A CALL TO DEMOCRATS AND A MILLIONAIRE'S WIFE

1896 Bryan-Sewall campaign poster.

Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, August 18, 1896.

A CALL TO DEMOCRATS.

Gold Standard Men Announce Their Convention.

AN ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE.

Chicago Platform Declared to Be Such a Departure From the Principles of Democracy That Democrats Are Absolved From Allegiance to It.

   CHICAGO, Aug. 18.—The executive committee of the National Democratic party was in session here and issued the call for a national convention at Indianapolis Sept. 3.

   The call, after a preamble reciting the history of the Democratic party and the principles for which it has stood, continues as follows:

   "The delegates to the convention hold at Chicago were authorized and had the power to proclaim a platform embodying their views of the true solution of the particular problem of the government now agitating our nation, but upon the condition that such platform should be consistent with the cardinal principles held by the party throughout its existence. The principles constitute the essential element of the party's life. They distinguish it from all other political organizations. If they are abandoned the party ceases to exist. It was, therefore, not within the power of any majority of the delegates assembled at Chicago to bind the Democrats of the United States to a platform inconsistent with the. party's principles or to any action that that should result in their surrender.

   "In violation of the trust committed to them, a majority of the delegates assembled in that convention, ignoring the rights of the minority, unseated regularly elected delegates to make places for others in sympathy with themselves.

   "They proclaimed a sectional combination of the South and West against the North and East. They impeached the honesty and patriotism of President Cleveland who, under exceptional embarrassments produced by past errors of legislation, has heroically maintained the honor and integrity of the republic. Against the protest of one third of the delegates, they promulgated a platform at variance with the essential principles of the Democratic party.

   "This platform is in its policies dangerous to the welfare and life of free government. It is mischievous in its tendencies. But even more threatening and mischievous was the spirit of the convention that adopted it, a spirit manifested not alone by its affirmative action, but as well by its reckless rejection of every proposition tending to temper the declarations of the convention with conservatism and justice.

   "The platform proposes to degrade the coin of the United States by means of the free, unlimited and independent coinage of silver by our government and by the exercise of the power of the nation to compel the acceptance of depreciated coins at their nominal value, thereby working an injustice to creditors, defrauding the laborer of a large part of his earnings and savings, robbing pensioned soldiers of a part of their pensions, contracting the currency by the expulsion of gold coin from circulation, injuring if not destroying domestic trade and foreign commerce.

   "It threatens in certain contingencies to increase to an unlimited extent, the volume of legal tenders issued by the federal government, the ultimate effect of which would be to force the withdrawal of all coin from circulation and to compel public and private business to be transacted in depreciated paper currency.

   "Its declarations invite and have almost produced a financial panic and many of its proponents announce that to accomplish their purposes they are prepared to involve their country in a disaster comparable to nothing in its history save the calamity of civil war.

   "It assails the independence of the judiciary by a covert threat to reorganize the courts whenever their decisions contravene the decrees of the party caucus.

   "The Chicago convention, having thus departed from the recognized Democratic faith and promulgated doctrines new and strange to the Democracy, all Democrats are absolved from obligation to support, its program. More than this, as the doctrines announced are destructive of national honor and private obligation and tend to create sectional and class distinctions, all good citizens of the republic are bound to repudiate them and exert every lawful means to insure the defeat of the candidates that represent those false doctrines.

   "Democrats are told that they must accept the platform enunciated and the ticket nominated at Chicago because submission to the will of the majority is a fundamental principle of Democracy. It is true that when a majority of the people have expressed their will at a legal election, the will of such majority must be respected and obeyed. This is essential to the peace and existence of the nation. But it is a monstrous perversion of the doctrine to apply it to a political party which exists only by virtue of a common, voluntary assent to its principles. When a Democratic convention departs from the  principles of the party, no Democrat remains under any moral obligation to support its action, nor is there any tradition of the party that requires him so to do. On the contrary, it is evidence of moral weakness for any free man to vote to enforce policies which, in his opinion, are inimical to the welfare of the people or to integrity of the nation.

   "In this crisis there is at stake more than the possibility of temporary victory. The honor and perpetuity of the Democratic party are at stake. That this party as we have known it may not die, let the faithful of years rally round its historic banner, reform its broken lines, and with abiding faith in the final triumph of its principles, unite to restore the name Democrat to its former meaning and proud distinction.

