The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-16
A Lesson from the City Commissioners

III giving us ueClblOn, was not 0VernlCe IN JS
denunciation of the. fraud which had been at
tempted on the will of the people. The opinion
read as follows:-
"That the bold and fragrant fraud connected with
the army vote, which was established beyond sue
cesstUl contradiction reasonable question required
US TO hold that nothing short OF proof of fraud
equally specific and direct, ouVht to be weighed by
the Cour! as set.Of to deliberately planned sys
ttrn Of 'oholesae forgery which, before the Return
judges, overthrow the real majority of WEAVER az
It apptaIed upon the face the returns of the )me
vote, and gave the election to GIVEN by majority OF
30. We said TO the respondent that q forgery so
gross and extensive IN ats character so defiant its
assault upon the expressed will OF the people, aud
80 successful IN It's intended purpose when detected
ana exposed by the dearest evidence which was
Wholy uncontradlcted, ought not to be allowed to
De turned aside or overcome except by the establish
meh' OF Otner frauds, plain palpsble, and direct"
In accordance with this opinion, the right Of
Major WEAVER to the seat has been fully and
clearly established. There is no honest man in
our city-be he Republ can or Democrat-who
will not rejoice that the duly elected servant of
the people has at last got hls dues. In addition,
the candidate supported by a wholesale
forgery" has been ousted, and stands before the
community in the proper disgraceful light in
which such an effort should appear.
JOHN GIVEN received the Republican nomna
ton for the Office of Commissioner by a majority
Of one vote in full convention. He was the
choice OF a corrupt political ring, which ignored
all responsibility to the people, and believed
that party Is merely machine for personal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We have so long been accus
toned in our city TO submit to the choice OF the
Convention, and to elect, without questioning,
any man whom they may nominate, that the
political wirepulers had at last come to be-
lleve hat the character of tie candidate had
but little TO do with success. II was merely his
patty principles which the people examined.
Influenced by this tallacious belief GIVEN was
nominated; and the result was, that while all the
rest Of his party had some thousands majority,
he, running ten thousand votes be hind his ticket
was defeated.
One would have thought that after a rebuke
so openly and bitterly administered, such a
popular declaration that ten thousand of his
political friends did not believe him honest that
this man GIVEN would have quietly allowed his
competitor TO enter in the office ana he hiding his
diminished head, seek 10 save what little char
acter was left. But such was not the case
system Of the most flaeran and wholesale forgery
was resorted to. Our honored soldiers were
impressed into the scheme, the names of the
lamented dead we're dragged forth from respected
estingplaces and made to figure in the dis
violation, and the ballot given to the soldier
was prostituted to the base purpose of personal
dishonesty. We use strong terms, but no
stronger than those made use of by the judiciary
That branch OF our civil service into which pas
sion never enters, which speaks only in the
calm tone of Judicial and deliberate conviction,
has made use OF language far stronger than our
own.
hooh haoY, fa1 hu oin
nails that this man GIVEN was the Republican
nominee, was elected by Republican votes, and
supported by Republican influence during the
contest. The effort to make political capital
out of personal dishonesty Is no new dodge in
our local quarrels, but we are thankful that
the Republican party can wash its hands of all
the crimes of its candidate. He was not nemi-
mated by the mass of the party, clique secured
the candidacy, and notwithstanding the prestige
attached TO a regular nomination, ten thousand
members of the party refused to lend him their
support. He was defeated by Republican votes
As soon as the result was announced the Repub.
hcan press of this city, with singular unanimity,
argued in favor of Major WEAVER. For months
that gentleman has had no stronger friends in
his own political ranks than in the editorial
chairs OF the Philadelphia papers. They have
denounced the fraud, and utterly repudiated the
man who was guilty of the crime. A Republican
Judge has decided in favor of Major Weaver, and
the Republican press are to-day congratulatng
the community over the defeat OF their own
party candidate. Can greater honesty or greater
frankness be found than they have exhibited?
We think not. The skirts OF the Union party
are Tree from all the mire which has covered its
nominee. He has been read out OF the party.
and from his defeat some lessons, timely and i'm
portant, should be learned by the conductors of
political rings-the first of which is the deduc-
ton that no dishonest man, that no man
whose character is blemished, can be elected
to an official position because he gets a
nomination. Party lines are clearly drawn,
but there are enough honest aud independent
voters in Philadelphia TO keep any rogue out of
place. When a man has suilied his reputation,
his party must drop him, and not sees to clear
his misdeeds by Igiving them their sanction.
There has never been a more united and seldom
a more powerful local party than he Republi-
can in Philadelphia, yet they utterly failed to
elect a bad man. Let this example be remem-
bered, and let us never again have candidate
selected by ring, which will compel honest
men to scratch the ticket and support Demo
crat.
The second lesson is that, although in national
matters party principles are all potent, in local
affairs the people will look rather to the men
than TO their doctrines. What we want is
honesty and efficiency, and il Democrat p)s-
sesses them, and a Republican does not, the
Democrat will probably he elected