OUR ARMY CRITICIZED, AND HAWKING MUST CEASE

 

Poultney Bigelow.

Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, June 13, 1899.

OUR ARMY CRITICISED.

Poultney Bigelow Read a Paper on "The Yankee Soldier."

   LONDON, June 13.—At the United States institution in the presence of a distinguished company, Poultney Bigelow read a paper on "The Yankee Soldier," a eulogy of the American regular troops and of the raw material volunteers, but was a severe condemnation of the "Political element," which he declared, "governed all appointments and contracts." He said that on his own personal knowledge, as a result of the lack of organization and supplies before the first transport left Tampa, the American army presented many features incident to a disastrous campaign. There was, Mr. Bigelow added, "a complete breakdown of all the machinery for providing soldiers with food and equipment, and the hotel was crowded with staff officers, who were as helpless in their new uniforms as clergymen in a conning tower."

   Mr. Bigelow further asserted that when he exposed the matter, there being still time to remedy it, he was met with a storm of indignant denials and some of the newspaper correspondents at Tampa raised the question whether he should be "strung up to a sour apple tree or generally disposed of as a harmless lunatic."

   "Since then," the speaker continued, "the commander-in-chief has given public testimony that several, if not all of the military departments were scandalously inefficient, that embalmed beef was served to the men," and he (the commander-in-chief) was practically drawing upon his imagination when he announced all things ready for the Cuban invasion."

   A general discussion followed, General Morris, commander of the Woolwich district, indorsing Mr. Bigelow's remarks as agreeing with his own information, while other speakers took other views of the matter.

   General Morris said: "We all feel as thoroughly patriotic as the American, Mr. Bigelow, has shown here today. But it is our duty to bring out the truth, so that wrong may be put right. West Point is the best military establishment in the world, but it is necessary for the health of any nation that lessons be relearned. The most loyal man is he who, like Mr. Bigelow, brings lessons home."

 

Rear Admiral William Sampson.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

Increase Navy, and Army.

   Rear Admiral Sampson contributes a paper to the last number of The Independent in which he urges the necessity of more ships for the United States navy. At least double the number that we have the rear admiral holds we should have. He means, doubtless, double the number in active service augmented by all that are building or authorized, and in that view is sustained by the judgment of men who take into consideration the sea exposure of the United States. "Whether or not we desire to have it so," says the rear [admiral], "the war has made a great change in our position among the nations. We have become an Asiatic power, and can not evade the responsibilities of such a position. We have great interests in the Pacific ocean, and must be prepared to cope with any who are disposed to deny us our rights there."

   This is the truth in a nutshell. Unwillingly, if you please, we have acquired Asiatic interests. We have islands in the Pacific and in the Atlantic, added to our great mileage of mainland coast, to protect which our navy is wholly inadequate against the aggressions of a first or second class naval power. We can not lay down our burden if we would. Our easy triumph over Spain is no criterion by which to estimate the outcome of a contest with France, or Germany, or Russia.

   Rear Admiral Sampson thinks our naval increase should be made by adding swift armored cruisers to our fleet, vessels of the New York type. He would have speed and coal capacity, even at the expense of thick armor. We know what uneasiness Cervera's squadron of armored cruisers caused along our exposed coast, and how land and naval operations were keyed to depend on its being cared for. Swift armored cruisers, of large coal capacity, are needed especially by a nation having distant and insular interests to protect.

   Admiral Sampson would increase the navy rather than the army. He does "not see the necessity of an army increase," an expression which in the opinion of the Utica Herald he might well have omitted. An adequate army as well as navy is needed. The navy did its work in the Philippines one morning before breakfast. It has been unemployed there ever since, while the army's work is yet to be finished. The navy could blockade and destroy Cervera's squadron; it was for the army to invest Santiago and compel the surrender of a department of the enemy. We do not need a standing army of the European size; nor do we need a navy the equal in guns and men of England. But we need an army equal to every demand of peace, ready to strike quickly in case of war and sufficient to maintain every vantage gained while volunteers are forming to sustain and carry on the contest.

   The United States is a great nation and must be equipped adequately to keep its place, and to ensure other nations keeping theirs.

   ◘ Captain Barker announces the death of Captain Henry E. Nichols, in command of the monitor Monadnock, at Manila, of sunstroke. Captain Nichols was a native of Chenango county, this state. He was born in Greene in February, 1843, and was graduated from the United States naval academy in I866. His rise in rank was through service on the home, South Atlantic, European and Pacific stations. He reached the rank of captain last March, and in command of the Monadnock had been actively engaged in operations on the coast of Luzon. His body will be brought to the United States.

 

S. N. Holden.

HAWKING MUST CEASE.

SO DECLARES THE BOARD OF VILLAGE TRUSTEES.

Farm Produce in General May be Sold on the Streets After July 1, but Only Cortland County Farmers Will be Allowed to Retail Fruit from House to House—But Village President Can Nullify Whole Thing at His Will.

   The board of village trustees at the regular meeting last evening did one important stroke of business in relation to the selling of goods at retail upon the streets of the village.

   In the early part of the session, a number of new sidewalks were ordered laid, and Chief Barber of the fire department was directed to purchase six smoke protectors at $4.50 each for the use of the fire department. A stone crosswalk was ordered laid on Argyle Place and Trustee Thompson was appointed a committee to confer with R. Bruce Smith relative to the placing on grade of the walk on the north side of Argyle Place opposite Mr. Smith's premises. The tree standing in front of C. F. Brown's drug store was ordered removed, as was that opposite the vacant lot of B. E. Miller near the store of Warren, Tanner & Co. It is the intention of the board to order the removal of trees from in front of all business places on Main-st. so that walks can be extended to the curb as directed some time ago.

