JAPAN AFTER RUSSIA, SEDITION IN RUSSIA, HARMONY GRANGE, AND LETTER FROM THE PHILIPPINES

 

This 1904 map shows areas of contention between Japan and Russia in 1901.

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, March 23, 1901.

JAPAN AFTER RUSSIA.

Will Not Allow Any Encroachments In Korea.

RELATIONS NEAR DANGER POINT.

Said That All Japan Wants Is a Free Hand Against Russia With No Chance of Interference—This Phase Overshadows Tien Tsin Affair.

   LONDON, March 23.—The foreign office takes a pessimistic view of the immediate future in the Far East, in spite of the settlement of the Tien Tsin incident, and entertains grave fears that the relations between Japan and Russia may shortly reach the danger point. Judging from information obtained in various official quarters in London, Japan has confided to at least some of the powers her determination to oppose at all costs any secret agreements made between Russia and China by which the former could secure territorial or other advantages contiguous to Korea.

   The British government has received no official confirmation that the Japanese fleet is mobilizing; but it would not be surprised to learn that such were the fact. A highly placed British official said to a representative of the press yesterday:

   "All Japan wants is a free hand against Russia. This she has got so far as England and Germany are concerned and, I presume, so far as the United States government is concerned, although I do not imagine for one moment that any of the powers mentioned would be drawn into a war between Japan and Russia. If Japan sees nothing for it but to fight she would have the moral support of objections committed to paper by at least two other powers against secret treaties with China. That is all; but Japan seems to consider it sufficient to provide against interference."

   Confirmation of the foregoing definition of the situation was afforded by the secretary of the Japanese legation, who said in the course of an interview:

   "While rejoicing at the fact that England and Russia have reached a pacific settlement over the minor issues, the main question—the integrity of the Chinese empire—remains unsettled. In response to pressure brought by Japan upon Russia, it was announced that Russia's secret treaties with China had been modified; but the terms have been withheld. Until we see the treaties, we will not be satisfied that the modification does not consist of words merely, without any alteration in the spirit. In this contention we believe other powers will support us."

   It appears that Great Britain would be quite willing to refer the whole Manchurian matter to arbitration on the lines of The Hague conference. The Tien Tsin [railroad] siding affair is not considered important enough to be disposed of in this way, and it will immediately become a matter of diplomatic interchange between St. Petersburg and London.

 

Major General Arthur MacArthur, Jr.

M'ARTHUR UPHELD.

Acted Wholly Within His Authority In Deporting Editor Rice.

   WASHINGTON, March 23.—General MacArthur's report giving the details of the deportation of George L. Rice, the editor who was ordered out of the Philippines in consequence of articles published concerning Lieutenant Commander Braunersreuther, has been received at the war department. Mr. Rice has made no application for a review and reversal of the action of General MacArthur, although it had been asserted that he would do so. Secretary Root says that General MacArthur was acting clearly within the scope of his authority as military governor of the Philippines. Not only this, but General MacArthur has had special authority, under direction of the war department, to remove from the Philippine islands such persons as menace the peace and good order of the islands.

   General MacArthur's report gives in detail what he has heretofore cabled concerning the publication by Rice and the order deporting him.

   The report of General MacArthur was submitted to Judge Advocate General Lieber, who rendered an opinion that General MacArthur acted wholly within his authority in the deportation of Rice. So far as the war department is concerned it is now regarded as a closed incident.

 

Czar Nicholas II.

SEDITION IN RUSSIA.

Czar Has Fled from his Capital—Thought to be a Nihilist Plot.

   CHICAGO, March 23.—A special cable to the Times-Herald from Berlin says: Sedition is rampant in Russia and extraordinary precautions to protect the life of the czar have been taken. Mail advices received here tend to prove that the empire is on the verge of revolution. Everything goes to show the existence of a gigantic Nihilist plot beside which the clashes between students and Cossacks pale into insignificance, although undoubtedly ramifications of the same movement. Martial law in all but name exists in St. Petersburg, while Moscow, Warsaw, Kieff [Kiev] and other cities have been publicly proclaimed to be in a state of siege.

