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| General Charles Patrick Eagan. |
The Cortland Democrat, Friday, February 3, 1899.
EAGAN'S FATE DECIDED.
His Trial Ended but the Conclusion Has Not Been Made Public.
WASHINGTON, Jun. 28.—The case of Commissary General Charles P. Eagan, charged with conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, and with conduct tending to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, is now in the hands of the court martial appointed to try him. The taking of testimony was closed and arguments of counsel submitted. The trial had lasted three days and consumed less than eight hours of actual sitting. A session behind closed doors of an hour or so sufficed for the court to reach a conclusion and embody it in a report. What the verdict was is altogether a mutter of speculation, and officially at least will not be made public by the trial board, military regulations requiring that its finding shall go through prescribed channels and be kept secret until action be had and promulgated by the proper reviewing authorities.
HEALTH IN NEW YORK.
Vital Statistics Prepared by the State Board of Health.
NEW YORK. Jan. 28.—The state board of health in its annual bulletin of vital statistics for the year 1898 shows that during the year 120,972 deaths [occurred], 3,894 more than in 1897 which was a year of unusually low mortality, and is about the average of seven preceding years.
The delayed returns, not reported in the bulletin, numbered 733, making the death rate per thousand population 18.10, the average of the past 10 years being 18.26. The death rate of the maritime district was 20.00, against 18.90 in 1897, there having been about 3,500 more deaths; of the other districts there is no material variance from the rate of last year. Last year the saving in mortality was in the metropolis.
The bulletin of the board for the month of December just issued says: "There was during December 350 deaths against 290 in November, and 295 in December, 1897. Grip became epidemic during the month and may be estimated to have caused 1,800, deaths, many deaths being reported from it directly, but most having increased above the normal [of] the mortalities mentioned."
REDUCING EXPENSES.
Unnecessary Employes Discharged from the State's Services.
ALBANY, Feb. 1.—Governor Roosevelt announced that State Superintendent of Public Works John N. Partridge has succeeded in so reducing the force of employes in the public works department that he would save $25,000.
In commenting on these changes Superintendent Partridge said: "I have found it absolutely necessary to reduce the working forces, both of the Albany office and of the division offices. There is nothing against any of these men so far as I know, and their removal does not carry with it any reflection as to their character or ability."
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| Judge Walter Lloyd Smith. |
COURT ADJOURNED.
JUDGE SMITH ILL—JUDGE LYON HEARD THE CONWAY CASE.
"No Cause of Action" in Conway vs. Cortland Village was a Long, Hard Legal Fight—Jury Out All Night.
The January term of Supreme court came to an abrupt end yesterday, the sudden illness of Judge Walter Lloyd Smith preventing the trial of many cases marked ready. When court adjourned last Friday afternoon the jury in the case of Anna E. Jones, which was on trial when the DEMOCRAT went to press last week, were deliberating, and Judge Smith ordered them to seal their verdict and appear in court Monday morning. The judge then went to his home in Elmira, and on Saturday he was taken ill. Judge George F. Lyon of Binghamton was informed of the situation by wire, and though he was holding court in that city, he discharged the jurors and came to Cortland Monday morning.
The jury in the case of Anna E. Jones against Henry Howes and others found a verdict for plaintiff in the sum of $900.
After the disposition of the indictments found by the grand jury, given below, the trial of the action brought by Mary Conway against the village of Cortland was begun. This case is familiar to readers of the DEMOCRAT, the plaintiff claiming damages for injuries alleged to have been received by a defective sidewalk on East Court-st.
The claim was for $5,000 and expert medical testimony was introduced on both sides. Drs S. J. Sornberger of Cortland and Adam Miller of Syracuse being called by plaintiff, and Drs. Dans, Higgins and Reese by the defense. The case was summed up by N. L. Miller and O. U. Kellogg just before noon on Wednesday and at 2 o'clock the jury received their charge from the court and retired. It is understood that the first ballot showed six for cause and six for no cause; at about midnight it shifted to nine for no cause and three for cause. As morning drew on the cause champions again dwindled and at 4 A. M. a ballot showed ten for no cause and two for cause. Thus it stood when breakfast was served and this settled matters, the next ballot showing all for no cause of action.
In the case of Nora C. Moore vs. Jane E. Moore, as executrix of the last will and testament of William Moore, deceased, jury was waived and the court rendered judgment in favor of plaintiff in the sum of $1,270.50. J. & T. E. Courtney for plaintiff. Kellogg & Van Hoesen for defendant.
They reported in court and were discharged and court was then adjourned.
Annual School Budget.
