Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-11-30

ening the Fire Department-Mr. Marcer Again
"A Judicial squsbble.
Special Correspondence of1e Commercial
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 30.
The so-called confession of Mara, relative to
the whiskey Ring, has been perhaps the leading
topic of the week, although it has gained that
pre-eminence more from the information it
withheld than from what it conveyed. Maras
statement was fairly explicit upon the points i'm
mediately connected with the attempted assas-
sination Of officer Brooks, and it may be that |
those we're the only points Of which he had any |
r al knowledge He was but the tool, and per-
haps does not even know the names of the more |
powerful rascals who were TO reap the results Of
his villainy. The failure to name these projec-
tors Of the crime causes the present disappolnt-
ment. 1t is now well understood that there were
three sets Ct men concerned in the effort to get
rid of the Revenue officers in Philadelphia, 80
that the illegal manufacture and sale Of whiskey
might be carried on with impunity. These par
ties were 1st the makers and dealers, the
''Ring' proper 2nd, the middle-men, composed
of debased and brutal Ward Politicians, and Sd,
the assassins hired by class No. to do the job
Mara's confession has served to unveil the per-
sOndLe of No. 2, but it has not touched No. l, the
matter the public is especially concerned in. 1t
is not surprising to learn that Alderman McMul-
lin, Lister Smith and Johnny Ahern were the
men who employed Mara and Dougherty, the
knowledge that is wanted is, who hired McMul-
| lin and Smith And perhaps we will not get
| that information (although the Press seema to
think differently until those ingenious gentle.
men are themselves held upon some criminal
| charge. You may remember that at the time
Mara shot 1.-THE Squire, did not believe in the
sympathy felt for that desperate rough, or that
| he was as claimed the "best friend OF the man
who wounded him. 1t appears now that he was
| the friend who got Mara into jail as we'll as had
him liberated and u at ne did not even pay the
| blood money he had agreed to pay. Any kind OF
sympathy for any one of the entire vicious crowd
| il quite thrown away and Mr. Mara, if his read
ing leads him at all into the region OF poetry,
| might cay:
ave want no help, and least Of all such help as
| you would give u.s."
To-day the City has been kept in fever of
| excitement over the reports and denials of Mr..
| Greeley's death. As early as noon rumor OF
| of his death was circulated, and from that time
on, the most painful and contradictory stories
have been atloat As write newsboys are call
ing " Death of Greeley, although they have no
| more positive information than the bulletins pos
ted on the newspaper boards detailing his cond-
tion and which are surrounded by sympathzlng
crowds. 1t may be pertinently said Of Greeley
he shoud have died hereafter" Nature should
kindly and for the sake of the great good he has
done the world have allowed him little time
to live down the effects OF his terrible political
mistake. To die just now ia to seriously impair
| a noble reputation. Altogether, do you know
| of ANYTHING much more sad in all our history
than this overthrow? not that the man should
die but that at the end Of great and honored
career he should go out like this How it may
affect other men cannot say but to me it is ull-
speakably sad and piteoCs, that he should
have been led into the fatal, fatal blundor
OF throwing away his whole life work
FSsDns.g FSs beyond thHt Question rodtton hat bas
is killing him. The explanation of the trouble
and anxiety attending the less Of his wife is
specious. OF course that affected him but not to
this extent Mrs Greeley had been an invalid
for twenty years, and her death would not have
been unexpected at any time. Mr. Greeley had
grown used to the possibility Of this affliction,
and he was furthermore too philosophical mind
| to be overthrown by so entirely natural change
as that of death. We must go further than that
for reason but it is not far to 60 for those who
can intelligently read the events Of the last few
months wonder il the men who pronounce
his eulogies will have the courage to say these
things !? Yet the people who believe them will
Y | Greeley as one of the strongest and best of
Americans. The uneasy feeling of apprehension
, | and sorrow which covers Philadelphia tonight
i proves that the country only feels how large
place Greeley has held in its history now that he
J., is about to depart
=, Centennial subscriptions are not by any
! | means up to the mark. gave you a hint Of
= this, last week, and later developments show
. that the case was under rather than over stated
. So tardy has been the response, that sub-com-
mittees have been appointed to work up an in
4, terest among the various trades and branches
q of business. There are about 100 OF these com
d mttees, formed in each case of leading men in
their own pursuit. and they certainly should be
) able to canvass the industrial interests Of the
Q city very thoroughly. The unpeasng feature
= = il that men have to be appealed to personally
i H. tr,t tl,au ufp mot
pated and herein lies the first disappointment
Of the Commissioners 1t WAS thought tina
when the "pe was opened the birds would begiI
, to sing" that is to say that as soon as the sub
Of scription books were opened there would bI
lines of people formed, as there were for tick
e | cts to the Dickens Readings, squares long
each man anxious to have the privilege of put
K, ting down his money. Nothing Of the sort ha
occurred however. Human nature has showi
itself shout the same in this as in other matters
IL wants an equivalent. People in moderate o
Door circumstances say,-'We will buy ticker
when the time comes aud support the exposi
tion in that way as did the Sanitary Fair, :
. and in fact nearly every family in ordi
or nary circumstances will pay about th'
value of share Of stock in admission
fees 1t would be a good idea for tn
Commissioners to order that the holding of two
la' or three shares shall give the privilege Of
or free admission to the Exposition, or to insis
le- more definitely that some return, however small
will be made from the proceeds or by way o
|
"a scrpuons seem mere matter of gift. This, o
. COURSE is from business point of view-whio
| believe is the only proper view to take. Pa
triotism is very well, hut there are many VIII
contend that il the Government cannot subs
die National movement of the kind they ar
not personally called upon to contribute none
that cannot very well be spared from other use
for something four years off, and which is I
pass through goodness knows how many stralg
hands give you all the bearings of the cas-
re- | as observe them. 1t will not be an easy thin
to raise this Ten Millions judging from the el
perence here where the feeling should be strong
IT or than elsewhere. The rich men of the countr
- will have to contribute it-or the bulk of it -
large sums
The question of the strength and efficiency
en our Fire Department is exciting great deal c
'Pe attention It is generally agreed that the Fore
is entirely disproportionate to the ground to b
N covered. Meetings Of the Board of Trade an
of the Fire Committee of Councils have bee
l | held this week relative to the subject. In th
first body it was held that additional apparatu
md was imperatively demanded. The Councils Con
mittee did not reach the consideration Of tn
= | point but agreed to report an ordinance raisin
Ly .ny the salaries Of fremen of all grades from 10
, ,en 20 per cent. and doing away with temporary a
sstance, making all the force employed by til
are Department regular attaches on full pay. TIL
LU- is a proper move, but we should have or
more engines and other things in proportion
Bids were received by the Committee for SOC
additional feet Of hose. ~
l. Quite breeze raised among the Lawyei
I n. Al. rnnl- =