“TO REPLACE THE MAINE.”
Judge
Day Politely Answers a Courteous Inquiry.
NEW YORK, March 16.—During the Spanish
minister’s interview with Judge Day of the state department yesterday, Mr.
Polo, says a correspondent of The Journal and Advertiser, asked the latter if
the reported purchase of foreign warships by the United States was true. Mr.
Day replied in the affirmative. Don Polo then delicately intimated he would
like to know the reason for such a purchase. “To replace the Maine, which has
been destroyed in Havana harbor,” tranquilly replied Judge Day.
A
Valuable Present.
Sibley
college, Cornell university, has just received a present which will in future
be one of its most treasured possessions. It is the first practical telegraph
receiver ever constructed, and is the one through which the famous message,
“What hath God wrought,” the first ever sent over a telegraphic wire, was
received.
The instrument is the gift of H. W. Sibley,
who paid $1,000 for it to the son of the man who made it. Negotiations for the
sale have been going on for some time, but were delayed by the large sum, $10,000,
at first demanded for the instrument. Soon after the arrangements for the sale
had been completed Andrew Carnegie heard of it and offered the university
$5,000 if it would allow him to place the machine in his museum at Pittsburg, Pa., [sic]
but the offer was refused.—Ithaca Journal.
WRECKING
PROGRESS.
Captain
Sigsbee Directs the Work of Recovery—Officers Disappointed.
HAVANA, March 17.—The officers of the Maine
who remain here are disappointed at not being ordered north, and believe they
will not be sent back to the United States until it is certain the court of
inquiry into the loss of the battleship will not return to Havana.
With the arrival of the big derrick, Chief,
and other machinery the wrecking work already shows signs of progress. The navy
divers are still working out the wreck, under the direction of Captain Sigsbee
and Lieutenant Commander Wainwright, with Ensign Powelson to make any changes
in the drawings which may be called for new discoveries.
The
Vessels Now at Key West the Largest Assemblage Since the [Civil] War.
KEY WEST, Fla., March 17.—The fleet at Key
West will be augmented within the next day or two by the arrival of the gunboat
Annapolis, the torpedo boat Foote and the naval tugs Leyden and Samoset, while
the gunboat Helena is now on her way from the European station under orders to
report at Key West.
These and the other vessels previously
ordered to that point constitute the largest assemblage of war vessels made
since the demonstration following the Virginius affair, and considering
effectiveness and armament, it is the strongest assemblage of ships for other
than review purposes since the war.
The fleet now at Key West and Tortugas is as
follows: Cruiser New York, battleships Massachusetts, Indiana, Iowa, Texas;
cruiser Detroit, gunboat Nashville, cruiser Marblehead, dispatch boat Fern,
torpedo boats Dupont, Cushing, Porter, Winslow and Ericcson.
To these will soon be added the five vessels
now en route there. In addition to these the Montgomery is at Havana, and is
practically a part of the fleet, the gunboats Wilmington and Castine and
cruiser Cincinnati are at Barbadoes, the Newport at Colon, with the Puritan,
Newark and other ships of the North Atlantic squadron at points, along the
coast further northward.
In point of ships, the fleet under Rear
Admiral Case on Jan. 3, 1874, following the Virginius affair, was considerably
larger, consisting of 30 vessels. Although formidable in its day, this
aggregation was made up of the other style wooden ships, monitors which had
gone through the Civil war, and every available craft that could bear guns.
Secretary Alger has made requisitions on the
president for two large allotments from the appropriation of $50,000,000 for
the national defense. One is for $5,000,000 for the use of the engineer
department of the army, in the completion of certain fortification works along
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and the other is for $2,225,000 for the use of
the ordnance department of the army in the acquirement of arms and ammunition.
 |
| Main Street, Cortland, in 1899. |
MAIN AND
NORTH MAIN-STS. OFFICIALLY NAMED.
Main-st.
Extends from the South Corporation Line to the Hospital Corner, and from That
Point to Homer-ave. is North Main-st.—Prospects for Paving are Bright.
The board of village trustees held an adjourned
meeting Wednesday night and officially recognized Main-st. and North Main-st.,
and clearly defined the limits thereof.
