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| Jacob Gould Schurman. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, January 21, 1899.
MAY PREVENT A WAR.
Commission to Be Sent to the Philippine Islands.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21.—Two members of the Philippine commission, President Schurman of Cornell and Professor Worcester, Ann Arbor university, will leave Vancouver, B. C., Jan. 30 for Manila. They will be followed about a fortnight later by Colonel Denby, the remaining civilian member who is still sitting as a member of the war investigating commission. At Manila the three civilian members will be joined by Admiral Dewey and Major General Otis who will complete the commission.
Both President Schurman and Professor Worcester have had their final interviews with the president and have received their instructions, which shall govern them in making their investigations and report as to the policy to be pursued by this government toward the islands. It will be in the early days of March before a majority of the members are ready to begin their work which the president expects will consume several months.
Each commissioner will have assigned to him a clerk especially selected by him whom he deems best fitted to assist in the branch of the work undertaken.
Mr. Schurman has selected for his assistant F. E. Gannett, a student in the graduate department of Cornell, who has made a specialty of the study of political science.
Professor Worcester has left the city for Ann Arbor where he will select some one and Colonel Denby's son will accompany him.
Major Sawyer of the army will be designated as disbursing officer and the offices of secretary, recorder and assistant secretary will be filled when the commission assembles at Manila. Two stenographers also will be taken.
Prominent Citizen Passes Away.
SYRACUSE, Jan. 21.—George Penn, proprietor of the Penn Spring works of Baldwinsville, died at his home in this city. He was 57 years old. He was for a number of years a member of the Penn & Lee Manufacturing company of this city. Mr. Penn had been in business in Bridgeport, Conn., Gananoque, Ont., Watertown, Syracuse and Baldwinsville. He was the Democratic candidate for mayor of Syracuse in 1892.
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| James Arthur Roberts. |
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
State Expenditures.
One of the most interesting features of the last report of Comptroller Roberts is the startling increase in the expenditures of the national and state governments. He shows that from 1820 to 1830, the expenditures of the national government were only $1.07 per capita. In the decade from 1851 to 1861, they were $2.06 per capita. In 1894, they had increased to $6.48. In other words the per capita expenditures were six times greater than they were in 1820 and three times greater than during the decade previous to the civil war. In 1850, the population of New York state was 3,097,394, and the expenditures, $4,033,590.80, or $1.30 per capita. In 1890, the population was 5,997,853, and the expenditures were $12,900,755.36 or $1.15 per capita. The estimated per capita expenditures in 1897 "reached the alarming amount of $4.495." The comptroller thinks that these figures are worthy of the most careful consideration. "There are nations in Europe," he says, "once great, and prosperous, which to-day seem dying of dry-rot, because to meet their immense expenses and to pay interest on their great bonded debts, taxation has been increased beyond the safe limit, and the very sources of national prosperity have been so taxed that they run dry, or send down a rill where it should be a river." He does not think that we have yet reached this danger point; but he appears to be quite confident that if the increase of expenditures continues in the future as it has in the past, the time is certain to come when the same condition of affairs will exist in this country that exists in the European countries that he has in mind. A warning of this kind ought to be heeded.
SOCIALIST MAYOR'S PLANS.
Haverhill's New Executive Recommends Measures for Workingmen.
Mayor John C. Chase of Haverhill, Mass., in his inaugural speech the other day gave assurance that he would use the limited power of his office in the defense and support of the principles of socialism in so far as they may be applied to a municipality. With this aim he made these three specific recommendations:
First.—The passage of an order establishing the minimum wage for street employees at $2 for eight hours' work.
Second.—Union wages and conditions to prevail in all brick and stone masons' work performed under the direction of the street department.
Third.—All city printing to bear the union label.
In order to relieve the unemployed, he recommended:
First.—That a suitable tract of land be secured for the raising of food products and that such of the unemployed as desire be permitted to use said land, the city to furnish proper seeds and tools.
Second.—The enlargement of the fuel yard at the city farm to such proportions as will permit all who desire to earn by their labor such fuel as they may require.
Third.—The appropriation of such an amount of money as circumstances may warrant to be used in providing employment directly upon public works, not in competition with the regular employees of the city, but upon special works, two kinds of which he suggests: First, improvement of the park system, and second, construction of a system of bicycle paths through all principal thoroughfares.—New York Sun.
AT THE TIOUGHNIOGA CLUB.
Last Evening's Progressive Whist a Social and Financial Success.
The progressive whist reception at the Tioughnioga club rooms last evening for the benefit of the Cortland hospital was one of the pleasantest and most successful of the club's social efforts. Twenty-six whist tables were filled in the progressive play in the parlor and five tables occupied for miscellaneous games in the boardrooms while quite a number present did not participate in the playing.
After twelve hands had been played intermission was announced and two recitations were given by Mrs. Maud Carroll of Philadelphia, who had kindly granted the request of the managers. Bret Harte's "Archie Dean" and "Miss Edith Helps Things Along" were the selections, and they were admirably rendered. Mrs. Carroll, who is a sister-in-law of Mrs. F. P. Mooney of this village, has not only a well trained voice and marked ability as a recitationist, but is a very charming woman. After refreshments had been served, consisting of ice cream and cake, playing was resumed till nearly midnight.
Mrs. G. D. Jennings was awarded the ladies' prize, a beautiful sterling silver spoon, and Mr. Ira B. Dibble of The Kremlin [Hotel] received the gentleman's prize, a sterling silver paper knife. The receipts of the evening were $42.30.
