REDUCED POST OFFICE DEFICIENCY

Post Office logo 1896.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, October 16, 1896.

REDUCED THE DEFICIENCY.

Operations of the Postoffice Department for the Last Fiscal Year.

   WASHINGTON, Oct. 14.—The report of Third Assistant Postmaster General Kerr Craig for the year ending June 30, 1896, has just been completed.

   The total amount of postal expenditures for the year was $90,626,206.84. The total receipts were $82,499,208.40. There was thus a deficiency of $8,127,088.44. The increase of receipts was over seven per cent, the increase of expenditure a little less than 4 per cent. The service is shown to have been economically administered, the result being a reduction of the annual deficiency of $1,679,956.19.

   The expenditures as given in the report do not include the cost of carrying the mails over the subsidized Pacific railroads, which amounted to $1,558,896.69. This item is never paid out of any appropriation made for the postal service, but under the law is certified to the Secretary of the Treasury as a credit in favor of the companies in their account with the government.

   The special delivery service made a gratifying increase of business during the year. The number of letters specially delivered was 4,184,327, an increase of thirteen per cent over the previous year's business. The average time required for delivery was seventeen minutes. The net profit of the system was about $100,000.

   The number of postage stamps, stamped envelopes and postal cards issued was 4,195,665,523, an increase of 7 per cent over the previous year. The value of these issues was $79,178,101.09, which is about $740,000 more than the sales.

   The increase of second class matter mailed publishers and news agents was nearly twelve per cent. The total weight of matter thus mailed paid and free, was 449,000,000 pounds.

   The business of registration was also increased about 4 per cent. The total number of pieces of mail matter registered was 15,106,336. The per centage [sic] of losses was reduced, the ratio being about one in every 24,000 places mailed by the public.

   Recommendation is again made for a limited indemnity to the owners of registered matter lost in the mails.

   The contracts made through the third assistant's offices for official envelopes for the use of the several executive departments and of postmasters, involving the purchase of about 130,000,000 envelopes, do not show any material reduction of prices.

Chauncey M. Depew.

TALKED POLITICS TO STUDENTS.

Chauncey M. Depew Censured by University of Michigan Officials.

   CHICAGO, Oct. 14—A special from Ann Arbor, Mich., says: Dr. Chauncey M. Depew is being roundly censured by the university officials for delivering a political speech before the students' league course Saturday night. It appears, according to Secretary Pruitt of the students' league association, that ten days before the lecture they received word from Dr. Depew that his subject would be "McKinley and Sound Money."

   As politics are barred by a vote of the regents of the university, the league sent H. H. Emmons, president of the association, to confer with the lecturer and inform him he could not speak on his chosen subject. Mr. Depew replied that he was deeply interested in the subject chosen, but it is claimed he finally selected as a subject, "Our Country at Home and Abroad," and authorized the league to advertise that title.

   In an inspired article in the University of Michigan Daily yesterday the following appeared:

   "The very fact that Mr. Depew came here under the auspices of the students' league and spoke in the hall of Michigan university, ought to have made such a proceeding impossible. Political propagandas have no place on a distinctively non-partisan platform. It is a wrong done to the people who patronize the lecture, for they bought tickets without regard to party, and expected to be treated with honesty and fairness. That the address was a brilliant one does not lessen the injustice."

   The editorial came direct from the faculty.

William J. Bryan.

The Straight Issue.

From the New York Journal.

   Mr. Bryan at Richmond delivered a speech which, were it in the hands of every voter in the United States, would so spread education on the financial problem as to cause the gold standard advocates to be faced everywhere by audiences competent to detect their misstatements and to scorn their fact-obscuring rhetoric about "sound money" which is not sound and the "national honor" which is quite as dear to other citizens as to their privileged selves. Here is a paragraph from the Richmond speech that is worth miles of ordinary campaign oratory:

   "We apply the law of supply and demand to money. We say the value of a

dollar depends on the number of dollars, and that you can raise the value of a dollar by making the dollars scarce, and we charge that our opponents are in favor of making money scarce because they are controlled by those who want money dear. If you are in favor of dear money you ought to vote the Republican ticket. If you are in favor of making money, the only thing which is desirable to own and making property the thing that everybody wants to get rid of, you want to vote the Republican ticket, because the Republican party proposes to continue the present financial system, the object of which is to make it more profitable to hoard money and get the increase in the rise of the value of a dollar than to put that dollar to work employing labor and developing the resources of this great country."

   That is good sense. It is the great issue of the campaign. If the people desire a continuance of the existing financial jumble, which is at the mercy of speculators and which has paralyzed the business energies of a rich new country, filled with an industrious population, they will defeat Bryan and the Democratic party and elect McKinley, who represents the syndicates, the trusts and the fleecers of the people in general.

For School Commissioner.

   To whom it may concern:—I desire to congratulate the voters of the second school commissioner district of Cortland County upon the nomination for the office of school commissioner of Edward W. Hyatt, Esq., of Homer, N. Y.

   Although differing with Mr. Hyatt politically I sincerely hope that he may be elected and somehow I feel that he will be.

   From my experience in that position for six years and from my lifelong acquaintance with Mr. Hyatt I know that he possesses all necessary qualifications for the proper discharge of the duties of that responsible office, and I know that he would bring to it a long experience in common school teaching that can not fail to have the most excellent results.

   The proper education of our children is the all important question both to the parent individually and to the state and nation in general.

