Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1874-10-01
PHILADELPHIA.
our SATURDAY LETrER.

OUR RDAY LETTER.
CONDUCT OF DuslNKs IN THE REaIsTER OF WILLIS
OFFICE : EMANCIPATION DAy-PoIrTIcs = TIN
ROSS CASE AND THE READING "EAaLR''-JAYC CoOKl
h co.'s oREDrrORs-.THk MONTGOMERY co. FAIR
LARdK TEsTAhENTARY BKQuKsm-THE OPENING
OF THE NEW CHESTNUT STREET THxArKE ETC.
Special Correspondence Of a.e ConnHrcial.
pHILADELpHIA, Sept. 20.
Following the scandal caused by the ''irrogu
lar" discharge Of prisoners At tho Quartor Bes
sons Conrt comes disclosure OF the working
Of the Register Of Wills office, which, il the peo
pie sre not utterly blind, must give them some
insight Of the doings Of the "Rng." A citizor
named Sanford McCalla, applying for letters ter
tamentary in case in which he is executor, hai
those papers offered him togetlor with ademant
for costs to tho amount Of ,$1O.5O. He did no
question the correctness Of this demand but askei
for Mll Of PRrtion'ars, whic', tho law gives hin
. right to Do. This request was insoiently 70
fused He made repeated demands for tho pa
pers and particulars OF tie costs aud the amount
Of the latter was lowered. first to o. 80, and fin
ally to $3, but still tho items were refused. He
took tho case to Court, whore it WAS thrown oui
by Judge Finletter for tho extraordinary reason
that no single case OF the kind las ever been a.
lowed to como to trial, and that therefore tho
moral force Of commitment by tho court had
lost its effect He las, therefore, no redress bnt
to make his case public In tile hope that it may
assist in arousing such All expression OF feeling
~ shall reform this business Of demanding ills-
gal fees. J. ,.4.ra-a .-,a far. -df rs'-
Observe, 1st, that Mr.. McCAlla was simply in
sisting upon his clear legal rights the law was
ege OF the citizen TO ask for particulars In bills
Of costs. Observe, and, that whilo e10.50 was
demanded in this case in tho first instance, the
Registers clerks were willing to take % whom
they found there was prospect OF disturbance.
Imagining. as We have right to, this scale Of
extortion in ali the business which passes
through that office, we can gather good idea
Of the manner In which people arc swinded in
the '.lsow," and can perfectly understand why it
is objected to substitute the salary for tho fec
system. One Of the most dishesrtening features
Of the McCalla case, is Judge Finletter's admis-
sion, noted above, but it seems to many Of us
that oven supposng his averment to be correct
as to the former fate Of these appeals, that his
duty IL none the less clear to entertain them
whenever made. murder case might be thrown
vanced by Judge Finletter. But nothing effec-
tual can be done until the people become satisfied
of the need Of municipal reform, and of the fool
ishnes, Of tho blind "party" cry in local mat
tors. aA. .4-l4 q. sT
Did it not seem in the last years Of tho war,
and for short season Immediately succeeding
that "Emanclpstion Day" must over remain q
great national festival2 Surely that proclama-
ton Of President Lincoln's makes an ora in tho
history Of the United States only second to that
Of the Declaration Of Independence Yet il ap-
pears that the memory Of EmancipAtion Day IL
fading out. An attempt at celebrating the an
niversary vas made this week but IL was yery
tame aflar,-in no way comparing with the
cheering demonstrations Of other years. Tho
largest Halls In the city could not Chen accom-
moiate the throngs of people now the
festival was held In an Obscure
place In the colored quarter of the town, and
hardly any one knew Of the celebration, The
mistake ia made Of considering this a demon
stration only Of the colored people. In fact it
should be cherished by al alike, for the Lincoln
message emancipAted the country no lees than
the slaves. There was poor little attempt at
procession after tl,s Lombard street meeting
on Tuesday, but there was no enthuaiasm and
NO indication that people continued to realise
~ ..naaes.Ara.. TN
Y was intended TO comtneraorate. IL such In.
Atderence inevitable Must great events lapse
In few brief years Into forgetfulness?
Politics remain quiet. While there has been
not little 'outside" discussion, which the man
agers would very willingly not hnyo had aroused
the business proper OF the campaign has not yet
grown lively. 1t seems strange to experience
such season Of quiet at this time of tho year
About the only event OF the week was the Re-
publican nomination OF Mr.. Horatio Gates Jones
FOR State Senator in the Fourth District in place
Of Christian Kneass, who declined the honor.
The nomination Of Mr.. Jones is well received.
Col. Mcclure wrote q characteristic letter TO tho
Convention declining to allow his name to be Of
fered for the position. He said . primary con-
diton imposed by such conventions was that
the successful candidate should have the support
Of the applicants who might be defeated, and
that lie could not conscientlously pledge himself
in advance to person whose political principles
might be entirely opposed to his own convictions
of the need Of reform. Nothing could be better
-on paper but unhappily, Mcclure can never
convince anybody that lie is in earnest.
The unfortunate position in Hhoh hL the Beading
There is class OF people who tako porl,icious
sort of pleasure in deceivng newspaper repre-
sentatives. Such people consider it . triumph
il they can impose some fiction upon paper
in most unpleasant social entanglements, to say
nothing of possible legal embarraasments. Eh,-
elias wish for the "whip'' to clash such ras-
calls" is appreciated under such circumstances.
The wife OF ono Of the proprietors of the Eagle
obtained this false news from = source which
she had no reason to suspect, but which now is
shown to have been entirely irresponsible. Mr..
Ross indignantly denies the alleged facts of y
family colluson for the abduction of little Char
10y, and tho Eagle having made suitable expla-
nation it il hoped on all hAndssthRt the charge Of
libel may be withdrawn.
An order has been issued by Judge McKennan,
of the U. =. Circuit Court, countermanding the
order for public meeting of tho creditors Of
Jay Cooke Co., IN this city, on the 9th of next
month. The order for this meeting WAS issued
by Judge Cadwallador some months since, but
parties in charge Of the estate have come to tho
opinion tina. such q method Of settlement would
DO unproductve Of good. They say that tho
creditors arc scattered all over the country and
| that action which would be taken by tho COM
paratively few who might be enabled to be
present might not be united with by the great
body Of creditors. They ask that the
estate be wound up by Trustee Lewis,
| according to the previous order of
the District Court Tho order granted
by Judge MeKennan is important - giving tho
speedy settlement OF the firms affairs Credi-
| tors arc growing clamorous for their money and
| il is needed
The Montgomery Co. Fair has almost seemed
| a city matter so extended an interest has been
excited by il. Extra trains have been run on the
North pennn. RsiIrosd. And great crowds have
left the clty dsily for Amber Park The weather
has been simnly perfect. and tie success Of tbe
fair was more brilliant and substantial
than ANYTHING OF the kind In these parts
for Years. The horse display was of course
| tbo nror,ipcnt feature of thc fair nlthouph ali