   "To this end we request all Democrats who are opposed to the platform adopted and candidates named at Chicago to organize in their several states and to send representatives to the convention of the National Democratic party to be held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1896, in accordance with the call heretofore issued by the national committee."

   The call is signed by W. D. Bynum, chairman; John R. Wilson, secretary;

Charles Tracy, J. M. Falkner, F. W. M. Cutcheon, Ellis B. Usher, S. H. Holding, F. W. Lehman, W. B. Haldeman and John P. Hopkins, executive committee of the National Democratic party.

Italian Laborers on Strike.

   ROME, N. Y., Aug. 18.—Four hundred and ninety Italians employed by Miller & Co. of Ottawa, Ills., on Rome's sewer system, are out on strike. The contractors announced on Saturday that pay day would occur but once every month hereafter, instead of every two weeks. A gang of Italians, 100 in number, working outside of the city refused to go to work unless they were paid every week, and they marched to the city and induced all of the gangs to quit and threw stones in the ditches at those who refused to join them. The contractors promised to pay them as heretofore and the strike was settled.    

   The Italians are paid $1.25 per day. One gang struck for $1.50 per day. This the contractors refused to pay and gave the Italians till morning to return to work.

   LATER—The strike of Italians begins to look serious. Having succeeded in inducing contractors to pay every two weeks, they now ask a raise in wages to $1.50 a day, an advance of 25 cents. Trouble is expected today, and the sheriff will swear in special deputies to guard the men who have decided to work. One gang of 50 men was paid off and discharged. The Italians threaten to kill the police if they interfere.

  

Waterspouts at Oswego.

   OSWEGO, Aug. 18.—Three huge funnel shaped water spouts formed in Lake Ontario about two miles off this port at 7 o'clock this morning and as they moved down the lake they attracted a great deal of attention. Shortly after they burst and disappeared and with their disappearance came a heavy rain and in places back from the lake a heavy hail storm. The latter did some damage to tobacco.

Kenfield District.

   KENFIELD DISTRICT, Aug. 17.—Again we hear the familiar sound of the steam thresher. Adam Ransom's machine with Harry as engineer is threshing in this neighborhood.

   Albrose Bingham of McGrawville has been working for Henry Phelps through harvesting.

   Luella, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dunbar, was quite ill last week.  Dr. Ensign was called and relieved her.

   Will King had the misfortune to lose a good horse last week.

   Another one of those pleasant grange socials which McGrawville grange is noted for was held last Thursday evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Myron Bingham. There were fifty present. An interesting program was rendered after which cake, ice cream and peaches were served. One of the pleasant features of these socials is that they are not gotten up to replenish the treasury as they are free, but simply to have a pleasant social time. We find they have been the means of bringing us many new members.

   Miss Sarah Abbott, who works for Adin Kenfield, spent Saturday night and Sunday at her home in Cheningo.

   Miss Mary Bennett of Cortland visited the families of Henry and Myron Phelps last week.

   Miss Nellie Freeman is visiting friends in Halstead, Pa.

   Mr. and Mrs. Will Goodell of Fast Freetown visited at Henry Phelps' one day last week.

   Our school begins Monday, Aug. 24, with Miss Rachel McEvoy as teacher again.

   Mrs. Charles Dunbar had n narrow escape from death last Saturday morning. Mr. Dunbar draws milk from this neighborhood over to the Dodd factory and on his return Mrs. Dunbar took the team and went on to deliver the cans that belong to Adin and George Kenfield. Just as she had left the last can and started for home one line caught on the hip-strap and she leaned forward to loosen it and lost her balance and fell on her head and shoulders between the axle and crossbar. The horses ran drawing her down under the wagon and leaving her in the road. No damage was done except Mrs. Dunbar has a rather stiff neck and is bruised up somewhat.

   Marion Smith and son Floyd of Mt. Roderick were guests at Myron Bingham's, Sunday.

   Mr. and Mrs. George Case and daughter Cecil of Solon were pleasant guests at Charles Dunbar's, Sunday.

   We had a very good attendance at our meeting Sunday evening. We had evidence that the spirit of God was with us. Rev. W. A. Huntington preached to us. TRIXIE.

In Police Court.

   Three tramps were up before Police Justice Mellon this morning on the charge of vagrancy. Two of them were able-bodied young men and, as is usual with the class, were looking for work. They were discharged with directions to shake Cortland dust off their feet. The other was an old man of 77 years who said his name was William Fargey, and that he had no home nor never had. He had tramped it all his life. Fifteen days in jail was his sentence.

