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| William A. Clark. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, May 16, 1900.
CLARK RESIGNS SEAT.
Senate Surprised by Montana Member's Announcement.
GAVE NO PREVIOUS NOTICE.
Resolution Declaring Mr. Clark Not Entitled to Seat About to Be Called Up When He Addressed the Senate on Question of Personal Privilege.
WASHINGTON, May 16.—Clark of Montana fairly swept the senate with surprise yesterday by a formal announcement that he had sent his resignation as senator to the governor of Montana. The announcement came without previous notice and probably not a half dozen persons in Washington knew that it was to be made.
Mr. Clark struck just at the instant the iron was hottest. Mr. Chandler had given notice that at 1 o'clock he would call up the resolution reported from committee declaring Mr. Clark not to be entitled to his seat in the senate. A spirited contest over the resolution was expected. Every senator in the city was at his desk. At 12.30 Mr. Clark quietly rose and addressed the chair. He desired, he said in a low tense voice, to address the senate on a question of privilege personal to himself. Instantly there was a buzz of expectation in the chamber. Senators from both sides of the main aisle hurried to seats near Mr. Clark and a hush fell upon the assemblage as the Montana senator began to speak.
His address was a sharp arraignment of the committee's action and report, an analytical discussion of the evidence adduced at the investigation; an explanation of political and business affairs in Montana and a bitter excoriation of Marcus Daly and his friends.
As Mr. Clark adverted to his desire to hand down to his children a name untarnished even by the breath of disgrace, tears welled to his eyes and his voice trembled with emotion. He almost broke down. Then, bracing himself, he read the letter he had sent to the governor of Montana, tendering his resignation. At the conclusion of the speech, Mr. Clark became the center of a group of senators, all desirous of pressing his hand.
Mr. Ross called up his bill "regulating appointments to and removals from civil offices in outlying dependencies of the United States" and addressing the senate in an extended argument, maintained that the appointments should be non-partisan and no officeholder should be removed without having an opportunity to meet charges properly made and duly established.
Mr. Hale of Maine said he did not share in the expectations of Mr. Ross as to the carrying out of the perfect program marked out by him for our insular possessions.
"The history of colonial possessions," said he, '"from the days of the Romans to the present time, is a history of robbery, peculation, extravagance, wrong-doing in high quarters and corruption broad and large. I do not think that the examples of today are going to show that the American people are to be exempt from the monstrous evils which always have attended a colonial policy."
Mr. Ross having called for a vote on his bill, Mr. Scott of West Virginia moved to postpone the bill indefinitely. The motion was lost—10 to 35.
It was noticed that in calling the roll the clerk omitted the name of Mr. Clark of Montana, indicating that so far as the senate is concerned his resignation is an accepted fact.
Mr. Mason of Illinois addressed the senate in a humorous vein in opposition to the bill.
House Doings.
WASHINGTON, May 16.—The house yesterday sent to the senate the last of the general appropriation bills—the military academy bill—and will be ready to adjourn as soon as the senate disposes of those it has not passed and the two houses adjust the differences in conference. Today the house takes up the bill to establish a civil government for Alaska.
Mr. Shyden of Texas declared the war department, while warning poor men against going to Porto Rico, Cuba and Hawaii, was inviting the trusts to go there to garner the millions made possible by sacrifices of our blood and treasure.
Mr. Berry of Kentucky made an earnest argument against ship subsidy legislation and in favor of "free ships."
Mr. Sulzer of New York argued in favor of an enlargement of West Point and the training of officers to have charge of the National Guard which he thought should be expanded into a great national reserve of 500,000.
Mr. Mahon of Pennsylvania offered an amendment providing that every cadet at West Point shall take an oath not to indulge in "hazing" and declared that to his knowledge during the past year the treatment of cadets had been brutal and beastly.
Upon the appeal of Mr. Hull, he finally withdrew the amendment. The bill was then passed.
