 |
| U. S. Capitol building, Washington, D. C. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, March 27, 1900.
DOINGS IN CONGRESS.
Army Appropriation Bill Excites Little Interest.
MILITARY STRENGTH URGED.
Mr. Clayton Suggests Proper Equipment of Fort Hamilton Harbor—Mr. McClellan Believes In Maintaining a Standing Army. Other Business.
WASHINGTON, March 27.—The house began consideration of the army appropriation bill. The debate was without exciting incident.
Mr. Clayton urged the proper equipment of Fort Hamilton (N. Y.) harbor. Mr. Cox and Mr. Ridgley opposed a permanent increase of the army as prejudicial to the best interests of the country, and Mr. Driggs favored an increase in the artillery and cavalry branches of the service and a reduction of the infantry men. Mr. Meyer discussed the Philippine policy, opposing the retention of the islands.
Mr. Jett criticized the system of promoting officers for immediate retirement, especially the higher officers, who were rushed, he said, through the final grades and retired at the highest rank possible. Under the law there could be but three major generals and six brigadier generals. He read a list of three major generals and 27 brigadier generals who had been promoted and retired almost immediately during the last three years. In some cases an officer was promoted to the grade of brigadier general one day and retired the next.
Mr. Parker called attention to the fact that nearly everyone of these officers had served in the civil war and asked if men who had served their country for 40 years were not entitled to retirement as brigadiers.
Mr. Jett replied that those officers had cast in their fortunes with the army. For a generation of profound peace they had had the emoluments of their positions and he believed that it was bad policy to promote simply for the purpose of retiring them at a higher rank than that they had attained when the time came for them to retire on account of age.
Mr. McClellan discussed the necessity for the reorganization of the army. He believed, he said, in the maintenance of a standing army in time of peace, large enough and no larger, to be expanded in time of war to make a first line of defense, strong enough to hold off a foreign enemy until the volunteers can be organized to constitute the second line.
Mr. Clayton, who was a captain in the New York volunteer cavalry during the Spanish war, submitted some remarks in favor of modernizing and properly arming Fort Hamilton at the entrance of New York harbor.
Mr. Ridgley denounced the tendency toward militarism, charging that it was a menace to the peace and welfare of the people. He charged that the demand for a large standing army came from the officers who would be benefited and from organized capital which desired a large army to protect their property in time of discontent.
"What is there in this bill that increases the army?" asked Mr. Hull.
"Within three years," replied Mr. Ridgley, "the standing army has been increased threefold and its cost to the people fourfold."
Mr. Driggs favored a reorganization of the army that would increase the artillery and cavalry branches of the service and decrease the infantry arm.
Mr. Meyer opposed the retention of the Philippine islands. But if they were to be retained he argued that American products should be protected against free competition from products of the islands. His remarks had not\been completed when the house adjourned.
 |
| Senator Mark Hanna. |
In the Senate.
WASHINGTON, March 27.—Senator Foraker, in charge of the Porto Rican bill, announced at yesterday's session of the senate that he would press the measure to a vote as soon as possible. Senator Hanna, chairman of the Republican national committee, speaking to a question of personal privilege, vigorously denied an interview with a Republican member of the house of representatives whose name was not given, published in a Washington newspaper, alleging that the passage of the Porto Rican tariff bill would be in pursuance of a "deal" by which the Republican national committee was to get a big contribution. Mr. Hanna denounced the statement as a "malicious lie," and hoped it would be investigated.
The Alaskan civil code bill was under consideration during a greater part of the session. An amendment was adopted fixing a license upon almost every kind of trade and commerce in the district of Alaska, the license ranging from $10 to $500 per annum. The measure had not been disposed of at the conclusion of the session.
A resolution offered last Saturday by Mr. Allen was taken up. It called upon the secretary of war for the number of soldiers who had been killed or had died in the Philippines since Aug. 1, 1898; the number who had died of disease, wounds and suicide, and all other similar information in possession of the war department.
He said that illness and suicide among the troops were on the increase. He believed that the American people were entitled to the facts. He was prepared to go so far as to advise men not to enlist in the army for duty in the Philippines.
 |
| Samuel Gompers. |
To Limit Injunctions in Labor Disputes.
WASHINGTON, March 27.—Hearings were continued before the house committee on judiciary on the bill to limit the issuance of injunctions in disputes between employees and employers. President Gompers of the Federation of Labor; Jackson H. Ralston, counsel for that organization, and H. R. Fuller, representing the various railroad brotherhoods, spoke in support of the measure. The bill provides that in case of labor disputes no act shall be construed a crime or conspiracy, or shall be subject to injunction unless this act would have been a crime if done by one person. The committee did not take final action on the bill.
 |
| The Palisades. |
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
The Palisades.
The preservation of the picturesque Palisades along the lower portion of the Hudson river from further destruction for mere mercenary purposes seems at last to be assured, This bluff of basalt or trap rock extends along the west shore of the Hudson a distance of about eighteen miles to Rockland county, New York, and Bergen and Hudson counties, New Jersey. In some places it is 480 feet high. Although the greater portion of the bluff is in New Jersey, the scenic effect is enjoyed by people outside of that state, chiefly those across the river in New York. Any effort made in New Jersey, therefore, for the preservation of the Palisades is really a favor to New Yorkers.
