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| John Tyler Morgan. |
Cortland
Evening Standard, Saturday, May 22, 1897.
DISCUSSED
CUBA.
Meeting
of the Cabinet Proved to Be Interesting.
WASHINGTON, May 22. —The cabinet meeting was
not of long duration, but it was interesting because the principal subject of
discussion was that of our relations toward Cuba.
The action of the senate in passing the Morgan joint resolution, declaring a state of war in Cuba, was regarded as a movement that
threatened if carried out to the end, to interfere seriously with the efforts of
the executive branch of the government to accomplish something substantial for
the Cubans.
The details of the plan which President McKinley
has in mind have not yet been disclosed, in fact, it may be said that they are
subject to arrangement upon the basis of the latest official information that
he received from Cuba, probably from Mr. Calhoun.
But it was clearly manifested in the cabinet
meeting that the president has made up his mind to another forward step, and
that while up to this time he has, as he promised in the beginning of his
administration, confined his efforts largely to securing absolute protection
for American citizens in Cuba, he has now come to the determination to use his powers
to stop the bloodshed in the island, so far as this can be done without
involving the United States in war.
There was some talk respecting application of
the relief measures in favor of American citizens in Cuba, now that the resolution
suggested by the president has passed both branches of congress. It was decided
that the delay in the formal signature of the resolution would not necessarily prevent
the immediate application of some of the money to feeding the people who are
represented as in great distress, as the drafts cannot be received before the
formalities are completed and the resolution becomes a law.
TERMS OF
PEACE.
Powers
Refuse to Consent to Annexation of Thessaly.
LONDON, May 22.— A dispatch from
Constantinople says:
The ambassadors will present a note to the Porte
embodying the terms of peace to which they will agree. The note will refuse to
permit the abolition of the capitulations in the case of Greek subjects or the
annexation of Thessaly, but will consent to a strategic rectification of the
frontier and to an indemnity not exceeding 115,000,000 francs.
A dispatch from Berlin says The Post publishes
a telegram from Salonica, asserting that in spite of the armistice, a Greek
warship has fired upon and sunk a vessel flying the Turkish flag. Five of the crew
were drowned.
Turkey
Orders Krupp Guns.
CONSTANTINOPLE, May 22.—The Porte has
concluded a large contract with Herr Krupp, the great German gun-maker, for a
supply of artillery and ammunition.
 |
| John Roswell Hawley. |
HAWLEY'S STATEMENT.
He Says
We Are Not Prepared For War.
THE
FIGHTING STRENGTH OF SPAIN.
Senator
Hawley Criticized For His Remarkable Admission—Duty of the United States In
Relation to the New World. View of the Spaniards.
WASHINGTON, May 21.—(Special.)—In the senate
the other day, during a debate upon the Cuban question, Senator Hawley of
Connecticut made the remarkable statement that the United States is not prepared
for war with Spain over Cuba.
We are not prepared for war with a first class
or even a second class power, said Senator
Hawley. Inasmuch as Senator Hawley is a recognized military authority and
chairman of the military affairs committee of the senate, this statement
attracted a great deal of attention and has led to no end of discussion. Most
of our military authorities do not agree with him. While they are willing to
admit that we are not in condition to cope with the navy of Great Britain, or
with that of France, the second naval power of the world, they scout the idea
that we need be afraid of Spain.
While Spain has a navy nominally equal to our own, naval officers declare that
it is not in good condition. Many of the ships which are carried on the naval lists
as first class fighting machines, and which bear an ominous appearance in the comparative
statistics of naval strength, are actually out of commission and not likely to
be in shape to fight for several years.
The
Spanish Fleet.
The trouble with Spain, say these naval authorities
of ours who have carefully studied the matter, is that she is practically bankrupt.
Her two wars are costing her about $15,000,000 a month. She has not had the
means with which to maintain her navy in first class fighting trim. If war were
to break oat between the two countries, our navy, being more modern than that
of Spain and in much better condition as to equipment and repair, could easily take
the offensive. We should have the advantage of more accurate information as to
the date of the impending crisis and could prepare ourselves accordingly. The result
would be that when war actually came our naval ships could be on their way to
Cuban and Spanish waters. We could carry the war into the enemy's country and
probably could keep the Spanish fleets so well occupied in defending their own seaports
that none of their craft could get away to threaten New York or Washington or
Boston. Even if Spanish vessels were to menace New York or other of our seaports
our naval men say the torpedo system would prevent much damage being done.
