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| William McKinley. |
The Cortland Democrat, Friday, Sept. 20, 1901.
MEMORIAL SERVICE
HELD IN CORTLAND OPERA HOUSE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.
Great Outpouring of the People to Show Their Respect for the Late President McKinley—A Sad but Exceedingly Beautiful Service—Many Eulogies From the Clergy and Others.
The services held as a memorial to the late President William McKinley, yesterday afternoon in the Opera House, was a demonstration that expressed the deep grief felt by the citizens of Cortland for the loss of their beloved president, and that their sympathy for Mrs. McKinley was heartfelt is but expressing what every one knows after witnessing the outpouring of the people and the many tears shed during the exceedingly solemn services. As a preliminary to the service, Mayor Brown issued a proclamation last Saturday calling upon our business men to close their stores and their shops during the time designated for the funeral of Mr. McKinley at Canton, Ohio, and on Monday he appointed the following committee to make arrangements for a memorial service. Robert Busbby, T. H. Wickwire, J. E. Eggleston, L. J. Fitzgerald, O. U. Kellogg, H. A. Dickinson, S. N. Holden, W. J. Greenman, James Dougherty, H. M Kellogg, F. E. Smith, F. J Cheney, Geo. J. Mager, E. H. Brewer, Hugh Duffey, F. J. Peck and E. D. Blodgett.
The committee met Monday evening and decided to hold the services in the Opera House. Messrs. Wallace & Gilmour very kindly contributed the use of the house free.
This committee appointed the following sub-committees:
Speakers and Program—C. F. Brown, H. A. Dickinson, L. J. Fitzgerald, A. S. Brown, F. J. Cheney, E. D. Blodgett.
Resolutions—Hugh Duffey, F. J. Peck, T. H. Wickwire, E. H. Brewer.
Decorating—E. M. Santee, S. N. Holden. J. G. Jarvis, Mrs. N. H. Waters, Mrs. Ezra Corwin, Mrs. A. M. Jewett, Mrs. N. H. Gillette, James Dougherty, H. M. Kellogg.
Music—G. O. Bowen, A. E. Darby, A. B. Kingsley.
The program was of such length that it is simply impossible to give, in the limited space at command, even a synopsis of the remarks made by the distinguished speakers. They were all full of comforting thoughts, and portrayed the lamented McKinley in the different walks of life as a soldier, as a lawyer, as a statesman, as a man, and as a president.
The program entire was as follows:
The following resolutions prepared by the committee were unanimously adopted by a rising vote:
We, the citizens of Cortland, in common with our fellow countrymen, elsewhere gathered together to participate in the memorial exercises to honor the memory of William McKinley, who, while president of the United States in the discharge of a high duty, was stricken down by the hand of a foul and vile assassin, hereby submit the following memorial resolutions:
We have high pride in the career of William McKinley, as showing the great possibilities of a citizen of this republic who, by the faithful discharge of every duty and by the very force of his own endeavor, genius and manhood was able to rise through various grades of public trust to the highest gift of honor in the world.
We rejoice in the memory of his virile manhood, his patriotic services, his high public character, his domestic kindliness, his christian faith and its abiding trust.
We are thankful for the inspiration that his name and fame will give in coming years to the youth of our country and the benign influence that his life and works will shed on our national thought and weal.
We recognize in him the president who was loyal and sincere in his attempts to shape governmental policies in accord with the will of the people, and whose highest aim it was to be their true executive.
As chief executive of our great Republic his work and worth won the esteem and admiration of the civilized world, whose citizens, now horrorstricken, stand aghast at the direful deed of the fell assassin, and with us mourn his untimely death, and with us, soul-sick, feel the sad irreparable loss.
We deplore the fact, that in this land, dedicated to personal liberty and individual freedom, there could be found one so lost to shame and manliness, as to commit the atrocious crime of which President William McKinley was the blameless victim.