Of late years lovers of the picturesque scenery of the lower Hudson have become greatly alarmed over rock-blasting operations going on in the Palisades. Several firms of contractors bought of the owners of the shore lands the right to take stone from the same, chiefly for road building. All the stone needed could have been obtained from the deposits along the river at the base of the cliff. It was harder work, however, to get it in this way than by blasting huge pieces from the face of the cliff itself. The Palisades were therefore mined with dynamite, and great gaps torn in them. The famous Indian Head was one of the portions thus destroyed.
Thoroughly aroused by the destruction wrought, and the prospect of a continuance of the vandalism until the most attractive portion of the big bluff was demolished, the friends of the Palisades bestirred themselves still more energetically. It was at first thought that the federal government might be induced to make a national park of the lands containing the Palisades. This was found to be impracticable, and the only thing left to do was to secure joint action by the state governments of New York and New Jersey. Arrangements between two states for a common object have not been very frequent in the history of the country. An arrangement looking to the accomplishment of a purely sentimental object, and one involving on the part of one state a matter largely of comity is, we believe, without precedent. The agreement finally reached to save the Palisades is therefore as unusual as it is gratifying.
The bill for the appointment of a commission to condemn lands along the Palisades in Rockland county for an Interstate park has passed the New York legislature and been signed by Governor Roosevelt. A bill that has been passed by the New Jersey assembly, and which is expected to become a law, provides for a commission with power to condemn the face of the Palisades in Bergen and Hudson counties, and also a strip 150 feet wide at their base parallel with the river line. The commission is authorized to purchase, but not to condemn, sites on top of the Palisades. The sooner both commissions can get to work, the less the danger of further irreparable destruction.
 |
| John Hay. |
THE OPEN DOOR.
Secretary Hay Submits to Congress the Correspondence Regarding China.
WASHINGTON, March 27.—Secretary Hay to-day submitted to congress the correspondence with Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Japan respecting the maintenance of an ''open door" with China. The correspondence extended over the period from Sept. 6 last to the 20th inst, the last date marking the successful conclusion of the undertaking. The basis of the agreement is contained in a "formal declaration" suggested by the United States that it was the settled policy of (the country addressed) not to use any privileges which may be granted to it in China as a means of excluding any of its commercial rivals and that freedom of trade for it in that empire means freedom of trade for all the world alike.
Russia Wants Land.
YOKOHAMA, March 27.—A Russian squadron has arrived at Chemulpo. It is believed this presages a demand for a concession of land at Masange and it is arousing uneasy comments in Japan.
 |
| S. N. Holden. |
A PRODIGIOUS FAKE.
No Truth Whatever to Report of Short Weights in Coal.
During the last two days the new city has gone quite into convulsions over a report that a state inspector of the weighing of coal had been in Cortland and had ordered loads of coal delivered by different dealers to be weighed upon public scales, and that all of them had proved to be short weight, all the way from 40 to 600 pounds to the ton. The story sounds ridiculous on the face of it, and investigation proves it to be entirely without foundation and wholly a creation of fancy. It is altogether contrary to reason to think that any one would dare to cut the weight of a ton of coal short 600 pounds even if he were disposed to do it, and the very idea of shortening tons is almost beyond belief to any one who knows the local coal dealers.
In the first place there is no such officer in the government as a state inspector of weighing of coal. Cities sometimes have such officers, and the new charter of the city of Cortland provides for an arrangement after this order, which arrangement will be detailed below.
In the second place a STANDARD man set out to investigate the report and called at all the places in town where they do public weighing, and at none of these places had coal been sent there for weighing or had coal been weighed there except at one place where a man was drawing coal from a car which had been ordered by a private party, not one of the regular coal dealers, and this man had no scales of his own. The coal was shoveled from the car into the wagon and the deliverer drove upon these public scales with each load before delivering it.
In the third place The STANDARD man called upon every coal dealer in Cortland and asked him, not only whether any one had called upon him or any of his employees or upon any one drawing coal from his yard for duplicate weighing, but also whether he knew of that being done in connection with any other dealer in Cortland or in connection with any one drawing coal from any other yard. In every case the questions were met with a positive and emphatic denial.
S. N. Holden was the first dealer called upon. Mr. Holden said that he had not had a load of coal stopped and ordered weighed, nor did he know of any such inspector being in Cortland as the report gave. He was willing at any time to have any one re-weigh coal that he sent out; in fact, every load that he, as a dealer, put out had to go on its merits, for any one was liable to call for a confirmation of his weights on other scales. Mr. Holden characterized the report as a fabrication which could not be traced to any authentic origin.
