National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-01-23

possess the qualifications requisite for the
responsibilities of the occasion, and the en-
tire brood that now flls the public places of
that city might be laid aside without serious
risk. The main contest viii be. for mayor.
for which place triple fight b promised.
The present incumbent, Vim. 8. Stokeley,
who declared he would mot che put In .
hole ,. in the matter of manufacturing cleo
ton returns at the late special election, but
who seems to stand 50 that the public can
not see who was "put in the hole. has
been nominated for reelection by the Re-
publicans. VIM E. Littleton, Republican
has been nominated by large class Of peo-
pie without regard to party, and Capt Jas.
8. Biddle. a former officer o. the q. 8. navy,
has been nominated by the Democrats.
In many respects Mr.. Stekeley has made
a tolerably good magistrate, but he Is
charged with being Sin the ring Of des-
perate politicians that have been managing
Philadelphia, besides not being sufficiently
defined in the social strata that can call out
its two or three generations of grandhthers
at moments warning. A great popularity
Of Philadelphis is its blue FLOODED ancestry.
We don't know exactly what makes the
blood ''blue, /" but we know blus blood has
% sort Of. mythical existence in that city,
and that a man without . portrait Of HIS
great grandfather at least cannot claim
social standing among the ue-blooded
denizens CT West Spruce street, Walnut
street and other thoroughfares laid out by
William Penn. We believe the quality Of
blood, like the quality of mercy, is not
strained, and that even in Philadelphia IL
flows pretty much alike in all veins; albeit
the ancient Philadelphian would regard
this as downright heterodoxy. Now, In
common with all Americans, we desire to
see everything connected with the Centen-
NAL decently conducted, and trust our
neighbors will be able to settle this ques-
ton of phlebotomy and politics in manner
that will be creditable to them and satisfac-
tory to the rest of mankind. We would
not, however, trust too much to blood in a
case of this kind. Wine may be counted
on to work wonders sometimes, but blood
never. If the honest voters Of the
Centennial city will wipe out the
blood and rule out the politics, and select
the best man without regard to either of
these elements, they will do an eminently
proper thing in view Of the grand event for
which so much preparation is being made,
and from which so much is expected.
Philadelphia should certainly have mayor
in 1876 who can represent the intelligence
and honesty of the people; one who will
not suffer from comparison, and who will
not degrade us in the eyes of visiting for
eigners. The mere duty of policing the
city can be performed by chief policeman,
and performed better, perhaps, than by q
mayor, who is charged with multiplicity
of duty, while the chief of police has moth
ing but this single duty to perform. In ad-
dition to possessing executive ability the
mayor of 1876 should be a gentlemsn-not
a blue blooded hermaphrodite, who parts
his hair in the middle, and whose only
claim to existence is based on the shadow
of a great grandfather-5ut plain, blunt,
every day American gentleman, who has
individuality and character, and who can
stand unabashcd in the presence Of royalty
ITSELF and maintain the reputation of the
American name and character for pluck
and intelligence. If the three gentlemen
named will not answer these requirements,
without desiring to be considered meddle-
some, We would advise Philadelphia to dis
card them all, and seek out the man who
will