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| Theodore Roosevelt. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, December 27, 1902.
LONDON DISAPPOINTED.
Would Have Preferred President Roosevelt as Arbitrator.
London, Dec. 27.—Except by the opponents of the government who view it as a virtual defeat and as discrediting the ministry, the latest phase of the Venezuelan trouble has been welcomed very lukewarmly.
Arbitration by President Roosevelt had been anticipated as so desirable an issue from a difficult business that his declination, which is regarded as final, has caused keen disappointment.
It is foreseen that even if satisfactory conditions for the submission of the disputes to The Hague court can be arranged, this method will entail endless and wearisome details, with no assurance that at the end President Castro still will be in power or Venezuela in the mood to abide by the decision of The Hague.
In short, that element of guarantee which would have accompanied President Roosevelt's acceptance of office of arbitrator is now lacking. At the same time it is readily admitted that from the American point of view President Roosevelt has acted wisely in declining to act.
The foregoing represents the general drift of newspaper comment this morning. The only paper which really welcomes the decision to refer the Venezuela matter to The Hague is the radical Daily News, which sees a chance of making arbitration once more a reputable theory.
Paying a tribute to the coolness of President Roosevelt and the correct attitude of the United States during this "sorry business," the Daily News says: "The Venezuelan crisis has done much to enhance Mr. Roosevelt's reputation and to bring home to Englishmen the essential friendliness of the American people."
The Daily Mail, in a violent attack upon the government, says: "Thus ends perhaps the most inglorious episode in which Great Britain has engaged of recent years."
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.
A Curious Situation in Wisconsin.
The federal authorities of Wisconsin are called upon to deal with one of the most curious situations that have ever arisen under the internal revenue laws.
The Badger State, as most everybody knows, has a large German population and is conspicuous for the manufacture and consumption of the beverage that "made Milwaukee famous." Every barrel of beer, of course, is taxed, and it is the manner of the taxing, not the payment of the tax, that is causing the present trouble. The law provides that the revenue stamp shall be pasted across the bung of every cask, so that it shall be canceled by the driving in of the spigot.
Now, this may do very well for ordinary communities, but when beer is concerned the taste of the German Americans of Wisconsin is as delicate as that of the Kentucky Colonel who detected a flavor of leather and of iron in a hogshead of whisky into which a single carpet tack had fallen. Customers complained that their beer tasted too strongly of revenue stamp. The bits of paper carried on the end of the spigot flavored the entire contents of the cask. So the saloon keepers tore off the stamps and destroyed them in other ways, and on this account the revenue officers have arrested twenty of them. They are appealing now for a construction of the law which does not compel them to serve an infusion of green stamps as a beverage.
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| Main Street, Cortland, N. Y., circa 1900. |
CORTLAND MERCHANTS
Report Prosperous Season and Big Christmas Sales.
SURPASSES PREVIOUS RECORDS.
Christmas Shoppers Have Money, Spend it Liberally and Demand Better Class of Goods Than Usual—Increased Business Reported Along all Lines— Local Merchants Weil Pleased.
Cortland merchants are congratulating themselves today over the satisfactory results of the Christmas season. In general the Christmas trade along all lines is in advance of other years and in many instances surpasses all previous records. Shoppers seemed to have plenty of money, and called for a better class of goods than heretofore.
The weather, too, has been favorable, the snow coming just in time to make fine sleighing before the rush began. The buying was done earlier than usual,, in the main, so that in nearly every instance the biggest day's business was not that of the day immediately preceding Christmas as has often been the case. The records of sales were larger on Tuesday than on Wednesday and in some cases Saturday is reported as the record breaking day.
Taken altogether, the last ten days before Christmas were the best days for business that Cortland merchants have ever experienced. The dry goods merchants are well satisfied with their patronage and their sales have been exceptionally large.
The clothing men also report a great advance over previous records. In some cases sales have been nearly double those of any previous year.
Mr. M. W. Giles of Giles' department store says he has had a larger trade than any year since he has been in Cortland and instances might be multiplied where similar records have been made.
Among the drug stores the Christmas trade had been the largest that the local dealers have known for years. At C. F. Brown's pharmacy the trade was much larger than it was last year. Mayor Brown said today that his trade was not only larger than it had been for a number of years past, but it was more satisfactory. The people did not haggle over prices, and they bought a much better quality of Christmas goods than they had in other years. The other druggists gave practically the same view of the Christmas trade and were well satisfied with it.
