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| Major General Elwell Stephen Otis. |
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| Emilo Aguinaldo. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, January 6, 1899.
HOSTILITIES PROBABLE.
Filipinos Refuse to Accede to American Demands.
WILL NOT SURENDER ILOILO.
They Are Determined to Prevent the Landing of the Americans, and as a Last Resort May Destroy the City. A Proclamation Issued at Manila.
HONG KONG, Jan. 6.—Leading representatives of the Filipinos junta in Hong Kong, in the course of an interview, declared that the serious crisis in the Philippines is due to what they designate as "overt, unfair treatment of the Filipinos by the United States." They said that, despite the known fact that the whole of the Viscayas group was in possession of the Filipinos forces, General Otis was ordered to take possession of the entire archipelago and dispatched troops and warships to the southern Visayas. The Filipinos, according to junta representatives, are determined to prevent the landing of the Americans at Iloilo and may, as a last resort, destroy the city for strategical purposes.
The junta insists that a rupture of the friendly relations now existing between the "Filipino national government" and the American executive is imminent and that hostilities are probable unless what they characterize as the "unreasonable, unfair and overbearing policy of the Americans" is modified. They say the Filipinos "would deeply regret such a rupture, but would accept it as inevitable."
In concluding the interview the spokesman of the junta representatives said: "The Filipinos appeal to the American people to uphold the rights of mankind and to avoid bloodshed, assuring the Americans of our desire to complete a friendly settlement through an impartial commission inquiry.
"The Filipinos loyally supported the Americans against the common enemy; and they now look to the American nation to fulfill the promises made to Aguinaldo at Singapore before he proceeded to assist Admiral Dewey. All the Filipinos ask is the truest and best rights of mankind."
PHILIPPINE PROCLAMATION.
Intention of the United States Toward the Filipinos.
MANILA, Jan. 6.—Major General Otis, military commander of the United States forces in the Philippine islands has issued a proclamation to the Filipinos based upon instructions received by cable from President McKinley. The proclamation, which consists of 700 words only, appeared in all the papers simultaneously.
General Otis after reciting briefly President McKinley's instructions, expresses the opinion that it is the intention of the American government while directing affairs generally to appoint representative men, forming the controlling element, to civil positions. He also expresses himself as convinced that the United States government intends to seek the establishment in the islands of a most liberal government in which the people will be as fully represented as the maintenance of law and order will permit, susceptible of development, on lines of increased representation and the bestowal of increased powers, into a government as free and independent as is enjoyed by the most favored provinces in the world. To this end he invites the full confidence and co-operation of the Filipinos.
Nothing is said in the proclamation regarding the disarmament of the rebels, but General Otis asserts his belief that the United States government intends so far as is consistent to draw upon the Filipinos military forces in making the civil appointments.
Filipinos Refuse Our Demands.
MADRID, Jan. 6.—The following official dispatch has been received from Manila: "The insurgents refuse to liberate the prisoners on the demand of the Americans, claiming that this might be construed as an act of submission to the United States. With regard to liberating the monks, the insurgents intend to negotiate with the Vatican directly. General Rios has now opened direct negotiations with the insurgents concerning the prisoners."
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| Admiral George Dewey. |
GUNBOATS SENT AS AID.
Believed That the Filipinos Will Yield Without Trouble.
NEW YORK, Jan. 6.—A dispatch to The Tribune from Washington says: Admiral Dewey cabled to the navy department that he had sent the gunboats Concord and Petrel to Iloilo to co-operate with the cruiser Baltimore in support of the army expedition. These vessels are the lightest draught vessels in his fleet, but have powerful batteries of 6-inch rifles and rapid fire guns, which make them among the most useful vessels in the fleet. After they are no longer needed at Iloilo they will continue to cruise among the southern islands of the archipelago, where American jurisdiction has not yet been established.
Confidence is expressed at the war department that General Miller will land all the troops from his transports by the end of this week. It has been decided that a close confinement of the troops on shipboard for over a week would have a damaging effect on their health and spirits, which can not be permitted, and therefore General Otis will set a limit on the Pacific negotiations with the insurgents there.
With the display of force that the army and navy will be able to make in the neighborhood of Iloilo by the end of this week, it is thought that the natives will abandon their show of resistance and welcome the soldiers. In any event, however, according to the present understanding the troops will be landed without further delay.
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| Mary Seymour Howell. |
SUFFRAGE AGITATION.
Governor Roosevelt's Message Has Aroused the Women of Albany.