The affair was such a marked success in every way, that the suggestion was made by more than one person present that an evening could well be occupied by the club in a similar manner every year, thus furnishing social enjoyment and substantially aiding a deserving charity.
At the Y. M. C. A.
Prof. D. L. Bardwell will address the men's meeting at the Y. M. C. A. Sunday afternoon at 4 o'clock. His subject will be "Making the Most of One's Self." This will be the last opportunity to hear the professor before he goes to Binghamton. The music will be of a high order, and will include an anthem by the male chorus of the Presbyterian church under the leadership of Mr. Faville, singing by a boys' choir, violin music by Messrs. Carpenter and Dunn. Mr. Doolittle will act as preceptor. All men invited.
The boys' choir will meet at 3:15 o'clock for practice.
Telephone Line to Harford.
Manager Nolan of the Empire State Telephone and Telegraph company said to a STANDARD man this morning that nearly enough money had been subscribed by people interested to extend the telephone line from Virgil to Harford. This will prove a great public convenience when completed, though actual construction has not yet been begun. Freetown and Willet are two other Cortland county towns that will soon have telephone connection with the outside world.
Polly McGraw Dickenson.
Mrs. Polly McGraw Dickinson died at 1 o'clock this afternoon at her home, 57 Greenbush-st., from cerebral hemorrhage, her immediate illness having existed for the last two weeks, though she had been in failing health for a number of years. Her husband, DeWitt C. Dickinson, died July 2, 1895. She is survived by one son, Attorney Henry A. Dickinson of Cortland. The funeral will be held Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock from the family home, and interment will be made in Cortland Rural cemetery.
BREVITIES.
—The funeral of Mrs. Jacob Maus Schermerhorn will be held at the family residence in Homer to-morrow, Sunday afternoon, at 2:30 o'clock.
—The subject of Dr. Houghton's discourse Sunday evening at the First Methodist church will be "Bishop Potter's Defense of the Saloons."
—About fifty friends and neighbors pleasantly surprised Mr. and Mrs. George F. Price by calling upon them at their home, 166 Homer-ave., last evening.
—Martin Gates, aged 80 years, died of pneumonia this morning at his home, 194 Railroad-st. The funeral will be held Tuesday at 1 o'clock P. M., and burial will be made in the Cortland Rural cemetery.
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| Richard Croker. |
TAMMANY'S WHOLESALE RAID.
Property Valuation Increased by Almost Half a Billion Dollars—The Tax Rate Sent Skyward, While Tammany Sits by and Appropriates the Cash in the Treasury to Increase the Salary for the Faithful. The Taxpayers Groan.
Tammany Hall is making the most audacious raid on the city treasury which has ever been seen on Manhattan Island. To make the necessary public improvements the assessed valuation for purposes of taxation was raised by the addition of $421,000,000. Then the tax rate was raised 59 points, so that the tax levy will be about $2.66 on each $100.
In the face of this Tammany is reaching into the city treasury, thus replenished, and drawing out large handfuls of the money. For what? To build schoolhouses? Certainly not.
To improve the transit facilities? Certainly not.
To build the great public library which the people have authorized? No; none of these.
While the taxpayers groan under sky-scraping valuations and the greatly increased rate the treasury has been levied on to raise the salaries of the Tammany officeholders. More than 1,000 have been presented with sums ranging from $100 to $1,000 since New Year's day. It is a wholesale job that Tammany is making of it. Those who have been faithful to Tammany in all the departments are coming in for the plums.
Mayor Van Wyck started it in his office by increasing salaries of his entire staff from $100 to $300 each. From there the thirst for "more" spread to all the departments. In some instances salaries have been raised secretly, the official publication required by law failing to show that any increase has been made.
Some of the increases for the faithful would be ridiculous if the wholesale raid were not so audacious and insolvent, a burden to the taxpayer. One expressman, who delivers packages from the office of the City Record, now receives $1,800 a year for driving his team. This is $300 a year more than the salary which the state pays an assemblyman or a senator.
The total increases in the mayor's office amounted to $1,500; in the department of corrections to $10,200; charities, $7,000; law, $5,000; board of estimate, $2,000, and miscellaneous, $5,000.
New lists are being made every day and it is the declared intention to distribute favors in all the city departments. The men who are the beneficiaries have the one essential qualification that they are good Tammany men. No pretense is made that they were underpaid. Nor have they been so long in their respective places that they can fairly be classed as experts. They came in with Mayor Van Wyck's administration one year ago and without exception were willing and eager to take the place at the salary then fixed. Nor is there any claim made that they were overworked. They keep the usual Tammany office hours.
The whole raid is simply Croker's method of "making himself solid" with his loyal subjects.
There is in it all an apparently studied attempt to give a Tammany slap to Governor Roosevelt. In his message to the legislature he spoke of the possible necessity of reducing salaries in some of the city departments. The very next day Mayor Van Wyck led off by raising the salaries of the six or seven men employed in his office.
The New York World, which supported Mr. Croker in his attempt to send the mayors brother to Albany in the recent campaign, is calling, in double headed editorials, upon Governor Roosevelt to come to the rescue of the city and if possible take some action which may lessen the burdens of taxation.
Increase in assessed valuations, $421,000,000.
Increase in tax rate, 59 points.
Tammany officials numbering thousands presented with fat checks at the city's expense.
What would have been the possibility of relief if the voters in the "up state" counties had not buried Mr. Croker's candidate last fall?
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