CORN ROAST AT LITTLE YORK.

Party of Merry Makers Enjoy an Evening on the Shore of the Lake.

   A large party of young people, bent on having a good time, engaged a couple of large lumber wagons with hay racks comfortably filled with hay and blankets and drove to Little York for an old fashioned corn roast last evening. Raymond's log cabin had been secured for the occasion and Proprietor Raymond furnished the corn for roasting.

   The smooth waters of the lake presented attractions for nearly all the party and boats were in constant demand after the corn was disposed of. The ride home in the cool of the evening was a feature of the occasion and to-day there are many of the party who are authority on the advantages of upholstered carriages over lumber wagons.

BREVITIES.

   —The Cortlands were beaten at Norwich yesterday by the score of 22 to 20.

   —An adjourned meeting of the Y. M. C. A. directors will be held this evening at 8 o'clock in the Y. M. C. A. parlors.

   —The regular mothers' meeting (Central) will be held at the home of Mrs. D. Tucker of East Main-st., Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 3 o'clock. Subject, "Right and Wrong Punishments." All invited.

   —The play, "The Millionaire's Wife," which was presented at McGrawville

last evening by local talent under the direction of Mr. Edward B. Kelly will be repeated at popular prices on Thursday evening, Aug. 20.

   —Every one, without regard to party affiliations, should read the letter from Bishop Newman to Senator Stewart of Nevada, the loudest mouthed of all the champions of free silver. We publish it on our second page.

   —The track at the Cortland driving park [fairgrounds] has been put in excellent condition for the coming bicycle races. The sextette will surely be here and considerable interest will be taken in the race of one mile against time. The crowd of riders now in training at the track numbers fifteen and the fastest time ever made by local riders is expected.

   —At the meeting of the board of village trustees last night no business of importance was transacted. An application from the Western Telephone company to construct and operate a telephone exchange in the village was received and referred to a committee consisting of Trustees Webb and Glann and Attorney S. S. Knox for investigation.

   —Our reporter who prepared the item concerning additional judgments entered against the H. M. Whitney Co., published in yesterday's STANDARD, was in error in stating that these judgments were against the company. Nearly the entire amount was against H. M. Whitney personally, and upon the same notes on which judgment had already been taken against the company itself, Mr. Whitney being endorser on this paper.

MCGRAWVILLE.

Crisp local Happenings at the Corset City.

   Mr. and Mrs. C. V. Craft of East Homer and Miss Sarah McAllister and Mrs. J. D. Freer of South Cortland visited at B. H. Lyons recently.

   The friends of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Henley are congratulating them upon the arrival of a 7 3/4 pound daughter.

   Mr. C. B. Warren was in Oswego Monday on a business trip.

   Mr. and Mrs. John House and daughter Linn of Ithaca spent Saturday and Sunday as the guests of Mr. and Mrs. E.  H. Tucker.

    Capt. E. Fancher Kinney returned Monday evening from a ten days' trip to Waterloo, Seneca Falls and vicinity.

   Dr. M. H. Smith started at 11:20 Monday night for New York City as representative to the Grand lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

   The "Millionaire's Wife" was presented at the opera house last evening according to previous notice, except that Mr. Earl B. Cummings of Cortland took the part of Harry Grantly the millionaire on account of the absence of E. Fancher Kinney. Mr. Cummings acted the part to perfection as did all the characters. Where all did so well it would be unfair to particularize. To those who have seen Mr. Charles Cummings upon the stage it is unnecessary to say that he acted the part of the maniac husband in a crazy manner. Uncle Burdett in the person of Reno G. Hoag was just what a good-natured old bachelor uncle should be. The part of the busted showman taken by Mr. Edward R. Kelley was alone worth the price of admission. The different moods from happiness to the deepest sorrow were well portrayed by Miss Winifred Smith who is certainly a born actress, while the part taken by Miss Grace Kinney of the false and cruel Blanche was extremely well done as such a part is as a matter of course without the sympathy of the audience. Miss Gertrude Vincent outdid herself and was romantic enough to satisfy all. Mr. W. S. Kelly acted the part of policeman as if he belonged to the police patrol of Lestershire. The Odd Fellows orchestra furnished music and take it all together it was as good a company and play as many which are presented in Cortland and any one who misses the opportunity of seeing it on next Thursday evening when it will be repeated will make a mistake. The prices will be, adults 25 and children 10 cents to all parts of the house. Enjoy yourself and help the fire company.