THE BICYCLE BALLOON AND OTHER NEWS ITEMS

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, January 10, 1896.

BY BALLOON TO THE NORTH POLE.

   Professor H. A. Hazen of Washington thinks he could reach the north pole by balloon at an expense of about $290,000, but does not propose to attempt it. ''Our balloon ought to have some sort of propeller,'' says Professor Hazen. "You cannot steer a balloon that is merely drifting with the air currents. For want of better means I would equip my pole-bound balloon with propellers which could be worked with the feet like a bicycle. To go straight against the wind would be too laborious, but I could tack. Going at the rate of only two miles an hour, it would be practicable to reach the destination and return within 30 days. But, with a strong and favoring wind, we might get there in two days."

Rufus Wheeler Peckham.

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From our Regular Correspondent.)

   WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 1896.—President Cleveland is likely to get much more satisfaction out of the work of the Venezuelan Boundary Commission, which is being highly commended by everybody, than out of the result of the political scheming that is now being done by republican senators. Instead of trying to help the national finances out of the hole into which they have been put by the adherence on the part of the administration to laws enacted by previous republican Congresses, the republican Senators are spending all their time trying to put President Cleveland and Secretary Carlisle into a hole, regardless of its effect upon the business of the country or the finances of the government.

   This is playing with fire with a vengeance, but it is none the less true. There isn't the slightest probability that the Senate will offer the administration any financial legislation that President Cleveland could consistently accept, and while pretending to the contrary republican senators are purposely delaying action showing what their intentions are, hoping that President Cleveland will become impatient and issue more bonds under that old law. Then they will swear that if Mr. Cleveland had waited they would have legislated so as to have saved the people's money, and more of the same sort of rot.

   And they expect this thing to go down with the intelligent people of the country. It is possible to admire an open and honorable opponent, but not such trickery as is now being indulged in by the opponents of the administration.

   From the first, President Cleveland has been open and above board in his dealings with Congress and the country on this subject. He told them plainly that unless Congress provided some other way to maintain the public credit, he would do so by issuing more bonds. But he will not issue those bonds until he considers the danger line to have been reached.

   Nothing more manly has been done upon the floor of the Senate for a long time than Senator Hill's defense of Secretary Carlisle when Senator Teller charged Secretary Carlisle with being "incompetent or dishonest," and other republican Senators joined in the abuse of the Secretary of the Treasury. Senator Hill said: "Imbecile, incompetent, dishonest, is what we hear. John G. Carlisle incompetent! One of the greatest public men that this country has ever produced. John G. Carlisle dishonest! And yet, thirty years in public life and a poor man to-day, living on his salary. Imbecile, dishonest, is what we hear hissed across the Senate."

   Senator Hill added force to his strong language by saying that if anyone had suffered at the hands of Secretary Carlisle it was himself and his colleague (Senator Murphy.) They had been ignored in the Federal appointments in their own state. But he added that he was thankful that he was broad-minded enough to recognize the unflagging patriotism and devotion of Secretary Carlisle to the country and his ability in meeting the requirements of the occasions. And he closed by reminding the Senate that Secretary Carlisle was now seeking to act while his critics stood picking flaws on this thing and that and bickering in the face of an emergency. Senator Hill made many new friends by those few words. It is a natural trait to admire manliness.

   It is a fortunate thing that many of the bills introduced never get any further than being printed. For instance, Representative Clark of Iowa has introduced a bill which, if enacted into a law, would in less than twenty-four hours put a premium on gold and bring on a money panic This bill prohibits the further redemption of greenbacks and Treasury notes with gold until the gold reserve exceeds $100,000,000, and also prohibits the reissue of greenbacks except in exchange for gold.

   Hon. Rufus W. Peckham of New York made his debut today as a full-fledged Associate Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court. His coming out gown was of heavy black silk, made in the regulation way, and he wore it just as though wearing gowns had always been an everyday affair with him. Justice Peckham is no stranger to his colleagues on the bench, who regarded him as a decided acquisition, both on account of his great legal ability and because of his sterling qualities as a man.

   It is difficult to see what excuse the Senate finance committee can offer for not reporting the bills which have passed the House, in one way or another, this week.

   Gov. West got the pen with which President Cleveland signed the proclamation declaring Utah a state, and that is about all the Democrats will get out of the transaction, for the present, anyway. The two senators to be elected and the one member of the House already in his seat, will all be republicans.

Grover Cleveland.

MR. CLEVELAND WROTE IT.

Original Draft of the Message was in His Handwriting.

   The belief that the message sent to Congress was written by Mr. Olney, not by Mr. Cleveland, is very generally expressed but it is authoritatively declared that this belief is not founded on fact. The original draft of the message was in Mr. Cleveland's handwriting.

