The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-19

readers of THE EVENING TELEGRAPH will be
familiar with it.
How Philadelphia Appears Abroad.
YESTERDAY we commented freely on the action
of Common Council in defeating the resolution
extending the hospitalities of our city to the
President of the United States. We frankly
expressed our deliberate opinion as TO how all
right-thinking citizens would view such con-
duct and felt shame for our city because of
the appearance conveyed to strangers that all
the ancient courtesies of Philadelphia had fed
when she was incorporated. 1t appears that
our fears were well grounded, and the papers
in various parts of the country are already
commenting on the vulgar rudeness of our
Common Council. We see in several of the
New York papers this morning frank express
sions of opinion on the subject, and without
distinction of party, all condemn it as a wan
ton and uncalled-for exhibition of boorishness,
which is calculated to hurt no one but those
who aided the success of the manouvre.
In all our exchanges we find but one opinion,
and that is unqualified condemnation. There
is one mistake, however, which they all make,
and which it would be unjust not to rectify.
They all say that the Common Council passed
the resolution, and that the Select Branch de-
feated it. All of our readers know that the
reverse is the case. 1t was passed by the
Upper Chamber with but three votes in oppo-
position, while it was defeated in the Lower
Branch by a number of members refusing to
answer to their names. The New York Iri-
bune, whose strong hostility to the President is
well known, states editorially:-
"a resolution to extend a welcome to the Pre-
sident, when he passes through Philadelphia
on his way to Boston, was defeated in the
| Select Council of the former city on Monday.
| This is senseless act of discourtesy to the
! Chief Magistrate of the nation. and can only do
! mischief Philadelphia owes it TO herself to re-
! consider this hasty action"
In that opinion we most heartily join,
and feel confident that at the regular meeting
tomorrow the disgraceful action of Monday
will be reconsidered. The New York Times
also expresses the views of all gentlemen who
have given the subject thought. 1t deals
without gloves with the conduct of the ab-
sentees and exposes their folly and rudeness
in an article on philadelphia Manners:"-
"When the Common Council of Philadelphia
passed a resolution the other day rendering the
civilities of the city to the President, there
were some persons, here as we'll as elsewhere,
rash enough to conclude that the municipal
authorities were gradually outgrowing their
village habits The boorish way in which they
had formerly treated the President made them,
one might have thought sufficiently ridiculous
for at least a twelvemonth to come. And so.
apparently, thought majority of the Common
UNN,a ig nd nj
cipal chamber in Philadelphia. And on Mon
day the Seleetmen of that body, as they are
called, were convened in order to take action
on the resolution of Common Council. A warm
debate ensued and the resolution was practi-
cally rejected, by the opposition retiring and
leaving the chamber without quorum-
"Itisone of the advantages offree installations
that no one in Pennsylvania. or any other Com
monwealth, from Governor down to a Select
man, can be prevented from making an ass of
himself II he chooses to do So It Is an inalien-
able right. The Masonic Fraternity of Boston
asked the President as a brother of the craft to
join them In public ceremonial, The Presi-
| dent accepted the invitation probably without
| thinking and without caring whether his jour
| ney should take him within the baili-
| wick of the Philadelphia Selectmen or
not. We dare say, after his experience of
their boorish inciviity on former occasion,
| he would have been content 10 have 1t so
| arranged that he should avoid the City of Bro-
therly Love altogether. It's attractions are not
30 overpowering in hot, fOggy weather like the
| present, that either a President or any other
nonresident need include IL, at all hazards, in
| midsummer tour. There are very many who
| would, any day. prefer a trip by sea direct from
the Potomac river TO Boston harbor, even to
being made the recipient of a string of resolu-
tions from every Common Council between the
| two points.
Boston holds political opinions quite as ad-
vanced as those of Philadelphia. But In the
capital of Massachusetts IL is not deemed neces-
sary by the majority, In the maintenance of
their constituency, TO insult the Chief Magis-
trate Oft United States, and along with him,
on this occasion at least the influential society
| whose guest he is. Boston, therefore. extends
| its hospitalIties to the President, and has thus
| shown how much nearer to the stature of
a metropolitan city 1t has grown than the more
pretentious provincial town whose eccentriol.
ties make 1t so ridiculous"
While we are strongly inclined to feel in
dignant at the manner in which our city is
spoken Of, yet after a minutes thought we
cannot deem the remarks of the Times un-
justihable. We see how we appear to our
selves by our actions, and to a stranger the
conduct of Councils appears in worse aspect.
Common Council is supposed to represent the