THE SENATE NOT TO BE STOLEN

T

1886 Seal of United States Senate.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, December 23, 1892.

THE SENATE NOT TO BE STOLEN.

(New York World, Dec. 16.)

   The reason why the Republicans will not be able to steal the Senate is obvious. They will not have a majority on the 4th of March, when the Senate of the Fifty-third Congress meets.

   On that day the best that the Republicans can expect will be a Senate divided as follows: Anti-Republicans, 48; Republicans, 41. Of the anti-Republicans 41 will be Democrats and the other two will be Senators Kyle and Peffer, Farmers' Alliance. This assumes that there will be Republican Senators from Kansas and North Dakota. Unless Democrats or Populists are chosen as Senators from California, Wyoming, Montana and Nebraska there will certainly be contests from the first three. Nebraska cannot choose a Republican Senator except by the disloyalty or folly of certain Democrats who object to fusion.

   Let it be assumed that a Republican will be chosen from Nebraska in this way. The contestants from Wyoming, Montana and California must wait until the Senate passes on their cases.

   If the Senate is as favorable to the Republicans as it possibly can be, there will be 48 anti-Republicans and 42 Republicans to pass on the three contests, with a Democratic Vice-President in the chair.

   It will be the duty and it will be within the power of the Democrats and their Western allies to prevent the seating of any fraudulently elected Senators.

   The Senate must not be stolen.

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.

   Election contests are dragging along in Wyoming, Montana and Kansas, and the closeness of the vote for members of the legislature making a recount necessary in many cases gives rise, as usual when there is much at stake, to suspicions and loose accusations of foul play. We cannot determine at this distance and from the evidence at hand, whether the Republicans are trying to "steal" seats in the United States senate from the Democrats, or vice versa. Thus far, we must admit, all the charges of foul play published bear against the Republicans.

   All the Commercial has to say, at present, is that it hopes the cheaters, of whatever party, will be exposed, convicted and sent to jail. The American people declared by unmistakable verdicts in 1890 and 1892 for a change of party and a change of policy at Washington, and it would be the height of fatuity, to put it mildly, for a thoroughly beaten minority to attempt to save a few seats in the senate and thus to obstruct or defeat the free execution of the programme to which the Democratic party is pledged.—Buffalo Commercial (Rep).

James G. Blaine.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

  

   ◘ Weaver, the People's candidate for President, carried five states, viz: Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada and North Dakota.

   ◘ The New York Times says that there is a disposition on the part of the Platt-Miller forces to give J. Sloat Fassett the empty honor of the nomination for U. S. Senator in place of Hon. Frank Hiscock. Miller forces to give J. Sloat Fassett the empty honor of the nomination for U. S. Senator in place of Hon. Frank Hiscock.

   ◘ The European powers do not seem to care to have a uniform circulating medium and the conference has broken up without accomplishing anything. The United States can probably stand it if they can.

   ◘ Hon. Jas. G. Blaine has been seriously ill at his home in Washington, D. C. Last Sunday it was thought he would not live the night out, but he rallied and is better, although it is not believed that he can recover.

   ◘ U. S. Senator Randall L. Gibson of Louisiana died at Hot Springs, Arkansas. He entered the confederate service as a private and rose to the rank of general. He was an able man and was popular at home as well as in Washington.

   ◘ France is having trouble again and it looks as if it would be serious. Charges of rascality in the Panama Canal scheme on the part of high officials has raised a serious row and no one can tell what the result will be.

   ◘ The cabinet makers now say that U. S. Senator Carlisle will probably be Secretary of the Treasury in Mr. Cleveland's cabinet. While recognizing the fact that Mr. Cleveland is likely to make his own selection, the DEMOCRAT believes that if his choice should fall upon Mr. Carlisle it would be a wise one.

To Resist the Chinese Exclusion Act.

   PITTSBURG, Dec. 16.—A strong concerted movement has been started by the Chinese of the United States to resist the Chinese Exclusion Act. Hon. Yung Wung, formerly Commissioner of Education for the Chinese government, writes Rev. E. R. Donohue of this city, that three different plans of resistance have been decided upon.

   The constitutionality of the act will first be tested. Then the Oriental

Club of New York will try to arouse public sympathy through mass meetings and Congress will be flooded with petitions demanding a repeal of the law.

   A poll tax of $1 a head will be levied on every Chinaman in the United States to defray expenses. This will mean a fund of over $100,000.

   Finally the Chinese government will protest, and failing, retaliation will follow. There will be no recourse to arms, but there will be an abrogation of treaty rights, and commercial communication will be shut off, and the government will cease protection to the 1,500 American merchants and the several hundred missionaries now in China.

