The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-09
THE COMMISSIONS.

WE publish extracts from article in the
Public Record of this morning protesting against
the passage of the Commission bills The five
papers which have fully committed themselves
against this iniquitous proposition to give Phia-
delphia Tammany government are the Age,
the Inquirer, the Ledger, the Record, and THE
EVENING TELEGRAPH. Cannot some of the
rest of our contemporaries, who are now as
dumb as oysters, give us their ideas on the sub
ject?
The Record says as follows
'grhe political corruption which has so long made
HarrisbuIg notorious now, at length, eliminates In
a scheme gigantic In extent and shameless In ef-
frontery. The bill to create three commissions fer
Philadelphia aims to transfer our rlghts or self
government into the hands OF few irresponsible
persons, during 1--WE consecutive years-an absolute
q check upon the men to whom they are
surrendered So enormous and so iniquitous is this
project; palpaby is It violation OF our repuoll
can system; SO surely does 1t open the
doOr In the future to uDrestrained fraud, pecula-
tion and violence, that, Tor moment, It is dihicut
to conceive OF 1t as proposed in sober earnest; yet
such is the fact II Is no ourlesque on the one
hand, and bugbear on the other L Is bill full OF
perilous reality. and the danger OF the hour is that
the people OF Philadelphia and PennsylVania may
not fully realize its character and scope In season
.'With an adroitness equal to their audacIty. the
concocssrs OF this scheme have put forward among
the commln soners mentioned in the bill the names
OF several gentlemen OF integrity and good repute,
with the obvious purpose OF giving an alf or respec
cloaking the false principle underlying the DILL But
even these few respectable gentlemen are not those
who suppOsing 1t necessary TO invest somebody with
the bowers proposed would probably be chosen by
the people as Their representatives Norls TINS All.
we have been led to believe, from private
Information cOmin ng to from Harrisburg tnaS t Is
mart OF the plan OF the managers OF this scne ne TO
Withdraw at the eleventh hour, as many or these
resnectahe names as possible, aud TO substitute
others who may better suit their future purposes
SO carefully has a ring planned this astounding
project 10 control the public property destroy the
rights aud remove the remedies OF the people OF
Philadelphia -. .,,,. aohor,o .,,o
more shaneiessly iniqutous IL appears FOr eX-
annie the provision by which the commissioners
are to sh their own vacancies-puttlng ln, III case
of a death or resignation, any man In the cty-ls
outrageous on It's face. The provision regarding
the political composition OF the board Is not only
outrageous, but absurd. There Is not even proVl
son for allowing the people OF Phnadeipnla 70 vo.'
on this revolutionary change in their local govern
ment the only election provid ed being the one pro
posed for 1876 ana that to consist OF the election
new boards. -, -, -. ,.o to,
tsantng mower OF the Board OF Public Works, th
reader will have little doubt as TO how part oil TN
money is to be raised for all these schemes. Bu
he bili does not stop at Issuing bonds. sectlol