Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-03-15
FIRST EDITION.
PHILADELPHIA.
OUR SATURDAY LETTER

That huge pretense which it is the fashion t
call the meeting OF the stockholders of th
Pennsylvania Railroad Co., was held this week
1 call it a pretenee because, although
is professedly the occasion when th
policy Of the road shall be discuss
ed, the only opportunity given whol
any of the stockholders except the Director
have anything to say concerning the business o
| the road matters are hurried through in sucl
i fashion as to deprive the meeting OF any valul
/ or meaning whatever. II is not q business
meeting At all, but mere mass convention, il
which the whole body is expected to cry AYE =
/ at the bidding OF the managers and 30 let theil
/ property drift into another year. It may bs
urged that the business is 80 immense, and ths
proprietors 80 numerous, that debate, in tht
| ordinary sense, would be out Of the
question. Perhaps it might be, but yet
an approximation to fairness might bt
had. For example the annual report might
| be printed some days in advance of the meet
| ing and furnished TO all parties concerned.
Having read the stateznent at leisure the Stock
holders would come to the meeting with clear
idea of what had been done, and what II was
proposed to do, and the time occupied by read
ing the volumnous document in public could
be given to Intelligent discussions OF its oon-
tents
such freedom as this. Debate is choked of to
the uttermost, the result being simply that the
Board own the Road and that the Stockholders
have nothing to do with it. IL is humiliating,
year after year, to see how Mr. Hume, Mr..
Earle and few other earnest men who endeav-
or to get a hearing in behalf of the vulgar
crowd, are snubbed and treated with indignity
In the little opportunity these gentlemen got in
the meeting Just held they showed that the
weighty propositions involved in the report OF
tho year.-including measure to double the
already enormous Capital Stock of the road
were subjects to be considered with the utmest
deliberatlon and not hurried through with q
UtUd UOce vote. But their prospects amounted
to nothing. Col. Scott got calmly on his legs |;
said it was necessary the report should
pass without any ado somebody made
the motion to that effect the Chair
man put it, needless Of remonstrance, and
with almost the same breath pronounced 1t car
ried. The report is profuee Of such expressions
to the stockholders as g your road, and your
property, which is patronage OF peculiarly Of
fensive sort. Where 1t says,-as it does often,
also,--" your Directors it is much nearer the
truth.
the past year seem to be mainly satisfactory, al
though the New Jersey leases have not turned
over as much money as was expected. This,
however, was owing to extraordinary expenses at
the outset Of the enterprise which will not occur
in subsequent years. The total earnings of
the company were over Twenty-Five Millions,
and the expenses about Eight Millions and three
quarters. The principal debatable points, and
lnOb6 upon winch IL WOulQ nave Doon desirable
to have had some interchange OF opinion, are
the condition OF tho Philadelphia and Erie Road,
and the proposed increase OF the stock Of the
company. The Directors claim that at least
S22,OOOOOO will be required during the coming
year for new tracks, equipment, wharves, &c,
and that large as the earnings of the road are
they will not suffice, unasssted, TO meet the ne
cessary sum. Dee, ,ite Colonel Scotts assertion
that no watering" OF stock is intended the pro-
posal does not meet with favor, although of
mill hn nanA s.V.k do RAAk H.
fore fall, and the Pennsylvania company is at
tempting too much.
A sensation OF the week has been the uproot-
ing OF gang of counterfeiters, supposed by the
detectives to be the most extensive combination
of these mischievous law breakers in the coun-
try. One Geo. WIOgle is the head Of the gang
and he was tracked III mastery manner, by
U. 3. Treasury official named Anchsi, to a house
No. 2l14 N. 7th street, and, after numerous
wiles, three were captured on Wednesday even
tng. quantity Of plates, dies. engraving
tools, note paper, ink, &C., were found on the
premises together with press, used in the ne
fariOus manufacture. More than all
this evidence, however are letters and
papers which will lead to the capture of the
whole ring Of operators, or the next bost thing
will force them to leave the United States.
There has been vast quantity OF worthless mo-
ney thrown into circulation in the past few
months the bulk of 1t, it is believed, through
| Ogle's agency, and this capture gives genuine
satisfaction.
This was Doctors, Week" here at the medical
| headquarters OF tine land. ALI the colleges held
| there commencement, turning out over 800
| "sawbones' to work their sweet will upon suf-
tering humanity. This CHASTITY list of young
/ doctors is made up as follows; Jefferson col
i isge 149; University Of Pennsylvania, 80; Hahn
ueman homeopathic college, Al; and
| the Woman's college, 10. Jefferson leads
/ AZ usual, but the University men arc none the
less sure that their college the great school Of
/ the country. There is nothing painful or un-
| pleasant in the rivalry of these noble schools
Il each helps the other, and the struggles for su-
/ premacy but tend to make our situation more
secure as the acknowledged medical centre The
i growing strength Of the Homeopathic is worthy
| of remark. Five years ago they scarcely gradu'
| ated more than the Womans College does now
At that rate of increase in another ve years they
| will equal il they do not surpass the AllopAthiC
colleges. Besides the new Doctors n students
have graduated at our two Dental Colleges.
Abont this time, too, look out for the Meth
odist Conferences. The Wilmington Confer
ence was reported in some OF our papers anC
attracted attention. The Philadelphia Confer
ence was held at Columbia, Pa, and concluded
its session this week. The New Jersey Conference
is now in session at Bridgeton. Much interes
is always felt in this meeting, here, as the Con
ference embraces Camden and other adjacen
places which are almost parts of Philadelphia
The Philadep phia appointments seem TO give un
| usual comfort all around. Rev. Henry W. Warrel
| goes TO theArch st. Church Cathedral, it alwayi
| seems more ike 70 me,J anu rev. w ms DNlnuoll
to ''Old st. Georges" the birthplace az one ma.
| say of American Methodsm. Rev. Jacob Tod
Just transferred from your Conference, is ap
pointed to ''Trinity"-on 8th st. above Race, on
Of the best charges in the city.
In conversation with q leading Methods
. | Preacher, recently, asked him If the minister
liked this continual moving from place 10 place
NY friend replied that they did not like it, bu
the people did! 1t has been found that no mat
7 ter how we'll a pastor pleases his hoc
that the church is willing enough
let HIM go, thinking they may &c
, some one they like even better, mex
time. This constant changing has begotten
I love Of variety. They say, 100, it helps chnrc
: | along to have new faces in the pulpit, and IL
I ferred altogether from what my clerical fnen
| said that there was kind of mild dissipatio
in the itinerant idea, 1t was a thoroughly orig
8 nal notion of Brother Wesley's, was Il not
And it has been most persistently and faithful
: | adhered to.
9 The building Of the New Post Office will no
proceed without delay. Secretary Boutwe
| YESTERDAY approved the report Of the Commi
= | sion. selecting the old University Ground 9
u 9th st. between Market and Chestnut, t
Z Qether with the properties adjoining it Z
the North and South. The whole plan is q
+ proved, and as Congress has already made {
4, appropriation of 81, 100000 in furtherance
1t the work nothing remains but to go ahead vii
n as speedily aa possible. The total amount
4 | he devoted to the post office and court bull
p ines. which includes the value Of properties
N he purchased-about S682 900, ia limited by 20
IA | 0ress 10 $4,000, 600, but that will allow ov
"a 10O 0DO for the building, for which sum