THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS AND THAT CUBAN QUESTION.

Newsboys posing in Newark, New Jersey.

Cortland Evening Standard, Thursday, December 24, 1896.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

The Spirit of Christmas.

   There are attractions about Christmas day and memories associated with it which can never fail or fade. The charm of the circumstances attending the birth which it commemorates, the lowly surroundings of the Christ-child, the star in the East, the wise men from afar seeking the birthplace and laying their rich gifts before the infant of the manger, and the angel chorus proclaiming peace and hope to mankind, make the Christmas story one which will retain its hold on humanity, young and old, till heaven and earth shall pass away. No pains need be taken to keep it vital and powerful, for it has in it the elements of immortality.

   There is more danger lest, amid the customs which have grown out of Christmas day, the spirit which was embodied and typified in Him whose birth we celebrate, and which was the very essence of his life and ministry, may not stand out so clear and distinct as he would have it. He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Not as the world gave then and gives to-day did he bestow his precious gifts. He gave the service of his life and the agony of his death with no hope of return or reward save his Father's approval and the consciousness of duty done, and he gave them not for his friends alone but for his enemies, and closed his ministry with a prayer of forgiveness for those who tortured him.

   The man or woman would be hard and cold and unchristian who would seek to rob childhood of the beauty and the glory which the Babe of Bethlehem has cast over it, or who would not help to make Christmas day for the children full of light and happiness, and rich in all that is dear to the childish heart.  Equally timely and appropriate is the exchange of Christmas gifts between relatives and friends. But these should not be the only, as they certainly are not the purest and highest manifestations, of the spirit which makes Christmas day worth celebrating. The giving to chose to whom no tie of relationship binds us, to those whose needs we see and from whom we can expect no gifts in response, is far more in harmony with the life and teachings of the Master—and when such giving is at the cost of personal denial and self-sacrifice, it is then a very echo of that gospel which has filled the world with its sweetness for two thousand years.

   Rev. Dr. Eaton, of the Church of the Divine Paternity in New York City, in a recent sermon related the following incident: "On Christmas eve but a few years ago, a ragged newsboy was seen to enter a saloon on Printing House Square. He sold a few papers, and just before he left the room he hesitated for a moment before a small box standing on the counter, marked "Gifts for Poor Children." When the boy thought no one was looking he dropped a few pennies into the box—all the profits of his sale—and then ran out into the night. A witness to his generous act followed him. It was very cold and snow was on the ground. The boy was seen to hurry away to a staircase on the outside of a building and there creep under the slight protection of the boards. There he lay down to sleep, with only the heavens for a roof and the moist ground for a bed. When asked why he who had no home and was compelled to sleep in the cold and the snow had given his all, he replied: "I thought there were some poor children not so well off as I am. I can sell papers you know."

   That ragged boy of the great metropolis was a worthy successor of the poor widow of Palestine—of whom probably he had never heard—who cast into the treasury all that she had; and the Christmas angels might well rejoice again over  such a rare and perfect manifestation of the spirit of their Lord. There are thousands of homes, comfortable and luxurious and filled with the cheer and the gifts of Christmas, which will not know the fullest joy or respond to the loftiest inspiration of this sacred time as did that newsboy in the cold and the snow.

   "These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." It was of this other and too often neglected giving of which He was accustomed to say: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Capt. Gen. Valeriano Weyler.

WEYLER TO THE FRONT.

Captain General Again Takes the Field.

OPERATIONS ON THE ISLAND.

Spaniards Report Sundry Small Victories Over the Cubans—Spanish Cabinet

Council Meets, but Takes No Action on the President's Message.

   HAVANA, Dec. 23.—A detachment of troops at the plantation of Progreso, in Matanzas, has killed the insurgent leader Bernardino Veldes Villajou.

   Captain General Weyler has arrived at Artemisa, whence he proceeded by coach in company with General Arolas, Chief of Staff Escribano and General Weyler's son, who is an aide to his father.

   General Weyler has ordered that the cattle should be gathered up immediately by the guerillas in order to deprive the insurgents of their food supply.

   General Weyler took breakfast and upon leaving for the field was escorted by the Principe squadron of colored firemen of Havana.

Spanish Cabinet Meeting.

   MADRID, Dec. 23.—The cabinet meeting here was presided over by Senor Canovas del Castillo, the president of the council. It is believed that the cabinet considered President Cleveland's message so far as it dealt with the Cuban question, and also measures for coast defense and an increase of the fleet.

