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| Bishop Henry C. Potter. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, November 28, 1900.
BISHOP POTTER'S ACT.
Has Retired From Front Rank of Reform Movement.
EX-MAYOR HEWITT'S CHARGE.
Says Much Responsibility for Existing Conditions Rests on Mayor and That Croker Could Cleanse New York in Thirty Days If He So Desired.
NEW YORK, Nov. 28.—A great gathering of business men resulted from the call for a conference at the chamber of commerce yesterday to plan a campaign against vice. The features of the meeting were the retirement of Bishop Potter from the front ranks of the movement and a speech by ex-Mayor Abram S. Hewitt, in which he asserted that the responsibility for the present condition of affairs in the city rested upon the mayor.
Charles Stewart Smith presided over the meeting and George Foster Peabody acted as secretary. A letter was read from Bishop Potter giving reasons for his nonattendance at the meeting. The bishop wrote:
"I shall not be able, owing to a trustee meeting, to attend the meeting of the chamber of commerce today nor, I think I ought to add, should I do so if I were free.
"The aim of such a meeting should be, primarily, to purify the forces on the side of law, decency, and the protection of the weak in this community. The clergy may fitly exercise the prophetic office of rousing, warning, entreating, but in social and political movements, their best service will be in the ranks, leaving to others the task of generalship. New York wants a strong committee of three or five trusted laymen to co-ordinate forces and cement purposes."
Abram S. Hewitt, in the course of an address which was frequently interrupted by applause, said:
"Bishop Potter was called upon to address the mayor in terms unparalleled in this city. The bishop's clarion call made with ready response. When the head of Tammany spoke it was the first confession from the governing power of the city that anything was wrong.
"Two years ago reform was sent to hell by a leading citizen of this city and there it seems to have remained ever since. If it be recalled now, it is because Tammany hall thinks it has suffered purgatorial punishment long enough.
Tweed Gave Lesson to Tammany.
"Tweed, when complaints were made, asked: What are you going to do about it? That was a lesson to Tammany.
"The limit of public abuse has been reached. Some of the men on the Tammany committee are entitled to our sympathy, but more to our commiseration. If they do their duty they strike a fat blow at Tammany, and if they do not they lose their standing in the community.
"If there had been any sincerity on Mr. Croker's part the committee would never have been appointed.
"The responsibility for the conditions here today belongs primarily to the police. In the last analysis, if things go wrong, the responsibility rests with the mayor."
Mr. Hewitt told how he treated immorality when he was mayor. "I sent for Chief of Police Murray," he said, "and told him that if he could not close up evil resorts to at least cover them up. I told him the places must be closed. I asked Chief Murray if he were a rich man. He said he was worth $300,000 and never had any business but that of policeman.
"I asked him where he got it. He said he had friends in Wall street who gave him opportunities.
"I had the president of the police board call on me and asked him about the corruption. He told me to let it alone—I'd only stir up a hornet's nest and blast my political future.
"He told me the truth about that.
"While I was mayor, for two years New York was a respectable city, externally at least. I had no power [outside] the sentiment of the people behind me.
"I had the power of removal subject to the approval of the governor, who was not favorable to me. So I did not remove the commissioners.
"My experience of the police as a body was that they are for the most part honest. But when they are headed by a corrupt chief and a corrupt board of commissioners, there is no limit to their action.
"The present chief has made 23,000 transfers. The reason is because when a man is honest he is transferred.
Leaders Oppose Reform Movement.
"When a reform movement is attempted the leaders of the two parties combine and defeat it. There will be no reform until municipal politics are divorced absolutely from state and national politics.
"The people—not Croker nor Platt—are to blame for this condition of things.
"No committee ought to tie itself to Tammany Hall which is in one way or another responsible for all the evils of which we complain. All that is necessary to be done is for Mr. Croker to tell the mayor to tell the police commissioners to shut up the various places or they will lose their positions. If this were done I believe that the city would be cleaned in thirty days. Croker ought to be able to cable these orders."
Chairman Smith made an address in which he said:
"It is humiliating, but it is true and apparent that the police force or certain members of it are in collusion with the dens of vice and with the criminals of this city. It is also clear that the proprietors of these dens of crime pay monthly sums to the police for protection. This is the question we must face. Shall we face it? Shall we defend the name and honor of our fair city? I think you all agree that we shall. We may not get legal evidence that shall enable us to bring these protectors of vice to justice, but we must stamp out the vipers that are corrupting our youth and turning away from our city the strangers that would make it their home."
Believes Tammany Sincere.
