Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-03-16
PHILADELPHIA.
our sArvRDAYLErrER.

His Brick Contracts-The Filthy streets-May-
or Stokeleys Veto-Penns Square Advertising
-Amusements, Etc Etc.
Especial Correspondence OF the COMMERCIAL
PHILADELPmA, March 10Th.
The Governor has Of course signed the Bill do
ing such outrage to the Market street merchants
and the West Philadelphia Railway Co, and Civ
ing the Union Line the right to lay a double
track on Market street, from Front to Ninth
streets. l take no credit to myself for having
predicted that he would do so, for as soon as it
was clear that the city did not want the tracks
laid, it was very PLAN that the Governor would
insist upon having them put down. There is
just that delightful sort Of perversity about Mr..
Geary. He must be an uncommonly unpleasant
person to live with. There is great Indignation
expressed in the city to-day, at the Governors
wanton disregard Of the wishes of the people, but
it is all to no purpose. Have you noticed, by
the-way that some Of the papers insist upon re-
ferring to Geary as the "Elder Brother ?" Mys-
tory is ahateful thing your readers should know
that delegation Of the Citizens Reform Associa-
ton waited uponhis Exosllency few days ago to
consult upon the great things to be done in that
direction. l may remark, i'm passing, that taking
deary into its confidence is another of the un-
happy blunders perpetrated by the association
during its short but brilliant existence. The
delegation was received by Gov. Geary with efTu-
sion. He said he was their elder brother in
reform, having been at the glorious work for
more than twenty years, but that these were the
tirst-l think they were the first, at all events
they were the most precious-fruits that had
been laid upon his Altar. How il that almost
too much for belief. isn't it but he must have
said it because the accounts all direct. The
past tells us there are some things that lie too
deep for tears and even 30 there are some things
that are too funny to be laughed at We feel
like laughing at the Elder Brother but the sub
Unity of the assurance almost forbds us that
luxury.
Our medical schools had their annual COM
mencements this week, and all presented a nota-
BILE showing. The Jefferson led in the race as
usual. graduating ll3 new doctors then came
the University of Pennsylvania 83 graduates
the Hahnemann Homeopathy Colleges grad
yates and the Woman's Medical OJllege 13
graduates. The feauture Of the list is the ex-
hibt made by the Homeopathic school. In five
years it has more than trebled its effectiveness
fact which shows very clearly how this system of
practice is growing in public favor. The Woman's
College is scarcely up to its last years work,
though the result is satisfactory to those inter
ested. But think of the grand total POI new
sawbones, leeches et al, let out on the devoted
pubic,-to bleed it, to dose it, to diet it, at their
own sweet will There is a kind of horror in the
thought. More Of them coming, too all the
and where do they go? Nobody hears of a bran
new Doctor settling near him oftener than once
in ten years where then do these fedgelings
go Z From all of which you include Of course,
that am pretty we'll A man always makes fun
of the Doctors until he gets sick, and then he
thinks that the medical profession is the finest
thing a-going
Ooi. Forney retired from the Custom House
last Saturday evening, with flying colors. A
good many people of our own way Of thinking
assert that Forney made mistake in accepting
this appointment which he has since rectified by
his manly manner of resigning the trust. But
cannot see where the mistake was. He had been
prominent politician for twenty years and
what he knows about the incompatibility Of
editing newspaper and office holding he knew
just well when he was made Collector. 1t was
understood he was put in the Custom House for
sound polit cal Ieasons, and If those reasons
were sound then they are sound now However,
the chapter is closed and it is perhaps needless
to reopen il. II s enough to know that Col.
Forney left the Custom House with the respect
of both parties. II Mr.. Comfy succeeds in Civ
ing equal satisfaction he will be very fortunate.
There il an individual rather potent In Phila-
delphia affairs, by the name of Graeh who is
Chief Engineer of the Water Department.
Whether from his descent from the famous de-
signer of Paramount, or from what other reason,
he is given an amount of rope in the swing Of
his department that scarcely any otl or official
enjoys He has power unlimited in the bsstowal
of contracts, not troubling himself about the
to law, and in fact carries things with so very
high hand that some of us wonder every now
and then how it is that the people put up with
it, Not long ago he very ingeniously cut of all
competition for some new machinery needed at
Fairmount in favor Of a New York builder
named Worthington. In due course the
Worthington engine and pump was erected
and bound to be next to worthless, while
Philadelphia Machnsts, who could have done
the work properly, were left out in the cold.
His latest exploit is to the full as significant.
He has made a contract for 400 900 bricks at
Sl375 a thousand, notwithstanding respect
able brick makers had offered to supply better
article at SO a thousand. The bricks for which
he paid the exorbitant price are shown to be
untitled for the use to which they are being put.
This use is the construction of the new reser-
voir at Belmont. There will be at least six million
brick required to finish the work, and if the
balance is contracted for by Mr.. Graeff in the
same liberal way, the item to be carried to profit
and l0ss will be something considerable Does
not this show you how We are governed
The condition Of our streets it is argued ON all
hands is disgrace to the city. There WAS a
time when Philadelphia had the reputation OF
being the cleanest city in the country, but we
have changed all that. We are not the dirtiest
city, or if there can be any other to surpass us
it has no reason to be proud of the prominence.
| Description can scarcely give an idea of the
shocking condition of most Of our thoroughfares
In some Of the most travelled section the dirt is
| piled above the level Of the curbstones, and the
|
smaller streets and alleys the work presented
| to the seavengeri4 fearful. Heaps Of filth, and
refuse of all kinds, four and five feet
high, are a common sight, and work as
the city may, the thing has been 30
| long neglected. that it will be impossible to
thoroughly cleanse the city before warm wealth
er. Aud the very feeblest efforts are as vet be-
| ing made The Sewerage Utilization Company
| is the most pitiful of our long list of municipal
failures. 1t seems utterly unable to grapple
with the huge task before it, and citizens will
have to either make up their minds to combine
and cleanse their own neighborhoods at private
expense, or else suffer the almost certain penal
ty an epidemic next summer. This is really the
most practical and threatening question in Phil
adelphia at present. Politics is of very little
moment compared to it.
| Mayor Stokley has shown a sense of the
higher propensiies in vetoing an ordinance
granting one or more of the Penn Squares to an
enterprisng Menagerie man for certain tent
performances. 1t was smart of the manager, but
It was smarter Of the Mayor. The impudence of
these showmen knows no bounds they will be
| wanting to put their tumblers in our churches
the next thing. To be sure there is nothing to
prevent show being given in the South Penn
Squares, the ground being just it was when
the Building Commission went to work months
ago and being enclosed by fine high fence =
but the thing would have been wretchedly undg-
nifed. We can't have buildings put up right
away or even have the cellars dug,-but then,