   Mr. Cleveland returned to the White House about 3 o'clock on Sunday. He at once sent for Secretary Olney, Secretary Lament and Secretary Carlisle and was in conference with them for a comparatively short time. He worked alone that night, and before 1 o'clock Monday morning he handed to one of the clerks the message, all in his own handwriting. It was written on a small tablet and made fifteen pages of his very fine manuscript. From this were made the drafts of the message sent to Congress Tuesday.—Washington Star.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

   ◘ It cost $8,000,000 more to pay the expenses of the New York city government the past year than it cost the year before. The republicans are great spenders.

   ◘ The announcement is made that Mrs. Alva Vanderbilt, mother of the Duchess of Marlborough, who secured a divorce from her husband, William K. Vanderbilt, in March last, will in the near future marry Oliver Belmont, a son of the late August Belmont.

   ◘ Another sale of bonds has been ordered by Secretary Carlisle to furnish gold for the Treasury. Bids for the same will be received until Feb. 5, 1896.  The bonds will be dated Feb 1st. and will be payable in coin thirty years from that date with interest at four per cent payable quarterly.

   ◘ The McKinly bill [the editor of the Cortland Democrat routinely omitted the 'e' in the name McKinley—CC editor] reduced the price of wool to the lowest point it had been in forty years. Under the Wilson bill, which admits wool free, the price has advanced considerably and yet many wool growers are clamoring for a duty on wool. The wool growers, the manufacturers and the people have been greatly benefitted by free wool and yet a republican congress is trying to place a duty on that article. There never was a time when the people could buy so much good woolen clothing for so little money. Do they want to pay more for their clothing? Anything to take money from the people's pockets is the motto of the republican party. The common people are easily gulled.

HERE AND THERE.

   Bingham Bros. & Miller have a new advertisement on our last page.

   Assemblyman Sanders introduced the Cortland paving bill yesterday.

   A crib or cradle is sadly needed at the hospital. Any color will answer.

   Attention is called to the village ordinance published in another column.

   Burgess, the clothier, has a new advertisement on our last page. Read it.

   The Cortland Harness & Carriage Goods Co. have issued a very tasty calendar for 1896.

   The shoe stores now close at 6:30 P. M. every day in the week except Mondays and Saturdays.

   Genuine Franco-German Rings for rheumatism sold by J. C. Gray. Fifty cents each.

   A party of young people go to Higginsville to-night for a sleigh ride and dance. McDermott fiddles.

   The Manhattan club will give their next private party in Empire hall this evening. Daniels orchestra furnishes the music.

   Assemblyman Saunders is a member of the following committees: Taxation and Retrenchment, Villages and Agriculture.

   The Cortland Traction Co. are going to extend the building at the skating rink so as to make it 85 feet long. It is now 50 feet long.

   James J. Corbett appears in Cortland Opera house, Monday evening, in his new play, "A Naval Cadet." He will have a full house.

   Mr. B. A. Benedict has sold his stock in the National Bank of Cortland and Mr. B. F. Taylor has been elected a director of the bank in his place.

   The attention of our readers is called to our letter from Honolulu printed on the first page. It is exceedingly interesting and others will follow.

   A leak in the water pipe in front of the Garrison block turned a river of water down Railroad-st. Wednesday afternoon. It was mended yesterday.

   Miss Bessie Peek, daughter of Egbert and Betsey Peek, won the prize at the glass blowers exhibition for being the handsomest baby in town by 780 majority.

   Some of the Lehigh railway officials took a ride over the E. C. & N. road as the guests of Supt. Allen on Wednesday. This fact gave rise to a rumor that they had purchased the E. C. & N. but Mr. Allen says there is no truth in the rumor.

   Last Monday morning the thermometers in this town tried to see what they could do. Some of them registered 30 degrees below zero, and lots of them registered 26 and 27.

   A room is being fitted up on the top floor of the Central School building which adds thirty seats to the capacity of the building. An extra teacher will be employed for this department next term. Every seat in the building has an occupant.

   The Traction Company's new skating rink was opened to the public last Saturday. A large number of young people availed themselves of the opportunity to glide on the slippery surface. The rink was lighted in the evening by electric lights of many hues.

   Mr. L. J. Townley, editor and proprietor of the Groton and Lansing Journal, has admitted his son, G. M. Townley, to a partnership in the business. The Journal is one of our most valued exchanges and we are pleased to know that it is meeting with success in all departments.

   The Industrial Edition of the Cortland Standard, which has been due for some months, appeared last week and so far as press work is concerned is a fairly creditable Job. The usual narrow minded manner in which the Standard treats its contemporaries was manifest in the publishing of a cut representing the DEMOCRAT building, taken twenty-five years ago, instead of the handsome and modern structure which Brother Jones now owns and occupies. Such petty jealousy is contemptible.—Broome County Herald.