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| Terence V. Powderly. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, October 27, 1899.
POWDERLY'S REPORT.
Doings of the Immigration Bureau the Past Year.
AN INCREASE IN IMMIGRATION.
During the Past Year 311,715 Foreigners Were Admitted to the United States. Where Most of Them Came From—A Few Were Barred Out.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27.—In his annual report to the secretary of the treasury, Commissioner General Powderly of the immigration bureau, gives the total arrivals for the year ended June 30, 1899, as 311,715, an increase over the next preceding year of 82,416 or 36 per cent.
The opinion is expressed that at least 25,000 persons were not listed in this number through a defect in the law, as well as an indeterminate number from Canada and Mexico who are not, under existing regulations, accounted for. The increase over the figures for last year is represented largely by immigration from Europe, specifically from Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia and Finland, which show gains respectfully of 18,806, 22,694 and 31,154.
Of the total arrivals Europe supplied 297,349, Asia 8,972, Africa 51 and all other countries 5,343. The distribution as to sex was 195,277 males and 116,438 females; as to age, 43,983 were under 14; 248,187 from 14 to 45, and 19,545 of 45 years or older. As to illiteracy, 60,446 could neither read nor write, and 1,022 could read but were unable to write.
As to amount of money brought, 39,071 had each $30 or over, and 174,613 had each less than $30. The total amount of money exhibited to officers was $5,414,462.
There were returned to their own countries within one year after arrival 263.
In addition to 796 paupers and 303 alien contract laborers debarred on the Canadian and Mexican borders, there were refused admission one idiot, 19 insane persons, 2,599 paupers or persons likely to become public charges, 348 diseased persons, eight convicts, 82 assisted immigrants and 741 contract laborers, making a total of 3,798.
The number of contract laborers debarred last year exceeded the number for the next preceding year by 77 per cent. Legislation is recommended to enable the commissioner general to have investigations made at the centers of labor in this country to which contract laborers are destined.
The recommendation of last year is repeated as to the necessity for transferring the immigration stations at Canadian ports to certain designated points on our northern boundary, which shall be the only ports of entry for aliens coming through the Dominion. This recommendation is sustained, it is said, by figures showing that the immigration through Canada has largely increased, and that the care exercised by the immigration officials at the American ports is merely diverting the tide of immigration through a channel offering little obstruction.
It is also recommended that information be collected showing the number of aliens annually leaving for foreign countries; also that the authority of the bureau be extended so as to include the subject of naturalization to such extent as may be necessary to prevent fraud.
The cost of enforcing the alien contract labor laws during the year was $87,725, and of the immigration laws, $288,002.
UNCLE SAM'S FARM.
Annual Report of the General Land Office In Washington.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27.—The annual report of Commissioner Hermann of the general land office shows a grand total of 929,308,068 acres of unappropriated and unreserved public lands in the United States.
The disposals of public lands during the fiscal year show an increase of 728,516 acres, as compared with the aggregate of the previous year.
The total receipts increased $792,144 over last year.
Original homestead entries showed a decrease of 28,970 in area involved and final entries, an increase of 39,132 in area.
There were 150,541 acres certified or patented as swamp lands during the year, an increase of almost 70,000 acres.
Indian and miscellaneous land patents issued aggregated 212,848 acres and 420,760 acres selected by the various states and territories which approved and certified for educational and other purposes.
Under the several railroad grants made by congress there were certified and patented last year 504,651 acres of land, together with 60,392 acres for wagon road construction.
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
How oddly civilization works her votaries at times is illustrated in the history of the Osage Indians. The Osage Nation is reputed the richest per capita in the world, they having 900 acres of government land for every man, woman and child and receiving besides $50 every three months. They recently had handsome houses built by speculative traders, though after a short trial of them they moved back into their tepees and left their fine houses vacant. There are 250 families, and they owe the traders $400,000, and now more than two-thirds of them are going into bankruptcy to shirk their debts, for their land cannot be taken from them and their quarterly stipend will continue to come. If only the Indian traders themselves enjoyed better reputations for honesty, no doubt the country would heartily sympathize with them for being done out of their money by these savages, who have learned the tricks of the whites. As the Indians did to the whites just about what the Indians had been led to believe from past experiences the whites would have done to them, these promoters of civilization will receive very little pity on account of their losses.
