OFF TO THE NORTH AND HONEST MONEY DEMOCRATS

Lt. Robert Peary.

Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, July 17, 1896.

OFF TO THE NORTH.

Lieutenant Peary and His Party Sail For Greenland.

   HALIFAX, July 17.—The steamer Hope, in command of Captain John Bartlett, having on board Lieutenant Peary and party, has sailed from Sydney, Cape Breton, for Greenland. The vessel carried abundant stores and nine boats, so that she seems prepared for every emergency. The main object of the cruise is to bring home a 40-ton meteorite which is located at Cape York. She also takes three scientific parties, who will be landed at Labrador, South Greenland and Melville bay, respectively.

   Lieutenant Peary himself is accompanied by Hugh Lee and his black servant, Henson. Among those on board are Professor Alf Burton and Professor George H. Barton of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Geologist C. H. Putnam, assistant in the United States coast and geodetic survey, has been detailed to accompany the party to take pendulum and magnetic observations. Russell W. Porter, a student in the architectural department of the institute of technology, goes as an artist and photographer and John C. Phillips, a student of Harvard, as assistant geologist.

   Aside from the general trip in company, one party will be landed for five or six weeks at Devil's Thumb, on the southern end of Melville bay. This region has never before been visited by scientific men. Here careful studies will be made of glaciers, geological features and, to a certain extent, of natural history.

   The Hope will go north to Bowdoin bay, will spend three weeks there and return to Cape York for the meteorite. The ship will then come south, picking up the members of the expedition where they were landed on the trip going northward and will reach Sydney at about the end of September.

William J. Bryan.

Bryan at Kansas City.

   KANSAS CITY, July 17.—Ten thousand people stood packed in the thoroughfare in front of the Coates House and howled themselves into a frenzy of enthusiasm over William J. Bryan, the Democratic presidential nominee. The cheering began at least an hour before the presidential candidate was advertised to appear, and it was kept up, with an occasional lull, until the distinguished free silver advocate appeared on the balcony of the hotel. Then the vast throng broke out with redoubled energy a n d gave him an ovation that was not unlike that which he received after his famous speech at the Chicago convention.

Electric Railway Incorporated.

   ALBANY, July 17.—The Onondaga Lake Railroad company, capitalized at $250,000, has been incorporated with the secretary of state. The company will operate an electric road from Clinton Square, Syracuse, to Long Branch in the town of Geddes, Onondaga county, a distance of seven miles.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

To Honest Money Democrats.

   There are many honest money Democrats who detest the Chicago platform and yet hesitate to vote for a Republican nominee for president. Here is a scrap of advice for them from the New York Sun:

   Every Democrat who wants to make sure that the revolutionary program of the Red Mob shall not be carried out will not dare to throw away his vote or to stay at home on election day. He will vote for William McKinley, not as a Democrat voting for a Republican, but as an American voting for an American and voting against the dishonor and disaster which the carrying out of the Red platform would bring upon the United States.

   To honest money Democrats who are sticklers for party regularity the Sun also says:

   Those gold-standard Democrats who declare their resolve to swallow the anarchy platform and ticket because these emanate from a Democratic convention, so called, are perhaps too tender in their scruples and too devoted to the idea of regularity. Does anybody believe that the silver men would have put up with a gold platform and a gold candidate if the gold men had had a majority in the convention?

   Before the convention was held, a good many of the delegates uttered their opinions freely. From the respectable element to the Anarchists, from Capt. Evan P. Howell of Atlanta to Pitchfork Tillman, there seemed to be an agreement that silver was Democracy, and that if it was not proclaimed, the silver delegates must and would bolt.

   In Mr. Bryan's own state of Nebraska, at the Democratic state convention in April of the present year, a delegate asserted in a speech that a gold standard man was not a Democrat at all.

   But take the Hon. William Jennings Bryan himself. Does anybody believe that he would have supported Senator Hill [former New York governor—CC editor], or Mr. Whitney, or Governor Flower, or anybody else, on a gold platform? Here is what he said at Birmingham in 1895, when Mr. Bryan was revolving through the South on silver wheels:

   "Nothing in heaven above, on the earth below, or in hell beneath could make me support a gold-standard candidate on a gold-standard platform."

   It is superfluous to show to these Populist condottieri who have captured the Democracy a romantic courtesy and good faith which they are incapable of appreciating.

   Besides, there is no national Democratic party now. There are the elements of it in the several states. There, and without having to kiss the feet of anarchy, Democratic discipline and regularity may be maintained.