Equally strong assertions were received from Mr. John C. Seager in reply to the STANDARD man's questions as to the truth of the statements concerning the weights of coal. Mr. Seager was making preparations to go to New York, but he sat down and discussed the matter fully. He employs a young man to do his office work, and weighing the coal is included in this work. It is then, he says, a gross insult to the young man to say that there is a shortage of weight. Bringing his fist down on his chair arm with emphasis, Mr. Seager said that it was a falsehood from start to finish, and that he would give any man $100 who would bring legitimate evidence that he ever gave short weights. His teams had not been stopped, nor had he knowledge of any inspector of weights being here to look after the coal weights.
Maxon & Starin were next seen and they were ready to characterize the report as entirely untrue. No one had asked any of their men to go to other scales for weights. It was an insult to the coal dealers of the city whose scales and weights were always open to inspection. They had not seen or heard of any such a man as was reported to have been here.
From here the STANDARD man went over to Martin & Sprague's office, where both members of the firm were seen. They had heard the report that at least one of their teams had been stopped by some one and ordered upon a pair of scales somewhere. Of this their men knew nothing whatever. They had seen nothing of the would-be inspector.
Duane E. Call was next seen at his office on Elm-st. Mr. Call said the statements made were absurd; that the men who loaded the wagons could tell within a few shovelfuls of the amount needed in their wagons, for a certain weight, and that in case he should give short weights when he was there, say two or three hundred pounds as the report had it, the men would quickly notice the difference when he was away and one of their own number was doing the weighing. No one had stopped his teams and asked for a weighing of his coal.
This thorough investigation was enough to satisfy the reporter that there had been no such a man in the city as the rumor suggested, but in order to place the matter beyond the shadow of a doubt the public weighing places were next visited.
Mr. Ryan at 88 Railroad-st. stated that his firm's scales were used as public weighing scales, but there had been no loads of coal brought there by an inspector or ordered there by such an official. He thought the whole affair was manufactured and that there were no grounds for the report.
Mr. A. B. Frazier of the Central market was seen and he stated that his scales were quite often used by the coal men to compare weights, but was certain that none of the dealers' teams had drawn coal over his scales, even to get comparative weights, in the time stated by the report. While talking with Mr. Frazier, the reporter had a chance to see Mr. Call's statement that the men could guess closely to the amount they were to draw, verified. A deliverer for a dealer who has no heavy scales drove upon the scales with what he had put on the wagon for a ton. It lacked a little, however, of tipping the beam and the man had to put on just three shovelfuls more to make up the amount. So much for the accuracy of the men who do the drawing and who, by virtue of their long experience and accuracy, are assailed whenever their employer is assailed.
Where this contemptible story came from we are wholly unable to say. We have tried to trace it to its source but with no degree of success. The coal dealers themselves have tried to follow it up but they are not able to get back to the beginning. It seems to be just a case of "They say," and no one is able to say who the "they" is.
A New Assistant.
Mr. W. F. Hoar, the well known barber, whose shop is in room No. 5 Standard building, over the postoffice, has been compelled by pressure of business to employ an assistant. He has therefore secured the services of Mr. Fred Potter, late of Chicago, Ill. Mr. Potter is a tonsorial artist of experience and taste, and a rapid and agreeable workman. Mr. Hoar expects with the aid of this new assistant to attend to the wants of all his customers much more promptly than formerly. "Next," at his shop, from this time on, will not mean what it heretofore has on rush days by a good many minutes. He invites the public generally to make a test of the service now being offered at his place to all who want first class hair cutting or shaving.
BEAUTIFUL NEW HEARSE
Of Pure White to be Used at Funerals of Children and Young People.
Beard & Peck received to-day one of the handsomest white funeral cars ever turned out by the well known firm of H. Geissel & Sons, manufacturers of coaches and hearses, Philadelphia, Pa. It is massive in appearance, with new style mosque top, six heavily carved columns on each side, best polished French bevel plate glass. The curtains are especially fine and attractive, fashioned in the very latest manner from a superior quality of imported all wool broadcloth and appropriately trimmed with deep, heavy silk bullion fringe and tassels, the inside deck center having an elegant sun ray, the cushion is made of plaited white leather. The heavy square drop inside rails, door handles, toe board, handles, toe rod, pole tip and hub bands are all heavy silver plated. Elegant silver lamps are one on each side of the driver's seat. The car is painted a pure white and is all in all one of the most attractive vehicles ever run on our streets. The hearse will be used hereafter by Beard & Peck at all funerals of children and young people.
BREVITIES.
—The Ladies' Literary club will meet to-morrow, March 28, with Miss Martha Roe at 77 Railroad-st.
—The Mothers' meeting (North) will be held at the home of Mrs. Fairbanks, Floral-ave., Wednesday afternoon March 28, at 3 o'clock.
—Cortland chapter, No. 194, R. A. M., expects to confer the M. M. degree upon eight candidates at their regular convocation Wednesday evening.
—The Wide Awake Literary club and Gentlemen's Opposition club meet with Mr. and Mrs. F. Dillenbeck, 79 Hamlin-st., to-night at 7:30 o'clock.
—New display advertisements to-day are—The Model, Easter Inauguration of spring, page 8; McCarthy & Sons, Spring dress goods, page 8; Palmer & Co., Special city sale, page 7; Howe Stove Co., Stoves, page 8.
No comments:
Post a Comment