The [Cortland] board of education met Monday evening and made up the annual budget. The total amount is $1,060 in excess of last year, the increase being necessary by the demand for more room to accommodate the children in the district. The budget is as follows:
Teachers' and Superintendent's salaries, $8,700.00
Janitors' and truant officer's salaries, $1,400.00
Fuel, $1,000.00
Repairs and Improvements, $2,760.00
Supplies, $800.00
Library, $200.00
Total, $14,860.00
Education For Two Cubans.
ITHACA, N. Y., Jan. 26.—President T. F. Crane announced that at their last meeting the executive committee of the trustees of Cornell university, acting upon the suggestion of Major General Joseph Wheeler adopted the following: "Resolved, That free tuition be granted to two Cuban students for four years provided they be able to meet the university requirements for admission and upon the general plan outlined the Cuban Educational association of the United States."
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| Arthur Pue Gorman. |
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.
Senator Gorman has never posed as an alarmist, but he never fears to speak the truth because it may be alarming. Just before the Senate passed the regular pension appropriation bill, which carries $145,000,000, Mr. Gorman made a speech, calling attention to the fact that although it was estimated that the war with Spain would add 50,000 names to the pension roll, unless our troops were recalled from the tropics before the sickly season, no provision whatever had been made in the bill for the increase. Mr. Gorman concluded with this significant prediction: "Within three years from this date, the pension roll will amount to $165,000,000. If you add to that the cost of maintaining your army (one thousand dollars a man), the American republic will in the year 1900 expend more for its army and pensioners than any other nation on the face of the earth. That is a fact, which the American people will have to face, and they ought to know now, in advance, what is coming to them, if the schemes and projects which are being forced upon us are carried out."
Gen. Miles is still piling up evidence, official and unofficial, that the beef furnished our soldiers in Cuba and Porto Rico was unfit to eat. He has already about convinced everybody, except the members of the administration, and of the war investigating commission, that his charge was true, but they seem determined to stick to it that the beef was good.
Senator Butler, in presenting a resolution of the North Carolina legislature for the election or Senators by vote of the people, called attention to this being the twenty fourth legislature to adopt such a resolution, and said that a constitutional amendment ought to be at once adopted citing the several existing deadlocks and scandals in legislatures as an argument in its favor.
The courts have decided that Rockefeller must pay the tax in Westchester county which he has been fighting. Good for the courts. There is no reason why a multi-millionaire should be exempt from taxation when his poor neighbor has to rake and scrape to get enough money together to keep from having his place sold from under him.
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| Thomas C. Platt. |
Political Notes.
Nelson Dingley's death was the tenth in the present House of Representatives. Five senators have also died during the term of the present Congress.
Democracy has prevailed in Missouri for over a quarter of a century, and that's the reason Missouri's senatorial honors are not in the market for sale to the highest bidder.—St. Louis Republic.
Those Republican papers that are sneering at Senator Murphy because he doesn't make speeches are doubtless proud of the oratorical efforts of his Republican colleague.—Binghamton Leader.
Andrew Carnegie while in Washington last week, in an interview in the Washington Star, read the riot act to President McKinley and predicted that he would back down on his imperialistic policy in the Philippines.
If all the bribes alleged to have been given for votes for senatorial candidates within the past few days had been paid in checks the bank clearings of the country would be enormous. But bribery charges are not always true and those who give bribes usually manage to pay cash.—Rochester Union.
Gov. Roosevelt in his message promised every effort to reduce the expenses of the state government. Before the ink on the paper on which the message was printed is dry, the Governor permits a bill to be introduced into the Legislature increasing the salary of his private secretary from $4,000 to $6,000.
If President McKinley will make known to the American people the terms and object of the alleged secret understanding between his administration and the British government it will assist them materially in determining how far the work of annexing the United States to the British empire has already progressed.—Knight Watchman.
According to the New York Press, Thomas C. Platt has driven many thousands and tens of thousands of Republicans in New York away from their party. They would not come back to it even to vote for a man like Roosevelt so long as Mr. Platt was the head boss, the sole proprietor of the nominating machinery of the Republican party of New York. Mr. Platt has also driven into the Legislature of this state a considerable number of Republicans who, judging by the caucuses, will "stand without being tied."
As Admiral Dewey notes the malignant controversies between the various military and naval leaders who operated in the United States or West Indies during the war, he must realize the absolute truthfulness of the proverbial claim that in some cases "distance lends enchantment to the view.'' How differently the hero of Manila might have fared if he had been within telegraph range of Washington.—Troy Press.