   The newspapers here praise the activity shown by General Azearraga, the minister of war which, according to report, included the distribution of pamphlets among leading Spanish army officers describing the military condition in the United States. The newspapers on the other hand censure the delays by the minister of marine.

Philippines Revolt Spreads.

   LONDON, Dec. 23.—A Madrid dispatch says: "In order to insure the success of the next loan, the government is straining every nerve to conceal the true situation in the Philippines. The whole colony is in revolt and scattered bodies of Spanish troops have been hemmed in by the rebels. It is rumored that a certain proportion of German reserve officers are in the insurgent ranks."

Cubans Reported Defeated.

   HAVANA, Dec. 23.—General Solano has raised the siege of the village of Mayagigua in Santa Clara province, and has in turn attacked the insurgents, who retreated from the town with losses.

Denial From Madrid.

   MADRID, Dec. 23.—An official denial has been published of the report circulated by The Correspondencia that the gendarmes have dispersed a small revolutionary band which has been organized near this city.

   After the publication of the official denial that a revolutionary band had been dispersed near this city an official telegram was published here stating that the gendarmes had dispersed a band of 10 men bearing a Republican flag at Novelda, in the province of Alicante in Southeastern Spain.

   It is further reported officially that seven of the men were killed and that a number of dynamite bombs have been seized.

   The cabinet decided at its session not to make any reply to President Cleveland's message through diplomatic channels.

Walter Wellman.

THAT CUBAN QUESTION.

It Still Occupies Supreme Attention.

LITTLE HOPE OF RECOGNITION.

Devastation of Cuba—Its War and Civil Debt—Agricultural and Commercial Ruin—A Problem to Be Settled by the McKinley Administration.

   WASHINGTON, Dec. 23.—[Special.]—After the holiday recess we shall doubtless have another Cuban flurry. An effort will be made to pass the Cameron resolution recognizing the independence of Cuba. But I find the prevailing sentiment is that it will not be successful. Members of the foreign relations committee with whom I have talked admit to me they do not expect to see their resolution voted on. They are afraid the rules of the senate will be taken advantage of by the opposition to talk the measure to death. This parliamentary club has often been used in the senate before now, and the end is not yet. The opponents of the Cameron resolution say it threatens business prosperity and unsettles everything and can produce nothing of real value for Cuba. Therefore they think they are justified in exercising the right of unlimited debate.

   Only some nine weeks remain of the life of this congress, and it will be a comparatively easy matter to talk long enough to prevent the passage of the resolution through both houses.

   It has been pointed out that, if the worst should happen, and the resolution get through both houses, it is not likely to do so until just before the close of the session—that is to say, the opponents of the measure could easily stave off action till within the ten day period in which President Cleveland could kill the resolution by simply failing to return it to congress. If he should not sign it and were to keep it at the White House, it would die a natural death, without congress having an opportunity to pass it over his veto. In this way could be averted that conflict, or seeming conflict, between the executive and congressional branches of the government which many public men have dreaded.

Peculiar Conditions.

   This Cuban episode, the decision of the foreign relations committee to press recognition and the announcement of the administration through Secretary Olney that the resolution would be vetoed "if passed and ignored if passed over the veto, has served to bring out anew the fact that there are certain defects in our constitution which future statesmen will have to correct. See how peculiar the conditions are. According to one theory, congress is the supreme power. If it passes a bill or resolution over the veto of the president, it becomes public law, and the executive is sworn to enforce the laws of congress. If he fails, he does so at the peril of impeachment.

   On the other hand it is contended that the power to recognize the independence of a nation is that of the executive solely, with which congress has nothing whatever to do. If congress passes a law which usurps the president's constitutional functions, he can refuse to execute it, and there is no redress save in impeachment. This is the position which President Cleveland has taken in this matter, and as matters now look it will prevail. There is a great deal of dissatisfaction among senators and members of congress, especially among those who do not like Mr. Cleveland, but the president has the whip hand in that he is so soon to go out of office. If congress were to pass the resolution and then carry it over the veto, it would not be able to accomplish anything in the way of a supreme court test or of impeachment proceedings before both Mr. Cleveland and the congress die their official death.

Poor Cuba!

   It is probably true that politics has had a great deal to do with the determination of the foreign relations committee to press this resolution. Some of the men concerned in the movement are sincerely friendly to the cause of Cuban freedom. They say that if we do not interfere pretty soon there will be nothing left in Cuba to fight about nothing worth having. Already, I am told on good authority, the war debt and civil debt together charged against the island amount to $500,000,000. That is more than Cuba would be worth to any government, in the opinion of men who have made a special study of the matter.