THE BENHAM CASE.
Court of Appeals Will Not Fix the Week for the Execution.
ALBANY, Oct. 27.—Contrary to the expectation the court of appeals will not fix the week during which the execution of Howard C. Benham, the condemned Batavia wife murderer, shall take place at Auburn prison. Clerk Shankland of the court of appeals, whose duty it is to fill out the court's mandate and transmit it to the warden of the prison, has discovered that Benham's case does not come under the provisions of Chapter 427 of the Laws of 1897, which permits the highest court to fix the date of execution, as he was indicted March 14, 1897, just two months prior to the present law taking effect which was signed by the governor on May 11, 1897.
Section 543 of the criminal code as amended reads: "Upon hearing the appeal the court of appeals may, in cases where an erroneous judgment has been entered upon a lawful verdict, or finding of fact, correct the judgment to conform to the judgment or finding; in all other cases they must either reverse or affirm the judgment appealed from, and in cases of reversal may, if necessary or proper order a new trial. If the judgment of death is affirmed, the court of appeals by an order under its seal signed by a majority of the judges, shall fix the week during which the original sentence of death shall be executed and such order shall be sufficient authority to the agent and warden of any state prison for the execution of the prisoner at the time therein specified, and the agent and warden must execute the judgment according."
The provisions of this act, however, do not apply to criminal actions begun prior to this act taking effect and Benham's case is included in this category.
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| A. E. Winship. |
AN INSPIRING LECTURE
A. E. Winship on "Capacity, Training and Character."
A large audience in Normal hall last evening listened with deep interest and keen appreciation to one of the most helpful, thought provoking and inspiring lectures heard in Cortland in a long time. The speaker was Dr. A. E. Winship of Boston, editor of the New England Journal of Education, and his subject was "Capacity, Training and Character." The purpose of the lecture was to arouse in the minds of all young people a profound realization of the possibilities that are latent in each one; to quicken and train these capabilities into the largest degree of usefulness for life, not only for their own sake, but for all the generations that are to follow; and to build up and sustain a lofty ideal of character. He recalled the fact by way of introduction that while the Spartans were willing to deliver over to their Macedonian conquerors as a tribute one hundred of their best men and warriors they utterly refused to give to them fifty boys. They knew all about the men, they said, who had reached the maximum of their power and might, but the possibilities that might still be concealed within the boys were something so wonderful and perhaps so far reaching that before they would think of surrendering one of the boys they would buckle on their armor once more and would renew the conflict and fight on till the last man had fallen.
He referred at length to a family of degenerates in this state known as the Jukes, which has become celebrated in prison statistics, the records of which family traced through 200 years show over 1,200 descendents, nearly all of whom were criminals, imbeciles, insane, paupers and worthless people in general with only one man among them of any financial worth and he merely owning the house he lived in, and contrasted the family with the descendants of Jonathon Edwards on the other hand. The records of the Edwards family Dr. Winship had himself traced through over 150 years, and among the over 1,500 descendants he found not a pauper, not an imbecile, only one insane and only six upon whom there might be the first cloud in the criminal line. He noted the character of the criminality—one man having been arrested for peddling free on the streets of Paris extracts from the Bible. The other five had committed offenses of like character and degree with the sole exception of Aaron Burr, and that celebrated personage was never convicted in any court of any crime. He called attention to the vast intellectual force impressed on this family in the beginning by both Mr. and Mrs. Edwards. Descendants of the family have led in education, in the ministry, in law, in medicine, in military and naval circles and in industrial lines. Two hundred sixty-five have been college graduates, thirteen college presidents—Woolsey and the two Dwights being presidents of Yale university.
