JOHN STOSSEL INTERVIEWS GLORIA ALVAREZ

 

THREATEN TO BOMBARD, RIGHTS OF LABOR UNIONS, SUPERVISORS APPORTION TAXES, CORTLAND COMMON COUNCIL, AND ALBERT KNAPP

 

SMS Vineta.

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, December 13, 1902.

THREATEN TO BOMBARD.

Foreign Residents of Puerto Cabello Seek Refuge

ON CRUISERS OF THE ALLIES.

Crisis is Regarded Less Serious in London—President Castro's Request For Arbitration Well Received—Venezuelan Consuls in Europe Think United States Will Intervene.

   London, Dec. 13.—A dispatch to the Daily Mail from Willemstadt, Curacao, dated Dec. 11, says that the foreign residents of Puerto Cabello are taking refuge on board the German cruiser Vineta and the British cruiser Ariadne, and that the vessels are threatening to bombard the port.

 

WILL NOT ENTER INTERIOR.

All German Action Will Be Confined to the Seacoast.

   London, Dec. 13.—The Venezuelan crisis is regarded less seriously here this morning. Lord Lansdowne's speech is held to show that the situation is in no way alarming, and although the opinion is expressed that President Castro's reported request for arbitration has come too late, this step on his part is welcomed as a proof of his anxiety to withdraw from his position.

    The morning newspapers express various opinions as to the arbitration proposals but there is a general agreement that if by a guarantee made by the United States or by other means Venezuela could be bound to carry out an award no reason exists why Great Britain should refuse to consent to arbitration. It is believed, however, that neither Great Britain nor Germany is likely to accept the arbitration proposal.

   Statements attributed to the consuls and other representatives of Venezuela in European cities all betray a stronger feeling against Germany than against Great Britain as well as reliance upon the United States to prevent any Anglo-German invasion of Venezuela. The Venezuelan consul at Genoa is credited with the assertion that the armed intervention of the United States would be certain to follow immediately such invasion.

   A dispatch from Berlin to the Morning Post says the British commander in Venezuelan waters will as senior officer, in the future direct, all joint action by the Anglo-German fleet after having consulted with Commodore Schroder, the German commander.

   Germany has no intention of sending a force to the interior of Venezuela. All German action, according to the correspondent, will be confined to the coast.

 

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.

Rights of Labor Unions.

   In this age few, if any, right-minded and intelligent persons will deny the right of labor to organize for its own protection and benefit. This right is as clear and indisputable as the right of capital to do the same. Neither can the right of an organization of laborers to work or to refuse to work, or to say with whom they will or will not work, be successfully questioned. When a labor organization, however, declares that non-union laborers shall not sell their labor in the open market and seeks to prevent, by threats or violence, such laborers from working when, how and for whom they  please, it goes beyond its rights and makes itself a foe of public peace and order and a lawless assailant of individual rights. Peaceable persuasion is all right, but forcible compulsion, never. Even labor leaders are driven to admit the correctness of this position, while claiming that unorganized labor has not the moral right to accept work in opposition to organized labor on strike. The truth in the matter has never been better or more pointedly put than by Archbishop Ireland at a recent meeting of the Civic Federation in New York City. A newspaper report of the meeting says:

   Archbishop Ireland took a hand in the discussion of Mr. Gompers' speech. Reverting to that part if which Mr. Gompers tried to show that a laborer should not be permitted to work if by so doing he was injuring organized laborers, who would be more in numbers than himself, the Archbishop said:

   Mr. Gompers seemed to distinguish and did distinguish between the legal right of each one to sell his labor and the moral right. Well, admitting the distinction and saying that the union did not deny the legal right, but did deny the moral right, I would ask whose business is it—the business of the state or the business of unions or of individuals to enforce what they believe to be the moral right?

   For instance, the unions believe that independent workers have not the moral right to sell their labor in opposition to the union labor. Very well. Admit that, for arguments sake.

