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| Maj. Gen. Elwell S. Otis. |
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| General Nelson Miles. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, September 8, 1899.
TO RECALL GEN. OTIS.
Much Pressure on the President and Secretary Root.
A DECISION NOT YET REACHED.
General Miles's Friends Urge That He Be Sent to Manila—The General Has Had Several Conferences With Secretary Root—Will Go If He Is Wanted.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8.—A great deal of pressure is being brought to bear on President McKinley and Secretary Root to recall Major General Otis from the Philippines, or at least to entrust him only with duties purely civil, placing some officer of known ability as a military commander in charge of military operations. Nothing has developed, however, to show that the administration is dissatisfied with the course of General Otis. Whatever those who criticize his ability as a military man have had to say in that respect, nearly all of them admit that he is one of the very best administrative officers of the army.
There is no reason to assume that Secretary Root has been impressed with the belief that General Otis should be superseded by another officer of high rank. On the contrary, it is asserted on good authority friendly to General Otis that the president and other officials of the administration have been more impressed than ever before with the course of General Otis in the Philippines since their recent careful examination of his record in the islands from the beginning of the outbreak against the authority of the United States.
It is unquestionably true, however, that there is an undercurrent of feeling in military circles against the continuance of General Otis as the commander of the army in the Philippines. That the president and the secretary of war have not been unmindful of this feeling appears to be equally true. One argument, the main one in fact that has been advanced by those who want to see General Otis relieved, is that the Filipino rebellion must be crushed before the end of the coming dry season. Men who are strong supporters of the expansion policy are maintaining that this should be done if the Philippines are to remain under American rule.
It is held that the government must not risk the chance of another long wait through a second rainy season with the insurrection still unsuppressed and that such risk will be taken if General Otis is kept at the head of the United States forces in the islands. The more conservative of these advisors of the administration contend that General Otis must be sacrificed, even if the president and the secretary of war have confidence in his ability as a military commander, because he failed to put down the insurrection in the few months of the dry season that remained after the outbreak on Feb. 4.
To just what extent these criticisms of General Otis are being put forward for the benefit of other officers of high rank in the army, is not ascertainable. The friends of General Miles are urging that he be sent to the Philippines to take supreme command of military operations. One of the arguments in support of this is that the change of command could be made without reflection on General Otis, as it would be eminently proper to send the major general commanding the army to assume charge of operations in which the bulk of the military force of the United States is engaged.
General Miles's friends say that he would like to go to Manila. He has had several conferences with Secretary Root recently, and it is supposed that these relate to the situation in the Philippines. Neither Mr. Root nor General Miles will discuss the situation with newspaper reporters, and decline to give any information about their conferences. General Miles had two talks with Secretary Root, the second after Mr. Root returned from the White House, where he was engaged with President McKinley for some time.
General Miles, when seen by a reporter, declined to discuss the question of his going to the Philippines to direct military operations against the insurgents. It is known, however, that he would be more than pleased should the president assign him to such duty. General Miles did not deny that it was his wish to be sent to Manila, and when asked by the reporter: "General, do you desire to go to the Philippines?"
He replied: "If it is agreeable to the president, I should be glad to go. It is a soldier's duty to obey any command cheerfully, and I am ready to comply with any order that may come to me."
"Have you requested to be sent to the Philippines?"
"No. It is not an officer's place to request any assignment, but to obey whatever orders come to him."
War Against the Jews.
ST. PETERSBURG, Sept. 8.—The government officials of the province of Kieff recently ordered the closing of 30 synagogues and schools at Birditcheff, which is the center of the Jewish population of the southwest provinces. Many Jewish candidates have been refused admission to the Warsaw polytechnic.
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
Wireless Telegraphy In War.
According to Washington advices, the United States signal service is about to try the experiment of putting the Marconi system of wireless telegraphy into use in the Philippines. Captain Grant Squires, who has recently been in Europe studying the system, is to be sent by General Greely to Luzon, where he will try to establish continuous communication between the main body of the army and the detached brigades that are doing the fighting in the jungles at the front.
Captain Squires has great faith in the success of the experiments, and if he succeeds he will have the honor of revolutionizing the methods of field communication in the armies of the world. The successful operation of wireless telegraphy in military campaigns would be quite as important as the discovery of a new engine of war. In advancing into the enemy's country there would no longer be need of communicating with the base by the slow method of messengers or of waiting to string a telephone or telegraph wire and incur the constant danger of having it cut. Troops could then make a reconnaissance with perfect freedom, communicating through the air with the nearest station whenever they stop.
The world, or at least that part of it which is interested in military matters, will watch with keen interest Captain Squires' operations in Luzon.