Fire Department Election.

   The annual meeting for the election of Fire department officers took place on Wednesday evening and resulted as follows:

   Chief Engineer—N. Jay Peck.

   1st Assistant—A. G. Bosworth.

   2nd Assistant—Frank Burns.

   Secretary—G. I. Pruden.

   Treasurer—C. P. Walrad.

   The reports of the several officers showed that during the past year more alarms had been sent in than in any previous year and that less property had been destroyed.

   Ex-Chief John F. Dowd was elected a member of the Executive Committee of the Central New York Firemen's Association, composed of five counties, viz: Cortland, Broome, Cayuga, Tompkins and Tioga. Homer elects a vice-president of this association.

   The election for chief of the Cortland Fire Department was spirited and the result very close—N. J. Peck receiving 83 votes and A. D. Barber 80. The retiring chief, Mr. J. F. Dowd has made an excellent official and he has a right to feel proud of his record.

Death of Hamilton Putnam.

   Hamilton Putnam, an old and highly esteemed resident of Cortland, died at the residence of his son-in-law, H. F. Benton, on Railroad-st., Thursday evening Dec. 15, in the 86th year of his age. Mr. Putnam was a son of Dr. Elijah Putnam, a physician of most excellent repute, residing at Madison, N. Y., where the subject of this sketch was born. Mr. Putnam moved lo this place over fifty years ago, and engaged in farming, accumulating by good judgment and a careful husbanding of his resources, sufficient to supply his wants and also to assist his children in starting out in life.

   He served the town as Justice of the Peace and Supervisor for several years, and left a record to be proud of in both offices. He was a Democrat of the Jackson school and until within a few years was locally prominent in the councils of the party and on many occasions represented this county in State conventions.

   He was quiet and unobtrusive in manner, but at the same time he was a genial companion and was a firm and steadfast friend. His wife, who was a daughter of Brig. Gen. Erastus Cleveland, of Madison, N. Y., died about ten years ago, since which time he had made his home with his children.

   The funeral was held from the home of his son In-law, Mr. H. F. Benton, on Monday at 2 P. M.

An Old Resident Gone.

   Mrs. Mary Stillman Gleason, wife of the late [Hugh] Gleason and mother of our townsman, H. L. Gleason, Esq., died Saturday, December 17, at 2 P. M. at the residence of her son in this village in her eighty-sixth year. Mrs. Gleason was born on the old Stillman farm in the log house that stood just south of where the Cortland county agricultural grounds are now located.

   When John Stillman came to Cortland county most of the site where Cortland village is now located was original forest and he had to clear up the land for his farm getting logs from the surrounding forest for his house. There were six daughters and two sons, Laura, Abigail, Rachael, Mary, John, Linus and Lucy and by a later marriage, one daughter, Rhoda Jane Stillman.

   By the death of Mrs. Gleason there now remains but three of the family living, Lucy now Mrs. Prosper Palmer residing in this village, Rhoda Jane now Mrs. Rev. W. R. Cobb residing at Marcellus, N. Y. and Mr. John Stillman residing at Waukon, [Iowa.]

   Mrs. Gleason has for most of her life lived in the town of Cortlandville and in early life taught a number of schools in this vicinity. For over seventy years she has been a prominent and faithful member of the First Methodist church of this village. While her usefulness of late, as an active member of the church, has been somewhat impaired by her age, yet her interest never lagged and a desire to do some good was ever uppermost in her thoughts. Both she and her husband always had some important place in church work, and both were most perfectly united in their aims.

   She was a woman of pronounced opinions and ideas and none could ever question the sincerity of her friendship. Few have ever lived a purer or more spotless life and her memory must linger long with those who knew her.

                              NEIGHBORING COUNTIES.

   CHENANGO—Lincklaen's tax ratio is $16.36 per $1,000; Otselic's $14; Pharsalia's, $8.48; Pitcher's $9.20.

   Sherburne, which was settled in 1792, will celebrate her centennial next year, says the News.

   About one thousand brick [sic] were boldly taken from the pile in front of the new Mitchell block on North Broad street, Norwich, before twelve o'clock Thursday night. Parties passing by noticed the loading of the lumber wagon, but supposed it was a business transaction and paid no attention to the fact. No trace has been found of the missing brick or the thieves.

   MADISON.—Earlville wants a first-class grist mill.

   June Inman of Eaton has been granted an absolute divorce from Daisy May Inman. 

   J. & F. B Garrett of Syracuse are conducting the Hamilton Republican until a purchaser can be found.

   Never before has there been so large a number of minnows in Oneida Creek, at Willow Grove, as at present. People living near there are engaged in catching them by the wagon loads and selling them to farmers, who feed the fish to their hogs and hens.

