SPAIN'S REPLY TO PRESIDENT MCKINLEY AND CUBAN MEETING IN CORTLAND

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, April 8, 1898

PRINCIPAL EVENTS CONDENSED FOR THE BUSY READER.

Spain’s Reply.

   APRIL 1.—Spain's reply to President McKinley's note was received from Minister Woodford late last night. It is said to be very unsatisfactory in every particular, neither acceding nor declining our propositions. She makes counter argument that Spain should be herself allowed to propose terms as to what should be done regarding her own territory and that the United States should not do so.

FLEETS PREPARED FOR ACTION.

   Every preparation for action was taken by the warships to-day. All woodwork was stripped off exposed spots and sent ashore. The wood pilot houses on the cruisers were taken down. To a certain extent interior woodwork was also removed and sent ashore. Even the sailors' wooden boxes were removed from some of the ships, and all the valuable silver plate, etc., has been sent ashore. All our war vessels have been repainted from the usual white to a dull leaden color, which makes them less discernible and thus poorer marks for an enemy.

William McKinley.

WILL CEASE NEGOTIATIONS.

   APRIL 2.—From all points it now looks as though war will surely come. A message is expected in Congress, probably Monday, and it is understood that the President will review at some length the record as it stands between the government and Spain but will not insist upon further time in which to continue negotiations looking to a peaceful solution of the Cuban problem.

WILL RECOGNIZE CUBA.

   The subcommittee of the Senate committee on Foreign Affairs will recommend the adoption of a resolution declaring in the first place for the recognition of the independence of the Cuban republic and second by the intervention of the United States by her army and navy for the purpose of assisting the Cubans to secure independence in case Spain continues to refuse to concede to it.

TORPEDO FLEET ARRIVES.

   A dispatch from Madrid announces the arrival of the Spanish torpedo fleet at Porto Rico. It is also announced that three Spanish cruisers have left Havana, destination unknown, but probably to join the torpedo fleet.

TWENTY-FOUR NEW TORPEDO BOATS.

   Yesterday the House passed the naval appropriation bill and increased the number of torpedo boats called for from twelve to twenty-four.

MORE DELAY.

   APRIL 4.—The "grave" situation was the general topic of conversation in Washington yesterday. Dispatches from that city say: "No absolute day has been yet announced when the message is to be sent to Congress and that all that seems absolutely certain to-night is that it will not go in tomorrow; Tuesday possibly, but more probably Wednesday or Thursday." All sorts of rumors have been rife but the situation is practically unchanged. Wall street has its grip on the administration and continues to dictate its policy.

THE WAR SITUATION.

   APRIL 6.—The latest advices from Washington are to the effect that a so-called war message of the President will be sent to both houses of Congress late this afternoon. Every effort has been made to delay it but neither branch will brook further delay. Its provisions are variously guessed at and some authorities say it will call for armed intervention to free Cuba.

Fitzhugh Lee.

AMERICANS LEAVING CUBA.

   An effort is being made to get all Americans out of Cuba, fearing an outbreak following the Presidents' message. [Consul] General Lee has been authorized to charter any available vessels and several have been sent home.

MESSAGE NOT SENT IN.

   APRIL 7.—President McKinley's message, long expected and long delayed, was not sent to Congress yesterday. The alleged reason is that the Americans in Cuba can not be gotten away for a few days yet and that their lives might be sacrificed when the contents of the message became known there.

AN ARMISTICE.

   Another reason is that there is talk in Madrid of a back down in the Spanish position and that government is considering the granting of an armistice. Whether the Cubans will accept one or not is another matter. In some circles it is denied that the administration has had any intimation from Spain as to an armistice.

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From Our Regular Correspondent.)

   WASHINGTON. April 4.—Vengeance is at hand. There is to be no more dilly-dallying with lying Spanish diplomats. Uncle Sam is going to take Spain across his knee and give it a thrashing it has so long deserved at our hands, and the cowardly and dastardly massacre of our sailors and the destruction of our battleship is to be avenged. Even Mr. McKinley is now convinced that Spain has been playing him diplomatically for no other purpose than to gain time. Mr. McKinley acknowledged his failure to secure the independence of Cuba by diplomacy, and now it is the turn of Congress, which this week will either declare war against Spain or adopt legislation that will be equivalent to a declaration of war.