We condemn that lawlessness, and that spirit of anarchy which, though foreign to our institutions, has been nurtured by our tolerance and warmed into larger life by the sunshine of our liberty until, gorged with its own venom, it vaunts itself in high-handed violence in various sections of our country and strikes its poisoned blow at that individual liberty enunciated in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed to our citizens by the Constitution.
We charge that spirit of lawlessness, wearing various guises, with the death of William McKinley, president of the United States, and denounce in unmeasured terms all the agencies used to foster the bitterness of discontent and hate among our citizens, or to subject our public servants unjustly to endless abuse or persistent ridicule and scorn.
And in this hour of our common sorrow, and on the altar of this great national bereavement brought about by forces antagonistic to the spirit of free government, we hereby pledge ourselves to the suppression of these deadly forces, and to the task of creating and inculcating in our youth and citizens a higher regard for governmental authority, and a greater love for our free institutions.
Possessed with a deep sense of personal loss, we lay the heartfelt tribute of our love and high esteem upon the bier of our great executive, and at the same time tender to his sorrow-stricken widow, his tenderest care, our warm, sincere and cordial sympathy, and prayerfully commend her to the compassionate care of Him whose will has been done in this providence, now so full of mystery to us.
Your committee hereby moves the adoption of these memorial resolutions be made and sent to Mrs. McKinley as an expression of our high regard and esteem for her beloved husband, and as a mark of Cortland's wealth of sympathy with her in this, her deepest sorrow.
Hugh Duffey, Chairman.
Edward H. Brewer.
Frank J. Peck.
Theodore F. Wickwire.
Mourning Display.
The personal interest and pains which householders at their homes, business men at their offices and people all over Cortland took in draping buildings and windows in mourning and raising crepe-bordered flags at half-mast throughout the city amounted to a demonstration in itself. The city and county buildings were especially simple and pretty, and the firemanic buildings were draped in exceeding good taste. Prominent citizens in the residential districts personally attended to the sad task of putting flags at half-mast. From windows in tenement quarters the black-draped chromo portrait of the late president looked forth.
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.
The National Calamity.
The torch of hope has gone out in darkness! Our worst fears are realized! The bright beams of promise in our last issue are lost in rayless night! The sun of September 14 rose on a grief-stricken people. President William McKinley had passed away since the setting of the sun. How much of human nature has been shown to be in humanity! The common grief blotted out all barriers. It knew not class, nor party, nor section, nor even nation. All true hearts were touched with the bitterness of personal grief. And why not? The shot of that Judas assassin at Buffalo was fired at our national governmental system. His envenomed bullet lodged in the highest personal representative of a government resting on the faith and affection of the people. The loss is personal, not national. The aim was at the nation's life. The deed touches the nation's homes. The act was wholly without rational motive or excuse. There was nothing in the character of President McKinley to provoke the act. He was genial by nature, open hearted, kindly in spirit, true to his convictions, patriotic in his endeavors, loyal in his friendships, devoted to his country, and carrying on the affairs of government entirely within the constitution and the laws, and standing fast by what he believed to be for his country's highest interests and humanity's greatest good.
The act was not called into being by that sectional hate on whose altar was sacrificed the immortal Lincoln; nor was the act the creation of that demon of party faction which made the gifted Garfield its martyr. No! Sectional lines, thank God, have vanished. May the bitterness of sectional hate long be forgotten! Under President McKinley's administration North and South have vied with each other in loyalty and affection and devoted service, and now alike are stricken by the common sorrow and the common loss. Nor were there any hostile factions within his party, for it has been one of the richest fruits which William McKinley has brought to his party, that he has healed all factional differences and fused all factions into a strong, united party.
