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| Admiral George Dewey. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, November 4, 1899.
DEWEY'S VIEWS.
The Admiral Endorses Every Word of the Philippines' Report.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4.—With the submission of their preliminary reports to the president members feel at liberty for the first time since their arrival in the United States to freely discuss the subject of their investigations.
Admiral Dewey was seen just as he was leaving the White House.
"I wish you would say this for me," said the admiral, "that I endorse every word of the commission's admirable report. I can say this with perfect propriety for the reason that I did not write it. It was written by the literary members of the commission after full and free conference between us but on every conclusion reached we were unanimous. It is an absolutely truthful representation of all that has happened and of the existing situation.
"There has never been a moment since the first gun was fired that the United States could have withdrawn from the islands, and the reasons set forth in the report as to why permanent American control is essential are, in my opinion, unimpeachable. There is no other alternative. That the Tagalos are realizing it is shown by the rapid disintegration from Aguinaldo's ranks.
"The latest advices show a very decided improvement in the situation. I look for an early termination of the war. In fact, I firmly believe that the bottom has already dropped out of the insurrection."
Two Skirmishes in the Philippines.
MANILA, Nov. 4.—Chase's troops of the Third cavalry and River's troop of the Fourth cavalry swam the river and surrounded the garrison at Bongbong entering the town. The enemy escaped. Six rifles and a quantity of ammunition were captured. Castner's scouts had a skirmish with insurgents near Aliaga, killing five.
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
The County Ticket.
Rarely has a county ticket been placed in the field in this county where all the Republican candidates had such special and positive qualifications for the several offices for which they had been placed in nomination, as have the nominees this year. They have been attacked, as it might have been expected they would be and as Republican candidates always are, in the interest of their Democratic opponents; but no charges have been openly made, or made in any way in which they could be met, which ought to lead any Republicans to vote other than a straight party ticket. In fact the attacks which have been made on the Republican county ticket have been directed mainly at the Republican nominees for school commissioners because, as they divided the Republican vote of the county, there seemed a greater possibility of beating one or both of them than there would be if each had the entire Republican majority of the county at his back. But these assaults have only served to bring into clearer light the special qualifications for the office for which they are candidates which both Mr. Beardsley and Mr. Childs possess, and these gentlemen are stronger with the people to-day than they were when nominated. Cortland county Republicans should see that they give a good account of themselves on election day, and we doubt not that they will.
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| Elihu Root. |
PRIMARY ELECTION LAW.
THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION AT THE COMING ELECTION.
To be Submitted to the Voters of the Village of Cortland Whether They Will Come in Under the New Law.
An opinion of the attorney general recently received by County Clerk Bushnell, holds that the question of whether this village shall come under the new primary election law must be submitted to the electors of the village at the election next Tuesday, it having been understood previously that it would have to be submitted at the corporation election next spring. The opinion coming so late leaves little opportunity to place the merits of the law thoroughly before the people, though the STANDARD some time since published it in full. And in order that it may be again examined we republish it to-day. We also publish below the summary of the law which we published at the same time with the full text.
The law was prepared with great care and is believed to be as simple and inexpensive as it is possible to make it. The idea that any great expense, such as $1,000 or $1,500 a year, is involved in the operation of the law, we think will appear to any one who will carefully read it to be a most mistaken one. The public do not even pay for the tickets to be used at primary elections. The only expenses, as will be seen by examining the law, are the pay for services of inspectors of election on caucus and enrollment days, the extra registration books that will be needed, return, enrollment, and other blanks, the envelopes to enclose enrollment blanks, one publication of a short notice of primary election, the pay of the custodian of primary records—the county clerk—for the time given by him to the duties prescribed in the law, and the rent of rooms which the inspectors of election occupy on enrollment and caucus days. The booths used could be the same used at general elections. The expenses are to be paid in the same manner as expenses of general fall elections. Were the expenses ten times what they will be, it would be worth all the cost to secure pure, decent, orderly primary elections, where every citizen could vote at a convenient time, and have it assured that the votes would be fairly counted by sworn public officers, and the result honestly declared.
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 nomination 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 to-day. 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 their 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 proscribe 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 declarations 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 election, 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.
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.
Cortland Won.
Cortland Normal football team defeated the Mansfield, Pa., Normal team this afternoon 22 to 0.
A RARE TREAT.
Splendid Concert by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University.
The heavy downpour of rain that came last night for the two hours, or more before 8 o'clock interfered very materially with the size of the audience at the Congregational church assembled to hear the concert by the Jubilee singers from Fisk university. But those who were there were amply repaid for their efforts in going out.
The present company is one of the very best which this institution has sent out to represent it, and that is saying a great deal. There were voices among these singers that would be rare anywhere. The tenor of Mr. John W. Work was one of the sweetest, clearest, purest and most flexible and sympathetic ever heard in Cortland. And what can be said of Mr. Work's voice is almost equally true of Mr. Work's voice as an alto. The voices of the entire company blended remarkably well and their singing was finished and excellent. The nine people who compose the troop afford the possibility of a large variety. Aside from their chorus singing there was a male quartet and a ladies' quartet. One of the gems of the program was the Lullaby song by the male quartet. And then there was Mr. Work's solo, "A May Morning," and Mrs. Work's "Ora Pro Nobis," and the splendid bass solo, "Deep in the Mine," by Mr. Greenlaw, which he followed with the encore "The Armorer's Song" from "Robin Hood." These of course were among the more modern selections. The plantation melodies were rendered with a spirit and fervor that was inspiring. Among the best of them were "They Led My Lord Away," "Steal Away to Jesus," and, "Swing Low Sweet Chariot." It is to be regretted that a larger audience could not have been present, for this company is to be heartily commended as well as recommended.
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