The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-24
MONDAY, AUGUST "a, 1868.
The Aldermen of Philadelphia.

SOME time since we expressed our belief thai
all Offices of judicial or semi judicial charac-
ter should be made appointive and not elective,
and that the public interests would be greatly
improved if they were removed entirely from
the arena Of politics. The fact that in our own
city circumstances have prevented our feeling
in full force the evil effects of this mistaken
plan of making every Office partisan struggle
does not alter the fact that when the favorable
circumstances do not exist, the evil is appa-
rent, and that it is only fortunate ooino-
dence that prevents in every case our feeling
the i'll effects. For offices of great moment,
such as the judges of our Courts, the wide
spread conservative feeling in the mass of both
parties in our city, acts as check on both to
make them avoid unworthy nominations. The
character of every man who aspires
to the Office of Judge undergoes a strict
public scrutiny, and if any flaw is de-
break loose from all party ties and oppose the
nominee. This excellent preventive exsmina-
tion, however, is only given to the candidates
for the highest offices, while the minor posi-
tions, also of great power, are entirely sighted.
This is peculiarly true in the case of the alder
men of the different wards. This Office is one
of no small authority. Before the Alderman
come all criminal cases. Offenses against the
peace and even felonies are within his or iginal
jurisdiction. He must decide on the presump-
tive evidence, and act according to a sound and
unbiased discretion. In addition to these, all
landlord and tenant cases are his and if he be
not a man of intelligence great wrong may be
done. Again, all civil suits involving less
than 800 are his. When it is remembered
that by far the greatest number Of suits are
for such sum, and by parties who are not
willing to undergo the expenses of regular
suit before the Common Pleas, it is easily
seen that stupidity or partially can do injus-
tice to an immense number of citizens. And
as a rule the Aldermen of Philadelphia are
both stupid and partial. We know there are
many honorable exceptions. The reporters
for the daily papers can in the discharge of
their duties bear testimony to the ability and
integrity of many of our minor judiciary. But
the fact is unaltered that large majority of
our Aldermen neither sufi ,iently intelli-
gent nor sufficiently high-toned to properly dis
charge the duties of their position.
The reis in this no cause for the least sur
prise. These officers are nominated by ward
conventions; bodies invariably composed of
local politicians, and influenced by personal
feelings. They give the Office to one of their
fellows, not because he is fitted for it, not be-
cause he knows anything about law-for, as
rule, he don't-but because of his services as
a ward politician, that he may have some
Office that will pay. 1t is the same with them
as it was with the School Controllers, with the
Board of Guardians, and many other local posi-
tions. The consequence is that the holders
of these positions are men fire.
qhently of the lowest stamp, igno-
rant and partial. They fear to punish
the rascals of the ward either because they
are their political friends or because, If they
do, the "hose house" will ego against"
them when they come up for reelection. By
our system we put these men directly under
the influence of the very class of the commu-
nifty which it is their sworn duty to keep in
order and watch for their misdesds. We
compel them to 60 into temptation, and then
are surprised at our own fault bearing its
natural fruit. The mistake is in the system
and it can only be removed when the system
IS remedied.
Let us look at some of the results. Most o
these Offices are political. Wherever either
party has so overwhelming an ascendancy as
to make them feel sure of an election, they do
not hesitate to give the Office to men of the
baser sort, and against them the respectable
portion Of the community have rarely any re-
dress. Let US cite an instance: in the Fourth
Ward, where the Democratic majority is 1900,
William McMullin has been Alderman for
years. The result is that all election trou-
bles, and, in fact, all kinds and classes of minor
misdemeanors 60 before man whose asso-
Citations are utterly partisan, and who is
friend and associate of the "roughs" who
compose the greater portion OF the population
of that Ward. In the Seventh Ward within
a year or two, a nomination SO distasteful
to the respectable portion of the Republican
party was made, that an independent nomi
nee was put up, and supported by sufficient
Republicans to give the Democrat plurality.
These are some of the fruits; but in great
majority of the cases, the people care 30 little
that whoever is nominated is elected.
Secondly. II is OeIL knOOa principle that in
all civH suits the Aldermen giUe judgment for the
plaintiff. 1t matters very little as to the merits
of the case Evidence, as a rule, goes for
nothing. The question, in the aldermanio