   Nicholas II has fled from his capital and is now secreted in his palace at Gotschine, 30 miles from St. Petersburg, but despite all possible precautions treachery in his immediate entourage is feared. That money almost unlimited in volume is hack of the impending uprising has become apparent and dark hints are given that in the conspiracy are high officials so powerful that the secret police do not know whom they may trust.

 

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

The Tien Tsin Controversy.

   Happily a temporary adjustment of the controversy between Russia and Great Britain in Tien Tsin has been affected. In making this gratifying announcement in the house of lords, Lord Landsdowne, the secretary of state for foreign affairs, explained the British side of the controversy.

   It appears that Russia occupied last autumn by right of conquest an extensive tract on the left side of the Pei-ho. Later the British government was informed that China had agreed to concede the land to Russia. The concession included, however, plots that belonged to the North Chinese Railroad company and formed, therefore, a part of the security to British bondholders. The railroad was part of the line that Russia had transferred to Count von Waldersee, who transferred it again to the British. As the necessities of the situation required the construction of a siding on one of the plots conceded by China to Russia, English were set to work on it.

   It was this act that was regarded by Russia as a trespass on Russian territory and promised for a time very serious consequences. On the 14th of March the British government telegraphed to Sir Ernest Satow, the British minister in Pekin, that it thought that British troops had a right to occupy the territory in dispute. Believing that Count von Waldersee could settle the matter, it instructed General Gazlee, the British commander, to submit it to him with the reservation of the validity of private rights for future examination. On March 20tb, the British minister was again requested to refer the matter to Count von Waldersee with the understanding that if either power had committed an irregularity, it should apologize to the other. The government added that the construction of the siding should continue under whatever conditions the count might impose.

   To this arrangement Count Lamsdorff, the Russian foreign minister, appears to have consented. It was further agreed by the two governments that all questions of title and proprietary rights should be reserved for future examination, and that in the meantime the troops of both countries should be withdrawn from the land in dispute. So simple and rational an adjustment of the question redounds to the credit of both Russia and Great Britain and is a promise that we shall hear no more about it.

 

HARMONY GRANGE

Of Town of Cortlandville Incorporated—Present Officers of the Organization.

   ALBANY, March 23. (Special)—Articles incorporating Harmony grange, No. 372, Patrons of Husbandry of Cortlandville, have just been filed with the secretary of state. Its officers are as follows: Master, Ezra D. Corwin; lecturer, Mrs. Helen Thayer; overseer, Mrs. Fannie Russell; steward, Frank Burt; assistant steward, Watts S. Freer; chaplain, Rev. W. S. Warren; treasurer, Harmon Kinney; secretary, Mrs. E. M. Burt; gatekeeper, George Sherman; Ceres, Celia Austin; Pomona, Mrs. Carrie Stoddard; Flora, Mrs. Antha Sherman; assistant lady steward, Mrs. Mary A. Freer; executive committee, Frank Burt, W. E. Russell and G. B. Burgess.

 

SENTENCES IMPOSED.

Prison for Weeks—Penitentiary for Pickert—Jail for Brown.

   The jury in the case of The People vs. Grant Weeks, indicted for rape in the first degree, brought in a verdict of rape in the second degree this morning, after deliberating all night. T. H. Dowd for the prosecution. C. V. Coon for the defendant.

   At 2 o'clock this afternoon District Attorney T. H. Dowd moved the sentence of Henry Brown, convicted of assault in the third degree; of Orville Pickert, convicted of assault in the third degree, and of Grant Weeks who was convicted as stated above. All three men stated when questioned that they were intemperate. Brown received a sentence of imprisonment for four months in the county jail; Pickert was given one year in the Onondaga county penitentiary and Weeks, by the sentence of the court, will go to Auburn State prison for eight years at hard labor.

   In passing sentence upon Henry Brown, Judge Eggleston stated that the prisoner had one point in his favor, and that was, he had never been arrested before. The court thought he had no motive for commuting the crime that he had been convicted of, but that it was as a result of intoxication.

   Attorney E. W. Hyatt asked for clemency in the case of Orville Pickert in conjunction with the jury that convicted him. The district attorney stated that a notion had gone out through the county that Pickert was not under the law. He had cost the county already a great deal, and now he ought to be taught by a severe lesson that he must be a law abiding citizen. The court admonished Pickert of the course he had pursued. The promises given in court had all been broken, and he had been in court at nearly every session for a long time. The judge thought it would be unkind to Pickert if he were not punished.