   If there is one position within the choice of the people which should be above politics and political influence that one should be the management of our schools.

   In wishing Mr. Hyatt success I do so because I am acquainted with him, with his work as a teacher and I realize that he has always had a lively interest in educational matters and these are very essential qualifications for the proper performance of the duties of school commissioner.

   Further than that Mr. Hyatt's character and reputation for uprightness and morality are unquestioned; and above all other requirements the school commissioner should possess all of those attributes which remove the shadow of a doubt as to the morality of the man.

   Yours very truly,

   DANIEL KEATING.

   Ex-School Commissioner, Second District of Madison County.

OBITUARY.

   Mrs. Ada I. Webster, daughter of our former townsman, Mich Michelson, Esq., came to Cortland from New York City about two weeks ago on a visit to friends. She was not in very good health at the time she came. About a week ago she was taken suddenly worse and died at 5 o'clock last Sunday morning of heart failure. Mr. and Mrs. Michelson, who live in Chatham in the province of Ontario, were telegraphed to and arrived here last Monday afternoon.

   This sudden death was a sad blow to the bereaved family including her husband, who also received the sad intelligence in New York City. Mrs. Webster resided in this village from her birth until about eight years since, when she was married to Mr. Webster, since which time she has resided in Chicago and New York City. She was well known here, where by her vivacious disposition and lady-like conduct, she at one time became a great favorite in society. She leaves besides her husband and father and mother, a brother and two children and other relatives to mourn her loss.

Christopher W. Leach.

   Christopher W. Leach, one of the oldest residents of the county and a man of sterling worth, died at his home in Marathon Oct. 7th. 1896. He was born in the town of Cincinnatus March 23, 1814. His father, Jonathan Leach, came from Massachusetts in 1800 and settled on a farm at Texas Valley. At that time the town of Cincinnatus included, besides the town as now bounded, the towns of Marathon, Willett and Freetown. The old farm at Texas Valley always has been and still is owned by some one of the family.

   Thirteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Leach, eleven of whom are still living. At the funeral which was held last Saturday his sons acted as bearers. Interment was made at Texas Valley. Mr. Leach was highly respected by all who knew him for his genial social qualities and his integrity as a man and citizen. He was a Democrat of the old school.

   Besides a widow the following children survive him: Mrs. N. McMinn, Mrs. W. Forshee and Mrs. F. Smith of Willett, Mrs. I. Green of Whitney's Point, Mrs. J. G. Stanton of Brooklyn, T. N. and Will Leach of Cortland, A. H. Leach of Walton, J. E. Leach of Texas Valley, A. B. Leach of River Sioux, Ohio, and J. P. Leach of Moravia.

HERE AND THERE.

   F. Daehler, the clothier, has a change of advertisement on the opposite page.

   Case, Ruggles & Bristol have an interesting change of advertisement on this page.

   The Normal foot ball team will play the team from Cazenovia seminary on the fair grounds to-morrow.

   Men were at work yesterday replacing the slate which was torn from the Baptist church steeple by the recent storm.

   The C. A. A. fair at the club house this week embraces a large number of attractions and is well worth your patronage.

   A few flakes of snow fell here Oct 8 and the same event occurred Sept. 30,

1895; Oct 13, 1894, Nov. 16, 1893, Oct. 22, 1891.

   Dr. F. W. Higgins performed an operation at the hospital Monday for appendicitis on little Frank Sheridan. It was successful.

   W. J. Perkins, proprietor of the City Drug store, has the contract for the coming year to furnish all the chemicals and the chemical glassware to be used at the Normal school.

   The Lehigh is soon to commence work on a tine new depot at Freeville, which has been talked and talked about for years. It will be built at a point just south of the crossing.

   Hi Henry's minstrels were the attraction at the opera house Tuesday evening. It was by far the best company of entertainers he ever brought to Cortland. A large audience were well satisfied.

   The Kellogg Bird Carnival and Concert at the opera house next Friday evening, Oct. 23. This is the first number of the Normal lecture course and has pleased large audiences elsewhere this season.

   Mr. A. S. Burgess has recently placed in the rear end of his store a large French plate mirror 6 feet by 12 1/2 feet. This mirror is the largest in Cortland county and adds much to the beauty and attractiveness of his large store.

   Wednesday morning at 9 A. M. occurred the marriage of Mr. Cornelius Donahue of Glen Haven and Miss Elizabeth McMahon of Cortland. The wedding ceremony was performed at St. Mary's church by the Rev J. J. McLoughlin.

   Mr. E. Hamel of Lynn, Mass., has just returned from St. Louis where he has placed three of his popular lunch wagons. Mr. B. H. Bosworth who has been for several years in charge of the lunch wagon in this town will go to St. Louis in charge of his business there.

   One of the horses belonging to the United States express company died of colic last week. Another to take its place arrived Tuesday. A third horse, its mate, and a double wagon will be sent here the first of next month to help cover the additional ground as the National express will then leave the Lehigh Valley.

   Regular meeting of the W. C T. U will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 1 P. M., the day of meeting having been changed from Saturday to Tuesday. Mrs. F. M. Snyder will conduct the consecration service, after which will occur the business meeting and reports from delegates attending State convention. The public generally are invited to be present.

   Orders have been issued from the postoffice department at Washington that postmasters shall not hereafter dispatch any double or reply postal cards which have not been folded by the sender before being posted, as required by the rules. The attention of the public should be directed to the order and care taken to fold such cards before mailing them.