GIVE CHINA A CHANCE, NORMAL SCHOOL NOVELTY, CHILD LABOR, COMMON COUNCIL, AND W. C. T. U. MEETING

 

Edwin Hurd Conger.

Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, February 20, 1901.

GIVE CHINA A CHANCE.

United States Opposes Military Operations at This Time.

CHINA MAY KEEP HER PROMISE.

Ministers Reminded That It Has Not Been Sufficiently Demonstrated That China Has Not Been Doing Her Best to Comply With the Demands.

   WASHINGTON, Feb. 20.—Minister Conger has been instructed by cable to communicate to the foreign ministers at Pekin the feeling of the United States government that further hostile expeditions should not be indulged in at this time.

   This action was taken by the state department after the cabinet discussion has developed the attitude of the administration. It is understood that this course was regarded as best since it left room for another appeal to the powers directly through their foreign offices, in case Mr. Conger's efforts are futile. The state department officials decline to make public the text of the note. However, it was said to be in perfect accord with the policy already developed and to make manifest the deep conviction of the United States government that the proposed hostile expeditions are in violation of the rights of the individual parties to the peace negotiations, besides tending to bring about the failure of the negotiations.

   If the threat of military expeditions is based upon a desire to force the Chinese envoys to speedier action on the ministerial proposals, then it must be stated that our government disapproves, feeling that it has not yet been demonstrated sufficiently that the Chinese government is not acting to the best of its ability.

   Regarding the insistence of the foreign ministers on the imposition of the death penalty upon the whole list of proscribed Chinese officials it is recalled that the Chinese agreed to administer the severest possible punishment, and it is conceived here that it may be entirely impossible for that government to go to the length demanded by the ministers.

   These considerations are of course known to the foreign ministers in Pekin but it will be Mr. Conger's duty to refresh their recollections as to the engagements their governments entered into with the United States, as well as with China, and he will point out that our attitude is in exact accordance with the outline laid down in the formal notes preceding the beginning of the negotiations.

   The United States government will continue to deal with the other powers through their diplomatic agencies, ignoring the suggestion that the ministers at Pekin have no control over the military forces stationed there and, carrying out the same theory, General Chaffee will act in thorough harmony with any suggestions made by Mr. Conger.

 

Prince Ching.

Li Hung Chang.

CHINA WILL YIELD.

Ready to Comply With Demands But Need a Little More Information.

   PEKIN, Feb. 20.—Prince Ching and Li Hung Chang have received a telegram which virtually means that the Chinese will comply with all the demands of the powers, although they still desire information on a few minor points. The foreign envoys look forward confidently to the absolute compliance  by Thursday at the latest.

   Prince Ching and Li Hung Chang have been greatly worried by the preparations for the expedition into the interior, and they have strongly urged the Court to yield, pointing out that otherwise the dismemberment of the empire was probable.

   General Chaffee signalized the Chinese new year by calling upon Li Hung Chang, who seemed to be in much better health.

   It is now asserted that the Germans will turn the railroad over to the British at the end of the month.

 

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

Child Labor.

   In this state the question of child labor has been given a great amount of attention and as a result we have laws which are responsible for fairly good conditions. The inspection is such that there are comparatively few violations and where violations are found they usually are traced to parents who have come here from other shores, and who falsify regarding the age of the children who are put out to work in the mills.

   In Illinois further legislation is asked. According to State Factory Inspector Arrington there are now 14,356 children employed in the factories of Illinois, and that the evil is increasing is shown by the statement that the number has increased to these figures from 9,259 in 1897. Compared with the total number of factory employees, the number of children employed forms a small per cent, but they make a small army in themselves and Arrington insists the conditions are becoming worse each year. He says the families which have recently come to America from abroad furnish most of the child labor in Illinois, and the American families are disposed to keep their little ones in school, so that the compulsory education law ought to be more rigidly enforced. Mr. Arrington takes the school records of Chicago and shows that of 25,714 children in school at 11 years of age but 6,030 of them remained in school at the age of 16 and, in his opinion, this results in the American standard of living being lowered, as well as the adult American laboring men being injured by unfair competition, and the physical, moral and mental efficiency of the rising generation being impaired.

