STARTLING NEWS FROM TURKEY

Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, September 22, 1896.

STARTLING NEWS FROM TURKEY.

Preparations Said to Have Been Made For a Wholesale Massacre.

   LONDON, Sept. 22.—The Berlin correspondent of The Times quotes a Constantinople dispatch to The Vossiche Zeitung from an unusually well informed correspondent, which is said to have evaded the censorship of the Turkish officials, and which says:

   "Last Wednesday and Thursday everything was ready for a general massacre of Christians and a bombardment of Constantinople should the European warships attempt to pass the Dardanelles.

   "There were 48 guns placed in position on the heights above Pera and the Turkish fleet in the harbor was cleared for action.

   "The street patrols were composed exclusively of palace troops, while the Sopatschis and Kurdish cavalry, though apparently unarmed, loitered in the streets awaiting the word of command."

   The Times has a dispatch from Sevastopol which declares that a portion of the Russian Black Sea fleet, consisting of four ironclads, three gunboats and several torpedo boats, is cruising off Otchakoff at the mouth of the Dnieper, under orders on receipt of a telegram from the Russian ambassador at Constantinople to join the admiral, leaving here with the remainder of the fleet and to go direct to the Bosphorus. The whole fleet has been placed on a war footing and has embarked three battalions of infantry and troops. The South of Russia has also been placed on a war footing.

DENIAL FROM WASHINGTON.

No Alliance With Any European Powers Is Contemplated.

   WASHINGTON, Sept. 22.—From time to time rumors have come from European sources to the effect that the government of the United States has signified an intention of co-operating with one or more of the great powers, those last mentioned being Great Britain and Italy, to enforce reforms in the Turkish empire and prevent further attacks upon Armenian Christians. To support these stories a routine movement of two of our cruisers has been twisted into an intended hostile demonstration.

   It can now be authoritatively stated that it is not contemplated, nor has it been, that our government in the slightest degree should depart from its time honored policy of refraining from intervention in European affairs further than is necessary to protect American citizens, and even in protecting our citizens any action taken will be absolutely independent of any other power.

   As was the case in the Brazilian rebellion and the Chinese-Japanese war and in many other instances in the past, the government as a matter of prudence has maintained a sufficient naval force near places where Americans reside in number to insure their safety, but with the political aspect of this or any other European question there will be no intervention by our government.

1893 map of Cuba.

SHARP FIGHTING IN CUBA.

Battle in Havana Province With Considerable Loss to Both Sides.

   HAVANA, Sept. 22.—Volunteer troops to the number of 75 and 12 cavalrymen of the Reina battalion set out from the village of Calabazas in Havana province, and at the farm of Lage they were attacked by 500 insurgents under Castillo and Delgado.

   In repelling the attack the troops caused the insurgents a loss of 100. Spanish forces from Arroyo Narango then reinforced the volunteers, compelling the insurgents to retreat. They left 11 killed on the field.

   The troops report that they suffered a loss of 31 killed and five wounded. It is reported that both of the insurgent leaders were wounded, Castillo seriously and Delgado slightly.

New York State Assemblyman Theodore Roosevelt in 1883.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

A Few Plain Facts About Silver.

   There are so many reasons for voting against a depreciated coinage that it is difficult to choose any one in particular; and the depreciated coinage plank is only one of the bad planks in the Democratic platform, and it is not even the worst.

   There are always great objections to changing the financial standard unless it is absolutely necessary, or unless the circumstances are such that the change is merely nominal. The last was the case in 1873. The change which the lunatic portion of our opponents are fond of describing as "the crime of 1873," was really not a change at all. Silver was not part of our currency; there was no silver in circulation; it existed only as a possible element of disturbance.

   Accordingly, after full and fair discussion and with practically no opposition, congress and the president got rid of it. That at the time the change was not a change at all, except nominally, is shown by the very accusations of our foes. They say that the law was "secretly" and "stealthily" changed. Now, it was done in open session after full debate. These accusations are mere nonsense. What the accusers really mean is that at the moment nobody's interests were immediately affected, and nobody wronged in any way, so that it was not worth the while of anybody to protest. But the law was an immense ultimate benefit because, though it worked no change at the time, it prevented our being thrown into hopeless confusion later.