ALBANY, Jan. 6.—Albany is a center of suffrage agitation. There are influential women on each side of the question. Mrs. Mary Seymour Howell is the chairman of the legislative committee of the Woman's Suffrage association of the state, and Mrs. J. Winslow Cranell is an earnest advocate of anti-suffrage, and has just returned from a successful lecture tour in the West. Both parties led by these ladies are wrought up over the reference in Governor Roosevelt's message to suffrage, which he advocates being gradually extended to women. This reference was under the sub-head school suffrage, but the word "school" did not appear in the text. There was great commotion among the ladies interested in suffrage as to what the governor really meant.
In explanation Governor Roosevelt said that what he meant in the message was a gradual extension of suffrage to women. How far to extend it he is not certain. He believes that the condition of a large number of women should be bettered. He thinks that an amelioration could be brought about by social influences and development of the mind. He is not sure that legislation can accomplish much, but if it can do a little he is willing to try it. Woman's suffrage has worked well in the school district in which Oyster Bay is situated, and the governor thinks it might work well elsewhere. A gradual extension would not work any radical change, but on the contrary would prove, step by step, the value of an accordance of this privilege to women.
The anti-suffragists are very much worked up over the matter and are preparing to hold a meeting at which a letter will be prepared giving Governor Roosevelt all the objections which are urged against suffrage for women, and asking him to consider them fully and seriously before he takes any steps.
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| William Rufus Day. |
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
The Actual Cost of Negotiating Peace.
The Saturday Evening Post gives a careful estimate of the cost to the American government of negotiating peace. The Post says: While much of the detail is a confidential matter between the government and its commission, it may be stated that the cost, estimated on an employment of ninety days, will be about $200,000.
Commissioners Day and Reid will receive fees of $25,000 each; Commissioners Davis, Frye and Gray, being United States senators under annual salary, will receive only a daily allowance for personal expenses; Secretary Moore will receive $20,000 for his documentary work, and about $20,000 is allowed for formal entertainments.
Personal allowances aggregate $1,025 per day, of which each commissioner receives $150; Secretary Moore, $75; Assistant Secretary McArthur, $50; Disbursing Officer Branniman and Chief Translator Rodriguez, $25 each; the interpreters, stenographers and other attaches, $10 a day each; and two messengers, $5 a day each.
◘ The Sabbatarians of Connecticut had several prominent citizens arrested at South Norwalk recently for playing golf on Sunday at a well known clubhouse grounds. The action created no little excitement in the town, where public opinion seems to be pretty evenly divided between the sin and the harmlessness of this recreation on Sunday.
LEGISLATIVE FORECASTS.
BILL TO GIVE NEW YORK A MORE LIBERAL SUNDAY.
To Reduce Certain License Fees, to Put Them on a Graduated Scale and to Revive the Old Excise Boards—Bill to Regulate Express Charges.
ALBANY, Jan. 6, (Special.)—Although Governor Roosevelt has advised against much legislation, many bills are prepared and in course of preparation and will be submitted as soon as the legislature gets down to work. Last session Assemblyman Harburger of New York introduced a bill for the repeal of the Raines law and the restoration of the old excise system and, although he did not succeed in getting it out of committee at that time, he is determined this year to continue his fight and to secure a more liberal Sunday in New York City. He will probably introduce his bill next Wednesday night and will then ask for a hearing before the committee. The principal feature of the bill provides that the license fee for the sale of ale and beer shall be $50 per year and for wine, and for other liquors from $150 to $200 a year for all hotels and saloons with some exceptions. Hotels that do a business of between $25,000 and $40,000 a year shall pay a liquor tax of $300; those doing business of between $40,000 and $60,000 an annual tax of $400, and those doing business exceeding $60,000 shall pay $500.
The bill will also provide for the restoration of excise boards in every city, hamlet and village of the state giving each discretionary powers to adjudicate and try cases in the same way as a judiciary tribunal. Under the present law the deputy commissioner of a city has no discretion in the matter, but is compelled to issue tax certificates to all who pay him the required $800. The result of this, Mr. Harburger says, is that the court of special sessions is overrun with cases and when citizens desire to drive disreputable men out of business they are obliged to apply to the supreme court which, in most cases, appoints a referee and it is from three to six months before a decision can be reached.
Mr. Harburger has some other bills relative to the permitting of baseball on Sunday, theatrical performances and other entertainments on Sunday nights between the hours of 8 and 11 o'clock and will introduce them at an early date.