The death-freighted bullet of Czolgosz represented an idea not indigenous to our system of government, but bred by our sufferance has grown dangerous by our toleration. The cowardly bullet of Czolgosz was charged with the death-rattle doctrines of Emma Goldman and Herr Most, the high priests of anarchy who have been sowing the gospel of hate and the direful seeds of discontent, and have been inoculating malcontents with the leprosy of misrule, with a brazenness and effrontery at once alarming and appalling. Those marplots of good order, those demons of discontent are the real assassins. Hitherto it has been held that anarchy was only the concomitant of tyranny. Republics have dangers of their own. Liberty is apt to degenerate into license, license into lawlessness, lawlessness into open flagrant crime. The doctrine of anarchy, that the right to murder rulers is a duty, and to drag down organized society is a necessity, hardly makes the path of duty the path of safety. That speech is not free which calls into being the smoking pistol, the blazing torch and the reeking dagger.
We must face the facts. President McKinley's death was the natural fruitage of that crazed sentimentality which apologizes for, and that criminal toleration which permits, the deadly fumings of anarchy, lawlessness and misrule. Every deed educates the future. A little while ago and we heard of the frantic rejoicings of that viper nest of anarchists at Paterson, New Jersey, over the assassination of King Humbert of Italy. Another turn of the kaleidoscope and we see President McKinley lying dead at Buffalo, stricken down by one of that band of anarchists, and Emma Goldman defiantly saying, "I see no reason for regretting McKinley's death."
Shall further inaction invite the repetition of this world-mourned calamity? No more kindly ruler than President McKinley can follow him, no finer example of American citizenship, no grander representative of the American father and husband. His moral and intellectual qualities were such as to command respect. His kindly deeds were such as to create esteem.
No matter how some may have differed with President McKinley in governmental policies and practices, the sweetness, tenderness and the virility of the man, even more than his ability, tact and good judgment, have been the pride of all his citizens and have commanded the admiration of the world, which now makes his loss a cause of universal grief as deep and sincere as it is world-wide.
Ithaca Band to Disband.
Cortland people will learn with regret that the famous Ithaca band, conducted by Patsy Conway, will soon be a thing of the past, financial support not being sufficient to maintain the organization. The Ithaca Journal very justly laments the disintegration of the band in the following comments:
"On Monday the startling announcement was made that the Ithaca Band will be a thing of the past after September 25th when a farewell concert will be given in the Lyceum. The subscription lists have met with partial success, but the aggregate amount pledged is by no means sufficient to insure the maintenance of the organization.
Everybody in the city realizes what it will mean to Ithaca to lose the well-known organization, but the people have had ample time to decide and they have spoken. Arthur W. Wellar, who has had charge of the subscriptions, has worked diligently and earnestly in behalf of the band, and although at first subscriptions were liberal and numerous, nevertheless they were not individually large enough. The band will accompany St. Augustine Commandery to Binghamton on Tuesday, September 24th, and upon their return the farewell concert will be given.
News Which is News.
Once in a great while the Cortland Standard succeeds in getting a "scoop" from its contemporaries, and when this marvelous feat is secured there is more excitement over the occurrence than is created by any other local event. A case in point came to our notice the past week, when the Standard made the startling announcement that Mr. Brewer's pineapple "trees have grown so that he now has a limited supply,'' etc.
Now there is some information that knocks all encyclopedias silly, and it requires a pretty brainy head to indict such an item. People who have lived in sunny climes come to us and say that pineapples do not grow on trees, and the Standard dictionary states that they are produced from plants three or four inches from the ground. Evidently the dictionary is away off its base, for the Cortland Standard always verifies its statements before publication, and we must come to the conclusion that pineapples do grow on trees, despite the evidence of Southern tourists.
HERE AND THERE.
All roads will lead to Cincinnatus next week.
To-day is 10th Cavalry day at the Cortland park.
There were slight frosts about town yesterday morning.
No freight trains were run over the Lackawanna railroad yesterday.
Floyd Kenyon fell from his wheel Tuesday, injuring his left elbow.
The several churches are giving their annual receptions to Normal students this week.
On Monday next the sun crosses the line and the days and nights will be of equal length.
Grapes are very plentiful in Cortland, loads of this fruit coming in daily from the lakes.