Senator Hawley has been savagely criticized for
this statement. It is said that a senator of the United States, holding the responsible
position of chairman of a military affairs committee in our parliament, should
not give this much aid and comfort and information to a possible enemy of the
country. As to the good taste of the matter, Senator Hawley is quite able to
defend himself. If his statement serves to call attention to the necessity
which exists for preparing this country for war, perhaps he has done the people
a good service. It is a well settled axiom that there can be no great diplomacy
without big guns. There can be no vigorous foreign policy without a great navy
to back it up. The United States is certainly lacking in coast defenses, and
the navy, compared with the fighting fleets of three or four of the European nations,
is woefully deficient.
Our
Rights and Duties.
A prominent public man was talking to me the
other day on this very subject. He said the destiny of the United States was to
be the great arbiter of all American affairs. We have asserted the Monroe
doctrine and if necessary are ready to fight to maintain it.
The meaning of the Monroe doctrine is simply
that this country, as the one great, powerful nation of the western hemisphere,
aims to occupy in its relations to the remainder of the continent precisely the
attitude which the great powers of Europe hold toward Turkey and Greece and
Armenia and Bulgaria. The balance of power reposes in their hands. They are
responsible for the preservation of the peace of Europe and for the betterment
of the condition of oppressed peoples. The principle arises first in their
right to protect themselves, and with the assertion of that right comes the responsibility
of using it for the good of all.
So it is, said this man, with the United States
and the remainder of America. We cannot assert that right for our own selfish
ends simply. It carries with it the duty of using our power and influence for
the protection of oppressed peoples near by. It is this principle which will
justify the United States in intervening to put a stop to the horrors of war in
Cuba. This conception of the duty of a great and powerful nation is the modern
idea of the science of government. Power carries responsibility with it, and
this responsibility cannot be escaped upon the plea that we are not our brother's
keeper. It is the manifest destiny of the United States to take precisely this
attitude. That is the logical and necessary outcome of our assertion of the Monroe
doctrine.
Spanish
Bumptiousness.
A gentleman who was recently in Cuba tells
me that Senator Hawley's remark will be greeted with applause by the Spanish army
officers. These gentlemen have a very poor idea of America's fighting power.
They told him that if war were to break out between the United States and Spain
their troops would be able to land in Florida
and to march right up to New York and Boston, destroying everything on the way,
including the capitol. They really believe it. "Why," said these
Spanish military men to him, "you have an army of only 85,000 men. We could
whip you in a week."
My friend endeavored to tell them something
of our great reserve armies, our state troops, but the Spanish gentlemen
laughed. "Such troops would not amount to anything," they said.
"They are untrained. We could mow them down with one-tenth their number.
Our trained soldiers would make mincemeat of them."
This is the idea which the Spanish, in their
ignorance, have of America's fighting men. The same officers told my friend
that in case of war their ships would blow up Brooklyn bridge within a week.
They thought we had nothing to stop them, either on land or sea. Of course if
they get a chance to demonstrate the correctness of their theories they will
find themselves in trouble, bat Senator Hawley's admission will doubtless
please them very much.
WALTER WELLMAN.
DISCUSSED
ASSESSMENTS.
Informal
Meeting of Supervisors and Assessors of the Several Towns.
The supervisors and assessors of the towns
in Cortland county held an informal meeting at the courthouse to-day to discuss
the matter of assessments. Each of the fifteen supervisors was present, and
with few exceptions the three assessors of each town were in attendance. The
meeting was called to order at 10 o'clock, and Supervisor W. H. Crane of Homer
was chosen chairman. Each town was called, and reports were given as to the
method of assessment.
It developed that the various towns have
been in the habit of assessing at from 65 per cent to full value, the majority
assessing at 75 and 80 per cent. The new tax law requires that assessments shall
be made at full value on both real and personal property, and the discussion resulted
in the appointment of the following committee on resolutions: Assessors J. H.
Van Hoesen of Homer, B. S. Conger of Cortlandville, Sidney Lobdell of Harford,
Seymour Hults of Lapeer and O. E. Nichols of Cincinnatus.
This afternoon the committee reported the
following resolutions, which were unanimously adopted:
To the Assessors of Cortland County, New
York:
The committee which you have appointed beg
leave to submit the following resolutions:
Resolved, That the assessors of this county assess the property of our several
towns as near to full value as our best judgments will determine, both real and
personal.
Resolved, That some means be adopted to furnish the assessors of each town with a
list of the names of all persons residing in said town who are holders of
mortgages subject to taxation.
