Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, September 21, 1898.
SICK SOLDIERS WERE NOT PAID.
Secretary Alger Makes Another Startling Discovery.
JULY SALARY STILL DUE.
No Way of Identifying the Men Without Routine Work and Delay.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21.—The payment of such soldiers as were not with their commands when the regiments were mustered out is one of the problems that has been presented to the war department officials. Some time ago orders were issued directing regimental and other commanders to have soldiers on sick leave or furloughs furnished with descriptive lists, so that they might be paid if they were not with their commands. Some of the officers have neglected to do this. Then again cases have arisen where soldiers have gone into hospitals and their commands have been transferred to other camps or home to be mustered out and nothing was left with the sick soldiers to identify them for the receipts of their pay.
An instance of this was discovered by Secretary Alger in a hospital in Lexington, Ky. He telegraphed Paymaster General Stanton that there were 95 men in the hospital there who had not received their pay for July. There was nothing to identify the men to the paymaster as their regiments and company commanders had not furnished them with any means of identification. General Stanton immediately ordered that they be paid for July and will now undertake to trace down their records so as to keep his accounts straight.
Such a payment was irregular to some extent, but General Stanton concluded to take chances, believing that the records of the men could be obtained and the amount paid them charged to them in the future.
MILITARY NOTES.
Brief Telegrams Relating to Our Conflict With Spain.
The New York volunteer regiments which were raised in the National Guard and which have returned to their home cities and given furloughs will resume their functions as National Guard organizations when their furloughs have expired and they have been mustered out of the United States volunteer service.
The condition of our troops in Porto Rico is not improving. Almost 2,000 men have reported sick. General Brooke is doing all in his power to improve the condition of the soldiers and afford them every comfort possible. In so doing he has ordered every military tent on the island to be fitted with flooring.
Major General Samuel Sumner, United States volunteers, who has just been relieved from duty with the Fifth army corps, has been ordered to Philadelphia and placed in general charge of the mustering out of all the volunteer troops of Pennsylvania now on furlough.
General Lawton has made a recommendation to the war department for the utilization of such Cuban troops as may relinquish all connection with the Cuban army, by employing them upon various works of the United States at Santiago.
Aguadilla, San Sebastian and Lares, Porto Rico, have been abandoned by the Spanish troops and the troops of General Garretson's brigade and the Eleventh infantry moved in and hoisted the American flag.
Twenty Spanish vessels at Manila, including 12 steamers, have completed their transfer to the American flag, and a majority of them have now proceeded on coasting voyages.
The president has secured seven men who are willing to serve on the commission to investigate the war department.
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| "Rough Rider" Col. Theodore Roosevelt. |
REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
THE LEADERS TRYING TO SETTLE IT IN ADVANCE.
Roosevelt Wants It to be Short and to the Point—Belief that He Will Decline to be the Candidate of the Independents— Democratic Prospects and Efforts.
ALBANY, Sept. 21. (Special).—Republican organization leaders, now that they appear to have settled the question of candidates to their own satisfaction, are turning their attention to the platform of the party upon which these candidates will stand this fall. Chairman Odell of the state committee has been preparing a draft of the platform, upon the subject of which he has been in consultation both with Senator Platt and Colonel Roosevelt, the organization candidate for governor. There has been a good deal of doubt in the minds of many of the leaders as to the subject matter that should or that should not be included in the platform upon which the party is to go before the people. According to present plans the platform will reaffirm the national platform of I896 adopted at St. Louis and will endorse the national administration, especially in its conduct of the war with Spain. Governor Black's administration and the regular and special sessions of the legislature will also be commended and a plank of endorsement of the Raines law will be inserted.
Colonel Roosevelt is very particular on the subject of the platform and is understood to desire the elimination of many points which the organization leaders planned to adopt. Colonel Roosevelt wishes a short platform and one that is to the point. Inasmuch as the state convention is near at hand, the leaders are desirous of getting the subject of platform well underway before they go to Saratoga in order that the various subjects can be well canvassed prior to the meeting of the convention. Although platforms are supposed to be adopted at the convention it is very seldom that the convention of either party is held at which the platform has not been practically decided upon some time before it is produced in convention. The subject of canals is causing some discussion, portions of the Republican leaders claiming that it should be touched upon in a certain way so as to vindicate the party, while others claim that it would be injurious and, as "Discretion is the better part of valor," the canals should not be mentioned.
