Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-02-10
PHILADELPHIA.
OUR SAT uRDAY. .LETTER.


Especial Correspondence Of the Commerclall
PHILADELPmA, Feb. 9th.
1t would be difficult matter to make people
at distance understand the exact municipal
situation in Philadelphia. So many elements go
towards constituting it that the matter would
have the appearance Of a Chinese puzzle to an
outsider, and indeed has very much that kind of
a look to a great many dwellers within our gates.
No doubt there is an earnest desire among our
best voters for Reform, although as yet there is
more yagueness than substance in it. Without
doubt too, there are many good reasons for this
outbreak, in the shape of abuses that have grad
ually grown about the administration OF the
affairs of great city The Registry Law should
be repealed or greatly modified the Row Oni-
GERS should be puton salaries the whole system
OF delegate or primary elections should be chang
ed-with these and other things done there could
be very little ground of complaint. But is it
worth while even for the sake OF those things to
leopardize the Republican Party and throw the
second city in the Union, and through it the
second State in the Union, into the hands Of
the Democrats?
Enthusiastic radicals have not looked deeply
enough into this question their strange bed
fellows have a clearer conception Of ii, but II il
to their interest to keep quiet. Any great party
must have correspondingly extensive machinery
To keep in power ii must, necessarily, have an
army Of agents and workers, and 1t ls not to be
supposed, until we arrive at Utopia, that these
individuals will all be immaculate Even the
Reformers, should they succeed in overthrowing
the Republican organization, would thereupOn
find themselves a Party, with all the duties and
responsibilities OF a Party and with the usual
crowd OF retainers and camp followers for whose
individual virtues they would not be answerable.
II has always been 20 in a Republic and 1t must
always be 30. In a popular government, unless
men hold office for very long terms or for life,
there must continually recur these struggles for
recollection, or else those in power will desire to
have their political friends succeed them. Fur
thermore unless each citizen gives a close per-
sonal attention to politics, public matters must
be managed by those who do pay that attention.
A great majority Of citizens have neither the
taste, time or inclination for that business, but
any member of the community could If he chose,
get inside the " ling"-thatis to say that as the
workers in this sort arc not great in number he
would after a while, by diligently attending first
to precinct and then to ward matters find himself
in the ring, and his getting there would be a
natural consequence. IL the refofmers wore to
carry the city tomorrow, next week they would
be there too which is to say that the few who
really did the work would naturally be the drec-
tors. to whose councils the bulk of voters would
not be admitted You may preach against this
until all is blue, but in country that elects
every public officer down to ward constable,
how can you help it !!
You must not understand me to say that there
is not much sound wisdom and virtue in this
movement, for there is. l have mentioned
above several reforms which we should impera-
lively set about at once, but certainly the great
Republican party is adequate to all this without
asking the assistance of copperheads and ex-
rebels. l think we place ourselves in most hu-
initiating position when we do this thing. The
Democrats have got us exactly as we seem to
have secured England a tight place. Col.
Mcclure is a severely proper person to head
reform movement and to what an extent no
earnest a patriot Mr.. Dick NauX is likely to
support the Republican Party is question that
can be left to the fullest imagination. In effect,
the object Of this movement, as far as the Dem
ocrats are concerned, is to break up the Repub-
Ican supremacy, and a considerable number of
the best men upon our side are lending them
selves blindly to the conspiracy.
There was another lively scene in Common
Councils yesterday, when the Marcer Bankrupt
cy case was again considered. President HUM
made a sorry sort of defence OF his action OF the
Thursday previous, and General Wagner ham
died the recreant presiding officer without
gloves. Wagner las covered himself all over
with local glory and his speech was certainly
very clever effort. Although prepared. there
were come off-handed touches in it, provoked by
the debate, which proved the General possessed
Of a smartness nearly allied to wit. Mr.. Huhn's
speech was evidently cut and dried in advance,
but with all the opportunity given him for de-
fense 1t was a stupid affair, and quite wide Of
Solicitor to proceed in Bankruptcy against Ex-
Treasurer Marcer was passed by majority that
amounted to a unanimous vote AS Gen. Wagner
said we shall now have Marcer in Court, and
can make him swear that he made money and
property over to his securities which should
have gone into the City Treasury, and which
should still 30 there.
Still another defalcation Not in the city
government this time however. The shingle
| OF Hugh w. Tener, Broker and Collection agent
ia as well known as any on Third St., for that in-
dvidual has been stationed in the Bull and Bear
neighboThood for over twenty years. His credit
| has always been A. /, and no man stood higher,
/ socially as well financially. On Wednesday,
| however, Mr.. Tener wound his business up in
| the most expeditions of all ways, by absconding,
| and it is now found that he owes 100000, a
/ great deal OF it to poor people for whom he had
| collected claims of various Sorts and has run of
| with the money. The event has made decided
| ut r, for the reason that Mr.. Toner was almost
| the last person who would have been suspected
| Of such an act. What are we coming to, and
whom can we trust
as could well be in the 0skins matter. The jury
disgraced itself by declaring not guilty as brutal
| a murderer as ever " shocked the Isle from its
propriety." And why? Because smart lawyers
made the iurymen believe that the man was in
sane, when il he was crazy at all it was through
rum which should have been no defense as the
Judge very clearly said in his charge. We boast
greatly of our Trial by Jury, but it is question
II II ID not open TO bucn great aDuseh as 10 make
it practically worthless in a great many cases
| The system grows weaker and weaker with the
increasing intelligence Of the people, for the
first requisite of juror il that he shall know
nothing of what is going on in the world. 1t il
impossible to believe that a jury Of good intelli
gence could have declared the murderer Oskini
"not guilty"
The rule has been for New York Capital to iint
outlet in Philadelphia, but nowadays we art
changing that. Philadelphia monied men arr
i now seeking New York for chances of invest
ment, and the latest instance is that of the man
i moth real estate speculation made by Messrs
Geo. w. Childs and A. j. Drexel in Wall stree
real estate. Those gentlemen are reported l.
have bought lot on the street named, whereof
{ to erect banking house and brokers' Offices, 70
8 which they paid the tidy sum Of one million dol
4 lars in cash. Such transaction is rather bew
dering to Door folks, but the Ledger must hav
an outlet for the fortune il il making every yeal
: Outlay is only matter OF means, and it is a
easy TO nav million dollars a cent for thing
8 II YOU have the money. The amount involved /
Q | the transaction considered above, seems enoi
d nous, but think of the revenue that will accru
k from such building with its hundreds of Office
D AZ hundreds of dollars month. In six years
will have paid for itself, and then the profit b
gins. In the meantime it is insured to its f9
Value the premiums on which insurance III
. tenants have to pay. Nothing in sublunai
y wav. eould be surer and all that il required