   A petition was filed by C W. Stoker, asking the passage of an ordinance "prohibiting or restricting the hawking of goods, merchandise or produce of any kind upon the streets, sidewalks or public grounds."

   It bore the following signatures: C. W. Stoker, Price & Co., H. E. Andrews, H. M. Hopkins, Palace Confectionary Co., Chas. Baldwin, Clark & Angel, Palmer & Co., J. W. Brown, D. J. Latimer, Meacham & Masters, F. Schellinger. E. F. Cotton, A. B. Frasier, Mott & Champlin, Harris & Moore, G. F. Beaudry, L. D. Garrison, F. H. Cobb & Co., C. F. Thompson, Hollister Bros., H. B. Hubbard, W. H. Angell.

   Accompanying the request was a formal ordinance which it was desired should be enacted. Trustee Wood moved the adoption of the resolution, and Trustee Thompson seconded it. Upon an aye and nay vote, Trustees Thompson and Wood voted aye and Trustees White and Sprague nay. President Holden voted aye and declared the resolution adopted. The ordinance is as follows:

   Section 1—It is hereby ordained and enacted that all persons are prohibited from hawking goods, wares, merchandise, fruits, meats, vegetables or property of any kind upon the streets, sidewalks or public grounds of the village of Cortland without having first obtained a license therefor, except farm produce offered for sale by persons raising the same, or fruit grown in the county of Cortland, and except also sales made under any judgment, execution or authority conferred by statute or in satisfaction of specific liens.

   Section 2—It is hereby ordained and enacted that licenses authorizing a person, firm or corporation to hawk and sell goods, wares, merchandise, fruit, meats, vegetables and property of any kind upon the streets, sidewalks or public grounds of the village of Cortland, may be granted by the president of the village of Cortland if in his judgment the interests of the inhabitants of said village will be promoted thereby, upon payment of a license fee to be fixed by the president of said village at not less than $1, nor more than $25 per month, to be paid by such person, firm, or  corporation, except that licenses for the sale of goods advertised as bankrupt stock, or as assigned stock or as goods damaged by fire, etc., shall not be granted except upon payment of a license fee of not less than $100 per month.

   Section 3—It is hereby declared that any violation of these ordinances or bylaws shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment of not more than ten days or by a fine of not more than $10, and that any person who shall hawk any goods, wares or merchandise, fruits, meats, vegetables or property of any kind upon the streets of the village of Cortland in violation of these ordinances or bylaws without first having obtained a license therefor, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than ten days or by a fine of not more than $10.

   Section 4—These ordinances shall take effect on the first day of July, 1899.

 

For Tax Stamps.

   Jacob H. Weber, deputy collector, internal revenue, twenty-first district, N. Y., will be at the Cortland House, Cortland, N. Y., Friday and Saturday, June 23 and 24, 1899. All persons desiring to make application for special government tax stamps are requested to call at said hotel on the above date. This is of importance to all liquor dealers, proprietors of pool and billiard tables and bowling alleys, bankers, brokers, cigar and tobacco manufacturers, public exhibitors, concert halls, etc.

 

Charles Holland Duell.

COMMISSIONER DUELL.

Bringing Work Up to Date—Statistics of Patent Office.

   The New York Tribune says of the United States commissioner of patents, Hon. Charles H. Duell, formerly of Cortland:

   The commissioner of patents has done more than he promised to do when he asked congress to increase his force, and the patent office has never been in a more gratifying condition than at present. For years the work in the different divisions was so far behind it seemed impossible that it could ever be brought up to date. A year ago some of the departments were nine months in arrears, and none of them were less than two, and the cases awaiting action were 13,764. Mr. Duell has caused the work to be brought as nearly up to date as practicable and the number of cases awaiting action is only 5,723.

   A sign of prosperity is noted in the growth of business in the patent office, the receipts of which for the month of May were $116,386.87, as against $88,588.41 for the same month last year, an increase of 30 per cent, while applications for trademarks, labels and prints show a large increase. The number of patents issued for last month, including designs and reissues, was 2,546, the number for May, 1898, being only 2,089.

 

The Oak Scale.

   Mr. M. F. Cleary, who a few days ago wrote to the agricultural department at Washington in reference to the oak scale he found some time ago, mention of which has been made in The STANDARD, has received the following communication from L. O. Howard, the department entomologist.

   MY DEAR SIR—I have your letter of recent date, stating, in answer to mine concerning the original home of the specimens of asterolecanium quercicola which you sent to Dr. Felt of Albany, that they were taken by you at Cortland, N. Y. Your letter interests me very much, particularly what you have to say regarding the method of treatment and the desirability of close pruning. I fear, however, that there must be some mistake about the occurrence of this particular scale upon Prunns triloba or P. pisardii. It has never been reported upon either of these trees, and, so far as I know, is confined to the different species of Quercus.

 

BREVITIES.

   —A hurdy gurdy has proved an attraction on the streets to-day for all the boys and girls.

   —An adjourned meeting of the board of directors of the Y. M. C. A. will be held in the association rooms this evening at 8 o'clock.

   —New display advertisements to-day are—Gladding & Brown, Laundrying, page 6; McCarthy & Sons, Great half price sale of fine dress fabrics, page 8; Watts, Optician, page 4.

   —There will be a reception to-morrow evening at the parlors of the First Baptist church for the new pastor, Rev. W. J. Howell, and a cordial invitation is extended to all to come and meet him there.

   —A regular meeting of Pecos tribe, No. 357, I. O. R. M., will be held Thursday evening of this week. Nominations of officers will be made, and the meeting will be followed by a meeting of Victor hayloft, No. 337 1/2.