   Seventy-five per cent of the children employed in Illinois factories are employed in Chicago, 6,225 boys and 4,609 girls less than 16 years of age being counted on the Chicago rolls. The garment trades, the metal and wood working industries and the big stores all employ child labor by the hundred. Outside of Chicago the glass factories are the principal employers of children, one such factory at Alton employing 312 boys and girls. The report points out that child labor ruins wages and that the fathers and mothers are often out of work when the youngsters are employed.

   In our own state the compulsory education law acts in harmony with the child labor law and conditions are infinitely better than they were even five years ago. Still, there is room for improvement.—Utica Herald-Dispatch.

   ◘ Li Hung Chang has passed sentence of death upon several Chinese officials who are already deceased. These little formalities which mean nothing, but tend to keep up appearances, are peculiarly congenial to the Celestial temperament.

 

Cortland Normal School viewed from Greenbush Street.

NOVELTY AT THE NORMAL.

PLAN BEING FORMULATED FOR STUDENT GOVERNMENT.

Students to Organize and Draft Constitution and By-laws With Mayor, Aldermen, District Attorney and Judges Elected—Police to Arrest Offenders Who Will he Tried Before Student Court—Faculty to Form the Court of Appeals.

   The Cortland State Normal school seems likely soon to introduce a novelty among the student body in the form of a system of government of the students, for the students and by the students. The young men and women who make up the Normal department are a remarkably manly and womanly set of young people. They know what they are here in school for and are thoroughly in earnest, so that very little discipline of any kind or government is necessary. But it has occurred to Dr. Cheney, the principal, and to the faculty that a form of government in the hands of the students managed under the eyes and with the approval of the faculty would be a most excellent object lesson as to methods of procedure in parliamentary and governmental forms, besides placing upon the shoulders of the students themselves a degree of personal responsibility which they could not otherwise feel.

   Such a system was inaugurated at Amherst college about twenty years ago by the late President Julius H. Seelye and became famous throughout the whole country and was known as the Seelye system or the Amherst system. It worked to perfection under the management of a wise and discreet president. A modification of it has been adopted at the George Junior Republic, where every boy is a "Citizen." It has been believed that it would work well among the students of the Cortland Normal school.

   The plan for this school is to consider the entire Normal department as a municipality, every student then in school being a citizen and a voter. Equal suffrage will be granted to the lady students and gentlemen alike. The government will be divided into three parts: Legislature, executive and judicial, and the proper officers for each department will be elected by the citizens. The whole student body will be divided into six nearly equal parts, according to the six sections of seats in Normal hall. Each of these parts will constitute a ward, and the ward will be the unit of division. The electors of each ward will elect its representative or alderman, and the six aldermen from the six wards with the mayor, who will be elected by the whole municipality, will constitute the common council. The executive power of the corporation is to be vested in the police board. Several policemen will be on duty all the time, though pursuing their regular work at the same time, to make arrests, if necessary and to keep the peace. A city attorney will prosecute all cases for the people, while several standing attorneys will be appointed to defend accused citizens of the municipality. The judiciary will be made up of judges, constituting different courts, but the faculty will be, in every case, the court of appeals.

   Yesterday afternoon at 3:45 almost the entire student body met in Normal hall to consider the new movement. Dr. Cheney laid the plan of government before them and many of the students spoke upon the proposition, giving their ideas of the benefits to be derived from such a course. Each one of the students who expressed an opinion was in sympathy with the plan and gave his or her reason for desiring the change. A vote was taken by hand raising and nearly every student in the hall supported the proposition. Subsequent to this, a list of the supporters of the scheme was taken by sections. These were to be the citizens. About seven out of every eight at that time handed in their names.

