THE PROBLEM OF THE TIMES

William McKinley.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, January 29, 1897.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

The Problem of Our Times.

   According to a Philadelphia dispatch under date of Jan. 25th, Congressman-elect Jno. C. Sturtevant of Pennsylvania quotes the President-elect as saying I will call a special session of Congress on March 15th and unless I change my mind you may be in Washington by that time. I desire to have my protective system inaugurated immediately upon my inauguration and I want a measure passed that will immediately stimulate business and give idle men work.

   The House Committee on Ways and Means are now working day and night in framing the new tariff bill which we are promised will do so much for the relief of the people, and usher in a new era of prosperity. We were told during the campaign of 1896 that our mills and factories were idle because our markets were flooded with foreign made goods with which our home manufacturers could not compete under the Wilson tariff. We were also told that there could be no return of prosperity until a bill was framed and passed, that would yield a sufficient revenue to meet all expenditures of the Government, and provide a reasonable surplus.

   If we accept both of these statements as true, what then is the problem which the President-elect and the next Congress will have to solve? The answer may seem simple enough, pass a bill that will yield more revenue and give greater protection to American manufacturers. To frame a bill however, that in its operations under our present conditions still give such results, may not be a task easy to accomplish.

   The title of the McKinley tariff bill of 1890 was as follows: "An Act to reduce the revenue and equalize duties on imports, and for other purposes." The bill accomplished the object for which it was framed, and the customs receipts during the four years that the McKinley bill was in force, was $157,730,677, less than it was for the four years proceeding under the tariff Act of 1883. On the question of whether the proposed bill would increase or decrease the revenue, Mr. McKinley made use of the following language, in a speech delivered in the House on May 7th, 1890:

   "There is not a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, there is not a member of the minority of that committee, there is not a member of the House on either side, who does not know that the very instant that you have increased the duties to a fair protective point, putting them above the highest revenue point, that very instant you diminish importation and to that extent diminish the revenue."

   Mr. McKinley was very positive in his opinion as to the effect which would follow an increase in duties, and the loss in revenue under his bill showed that he was right. Is there any reason why he should change his mind now, or that an increase in duties over present rates will not again operate in the same way? If it will and we can have no return of prosperity until we have a sufficient revenue to meet all expenditures of the Government, and provide a reasonable surplus, about how long must we wait for the prosperity which has become but a phantom, ever fleeing before us.

   According to Mr. McKinley and experience, if we increase the duties we reduce the revenue, and shall go on with expenditures largely in excess of receipts, and on the other hand if we reduce the duties we will increase the revenue, but we will still further cripple our home manufacturers and add to the number of the unemployed. The President-elect is a believer in a high protective tariff and that is what the favored manufacturers contracted for, before the opening of the campaign of 1896 and the contract will undoubtedly be carried out.

   Notwithstanding all that was said by the Republican press during the campaign in regard to the urgent need of sufficient revenue, not a single measure has been proposed during the present session of Congress [for] the relief of the Government. If without more revenue there is no hope of returning prosperity, from what source is the relief to come? Does the immediate future hold promise of blessing to any but the bond syndicate?

   The question still remains as to what measure of relief an increase in tariff duties will bring to American manufacturers, under the conditions which exist today, and on this question we shall have something to say at another time.

Clarence Lexow.

Foredoomed

From New York Times, Jan. 23.

   No man ever bore more conspicuously the outward signs of valiant purposes than Senator Lexow who has been for some days noisily putting on his armor to do battle against the trusts. He has carried through the Senate a resolution providing that a committee of three Senators and four Assemblymen shall investigate the subject of trusts, report by March 1, and bring in a bill of remedies. Nettled by the sneers and sarcasms of the Democratic minority, he even went so far as to amend his original resolution by inserting a formal recognition of the existence of trusts. He professes a determination to find out if these combinations are offensive and harmful and a purpose to exterminate them if they prove to be open to those objections.