   To change back now would be a real change; it would not merely be a change in the wrong direction, but one that would entail untold calamity upon our people. Populist orators say that it would only effect the "creditor class," but they entirety forget that there is no such thing as a hard and fast line between the creditor and the debtor classes. At one time or at another every man is in both, and therefore almost every man is affected by such a change.

   Such a change is never healthy, and the most unhealthy form that it can take is the return to an abandoned light weight, depreciated standard. Originally all kinds of things were used as money. We get our word "pecuniary" from the Latin word meaning cattle, because the ancient Latins used cattle as a standard of value, just as certain tribes in Africa do to-day; or as some of our own Indians use horses as a standard of value. Other savages use cowries or wampum. There are not a few Populists who wish to go back, if not to the wampum, then at least to the cattle and horse standards; for they solemnly propose to issue a currency based on corn and cotton. One of the most glaring failures of the French revolution was the hopeless effort to float a currency based on land.

   The least foolish among the Populists and Popocrats do not go as far as this; they merely want to go back to an inferior metal. When people begin to become civilized they always adopt some form of metal currency; which is of course n great improvement upon horses, cattle and the like. At first all kinds of metal are used. Iron was used in Sparta. Copper and bronze were used almost everywhere. They are still legal tender in many parts of China, where people enjoy the very cheapest money there is, and where labor is also the cheapest and worst paid in the world. The Populist who talks about cheap money would do well to study the Chinese situation. Prices are low in China, very low indeed, and the life of the people who pay those prices is lower still.

   As people rise in the scale of civilization they make their money more and more exclusively of the precious metals, gold and silver, keeping copper only for subsidiary coinage. As they rise still higher gold becomes the standard, although silver still has its place. It may be possible that by a general agreement of civilized nations silver can be retained in the currency, although it can never play the part that gold does. But it is not possible to achieve this end, save by international agreement. For a single nation to try it would be as foolish as for one business man to try to use coins which no other business man would accept. It has got to be done by practically universal opinion among the nations best qualified to come to this agreement.

   When a civilized nation has once adopted a standard of currency the effort to go back to an inferior standard entails all kinds of disasters. These disasters fall upon every man engaged in a productive enterprise, because the confidence and credit of the whole community is shaken, and it is confidence and credit, and not the amount of currency, which is really important to the nation. Of course the creditors are those who suffer most, and by far the largest body of creditors is to be found among the wage earners. At the end of every week, or at the end of every month, wage earners find themselves in the position of creditors; their employers are the debtors, and the debt is the wages. Under free coinage this debt would be paid in depreciated silver.

   Were Mr. Bryan and either of his two tails, Mr. Sewall or Mr. Watson, to come in tomorrow there would be a financial panic that would cause the most acute want and suffering to millions of wage earners, as well as to merchants and farmers. After the first stress the merchants, manufacturers and farmers would slowly begin to adjust themselves to the new conditions. They would suffer of course, but they would not suffer anything like as much as the working men. The latter would find their wages just halved. If the working man wants to try the effect of free silver he can come pretty near doing it by working at half rates.

   The consequences of free coinage would be starvation wages, with as a remedy strike after strike. Wages would gradually go up, but they would not go up nearly as fast as prices; and after two or three years of misery and unrest the working man would find that he was actually getting about three-fourths as much as he is to-day. The change would put him back for a generation.

   This has been the universal experience of civilized mankind. Whether we go to a system of fiat money pure and simple; whether we allow coinage to be debased in the way that used to obtain among kings and coiners; or whether we introduce free sliver at half its proper value, the result is the same. Misery falls on the whole community; but the misery of the working class is the most acute. No man in America is so vitally interested in sound money as the working man.

   THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

Police Court.

   Mary Sperry was in police court this morning on the charge of public intoxication on Rickard-st. last night. She pleaded not guilty to the charge and wanted an examination and in default of bail was committed to the county jail until to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock when the case will be heard.