Prof. Felix Adler, who spoke next, said:
"I have no doubt as to the sincerity of Tammany's purification committee. Croker said: 'I too am a father,' and I have no doubt that even they see that the evil acid has gone farther than they intended and that they are willing to cut off the fringes of the evil. I hope that out of this will come a movement not primarily political; not for the removal of Tammany Hall, but for the eradication of the evil. Let that be the chief object, whatever may be the consequence."
St. Clair McKelway told of the good that resulted from the single-headed police commission, while that system was in operation in Brooklyn.
Rev. Dr. Paddock was introduced as the representative of Bishop Potter. Dr. Paddock is vicar of the pro-Cathedral and could speak with authority about the conditions in that district. Dr. Paddock said in part:
"The people of the East Side are beginning to get new hope now that they have heard of the work of this committee. They come to us daily with their complaints. They dare not go to the authorities with their evidence and they do not care to go before the Tammany Hall purification committee.
"I know of men and women who have gone to the police with their complaints only to be told to get out of the district if they do not like conditions there. I know of men and women who have been driven from their homes and businesses by those selfsame conditions. They have been threatened with persecution if they should dare to come to the pro-cathedral and submit their complaints. I can produce 100 or 1,000 witnesses if their names be kept from the public until it is certain beyond a doubt that the Tammany leader had been crushed for they fear him as a tyrant."
The meeting was adjourned to re-assemble at the call of the chairman, who will appoint the committee of 15 later.
AFTER THE FLOOD.
Lumber Washed Away and Much Damage Done in Various Places.
On every side of Cortland there has been damage done by the big storm. At Binghamton yesterday morning the Chenango river was 6 feet higher than it was Saturday morning and the Susquehanna river was 5 feet higher.
At Whitney Point Main-st. was flooded yesterday and rubbish of all kinds in the town floated away.
H. Edwards & Co. of Chenango Forks had 100,000 feet of lumber washed away. Their loss is said to be about $1,000.
At Union a resident saw his top buggy floating away, but rushed into the water and pulled it out and anchored it to a tree,
There were no trains either way over the Auburn division of the Lehigh Valley R. R. yesterday owing to a washout near Moravia and the loss of a small bridge near Owego. Mailing Clerk E. J. Hopkins last night inquired of the Lehigh Valley officials in regard to sending mail upon that division and was informed that no trains were running and that there would be no use in sending out mail for points in that line. Repairs have been made to-day, however, so that trains are running again.
A THANKSGIVING REMEMBRANCE
To Needy Families by members of Mr. Yost's Sunday-school Class.
A short time ago Rev. Robert Yost, pastor of the Congregational church and also teacher of the large Bible class of men in the Congregational Sunday-school suggested to his class that he would enjoy his Thanksgiving better, and he thought the same would be true of each of the members, if he did something toward furnishing a good Thanksgiving dinner to some worthy poor family who would otherwise be obliged to go without.
Arrangements were accordingly made and not only one, but six families will enjoy Thanksgiving dinners to-morrow as a result of what has been done by the one class. The dinners are complete and include everything for a wholesome dinner for the entire family from turkey and cranberry sauce to pumpkin pie. The dinners were packed in large baskets and were delivered this morning by Mr. W. G. McKinney, a member of the class. On the top of each basket was an envelope addressed to the head of the family and inside the envelope was the following:
A Thanksgiving remembrance from Class No. 25 in the First Congregational Sunday-school, REV. ROBERT YOST, Teacher.
"In the name of Christ."
''Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord."
Acting upon Mr. Yost's suggestion several other classes furnished for single families.
SCHERMERHORN-ST. SCHOOL.
Reminder of the Old Days in the Thanksgiving Exercises.
The several rooms of the Schermerhorn-st. school united in Thanksgiving exercises this morning at 10 o'clock, and the whole atmosphere as well as the program was a reminder of early Thanksgiving days in the colonies. The decorations were corn stalks, corn in the ear, pumpkins, squashes and apples, the whole brightened up by the modern pink carnation. Teachers and pupils were all in oldtime costume to the extent of the carefully folded white kerchiefs and white caps upon all the ladies and girls, and the broad white collars or the ruffled shirts and standing collars upon the boys. Miss Van Gorden presided and the program was a most delightful one. The little people entered into it with spirit and their evident enjoyment of it all was decidedly infectious. It was as follows:
Song—Hail Thanksgiving, School.
Recitation—The First Thanksgiving, Hazel Audrus.
Recitation—Thanksgiving Day, Four Boys from Second and Third Grades.
Piano Solo, Louisa Jones.
Recitation—A North Pole Thanksgiving, Floyd Harvey.