   Will the unions be willing to leave to the state the punishment of moral wrong on the part of non-union laborers, or will the unions take it into their own hands to discourage moral wrong and to prevent non-union laborers from selling their labor? [Applause.]

   The enforcement of that is a question as to which you could, Mr. Gompers, possibly clarify the atmosphere.

   Mr. Gompers—Every association, when formed, establishes for itself a system of ethics.

   Archbishop Ireland--I think I understand Mr. Gompers. Of course every association has the right to establish its own code of ethics, that is true. For instance, every church establishes its own creed, or rather puts forth a creed that is its own, but not every church has the right to go out in the streets and the public places and say "If you don't come to my code of ethics, well, I'll hit you," [Laughter.]

 

THE SUPERVISORS

Apportion State and County Taxes and Adjourn.

WILL MEET AGAIN WEDNESDAY.

Question on Preble Appeal Costs—Total State Tax Only $2,439.81—School Commissioners' Expenses Apportioned.

   At the session of the [Cortland County] board of supervisors Friday afternoon Mr. Hunt moved that the action of the board in auditing the bill of Kellogg & Van Hoesen for defending the Preble tax appeal be reconsidered. Mr. Hunt claimed that the bill, which was for $1,398.07, if audited by the board would invalidate the whole tax list, in that the law gives the state tax commissioners the authority to fix the costs of the proceedings, in an amount not less than $3,000. The expenses were allowed by the state board at $2,000, and he contended that more than this amount could not be raised. The tax commissioners fixed the fees of the attorneys on both sides at $500 each.

   The matter was made a special order for 3 o clock, and at that time the motion to reconsider was voted down. Preble it is said will contest the matter.

   The committee to apportion the state tax reported the following:

 

   On motion of Mr. Peck:

   Resolved, That the board hereby ascertains and directs the sum of $27,851.29, consisting of the following amounts, to be levied in the city of Cortland for state and county purposes, and that the chairman and clerk of the board certify this resolution to the common council of said city, pursuant to Sec. 183 of the charter of said city:

   State tax for canals, $543.21

   State tax for stenographer, $323.71

   County tax, $17,447.77

   Maintenance of poor, $226.65

   City's share of bonded indebtedness of former town of Cortlandville—$9,157.39

   Election expenses, $59.04

   City's proportion of railroad commissioner's bills, $73.00

   City's proportion of bill of Kellogg & Van Hoesen,  $20.32

   Total $27,851.29

   At 10 o'clock this morning the board adjourned until Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 10 o'clock.

 

CORTLAND COMMON COUNCIL.

Make Up Tax Budget for the Coming Year.

THE RATE THIS YEAR WILL BE $1.66.

Last Year it Was $ 1.68—the Total Amount to be Raised is $92,768.10—Each of City Funds Gets Practically What Was Asked For.

   The common council met last evening at the office of the city clerk to make up the tax budget for the coming year. The amount to be raised for the several funds was fixed at 55,486.81, for principal and interest on bonded indebtedness, $9,430. The amount certified by the board of supervisors to be raised for state and county taxes was $27,851.29, making a total amount to be raised of $92,768.10. In order to do this the rate of taxation must be $1.66 on $100. The rate last year was $1.68.

   The amount to be given each of the city funds is as follows:

   General City, $4,000.00

   School, $18,600.00

   Poor, $1,500

   Police, $4,600.00

   Fire, $3,500.00

   Lighting, $8,813.31

   Water, $5,000.00

   Public works, $9,473.50

   Total $55,486.81

   Aside from the amount given the public works fund the tax on bank stock of $5,526.50 is to be credited to that fund, which with the $9,473.50 as given above, will make a total of $15,000 for the use of the board of public works.

   Each of the city funds got practically what was asked for, and it is believed by the common council that the amount to be raised will nearly, if not entirely, wipe out the deficits of the different departments.