   A last frantic attempt is being made by the bond-holding element to muzzle Congress, but there is no possibility of its succeeding. Congress knows that the end of the patience of the people of the country who place national honor and patriotism above the stock ticker of Wall-st. has been reached and that the time of action is at hand, and it will act; and its action will mean war, which the country is now in a position to fight to a victorious end in short order. It only has Spain to contend with, and is determined to win regardless of what it has to contend with.

   Every man who believes in honest and open above-board dealing between nations, as well as between individuals, can appreciate the feeling of the man, who after listening to a lot of round about rot about how we could make the Spaniards open hostilities without our declaring war against them, got excited and said: "They blew up our war-ship; they murdered our sailors. That is why we want to punish them." That is just exactly the truth. Incidentally we shall be glad to free Cuba and to relieve the suffering on the unfortunate island, but the word that a mirrored upon the average American heart is neither sympathy, nor humanitarianism, but revenge for the treacherous assassination of our sailors and the blowing up of our battleship.

   There has been more of less speculation concerning a resolution offered in the House by Representative Fleming of Georgia, directing the Secretary of the Navy to inform the House if the document printed by the Senate as the Presidents message and evidence on the Maine incident, contained all the evidence embraced in the report of the naval court of inquiry now on file in the Navy Department, and if not, to transmit to the House a copy of the omitted evidence.

   The French Ambassador to the United States has asked the State Department officially whether there was any objection to his looking after the interests of Spanish subjects in the United States after the departure of the Spanish minister, and has been informed that there would be none. This action is regarded as being significant of the intention of France to remain neutral in the war, not withstanding many assertions to the contrary. It was added to by a cablegram from Madrid saying that both the French and British ambassadors had tendered Gen. Woodford, United States Minister to Spain, offers to care for American interests after his departure from Madrid.

   Few men possess the all around common sense equipment and temperament needed to prevent the man who fills the position of Secretary to the President—the man who stands between the President and his callers, and either makes him lots of enemies or additional friends—making himself a double barreled ass. Dan Lamont was one of the few. Mr. J. Addison Porter, the gentleman who now fills the position, is not. He has made himself the laughing stock of Washington by his frantic appeal to the Hartford (Conn.) Courant to arouse the conservative people to the support of the President, in order to prevent a majority of the Senators and Representatives carrying out their intention to force war upon the country. Inasmuch as the constitution confers the sole authority to make war upon a majority of Senators and Representatives, it would be interesting to know what power the "conservative people," even granting that they could have been aroused by such an absurd appeal, could command [what] could override the constitutional power of Congress. A bottle of good strong smelling salts is what Mr. J. Addison Porter needs a great deal more than he does the Republican nomination for Governor of Connecticut, although the Democrats of that state would probably rejoice to see him nominated. His hysterical appeal will doubtless get any claims he ever had to the nomination laughed out of the field.

   If a bill, which has been favorably reported to the House becomes a law, ex-Confederate soldiers who may hereafter serve ninety days in the United States army or navy will be entitled to all the benefits provided for ex-United States soldiers in the act of June 27, 1890, generally known as the dependent pension act." The bill as originally introduced merely provided as an inducement for the Union veterans of the late war to enlist for the war with Spain that enlistment should not operate to stop pensions now being drawn, but the committee thought the ex-Confederate veterans would also make desirable recruits, and it was amended as above.

THE CUBAN MEETING.

Enthusiastic Addresses—Patriotic Music—Big Collection.

   The opera house was packed last Friday evening to listen to speeches on the Cuban situation and that Cortland might contribute its share for the relief of the starving Cuban reconcdentrados. The meeting was called to order by Major A. Sager who proposed Dr. O. A. Houghton for chairman of the meeting.

   After prayer by Rev. John T. Stone, Dr. Houghton started the ball rolling in a few remarks and then introduced Mr. B. T. Wright. Space will not allow a resume of the various addresses, but all were patriotic in the extreme and every man, before he sat down, seemed to favor war and was surely in favor of it if the atrocities being practiced by Spain so near our shores could not be stopped in any other way.

   Mr. Wright was followed by District Attorney Edwin Duffey; Police Justice E. E. Mellon; County Judge J. E. Eggleston, and Rev. John Kenyon. Music was freely interspersed between the speeches by Darby's conservatory orchestra and a quartette, Mrs. Persons, Miss Turner and Messrs. T. N. Hollister and J. B. Hunt. Their song was one very appropriate to the occasion having been especially written by Mrs. A. D. Ellsworth.