   The students are generally in favor of the plan of self government and are of the opinion that it will work well in the school. The most of them wish to have the plan instituted in order that they may be familiar with the idea of self government in a school so when they go out to teach, they may use the same plan. Some are of the opinion that it will cause hard feeling among the students, because those who have to be governed by the officers of the municipality will find it very difficult to submit willingly to the rule of those who are their equals. This class forms only a small minority of the students. But the others are calling the attention of these students to the fact that in every republic every citizen is governed and controlled only by his equals. He is tried in court and sentenced by his equals, and that the basal principle of a republic is that all citizens are of equal standing before the law.

   The plan of self government is confined to the Normal department only and does not include the intermediate and primary departments.

   The action taken will be entirely voluntary on the part of the students. No one will be forced to become a citizen if he does not care so to do, and no one except citizens will be governed by the new scheme. Those who do not care to enter into the plan will be under the supervision of the principal. Dr. Cheney will give the government to the students so long as they do not abuse the use of it or allow club spirit or class spirit or partisan spirit to enter into the matter. The students are expected to maintain the high standing of the school in regard to its discipline, and when they do not, then the rights of self government will be taken from them by the principal.

   This morning the citizens were notified of a meeting at 4 o'clock this afternoon in Normal hall, at which delegates will be chosen to a constitutional convention to be held in the same place next Friday afternoon. In all probabilities the plan of self government will be instituted.

 

SUPERINTENDENT BUCKLIN RESIGNS.

G. H. Garrison Acting in His Place Till Appointment is Made.

   Mr. W. R. Bucklin who has been the efficient general superintendent of the Cortland & Homer Traction Co. for the past year and a half, succeeding Mr. H. B. Westcott, has resigned his position. Mr. Bucklin has been untiring in his efforts to give the people a satisfactory service and has been popular with the patrons and employees of the road. Mr. Bucklin has not announced his plans for the future.

   Mr. G. Harry Garrison, who was for a long time connected with the road and is familiar with the details of the business, is assisting Receiver Edwin Duffey and is temporarily in charge of the business of the office.

 

CLEAN THE WALKS.

Superintendent Becker Will Organize a Walk Gang To-morrow.

   Superintendent of Streets Becker directs all property owners to clear their sidewalks of snow and ice before noon to-morrow. He has organized a walk gang of men and at noon to-morrow will start out to clear all walks which are not then in proper condition, charging the expense up against the property to be collected with taxes under the authority granted by the city charter. It will, therefore, be wise for all property owners to look after their own walks unless they would rather pay the city for having the work done.

 

SNOW IN THE WOODS.

Lumber Covered up—Country Roads are Drifted Full.

   The country roads leading to Cortland are in many places feet deep with snow and the pitch holes numerous, deep and in many instances almost dangerous. A resident of South Hill who was in the city Monday morning reported banks from ten to fifteen feet in height, and said the snow had drifted into his woods until it seemed as though it was fifteen feet in depth on the level. He had 15,000 feet of logs cut in the woods ready to draw and they were buried so deep beneath the snow that he did not know when he would be able to find them.

 

COMMON COUNCIL

DECIDES TO KEEP CITY TEAM AT ENGINE HOUSE.

Whole Board Makes an Inspection of the Engine House and Fireman's Hall—Meetings of Council May be Held There—Fees for Arrests of Drunks by Those Other Than Policemen Fixed at 25 Cents.

   A regular meeting of the common council of the city of Cortland was held at the office of the city clerk last evening, at which were present Mayor Chas. F. Brown and Aldermen E. M. Yager, E. R. Wright, Geo. H. Richards, T. C. Scudder, R. S. Pettigrew and Vera W. Skeele.