   The total valuation of the city upon the assessment roll is $6,146,671.92. The bank stock valuation is $558,231.92, leaving $5,588,440, upon which is to be raised the sum of $92,768.10.

 

WAS PLAYING SNOWBALL

Albert Knapp Finds Himself in Trouble and Goes to Jail.

   Albert Knapp of Little York got into a peck of trouble yesterday afternoon by indulging in a seemingly harmless game of snowball with about fifty school boys on Main-st. He had taken drinks enough to make him feel happy, and the harder the lads pelted him the more he enjoyed it. Several women upon the street, however, could not see so much fun in the game, and when Knapp made a rush for the lads they picked up their skirts and ran in any direction to get away.

   Knapp was arrested here last April on the same charge, and upon taking a solemn vow to let whiskey alone and to send $3 to pay a fine, he was given his freedom. When Chief Barnes saw the game of snowball yesterday, he recognized Knapp and arrested him at once.

   This morning in city court Knapp was told by the court that his presence had long been desired and that confidence in his final coming had been felt. He said that he had not forgotten his indebtedness to the court, but he had not possessed the money to pay the fine. He addressed the judge as "boy."

   Knapp said that he did not think there was any harm in snow-balling with the boys. He pleaded guilty and was given 30 days in jail. He did not grasp the situation, but seemed to think that the sentence was all for snow-balling with the boys. He said that he was once sent to the penitentiary for six months for stealing one chicken. He thought that, too, was a pretty hard sentence for the number of chickens he took.

 

BREVITIES.

   —The Lehigh Valley railroad company has issued an extremely pretty engraved 1903 calendar.

   —The Clionian society of the Normal school initiated eight new members last evening.

   —The Y. M. C. A. basket ball team has gone to Ithaca and will play the Cornell university team there tonight.

   —The W. C. T. U. parlor meeting which was to have been held at Philo Mead's, 8 Copeland-ave., this evening, has been postponed until Monday evening.

—The Political Equality club will meet at the home of Mrs. Julia Hyatt, Monday at 3 p. m. A full attendance is desired as the study of our city charter will be commenced.

   —Binghamton capitalists have purchased 3,000 acres of coal land in Virginia and will begin work on their purchase in a short time. The land is said to be underlaid with anthracite coal of superior quality.

   —The new display advertisements today are—M. W. Giles, Holiday goods, page 7; Bingham & Miller, Formal opening of Holiday goods, page 7; C. F. Brown, Christmas presents, page 5; Warren, Tanner & Co., Christmas suggestions, page 6.

   —The Oneida tax rate for the coming year will be $2.35 on each $100 of property. Cortland's rate, as made out last evening by the common council, is $1.66 on the same amount, or a lower rate by $.69. Oneida was made a city soon after Cortland's city charter was adopted.

 

MINERS' TON, WAR, MORE TESTIMONY, WIDOWS AND LAND GRAB, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, AND CITY COURT

 

Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, December 12, 1902.

INCREASE IN MINERS' TON.

Witness Testified That It Is Now 3,136 Pounds Instead of 2,240.

   Scranton, Pa., Dec. 12.—The representatives of the miners during the course of the proceedings before the anthracite coal strike commission called J. L. Crawford, one of the independent operators, to the witness stand to tell the exact price he received for his coal, and the mine owner refused, giving instead after much questioning, an average of the price he received.

   Crawford is president of the People's Coal company. Crawford's colliery, during the strike, managed to get enough men to operate the plant and for one month, according to Mr. Crawford, his company received $20 a ton for coal.

   The miners announced that they expected to close their case on Saturday.

   Nearly the entire day was taken up in hearing witnesses who had some specific complaint to make, among other things the price paid per mine car and the size of the cars.

   At the afternoon session two witnesses, employed by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western company, testified that before the strike of 1900 the men received 94 cents a car and that the strike was ended by the company agreeing to give the men an increase in wages of 10 per cent, 2 1/2 in cash and the other 7 1/2 per cent to be considered in the reduction in the price of powder. Instead of receiving the increase they now get 3 cents a car less or 91 cents.

