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| Chauncey M. Depew. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Thursday, June 23, 1898.
SENTIMENT IN EUROPE.
Opinions on the War Obtained by Chauncey M. Depew.
THREE WEEKS TRIP ABROAD.
Great Britain Undoubtedly In Sympathy With Us.
LONDON, June 23.—Dr. Chauncey M. Depew has partly recanted his opposition to imperialism as the result of the latest war developments and of three weeks in Europe. During his sojourn he has had unusual opportunities of learning the sentiments of politicians and of the public. He will return to New York by the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse on Friday.
Requested to summarize his views of French and English opinion on the war question, Mr. Depew said:
"The sentiment in France is about what it would be in the United States if England and France were fighting and every paper in the United States were daily abusing the French, denouncing the injustice of their going to war, picturing them as a race of robbers, shopkeepers and pigs, declaring that England was poor and was the underdog and holding up France as actuated by nothing but a pure brute desire to steal England's property.
"That's what all the papers but three are doing in France. When we also consider that France and Spain are both of the Latin race and of the same religion, and that Frenchmen have hundreds of millions invested in Spain we need not be surprised that the feeling there is practically unanimous against us. I think only one man prevents this feeling taking acute form. That is M. Honataux, the minister of foreign affairs. But for him the French chamber of deputies might have taken action, openly siding with Spain.
"There is no doubt that had Manila been a Spanish victory there would have been an illumination of Paris. It was on account of this sentiment that I endeavored to give the cause of the war when The Temps and Matin asked for interviews. I was told it was a revelation to the French and led to material modification of French opinion. They had not heard our side before."
When the talk turned on England, the interviewer suggested that the sympathies of the British aristocracy were largely with the Spanish. Mr. Depew said he had not found them so.
"I have met many of them during my visit," he said, "and found them all enthusiastically with us. The women are all with us. That is the best test. The majority of the people do not want a mere understanding, they want a hard and fast alliance. If Continental Europe intervened on the side of Spain, Great Britain would go as far as we were willing to make an alliance.
"Their idea of the policy of imperialism is that it could be worked very successfully between the two nations. They are unanimously in favor of our keeping the Philippines and make no distinction between our making Cuba a republic or keeping it ourselves. The result, they say, would be the same."
Asked if his opinion on imperial policy had changed, Mr. Depew replied:
"There are difficulties in my position which did not exist when I took it up. New conditions are arising all the while with the progression of the war which make it difficult to keep out or get out of this colonizing business. We must take into view the temper of our people who would certainly never give any colonies back to Spain. Transferring them or any of them to a European power would lead to a European war in 60 days. It looks as though we would have to paint our white elephant brown and teach him to work."
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
Just Beginning to Know Us.
The Troy Times says: Attention has been called already to the fact that Dewey's victory in Manila bay, especially when followed up by the American occupation of the Philippines, will exert a substantial influence upon the building up of our trade in the far East. How much that victory has done for American interests is not fully known even now, but every day it is becoming more evident that the mere sinking of the Spanish fleet was nothing as compared with the moral results that will follow. A correspondent of the New York Sun, writing from Pekin, calls attention to the improved American standing in the Chinese mind as the result of the great and memorable events of the first of May. He says:
We have had the news now for a week of Dewey's achievement at Manila. Details of course are still wanting, near as we are to the scene. It is impossible for our countrymen at home to appreciate what this means to their interests here or what their approaching victories in the Atlantic are going to do for American prestige in China and Japan. Already the whole aspect of the United States as a nation, as a political force, as a something impossible to be reckoned without, has been completely changed. We are exalted to a new and unlooked for altitude, and in the degree of our new consideration we must henceforth measure our value and our influence. It would be hard to overestimate the practical importance to us of this changed condition. It will affect our commercial interests in this hemisphere in an extraordinary degree, and in the determination of China's destiny it will be seen that we cannot be ignored.
Notwithstanding that so many Chinese have lived in this country and after accumulating a little money returned to their homes, the average Chinaman is densely ignorant of the power and magnitude of the United States. This ignorance is not confined to the lower classes, but is quite as common among the commercial Chinese. They appreciate the fact that Great Britain is a great country, for John Bull has given them visual proof of his power. More lately they have come to realize that Russia and Germany are also great, but it was not until Dewey's flag waved triumphant at Cavite that positive knowledge of American greatness began to sift through the Chinese mind. This same correspondent says:
To the Asiatic, and in a degree to the Caucasian dweller in this part of the world, the United States has never stood for more than a noun of multitude, and in its present attitude it is almost as much of a surprise as Japan was when it declared itself a modern power and proved it.
With the Chinese it is not familiarity, but the lack of it, that breeds contempt. The American has been ignored as a really important commercial factor in the Orient because he has been so little known and because he has not heretofore inspired fear. With this old people, for centuries accustomed to tyranny, respect comes with fear. The latter must be installed in the Chinese mind if the former is to be secured. A hundred naval battles might have been won in the West Indies without distant China ever coming to know about them, but the one triumph in the East Indies was sufficiently near at home to cause both the classes and the masses, from the mandarin to the humblest coolie, to give thought to the power of the United States. They are all thinking now, and the outcome of their thoughts is sure to be advantageous to Americans.
THE CLOSING CONCERT.
Large Audience—Many Unable to Get in—Excellent Program.
The fourth and last concert of the series attending the closing of the year of the Cortland Conservatory of Music was held last night in the auditorium of the First Baptist church. These concerts have been steadily growing in interest and the attendance has been increasing until last night the church was filled to the doors and many went away unable to gain admittance. The character of the programs too has steadily grown better through the three evenings—and this would be natural without there being any reflection upon those who took part at the earlier concerts, for in the arrangement of the programs the younger and more inexperienced students took part at the earlier concerts, while the concert of last night included the most advanced students and the performance in consequence was the grand climax of the series.