   Between the subscriptions and collection, $188 was realized that evening. The W. C. T. U. are in addition conducting a house to house canvass. H. R. Maine is the treasurer of the fund and donations may be paid to him at the Second National bank.

Running Under Difficulties.

   The Erie & Central New York Railroad Co. had a streak of bad luck last week. As far as Solon the road is well ballasted and trains are run at good speed. Beyond that point little ballasting had been done and the winter weather has caused the track to slump in many places, making it necessary to run very slowly. Last week Thursday the train due in Cortland at 1:27 P. M. jumped the track east of Solon and did not reach Cortland until 5:30 o'clock Friday morning.

   Last Friday at the first trestle this side of Willet station the same train was again thrown from the track. About ten feet before reaching the trestle the forward trucks of the first freight car left the track and went over the trestle. The car was turned crosswise on the track. The front trucks went from under the second freight car and but for the forward platform of the passenger car catching a knuckle, the freight car would have gone down a 12 foot bank. As it was, it hung with the front end suspended. Little damage was done to the contents of the cars. The train was running very slowly at the time or the passenger car would probably have left the track. The passengers were [taken] in the engine and brought to Cortland where aid was obtained to get the [track] open.

   Saturday just beyond Freetown, another car left the track but did not cause any damage. Sunday everything [was] cleared up and the track repaired.

HERE AND THERE.

   The next meeting of the sight singing class will be held at the Conservatory, April 18.

   Our Homer letter arrived yesterday noon, too late for this week as the forms were nearly closed.

   The Y. M. D. C. of the Normal have purchased a $400 Decker piano for their club room.

   Druggist C. F. Brown has house paint and this is the season you need it. See his adv. elsewhere.

   In our Peruville letter are the particulars of the sad death of Wm. G. Johnson, who was well known in Cortland.

   J. P. Gray and E. J. Becker left at 12:50 Wednesday for Seattle, where they will join a party bound for Klondike.

   Bijou Stock Company at the opera house all next week. Wednesday and Saturday matinees. Popular prices.

   John L. Sullivan, ex-pugilist, appears in his great drama, "A Trip Across the Ocean," at Cortland opera house, Friday evening, April 22.

   Mrs. William Dean went to Ithaca Tuesday where she was to undergo an operation for a tumor. At last reports it was thought to have been successful.

   An impromptu dancing party was held by members of the St. Vitus dancing club in Empire hall Tuesday evening for the young college people, who are spending their Easter vacation in town.

   T. P. Bristol, merchant tailor and haberdasher, is now nicely located in his new store on Railroad-st. He is turning out some nobby suits. See his adv. in another column.

   The Dago slashing affair has been amicably settled without cost to the village. The complaint was withdrawn at an examination held Monday, and on the promise to leave town and take his family with him, the defendant was released after paying costs.

   The Cortlandville town board held their regular meeting Monday. Routine business was transacted and B. B. Morehouse reported the inspection of the dairies of the town and the finding of the majority in excellent condition. A few changes were suggested.

   Mr. A. J. McSweeney has retired from the hotel Norwood and Mr. James Riley has taken possession. Mr. Riley will be succeeded on Orchard-st. by Irving Stevens. Charles Howe, owner of the Park hotel opposite the fair grounds, is again running that hostelry, Charles Mosher having retired.

   Robert W. Griswold, "the man with a watch in his hat," who was for years a familiar figure all over this county and who was serving a fifteen years' sentence for manslaughter in killing Dennis O'Shea of Preble in 1889, died in Matteawan prison last Friday. His remains were brought to Homer for burial.

   Mr. C. B. Rumsey of Homer is perfecting a new gasoline engine which seems to be a decided improvement over anything new on the market. An electric spark explodes the gas and his engine is not only safe but very compact. He is an employe [sic] in the Keator & Wells foundry in Cortland and is doing the work there.

   "The curfew idea," says the New York Education, "in some shape or other must come. In every school room, more numerous than the 'Dullards,' are those who come daily to school not only with lessons unprepared, but physically and mentally unable to receive instruction, because of insufficient sleep and the unwholesome excitement of hours spent on the streets far into the night."