   The unfeeling questions and motions of Senator Cantor and Senator Grady have visibly embarrassed Mr. Lexow. They pointed out that trust investigations have been made by committees appointed in six previous sessions. Facts and proofs in superabundance have been accumulated. Besides, the entire matter is of common notoriety. Why not draw the bill at once and put it on its way to enactment? That would be the course of a real friend of the people and a real foe of trusts. One after another by a party vote the Senate defeated the minority propositions to grapple with these unlawful combinations forthwith.

   Are the trusts quaking with dread of the new assault? Not if their chief men have considered its source. The Republican party will not destroy its own offspring. Monopolies, combinations in restraint of trade, and trusts that have controlled and raised the price of the daily necessities of the people have been engendered and nourished by Republican laws. It is the creed of that party, its policy and its practice, to enrich the few at the expense of the many. It issues licenses for extortion. It confers patents of nobility upon its favored supporters under which they enjoy privileges and opportunities not granted to the common people.  It even goes into partnership with the beneficiaries of its laws, receiving back into its campaign chest substantial sums from the profits they enjoy, thus continuing itself in power and them in privilege. To allow a serious and effective attack to be made upon trusts by the Legislature of this State would be a violation of the compact and contrary to republican policy. It would be a highly contagious example.

   We accordingly predict that Senator Lexow's committee will never strike a blow. We do not say that his hostile preparations are humbug and his professions of interest in the people spurious. We do assert that if he enters upon the investigation of trusts with vigor and sincere purpose there will presently be laid upon his shoulder a firm and heavy hand and a well-known voice will speak distinctly in his ear. That hand and voice he will instantly obey. They would paralyze his investigation were it ten times as rampant. And the wide waters will bear away the wreckage of his remedial legislation.

   Nobody will cherish any delusions about the investigation of trusts by the Republican Legislature of 1897.

Fireman's Hall on Main Street, Cortland, N. Y.

CORTLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT.

Company Elections Should All be Held at One Time.

   Our fire department is at present without a Chief, except as the assistant will act in that capacity, and will be so until the next meeting of the Board of Engineers. This state of affairs is brought about by the resignation of the newly elected Chief, Mr. L. A. Arnold, on account of leaving town, and the fact that two companies, the Excelsior Hook and Ladder and the Water Witch Steamer and Hose companies do not elect officers until after the annual election of the department. Consequently their members on the Board of Engineers were not confirmed by the village trustees in time to act with the balance of the board at their meeting last Monday night.

   Chief Arnold was elected from the Water Witch company, who have not had Chief before in some ten or twelve years, and it is probable that his successor will be taken from the same company instead of advancing the assistant chief as has been the custom. A little sounding among the Board shows that Dell Barber of Water Witch will probably be the next chief.

   It would seem advisable that all companies in future should hold elections about the same time in the year.

Are Tired of Feeding Him.

   The press dispatches announce that the taxpayers of Atlanta, Ga., are grumbling over the long imprisonment of H. E. Rheubottom without trial and sentence. He has been in jail there for fourteen months charged with scheming to swindle and should he be discharged a United States Marshall would arrest him for violating postal laws.

   Some four or  five years ago Rheubottom was quite prominent in Cortland business circles, being connected with the corset company There were many financial mourners when he left town without leaving a future address.

Horse Killed.

   Wednesday afternoon John May who works for John Brooks, the milkman on the Hatch farm, drove down hill from the woods with some logs. May was walking and driving. He had no toggle under the runners to help hold the sleigh and when he slipped and was unable to hold them, the team started to run to keep ahead of the logs. When they crossed the creek at the foot of the hill they left everything except the evener and one whiffletree. With these at their heels they ran towards town till they reached the residence of Michael Leary. Here they went against a large tree and the large bay horse for which Mr. Brooks paid $100 dropped over dead. The other horse was apparently uninjured. Mr. Brooks attaches no blame to the man though he had previously told him to always use a toggle in descending the hill.

