Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-10-31
FIRST EDITION.
PHILADELPHIA.
OUR sATuR DAY LETTE

cAsE-rHE MILL CREEK SEWER yERDIcT-BurLD-
ING ASSOCIATION UNIoN-cHEsTSUr sr. IMPROVE
MENTs-THE POLICEMEN AND THE CENTENNIAL
ETC., ETC
Special Correspondence of The Commercial.
PHILApELPHIA Oct. 80.
As Election day approaches number of things
become apparent in local politics, a few Of which
shall be briefly noted list, that while the oppo-
sition to the Republicans is mainly centred in an
attempt to defeat Col. Mann, the can
didate for District attorney, and while
it is vehemently urged against Mann
that he has already had too long lease Of
that office, no account ia made Of the fact that
Mr.. Furman Sheppard has also been District
Attorney and that his record will not compare
with Mann's for efficiency 2rd, that tho argu-
ment most dwet upon by the opposition, the
depressed condition of trade resulting in nm
unusual proportion of workingmen being out OF
employment, is a shameful perversion Of truth,
inasmuch as the panic and its consequences
had no possible connection with local politics
3rd, that tho " "Reformers have once more
shown their entire lack Of practical
ability in endeavoring to diseuade the
only class OF voters they could hope to influence
from the support OF candidates whose Election
s the only guarantee against Wholesale change
Of government in favor of the Democrats.
A great many Republicans find themselves in
not to occupy. They do not love Mann any
more than the "Reformers" do; they believe his
political instincts to be bad and his public in
iuence to bo bad; but they see, also, in Shep-
pard thoroughly INSCRIPTIONS partisan who
used his office before to shelter those who had
put him in it, and who is in this desperate srrug
gle bound with tenfold promises to do the
same thing again. The consequence will be that
they will NOT vote at all. The poll will be light
and will not indicate the Republican suegth,
while every Democratic vote,-righteous or un-
righteous-will be cast With all the prejudice
against the Republican ticket which the free
handling of tho "Ring" excites the chances arc
yet in its favor. Opinions vary to an extent
not seen in canvasses Of late years, but the bulk
of intelligent iugement indicates small Re-
publican majority. Perhaps to win by ''the
skin Of the teeth" would be the best thing that
could befRll the party, as the fright thus given
| might induce strong break from the clutch OF
the "Ring" next time.
Judge Kelley's address this week on the pro-
posed ''Reciprocity Treaty with Canada was one
Of the strongest protection arguments ever
made here have heard 1t repeatedly termed
the best effort of his career, and that not always
by men who are thorough admirers of Mr.. Kel-
ley, either But it was singularly direct, vigor-
GUS and Incorporating. IL covered the whole
ground, not only Of this so-called reciprocity"
when the advantage is intended TO be all OF one
side, but of the necessity of protective tariff in
country which has the command Of certain
products and staples of which it is desirable she
| should reap the solid benefit. nation
of traders should trade, and IL is to their inter-
est TO trade with as little restriction AZ possible
but nation of producers should be protected
| or it will speedily amount to no moro to mako
| than to sell. Judge Kelley made II splendid
| point in asserting, and proving, that the
enactment of such treaty as is proposed would
practically extend the Canadian frontiers to New
York and that though the complications which
would inevitably arise war with England would
/ be not remote possibility. The address was
also in part plea for Canadian annexation to
the United States, which the speaker thought
the only sure way out of present complications.
| The speech was printed in full in the Press and
deserves to be read by every one interested in
the great principle of Protection to Home In
| dustry.
| Ii Il possible that the court order appointing
| u further meeting of the creditors of jay Cooke
| X Co. has not been entirely understood. The
| order was this week rescinded by Judge Strong
| in the L. S. Circuit Court and tho opportunity
| seems a good one to say what was original
/ Nv intended by the District Court and how differ
emily the case is viewed by the higher court.
Much Of the msapprehenson has arisen from
the construction put upon this Injecting of cred
itors." This projected meeting was not to be an
assembly Of an ordinary sort, at which people in
terested in a common subject could confer over
their affairs. There ia nothing to prevent such
meetings being held every night of the
year. But this meeting was to havo power to
dispose of the estate i'll the interests OF the cred
llOrk. "A trustee nau Decn hppOlnUeu hI u pfeNl
GUS occasion, and he is now engaged in winding
up the business OF the firm. Az check upon
his administration of affairs it was thought, at
ter some months trial Of the System first naugu,
rated, to hold second formal council where il
results were not reported satisfactory to ma
jority of tile creditors-rather to II majority ol
interests, not Of individuals-the management
should be changed and some otherplan adopted
Thus We see the significance of this proposed
meeting. Interest in it has been gathering from
\ fi,nf that ia1
with the slow progress making in the adminstra
ton OF the estate, and professed Il conviction
that better return might he made than seem
| likely to he. The decision OF tho Circuit Court
however, IL to the effect that there is to be III
Interference with the plan of administration al
ready agreed upon unless it can be proved tha
| there is mal-admnstration, or fraud, on the par
of those having the business in charge. o
| course there is no suspicion of any such thin
| and the Cooke creditors must be content witt
! | things as they are.
A great deal OF scandal has been create,
by the verdict in the Mill Creek Sewe
Case. This sewer, which runs througl
I3d St., West Philadelphia, ''went in
some days ago and killed three men. 1t is
heavy and important municipal work and ha
cost nearly $500, 900, yet the evidence at the in
quest showed that it had been very imperfect
i constructed ard not properly inspected. TIL
, Jury say explicitly that the sewer has ''not bee
built IN accordance with the contract, and fur
ther state-"there was no adequate inspection b.
any one representing the city," There has bee
alarm felt for some time among residents 0
, tgat secton for the sewer underlies some o
the built up portions of the suburb. For tn
a most part l3rd St. itself il not improved at thi
. point, but IN order to be improved this 'impeI
t fectly constructed" sewer must be built upon
! The beauty of the situation can thus be seen
i No one will care to put up brown stone from
q on a site likely to go underground without a me
ments warning, and those persons in the neigh
: borhood already will have vehement desr
upon them to get out of it. We have had goo
n many shameful abuses Of public trust lately bu
a none more shameful than this.
n A meeting of the"Buldng Association Union
= was held this week for the purpose of protestin
against the appointment of an Inspector G
y Building Associations throughout the State,
II bill providing for which it is understood will b
Q presented to the next Legislature. Person
prominent in these enterprises took part in th
g proceedings, and all held that the safegards no
d thrown about the system were amply snfticier
IL to guarantee the rights of those concerned, an
If that an Inspectorship would be an undesired in
= reference, which would result in good to no on
but tho appointee 1t was stated at the meetin
that there are 100000 stockholders in buildin
,r assoeiationsiin Pennsylvania with an inyeste
|, capital of nearly 800, 100000 Philadelphia,
'. is well known, is the headquarters of this grei
~ interest.
} The unique building.of the "Guarantee Iru'
10 Company" on Chestnut street above Third az
proaches completion and with the clearing ava
y of the scaffolding attracts renewed attention
G. 1t is equally massive sand PECULIAR and is alt'
| erafhar about the mOst striking looking busiuef