the disease seizing upon his stomach and throat a few days ago, his death became only a matter of a short time. For the past three or four days he has been able to take little or no nourishment. Mr. Newton was for years the foreman of the Water Witch Steamer Co. and a leader in a number of Cortland’s other civic organizations, being a member of Vesta lodge, I. O. O. F.; St. Bernard lodge, Knights of Pythias; the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the United Friends.

   He was born and raised in Truxton, but has lived in Cortland for the last thirty-five years and has conducted the National hotel for ten or eleven years prior to his death. He leaves a wife and daughter, Miss Minnie Newton.

Cordo-Bennett.

   A quiet wedding took place on Wednesday morning, Nov. 9, 1892, at 37 Elm-st. Rev. Dr. H. A. Cordo, pastor of the First Baptist church, Cortland, and Miss Florence E. Bennett, principal of the Cortland High school, were united in marriage. The ceremony was performed by Rev. C. E. Cordo of Bridgeton, N. J., in the presence of relatives and a few intimate friends.

   Dr. and Mrs. Cordo left on the 10 o’clock train for a brief wedding trip, which will include New York, Philadelphia and possibly Washington, D. C.

   The bride received a number of fine presents expressive of the good will of many of her friends.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

   The unexpected seems to have happened—as is often the case—and latest returns indicate the election of Grover Cleveland, as well as a Democratic congress and a Democratic [New York] assembly, which will send a Democrat to succeed Frank Hiscock in the United States senate. In all probability the United States senate will soon be Democratic also, and the party will have full swing and the full responsibility of government for the first time within the memory of many voters. Not a few Republicans are hoping that this will be the case, that the country may have a chance to see what complete Democratic control of the government means.

The tail may as well go with the hide.

   After a few years trial of Democratic methods, the country may be as glad to go back to Republican rule as it was at the end of Cleveland’s first term of service. The chief danger is that all those safeguards which the Republican party has thrown around the ballot will be taken away, and that in the larger field of national politics it will be as difficult to have the will of the people registered at the ballot box as it was in state politics in the days of Tweed. But in this country Democrats and Republicans must flourish or suffer together. The prosperity and happiness of the country is what every true patriot should first desire, and if the principles set forth in the Democratic platform on the subjects of finance and the tariff are once carried into practice there may come such a whirlwind of indignant protest as will sweep everything before it. It is one thing to criticize and tear down and quite another to construct—as the party just coming into power will find.

   The quotation from the New York Sun on our first page shows what the first move of the party against a pure ballot will be.