Mr. Gillett of Massachusetts called up the senate bill to incorporate the American National Red Cross, to which objection had been made earlier in the day. There was some debate on the measure, but without reaching a vote the house adjourned.
Appointed to Succeed Himself.
HELENA, Mont., May 16.—Acting Governor Spriggs last night appointed W. A. Clark of Butte United States senator to serve until the next legislature shall elect his successor. Senator Clark's resignation was filed early in the day with the governor and last night he was appointed by Governor Spriggs to succeed himself. Mr. Clark has sent a reply to the governor accepting the appointment.
Novelist Crane's Health Improving.
LONDON, May 16.—Stephen Crane, the American novelist who has been in ill health for some time past at Brede Place, Sussex, is now better. He was removed to Dover in order to derive benefit from the change of air.
Names Presented to President.
WASHINGTON, May 16.—Senators Platt and Depew were with the president a half hour and presented the names of George B. Curtis of Binghamton, N. Y., for appointment as district attorney for the northern district of New York and Theodore Poole of Syracuse as United States marshal for the same district. Senator Platt said later that he had no doubt that these appointments would be made along with that of John R. Hazel as United States judge of the western district of New York.
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
Quantity of Gold Lost.
The treasury department has recently been making a search to learn the whereabouts of some $400,000,000 of missing gold coin. According to the last treasury statement of circulation the gold in the United States amounted to $1,025,825,162. Of this sum $232,225,336 belonged to the government and $289,381,232 was held by the national banks. This left $504,606,568 outside of the treasury and the national banks. It is estimated that the gold held by state banks, savings banks, trust institutions and life insurance companies amounted to $100,000,000. Deduct this sum from the $504,606,568 noted above, and there remains in the country more than four hundred million dollars of gold, the whereabouts of which nobody appears to know.
The figures represent the discrepancy between the visible supply of gold and the sum which is known to be actually in the country. A matter of $400,000,000 is a mere trifle to Uncle Sam, but he is anxious to know how it disappeared, and therefore he is making confidential inquiries of jewelers, artists, dentists and other persons who use gold in their vocations to ascertain how much of the missing metal has been diverted from its purposes as a money metal.
But this alone cannot possibly account for that $400,000,000 of missing gold, and the chances are that the woolen stocking, the historic, hoarding place of many a saving wage-earner and many a thrifty housewife, is once more receiving its regular addition of yellow treasure. The hiding of gold is one of the hereditary passions of mankind, mysterious, worldwide and ineradicable, and if the truth could be ascertained the probability is that we should find that it was being practiced here in our own country today more widely than at any time since the civil War.
New Manager Appointed.
James Murphy of Oswego has been appointed manager of the Cortland exchange of the Empire State Telephone and Telegraph company, to succeed James Nolan, deceased, and entered upon his duties to-day. Mr. Murphy is an experienced and competent electrician and lineman and has been in the employ of the company for thirteen years, in fact was brought up with the company.
During the interim since Mr. Nolan's death the interests of the Cortland exchange have been very admirably looked after by Miss Stella B. Rindge, who had before been the senior operator at the office. She has been in charge of the office and of the men and has done her work to the satisfaction of all while the company was looking up the right man to take permanent charge of the exchange.
Mr. Murphy is now in charge of all the electrical work of this company in Cortland county, and Miss Rindge has been appointed cashier and manager of the operating force in the office.
How it is in Auburn.
It is stated that in Auburn the Empire State Telephone and Telegraph company has 600 telephones on its exchange, while the Automatic company has 350 telephones. Of this number 200 are duplicates, meaning that 200 business men probably have to take a second telephone, because 150 others want a telephone outside of that which might be supplied by the one company that was already there.
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| S. N. Holden. |
COMMON COUNCIL
PASSED UPON SOME MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE LAST NIGHT.
Appointment of Night Captain Ratified—Telephone Co. Asks That Fire Alarm Wires be Placed at Top of Their Poles—Civil Service Commission Appointed.