   Grant Weeks, through his attorney C. V. Coon, made application for a new trial, principally on the grounds that one of the witnesses for the prosecution had perjured himself. This the court would not accept at this time, but would give the matter due consideration. He asked for leniency. District Attorney Dowd stated that Weeks had been given the benefit of an able defense, had been convicted and now the case warranted severe punishment on account of the moral lesson to the young men of the county.

   Weeks claimed to the court that the evidence given by the [Wisers] was all false, and that he had given his evidence as nearly right as he could. The court stated to him that he had been given a fair trial and that the jury that convicted him was an excellent one, and it only remained for him to pass sentence upon him.

   The term of court just closed has reflected great credit upon the legal skill of District Attorney T. H. Dowd. He has tried three cases and has secured a conviction in each case. Each of the defendants has had the benefit of excellent counsel, but in spite of it all the district attorney carried his cases to a successful termination. This is the first term of court in which he has officiated as district attorney. He has made a very creditable beginning and if this is a sample of his work he will leave behind him an enviable record as district attorney when his term is ended.

 

Improvement at the Burns.

   Hotel Burns on North Main-st., is about to be greatly improved in the way of a new plate glass front, a new office and a new billiard parlor, besides being freshly painted and newly papered throughout which, when completed, will add greatly to the appearance of both interior and exterior. The work will be in charge of Richard [Stark], the well known contractor and builder.

 

SHOWED A COOL HEAD.

Miss Lena Edgcomb in a Bad Fire in Helena, Montana.

   Miss Lena Edgcomb of Cortland, a professional nurse and graduate of the Rhode Island college hospital of Providence, R. I., a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Edgcomb, has been in Helena, Montana, since last September. On March 16 St. Peter's hospital, in which she is nursing, was burned and there were some narrow escapes from fatalities. In its account of the fire The Record of that city says:

   Miss Lena Edgcomb and Miss Ella Virden were others who deported themselves with courage and rare presence of mind. They were in charge of the general ward, which stands slightly apart from the main hospital building. When the fire broke out, Miss Edgcomb had the presence of mind to hurry to the basement of the main building, which was then so filled with smoke as to be almost suffocating, and turn off the gas, an act which undoubtedly had much to do with the fact that the lower portion of the building was not destroyed.

   Miss Edgcomb and Miss Virden then got everything in readiness to remove the patients from the general ward and save their effects, should the necessity arise, and through their devotion to duty they too lost their all.

 

LETTER FROM PHILIPPINES.

Complaint as to Poor Quality of Food and Not Enough Either.

   The following is an extract from a letter written by Morgan McAllister of Olongapo, Subig Bay, P. I., to his sister, Mrs. B. H. Lyon of South Cortland, N. Y.:

   OLONGAPO, SUBIC BAY, P. I., Jan. 28, 1901.

   DEAR SISTER LENA—I am still at Olongapo, and have no idea when we will be relieved from here. I am as much in the dark as ever in regard to the relief question; but we are 360 strong here now and there is to be a navy yard at this place as soon as the Chinamen get the prison done to keep the prisoners in. They are at work on it now. They are putting in a telegraph line between here and Subig. A guard-of thirty men is required each day to make it safe for the linesmen to work. I was on guard yesterday. We are on one day (twenty-four hours) and then off two or three, but we have to do police work, when off guard. Of course, some days it does not amount to much, while at other times they keep you on the go, most all day; mostly cleaning up around our own quarters, while at other times they have us unloading stores for the canteen, and beer which they sell at the rate of four pint bottles for una peso (Mexicana money) or in other words, four for one Mexican dollar. I cannot afford to indulge in the useless trash.