J. H. VAN HOESEN,
B. S. CONGER,
SIDNEY LOBDELL,
S. HULTS,
O. E. NICHOLS.
It was left that the assessors of each town
provide their own means of securing the desired information in regard to
mortgages, and after a short informal discussion, the meeting adjourned.
Lehigh
Officials in Town.
A party of Lehigh Valley railroad officials
passed over the Elmira & Cortland branch of the road yesterday
afternoon, going north as far as Camden. They stopped at the Cortland station
for an hour, and while here inspected the Wickwire mills. They passed through
Cortland on the return trip at 9 o'clock this morning. The party consisted of
General Superintendent Rollin H. Wilber, H. D. Titus, superintendent of the
Auburn division, Vice-President Robert H. Sayre and Charles E. Webster, E. P.
Wilber and Robert P. Rathbone of the Superintendent's office.
BREVITIES.
—Daniels orchestra played at a party in
Harford last night.
—New display advertisements to-day: L. N.
Hopkins, Tested Seeds, page 6.
—Norwich is agitating the question of an
old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration.
—The dry goods store of Kellogg & Curtis
was yesterday connected with the Main-st. sewer.
—The West End Brownies defeated the
Lincoln-ave. Juniors by a score of 9 to 5 in a game of baseball this morning.
—The Genoa hotel property was sold on
judgment sale Saturday. A Cortland man named Rose was the purchaser.—Moravia
Republican.
—Brockport is so badly afflicted with
scarlet fever that the Normal school and all the other schools have been closed
for two weeks, and services suspended at the churches.
—The Syracuse city government is having the
records in the county clerk's office searched for a complete list of mortgages
there recorded that they may be assessed as personal property this year.
—The Canandaigua baseball team arrived in
town last night from Lyons, where yesterday they were defeated by the score of
7 to 4, and are this afternoon playing the Cortlands at the fair grounds.
—The frost last night was quite a severe
one. Ice was formed in some places. It is not
believed that apples were far enough along to be injured, but it is feared that
cherries and small fruits were nipped.
—L. J. Richardson. Esq., the water works
contractor, returned home on Saturday last from Freeport, N. Y. He has secured
another contract and will enlarge the water plant at Sag Harbor, N. Y.—Oswego
Times.
—Edward Bundy, a native of Truxton, N. Y.,
died at his home in Richmond. Ill., on May 16 at the age of 77 yearn, 8 months
and 15 days. Mr. Bundy left Truxton in 1842, but is remembered by the older
residents. He is survived by a wife and one son.
—We publish to-day to other column the
complete time table as revised May 20 of the Cortland and Homer division of the
electric road. Let every one who has occasion to use it cut it out and preserve
it as it will not appear again in this full and complete form.
—A council of the Knights of Columbus is
about to he organized in Cortland. It is expected that the lodge will be
instituted on the evening of May 31, when State Deputy John T. Delaney of New
York and District Deputy John W. Hogan are expected to be present.
—George E. Goodrich, Esq., of Dryden, is
writing an exhaustive history of that town. It is being published as a serial in
the Dryden Herald, and after revision is to be printed in book form. Mr.
Goodrich is devoting much care to the work and that it will be a valuable and
interesting volume is abundantly assured by the chapters already
published.—Ithaca Journal.
—B. C. Hollister, who arrived in Cortland Wednesday
morning from New
Haven,
Conn., came through from New York on the D., L. & W. road, and after
leaving the train on the main line at Binghamton missed his pocketbook
containing $359. A telegram was at once sent to the conductor at Owego, making
inquiries in regard to it, and before he reached Cortland he received an answer
saying that the money was found on the train. It was forwarded to him during the
day.
McGRAWVILLE.
Crisp
Local Happenings at the Corset City.
Rollo Dibble and W. E. Pike are painting their
respective residences.
Steve Waters has accepted a position in the
screen factory in Cortland.
The McGrawville Steam laundry has changed
hands and Charles Cummings will conduct it hereafter.
The
number of applicants for the appointment of principal of the Union school reached
forty-two on Friday. Prof. Niles, formerly of Wolcott, N. Y., has been engaged
for the coming year. The other teachers will remain as at present.
Mrs. Harry Pierce of Leominster in a guest
at W. P. Parker's. Mr. Pierce spent Sunday here.
Mrs. Julia Norcott has gone to Buffalo, where
she will live with her son, Elmer F. Norcott.
Mrs. Felt, who has been a guest at J. A.
Brooks', has returned home.
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