Another bill to be introduced at an early date is one inspired by a suggestion of the Merchants' association of New York and will place the express companies doing business in this state under the supervision of the state railroad commission, requiring them to report to that body in the same manner that railroad companies do. It is maintained that a large part of the money paid by merchants to express companies is exorbitant and to reduce these charges the association will introduce the bill. A representative of the Merchants' association says that while freight charges have been greatly reduced in recent years, express charges have undergone nothing like a proportionate reduction and that money collected by these companies for their services pays a monstrous profit to them. On many classes of goods, he declares, express charges average 5 to 15 per cent of the value of the goods.
C. N. A.
LETTER FROM CUBA.
A SOLDIER BOY RELATES HIS EXPERIENCE DOWN THERE.
He is a Son of Mrs. Enos Wadsworth of Cortland—His Regiment the Second to March Through Havana—Christmas as Hot as Fourth of July—Some Things Disagreeable, but the Writer Wouldn't Have Missed Them for $5,000.
We publish below a letter from Harry C. Niegelson, a son of Mrs. Enos Wadsworth of 139 Port Watson-st., Cortland, who is now in Cuba, a member of the Second Illinois Volunteers. It will be read with interest by all.
HAVANA, Cuba, Dec. 29, 1898.
MY DEAR MOTHER—I am now in the place which took eight long months to get to and am thankful to say I am still in the best of health, but of course we are not enjoying ourselves very much on account of being so far from town. All we can do all day is to play cards and read or go bathing to pass the time away. We are camped about seven miles from the center of the city on the coast. If it wasn't for the ocean breeze I don't know what we would do, as the sun just pours down hot on us. Here it is Christmas day and it seems more like the Fourth of July than anything else.
I would have written before this, but I haven't had a chance to get stamps since we have been here. I wrote home for some as soon as we landed, but haven't got them yet. We haven't had any mail for five days now.
As soon as the Spaniards get out of here we will all be down town to patrol the city. I don't think we will have any trouble as everything is very quiet now and the Spaniards are leaving fast, but they like to get a shot at us once in a while for revenge. There have been a good many shots fired around the camp, but nobody can tell where they come from. Three boys of our regiment have been shot while bringing provisions from town in wagons, but they are getting along all right. In each case they couldn't tell where the shots came from.
We are camped on a high hill and can see for miles around. It looks like a large park. There are cactus and rose bushes and cocoanut trees all over the place.
Well, I will tell you about our trip so you can see what a soldier has to endure. But for all the hardships I wouldn't give $5,000 for the experience I have had since I have been in the army. We broke camp in Savannah on Thursday, Dec. 8, and thought we would load on the boat that afternoon and be off at high tide the next morning, but when we got our tents down and everything packed up we got orders to wait till the next day, so we waited all that night around in the cold and the next morning. Friday afternoon we got on the boat which was a cattle boat and an old one at that. The officers were on the top deck, the mules on the next deck and we were on the next one. Just imagine us packed in like sardines and the mules above us making a terrible noise all night.
We left Saturday evening a little before dark and as we steamed down the river I guess every bell and whistle in the city saluted us and people were lined up along the docks waving their handkerchiefs and cheering us. We anchored at the mouth of the river till high tide Sunday morning and then proceeded on to Cuba. The water was nearly as smooth as a pond in a park. We saw lots of coral reefs on the way and passed by the "Keys" of Florida and Key West and arrived outside the Havana harbor Tuesday night and cruised around for a few hours till a tug came and towed us into the harbor. We anchored within a stone's throw of the Maine. It looks just like the pictures of it.
In the morning we unloaded the boat and lined up to go to our camp, but as it was growing dark they were afraid to risk marching through the city so we camped all night on a narrow street which was more of an alley than a street and you bet we kept a good lookout for fear the Spaniards would start something. There was little sleeping done, as the Spaniards were still patrolling the city and were among us all the time. We were the second regiment to march through the city.
In the morning we started for camp. The city looks like a World's Fair, but of course the buildings are very old and look queer with every window and door with iron bars on them. Most of the people look awfully poor and wear very little clothes. Outside the city the little children don't wear any clothes at all. The people carry groceries, and water, etc., on their heads, and they deliver milk in glass jars which are carried on pack mules.
The scenery is fine. Just outside the city it looks like a Garden of Eden. They have street cars here too which are drawn by three horses.
We are terribly short of water where we are. We hardly ever get a chance to wash excepting when we go bathing. The water is carried in wagons from a windmill which is four miles away and then it isn't very good either. There are lots of buzzards flying around always looking for some decayed stuff to eat. There are also lots of poisonous insects around, but I guess it is seldom they ever bother any one.