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| William McKinley. |
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Our Regular Correspondent.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30.—Anti-imperialistic sentiment will have full swing in the Senate this week, as nearly every Senator who opposes and who has not already spoken against imperialism, has given notice of intention to speak. The treaty of peace will be voted upon Feb. 6th, and the chances favor its ratification, because nothing would be gained by rejecting it. A motion to reconsider would be made by one of its friends, and it would require a majority to table it. That majority its opponents have not. So, if it were rejected Feb. 6th, all Mr. McKinley would have to do would be to call an extra session of the Senate in March, when it would be promptly ratified.
Within the last week, Mr. McKinley has been personally, harshly criticized in both House and Senate, and in each body one of his critics was a Republican. In the House, Representatives Jerry Simpson, and Johnson of Indiana, jumped on him for bowing to public opinion, right or wrong; and in the Senate, Senators Gorman and Hoar gave him fits for declining to furnish the Senate with copies of the instructions given to the Peace Commissioners.
The attempt of the Republicans to get Democratic support for the Hull bill, which will be voted upon to-morrow, by amending it so as to make any increase of the regular army above 50,000, discretionary with the President, was not a success. It made no real change. The Democrats proved by their votes for the first war appropriation, that they were not afraid to trust the President, but that did not change the principle of the party against the concentration of authority in the hands of one man. Such concentration does no harm as long as the right man exercises the authority, but who can say when the wrong mm will come along? The change was not made for effect in the House, where partisanship will put the bill through, but in the Senate, where its fate will be very much in doubt, unless the support of Senators, who are now inclined to oppose it can be secured. The subterfuge was so palpable that Representative Loud of California, a Republican, made a hot speech against it, plainly telling his party associates that they could not hope to catch suckers with such a bare book.
Secretary Alger put another slight upon General Miles in connection with the finding of the Eagan court martial. The army regulations provide that the finding of a court martial shall be forwarded to the Secretary of War through the commanding general of the army, but Alger instructed the Judge Advocate to ignore Miles and hand the finding to him directly, and it was done. While nobody outside the Court and officials can swear what the verdict was, everybody is certain that it was guilty, and that the sentence was dismissal from the army. In handling this verdict, Mr. McKinley would better be careful or he will sign his own political death warrant; the people have decided that Eagan should be punished, and if Mr. McKinley exercises his authority to shield him, he will find that he may have the punishment to bear himself.
HERE AND THERE.
See Burgess' big adv. on page 8.
Old Homestead quartet in Normal hall next Thursday evening.
The Climax Road Machine company of Marathon during the month of January booked orders for $12,000 worth of goods.
The regular meeting of the hospital board for February will be held at the hospital on Monday next, Feb. 6, at 8 P. M.
The annual meeting of the Cortland Union Bee Keepers association will be held in Good Templars' hall, Saturday, Feb 11.
Joseph Jefferson's sons will appear at the opera house in the play of Rip Van Winkle, made famous by their father, on Feb 14.
The benefit dance in C. A. A. hall Tuesday evening given by the musicians and cigarmakers was a decided success. The music was fine and the attendance large.
Seems queer, but it is said to be true, that a mustard plaster on the elbow will cure neuralgia in the face, and one on the back of the neck will cure neuralgia in the head. The plaster in these places comes most nearly in contact with the aching nerve.
Mrs. Mary Powers passed away Sunday at the home of her son James Powers on River-st. at the advanced age of 85 years. The funeral was held Tuesday and the remains were taken to Dryden, her old home, for burial. Mr. Powers is doubly afflicted owing to the serious illness of his wife in addition to the death of his mother.
Cortland friends of Miss Margaret Cleary, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M. F. Cleary, have received cards announcing her coming marriage to Mr. Arthur Brinton Beerbower of Rochester, which will be solemnized at the residence of Bishop McQuaid in that city on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Miss Cleary has made Rochester her home for several years, and they will continue to reside there, being at home at No. 79 Frank-st. after March 1.
When the Standard Oil multi-millionaire John
D. Rockefeller, wishes a ham for his
own table he wires Mr. Chas. H. Bouton of Marathon, and the latter sends him by
express a ham of his own curing. Rockefeller orders but one at a time and the
telegraphing and express raise the cost considerable but, of course, he does
not mind that Mr. Bouton's hams are justly celebrated and he has a ready market
for all be can cure. They are of a uniformly excellent quality which is
enhanced by the cleanliness used in their preparation. So far this season Mr.
Bouton and an assistant have killed 200 hogs and his hams, pork and lard go to
the finest people in the country, all being sold direct.
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