Puritan Maids, Five Girls, First Grade.
Teakettle Song, Four Boys, Third Grade.
Concert Recitation, Fifth and Sixth Grades.
Recitation, composed by a patron of the school for the occasion, Clarence Clark.
Song—How We Make our Taffy, Second and Third Grades.
Recitation—The Pumpkin, Jessie Higgins and DeFaye Woodford.
Recitation—Thanksgiving Commotion, Four Boys, First Grade.
Song—Turkey and Duck, Robert Murphy and Bert Terry.
Concert Recitation, First Grade.
Song—The Tall Top Hat, Eight Boys, Sixth Grade.
Popping Corn, Children from Second and Third Grade.
Pumpkin Exercise.
Closing Song.
After dismissal an adjournment was taken across the hall to Miss Adams' kindergarten room where the youngest ones were having a fine time with their games. Many parents and friends were present.
Thanksgiving Exercises.
The following was the program of Thanksgiving exercises given at 2 o'clock this afternoon in Mrs. Perry's room in the Central school:
Flag Song, School.
Exercise—The Grand Old Day.
Recitation—The Spanish-American War, Ethel Hollenbeck.
Recitation—The First Thanksgiving, Georgia Hoag.
Exercise—Thanks to Thee.
Selections on Mandolin-Guitar, Ethel Hollenbeck.
Recitation—November Has Come, Mary Harrington.
Concert Recitation—Granny.
Recitation—The School Boy's Vision, Norman Crombie.
Chorus—Jack Frost.
Exercise—A Glad Thanksgiving Day.
Recitation—Thanksgiving Joys, Marguerite Jennings.
Dialogue—The Thanksgiving Dinner, Francis Call and Morris Shepard.
Recitation—The Thanksgiving Bundle, Margaret Dalton.
Music—The Burlesque Band.
Recitation—Telling Dollie, Marie Palmer.
Recitation— Thanksgiving, Morris Shepard.
Recitation—Poor Little Joe, Winifred Higgins.
Thanksgiving Play—The Pumpkins.
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.
Sir Robert Hart on China.
The London Fortnightly Review, copies of which have just reached this country, contains a long and exhaustive article on the Chinese situation by Sir Robert Hart, director general of the Chinese imperial maritime customs. By virtue of the intimacy with the affairs of the empire and its ruling forces which his position gave him and his many years' residence in China he is thoroughly competent to speak on the Chinese question, and all students of the situation will listen with eagerness.
In speaking of the origin of the Boxer movement Sir Robert says it was really the result of foreign solicitation and propaganda. He quotes Wen Hsiang, the celebrated prime minister of China during the sixties, as saying to foreigners, "You are all too anxious to awake us and start us on a new road, and you will do it, but you will all regret it, for once awake and started, we shall go fast and far, farther than you think, much farther than you want." "His words," adds Sir Robert, "are very true." Following the European advice that "China must grow strong" and taking a lesson from her overwhelming defeat by the Japanese there came a revival of the military spirit which had been discouraged for centuries. "Hence," says Sir Robert, "the Boxer association, patriotic in origin, justifiable in its fundamental idea and in point of fact the outcome either of foreign advice or the study of foreign methods."
Referring to the solution of the problem, Sir Robert says there are three courses open to the western world—"partition, change of dynasty and patching up the Mantchoo rule." The first and second of these courses he briefly dismisses as out of the question. Falling back upon the third, he points out that we must not weaken the government, the strength of which is our only security, that "it must be made to 'lose face' as little as possible." In other words, the integrity of the existing government should be maintained, and the reparations exacted from it should not be so humiliating as to weaken its power of keeping order in China.
LOCAL PERSONAL.
COL. DAVID L. BRAINARD, who was a member of the Greeley Arctic expedition and three years ago in charge of the Alaska relief expedition, and who has recently returned from Manila, where he has been in charge of the commissary department for the army, is expected in Cortland to-morrow morning to spend Thanksgiving with his brother Sheriff A. E. Brainard. To-morrow night he will be at the Tioughnioga club, where an informal reception will be tendered to him, and where an opportunity will be given to his former Cortland friends to meet him.
EMERY WHEEL COMPANY.
The Plant Soon to be Moved from Taughannock Falls to Cortland.
The Taughannock Emery Wheel Co., manufacturers of all kinds of emery and corundum wheels, oilstones, etc., whose offices have been located at 134 Groton-ave., but whose works have been at Taughannock Falls, Tompkins Co., is fixing up the Graham building on Port Watson-st., and will move both offices and work to that building. On the ground floor in front a double office will be built, and back of this will be a large showroom. In the rear of the ground floor will be the machineroom.