The programs have been long and varied, the four concerts including eighty numbers, and the results attained have given evidence of careful teaching and skillful training. Nothing could better attest to the growing popularity and efficiency of the Conservatory than a comparison of the programs of this year as compared with those of previous years. The class of music undertaken as a whole has been more difficult, and its execution has been finer than in any previous year.
The playing of the Conservatory orchestra was of course fine. That was expected by all those who heard its playing at the music festival. The violin solo by Miss Mabelle Adams of Homer only added to the reputation of that young lady as a performer upon her chosen instrument. The piano playing of Miss Mabel Rynders is specially deserving of mention. All the vocal numbers were well rendered, and the concert as a whole was a great success.
The Demand for War Bonds.
The demand for blanks with which to subscribe to the $200,000,000 popular loan asked for with which to prosecute the war with Spain seems to be quite brisk at the local [Cortland] banks. Aside from the large amounts subscribed by persons who have forwarded the money to the treasury department at Washington by postoffice money orders, the banks have sent nearly $50,000 for customers. The National bank has forwarded about $12,000, the First National about $20,000, and the Second National about $12,000.
PATRIOTIC SOCIABLE.
Large Company Spent a Pleasant Evening—Two Flag Presentations.
There was a very large attendance last night at the patriotic sociable gives under the auspices of the Ladies' Aid society at the Presbyterian parlors. The rooms were profusely and tastefully draped with flags. Many of the ladies in charge of the arrangements wore the national colors and some wore special costumes. One made an excellent representative of the goddess of liberty, another had a miniature model of a first-class battleship in her hair. Little Roscoe Possell quite captivated every one by his impersonation of Uncle Sam. With his suit, hat and beard he looked as though he had just stepped out of one of the pictures in Judge.
At the outset a very nice program was presented as follows:
Piano Duet, Misses Leila and Jessie Bartholomew
Guitar and Piano Duet—My Old Kentucky Home, Miss Fannie Mantanye and Mrs. F. I. Graham
Reading—(a) In a Far off World, (b) The Warship Dixie, Miss Curry
Vocal Solos by Uncle Sam, (a) Marching Through Georgia, (b) Rally 'Round the Flag, Roscoe Possell
Mandolin and Guitar Duet, Fred and Donald Case
Quartet—Star Spangled Banner, Messrs. O. A. Kinney. J. T. Stone. O. W. Lund, T. N. Hollister.
Just before the last number Rev. John T. Stone in appropriate words, in behalf of Mr. N. H. Gillette, presented to the church a very handsome flag, 10 by 15 feet in size, made by the Gillette Skirt Co. to be used in the church. The gift is a very fine one and is much appreciated by all.
At the conclusion of Mr. Stone's remarks Prof. D. L. Bardwell stepped forward with another flag on his shoulder, and in a neat little speech, in behalf of Mr. Gillette, who is now in New York, presented a second flag, 6 by 10 feet in size, to Mr. Stone for his own personal use. Mr. Stone was completely surprised. He knew about the first flag, but regarding the second one he had not a breath of suspicion and could not imagine what Prof. Bardwell was getting at till at the end he turned toward him with the flag. His response was brief, but full of meaning.
After the last number strawberries, ice cream and cake were served and during the social hour which followed the Temple orchestra of the First M. E. church furnished fine music. This act of courtesy on the part of the orchestra was deeply appreciated, for the members kindly contributed their services and would not accept any remuneration whatever. Their playing was excellent. Taken as a whole, the sociable was a great success.
BREVITIES.
—New display advertisements to-day are—Stowell's, Fruit Cans, page 6.
—The class day exercises of the class of '98 occur at Normal hall to-morrow afternoon at 2 o'clock.
—In Justice Dowd's court to-day the trial of Philip Tice on the charge of bastardy was adjourned to Saturday.
—The Orris Hose baseball team won from the Excelsior Hook & Ladder Co. yesterday by the score of 28 to 11.
—The regular meeting of the Sons of Veterans occurs to-morrow night, and a full attendance of members is desired.
—The closing exercises of the Central school will be held at the Opera House this evening at 8 o'clock. The public is cordially invited to attend.
—A large party of ladies and some gentlemen, the majority on wheels and the balance in carriages went to Little York this morning and took dinner at the Raymond House.
HOMER.
Gleanings of News from Our Twin Village.
HOMER, June 23.—The commencement party held at Keator opera house last evening was a most decided success in every particular. The hall was handsomely and artistically decorated with flags and bunting and potted plants and ferns were arranged profusely around the hall. At about 9 o'clock the guests began to arrive and a little later they began to dance to the delightful strains of Ross orchestra of Syracuse. At about 12 o'clock ice cream, cake and lemonade were served by Caterer Mr. Carl Virgil. There were about forty couples in attendance besides several spectators. Those in charge of the party are to be complimented upon the success of their undertaking.
The annual bicycle parade will occur to-morrow evening at 7 o'clock. The line will be formed in front of the village green and proceed to Cayuga to Cortland to James, to Main to Clinton to Warren to Main, where it will be disbanded, so all who desire may partake of ice cream furnished by the band at the usual price. All are requested to decorate their wheels in red, white and blue. The C. A. A. and Y. M. C. A. wheel clubs of Cortland are to also participate. The Homer band will lead the parade. Let every rider participate.
A special meeting of the fire department will be held to-morrow evening at 8 o'clock for the purpose of special business.
JOHN PAGE, TAILOR.—Suit cleaned and pressed 50 cents. Clothing repaired. First-class work guaranteed. Give me a trial. Front rooms, second floor, Newcomb building, James-st., Homer. 911-tf-265-tf [paid ad.]
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