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| Count von Waldersee Reviews Russian Troops at Tien Tsin.
Image courtesy of C. H. Foo, Y. W. Foo and Historical Photographs of China, University of Bristol (www.hpcbristol.net). |
Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, July 7, 1900.
RUSSIAN COLUMN WIPED OUT.
No Longer Doubt That They Met With Disaster.
NOT HEARD FROM IN 24 DAYS.
Russia at Last Gives Japan a Free Hand to Apply Force in China.
LONDON, July 7.—The Russian government announces that it will give Japan a free hand to apply military force in China. The terms of this consent are summarized in the subjoined dispatch from St. Petersburg under date of July 6: "In reply to an inquiry from the Japanese cabinet, regarding the dispatch of Japanese troops to China to render aid to the foreigners in Pekin, the Russian government declared on May 27, that it left the Japanese government full liberty of action in this connection and the Tokio cabinet expressed its readiness to act in full agreement with the other powers."
It is in consequence of this no doubt that Japan is preparing to embark 20,000 more troops. Political considerations that were thought to have been numbing the action of the powers are thus laid aside for a moment at least by the government supposed to have the clearest purposes respecting China's future. Japan's sending of troops now can have little bearing on the fate of the foreigners in Pekin.
Baron Hayashi, the new Japanese minister who arrived in London on Friday, said that ten days would probably be required for the carrying of troops to China. His dictated statements contained these sentences:
"If all the conditions Japan asked were conceded, I see no reason why Japan should not undertake the task of suppressing the trouble. The powers are all agreed in wishing to put down the rebels, but it does not seem that they are agreed on the means."
From these authoritative utterances, it is inferred that Japan does nominate conditions and that the concert of the powers is a little tangled.
Thirst For Blood Spreads.
Recitals of further horrors in Pekin are gathered by correspondents at Shanghai from Chinese sources, especially of the slaughter in the Chinese and Tartar city of thousands of native Christians, so that the capital reeks with carnage. The ruthless thirst for blood is spreading in all the northern provinces and wherever there are native Christians the scenes enacted in the capital are reproduced in miniature. From these stories nothing further comes regarding the legation forces except a repetition that they are all dead. The correspondents aver that if the Chinese officials in Shanghai wished to throw light on the real state of affairs in the capital, they could do so and therefore the worst reports are accepted as true.
Prince Tuan's coup d'etat is described by the Shanghai correspondent of The Daily Mail as a sequence to the grand council of ministers, at which Yung Lu advocated the suppression of the Boxers promptly. The dowager empress gave her whole support to Yung Lu and a scene of disorder ensued. Prince Tuan passionately intervened, backed by Kang Yi. They rushed from the council and their partisans raised the cry "Down with the foreigners." The effect was electrical. The eunuchs palace officials of all sorts and most of the populace took up the cause of Prince Tuan and his agents immediately put the emperor and dowager empress under restraint.
Disaster to Russian Force.
The Che Foo correspondent of The Express telegraphing on Thursday says there is no longer any doubt that disaster has overtaken the Russian force of 3,000 that left Tien Tsin for Pekin on June 11. The Russians had a full field gun complement and carried their own transport. As nothing has been heard from them for 24 days, it is assumed that they have been overwhelmed. Trustworthy news is received to the effect that all the country to the northeast of Pekin is covered with corpses of men and horses of the western garrisons. Fighting of a desperate character took place in the immediate neighborhood of Tien Tsin on June 30.
Taku dispatches say an attack in great force is expected at any moment. The Chinese commanders are awaiting the arrival of more guns and reinforcements before making an effort to retake the city.
A dispatch from Shanghai to The Daily Telegraph dated July 5 says the losses of the allies, up to June 29, totaled 600.
According to The Daily Telegraph's correspondent in a dispatch dated Thursday, United States Consul McWade has great influence with Li Hung Chang and has persuaded him to issue a proclamation containing detailed instructions to prefects, sub-prefects and magistrates. It orders them to detect, behead and otherwise severely punish Boxers. These officials, the proclamation says, will be held responsible for the safety of the missionaries and native Christians. The governors of two Quongs join in the proclamation. Another proclamation issued by Li Hung Chang directs that persons starting any uprising shall be at once beheaded and that those spreading false rumors shall be severely punished. This latter phrase, in a Chinese sense, means slow strangulation by means of a wooden collar. Wholesale executions are expected to follow these proclamations. Official dispatches from Port Arthur to the Russian government, bearing date July 2, show that the country to the northward is in a state of disturbance, and that bands are destroying property. Six pirate ships have been captured by Russian naval vessels at the Island of Elliong.
First Hospital Ship.
The Hamburg-American Steamship company has placed at the disposal of Emperor William their steamer Savoia, due Hong Kong today (Saturday) for use as a hospital ship for China. The emperor has accepted the offer with warm expressions of thanks.
A missionary who has returned to Berlin says that while in China he learned that hundreds of Mauser rifles had been brought in coffins supposed to contain the bodies of Chinese who had died abroad.