The works will be principally up stairs, and the power for these will be furnished by the Cortland Foundry & Machine Co., which is located just east of the emery company's new quarters. There is a elevator in the building which will also be run by the power from the foundry. More windows will be placed in the building and it will be admirably fitted up for the use that the company has for it.
The machinery will be shipped from Taughannock next week and placed in the new quarters at once. The same company has a mower knife and tool grinder factory in Manlius which will be continued at that place, the emery wheels for these being made here and shipped to Manlius. The company makes wheels of all sizes, from one to thirty inches in diameter, and from a half-inch to four inches in thickness. Mr. W. D. Howe of Cortland will continue as general manager for the company.
THE NEW TELEPHONE COMPANY.
Stringing Cables and Arranging Apparatus as Rapidly as is Possible.
The Home Telephone company is making rapid strides, even in the face of the present inclement weather, towards the completion of its plant and the rendering of the promised service. Most of the tall poles for which it has long been waiting are now set in position. Workmen are putting on pole steps and cross arms and everything has the appearance of solidity and' durability. A ringing generator and a charging generator are being placed in position by Electrician Shepard in the office of the company in the Wickwire building on Main-st. The lead cables, which have also been slow coming, have arrived. They were made by the celebrated firm of John A. Roebling Co., and enclose the best quality of double wrapped copper wire. Of these Cortland has 7,050 feet of 100-pair, 2,200 feet of 75-pair and 1,550 feet 50-pair, and Homer gets 200 feet 100-pair, 900 feet 75-pair, 1,200 feet 50-pair, and 1,300 feet 25- pair. The cable resembles ordinary lead pipe. This pipe, or sheathing, as it is more properly called, is one-eighth of an inch thick and inside of it are the insulated wires. The cable contains two wires for each telephone, the direct wire and the return wire, known as the all metallic circuit. It is strung from pole to pole by what is known as messenger wires. These messengers are strong twisted wire cables half inch in thickness, which are strung tautly from pole to pole and the lead cable is hung from them by hooks. As the distance from the central office increases, the size of the cable, of course, decreases, as the wires are taken out for connection with telephones along the line. The largest size cables, as above stated, contain 100 pairs of copper wire and the smallest size has twenty-five pairs. The wires running from the cables to the telephones leave the cable at terminal boxes, the requisite number of pairs of wires being taken out at each box.
In the business portion of the city there will be two boxes to the block and in the resident portion only one. Chief Engineer Callahan thinks that with fair weather he will be able to furnish service by Jan. 1, 1901. A large gang of men, under the supervision of Master Workman Hogsett, is now setting poles between Homer and Little York pushing the line towards Syracuse as rapidly as possible.
INGERSOLL DIES IN PRISON.
Defaulting Tompkins County Treasurer Escapes His Sentence.
Charles Ingersoll, the defaulting treasurer of Tompkins county, sent to Auburn prison last May on a sentence of five years, died in the prison hospital Tuesday of Bright's disease.
BREVITIES.
—E. H. Baldwin's coal yard has been connected with the telephone exchange.
—The rummage sale for the benefit of the hospital will be held the week of Jan. 14.
—New display advertisements to-day are— F, Daehler, A fat turkey, etc., page 7; Buck & Lane, Carving knives, page 6.
—To-morrow is Thanksgiving day and no paper will be issued from this office. Full news of the two days in Friday's issue.
—The Ladies' Home Mission circle of the First Baptist church will meet in the church parlor on Friday, Nov. 30, at 2:30 P. M.
—Rev. W. P. Coddington, D. D., of Syracuse university will preach in the Congregational church Sunday morning and evening.
—To-morrow being Thanksgiving day, the postoffice will be open from seven to ten A. M. and from six to seven P. M. There will be one complete delivery by the carriers. Money order office closed all day.
—Al. W. Martin's production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" brought a large audience to the Opera House last night. The company is a strong one and its presentation of this popular play met with general approval. The scenery and equipment used were productive of good effects.
—Prof. Crane of Cornell university recommends to Ithacans whose cellars have been flooded with water that they purify their cellars with chloride of lime to avoid disease. Residents of the north part of Cortland who were similarly troubled by the overflow of Dry creek might well do likewise.
—The D., L. & W. trains had an epidemic of tardiness this morning. The 6:55 train north was off schedule forty minutes, the 9:27 south pulled in thirty-five minutes late, while the 9:20 north was more than an hour behind time, due to a wait in Binghamton for Buffalo connections and a slight break at Lisle.
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