   Bills were allowed and ordered paid as follows:

   F. W. Kingsbury, extending assessment roll, $16.38

   A. Goldsmith, official work, .25

   A. R. Overton, arrests, 5.00

   Empire State Telephone and Telegraph Co., .25

   E. R. Wright, order of Overseer of the Poor Cummings, 18.00

   The bills of Officers Overton and Goldsmith brought up for discussion the amount that should be paid officers other than the city policemen for arrests of vagrants and drunks. The charter provides that this amount may be fixed by the common council, but that it shall not be in excess of $2 for each arrest. The officers' bills had formerly been audited at that, but the board was of the opinion that this was too much and that it afforded a stimulus to the officers to make arrests that properly belonged to the policemen. Twenty-five cents per arrest was the price fixed upon as the fee and, on motion of Mr. Scudder, seconded by Mr. Pettigrew and declared carried:

   Resolved, That the fees and mileage of a peace officer authorized to make arrests in the city of Cortland, and who does not receive a salary from the city in connection with the arrest, examination, conviction and commitment of a tramp, or of a vagrant under subdivision one, five or six of Section 887 of the code of criminal procedure, or of a person charged with public intoxication, or with violating Section 426 of the penal code, be and is hereby fixed by the common council of the city of Cortland, for all officers occurring in the city of Cortland, at the sum of twenty-five cents, (25c) and not to exceed that sum in any one case.       

   Declared carried, all voting aye.

   Alderman Yager of the committee on enginehouse and fire supplies reported that the papering of Fireman's hall had been completed, and that the redressing of the woodwork was nearly finished. He also reported that the room had not been repapered since nine years ago, when the material and work amounted to $9. Now the papering and redressing of the woodwork would cost not much over $11.

   Mr. Richards asked at this point why the fire horses could not be kept in the enginehouse  near the trucks. There are two men there to look after them, and he was of the opinion that this was the proper place for them to be kept. It was his opinion that Cortland is far behind the times in the matter of fire service, and he plainly stated that the room given for storing the engine could be used to a much better advantage by giving this room to the stabling of the team. It was his opinion also that the engine ought to be sold.

   Mr. Yager said that he had spent some time looking up the matter of placing the horses in the engine rooms where they would be of more service to the department. The front cell could be remodeled so as to hold both horses, and then there would be two cells left for the occupancy of arrests. He thought that the horses could be hitched to the trucks inside the room, and that the trucks might be hauled out by the team through the rather narrow doors, provided that grooves were made for the wheels to run in. The board decided to visit the engine house after the meeting and, on motion, the meeting adjourned to Feb. 26, 1901, at 7:30 o'clock P. M. at the same place.

   Approved Feb. 19, 1901.

   CHAS. F. BROWN, Mayor.

   After the meeting the board went to the engine house and inspected it from cellar to street. The fire room was looked over thoroughly and it seems to be the opinion of the board that the team belongs in the room with the appliances. The members of the board say that the saving in barn rent of $100 each year would soon pay for the changes that would have to be made. Some question as to the strength of the floor for putting the team upon it, led the board to pass down cellar. Here they found that the floor was made of [three courses] of inch lumber, laid on…12 inches which were 10 inches apart. [Missing type in this paragraph—CC ed.] All this was supported by eight brick piers. The board was convinced that this display of strength was sufficient for nearly all that could be placed in the room.

   From this place the board went to the hall on the second floor and looked over the improvements that had been made, and which seemed to please them very much—so much in fact that the members suggested holding their meetings in the hall. The bunkrooms back of the hall were visited, and the fire ladies, some of them in scant attire it being their time for retiring, gave the solons welcome. Up on the third floor the board visited the finely equipped and splendidly kept rooms of the Water Witch Steamer and Hose company and the Excelsior Hook and Ladder company. The board felt well repaid for the time spent in the investigation and some important changes may be the outcome of it.

 

W. C. T. U. MEETING.

Letter from the Nurse in Cuba—A Union Formed Among Onondaga Indians.

   The regular meeting of the W. C. T. U. was held on Tuesday afternoon and opened with devotional exercises led by Mrs. C. F. Weiler.

   The following letter received by one of the members from a soldier in Cuba is of special interest, as it shows not only how strong are the temptations of military, but what brave efforts some are making to overcome these temptations:

   QUEMODAS, Cuba, Jan. 2, 1901.