   Now is the time for patriotic Democrats to decide where they will stand—with Whitney and Vilas and Gray and Watterson, or with Herr Most and Altgeld and Debs and socialism and anarchy. What real claim has the bolting and fire-eating Bryan to any straight Democrat's support?

Henry Watterson.

COL. WATTERSON SPEAKS.

Says the Democratic Platform is Monstrous and Means a Revolution.

   GENEVA, July 17.—Col. Henry Watterson, who is sojourning here, was interviewed yesterday by a correspondent of the New York Herald touching the crisis in the United States. Col. Watterson said:

   "Personally the ticket nominated at Chicago is an unexceptionable ticket. Mr. Bryan is a most worthy and well educated young man with a talent for what passes for oratory. He is fervid, sincere, poor and honest. Mr. Sewall is a Democrat of long standing and credit. He is a millionaire from Maine who, having nothing to lose politically, thinks he can afford to gratify caprice and amuse himself by playing with populism. It is a ticket that may be made to arouse a good deal of enthusiasm, both real and artificial.

   "The platform is monstrous. It not only means national repudiation and spoliation, but is an open door to revolution. If the leaders of this movement could come into power those of them who have any sense of accountability, and conception of orderly government would be quickly set aside by the wild elements behind. In this way civil war, as foreshadowed by the Chicago outbreaks last year, could be precipitated upon the country. Then the strong hand of the federal power was interposed, but if this were withheld the reign of the mob would be easy enough.

   "What of the proposal to put another Democratic ticket in the field?

   "You will observe," said Col. Watterson, "that those who are so quick to urge concentration of all sound money men upon McKinley are either Republicans who naturally seek to swell their party ranks by such an unexpected accession or those Democrats who from a sense of sheer outrage and disgust, leap at conclusions, not caring to take two bites at a cherry.

   "But there are considerations which neither class takes into account. There are from two to four millions of stanch Democrats who may not be so easily transferred from one party to the other, yet whose votes can be made just as effectual in suppressing anarchy as the votes of those Republicans who directly support McKinley. The Democrats must have some abiding place. They cannot find it under a flag of which one-half is for sound money and the other half for protection. Mr. McKinley cannot compromise an issue which he has made the cornerstone of his political belief.

   "It is true that the money issue, not the tariff issue, is in the ascendant now, but there must be logical consistency in all things and neither McKinley nor his party can ignore tariff pledges without self-stultification. Hence a new Democratic convention with another Democratic ticket and directed by wise counsels, is the sole hope of the Democratic future and would be the only refuge for those Democrats who have nowhere else to go.

   "Failure to respect the convictions and exigencies of these Democrats will be in the highest degree unsafe. As between McKinley and Mr. Bryan in the final outcome Bryan could probably get as many of these voters as McKinley, while many would refuse to go to the polls, but a sound Democratic ticket would get them all. Thus after the election the opposition may be organized on a sound basis and not relegated to the wild horses of Populism for three years more of ruinous agitation with another life or death struggle at the end of them. It is not certain that a ticket headed by Carlisle or Whitney and placed upon a real Democratic platform would not get more votes than the ticket headed by Bryan. The complete disintegration of the Democratic party is an event to be contemplated by thoughtful persons only with forebodings of evil."

FIRE AT BLODGETT MILLS.

Big Hay Barn of A. B. Freeman Destroyed. Loss $1,800. Insurance $400.

   The splendid large hay barn of A. B. Freeman, a quarter of a mile north of

Blodgett Mills, was totally destroyed by fire late yesterday afternoon with all its contents. Mr. Freeman assisted by his son. A. B. Freeman, Jr., was drawing hay into the barn from a field across the street. About twenty tons of hay had already been put into three different mows, filling them slightly above the level of the floor, the mows extending to the bottom of the underground part. The men had just thrown off a load with the horse fork and had gone again into the field. They had just begun to put on another load when glancing toward the barn they discovered flames coming out over the doors upon the barn floor. They rushed back and before they got there the flames were coming out of the roof.

   The fire was discovered at Blodgett Mills village and the big whistle of the chair factory blew loud and long. All the men turned out and farmers from all the surrounding country hastened in the same direction. Within ten minutes there were seventy-five men there, the fire having started about 4:15.

   The burning barn stood at the west end of a long row of farm buildings, the dwelling house being almost at the east end. The wind was strong from the west and it looked as though every building would be destroyed. The horse barn stood nearest and was a hundred feet away. That was on fire inside of ten minutes. Ladders were put up and a bucket brigade was formed. The men seized upon a quantity of tin sap buckets and passed water up to those on the roof and a constant stream was flowing down the roof. The water was taken from wells and from a big tank filled from a spring, but it looked as though this would run short. Milk cans in that vicinity were plenty and several teams drew water from the river, so that there was plenty for use.