Plans to checkmate the Independents in their separate ticket idea are causing considerable anxiety at the New York headquarters. If the expectations of the Republican leaders are realized, the movement of the Independents to place a separate ticket in the field, headed by Colonel Roosevelt as the nominee for governor under the Citizens' union emblem, will be nipped in the bud. The belief is that this will be accomplished by an announcement from Colonel Roosevelt declining to accept the Independent nomination. There has been no understanding between Colonel Roosevelt and the Republican leaders, but the latter are confident that the former would not allow his name to be used in such a way as to injure his colleagues on the ticket should he become the Republican nominee for governor. The belief is that with Colonel Roosevelt's name taken from the list, the Independents will find it difficult to find a sufficient number of signatures, which under the election law is 6,000, to complete the nomination of their ticket.
The Democratic leaders, it is claimed, are anxious to have the Independent ticket continue in the field, for while Colonel Roosevelt would get the full number of votes for governor, should his name appear on both tickets, the other state officers being different on the Independent and Republican tickets, would certainly be defeated and Democratic officers be elected. Charges have been frequent from Republican headquarters that Democratic leaders were behind the Independent movement and in proof of the contention, Republican leaders pointed to the fact that all news concerning the Independent movement emanates from Democratic headquarters, showing the intimacy in the relations of various sets of leaders. The Independents are making no secret of their intention to submit another name at the head of their ticket in place of Colonel Roosevelt, in case the latter withdraws. But many persons prominent in the movement are frank to admit that there is considerable doubt as to whether they can secure enough signatures to nominate their other man or not.
Boomers of Mayor Robert A. Van Wyck of New York City to be the Democratic gubernatorial candidate are progressing very well. The Van Wyck boom has been received with considerable favor by up state Democrats who believe that Tammany's mayor will be able to make an excellent run for governor. When the Tammany men first suggested the name of Mr. Van Wyck as a gubernatorial candidate, they did so more as a feeler than anything else to see how the up state Democrats would take the matter. Their candidate has been so well received that they have taken courage and announced their intention to stand by Van Wyck in the convention, believing that they can throw the entire 105 delegates from New York county, consisting of nearly one-third of the entire number of delegates in the convention for their man. Senator McCarren, chairman of the special campaign committee, has within the last week received many letters from state Democrats commending the candidacy of Mayor Van Wyck and stating it as their belief that he would make a very strong candidate for office at this time.—C. N. A.
MARRIAGE IS RESIGNATION.
The action of the commissioners of Union Free school district No. 1 in Cortland Monday night in passing a resolution making it optional with the commissioners whether a teacher should be retained longer in case of her marriage during the term of her employment is mild as compared with the action of the board of education of the borough of Queens in Greater New York that same night. The latter board passed a resolution to the effect that whenever a teacher gets married it will be considered the same as her resignation. It was also decided in New York that hereafter applications of married women for positions as teachers must be endorsed by at least five members of the board before it will be entitled to consideration at all.
Some School Statistics.
Now that the public schools of the land are again in session, it may be interesting to know that, according to the latest statistics, 14,465,371 pupils are enrolled in them. All of them do not go to school every day, the average daily attendance being 9,747,016 children. To teach these requires the services of 400,325 instructors, of whom 130,366 are male and 209,959 are female. There are 240,968 schoolhouses, and the value of all school property is $455,948,164.
The cost of the public schools is $181,453,780 per year, or $2.61 per capita of population. For each pupil it costs $18.62. On the basis of these and other figures the assertion is made that the United States, with but one-twentieth the population of the world, within her confines has one-third of the world's school children, and spends one-half of the amount spent by the world for education.
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| Cortland House hotel at corner of Groton Avenue and Main Street, Cortland, N. Y. |
RUSHING THE PAVING.
All Departments of the Work Being Pushed Forward.
