New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-10-08
PHILADELPHIA POLITICS.

Gonerai
PHILADELPHIA POLITICS.
PROSPECTS IN THE CONGRESSIONAL DIsTRICTs-THE
MACHINERY OF BOILING DISTRICT ATTORNEY
MANN's CAMPAIGN FOR RE-ELECTIoN-THE
CHANCES AGAINST HIS OPPONENT.
[FRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 6.-Our local politics are
sngulary mixed and disointed this Fall. 1t is bad
year for regular nominees When candidate has gene
to all the trouble and expense Of packing convention
and has been declared the choice Of majority OF the
honest aud patriotic delegates whom ne has run In by
the aid Of free whisky and false counting at the prima
res or has bought up afterwards private terms ne
s Of the woods lby means The chances are
that bis opponent who did not provide enough whisky
buy enough delegates will bolt with crowd OF his
partsans and set up the cry Of fraud II be only shouts
loud enough and keeps it up long enough there are
plenty of voters loving fair play who will think ne mas
been wronged and rally to his support Theparty man
ayers lay the party lash his shoulders and try to
whip him back into sustaining the regular nominee but
bolter is unmindul Of the castRaton,
with interest. Not only are there
boilers among the professional politicians who have
been overeached by superior strategy and cunning but
independent candidates set up by themselves or per-
suaded to run by people dissatisfied with nominees
turned by the regular party machinery are numer
%
more the people appear TO care for him.
In three out Of the five Congress districts in this city
there are formidable revots against Republican Ring
and Caucus rule. The regular nominee" In the Ist
District Chapman Freeman All sorts Of stories are
told Of the methods by which he got the nomination.
David Branson running against him as an ndepend-
ent Republican candidate. The Democrats after wait
ing long time to survey the neld have concluded to
put up man Of their Owl, 10 the hope that Branson
will destroy the heavy Republican majority In the dis
trict Their Convention meets next week
In the lid District also heavily Republican. there
straight fight between Charles ONe the present mem
Der, and Benjamin Rush, Democrat of historic family
and ability There doubt Of ONeils
election. The lid District is steadily Democratic, and
kept Samuel Randall in the House for many success
sive terms Even here the Republicans by the ears
David F. Huston got the nomination by the ways that
dark which are nowadays the surest roads TO sue
In politics Huston Treasury special agent,
and was to Philadelphia less obvious way
what Jayne was to NewYOrk. Last June he
went of 70 England with the baseball clubs
without saying as much as "by your leave
to his superiors In Washington. and the first news
he heard from home was that he was special agent
no more After he was well out Of the way, his com
petitor in the Convention, Benz f. Berry, came out as
bolter, and Is still on the warpath Huston has re-
turned and the two having pretty fight not for the
empty honor of running the Republican nominee but
the substantial advantage OF controlling the Federal
patronage In the District, which isa perquisie OF Ad
candidates for Congress whether elected or
not.
The IVh District will no doubt return VIM. ID. Kelley,
the great champion OF Protection and Initiation. His or
poneut is w. " McGraf, Of wealth aud business
| prominence.
The bolts in the and lid Districts do not compare,
in the bad feeling engendered with that IN the Vth
When the State redistricted a year ago,
Leonard Myers and Alfred Harmer boh members of the
presept House, and both partisan Republicans OF the
Grant stripe, found themselves thrown into this one
district Here were Congressman, ripe and real,
and only one for them to l The vigor with which
each went to work to get that seat was comics Har
mer was the favorte at the City Hall, and in coDse-
ouence had oil policemen, constabes and tdewaiters
ton and shut out half Of Myerss regularly elected
delegates. Then the Myers men who were In oolted.
Joined their comrades on the outside and nominated
their man. SO have both the contestants claiming TO
be regular Republican nominees Myers II dear TO the
carpet-weavers and other mechanics In the district.
Every the papers publish as entertainments the
proceedings of the operatives In sOandSOs factory
What &. his ames MILL who unanimously resolved TO
support Myers. Harmer has the party machinery and
which is worth the most The Democrats have for a
the old Kensington District before the
war II his competitors eat each other up oy dividing
the Republican vote in halves he can carry on the
In the city at large somewhat langnid heht is IN
prooress over the District Attorneyshp. William b
Mann who has held the ONCE for long time, Is OF
course candidate for reelection He Is tue IecoRhzen
leader OF the municipal ring which rules TINS city with
similar methods and the same purposes which charae
terized the old Tammany Ring In New forE but with
stste and National Administrations contend with.
the influence of Mr. Mann and hts colleagues omnpo-
tent at Harrisburg and potent at washington. MaBh
has often been compared to Tweed. lie Is ho.pi'aee
and charitable. and spends IN free ana generous vhe
an Income from mis- Office aud emOuments estimated at
60 coo wear He possesses in remarkable degree the
peculiar mixture Of audacty aud cunning Wnch nova
days is unfortunately far surer passport 10 success
than brilliant talents conspicuous integrity AUG
patriotism In the eyes Of the Reform element IN bota
narties he all that s most to be depored ana
resisted in current municipal politics He is accused OF
contrvlne those practices that have made elections
aide or the other of Influence in determining
a result. He is further oesrged win pIo,eeuns;
the Ring when detected in their outrageous frauds
upon suffrage and generally Win eS on ins
his political interests Mann: influence does not ae
pend alone upon the Republican party ed ms me
Democracy OF Philadelphia His hand is felt in every
oedsrs Of that party are suspected by their own fO
LAYERS of steady and treachery Tue money
co@es IL 3 believed. from the Ring and Democratic
votes through the conuvanee .! DrlDed democratic
election inspectors, are eounted Just % TUG h'Ds
II there were vigorous opposition COMMANDING pop,
ard go under An active Reform publican organ
zstion could accomplish this In connection WIN tne
from the wreck OF Democracy But there no trace
Of such an Organization The Liberal leaders OF e12 are
|
Raue Henry Armitt Brown, Rdgeway, Morris and the
Others who made the gallant fight for municipal reform
iast Winter are taking part in the present canvass.
They and the class they represent will probably stay al
home on election day. few Republicans WIZ vote ot
Furman Sheppard Mann's Democratic opponent, but
they show no disposition TO enter the canvass.
Col. Forney Is in Europe. ana ms paper mas
faced auarely about and Is supporting the Ring. The
Reform iatou unheard OF and unfelt. The nom
of straight Democratic tickets In even the most
haoeess distrcts under the leadership of popu-
iarIv eeyed to be in the pay Of the REG, and the
OF candidates who deserted their party
iv ote for ea
February has made 1t impossible for Reform Repuoli
cans to have any hesrt IN the present contest. Mt
hia wifi AN lenf