The Jukes never showed any capacity and never attempted to seek out and train any lurking capabilities, and the result was no character. The Edwards were all capacity, and training was incessant and character never lacking. An instance was cited of a teacher in California known to the speaker who by judicious tact brought out the latent capacity in a boy and changed him from the class of the Jukes to the Edwards. Such opportunities are before all. The possibility, that of training, is open to all.
A warm tribute was paid to the work of the George Junior Republic for doing just that class of work.
A Boston florist was paid $30,000 for producing a new kind of carnation and bringing it up to 89 degrees of perfection as laid down by the standard. Who is attempting to bring out perfection in that way in human life? The application of the general principle was made very clear to every one in the audience in a plain and straight forward way, and the general effect of the lecture was to arouse a deeper desire for helpfulness in all. The speaker was especially happy in his illustrations. He was bright and witty and above all so earnest that he simply carried his audience with him from first to last.
Dr. Winship was present at chapel exercises at the Normal this morning and briefly addressed the students. He referred to Dewey's victory at Manila and to the work of the men behind the guns, to the engineers and machinists and stokers and seamen in general in bringing about that victory; he also referred to the phenomenal run of 97 yards made by Bray of Lafayette college in a football game last Saturday when he broke through the line of the University of Pennsylvania and made a touchdown and Pennsylvania never even scored during the game. Any one could run under such circumstances because two guards kept on either side of him and prevented interference. Bray made the touchdown and secured the laurels, while the names of the two guards are not even mentioned, but they never whined over that. It was for that purpose that they did their work. And so it is throughout life. One man makes the touchdown and secures the honor. Others who do their part in equally worthy manner are never heard of. We cannot, all be a Dewey or a Bray, but we can all do the work of the men behind the guns or of the two guards if the opportunity comes to us and perform our duty cheerfully and without whining. We can be ready to grasp the opportunity when it appears and can be masters of the situation if there is the right material in us and we have the right training.
A Bull in a Cellar.
The damage done by "a bull in a china shop" is proverbial. John Osbeck who lives on the Stevens farm four miles west of Cortland has just had an experience with a bull in a cellar which was little short of the china shop affair. The animal, whose owner is unknown, wandered on to Mr. Osbeck's premises a day or two ago and proceeded to make himself very much at home. Not finding things to his satisfaction at the barn he proceeded to the house. The entrance to the cellar is on a level and into this the bull found his way. He helped himself to a supply of potatoes and apples and becoming thirsty proceeded to drink the brine from a tub of pickles which stood where he could get at it, and in various other ways left evidences of his presence. Mr. Osbeck is now looking for the owner of the animal.
Death of Dr. Allen.
Dr. David K. Allen of Freetown Wednesday morning at 7:40 o'clock aged 72 years. The cause of death was a bowel difficulty. He had been ill only one week. He is survived by a wife and three sons: Dr. Allen of Dryden, Free Allen of Marathon and Deb Allen of Blodgett Mills.
Dr. Allen has successfully practiced medicine in Freetown during the past thirty years with the exception of ten years when he lived in Dryden. He will be greatly missed in this locality, as it leaves the town entirely without a physician. No arrangements had been made for the funeral at the time this notice was sent.
BREVITIES.
—The Y. W. C. T. U. will hold its regular meeting in the W. C. T. U. rooms at 4. P. M. Saturday.
—A regular conclave of Cortland commandery, No. 50, K. T., will be held this evening. The order of temple will be conferred.
—Mr. Fred C. Whitmarsh of Cuyler died at 3 o'clock this morning at his home. He was 37 years old. The funeral arrangements have not yet been made.
—New display advertisements to-day are—R. A. Stowell, Stovepipe sale, page 4; F. D. Smith, Red Cross stoves, page 6; Mrs. Davern & Co., Millinery, page 6; W. J. Perkins, Molasses kisses, page 7.
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