Trustee White as a committee of one appointed
at the last meeting to counsel with Messrs. Kellogg and Van Hoesen as to
defining the limits of Main-st. and North Main-st. made his report wherein he
reported the opinion in writing of Hon. O. U. Kellogg with reference thereto,
and a proposed resolution, which were placed on file. On motion of Trustee
Nodeeker, seconded by Trustee Sprague, the following was declared carried:
Resolved, That the village of Cortland hereby accept of the street commencing at the
south line of the corporation and extending north past the Messenger House and
the Cortland House to the intersection [north of Arthur Ave. at East Main
St.] of the street at the corner of lands owned by the Cortland hospital which
was formerly designated as the “Welch corner” as heretofore dedicated to the
public by the owners and as the same has been used as a public street of said
village of Cortland for more than twenty years, as one of the streets of the
village of Cortland and that said street be named Main-st. and that it be known
and designated as such, and
Resolved, That the street intersecting Main-st., at the corner of the lands of the
Cortland hospital and extending thence northwesterly to Homer-ave. be accepted
as a public street of the village of Cortland and be named North Main-st. and
that it be known and designated as such.
Nothing was said as to renumbering on those
streets. The numbering now begins at and extends each way from the Cortland
House corner, and the custom will probably remain the same until a new system
of numbering is decided upon, though of course this is not in accordance with
the official designation of streets.
The board of trade held a meeting Wednesday
night in the Wallace building, and the general opinion seemed to be that Main-st.
will actually be paved with something besides cobblestones and mudholes within
a year. A quorum was not present, and so the discussion was informal in nature.
Two petitions had previously been in circulation, one embracing “North Main-st.”
from the Cortland House to the hospital corner, and the other from the Cortland
House to the Lehigh Valley tracks. Nearly a majority of the feet frontage had
been secured on the North Main-st. petition, and this without any special
effort. All expressed a preference for asphalt pavement. The other petition had
also been signed by a few property-owners. It is the idea of the committee in
charge to merge the petitions into one, and embrace in it the officially
designated Main-st. as far south as the Lehigh Valley tracks, and perhaps farther.
In this case those who have signed either of the previous petitions will sign
the more comprehensive one.
 |
| Capt. Gen. Valeriano Weyler. |
The Talk
of Arbitration.
Some suggestions are made of arbitration between
the United States and Spain. These suggestions
have appeared both in this country and in England. But the fact is that there
is nothing to arbitrate. There is no pending issue between the United States
and Spain. The Maine incident is not yet an issue and may never be. There is
not a controverted point in dispute between the two governments. There may be,
and probably will be, a difference of governmental opinion. But so far there is
none. We are as much at peace with Spain at the present time as with any
country and, with Alaskan and fishery problems still unsettled, perhaps on the
face of affairs our relations to Spain are more peaceful than to Great Britain.
Every demand we have made of Spain has been complied
with. We demanded the release of American citizens held prisoners in Cuba. They
were released. We demanded, more or less directly, that Weyler be extinguished.
He was deposed and sent home. We demanded that steps be taken to end the Cuban
conflict which arose from Cuban discontent. And Spain granted a measure of
colonial autonomy which is now in process of trial.
Spain has also made some suggestions to us.
She asked that filibustering be more rigorously repressed. Our answer was a
statement of the great sums we had expended in patrolling our long coast, the
arrests and seizures made and the trials in United States courts. We showed Spain
that filibusters were frequently stopped here, but never stopped by Spain on the
coast of Cuba. Madrid had no more to say about filibustering. That incident was
closed. Spain suggested a new consul general at Havana. The answer was “No!”
And Spain said she never really meant it.
There has been a casus belli in the
relations between the countries, and there is none to-day. The suggestions of
arbitration hover about the Maine’s explosion. But neither country has made
accusation against the other in connection with that lamentable occurrence, and
it is not at all likely that if the United States on a review of the facts
shall make a demand it cannot be peacefully treated with the resources of
diplomacy. There is nothing yet to arbitrate.
The continuing possibility of trouble is the
disturbed condition in Cuba. The United States has plainly told Spain that the
horror of the years in that unhappy island must cease. Spain has admitted that
to be true, and asked a reasonable time to restore peace. Upon the decision of
the United States as to what constitutes a “reasonable time,” and what a restoration
of tranquility means, will hinge events that may produce issues that will not
make the cry for arbitration premature, as it now is. But even then there are some
things that cannot and will not be submitted to arbitration. The license to
commit murder cannot be submitted to arbitrators; the Monroe doctrine and its
necessary corollaries will not be so submitted, nor will national honor.