   Patrick O'Boyle, a miner, gave the history of the increase in the size of the miners' ton from 2,240 pounds to 3,136. He said 25 years ago sizes under pea coal were not used and therefore it was dumped on the refuse pile and the ton raised to 3,136 in order that the companies could get out 2,240 pounds of marketable coal. At present the companies are using coal three or four sizes under pea and the men are not being paid for it.

   John William Griffith, superintendent of schools of Nanticoke, was called to the stand to show that miners' children do not go as high in the school grades as the children of other parents.

 

WAR, PURE AND SIMPLE

Says St. James Gazette In Reference to Venezuela Situation.

   London, Dec. 12.—Tbe St. James Gazette in an editorial says:

   "There is immense blinking at the fact that we are at war with the republic of Venezuela, and it is a fact that will not be altered by headlines describing the situation as 'the Venezuelan crisis,' or 'Venezuela and the Powers.' We are at war, pure and simple, and in alliance with Germany. Both circumstances are such as would have been received with incredulity if they had been predicted a few weeks ago."

 

Railroads and Telephones Seized.

   La Guairá, Venezuela, Dec. 12.—The government, it is stated here today, has seized all the German and English railroads and the telephones.

 

1902 coal strike commissioners.

MORE TESTIMONY

At the Session of the Anthracite Coal Commission.

   Scranton, Pa., Dec. 12.—The presentation of the case of the anthracite coal miners before the strike commission will be completed by tomorrow afternoon or next Monday at the latest and the operators will then begin their submission of testimony. Some surprise has been caused by the fact that three district presidents of the miners organization Nichols, Fahey, and Duffy, have not been called to the stand, but attorneys for the operators say they will call upon them to testify if the miners refuse to call them. The operators say they will show that violence during the strike was caused by secret orders of the union and promise some interesting testimony.

   Some interesting testimony against an independent operator will to heard today.

   Edward Ridgeway, a former docking boss of the Temple Coal and Iron Co., was the first witness this morning. He made some interesting statements about the system of docking employed by the company. Ridgeway said that he was required to make an average of anywhere from five to seven per cent dockage. Witness said the dockage was of necessity made regardless of conditions. Witness on cross-examination denied that company's figures showing that the dockage was only a trifle over one per cent., were correct.

   Z. B. Evans, a miner in the Temple company, said that the vocation of mining was dangerous and said that both his legs and arms had been broken. His jaw had also been broken. He complained bitterly about the topping system.

 

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.

Soldiers' Widows and the Land Grab.

   The soldier's widow cuts a rather sorry figure in the latest expose of land grabbing from the government. Under the homestead laws the widow of a soldier is permitted to avail herself of a gift of 160 acres of land from the government without living on the property. So the big ranchmen have organized a systematic search of the country for these war widows, and when found they have been induced to go west, make an entry at a government land office, sign several papers, receive a handsome sum of money and return home.

   In due season, by virtue of the entry she has made and the papers she has signed, the land allotted to her becomes the property of those who put up the job. Of course, it is all a barefaced swindle; but, womanlike, the war widow is serenely unconscious that she is being used as an instrument. She gets a pleasant trip, with all expenses paid, and a bonus besides. She is told that everything is all right, that she is simply selling her right to a homestead, and her conscience is thus satisfied.

   Meanwhile this sort of game has been going on at the rate of something like 500 entries a month, and the cattlemen have been doing a correspondingly rushing business. The soldier's widow is doubtless in most cases innocent of any wrongdoing and perhaps ought not to be censured, but some means ought to be speedily devised to bring the land grabbers to justice.

 

 

THE SUPERVISORS

Will Adjourn Tomorrow to Complete Tax Rolls.

THE EQUALIZATION COMMITTEE.

