Cortland
Evening Standard, Wednesday, May 11, 1898.
POWERS
TO INTERVENE.
Spain
Will Be Advised to Give Up the Struggle.
NO MATCH
FOR AMERICA.
Spain's
Futility of Further Prosecuting the War.
WASHINGTON, May 11.—As a result of the
Spanish reverse at Manila leading members of the diplomatic corps, representing
some of the most influential of the great powers of Europe, have unofficially
exchanged views on the opportuneness of a movement, detailed by the most
friendly spirit and in the interest of peace, toward urging upon Spain the
futility of further prosecuting the war, and inducing her to sue for peace on
the basis of the relinquishment of Cuba, the promise of a war indemnity and the
occupation of Manila by Admiral Dewey until the war indemnity is paid.
It was stated by one of the most influential
members of the diplomatic corps, an ambassador, that such a step by Spain was
the logical result of the crushing Spanish defeat at Manila, and that Spain
herself should be the first to recognize it as a measure of her own
self-protection. Her best friends in the family of nations ought to urge it
upon Spain, this ambassador said, and if it were not for the chaotic condition
of affairs at Madrid, he felt that such peace overtures would be welcomed
there. With Spanish politics in their present disordered state and a revolution
impending he did not know whether the men at the head of the government were
strong enough and brave enough to save Spain by a heroic sacrifice of her pride.
Unless they did, he said, the disaster at Manila would be repeated, for it was
now patent to the world that Spain's military and naval strength was
grotesquely inadequate to cope with the force of the United States, and Spanish
pride would ultimately be humbled into peace on far more severe terms than she might
be able to obtain now.
The military authorities connected with the
foreign establishments here say that Admiral Montojo and his entire staff of
officers ought to be, and undoubtedly will be, court-martialed for allowing
themselves to be surprised by Admiral Dewey's fleet. One of these officials
said:
"There is not a naval power in Europe
which would not immediately order a court martial after such a humiliating
surprise, followed by such terrible results of negligence. The court martial
should have been ordered instantly, and if Spain has not already ordered it, it
discloses the inability to appreciate the seriousness of such a naval blunder.
To be taken by surprise is unpardonable. All of the reports show that the
Spanish officers had no proper lookouts, had no searchlights, no safeguards
against surprises. They invited their own defeat, and a speedy court martial
should determine the penalty of their negligence. It should be dismissal in
disgrace, if not something worse."
The British ambassador and the Chinese
minister have called the attention of the state department to the fact that
they are unable to communicate by mail with their officials in Cuba and Porto
Rico. This is due to the interruption of the regular mail routes between this
country and Spanish possessions. It is embarrassing to the British authorities,
as they have need of communicating by mail with the British consul at Havana.
The state department is anxious to afford every possible facility for official communication,
mail and telegraph, but it is not clear how it can better the present disturbed
mail conditions between here and the Spanish West Indies,
The German naval attaché, after securing
credentials from the navy department, has gone to Fort Monroe, where he will
make observations of
Commodore
Schley's flying squadron. While the department has given all naval attaches
every proper courtesy, it has felt constrained not to grant them permanent
facilities on board the American ships, and it is said that in time of war no
government permits foreign observers aboard ships.
 |
| Theodore Roosevelt. |
FAREWELL
TO ROOSEVELT.
The New
Lieutenant Colonel Leaves the Navy Department.
WASHINGTON, May 11.—Mr. Roosevelt said
farewell to the officers and clerks of the navy department. It is safe to say
that not one of the employes, from the highest to the lowest, declined the
invitation which was sent around to all the bureaus to call at the assistant
secretary's office and say goodby to Mr. Roosevelt. There were many expressions
of regret at his departure, and the whole affair was lacking in that
perfunctory character which so often attaches to ceremonies of the kind.
Some of the employes of the department united
in presenting to Mr.
Roosevelt
a very handsome silver-mounted cavalry sabre, which he displayed with pride
upon his desk to all of his callers.
The new lieutenant colonel will leave
Washington for San Antonio upon telegraphic advices from Colonel Wood,
commanding the regiment which are expected within a day or two at the latest.
PAGE
TWO—EDITORIALS.
Cape
Verde Squadron at Home.
Both the naval and state departments
received information yesterday that the Spanish squadron, which left the Cape
Verde islands April 29, has returned to Cadiz.