   Speaking of our diet, I must tell the truth, it is by no means worthy of praise, as it consists of canned corned beef, also roast beef, bread, hardtack and bean soup. Fresh beef about once a month, sometimes twice, and when we do get it, we never get half enough. Here is about as we live: For breakfast, we get one large tablespoonful of corned beef, (of a very strong order), one potato, two pieces of bread and a cup of poor coffee. For dinner, a soup plate of bean soup, with as much hard tack as you want and a cup of poor coffee. We can usually get the second cup of this and also the second plate of bean soup; but many times you cannot. That is the dinner, as it is called. For the next and last meal, supper, we will get a tablespoon of boiled cabbage and a piece of boiled salt pork, about one-half an inch thick, one and a half wide by two and a half long, and most too stout for the common class of men to eat, two pieces of bread and a cup of tea. No seconds on this cabbage. We can usually get seconds on tea. Some times we get worse than this. They are in a bad habit of making what they call corned-willy soup. This is a mixture a hog could not eat; composed of corned beef and hot water, onions and potatoes, [cut up fine and boiled]. The hardtack usually has bugs in it, but I could overlook the bugs, if that was all, but in most cases, it is very musty. At other times we get canned salmon and raw onions chopped together with hardtack.

   There is not a man in this command who has not grown poor since we have been down here, and there are many of the men, who spend all of their wages, buying eggs and butter; also bananas, oranges, chickens, fish and the like to keep body and soul together. It would not be so bad either, if a man could get anything at a reasonable price, but you would be astonished at the prices we have to pay for things. They charge one peseta for four eggs, that is their twenty centavos piece or 10 cents gold. Our American money, which they all class as gold, it being a gold standard; and their money, we call dobe money, because it is only silver standard. They also charge a peseta for a very small bunch of bananas, ten or twelve in a bunch, and the oranges are very small, green ones, and they charge a peseta for four of them. One of our American oranges would make three of these out here. Cocoanuts are the same—una-peseta-por-una. Everything comes high out here in this country except cigars. They are reasonable, and still not as cheap as when the Spanish were here, by half. As to our clothing, they are very, very good when we can get them, but since we have been down here, they did not give us a chance to draw very many, so we have had to retire and buy them of the natives, and had to pay just any old price they had a mind to ask. The clothing they keep to sell is of an inferior quality, and will only stand us a short time, so it keeps us all the time buying the trash, as they would not have any in the storeroom here for us.

   Down here, our uniform is campaign hats, blue woolen shirts, tan shoes and white linen or kahky trousers, but they have not had either for three or four months and so we are entirely out of clothes of any description now, and don't know when they will have any to give us. I do not know whose fault it is, but it is not ours for we have asked for them enough to have plenty.

   The colonel fell from his horse last night and broke his left forearm. They commenced to give liberty to go to Manila yesterday. They made a good start. Six men were allowed to go up for ten days. I could have gone if I had asked, for l am first-class and have never had a liberty since I have been down here, but I did not care to go, as I have not the money at the present time. I would like to go later. I want to send home some more relics from China and these islands, but I am afraid to send them from here, so decide to wait until I can go to Manila, If those who have already gone do not spoil it and get the liberty stopped, by breaking it—that is, staying overtime.

   A report came down here, on a boat, that they had rounded up 400 insurgents out near Eames and Bacore, and that "Agij" was captured, after being struck three times. There is no knowing whether it is true or false until we get a paper. I am in the best of health at present.

 

BREVITIES.

   —The Colgate academy basket ball team left at 9:27 this morning for home.

   —Dr. C. H. Jones has moved his office from the Samson building to his new residence, 18 Court-st.

   —There was a large attendance at the sociable at the Presbyterian church last night and a very pleasant evening was spent.

   —Rev. W. Jasper Howell, pastor of the First Baptist church, has just had his rooms connected with the Home Telephone company's exchange.

   —New display advertisements to-day are—Opera House, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," page 6; C. F. Brown, Drugs, etc., page 6; Baker & Angell, Shoes, page 6; M. W. Giles, Wallpaper, page 7.

   —The public hearing on the Cortland city charter amendments has been postponed from this evening, as announced, to Monday evening, March 3d, at 8 o'clock at Fireman's hall.

   —Among the good things booked by Manager Wallace for the Opera House for the remainder of this season will be "When We Were Twenty-one," on April 10; and Sol Smith Russell's play "A Poor Relation" on April 23.

   —Referring to the notice recently printed in The STANDARD calling attention to the elegant new catalogue issued by the Smith Premier Typewriter Co. of Syracuse, we wish to say that copies of this catalogue may be obtained by any of our readers who may want it by writing the company.