Bond of County Treasurer Foster Received and Accepted—Several Committees Appointed.

   The [Cortland County] board of supervisors will complete the business which they have in hand and will adjourn tomorrow morning to complete the work on the assessment rolls in their respective towns. Routine business was transacted yesterday.

   The committee, consisting of Messrs. Barber, Webb and Mynard, that was appointed to further investigate the matter of railroad exemptions, reported that it agreed with the committee appointed to apportion the amount overpaid last year by certain towns on account of their bonded indebtedness and recommended that the committees appointed to apportion the state and county taxes this year follow the same method. The report was adopted.

   On motion of Mr. Barber:

   Resolved, That as chairman F. A. Crosley be authorized to countersign all necessary orders until the annual session of the supervisors in 1903.

   This motion prevailed.

   On motion of Mr. Shuler:

   Resolved, That the supervisors of the several towns be empowered and directed to levy upon the taxable property of the road districts of their town such amounts as may be due on road scrapers which have been purchased by such road districts.

   The motion was declared adopted.

   On motion of Mr. Wavle:

   Resolved, That the amounts appropriated and certified by the several town boards for highway improvement, in such towns as have adopted the money system of highway improvement, be levied upon such towns and collected for such purpose.

   This resolution was adopted.

Wednesday Afternoon.

   The board of supervisors received the bond of William H. Foster, county treasurer-elect, in the sum of $50,000, with seventeen sureties, each justifying in the sum of $3,000, which bond was upon motion of Mr. Bennett approved by the board.

   The committee on appropriations made a partial report giving the estimate of the state and county expenses for the ensuing year, aggregating $51,544.46, which partial report was read by the clerk, and after rollcall adopted by the board.

   Chairman Crosley announced the following committees:

   To Apportion State Tax—Messrs. Walrad and Rowe.

   To Apportion County Tax—Messrs. Shuler and Webb.

   To Apportion School Commissioners' Expenses—Messrs. Baker and Allen.

   The former resolution of Mr. Walrad, fixing the salary of the surrogate's clerk at $600 a year, was considered and after rollcall the same was declared adopted.

 

Edwin Duffey.

IN CITY COURT.

The Case of Pearl I. Miller vs. Coroner E. M. Santee.

   The case of Pearl I. Miller against Coroner E. M. Santee is being tried in [Cortland] city court today before a jury. The action is to recover $59.10 for taking evidence in the Kiehl case, and is the amount of the bill that Miss Miller presented to the board of supervisors for payment, but which was withdrawn by her to present to the coroner as a personal bill. E. E. Mellon is conducting the case for the plaintiff and Edwin Duffey for the defendant.

   Yesterday afternoon Mr. Duffey and District Attorney T. H. Dowd went before the board of supervisors to see if a settlement could not be effected. Mr. Duffey asked the county legislators to audit the bill at $35. Mr. Dowd stated that the services of the stenographer greatly facilitated the work at the Kiehl hearing. A motion was about to be made by one of the supervisors that the bill be paid in the amount asked, when Mr. Mellon appeared and objected to the action upon his client's bill. Therefore no action was taken.

   At the time of going to press case had not been completed.

 

BREVITIES.

   —The regular meeting of the Protective Home circle has been postponed until next Wednesday evening, Dec. 17.

   — L. D. Lewis of Adams has taken out patents for a paper cheese box, which is said to be a great improvement over the old wooden box, The weight of a box holding a 60 pound cheese is 3 1/2 pounds.

   —Two of the men injured in the accident at Lestershire last summer when the Ilion baseball team 'bus was struck by the Erie train have sued the Erie for damages in the amount of $50,000 each.

   —The new display advertisements today are—The New York store, Collars, page 4; G. H. Wiltsie, Kid glove sale, page 6; F. E. Brogden, Delicious hot drinks, page 5; Opera House, "Washburn's Minstrels," page 5.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!

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