   Frank Davenport pleaded not guilty to the same charge and his case was put over until 8 o'clock to-night.

   One drunk, who had slept in the cooler over night, paid a fine of five dollars.

Village Trustees.

   The board of village trustees held a regular meeting last night but, owing to the absence of President Benton from town, no business was transacted beyond the auditing of the following bills:

   Cortland Standard Printing Co., $18.90

   Street Commissioner's payroll, 280.75

   F. B. Nourse, 1.25

   First National bank, 145.50

   E. E. Mellon, police justice, 250.00

   Price & Co., 75.00

   W. T. Linderman, 4.92

   L. R. Lewis, 5.59

   Police force, 126.00

   H. J. Baker, painting, 2.64

"THE BROWNIES"

The Great Attraction at the Lyceum in Ithaca.

   In C. B. Jefferson, Klaw & Erlanger's magnificent spectacular production, "Palmer Cox's Brownies," which will be at the Lyceum, Ithaca, Monday and Tuesday nights, Sept. 28 and 29 with a special matinee Tuesday, will be found some of the most thrilling scenic effects, novel specialties and unique ballets ever witnessed.

   The flying ballet from the Folies Bergere, Paris, which is danced in midair, is a sensational feature that will astonish everybody In this the performers inexplicably float about in all directions through the air, and are transformed into birds, bees and butterflies of gorgeous hues. One of the other ballets is that of the beautiful oriental slave girls, whose participants are said to be the handsomest and shapeliest ever seen upon the stag. The four Richards, demon-acrobats from the Paris hippodrome, and Newhouse & Waffle, a marvelous musical duo from abroad, are among the other remarkable specialty features.

   Over 100 people will be seen in the cast, which embraces the names of some of the most famous artists known in burlesque. Twelve gorgeous scenes will be displayed, including the storm, shipwreck, earthquake, volcano and destruction of the palace.

   "The Brownies" will be presented just as it ran to crowded houses for 150 nights in New York. It is a great show that no one can afford to miss. Cortland people will be afforded their only opportunity to witness the wonderful production by the special Tuesday matinee. They can return after the matinee on the [Lehigh Valley] train reaching Cortland at 6:23 P. M.

BREVITIES.

   —New advertisements to-day are—Warren, Tanner & Co., bargains, page 7.

   —A meeting of the Ladies' Aid society of the Universalist church will be held to-morrow afternoon.

   —This is not very favorable weather for the opening of the Dryden fair, but doubtless it will be better to-morrow.

   —Rev. A. Chapman of the First Baptist church will preach at South Cortland next Friday night at 7:30 o'clock.

   —The regular monthly business meeting of the Y. P. S. C. E. of the Presbyterian church will be held this evening at 7:30.

   —The Ladies' Literary club will meet to-morrow afternoon at 3:30 o'clock with Misses Hendrick and Booth, 16 Church-st.

   —McDermott's orchestra of six pieces furnished music at the banquet tendered Judge Alton B. Parker at the Cortland House on Saturday evening.

   —A desperate wager is said to have been made between a young man and a young woman of this city. If Bryan is elected he will marry her; and if McKinley is elected she will marry him.—Ithaca Journal.

   —The STANDARD has a fish editor all on its own account. While on a vacation trip last week she with two others spent a day on Seneca lake and the result was seventy-one fine black bass. The STANDARD maiden did not take a back seat in her share of the catch. And what splendid fish stories we have had since. Now we do not have to depend on our exchanges or on outside sportsmen for these.

   —The plant and personal property of the Hitchcock Manufacturing company is advertised to be sold Saturday, Sept. 26, at 12 o'clock to satisfy the judgments held by the Second National bank of Cortland, besides several other executions, aggregating in all over $ 16,000 which are valid according to the late decision handed down by Justice Gerrit A. Forbes. The decision exonerates Sheriff Hilsinger, who was charged with contempt of court for refusing to recognize an injunction granted by the supreme court in the interests of the receivers.