At McKinney & Doubleday's it was learned that the trade had been without an equal for years, and it was thought that a comparison would show that it was the best that the firm had ever known. Empty shelves told the story in the most forceful manner. Wednesday before Christmas was thought to be the best day that the store had ever known.
Mr. G. F. Beaudry of the firm of Smith & Beaudry was entirely pleased with the Christmas sales. He said that the business this year was 25 per cent greater than it was last year, and that it was greater than that of any former year that his firm had been doing business. The firm has never before sold its Holiday stock to so low a mark as it did this year. It is practically all sold out of such goods.
At the postoffice [sic] fully as great a number of packages were sent out and received as formerly at this season, but the fact that all packages were delivered as soon as received made the amount at any one time in the office much less than on former occasions. There was a flood of presents that came in and they were kept moving.
Better facilities for handling the Christmas express at the local United States Express company's office also lessened the number of packages that were in the checking rooms at any one time, but the amount handled was far in excess of last year. Men and teams were kept busy day and night to keep the Christmas presents moving toward their destinations.
The jewelers, too, have had an unusually busy and profitable season. The demand for the more expensive articles has been specially noticeable in their line and the Christmas business will compare favorably with past years.
The sales at the music stores just preceding Christmas are another indication of the general prosperity. Scarcely in years have so many calls been made upon the dealers for high priced musical instruments as there have been this year, and more than the usual number of homes were made glad on Christmas morning with a new piano, or some gift of similar nature equally appreciated.
The confectioners make unusual preparations for the Holiday trade. The demands upon them begin early and continue up to the last moment. The Palace Confectionery Co. is the largest establishment in the city and extra help has been kept hustling to meet the demands which have been made upon them.
Gardner's 5 and 10 cent store has recently added a candy department and the amount sold by them is surprisingly large.
Grocers and market men have come in for a full share of the Holiday business. The Christmas dinner depends largely upon them and the returns from these distributing centers indicate that there was nothing lacking for the Christmas table.
MR. BENTLEY SURPRISED.
The Organist of the First Baptist Church Receives an Unexpected Visit.
Mr. and Mrs. Bert L. Bentley were the victims of a complete and very happy surprise at their home on Monroe Heights last evening. Mr. Bentley has for many years been the organist at the First Baptist church and has labored faithfully both in the church and in the Sundayschool. That his efforts have been appreciated was clearly demonstrated in a pleasing way last evening.
Prayer meeting was held on Friday evening instead of on Thursday evening on account of Christmas and at the close of the meeting, about sixty members of the church and Sundayschool [sic] in accordance with a program, which had been previously arranged, proceeded without invitation to Mr. Bentley's home. The surprise was complete and the occasion was a thoroughly enjoyable one for all who participated. In the course of the evening Rev. W. Jasper Howell, the pastor of the church, in a very happy speech in which he voiced the sentiments of all, presented Mr. Bentley with a fine willow tete and an elegant mahogany rocking chair.
Cake and coffee were served by the ladies and shortly before 11 o'clock the guests took their departure.
THE SCOTCH WOOLEN CO.
Close Up a Successful Season in Cortland—Open in Spring.
The Scotch Woolen Co., who have been doing a large business in Cortland since Sept. 20 last when they opened a store in the Collins building on Main-st., have decided to close their store here until the opening up of the spring trade.
They have, consequently, packed up their goods and shipped them to their Auburn store and will not take any more orders here until they return the latter part of March.
Mr. A. J. Anderson, the cutter for the firm, has already gone to Auburn, where he will continue his work in the store in that city.
Mr. Mitchell Plant, the general manager, expects to leave tonight. Both of these gentlemen have made many warm friends during their stay in Cortland and they are assured of a cordial welcome whenever they decide to return.
In Cortland Police Court.
A quartet of drunks were lined up before Acting City Judge W. D. Tuttle in police court this morning. One was fortunate in being discharged, two paid fines of $3 each, and the other was allowed to depart after agreeing to pay a certain percentage of his wages to his wife.
BOARD OF HEALTH.
Dr. Paul T. Carpenter Unanimously Reappointed Health Officer.
At the regular meeting of the board of health last evening the board voted unanimously upon a resolution calling for the re-appointment of Dr. Paul T. Carpenter as health officer for the coming year. Bills for the month were audited.
