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| Sultan Abdul Hamid II. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday,
December 11, 1895.
SULTAN COMES TO TAW.
Additional Guardship Question Finally
Solved.
FIRMANS ISSUED TO THE POWERS.
One Point
In the Turkish Situation Settled After Weeks of Delay—Outrages
Continue
In the Interior.
CONSTANTINOPLE, Dec. 11.—The long drawn out
controversy between the ambassadors of the powers and the sultan over the
question of the admission of additional guardships for the protection of the embassies
has been settled by the issuance of an irade granting the necessary firmans to
permit the guardships to pass the Dardanelles.
The demand was first made on the sultan on
Nov. 19, and scarcely a day has passed since then without its being renewed in
a more or less peremptory manner. The ingenuity displayed by the Turkish
government in evading a direct answer to the demand or, when forced to answer
the effective pleadings put forth for delay, had almost brought the mind of
Europe to the conviction that the demand would never be complied with. Meantime
days and weeks passed by without any action, and the condition of things in
Constantinople that brought out the demand has almost passed.
But one fact which has leaked out and which
has been somewhat of a surprise to the uninitiated, is that after all said and
done Great Britain actually has two guardships in the Bosphorus. One, the
Cockatrice, is not a very imposing vessel, it is true, as she is only a 600-ton
vessel carrying two guns, and the other, the Imogene, termed the British
ambassador's "yacht," is only 400 tons and her armament is
unimportant. But it is understood that the sultan has been making this a strong
point in his argument against the admission of an extra guardship for Great
Britain, and it is alleged that the Imogene is
to be sent away now that the firmans are granted and that the Dryad or some
other effective gunboat will take her place.
If reports are to be believed, the message delivered
to the sultan by M. DeNelidoff
was the final effort of the embassies to induce the sultan to yield to the powers
in the matter of the extra guardships.
Previous to leaving the British embassy,
where he had taken refuge, Hutchuk Said Pasha, the ex-grand vizier, requested
the sultan to permit him to leave the country with his family.
Further advices are continually being received
here of the unabated disorders in the interior and especially of the burning of
Armenian villages. This form of outrage is particularly prevalent in the
vilayet of Van, where the distress existing is terrible.
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| Josiah Quincey III. |
BOSTON
AGAIN DEMOCRATIC.
Republican
Administration Overthrown After a Lively Campaign.
BOSTON, Dec 11.—The Republican
administration which has been in control of municipal affairs for the past 11
months was overthrown at the polls after one of the most spirited and hotly
contested campaigns in the history of local politics and Boston once more
returns to its old position in the Democratic column.
The Republican mayor, Hon. Edwin Upton
Curtis, was defeated by 4,376 plurality, and all branches of the city
government are Democratic, the Republicans losing control of the board of
aldermen and school committee.
Hon. Josiah Quincy, the successful
Democratic mayoralty candidate, showed greater strength than even his own party
expected, and made heavy gains in nearly every section of the city.
Over 75,000 voters went to the polls, the
largest number ever recorded in an election in Boston, and representing over
five-sixths of the total registration. The city declared in favor of license by
over 15,000 majority.
PAGE
TWO—EDITORIALS.
Edison's
Idea.
For 14 years Elias Howe worked and worried
over the sewing machine before he made it go. The trouble was that he could not
conceive of a needle with its eye in the point, but clung to the old fashioned
notion. At last the true solution came to him in a dream, it is said, the
needle with its eye in the point.
So the experimenters through long years have
tried to make flying machines on old models. Something that imitates either a
balloon or a bird is the utmost they can conceive of apparently. They seem to
be as far from success as Elias Howe was when he tried to build the sewing
machine needle with its eye in the head. ,
Edison has the nearest thing to an original
conception of a plan to navigate the air. His idea is not new, it is true,
being that of a literal ship, with sails and ballast, but the way he would make
it rise and move is new.
Mr. Edison declares that the aeroplane will
never be a success because it is so heavy it cannot be managed; neither will
the car upheld by a gas balloon, because it cannot be steered. He would cut the
knot by making the sails gasbags. There would be a mainsail, topsail and jib.