THEY WORE PLAID SHIRTS
And They Looked Pretty Fine at That First Ball
A STANDARD man stepped down Tompkins-st. this morning to return that invitation to the first annual ball of Water Witch Engine and Hose Co. in 1855, which Mr. Glen Cuyler had kindly loaned to him and which was mentioned in these columns yesterday. He found Mr. Cuyler and Mr. H. R. Rouse who are the two sole survivors of all the officers of both companies mentioned yesterday as being printed on that invitation. And they were then talking over that ball and the early days of the fire department.
Do you remember, said Mr. Cuyler, that our first uniforms included Scotch plaid shirts and how fine they looked at that ball?
Yes, rejoined Mr. Rouse, and do you remember how we passed the word around in advance among all the girls and asked them to wear Scotch plaid that night as far as possible, and do you remember what Gersh Bradford said about that same ball afterwards? He said he bought a brand new Scotch plaid dress for his sister and paid $14 for it and she had it made up for that special occasion. But Gersh said she got a lot of good wear out of that dress afterward, and it was really worth all he paid for it even if it was bought for just one time.
Do you remember where our first fire was, asked Mr. Cuyler. Mr. Rouse recalled it well, but for The STANDARD man's benefit they told about it. When the preliminary arrangements were in progress for forming the company James Freeman, who lived on the northwest corner of Railroad and Greenbush-sts., opposed it by every means in his power. He said the village had no use for a fire company; it would be simply a sort of social club and the boys were frisky enough anyway. But they formed the company and got their apparatus, and the very first fire they were called out to was in Mr. Freeman's house. It would all have burned down had it not been for the fire company. As it was, the roof was pretty thoroughly destroyed but the house was rebuilt and is now standing on the same corner. After that Mr. Freeman was one of the most ardent supporters of the company.
And then they told of the celebration the company had on the 8th of January one year in commemoration of the battle of New Orleans in 1815, and how H. G. Crouch, now of the Kingston Argus, got up a fancy invitation and program for it with a genuine lace border. They remembered that invitation well for it was different from any ever seen before at that time. Mr. Rouse lamented that all his souvenirs prior to 1859 were burned up in the destruction of his old home in South Cortland in that year, and he hadn't one of them left. And when The STANDARD man bade them good morning these two fast friends of long years' standing were still out there by the curb talking over the old days and discussing this one and that one of their one time associates whose faces they now see no more.
HARVEY-ALLSOPP.
A Pretty Home Wedding on Sands-st. at 8 o'clock.
A pretty and pleasant home wedding occurred at 8 o'clock last evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Allsopp, 5 Sands-st., when before a number of invited guests their daughter, Miss Lucy Allsopp, became the wife of Mr. James Harvey. The wedding ceremony was performed by Rev. Amos Watkins, rector of Grace Episcopal church, and the wedding march was played by Miss Bessie O'Connor. Mr. and Mrs. George F. Richards were best man and bridesmaid respectively.
A wedding supper followed and the guests enjoyed themselves in dancing. The large variety and number of costly presents evidenced the high esteem held for the bride and groom by their friends. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey will spend their honeymoon in New York City.
The guests at the wedding were Mrs. N. H. Gillette and two sons, Mr. and Mrs. James Summers, the Misses Summers, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Swan, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Shirley, Mrs. Lavelle, John Lavelle, Miss Bessie O'Connor, Miss O'Connor, John McDermott, Mr.and Mrs. Joseph Wright, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Bunney, Mr. and Mrs. Hammond, Miss Anthony, Mr. Seamans, Miss Etta Williams, Mrs. Dougherty, Miss Dougherty, Mr. and Mrs. George F. Richards, Miss Mabel Richards, and Miss Plummer of New York City.
THE PRIMARY ELECTION LAW.
The Village Board Petitioned to Submit It to the People.
As noted in another column, a petition signed by nearly 300 electors of this village was last evening presented to the village board, requesting them to submit to the voters of the village at the election in November next, the question as to whether the primary election or caucus law, now applicable to cities of the first and second class, shall be extended to this village. The petition is signed by more than 10 per cent of the electors of the village, and the law is imperative on the board, when such a petition is presented, to submit the question to a vote at the |next general election. We publish the proposed law in full in another part of the paper, and we earnestly request every citizen, to whatever party he may belong, who favors fairness in political caucuses and conventions to give it careful study. The leading features of the law are as follows:
When a voter registers for election he must, if he wishes to vote at any caucus preparatory to nominations for candidates to be voted for at general elections, or to choosing delegates to presidential conventions, enroll himself with the party he favors by signing an enrollment blank, copy of which will be found in the first column of the law as published in The STANDARD today. This enrollment is secret, the blank as filled out being enclosed by the voter in a sealed envelope and deposited in an enrollment box, which is delivered by the inspectors of election after registration days to the custodian of primary records, who is the officer or board whose duty it is, under the general election law, to provide the official ballots now used at the November election.