Accepting this information as true it is
highly important. It removes apprehension for the Oregon which, leaving Bahia
to-day or to-morrow, will have a free course to the West Indies. It deprives
Admiral Sampson's squadron of the hope of an opportunity to repeat at an early
day in the Atlantic Admiral Dewey's achievement in the Pacific. Further, it
relieves the contemplated movement of land forces into Cuba of the need of
further waiting. Spain does not intend to risk its navy in Cuban waters. It
abandons Cuba and Porto Rico to the resources they possess. An invading force
will not fear the cutting off of its source of supplies. For if Spain would not
try conclusions with Admiral Sampson with the vessels he had, still less is it
likely to when the Oregon shall have been added to his fleet.
The occupation of Cuba will now be hastened.
What then is Spain's purpose? To continue a predatory warfare against American
commerce, requiring our naval forces to cross the Atlantic to give battle? Will
it send a squadron of armored cruisers to the Philippines, to attempt to
recover those possessions? Since it refused to avail itself of the opportunity
to destroy the Oregon this appears at first glance to be its best remaining
play. But to withdraw effective warships from the home fleet will be to expose
its Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts to assault by the navy of the United
States.
Admiral Dewey's squadron has no armored
ships, but Spain will respect its power in making up a squadron to send against
it. The service would make a draft on the home fleet that no prudent ministry
will venture to order.
If Spain will not fight in Cuban waters and
can not resume the battle in the China sea,
why not be wise and yield to the inevitable without further cost of treasure?
The business now of the United States will
be to push matters with all possible speed for the occupation of Cuba and Porto
Rico. After that, peace.
The War
and Other Things.
Spain wouldn't let Minister Woodford deliver
his ultimatum, but she had to take Dewey's.—Chicago Times-Herald.
AT CADIZ
OR NOT.
List of
Ships Arrived—Belief that it is all a Fake.
LONDON, May 11.—The Globe this afternoon
publishes a dispatch from
Cadiz,
dated Saturday last, which says the following ships, which are all ready for
sea with the exception of the Palayo. are at that port: The Pelayo, Victoria,
Carlos V., Almirante Oquendo, Vizcaya, Maria Teresa, Cristobal Colon, Alfonso
XIII, Pluton, Proserpina, Osado, Audaz, Furor, Terror and also several torpedo
boats, transports and the Normannia and the Columbia, formerly of the
Hamburg-American line, which have been renamed the Patriota and the Rapido.
The correspondent of The Globe adds that he
believes the squadron sails on Wednesday
(to-day) and says a number of troops leave for the Canary Islands on May 15,
while three battalions of marines are quartered at San Fernando ready for
embarkation.
Lieutenant Colwell, the naval attaché of the
United States embassy, said today that he was by no means convinced that the
Spanish Cape Verde squadron is really at Cadiz.
RELIEF
IS A BLUFF.
Three
Reasons Why Spain Cannot Help the Philippines.
NEW YORK, May 11.—A special to The World
says: Spain's reported project of sending a relief expedition to the
Philippines is treated by military and naval experts here as a mere bluff.
In the first place, it is considered that
the Spanish government needs all the troops it can muster to maintain its
dynasty at home.
Secondly, the reserve squadron cannot
possibly be ready for a month.
Thirdly, there would be the insuperable
coaling difficulty for the ships for a voyage of 8,000 miles. Some doubt is
expressed whether Spain could send a relief expedition through the Suez canal,
but the World correspondent finds that the convention between the great powers
concluded in 1883 expressly provides that the canal shall be open to ships of
all nations in time of peace or war on condition that "no right of way, no
act of hostility or any act having for its object the preparation or operation
of war shall be committed in the canal, and off its approaches or ports of
access. The vessels of war of belligerents shall not revictual or take stores
in the canal, its approaches or ports of access except so far as may be
strictly necessary."
The question whether the Spanish fleet could
coal at neutral ports on the way to the Philippines raises a novel point of
international law, and if the fleet sails at all it is believed that it will
probably have a rendezvous with colliers sent in advance at different points
along the route.
SPAIN IN
STRAITS.
War with
United States Now a Secondary Matter.
NEW YORK, May 11.—A dispatch to The Herald
from Madrid says: It is only indirectly that attention is paid to the progress
of war by the people here. For the time being every one is engrossed with
consideration of the ministerial crisis. Upon its solution depends the immediate
action of Spain.
If the cabinet weathers the storm it will
emerge from it either instructed to prosecute the war vigorously or else
empowered to take steps for the re-establishment of peace with the least
possible delay.
From careful consideration of the Ministry's
action it is more than probable that the latter solution would be more in
accordance with its members' personal desires. The question is, will they be
able to follow their desires? Their position is a difficult one. They know only
too well that the longer the war is prosecuted the more severe will be the loss
of Spain.