A special dispatch from Shanghai dated Friday, says the position of the allies at Tien Tsin is becoming increasingly critical owing to lack of sufficient supplies; but only as a last resort will the town be evacuated in favor of concentration of the forces at Taku.
WAS MURDER AND SUICIDE.
Mrs. Darling Killed Her Child and Took Her Own Life.
As a result of the inquest held in Marathon, N. Y., yesterday Coroner Moore found conclusive evidence of the fact that Mrs. Jehial Darling killed her daughter Cecil by administering chloroform and then committed suicide. A note was left which threw some light upon the subject. This note the doctor was unwilling to give out for publication, claiming a law forbidding it, but he says it intimated that there had been some difficulty between husband and wife before they parted in the morning when Mr. Darling went to Lake View.
She asked that they both be buried in Virgil, N. Y.
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| William J. Bryan. |
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
The Democratic Platform.
The Democratic platform deceives no one, Democrats included. It is intended for a big bluff, but it won't work.. It says that imperialism is the paramount issue, but nobody believed it. There is but one issue in that platform and that is fiat money as opposed to sound money. It is 16 to 1. No other subject received over five minutes' consideration in the committee on platform or in the convention itself, and this one subject was discussed day and night for days. It nearly disrupted the convention. The majority of the delegates were determined not to mention the words "16 to 1" to the platform. They hoped to dodge the issue by merely re-affirming the Chicago platform, but Bryan would not have it so. He declared he would not be a candidate except the words "16 to 1" were explicitly stated in the platform. For a considerable time the platform committee stood 20 against the 16 to 1 declaration and l24 for it, and it looked as though this decision could not be changed. Then Bryan at Lincoln came to the long distance telephone and called up the committeemen one by one at the convention hall in Kansas City, and his persuasive tones at last prevailed and the figures were reversed so that the committee stood 26 for the declaration and 24 against it, and the platform as reported was adopted.
But it is worth while noting the fact that to get these 26 votes, Bryan had to count in Arizona, Oklahoma, Indian Territory, New Mexico and Hawaii, all territories, which have no electoral votes to give when it comes to election. Without these the best showing Bryan could have made in the platform committee would have been 21 for "16 to 1" to 24 against.
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| Nathan Lewis Miller. |
FAIRNESS REAFFIRMED.
The Rule Requiring Open Voting In Conventions Firmly Established.
Because the STANDARD criticized pretty sharply the resolutions which Mr. Nathan L. Miller, chairman of the Republican county committee, caused to be introduced into the county convention a year ago, we are all the more ready to commend most cordially the very positive stand which he took at the convention last Wednesday in opposing the resolution to abandon the present excellent method of having the chairman of each delegation rise in his place and declare the vote of his delegation, and in its stead to return to the old way of voting by ballot, with its accompaniments of frequent excess of ballots, and opportunities for fraud, false counting and false declaration of results. It was charged against Mr. Miller last year that it was the purpose of one of the resolutions then offered to undo all that had been done in the direction of reform in Republican politics in the county—the repeal of the new method of voting in conventions along with the rest. His action on Wednesday shows that this charge was without foundation; and one of the surprising things connected with the attempt to repeal the new method of voting is that the resolution offered for this purpose is generally understood to have been introduced, if not by the procurement, at least with the sympathy of many of those who were charging Mr. Miller a year ago with seeking to do this very thing, and roundly abusing him therefore. While the wording of the resolutions of last year may have justified the suspicion which was entertained by many concerning them, Mr. Miller's recent defense of fair voting in conventions will be accepted as vindicating him against any charge of wrongful purpose.
The only fair, proper and manly way of voting in a political convention is the one which may now be said to be firmly established in the method of procedure of Republican conventions in this county. A delegate to a convention is not there in a personal, but in a representative capacity. The men who send him there to represent them have a right to know how he votes. If he isn't willing to take the responsibility for his acts, he had better get out of the convention, or never go there, and let some one take his place who has the courage to stand up and be counted. The position of a delegate is very different from that of an individual voter at the polls, who has a right to vote as he pleases, secretly and without responsibility to any one save himself, and the manner of whose voting is his own personal business and nobody else. The attempt by one citizen to pry into the way in which another citizen votes at the polls is as obnoxious to decency and public policy as for a delegate voting in a representative capacity to try to conceal his actions from those whom he represents.
Under the present system of voting in our Republican county conventions, any delegate may ascertain just how any and every other delegate from any town in the county votes, by simply asking to have the delegation polled after the chairman thereof has declared its vote. Every delegate can also vote just as he pleases. There is no "unit rule," and the majority of no delegation can compel a minority to vote in any other way than it sees fit. Every delegate carries his sovereignty under his hat. If he hesitates to vote as he wants to out of fear of any petty boss, he had better strap a good stiff ramrod to his backbone and go ahead. If he weakens or quits, he has only himself to kick or to thank for it. And whatever he does, he must shoulder the responsibility and take the consequences.
The STANDARD cares nothing as to what faction or individual is benefited or injured by such a rule. It is right and straight and square, and to see it endorsed as emphatically as it was last Wednesday ought to be gratifying to every one who believes in fair play. Mr. Miller did the party and the public a service, and himself a large amount of credit, by defending the rule which requires open voting.