Mrs. Perry J. Whitmarsh injured her left hand quite seriously in the canning factory Tuesday forenoon.
The rummage sale fad is coming into market again, the local Y. M. C. A. making arrangements to begin one October 18.
On account of the memorial services at the Opera House, the Democrat is printed somewhat earlier than usual this week.
It is expected that the repairs on the First Baptist church steeple will be completed before winter blizzards make themselves felt.
Many of Cortland's young men are privately rejoicing that the ice-cream season is nearly past. Can the young ladies guess why?
It will be just twenty years ago next Thursday, Sept. 26, that memorial services for President Garfield were held in Cortland.
The large tree in front of the old Savings bank building has twee cut down. We suppose this is due to the march of improvement.
Rev. N. M. Waters, D. D., of Binghamton preached a strong sermon in the Congregational church of Cortland last Sunday evening.
Adin H. Leach, who has for years held the position as clerk at the Cortland House, has opened an oyster house at No. 10 North Main-st.
That bicycle rider who caused such large crowds to gather in our streets last Saturday afternoon and evening was up to all sorts of tricks. Not many experts can give a better exhibition.
Supposing that we guess that the young lady who will be married at the Cincinnatus fair next week is a resident of this city, and that the prospective groom hails from East Homer? Watch for the returns.
While a large number of Cortland young ladies have left town recently to engage in the duties of teaching, a still larger number of young people have come into town to attend the Normal school. Thus the city's population keeps on an even keel.
The Traction company made a pretty memorial display which attracted large crowds Saturday evening. They had a picture of President McKinley, draped with a flag, which was thrown from their large moving picture to a screen hung on the Garrison building.
The Loyal Circle of Kings Daughters desire, through the press, to thank Mr. W. W. Bennett for the gift of 240 loaves of bread, baked at his hardware exhibit rooms last Thursday afternoon. A fine sum was realized from its sale, which will aid them in their charitable work.
John H. Mourin of the Messenger House, who has also been a three-fourths owner of the Glen Haven hotel, has purchased of Lewis Thomas the remaining one-fourth interest and now becomes the owner and proprietor. Mr. Mourin is one of the most successful and popular landlords in Central New York.
Dr. J. M. Milne of Cortland was assigned an important part at memorial exercises in respect for each of our three martyred presidents, delivering a declamation on the occasion of Mr. Lincoln's funeral, speaking at the Cortland Opera House Sept. 26, 1881, when Gen. Garfield's funeral was held, and again yesterday when the McKinley obsequies were held.
THE CINCINNATUS FAIR.
Carnival, Wedding and Many Other Attractions.
The Cincinnatus, N. Y., fair will open next Wednesday and continue one round of interesting entertainment until Friday night.
Beard & Peck's big wedding will be one of the great attractions at the fair. The bride and groom are both residents of the city of Cortland, are both young, handsome and attractive, and are well-known and highly respected by many people in the county. The ceremony will take place at one o'clock on Thursday, Sept. 26, on an elevated stand where all can see the happy couple and witness the ceremony. The bridal party will be driven to the grounds in a hack drawn by four fine black horses decorated with white ribbons, driver in a livery suit, and a colored coachman by his side. It is the expressed wish of this handsome bride that she be married in the presence of 2,500 people, and every man, woman and child in the county is invited to the wedding. Beard & Peck's present to the bride and groom will be an elegant parlor suite worth $50, and undoubtedly they will receive many other handsome gifts.
The tournament will be the feature of Friday. It will be called at one o'clock, and this will be an event which but few New York state people have ever seen.
Mr. Melville Pearce of My Lady's Manor, Md., arrived in Cortland this week, and he will have the entire management of the tournament. He is thoroughly familiar with this sport, and with him in charge this feature of the fair will be a success.
Mr. L. N. Fredericks is also pushing the enterprise with his accustomed vigor, and Democrat readers all know that he is a hustler from Baltimore.
There will also be races, and fine exhibits in all departments.
By all means take in the Cincinnatus fair.
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