It is manifest that the government is trying
to throw the responsibility for the continuance of the war on parliament. It is
also manifest that the opposition is trying to embarrass the government by
refusing to accept that responsibility without giving the ministry any ground
for saying later that peace was concluded by the will of the nation's
representatives and not by that of the government's party majority. The
opposition will not help the government to secure peace, as later it may
overthrow the liberals upon this ground. Which of the two parties ministerial or
the opposition—will be the stronger is the one subject of interest at present.
There is growing a current feeling that to
pursue this disastrous war, now that it has been proved that, while Spain's
courage is always equal to any test, her financial, military and naval resources
are inadequate to cope with an adversary so vastly her superior as America, amounts
simply to madness.
One of the prominent bankers here said that
to escape from total ruin is becoming more and more difficult everyday if the
war is prolonged. The workingman finds himself confronted with tangible proof
of what war means. He is already paying about twice as much as formerly for the
loaf of bread that plays such an important role in his nourishment, and he is
beginning to get desperate.
There you have the explanation of the
risings that have been and are still taking place all over the country. The
laborer, mechanic and small tradesman knows that life is becoming impossible for
him, and it may be that it is even now very near that point when the exporter of
every bag of grain becomes his enemy, and the speculator who is storing
breadstuffs in the hope of a further rise, a man to be dealt with as a noxious
reptile.
Some of the disorders amounted to little more
than noisy demonstrations, but all indicate the spirit of desperation due to the
dearness of bread and the consequent widespread misery.
With the people in this excited state it is
a comparatively easy task for the Carlist and republican political agitators to
gain the acceptance of the most absurd theories. These agitators have naturally
not been lacking, but the political aspect of the disturbance is only a minor
one. Their real cause is the stern suffering, and the government with a united
majority could bring the war to an end and be applauded. Will a majority be
obtained? Most people doubt it. If it cannot, there is scope for the widest
conjecture as to what will be the result to the country at large.
ELECTRIC
LIGHTS WON.
CONTRACT
ENTERED INTO BETWEEN VILLAGE AND TRACTION CO.
Old
Contract Renewed, and Electric Lights Will Burn Another Year—Trustees Are
Disposed to Do All In Their Power to Hustle Paving—What the Grades on Main-st.
Will Be—Gas Mains to be Put Down at Once.
The [Cortland] board of village trustees
held an adjourned meeting last night for the purpose of considering the street
lighting question for another year, and the result was a renewal of the present
contract for electric lights with the Cortland and Homer Electric company.
After the approval of the minutes of the
previous meeting, the question of the rent for the polling place in the Squires
block came up, and the matter was laid on the table. Two parties had presented
bills for the rent, and it seemed to the board impossible to determine to whom the
rent rightfully belonged, and the matter was laid on the table after the suggestion
of Clerk Crombie that one of the parties might bring suit against the village
and thus have the matter adjudicated.
Mr. H. Bergholtz of Ithaca and
Superintendent F. P. Mooney, representing the Cortland & Homer Electric
company were present and Trustee White inquired of Mr. Bergholtz what his
proposition would be on furnishing forty streetlights instead of sixty-nine as
at present. Mr. Bergholtz replied that he did not like to give a price on forty
lights, as the cost of maintaining them is nearly as much as for sixty-nine,
the only saving being in the amount of coal used. He felt that he must raise
the price so much that the board might feel that the Electric company is trying
to crowd the extra price on the village, as the price would certainly seem
exorbitant to the trustees.
Trustee White offered a resolution that the
board enter into a contract with the Welsbach Street Lighting Co. of America in
accordance with their proposition to furnish 175 lights twenty-two nights per
month all night at $4,200 per year. The resolution was not seconded.
Trustee Sprague moved that the village enter
into a contract with the Cortland & Homer Electric Co. for sixty-nine
lights 250 nights per year at 30 cents per light per night, Trustee Nodecker seconded
the motion, which prevailed, Trustees O'Leary, Nodecker and Sprague voting in
the affirmative and Trustee White in the negative. This is practically a
renewal of the present contract.
President Stilson reported that he and Street
Commissioner Stearns had inspected the crosswalks about town, and had found
that the mud shoveled from many of them had piled up on each side, making the
walk lower than the adjoining ground. The street commissioner will level off
these places.
The board then entered into an informal
discussion of the paving question, and it seemed to be the sentiment of the board
that the paving of Main-st. should be rushed with all possible haste in
accordance with good work. It was announced that the gas company has ordered new
pipes and was anxious to put them down at once. President Stilson presented a
set of figures from the grade established—for the sewer and it is estimated
that at the Lehigh Valley tracks no dirt will have to be removed, 4 inches at
Union-st., nothing at Argle Place, 12 inches at the Messenger House, and from
there north to the Catholic church the present street grade is practically all
right, but at the church for a strip of about 50 feet, 12 inches must be
removed from the surface. It is probable that the new mains will be laid according
to this grade.