Each of these would be simply a bag of gas in the shape of a sail.
When they were inflated, they would cause
the ship to rise. Once in the air it would be propelled by the wind, just as a
sailing vessel in the water is. By means of the sails it could be steered and
controlled precisely as the ship in the water is. Thus he would dispense with
all batteries, steam engines or other motive power and trust to the wind. If
one wished to go very fast, he could rise higher from the earth. And be thinks,
Edison does, that the time will come when we shall have yacht races between
Valkyries and Defenders in the air.
◘ Impending changes for Turkey are plainly
in sight, and they will come possibly through disruption from within, not
partition without. The most significant straw showing the direction of the wind
is the rumor of a good understanding between the young Mussulman party and the
outraged, rebellious Armenians. If there is enough live blood in the young
Turks to make them desire to sweep away out of their country the antiquated,
vicious oriental rule and introduce western reforms, then, with the aid of the
Armenians, this can be done. But it would be one of the strangest sights ever
this world witnessed to see Christian and Mohammedan in alliance fighting side
by side for the same cause, and that the cause of freedom.
◘ Constantinople has a population of
800,000, not counting the thousands of dogs that run wild through the streets.
◘ The enlisted soldiers at Fort Sheridan who
lodged complaints against their superior officers for making them do duty as
valets and domestic servants have the sympathy of the people of this whole
country. There exists exactly as much reason why a captain in the regular army
should black a private soldier's shoes as there is why the private soldier
should black the captain's shoes. American citizens enlist in the army to
fight, not to wash officers' dishes and clean officers' clothes. By an act of
justice, which should long ago have been accomplished in this free republic,
private soldiers of education, military ability and bravery, are now put in the
direct line of promotion for even the highest offices in the army of the United
States. It will look well, will it not, for a grizzly, gruff old colonel
hereafter to be messing with a dashing young captain or lieutenant who used to
black his shoes and clean his clothes? Down with the whole wretched army
officer aristocracy system! Everything that serves to give it another kick is
to be commended. The enlisted soldier owes duty to his country. He owes the
strictest obedience to his officers in respect to military matters. Outside of
that he may be and sometimes is more of a gentleman than the officer who
commands him. Let us have no aristocracy except that of good character, brains
and gentle breeding in America.
◘ We had the smallest immigration into this
country since 1879 for the year ending June 30, 1895. The list only reached
258,536. It was less than even the year after the panic struck us. This is good
news for the country. It will give us perhaps a little breathing spell while we
try to teach the Australian and blanket ballots to some of the ignorant hordes we
have here now, hordes both foreign and American born.
THE MATTER OF PAVING.
SEVERAL
CITIZENS EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS.
Is it
Expedient Now, Which Pavement to Use, How Shall We Pay for It, Were Questions
Asked.
A leading question in Cortland just now is
the matter of pavement. A public meeting for its discussion has been called by
the president and board of trustees for Friday night at 7:30 o'clock at
Fireman's hall. A draft of a bill prepared by Judge S. S. Knox, at the request
of the village board, for introduction at the next session of the legislature
to permit Cortland to pave will be submitted at this meeting for discussion and
amendment. This is a matter which interests every citizen and taxpayer within
the village limits and it is hoped that the meeting will be largely attended
and that the whole question will be freely discussed. The village board have
frankly stated that their only desire in this movement is to draw out the wishes
of a majority of the people and then to put those wishes in operation.
Looking forward to this same end a
representative of The STANDARD has to-day secured interviews with a very few of
the leading business men of Cortland, and it is the purpose to get a further
expression of opinion later on. Knowing that this question will so largely
hinge upon the matter of expense and finance, the first interviews were with
the expert financiers of Cortland, the presidents of the four banks. These
three questions were asked of each, which led, of course, to a more
general discussion of the whole matter: (1) is it expedient to pave now; (2)
what kind of pavement shall be used; (3) how shall the expense of paving be
borne?
WESLEY HOOKER.