The matter of collecting garbage during the coming year was discussed, but no action was taken.
Catholic Population of Diocese of Syracuse.
The census of the diocese of Syracuse has been completed by Chancellor McEvoy from returns sent in by the priests. The Catholic population of the city of Syracuse is 37,330 or 36 per cent of the entire population. There are in round numbers 8,000 Catholic families in the city, carrying an average of five to the family. The number of Catholics in the diocese is 115,319, divided into about 30,000 families. This figure shows an apparent increase of 45,319 souls since the erection of the diocese fifteen years ago, an increase of over 60 per cent.
The figures for other cities are: Utica, 24,364: Oswego 12,327: Binghamton, 7,993; Rome 3,992; Cortland, 2,024; Oneida, 1,875, and Fulton 1,726. There are ninety-two secular and nine regular priests, sixty-six churches with resident pastors, twenty-eight missions with churches, forty-six stations and fifteen chapels. The Catholics of Skaneateles parish number 920; Marcellus, 713; Pompey, 800; Camillus (including Jordan), 1,060; Baldwinsville, 896; Cazenovia, 790; East Syracuse, 1,072; Fayetteville, 698; Tully and Otisco, 830.
FOUND DEAD.
Body of John Weller in a Narrow Alley.
HAD BEEN THERE FOR SOME TIME.
Ghastly Discovery Made This Afternoon by Joseph Twentyman, Between Two Stores on Main-st.—The Body of a Colored Man Covered With Snow—No One Knows How the Body Came There.
The dead body of John Weller, a colored barber, who has lived for several years just this side of the fair ground, was found in a narrow alley between Giles department store and the Walter's shoe store shortly after 2 o'clock this afternoon.
The body was stretched out at full length and covered with snow. The discovery was made by Joseph Twentyman, a young man employed by Mr. Giles, who went around into the alley way for the purpose of thawing out a water pipe.
How the man got into the place and just how and when his death occurred cannot at this time be determined.
The man had evidently been dead for some time, probably for more than twenty-four hours and possibly for more than two days. The finding of the body was the merest accident and but for the frozen pipe, it might have lain there for days and even weeks without having been discovered. The space between the two buildings is scarcely more than 3 feet wide and a picket fence and a 6-foot gate shuts out entrance to the alley from the rear.
There is a stairway, however, leading up from Main-st between the two buildings and from a hasty inspection of the surroundings this afternoon it would seem that the man must have gone up this stairway, through a door at the head of the stairs, past a coal bin and rain barrel and had fallen off the roof.
Officer Fred Bowker said today that he saw Weller on Thursday at about 8 o'clock in the evening. He was then going up the stairs that lead to Butler's photograph gallery and to Seaman's barber shop. He was steadying himself with his hands as he made his way up the stairs. The officer thought at the time that the man was somewhat intoxicated. He did not see Weller return down the stairway.
Weller was seen at the Cortland House Thursday afternoon at about 4 o'clock, and it is said by the barkeeper that he was slightly intoxicated at that time.
Twentyman, who found the body of the dead man, came to the store at 7 o'clock yesterday morning and opened the place. At that time he heard a sound like a groan from a man who was either intoxicated or in great pain. This sound was heard repeated two or three times. It was very indistinct, and the clerk thought nothing of it. In all probability it was the last gasps from the colored barber, who in that case must have been in the narrow place, exposed to the cold winds and flying snow during the entire night.
As soon as the body was found word was at once sent to Coroner E. M. Santee, but he was out of town and at the time The Standard went to press he had not yet returned.
The man has been a well known character around town for years. He has for eight or ten years been living near the fair grounds [sic] where he has kept a little barber shop. It was said this afternoon that his wife has been dead for some time but that he had several children living. He was apparently between 60 and 70 years of age.
BREVITIES.
—The new display advertisement today is—Randall & Rauch, The Sugar Bowl," Fresh candies, page 5.
—A regular meeting of Victor Hayloft No. 357 1/2 will be held in Red Men's hall, Monday evening at 7:30 o'clock.
—A special meeting of Grover Post is called for Monday, Dec. 29 at 7:30 p. m. All members of the Post are earnestly requested to be present.
—A portion of the Christmas music will be repeated at Grace church Sunday morning. There will be a choir rehearsal this evening at 7:30 o'clock.
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