HERE AND THERE.

   The Farmers Institute will be held in C. A. A. hall Monday and Tuesday, February 15 and 16.

   Messrs. Angel & McFall are soon to enlarge the present quarters of their market on Owego-st. Increasing business demands the change.

   Conductor P. Conway of the Ithaca band has forwarded to Washington, D. C., a bid for furnishing the music for the Inauguration ball in March.

   Bicycles with a runner in the place of the forward wheel were being ridden about town by some of the bicycle enthusiasts yesterday.—Homer Republican.

   The snow fall of the latter part of last week made fine sleighing here. The winter, previous to that, has been remarkable in Cortland for its mildness though from several directions come reports of plenty of snow within fifteen miles of us for the last month.

   Counterfeit half dollars, dated 1895, are in circulation. The spurious coins are bright, full weight and cleverly executed, making detection difficult. Their one great defect is the absence of the ringing sound when dropped upon a hard substance.

   The board of managers of the hospital association will have a competent head nurse at the hospital to assist Mrs. Helen M. Waters as matron as noon as the term of one of the student nurses, now acting in that capacity, expires. This will be in a few days.

   Manager Rood has so far completed arrangements with Sousa's band as to be sure of a date with this world renowned organization for an afternoon entertainment about the last of March.

   Miss Grace K. Duffey, principal of the Intermediate department of the Normal and Mrs. M. C. Eastman, principal of the Primary department, have handed their resignations to the local board to take effect at the close of school in June.

   Doubts have been entertained for some time as to the mental condition of Mrs. Richard O'Brien of No. 108 Elm-st. On Monday Drs. Neary and Moore, after an examination, declared her insane and Judge Eggleston committed her to the Binghamton asylum where she was taken Monday afternoon.

   A lawyer in a court room may call a man a liar, a scoundrel, a villain or a thief and no one makes a complaint when court adjourns. If a newspaper prints such reflection on a man's character there is a libel suit or a dead editor. This is owing to the fact that the people believe what an editor says; what the lawyer says cuts no figure.—Forth  Estate.

HARFORD MILLS.

   S. H. Daniels of Dryden was in town on Saturday last.

   Mrs. Charlotte Moffat is visiting friends at Homer, Whitney Point and Greene for a few weeks.

   Mr. Al Pitts of Buffalo was here last week looking after his farm matters and calling on friends.

   Miss Mary Fellows of West Hill is attending school here, there being as we understand no school there.

  There was a concert held at the Christian church last Friday evening, conducted by Prof. Perry of Richford.

   The Berger Bros. are again with us and selling dry goods, curtains, notions and underwear at greatly reduced prices.

   The distribution of supervisors journals has been somewhat delayed for some unknown reason in this part of the town. They have just appeared this week.

   The Delmonte comedy company gave two entertainments in the hotel hall last Friday and Saturday nights, which were fairly well attended considering the weather. The entertainments were good and well worth the price of admission.

   On Thursday evening of last week there was a party held at Mr. Oscar Sexton's. On Saturday night there was a reception held at Mr. Fred Hollenbeck's in honor of the marriage of their oldest daughter. A number of people of our town and also of Killawog were present. Music and dancing were in order and all passed off nicely.

   Mr. George Tarbox, after working with Charles Phoenix for about our year and a half, is now staying with Mr. Devinnie, threshing buckwheat and cutting cord wood. Their crop is threshed and the wood hung up. The immense pile of wood fell over and blocked the road for the time being. George met with quite an accident last Sunday. After his tutorship with Phoenix he thought he could break colts, so he harnessed Mr. Devinnie's four-year-old and started to drive him. The colt took a run up the road and not being hitched to anything George had to run to keep up and finally was thrown to the ground and plowed through the snow for several rods. He finally stopped the colt, but he does not like the idea of being a snow plow.