Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-07-27
PHILADELPHIA.
our sATURDAY LETTER

KY hlnBJ -Ihe boW0fs bualness-lntereet
lug to Tax Payers Judge Finletter i.ld Little
Mr.. Colis-The Poor Childrens Excursions
Ths French Band, ETC., Etc.
PHfADELrHIA, July &c.
Special Correspondence of he Commercial:
The attempted assassination of the somewhat
notorious Alderman Bill McMulliu, has been the
regning topic of the week, "uumixed with bas eli
matter" although matter more base than the
whole affair, actors, incidents, aud surroundings,
1t would be hard to conceive. How shall we nc
count for the fact for II is undoubtedly the fact,
that more sympathy was felt Tor this vicious
rough than would have leen for the untmely
taking on of many good oitizen7 To be sure
McMullen's assassin was an ungrateful hound,
who paid his friend for the service of getting
him out Of jail, in most unusual coin, but this
fact does not explain how 30 many people should
at once forget that the victim was one Of the
most dangerous, bold and interruptions rascals
who ever Infested any community. He holds
the bad eminence of having probably done more
than any other man in Philadelphia to imperil
the public peace aud make our civil law farce
and yet the impression given in many quarters
In that he is man OF good though mistaken
impulses. This view reminds me of Marx
a minister some points Tor funeral oratiuu
over violently DECEASED cumrado. The
miners notion Of a good" man WAS one who
conld hit harder and drink deeper than any other
man, and IN this light with the addition OF
number OF similar accomplishments which 1t is
not necessary to specify, the Squire may be
cited a. model.
The career Of such man is a sort Of an ano-
maly. In no country in the world, perhaps, but
this would it be possible aud it ls well worth the
nh ia
edly an outgrowth OF the liberty amounting to
license enjoyed in this country. All our great
cities appear to have their representative char
acters OF the kind. McAlullen ID no worse than
many Of his companions here, but he has more
more intelligence and force of chara cteT, and
naturally takes the lead. No sooner was the
news OF the attack upon him published than
these friends began to tiock ar ound him, per-
sous, many Of them charged with the greatest
ofTences, but whom the officers Of the law COL
siderately decline to interfere with. Among
these worthless was one Lyster Smith who com
mitted a murderOus assault moi long since on an
uuoL ending citizen, aud forfeited largo bail
entered by his friend the Alderman, and for
whom the detectives have ever slnce boon pre-
tending to make active search. This person now
presides at the Squire's bedside or walks the
street cUOlly a. # there,was no charge against
him.
or course you do not understand me as apo-
ogizing for or justlfyng in the least the attack
made by Mara. That was a most cowardly and
ungrateful act, and deserves the uni versal exc
Grafton it has received. was speaking of Nc
Mullenism generally and may further say that
such sympathy as might have for the victim as
a man is modified by some knowledge of the
whole dirgraceful drama OF which this assassi-
nation is but single act You are aware that
Mara was released from the Pententiary only a
Few days before lie cOmnttedths outrage, and re-
leased through McMullen'h intervention. But ma
NY things remain to be told before the story is Il
np \
he had served but portion of his sentence when
pHrdoned by the Governor, was an attempt to
murder Revenue Detective Brooks. 1t ID nov
tolerably clear that Mara was hired to do this
bloody business by the Whiskey Ring OF Phila
dephla whose nqnities Brooks WIS eagaged in
disclosing, and that he went to prison with the
distinct Understanding that the Ring would get
nlm out again al soon as the popular excitement
should fairly blow over, The " mug Kept Its
word McSlullen being the agent en-
ployod. 1t would be- foolish to suppose
that the Alderman did not know every fact
IN the case. from the names of the parties who
engaged Mara to do his deyIlish work, down to
The scarcely less deylsh means employed to
defeat the ends OF Justice. Altogether is 1t not
AN astonishing picture and would it be possible
under what We are fond Of calling the Iyrannes
Of the Old World
A very pretty Cor ugly) illustration OF the
manner IN which lax Payers are yictimized, came
to light this week. a contract was to DO awarded
for the construction of certain sewers on Market
street, There were a number or bids offered but
the lowest one, presented by well-knOwn
and entirely responsible builder, was rejected,
and the contract awarded to another bidder at
AN advance of several Thousand dollars. Do you
ask why Simply because the lowest bidder de-
cned to pay the City Solicitor lees for the sign
ing of specifications, amounting to Gl5O or
thereabOuts more unblushing and eOntemp-
tuuus disregard Oi the public interests has not
latterly been seen The outraged bidder carried
his cass to court and was followed thither for
appearance sake by City Solicitor Coils, 1t Ii a
ine thing, however, to have all honest Judge about
the house! Keep the bench pure, and unless
there is general breaking up of things, society
can manage to worry through. Flnletter is one
of those honest Judges, and lie sat little MIR.
COLTS down in short order.
mentioned In my last letter the movement
about being inaugurated to give the poor chill
lren of the city pc-ncs and excursions after the
plan Of the New York Times. l could not believe
that tue benevolent people of Philadelphia would
be behind hand in 30 noblea work, but think no
one expected as generous response to the call al
has been made. The first meeting was held last
Saturday morning, and nearly ~ 900 was suL-
scribed ON the spot. Mr. Childs, with his accus-
toned liberality. opened the bali with handsome
donation Of $500. Since then contributions have
been steadily pouring IN until now the fund
reaches nearly yS 900. The first excursion, arOmp
and pic mic IN the Park, will come oil to-mOr-
row This, however, is merely preliminary
flourish to get the system into some working
order. On tuesday next, the real Excursion
season will commence with the conveyance of a
huge boat load of poor little waits to Penns-
grove N j., the scheme embracing trip on the
river long day in real country nelBhburhood,
musc plenty OF good things to eat and drink
and games aud sports such As delight the child
ish soul. The more one thinks about this novel
charity the more beautiful 1t becomes. There's
a geuuinanees about 1t that is refreshing in an
age of sham philanthropy. Although the Phila-
delphia Fund is much larger in proportion to the
time the matter has been agltated than the New
York Fundsfor the same purpose, l have been
struck with tile greater number of small sub
scriptions in New York Among the douatiOns
here there are very few under slO, and most of
them are twenty dollars and over, the array of
hfty and one hundred dollar donations being
large have taken the trouble to calculate 1t,
and find Ithe average subscription to be $40.
In New York the average ID certainly not over
S5, probably considerably less. The reason of
| this take to be III the much greater amount Of
misery am lng the New York poor aud the con-
| seuuent greater sympathy among the middle or
poorer classics. Here 1t has been mainly the work
| Of people we'll to do and never did they spend
| money better and with u surer prospect OF re-
/ turn.
The famous French Blnd-the Glrde Repub-
| licaine-tollowing in the wake oi their musical
/ rivals of Germany reached the city yesterday
/ and gave concert in the Academy of
/ Music last evening. For the time OF year
i the honars accorded them must be termed
extraordinary A large escort Of French CIT
| izens and others met them at the depot and
| marched with them through tue hot streets, and
/ in the evening all audience of 5000 people as
sembled at the acadeny,-an unprecedented
L