Arbitration is better than war, but there
are some things that defy arbitration. Assassination cannot be arbitrated while
the assassin has his knife raised. Arbitral tribunals do not conduct their deliberations
by the light of burning houses.
—Eggs are nine cents a dozen in Peruville.—Ithaca
Journal.
—Until further notice Beard & Peck’s furniture
store will be open evenings.
—Mrs. H. W. Whitmore of the Woman’s exchange
has moved from over 10 Main-st. to 35 Homer-ave. opposite the Homer-ave.
church.
—Street Commissioner Stearns has his men at
work to-day removing the mud from Main-st., and the cobblestones once more come
into view.
— Baseball lovers in Cortland will be gratified
to know that Fred Ketchum is again to cover centerfield for the Cortland State
league team.
—Several Cortland people were the invited guests
of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Robinson Wednesday evening at their pleasant home west of
the village.
—The ladies of the Homer-ave. M. E. church
were well patronized at their supper Wednesday evening, as were the ladies of
the First Baptist church.
—Mr. William E. Dennison and Miss Caroline
Chapman, both of Homer, were married Monday night by Rev. J. C. B. Moyer at his
residence, 64 Maple-ave.
—No one who was out Monday night could fail
to observe the beautiful display of northern lights. The colors were at times
brilliant in the extreme.
—The Centenary M. E. church of Binghamton
has just secured Rev. Henry Tuckley, D. D., of Trinity church, Springfield, Mass.,
as successor to Rev. John H. Race.
—Farmers will be interested in the
discussion of the sugar beet question found in our Homer letter to-day. The
speaker was the president of the Binghamton Beet Sugar
Co.
—The entertainment committee of the C. A. A.
has arranged for an evening at progressive whist Friday evening in the club
rooms. A first prize and a booby prize will be awarded.
—The employees of the Cortland Carriage
Goods company at the close of work Tuesday raised by subscription about $60 for
the relief of Fremont Lane, whose arm was injured yesterday morning.
—Lillian Kennedy, the actress who was
stricken with apoplexy while playing in Utica Saturday night, did not recover consciousness
and died at the hospital in that city Tuesday. She has played in Cortland a
number of times.
—School. Commissioners N. L. Miller and I.
W. Van Buskirk met Tuesday at the office of Mr. Miller and began the preparation
of the apportionment of school moneys to
the various school districts in the county, and will meet in a few days to complete
it.
—The Binghamton Herald says that at a meeting
of the board of street commissioners held Tuesday night it was decided to use
no more asphalt in paving in that city, but hereafter to use brick. The city
has all the asphalt it wants. No reason for this action was stated.
—Ithaca is having a bread war. The usual
retail price is 8 cents per loaf and the baker sells to the retailer for 6 cents.
Now the baker is selling for 5 cents and the retailers sell for 4 cents, a loss
of one cent per loaf. The grocers started the war, and it is thought that the
cutting of rates may be carried into other lines of the grocery trade.
—The house and lot referred to Tuesday which
Attorney B. A. Benedict has sold to Mr. C. E. Van Brocklin is not the home of
the former at 53 North Main-st., as was generally understood, but the red house
at 49 North Main-st. which Mr. Van
Brocklin has himself occupied for several years. Mr. Benedict will retain his
family residence in Cortland for the present.
—The spirit of rivalry between the Gamma
Sigma fraternity and the Young Men’s Debating
club at the Normal in regard to the argumentative capabilities of the members
of the two societies has been shown in a challenge issued by Gamma Sigma for a
joint debate upon some leading question of the day. The invitation has not yet
been accepted, but undoubtedly will.
—The Baraca Bible class of the First Baptist
church is making arrangements for its first annual entertainment to be given in
the church parlors next Tuesday evening. The entertainment will be of a literary
and musical nature, and a free will offering will be taken for the benefit of
the church. Invitations have been issued to the
Baraca classes in Binghamton, Syracuse and Sherburne.
No comments:
Post a Comment