Main-st. from Madison-st. north to the hospital corner now has the form and outward appearance of a paved street. All that is lacking is the spreading of the asphalt and brick, and this process will be begun next week. Three gangs of Italians are now engaged on three mixing boards in mixing concrete, and they are rapidly approaching the Cortland House corner. This is the hardest kind of work on the whole job, and that is the reason why Cortland laborers would not work at it, and made it necessary to import Italian laborers. And those Italians are hard workers. There is considerable strife between the operators on two of the boards to see who can mix and spread a batch of concrete in the least time. This hurry brings with it an inclination to slight the work in not sufficiently mixing the materials. Right here comes the value of the inspectors. This morning Inspector Geer had occasion to have one or two of the men do their work the second time.
The gang of concrete mixers for the railroad strip has passed the Cortland House corner, and is nearing Orchard-st. The curb-makers are pushing their part of the job with great speed. A strip of the combined curb and gutter in one continuous piece is being laid on the east side of Main-st. from the Sager corner near C. W. Stoker's grocery. With the exception of a narrow strip near the top, the entire length will be one solid piece of cement. Cortland people will then have the chance of observing the two forms of construction, and of how they stand the test of time. All the other curbing is laid in separate sections eight feet in length.
The paving company is taking a great deal of pains with every department of the work, which is a matter of general remark among those who are watching the progress of the job.
Died Monday Afternoon.
John H. Daly, an esteemed resident of the town of Homer residing north of East River, died Monday afternoon at his home after an illness of three months with chronic gastritis. He was 50 years and 6 months of age. The funeral will be held from his late residence Friday morning at 8:30 o'clock, and from St. Mary's church at 10 o'clock.
A Record Breaker.
Monday was a record-breaking day for the new cash register system recently inaugurated at McKinney & Doubleday. The register indicates not only the amount of the purchase and the necessary data in reference to the transaction, but shows as well the actual number of persons doing business at the store from day to day. At the close of business Monday the register showed that 593 people had made purchases at the store between the hours of opening and closing.
BREVITIES.
—New display advertisements to-day are—Baker & Angell, Hygienic Shoes for Women, page 8; Burgess, Business and Dress Suits, page 7.
—Mr. Wilbur F. Hall of Syracuse died at his home in that city Monday, Sept. 19, of typhoid fever. Mr. Hall was the father of Miss E. Blanche Hall, a graduate of the Normal in the class of '96.
—The first regular rehearsal of the choral society at the Conservatory recital hall will be held this evening at 7:30 o'clock. Music for the first concert will be studied. Singers who desire to join should be present at this meeting.
STATE LEAGUE FOR 1899.
Some of the Magnates Seem to be Thinking of Watertown.
The Syracuse Standard of this morning says:
At the State league meeting held in Syracuse Monday evening there was some discussion upon the circuit for 1899. The opinion was predominant that any new towns taken into the league shall be larger than those towns which have not lasted the season heretofore. For the reason that Johnstown and Gloversville, however enthusiastic they may be over the national game, have not the population to support a good team the whole season, there is small probability that either of those towns or both together supporting one team will be received.
Manager Sayer of Oswego proposed that an effort be made to get Watertown into the league. Watertown is convenient to Oswego, Utica and Rome. It has the population to support a good team, it has shown itself a good ball town, and it would make a good mate for Oswego. If Watertown wants to enter the state league there is no question but that Watertown can get in.
It is generally understood that the circuit will not be much changed for next season. Utica made money but the Utica manager does not want to go into a larger league. Oswego finished next best financially. While probably none of the clubs except Utica finished ahead financially, none lost heavily, and all except Canandaigua are likely to be in the league next year.
The baseball fans in Cortland are looking forward to next year's campaign with considerable anticipation. The $40 which is necessary to insure protection for the several players has been paid and everything seems to be in good shape for the season, and Cortland expects to get into the game of 1899 with a jump at the beginning. It will not be necessary to secure an entire new list of players when the season opens, as was the case this year. All of the members of the team which finished the season, with the exception of Catcher Moran are on the reserve list, and when President Farrell gets the individual averages of the players of his compact little league figured up, it will be nothing surprising if the names of those men who wore "Cortland" on their shirt fronts are not found hovering close to the top of the tables.
Of course the venture this season has not proved a money-maker, but the local management is to be congratulated on the fact that the season was finished even and that the players received every cent their due, although baseball suffered in Cortland for the same reasons it suffered elsewhere. Cortland will certainly be heard from next year.