   In a half hour the roof had fallen in, the walls were down and there was only a mass of smoking ruins of what had been one of the finest barns in that section of the country.

   It was remarkably fortunate that so many men were at hand or all the buildings would have been destroyed. The barn was 33 by 90 feet in size and had a wing on the south side 12 by 90 feet. It had a basement with a fine stone wall on the lower side. The roof was of steel. There was in the barn about twenty tons of hay, a mowing machine, a double sleigh, two cutters and a young calf, all of which were destroyed. Mr. Freeman estimates his total loss at about $1,800, and has an insurance of $400 on the building, placed with the grange. Mr. Freeman says if it had not been for the most speedy and energetic work on the part of kind neighbors he should not have a roof or building on the place at present.

   The cause of the fire is believed to be friction from the pulleys upon the rope of a horse fork. There is no other thing that it can be laid to. No one about the place smokes. No one besides the family had been there. The hay that was going in was pretty green, but it had not had time to heat. Besides, the hay in the mows scarcely came up to the floors, while the flames were first seen over the doors, nearly up to the eaves. This is a new cause of fire and one farmers should carefully look out for.

   So strong was the wind that burning brands were carried clear over to the village of Blodgett Mills a quarter of a mile away. The house was partly cleared of furniture when it was thought that it was going. A horse left on a wheelrake when the men started for the fire ran away and smashed the rake and tore his harness to pieces.

BREVITIES.

   —Band concert on the Cortland Athletic Association grounds this evening.

   —The date of the Cortland county fair has been changed to Sept. 15, 16 and 17.

   —A bicycle was found on Main-st. last night by the police and is at police headquarters awaiting the owner.

   —Several Groton people have signified their expectation of riding to Cortland to-night to see the big bicycle parade.

   —Miss Flossie Sears is this afternoon entertaining at her home west of the village a number of her little friends at a haying party.

   —The Cortland baseball team will play the Shamrocks of Syracuse at the fair grounds to-morrow afternoon. Game called at 3:30 P. M.

   —The grounds of the C. A. A. are gaily decorated this afternoon and will present a pretty appearance to-night when lighted after the parade.

   —New advertisements to-day are—G. J. Mager & Co., special prices, page 7; A. S. Burgess, great bargains, page 8; Wm. Grady, bicycles, page 2.

   —Drop into the STANDARD office after the parade to-night and add your name and the name of your wheel to the list of bicyclists and wheels which we are preparing for publication.

   —The Rev. Wm. H. Clarke of Seneca Falls will be with his old friends in Grace church on Sunday, Mr. Watkins exchanging with him and going to Seneca Falls for service on that date.

   —The cottages in Elysium park are rapidly filling up. They are occupied by people from Cortland, Marathon, New York, Boston and Worcester, Mass. Picnickers are also there nearly every day. To-morrow school district No. 15 of Cortlandville will have possession of the grounds.

HOMER.

Gleanings of News From Our Twin Village.

   Among the arrivals at the Mansion House yesterday were Mrs. John Henry and Miss Henry of New York City. They have been regular visitors in Homer during the summer season for many years; and are here again to enjoy our delightful summer climate.

   Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Brockway and Dr. and Mrs. F. R. Thompson rode to McLean and return last evening on their wheels. They were guests at the Elm Tree Inn for supper.

   The army worms have reached Homer and vicinity and are now doing their disastrous work among the gardens and fields in town and in the country. Up to date no one seems to have presented a satisfactory solution to the problem of exterminating this pest.

South Cortland.

   SOUTH CORTLAND, July 15. Dr. D. E. Ensign of McGrawville called on Mr. and Mrs. D. McNish last Wednesday.

   Mrs. Sarah Gallagher spent Sunday with friends in Dryden.

   The army worm is with us. They do not seem to be in all the oat fields yet. G. H. Hyde and N. F. Webb have had to cut their fine fields of oats, each containing about twelve acres.

Texas Valley.

   TEXAS VALLEY, July 15. Dr. H. D. Watson, who graduated in May from the University of the City of New York and who was so fortunate as to secure the hundred dollar prize, has just taken and passed the state examination for a license to practice medicine and surgery in the state of New York, and the Board of Regents of the state of New York has granted Dr. Watson a diploma of special distinction. The diploma has as its distinguishing mark a purple seal with the words "With Honor." In order to obtain this Dr, Watson had to give a percentage of over ninety per cent in several subjects. Dr. Watson is to be congratulated upon his many honors. He is now in the office of Dr. F. W. Higgins at Cortland.