Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-09-07


Special Co,respon'tar. of me Conunsrcial:
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. G.
The argument in the National hallway case
has excited great deal Of attention on the part
OF railway mon aud ci.lens generally. The
suit III worry complicated one, but tho main
points Of il are easily understood The desgn
is to build another md cheaper line of railway
between Philadelphia and New York an end
which has been vainly sought in many different
ways for the last twenty years. The charters
undor which the National Company claim to op-
crate were obtained some time back, when the
monopoly of the traffic between the two princ-
pal cities of the country was held by the New
Jersey companies. by the recent mammoth
transfers the Pennsylvania Company obtained
all the old rights, and It is this corporation
which is now determinedly lighting a pioicct
which if successful would largely diminish the
revenues The name of the Pennsylvania
Company does not appear in the suit
but it il well understood that it s the
real plaintiff in the prayer for an injunction re-
straning the - Air Line from continuing the
construction of the new road Judge SharswoOd
before whom the matter came this week. did not
hesitate to say this plainly and the whole tone
of his remarks gave evidence that the Court did
not intend TO be intimidated by the generally
alton.
Tie Counsel for the Plaintiffs demanded that
work should be stopped on the Offensive Opposi-
tion, but the Judge replied very firmly that that
could not be done, az numerous contractors
would in that case have ground for very dam
aging action. The most that could be done at
present would be TO enjoin the defendants from
issuing any Of their mortgage bonds, which have
been freely advertised, until after the decision
Of the State Supreme Court at plttsburg in Or-
tpl prp n bo
well satisfied with this, az tney assert that tire
" Air Line ls very shOr OF funds, aud say that
without the money resulting iron. tho sale
of the bonds they cannot continue work m
any event $50 it II to he hoped all parties are
satisfied, | do not profess 10 know the enti
rights OF tile dispute, and have but one really
decided opinion IN the mat'er-that If that
the Pennsylvania Co. will WIN wiethe it de-
serves to Or not.
You may remember that soma weeks back
gave you an account Of what was generally CON
sldered some very sharp practice on the pHrt
OF MIR. Ciiy Solicitor Coils Bills for certain
contracts Tor the construction OF Sewers had to
pasA through that officers hands and he refused
to consider the lowest iii bceauea a separate
fee was not paid on each slee!icalpu-there
were over seventy in all-aud awarded the con-
tract to a higher bidder who di pay the fees.
II was not very great thing in itself, hut it
made considerable talk and Is especially memoir
able from the severity with which Judge Fin
letter treated the Solicitor. Mr.. COla hrd a
pleasure trip to Europe spoiled br reading these
thugs whilo lie Was away, and upon his return
this week addressed an official letter to the
mayor and members OF council upon the sub
ject. Truth to gay ho uiAkus "a clear enough
OF the letter Of the law on which 40 stands.
The sewer business proves to be one Of those
exceptional cases where great number OF
specifications 20 to the making up of our main
contract. The intent of the law il of course to
have one fee cover the entire bid, but il the
solicitor chooses to strain point he, perhaps,
cannot be restrained. Bnt none the less does
any official lose caste who lends himself to
such an outrage upon Tax Payers.
The Paid FIRE Department has received prac-
tical eulOpIum and from most unexpected
quarter. The double assassin, Mara. of whom
you have perhaps heard more than enough late
ly, is the witness, aud his testimony Is very
much to the point. In an interview IN his cell
the other day with officer Brooks the man whom
he was hired to kill, he said that he had been
ruined by ruhDing to tires and by the assoca-
tiOns OF fire companies Then he got oil all
apOBtraphe to the "Old MOya' bell, r homey
enough, but with that touch Of nature about it
that appeals alike to the best aud worst Of Us.
Said he
81 was educated at the public school, Eighth AMI
Fltzwatef. Many Is the iWe that have heard That
Old MuyAmeJeing Hose ucll ring there and when
that rang the buys Nil sCRmpered out O schuOl. Hnd
there was mo- many left. that sc company has
been the rum II gD0d many.
Mr. Mara may have eqnivocated some in the
course of his life, but he told the whole truth
there. How many that bell, and other fire bells,
with their accompanying rum, have ruined will
never be known in this world but the record,
kept somewhere, Is enough to make the angels
weep. / wish this text could be enlarged on by
good men everywhere. Ordinary homilies
though true in every respect, often fail OF their
intended effect, but here is something that will
go straight to the heart aud conscience OF even
the most imbruted and Indifferent.
In this connection, and at a risk OF contradict
ing part Of what | have just said, wilt relate
an incident that occurred IN a newspaper office
here, after the publication OF the Interview be-
tween Brooks and Mara, which shows how the
plAinest things can be misconstrued by iutelli-
gent people. The Principal of the Fizwaier
street school, an earnest and cultivated gentle
man. called at the Office referred to, and desired
to have Mara's statement corrected Or modified
He assured the editor that the words implied
that the whole school or major part of 1t was
corrupted by running to fires. No reasoning
| could convince him that the principal, aud only
| important, fact conveyed was that fire companies
| had ruined many yOung mon. He insisted that
the pupils of the school were especially reelected
upon, aud said he could prove that the boys un-
/ der his charge had turned out al well as those
| from any school in the city. IL was rather
strange bias to place upon self-eNdent PROPOSE
/ ton.
The affairs Of the Childrens Free Excursion
/ scheme have been wound up for the season with
i a highly favorable showing. Fifteen excursions
| were given from the 9th of July to the 3lst of
August, and Il ,OOU children. prOnled ny tue gem
| eTosty Of the contributors to the fund. Among
all this great number no accident of any kind oC
| Cured, fact which speaks volumes for the SELF
/ imposed abors OF the various Committees.
| number of humane people have given the best
part of the summer to this noble project, depIiv-
| ing themselves Of their own holidays for tue
| sake Of the little ones whose parents can do
| nothing for thom in the way of recreation, and
| for that other melancholy corps OF street waits
| whom nobody owns. 1t is a. certain a. auy-
| thing can be- that apart from its sentimental as
| pect land use the word ~ its best seuse) very
| positive sanitary good has resulted from this
| scheme. Lives have been strengthened by it
| that before their course are run may bear start
ling testimony to the good accomplished by this
practical philanthropy.
| Mr. Sothern has returned and il again delight
| ing the town with his unique aud altogether
| wonderful performance OF LOrd DUndrPdIy. 1t
is the most complete theatrical Success on rec
| ord even Mr.. Jefferson numherless represeh-
tations of Rip Van HiHke pang their hres he
fore Sotherns prepOsterouss iteratOns. DHn-
dredry was an old story before jefferson played
Rip the first time, and it has been played shout
800 nights every year since. II must be IL or
| 10 wears since this astonishing " run cOipuenc-
ed, and it is as attractive now as ever, Ard II
is indeed as AgueclI,ek says - the best of fool
ing when all is DONE. 1t is impossible TO de-
| scribe exactly the effect it produces. To say
that it is simply carrcAture OF the dandy OF
the period IL not enough to account Tor ts per-
RENAL popularity, for that assumption, hO 'sver
clever, woud have soon grown tresone