   MY KIND FRIEND—I received your thoughtful present, the comfort bag, as a Christmas present, and while I am not in the class for whom it was originally intended I thought I would write to you and acknowledge the receipt and thank you for your remembrance of us who are far away from our friends and homes.

   I enjoyed reading your letter very much, for, by it, it seems to one as if there were some one at home who sometimes thinks of us and our welfare.

   I am an enlisted nurse in the hospital corps, United States army, and am a trained nurse by profession. At present am nursing the dreaded yellow fever, of which we have had quite an epidemic this year. I volunteered to act as nurse for this disease last May and have been steady at it ever since.

   You asked me to tell you if I could feel justified in signing the pledge card you sent. I am very sorry to say that I cannot feel justified in signing it. I will try and tell you why.

   I enlisted in the army to try and break myself of the habit of strong drink, having been for several years a victim of it, which ruined me in my profession, as strict sobriety is one of the essentials of a good nurse. Several years ago at the earnest request and pleadings of my mother and friends I signed a pledge which I have violated, and as a result I cannot sign another as I know almost to a certainty that, if I did, it would be only to break it, and I could not feel right in so doing. Since joining the army I have learned one lesson that is helping me to control the habit and that is the discipline that we are under. It certainly has helped me to a great extent but at times the old longing comes back to me with such force that I cannot control it; but I think I have the upper hand now, as I haven't drank at all in four months.

   Life is very monotonous here. All the days are just the same in our camp. The only new faces we see are cases that are brought to us as we are in strict quarantine. There are only seven of us here; four lady nurses, two hospital corps nurses, and a doctor. We work twelve hours apiece daily and have the other twelve for rest and recreation.

   I will now close, hoping you will not be tired of reading this and will answer it. Wishing you a Happy New Year and many of them.

   Sincerely your friend,

   THOMAS R. KANE, Post Hospital, Quemodas, Cuba.

   It was moved and carried that a tribute be prepared to the memory of our sister Miss Sarah Hare, and that a letter of sympathy be sent to her family; also that a letter of sympathy be sent to Mrs. J. L. Marritt.

   Thirty-three calls upon the sick were reported. The program for the afternoon was in charge of Mrs. Stearns, vice-president from the Homer-ave. church and was as follows:

   Leaflet—Busy Women and the W. C. T. U., Mrs. E. P. Jepson.

   Why Should Church Members Belong to the W. C. T. U.? Mrs. M. L. Bentley.

   The Work at Hand, Mrs. Waterbury.

   Do What You Can, Mrs. Strowbridge.

   What You Can Do? Mrs. A. McNett.

   What You Should Do? Mrs. Cotton.

   Solo, Mr. A. G. McNett.

   The following were elected delegates to the county convention to be held in Marathon, Wednesday March 6: Mrs. A. W. McNett, Mrs. S. S. Stearns, Mrs. C. Waterbury, Mrs. Cady, Mrs. Phelps.

   Miss Libbie Robertson, the county president, told of Union No. 2 of Syracuse recently with Mrs. Ferguson its president, [going] to the Onondaga Reservation, and there organizing a union of twelve members. This was named the Hiawatha union, and is the only W. C. T. U. in the state made up entirely of Indian women, perhaps the only one in the United States.

   SUPT. PRESS WORK, Feb. 19, 1901.

 

BREVITIES.

   —New display advertisements to-day are—E. M. Mansur, Groceries, page 2; J . W. Cudworth, Optical talks, page 6.

   —The Wide-A-Wake Literary club will meet at the home of Mrs. Robert McMillen, Harrison-st., Wednesday evening.

   —The dancing school at Red Men's hall that was postponed till next Friday night, has been re-postponed till next Wednesday night.

   —County Clerk O. D. Patrick has rented the Angell house at 6 Monroe Heights and will move his family from Truxton to Cortland some time in March.

   —The piano in Warren, Tanner & Co.'s, show window, that was to have been sold at sheriff's sale, has been returned to its original owner, a settlement having been made between the parties.