New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-07-26

To Philadelphia the country looks IN TINS
canvass with more than usual interest. for 1t
! is a Republican city i'll which, if the Republi-
can papers are to be believed, the Republican
party is controlled by Republican Ring, which,
now that the old Tammany is dead, is per-
haps the ablest and worst Municipal Ring in
the United States.
| A corrupt politician, ike the chameleon,
| takes his color from that lie leeds upon. In
| Democratic city he is Demo rat; in Phila-
dclphia lie Is Republican. Upon the great
ness and glory OF tie Republican party in that
| city the cOIruptorists have climbed to power,
| till they are now 70 firmly fixed that it is
| difficult to shake them from their seats. The
| city is undoubtedly Republican, and has never
| been otherwise since the war, except on those
rare occasions when the people, Disguised with
the tyranny of corrupt conventions, have
elected Democrats as the only remedy for
their evils. This fact makes Philadelphia an
! important point in tho Presidential canvass,
| for the Ring which governs the party which
controls the city is only part of that greater
Ring which has its center at Washington.
| 1t is difficult for us 10 know to what extent
the ofliceholders in Philadelphia plumber the
treasury. Even its citizens seem to be
| ignorant Of that, though that they are plum
dered they are quite sure. The city debt of
$4,000 900, contracted within ten years, still
increasing with the expenditures far in excess
of the receipts, is proof enough of that. But
an organization known as the Citizens NUM-
cipal Reform Association has recently been at
work WIN practical results. 1t prObed the
scandals in the City TTeasurer's Office and OBJ
tanned the punishment of a defaulter. 1t Sc
cured, by process OF law, the expulsion of a
President of Councils who had violated the
plain letter of The law by becoming security for
city officials. 1t broke up the practice in the
City TreasureI'S Office Of boarding deposits
the infamous huckstering system by which the
peoples money was used to "shave" the I'M
paid warrants the people held. 1t compelled
| the Tax Receiver to turn over his collections
daily, as the Law required instead of specu-
| lating with them for months. 1t has detected
the Highway Department in purchasing ma
terial from another department at 25 cents per
load of gravel, and then selling it to the city
at 81 % per load. 1t has exposed the practice
of the Water Register in receiving water rents
and depositing the money to his own credit,
and for his own purposes. 1t has partially
abolished the extOrtiOnate fees charged in the
SucIll ONCE anu III tidl VI INC lNtBlSltI VI
! Wills. All this it has done, and more, and yet
the stable is not clean. The city authorities
are still protected by legislative enactments,
and to secure these have arranged to send
again their representatives to Harrisburg.
! Similar instances of corruption are continually
coming to light. The other day two notorious
repeaters were arrested for burglary, and had
no difficulty in finding city officers to go their
BAIL including a Republican candidate for the
Legislature. Only this week Judge Finletter
decided that the new City Solicitor had been
l.taling illegal fees, and deserved to be pun
ished for msdemeanOr. The Reform AssOcia-
ton is nobly looping off the limbs of the upas
tree, but only the people can lay the axe to
the root.
The courts can punish; the polls can pre-
vent and it is to defeat the will of the peo-
pie in elections that the Municipal Rng-whch
is also the Legislative Ring and the National
| Ring-devotes its energies. Upon the ruins of
the ballOt-bOx is erected the temple of plumber,
! and as is always the case, the theft of the
peoples liberties precedes that of their money.
! Repeating and ballot-box stufling have been, by
! the aid Of the Legislature, created into O sys-
TEN in Philadelphia. The Registry law, for
long while believed by the innocent citizens
to be their only protection against the wick
edness of the Democracy, has been found to
be the instrument of Republican villainy. 1t
virtually gave the conduct of the elections,
the custody of the ballot-bOxes. the counting
of the returns, entirely into the hands Of the
Ring politicians, and they used it to manufac-
ture such majOrties as they pleased. A
hypocIitical section provided for Democratic
election officers, but these Democrats were to
be chosen by their opponents. Last Winter
the law was amended in this respect, but it is
still too much of q partisan machine. It's
workings were seen in the IYth Senatorial
District which, last October, was so manipu-
lated that it gave a pretended Republican
majority of about 1000. In January, at the
special election, this majority was diminished
to 8OO-a terrible falling OFF; and this was due
solely to the fact that the Ring was then con-
fronted with Col. Mcclure, who did not intend
to be cheated, and who, after his opponent
was counted in" compelled an investigation
by the Senate and proved that his opponent
had no majority at all. The disclosures Of
this investigation startled the quiet burghers
of the Quaker City. Ii was proved that the
police force had been employed TO intimidate
voters, that The balOt-bOxes had been stuffed,
that members Of the City Government had