   I am also told that Cuba is now nearly ruined from an agricultural and commercial point of view. A few years ago there were in the island more than 100 planters who were millionaires, descendants of the old territorial aristocracy. They had inherited vast estates from their ancestors and had grown richer in the cultivation of sugar and tobacco. Now there is not a planter in Cuba worth $100,000 in the clear. There is ruin on every side. The only rich men left in Cuba are the bankers and merchants in the cities, and almost every one of these is a Spaniard.

An Unfortunate State of Affairs.

   I am also told that under the surface, behind the scenes as it were in Cuba, back of the line which Spain preserves, and through which no news save that favorable to her cause is allowed to percolate, the destruction of human life is something appalling. Men and women are slain in great numbers. An official who knows whereof he speaks tells me if the war be not soon stopped the people of Cuba will be practically exterminated.

   Some of the senators who want Cuba recognized are familiar with these facts and are moved by them to action. They think we must interfere soon if at all. If we do not act promptly, there will be nothing to save. Others, no doubt, have been moved by a desire to gain political advantage—to "put Mr. Cleveland in a hole," or to clear the way for the coming administration. Among some Republicans I have found a prevailing idea that it would be a good thing to bring on war before McKinley comes in, so that he could escape responsibility for the trouble. They also say that in the event of war with Spain, President McKinley would have no trouble in passing the tariff bill. There would be no trouble with the silver senators. The whole country would be united in support of the president. But I am sure the president-elect has never inspired any such policy, either directly or indirectly. And it is almost certain that the whole Cuban problem will go over to the McKinley administration very much in its present form.

   WALTER WELLMAN.

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BREVITIES.

   —No paper to-morrow.

  —Wish you a Merry Christmas.

   —There will be Christmas service in Grace church to-morrow at 10 o'clock.

   —New advertisements to-day are—Bingham Bros. & Miller, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, page 7.

   —The Cortland Conservatory of Music has a two weeks' vacation, for the Holidays, and reopens on Thursday, Jan. 7.

   —The ice at the park rink is in splendid condition. The snow is all cleared off and there is every prospect for fine skating to-morrow.

   —Mrs. Ahern, mother of Mrs. Julia Hay of 6 Copeland-ave., died yesterday. Her age was about 90 years. The funeral will be held Saturday at 9:30 A. M.

   —The Loyal circle of King's Daughters will meet with Mrs. J. H. Spaulding, 39 N. Main-st., Saturday, Dec. 26 at 2:30 P. M. As this is the annual election of officers a large attendance is requested.

   —Train No. 9, on the D. L, & W., due in Cortland at 6 A. M. from the south, did not arrive this morning until after 10 o'clock, owing to late trains on the main line.

   —The case of Pitts against Parker is on trial before Justice Dowd to-day. L. H. Gallagher, assisted by E. C. Alger, appears for the plaintiff and W. C. Crombie for the defendant.

   —Arthur, the eight-year-old-son of Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Caldwell of 71 Maple-ave., slipped on the walk Tuesday evening near his home and fell, breaking the left arm near the elbow.

   —The office hours at the postoffice to-morrow, Christmas day, will be from 7 to 10 A. M. and from 6 to 7 P. M. The carriers will make but one delivery and that early in the morning, and the money order department will be closed all day.

   —The saloon of Timothy Noonan has been seized by the sheriff on attachment in favor of Sonn Brothers of New York amounting to $400. Mr. Noonan has temporarily moved into the store formerly occupied by J. N. Dean as a grocery.

   —The Chicago Advance says that about five thousand copies of Rev. H . T.

Sell's Bible Study books have been sold during the past two months. Supplemental Bible Studies is now in its fifteenth thousand and Bible Study by Books in its fourth thousand.

   —The Sunday-school of Grace Episcopal church will have its annual festivities at the church this evening. The largest Christmas tree which was ever taken into the church has been set up and fills almost the whole of the chancel. The little people will expect to see it loaded with gifts. Mr. Watkins will make a short address.

TOWN OF TRUXTON.

   TRUXTON, Dec. 24.—On a recent visit to Truxton a STANDARD representative passed the day with Mr. E. C. Johnson, the new proprietor of the Baldwin hotel. We found him the right man in the right place, and he and his estimable wife are making many friends, not only among the traveling public, but among the townspeople as well, and we are free to remark that the upper hotel was never conducted on a better plan than to-day. Sometime after the Holidays they are to give a fox chase and dance, and any who may attend will surely receive the best of treatment. In fact you will always be treated well in Truxton, if you call on Mine Host and Hostess Johnson.