A regular meeting of the common council of the city of Cortland was held at the office of the city clerk Tuesday night at 7:30 o'clock. Mayor S. N. Holden, Aldermen E. M. Yager, A. E. Buck, E. D. Wood, Wm. G. McKinney and Vern Skeele were present.
A report of James A. Smith, chief of police, of the appointment of Wm. T. Nix as night captain of the police force of the city was presented and filed. On motion of Mr. McKinney, seconded by Mr. Skeele and declared carried, all voting aye.
Resolved, That such appointment be ratified by this board.
A summons and complaint in the supreme court against the city of Cortland, N. Y., in behalf of Olive M. Burtis as plaintiff, was presented. On motion of Mr. Buck, seconded by Mr. Wood and declared carried, the matter was referred to Messrs. Kellogg & Van Hoesen, attorneys for the city, to defend. This is an action to recover for damages alleged to have been sustained by the plaintiff on the morning of Nov. 10, 1899, by falling through a board walk in front of Nathan L. Pierce's premises on Elm-st.
A. E. Brainard, sheriff of the county of Cortland, presented his bill to the city of Cortland, per request so to do, which was placed on file. The report showed that since the adoption of the city charter fifteen arrests had been made by him and his deputies at an average cost to the city of $4 apiece.
The resignation of Thomas J. Lanigan, as a policeman of the city of Cortland, N. Y., was read and placed on file. On motion of Mr. Wood, seconded by Mr. Buck and declared carried,
Resolved, That such resignation be accepted by the board. All voting aye.
Mr. G. A. Paddock, representing the Empire State Telephone Co., came before the council and requested the council to place the fire alarm wires on the top of the poles, and requested the use of an insulated wire for such purpose. Mr. Paddock argued that the position of their wires in relation to the alarm wires was such that if anything like snow or a dropping limb of a tree caused their wires to sag they came in contact with the other wires and the service of both was interfered with. Singularly enough while Mr. Paddock was explaining to the board the danger to the alarm system through the position of the wires, the fire bell sounded twice, and several of the spectators started to what they thought was going to be a fire. The alarm proved to be a false one, due to the crossing of wires in the north circuit, but it burned out the alarm box at the Hitchcock Hose company's house.
Mr. Paddock stated that his only object in recommending this change was to get the alarm wires up out of the way where they would not be interfered with by electric light and telephone wires. In some places in the city the alarm wires run close to electric light wires, which of course are alive and the swaying by wind or by branches of trees are liable to bring them together and cause damage if not danger to life. In other cases they are near the telephone wires. In most cities they are placed up out of the way.
In reference to insulated wire which would make all safe Mr. Paddock said that this costs $18 per mile. He made the statement last night that bare wire such as is now used costs $6 per mile, but desires to correct that as he had another weight wire in mind. Such bare wire as is now used for this purpose costs 5 1/2 cents per pound with 170 pounds to the mile, making a cost of $9.35 per mile. The difference in the cost is consequently not so great and the matter of safety is beyond price. Mr. Paddock recommended that the wires be changed at once to the top of poles in the business portions where there are many wires and that the insulated wire be used when the change is made, and that the change be made in other portions of the city as soon as it could be conveniently brought about. He offered to let the experienced linemen of the telephone company assist the city in making the change at exactly the cost of the labor and the board of the men while here.
It is well understood by the council that something must be done to remedy this defect, but the matter was deferred till the telephone franchise question is settled.
Mayor Holden recommended and appointed as a civil service commission of the city of Cortland the following: Edward D. Blodgett, Arthur B. Nelson and Frank J. Peck.
On motion of Mr. McKinney, seconded by Mr. Yager and declared carried,
Resolved, That such appointments be ratified and approved by this board. All voted aye except Mr. Wood and Mr. Skeele not voting.
Mr. J. J. Gillette came before the meeting and asked that the city buy his property on Orchard-st. for a public market place. His lot has a 99 foot frontage and is 8 rods deep. When asked how much be thought his property worth, he stated that it would bring 15,000. There are two adjoining places that could be purchased at the same rate, making in all about two hundred fifty feet frontage, at a cost of about twelve thousand five hundred dollars. The idea was not favorably received by the board.