   B. T. Miner of Georgetown has purchased, since the fur season opened, 4,500 skunk skins, 7,000 muskrat skins, 2,502 mink, 100 coon skins and 75 skins of foxes. During the summer and fall he purchased and shipped between $7,000 and $8,000 worth of ginseng root. Who says Georgetown only produces blackberries?

   TOMPKINS.—It is expected that the electric cars will run to the E. C. & N depot, Ithaca, by Jan. 1st.

   The glass factory has commenced active operations and is running on full time at present.

   A new eight-oared shell is being made for the Cornell crew. The material is aluminum. It will weigh but 175 pounds.

   There is a scarcity of sparrows and an excess of reed birds in Ithaca. How a dead sparrow becomes a South Carolina reed bird when served up on toast is a mystery.

   The newspapers are saying that B. G. Jayne, a former wealthy Ithacan, and a noted person in revenue matters, is in poverty in New York and seeks a divorce from his wife.

  

HERE AND THERE.

   A Merry Christmas to all readers of the DEMOCRAT.

   The contract for building the new Baptist church in Homer has been let to L. R. Hopkins, of this place.

   In making your Christmas gifts, do not forget the Cortland County Home for aged women. There are five inmates in this institution.

   Grover Post, the W. R. C. and S. of V., have rented the rooms in Union Hall block, recently occupied by the Iron Hall, and will take possession January 1st.

   A full and complete account of two sad occurrences that happened near East Homer, last Sunday and Monday, will be found in our East Homer correspondence.

   Last Monday night, dogs bit and worried a flock of thoroughbred Shropshiredown sheep on the farm of Dr. Bolles, on the hill east of this village. Five were badly bitten, one of which died the day following.

   Mr. S. N. Gooding, for many years janitor and engineer of the Cortland Normal School building, tendered his resignation at a meeting of the local board, held last Friday afternoon. The resignation takes effect Dec. 31st,, and was accepted. It will not be an easy task to fill Mr. Gooding's place.

   The Cortland Wagon Company is putting in a 200 horse power Corliss engine, manufactured at Fishkill, N. Y. Electric lights are to be put in, and more power was needed. The 120 horse power Buckeye engine which is taken out is practically as good as new, and has been sold to Penn & Lee, of Syracuse.

   There is more joy in a printing office over one sinner who pays in advance and abuses the editor on every occasion, than ninety and nine who borrow a paper and sing its praises without contributing a cent to keep it out of the poor house. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth and obtain material for fencing it in on time without security.—Exchange.

   The Syracuse, Binghamton & New York railroad system is to be equipped at is dangerous crossings with the Hall electric signal system. This system comprises a post and sign, similar to the ordinary crossing notices, and in addition thereto is a gong which will be rung automatically by the train in motion. The gong will begin ringing when the train is within one-half mile of the crossing and continue until the train has passed.—Marathon Independent.

TOWN REPORTS.

EAST HOMER.

   A shocking accident incurred in this place on Monday afternoon at about four o'clock. It was at the grist mill of Edwin Phillips. As Mrs. Ezra Haight was standing in the mill, either her shawl or dress was caught by a shaft which was making about 200 revolutions per minute and in an instant her clothing was completely stripped from her body. She was picked up some twelve feet from the shaft and taken to the house and Drs. Nelson and Van Hoesen of Truxton were summoned. An examination by them revealed the fact that there were nine bones broken in her legs and arms, besides one elbow completely crushed and one shoulder dislocated. She is said to be in as comfortable condition as can be expected this (Tuesday) morning. He chances of recovery are of course doubtful.

   A fatal accident occurred on Sunday evening last, between this place and East River. As George King was going from John H. Miller's barn to the house about half-past eight, he heard a man down by the river calling for help. He ran in the direction of the call, but on reaching the river found the man was on the other side. Mr. Miller arrived by this time, and the two got a boat and rowed to the man whom they found standing in the river up to his waist, clinging to the roots of a tree. He must have been there some time, but could not help himself get out. A bottle partly filled with whiskey was found in his pocket, and that probably is the explanation of his inability to extricate himself. They carried him to the home of Mr. Watrous, and he only breathed twice after being taken into the house. Some papers were found in his pockets which identified him as William Hunter of Pitcher. They tracked him and found that he had been walking on the railroad track toward East Homer, but how he happened to fall into the river will not be known. His body was taken to the County House.

   LATER.—Coroner Bradford decided that an inquest was unnecessary. His wife, son and daughter live in Arcade, N. Y.,  instead of Pitcher, and the former has been notified, but no response has been received.—ED. DEM.