We all have cots now which are a luxury, as we have been used to sleeping on boards until now.
Well, mother, I have told you all the news I can think of at present so will have to close hoping to hear from you soon. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I remain as ever,
Your loving son, HARRY.
A Very Old Paper.
Mr. Charles E. Van Brocklin has shown us one of the oldest papers published in Cortland county that has come to our eye. It is No. 129 of Vol. III of the Cortland Journal published at Cortland by J. J. C. Cantine, and its date is April 5, 1827. It is a five-column, four-page sheet, and looks its age.
Among the advertisements is the following which contains a good deal of truth though it sounds strange enough:
One Thousand Dollars Reward—Ran away from the subscribed within a few years, his whole estate consisting of houses and lands and above all a good name. They gradually absented themselves after being decoyed by an old hag who frequented the village, named Intemperance.
Any person who will restore the aforesaid property, and cause legal proceedings to be had against the offender, shall receive the above reward, and the thanks of TIPLER.
The paper contains advertisements in which names appear that will appeal to the recollections of the older settlers. The name of Roswell Randall, postmaster, is attached to a list of advertised letters, and the name of David Coye, sheriff, is attached to a notice of sheriff's sale. Among the [uncollected] letters advertised [by the postmaster] are some for Jacob Badgley, Daniel D. Budlong, Samuel Eaton, Homer Gillet, Elijah Higgins and Horace Vail—names all familiar later on, and the suggestion is from the fact that they seemed then unknown here that it must have been soon after their arrival in Cortland.
WAS ALSO PRESENT.
Mr. C. G. Maybury Remembers Christmas Illumination in 1842.
To the Editor of the STANDARD:
SIR—The writer was much interested in reading the account of the illumination and Christmas services held in the Universalist church in Cortland in December, 1842, as given in The STANDARD of Dec. 30 by Mrs. S. R. Carley of Marathon. The writer, though only 13 years old at that time, was also present, and remembers distinctly the circumstances as related by this lady. He remembers the surprise sprung upon the great crowd present—for the house was packed, galleries and all—the writer having a seat in the east gallery. He remembers the bride stepping up to the altar, dressed in white. The ceremony was performed by the father in a solemn and interesting manner. Our party drove to Cortland from Solon. But in one particular the writer would beg to differ from Mrs. Carley's account. She says it was on Saturday evening. Our remembrance is that it was on Christmas evening, Sunday. We went in a large sleigh, a full load of us, chaperoned by Earl Palmer, Esq. Mrs. Emily Palmer, his widow, is now living in the village of Moravia, N. Y.
C. G. MAYBURY, Winona, Minn., Jan, 4, 1899.
Death of Mrs. Russell.
Mrs. Sarah F. Russell died yesterday afternoon at the home of her son, Willlam A. Russell, 68 Maple-ave., at the age of 64 years and 5 days. Mrs. Russell had for the past sixteen months been a resident of Cortland, having come from Munnsville. She had for years been afflicted with a cancer which she bore with unusual patience. Her death was caused by an attack of the grip, which came upon her suddenly, less than a week ago, and which her constitution was too feeble to withstand. Besides the son with whom she lived, she leaves one other son, Mr. Charles T. Russell of Munnsville. She leaves one sister, Mrs. O. F. Temple of Manston, Wis. Funeral services will be held at 9 o'clock to-morrow morning, and the remains will be taken on the Lehigh Valley train at 10:43 to Munnsville for interment.
BREVITIES.
—Vesta lodge, I. O. O. F., will give another social hop to-morrow evening.
—Rev. Geo. S. Beckwith of Herkimer will occupy the pulpit of the First Baptist church Sunday morning and evening.
—New display advertisements to-day are—Stowell, Great Inventory Sale, page 7; F. E. Brogden, Cough Cordial, page 7; McGraw & Osgood, Full $3 Shoe Value, page 5.
—District Deputy A. D. Wallace last night installed the new officers of Pecos tribe, No. 357, Improved Order of Red Men. After the installation, refreshments were served and a social hour was passed in a pleasant manner.
—The new structures erected in Ithaca during the past year involved an expenditure of about $200,000. Local mechanics as a rule had a very good year of it, and the prospects for the ensuing year are said to be even better.—Ithacan.
—Mrs. B. P. Weatherwax this morning received a dispatch announcing the death to-day from pneumonia of her only sister's son, Mr. Willard Kilts, at his home in Little Falls. Mr. Kilts was about 35 years of age and leaves a wife but no children.
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