On motion of Mr. McKinney, seconded by Mr. Skeele and declared carried,
Resolved, That the city purchase of Mr. Fay C. Parsons three hundred copies of the city charter of the city of Cortland at the price of $6.50 per hundred. All voted aye.
Chief of the Fire Department Davis came before the board and stated that he was in trouble. He had intended to put in a false alarm at 7 o'clock last night. At about 6:30 he went to Fireman's hall to see if the system was in good working order, and here found that something which he could not explain was the matter. He immediately went to the home of Electrician J. F. Costello who, though not recovered from his recent injuries, arose from his bed and went to headquarters and found that one of the arc light alternating current wires had crossed the alarm system wire. This wire carries 2,200 volts and had Mr. Davis attempted to pull an alarm box, or had any one else in the city made a similar attempt from any box in case of fire he would have been electrocuted in the attempt. The board thanked Mr. Davis for the information and promised to take up the matter at once.
On motion the meeting adjourned to May 16, 1900, at 7:30 o'clock, P. M.
A Couple of Fine Jobs.
Mr. E. A. McGraw has just turned out from his shop on Main-st. two jobs in the line of delivery wagons for parties in McGraw. One is a meat wagon for L. D. Gross of the market in that place, the other a milk wagon for C. D. Wavle. Both are built on the same plan. They are low down and easy of access and were built with a view to durability, convenience and the special work for which each is designed. They are covered with white rubber and each is lettered for its particular purpose. The running gear of Mr. Gross' wagon is straw color and the panels are done in wine color. Mr. Wavle's is red and green with black body, and fancy lettering and designs on the covering.
AT THE PARK.
Preparations in Progress for a Fine Season.
For some days the Traction company has had men busy at the park cleaning it up and putting it in first class condition for the season's traffic. Manager Bucklin has had a new incandescent light service placed in the park and it is to be turned on for the first time for Dillon Brothers' party to-morrow night.
The trolley track is to be continued clear over to the pavilion so that in case of a shower people will not be caught out and will not have to walk any distance to get the cars.
Mr. George E. Ashby is to be placed in charge of the pavilion and that fact is a guaranty of the fact that it will be conducted as it should be. He is an old hotel man and very popular in Cortland and all may be assured of the best kind of service at his hands at the pavilion.
If the weather is suitable there will probably be a dance at the park Saturday night and a band concert on Sunday afternoon.
CONCERNING THOSE WIRES.
Mr. Bucklin Says They Will be Safer If Placed on Top.
Mr. Bucklin, manager of the Electric Light company, was interrogated this morning in regard to Mr. Paddock's suggestion to the common council last night to place the fire alarm wires above all other wires, and he replied that by all means they should be put up there. The alarm wires are lighter than electric light or telephone wires and are less likely to break than the others. Consequently wires [that] are below that might possibly break, and if they do break, they will not fall on the fire alarm wires and do damage to the alarm boxes. Besides these wires are rarely ever changed except to replace them as the life goes out of them, and there is less liability to accident through the crossing of wires if these are above.
PUZZLED THE PLAYERS.
DRINKWATER WINS GAME FOR CORTLAND YESTERDAY.
Could Not Find Him When Hits Were Needed—Binghamton Gets a Game—Oswego Has a Cinch on Tail End Position.
BREVITIES.
—New display advertisements to-day are—J. B. Kellogg, Fifteen days' sale, page 8; C. F. Brown, paints, page 6; Cudworth, optical talks, page 5.
—Mr. Mahan has completed his engagement of artists for his next festival, June 11 to 15 by engaging Miss Hildegard Hoffman the noted young soprano of Brooklyn.
—Dr. Reese, assisted by Drs. Higgins and Moses, set the broken leg of Mr. I. V. Johnson this morning. The bones were in good shape and the break is doing well. The leg was then put in plaster paris.
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