President Stilson said that in conversation with
President Wood of the Homer & Cortland Gas Co., that gentleman stated that
in Syracuse on many occasions, the pavers had followed closely the gas men
putting down mains and no trouble had been afterward experienced with the
pavement as the trenches were properly filled, Mr. Stilson saw no reason to
think the same thing could not be done in Cortland.
The board voted to hold regular meetings every
Monday night after May 23.
Of course, after the public meeting May 20,
it will probably be necessary to engage a civil engineer, and anticipating this,
Clerk Crombie was informally instructed to procure bids of applicants for the
position. The board adjourned to May 20 at 7:30 P. M. in Fireman's hall, when
the public hearing on the petition for paving Main-st. will be held.
 |
| George F. Lyon. |
SUPREME
COURT
To Convene
Next Monday, Justice George F. Lyon Presiding.
A trial and special term of the supreme court
will convene at the courthouse next Monday, May 16, Hon. George F. Lyon of Binghamton
the justice presiding.
One new attorney has been added to the list
in the calendar since the last calendar was issued—Charles V. Coon, formerly superintendent
of schools of Cortland village.
The calendar is said by those who should
know to be the longest that has been prepared in fifteen years. It contains 119
cases, of which four are designated as criminal cases triable by jury, 107 as issues of fact triable by jury, and
eight as issues of fact triable by court. Forty of the cases are actions
brought by as many different plaintiffs against the Elmira, Cortland and
Northern R. R. These are the cases growing out of the excessive mileage charges
concerning which a decision by the appellate division of the supreme court was
handed down on March 1. They have to be put on the calendar again at this time
to get a formal disposition of them.
There are also a number of cases brought by
different plaintiffs against the Delaware. Lackawanna & Western Railroad
company. These are for alleged failure to sell mileage books according to the
law.
The case of Alvin D. Wallace vs. the Syracuse,
Binghamton & New York Railroad company is an action to recover damages for
alleged injuries in the wreck of the vestibule train at Blodgett Mills Sept. 2,
1897.
The village of Cortland brings an action against
the Traction company to settle the matter of the amount that should be paid by
the latter for its share of paving Railroad-st. This is practically to secure a
decision as to whether "two feet outside the rails'' means one foot
outside of each rail, which aggregates two feet, or two feet outside of each rail.
There are other important cases, hut it is
understood that much of the calendar will go over the term, as it is the plan
to devote but the first week to its trial and then proceed at once to the
Galvin murder case.
A SMALL
FIRE.
Damage
Done to the Bakery in the Rear of Hopkins' Grocery.
While the factory whistles were blowing at 7
o'clock this morning, the fire bell rang out the alarm of fire. The bell struck
box 333 at the engine house, the fire being in the bakery at the rear of Hopkins'
grocery, 16 Main-st.
Lucius B. Rowlingson, who conducts the
bakery, started the fires under his ovens as usual this morning and then going into
the grocery had a chat with Wayne Watkins, the head clerk in the grocery. Mr.
Rowlingson then started for Stoker's grocery, and he had scarcely crossed the
street when Mr. Watkins discovered a fire in the bakery. An alarm was at once
rung, and the department responded promptly. The bakery building was as dry as
tinder and was gutted, but the five streams of water extinguished the flames
and prevented their further spreading. The fire probably started from the
woodwork about the oven. Some of Mrs. Hopkins' grocery stock was damaged
slightly by water.
The building is owned by Julius A. Graham, who
says his loss is fully covered by the insurance of $400 placed with Mr. F. W.
Kingsbury in the United States Insurance company.
BREVITIES.
—Ten couples of Cortland young people went to
Little York last night and held a pleasant dancing party.
—The display of colors, as noted in our McGraw
letter to-day, from both business places and private residences may well be a
sample to all the rest of the county.
—New display advertisements to-day are—Dey
Brothers & Co., millinery display, page 7; Black Mfg. Co., Tribune bicycle,
page 8; Stowell, strange but true, page 6.
—The state board of tax commissioners will
meet the supervisors and assessors of the various towns in the chambers of
County Judge Eggleston, May 18, at 10 o'clock A. M.
—The adjourned annual meeting of the stockholders
of the Cortland Opera House Co.
which was to have been held yesterday afternoon was again adjourned to a date
yet to be fixed,
—Owing to wet grounds, the baseball game
between the Cortlands and the
Shamrocks
of Syracuse this afternoon was declared off. The Cortlands open the State league
season at Lyons tomorrow, Friday at Canandaigua and Saturday at 3:30
Canandaigua plays here.
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