The method of conducting our county conventions is now beyond criticism. When our caucuses are made equally fair and honest, it will be possible for men who have some sense of self respect and decency to approach our local politics without holding their noses.
LOCAL PERSONAL.
ATTORNEY N. L. MILLER is untangling hard knots in law in the Parlor City to-day.
HON. O. U. KELLOGG is in Binghamton to-day as counsel in the bridge controversy.
MR. H. D. ACKLES, who closed a very successful term of school at Taylor yesterday, was in Cortland to-day on the way to his home in Preble.
MISS LEONA W. BALDWIN, who graduated from the Normal school on Tuesday, has been elected to a position as teacher in the public schools at Central Square, N. Y.
MISSES CORNELIA A. AND MARY H. WHITE leave Monday for a two weeks' carriage drive through Tompkins and Schuyler counties visiting relatives at various points. Their mother, Mrs. Sophia A. White, will go by train to several places in Tompkins county during the same period.
PROF. THOMAS SANTEE, principal of the Wilkes-Barre grammar school, paid his nephew, Dr. E. M. Santee, a pleasant visit yesterday, leaving last night for his home in Wilkes-Barre. Prof. Santee is on the street committee of the board of alderman of this city and has been in Marathon to look up the matter of purchasing a stone crusher.
BASEBALL FRANCHISE.
ITS RETENTION HERE DEPENDS UPON ATTITUDE OF PEOPLE.
Association Does Not Propose to Carry Team Beyond a Certain Point—What Will be Done in the Matter?
It is a well known fact that the attendance at the baseball games of the state league thus far this season has been considerably less than ever before in the history of the league. This is so not only in Cortland, but in all the league cities, and it was on this account that the guarantee to visiting teams was lowered to forty dollars. The average daily attendance in Cortland so far has been some less than two hundred and fifty. The looked for boost from the receipts of the Fourth of July game did not come, owing to the fact that rain prevented the game here that day. The gate receipts as they are now coming in will not long support a team, and it is soon to be demonstrated whether or not the baseball franchise is to be kept in Cortland. The Baseball association has done just what the admirers of the national game here have asked it to do, that is to get together a fast team. Cortland has to-day the best team that ever played ball for Cortland, and higher salaries are being paid the men. This is made necessary not only because the people here demanded it, but also because the State league is composed of teams that are playing better ball than heretofore.
The Baseball association is not stranded, nor does it expect to be. It has the money to pay all of its bills, and will do this as long as a team is kept here. It does not, however, presume to carry a team along in the expectation of better things and then have its bills to settle. If the people of Cortland want a baseball team and are willing to support it, then the management is willing to go ahead and keep the team here; if not, the franchise will go somewhere else, and Cortland will have to content herself with amateur ball for a period of five years at least.
President Dan Reilly, who has spared no time or labor for the interests of the association, is authority for the statement that there is now in the treasury an amount about sufficient to pay the team on the 15th of this month and the other necessary expenses up to that date, but judging from the gate receipts for the past few weeks, the receipts through the rest of this month will not nearly carry the team along unless they are greatly increased.
Two things are asked for by the association which must be had if the team is kept here; first, that a better attendance be given the games, and second, that the people contribute liberally for the support of the team. A paper will be circulated the early part of next week and all will be given a chance to give something for the support of baseball. These two methods of forecasting the wishes of the people in having or not having a team have been decided upon by the association, and if they are not met with favorably, the franchise will be transferred with the results as stated.
A Steel Red Umbrella.
Miss Lucy Alsop of Syracuse, while walking by the shore of Cazenovia lake yesterday during a thunder shower was protecting herself from the rain by an umbrella having a steel rod. The steel attracted the lightning and Miss Alsop was struck by a bolt which followed the rod down to the top of the young woman's head and then jumped off to her head burning her hair badly. The lightning followed down her spine and rendered her unconscious. Doctors worked over her for an hour and finally restored consciousness. People with steel rod umbrellas had better stay in the house during a thunder shower or else get wet.
BREVITIES.
—A regular meeting of the board of directors of the Y. M. C. A. will be held at the association parlor Monday evening, July 9, at 8 o'clock.
—New display advertisements to-day are—Palmer & Co., Bicycles, bicycle sundries, page 7; Buck & Lane, Ice cream freezers, page 6; J. W. Cudworth, Optical talks, page 7.
—Tom Howard, an old man of eccentric habits came over from Cortland to-day and is marching up and down the street attired in a police captain's cap and suit with belt and club.—Ithaca Journal. Ithaca wouldn't have been safe with Buffalo Bill in town yesterday if Tom Howard hadn't gone over to lend his valuable assistance to the police force.
—Mr. Reuben Rood of South Cortland first learned that he had apples and apple blossoms growing on the same twigs in his orchard by reading The STANDARD. A neighbor had noted the fact and reported it to us. Mr. Rood immediately went out to investigate. He has brought to this office a sample, and the apples are larger than hen's eggs while the blossoms are in the height of their beauty.
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