The first interview was with Mr. Wesley
Hooker, president of The National Bank of Cortland. Mr. Hooker said that he is
decidedly in favor of paving now. The business of the town demands better roads
and prosperity will be furthered by good pavements, Strangers have an
unfavorable impression of Cortland in consequence of the dilapidated condition
of the streets.
In the matter of paving the two principal
business streets, Main and Railroad, three kinds of pavement are to be
considered: Granite blocks, Trinidad asphalt, and vitrified brick. In either
case he would favor securing material of the best known quality and insuring
the fact that it is laid in the best possible manner. As to a selection between
the three he would favor securing the testimony of experience where all three had
been used and seeing which had proved the most serviceable. Brick is said to be
admirable and to be preferred over asphalt in the one particular that horses
are less likely to slip upon it. This would be a consideration in a place where
there is so likely as in Cortland to be a thin coating of ice.
Mr. Hooker said that every effort should be
taken to insure sewer, water and gas connections being made before pavement is
put down so that it may not be broken or removed. But in spite of all
precautions he thinks there are likely to be cases where the pavement must be
broken. If this is so he is apprehensive that asphalt would show it and could
not be made smooth again. This would not be the case with either granite blocks
or brick.
Off Main and Railroad-sts. he would favor
nothing but asphalt.
As to the financial side of the question Mr.
Hooker could think of no plan which would be preferable to that mentioned in
The STANDARD a few days ago as being the one which Judge Knox will embody in
the legislative bill which is to be submitted Friday night. On streets where
the Traction company has its tracks, it is bound by its charter to pave between
the rails and two feet outside the rails; of the balance of the paving, the
village to pay for the paving of all intersections of streets and one-third of
the portion adjoining private property; the remaining two-thirds of the expense
to be borne by the property holders, or in other words, the village to pay one-third
and the property-holders on each side of the street each to pay one third.
EDWARD KEATOR.
Mr. Edward Keator, president of the First
National Bank, was next called upon. Mr. Keator said he was hardly prepared to
express an opinion on the subject as he had given it no thought. He was under
the impression that if the question of paving were to be left to the people and
it involved extra taxes it would be voted down. The times are so hard that he
anticipates an unusually large list of delinquent taxpayers when the collector
completes his roll next January. He prefers granite blocks, however, to any
other kind of pavement, certainly it should be some kind of block pavement and
not asphalt. At Grindstone island in the St, Lawrence they get out granite
blocks that are extra fine. They have two faces and when worn smooth can be
turned. Transportation from that place to Cortland by way of Oswego would be
very reasonable. If a
special act of the legislature is secured to permit paving, it should empower
the president of the village to appoint a commission to take charge of the
whole matter,
Mr. Keator says that the present cobblestone
pavement of Main-st. was put down in 1862 or 1863 when his father, Thomas
Keator, was president of the village. He thinks that Judge Henry Stephens and
Hon. Henry S. Randall were two of the trustees at that time. The contract price
for the whole undertaking was $6,000.
HECTOR COWAN.
Mr. Hector Cowan, president of the Second
National Bank, thinks that it is an injustice to parties not directly affected
to pave Main and Railroad-sts. and not to pave the rest of the streets too. The
village should not go into any heavy expense either just now. Property owners
on each street should vote on the question of paving the street, and, if the
decision is in the affirmative, they alone should bear the expense Still, if it
should be decided wise to divide the expense, the property owner should pay his
share in one lump sum. Otherwise it will lead to complications in the transfer
of property. A man buys a piece of property and finds no record of any claim
against it recorded in the clerk's office. He makes his trade on that basis,
and then heavy taxes which are really a "lien on the property turn up
against it."
Of all kinds of pavement he would prefer
cement blocks made of the same size as the usual granite block—about 8 by 20
inches and 8 inches deep. Asphalt is too slippery. Cement blocks will wear better
than brick and are not as likely to check as granite. They are no more expensive
than other kinds. A sample of them can be seen at the entrance to Maxon & Starin's coal scales and
at the entrance to the Cortland Beef company's driveway, They have been down
five or six years and there has been heavy teaming over them and they are just
as good as ever.
CALVIN P. WALRAD.