This officer prepares the rolls of caucus voters of the several parties from the blanks in the enrollment envelopes. Only enrolled voters can vote at their party caucuses. The rolls are kept secret till they are produced at the caucuses. Provision is also made for special enrollment days for voters who did not enroll at registration.
The regularly elected inspectors of election, who serve on general election day, also serve on caucus or primary day—the seventh Tuesday before election. Caucuses of all parties preparatory to fall elections are held on the same day, and the polls kept open from 2 to 9 o'clock P. M. The inspectors of election of the party casting the highest number of votes in the district preside at the caucus of their party. The inspectors of election of the party casting the next highest number of votes receive and canvass the caucus votes of all other parties.
All primary elections not official must be held open not less than four hours, commencing not earlier than 3 o'clock P. M. and ending not later than 10. The custodian of primary records is to prescribe the size, color, weight and texture of paper to be used in caucus ballots and furnish it at cost to all committees or electors applying for it. The voting at caucuses is as secret and as carefully guarded and the results as officially declared as at election, and voters may be challenged as to their right to vote.
The law also provides for the fair and orderly organization of conventions and declaration of results, and for the just settlement of contests and the review by courts and judges of any illegal proceedings. No party which at the last preceding election for governor cast less than 3 per centum of the entire vote cast for governor in the state is subject to the provisions of the law, unless its members so elect.
The minor features of the law may be seen by reading the full text.
This law is the first thorough and earnest attempt which has been made in this state to raise our primaries to the same plane of dignity, regularity and importance with general elections, where they rightly belong, and to give every member of a political party a full and fair opportunity to cast his vote at caucuses secretly and without interference, have that vote honestly counted by sworn public officers, and the result of the caucus truthfully declared.
On the committee which prepared the law were Hon. Elihu Root of New York city, the present secretary of war, Hon. W. H. Hotchkiss of Buffalo, and Prosper Cravath of New York city, and It was agreed to by the Republican organization of the last named city.
The Republican county committee of this county instructed its secretary last year to confer with the Democratic county committee and see if the law could not be made applicable to this village by agreement of the two committees, this being one of the methods provided by the law, but nothing appears to have been done. The law, however, is neither partisan nor factional, and addresses itself to the favor of fair-minded and public-spirited members of all parties. It enables every one to attend the caucus of his party without inconvenience, and have his vote count just what it is entitled to in the final result.
There has been loud complaint from members of both of the two leading political parties of this village of irregularities and unfairness in the conduct of caucuses and conventions. This law would make anything of the kind next to impossible, and its submission to popular vote next November will enable members of all parties, if they so desire, to secure its advantages, which certainly are many.
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| Cortland Opera House. |
Mason Mitchell To-night.
Mason Mitchell gives a stereopticon lecture at the Opera House to-night on "Campaigning in Cuba." The New York Journal says of the same lecture in that city:
Garbed in his battle scarred uniform, Mason Mitchell, who joined the rough riders and was wounded at San Juan, reappeared on the stage of Proctor's 23rd-st. threatre yesterday. He gave a graphic, illustrated recital of the battles he witnessed and took part in down in Cuba. His narrative of the desperate charges at San Juan and El Caney, and the gallantry of the rough riders, evoked great cheers, and his description of the death of Hamilton Fish, Jr., brought forth many tears. Mitchell carried his audience up the shell-swept slope of San Juan hill, and through the shambles of Las Quasimas, showing them the awful scenes of carnage and havoc wrought at those places. Mr. Mitchell very commendably avoided all efforts at theatrical effect, telling his story in a simple, straightforward manner, and he will undoubtedly prove a big drawing card at Proctor's.
The speaker will be introduced to-night by County Judge J. E. Eggleston. Tickets 25, 35 and 50 cents.
BREVITIES.
—New display advertisements to-day are—Monarch Fire Appliance Co., "Kilfyre", page 7; F. Daehler, Clothing, page 6.
—Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Eastman entertained about twenty invited guests at their home last evening in honor of their guest, Miss Maud Howland of Auburn.
—A joint meeting of the board of managers and the advisory board of the hospital will be held in the parlor of the Savings bank Saturday, Sept.9, at 4 P. M.
—Prof. Vernon P. Squires will address the Baraca Bible class of the First Baptist church Sunday, Sept. 10, Subject, "The Use and Abuse of the Higher Critics." All men not members of other Bible classes are cordially invited to attend from 12 to 1 P. M.
—Every public-spirited voter should read and preserve the text of the new primary election law, which is to be submitted to the electors of this village for their adoption or rejection on next election day, Nov. 7. It will be found on our third and seventh pages.
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