Mr. Calvin P. Walrad, president of the
Cortland Savings Bank, and an ex-president of Cortland village, said that he
was heartily in favor of paving. Main-st. should be paved from the E., C. &
N. station to the Cortland House any way and if possible to the hospital, and
Railroad-st. should also be paved from Main-st. to the D., L. & W. station. He can think
of no better plan than for the village and property holders on the two sides of
the street each to pay one-third. The property holders should have from three
to five years to pay their share, so as not to impose too much of a burden on
them at one time. He would not consider granite blocks at all. They are too
noisy and too slippery. He is favorably inclined toward brick. The brick
pavement he has seen in Ithaca is very fine. Asphalt will be first-class too,
but either of them should be laid on a cement foundation.
Hon. Wayland D. Tisdale, ex-president of
Cortland village, was also seen. The STANDARD man was confident that this
gentleman had been giving this subject some attention and was not surprised to
find that he was able to speak from abundant knowledge of facts. Mr. Tisdale is
heartily in favor of an immediate movement toward paving, but he said it would
like a little time to prepare for actual work. The village charter, he said,
should be amended so that whenever a majority of the property-owners (measuring
by feet of frontage) on any street desire to pave their street they can
petition the board of trustees to that effect, specifying in the petition the
kind of pavement they should prefer. The trustees should then be empowered to
go on and pave the street, but should not be bound to abide by the
recommendation of the petitioners as to the kind of pavement. They should carefully
consider the request, but should act upon their best judgment as to the material
to be used. The village should pay for the paving of the intersection of
streets and one-third of the additional cost, the other two thirds to be paid jointly
by the property owners on the two sides of the street. Of course the Traction
company comes in for its share of the paving, as bound by the charter, and as
specified above. The time for the payment of the expense should be extended, the
village giving a bond for the same and village and property owners should pay
one-tenth each year, with interest on the sum remaining unpaid. The properly
owners share should be added to his taxes. In this way the expense of paving
any street will be met in ten years.
Mr. Tisdale would prefer vitrified brick or
asphalt, but he would lay no pavement except upon a concrete foundation. That
little section of brick pavement laid some years ago on the west side of the
car tracks south of the Messenger House was laid on a foundation of an inch board.
The foundation speedily gave way and the pavement has been practically useless,
but it was not the fault of the brick itself.
A village ordinance should first be passed
compelling all property owners to make sewer, water and gas connections and
prohibiting the tearing up of the streets for this purpose at a later time.
Syracuse makes use of a foundation of concrete six inches thick and covers it
with 2 1/2 inches of asphalt. Mr. Tisdale is confident that such a pavement can
be constructed here, the parties making all excavations and, in case the ground
is soft from being recently dug up, pound this down and making it hard, rolling
the surface of the preparation thoroughly with a steam roller before the
concrete is applied, rolling it again thoroughly in the same way after the
concrete is on, and then applying the asphalt and making it perfect, and not
have the whole thing cost over $2.50 per square yard. He thinks vitrified brick
can be laid in the same way for about $2 per yard.
Brick is good, but water can get down
between the bricks. In the case of asphalt this is impossible. With asphalt the
street would not need to be made so crowning and teams could drive clear to the
curb. "With other pavements there would be need of the center being more
crowning to carry off the surface water. With either brick or asphalt
our surface drainage could doubtless be made to work very perfectly.
BREVITIES.
—New advertisements to-day are—Tanner Bros.,
page 6; A. S. Burgess, page 8.
—The Alpha C. L. S. meets at Mrs. Reid's,
138 Main-3t., Monday evening, Dec. 18.
—There will be a special meeting of the
hospital board Thursday afternoon at 3 o'clock at Mrs. M. E. Doud's, 31
Tompkins-st.
—A very little snow now would make splendid
sleighing, and the weather report which arrived at noon to-day says we shall
get it to-morrow.
—Mr. H. P. Jones, who was hurt by being
struck by a train at Homer Friday morning, died at the hospital last night at 6
o'clock. The remains were taken to Beard & Peck's morgue last night and
were this morning taken on the 10 o'clock train to Lafayette, his home, for burial.
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