Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-06-12

| VT fuNN AMI Mhhho Ah tUhhDlhSb Ob The PUOh
| -PRoTEsT OF THE UNION LEAduE-THE NEW
BOARD OF WATER NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF
PACKERS OF CANNED dooDs-INDIvIDUAL GIFTS
For PUBLIC UsE-HEIBERT AND wILEy-sUMMItR
| AMUsEMENTa, &c.
| Special Correspondence Of the Commercial.
PHILADELPHIA, June IL.
Hardly any recent political event has oc-
casioned 30 much excitement as the election by
Councils OF Wm. NJ. Bum and Wm. N. Marks
Guardians OF the Poor Men of the same cali
bre have often been named for Office
without the fact attracting any attention,
and that there il such furry
over these particular appointments shows
that local politics are in peculiar state 1t
would not, indeed, be too much to say that we
| are i'll kind OF transition period in public af-
| fairs. Tho distrust of the people with the man
ayers In power lis taking shape. The feeling has
been growing for months and the outbreak over
Bum and Marks Ia uot 30 much on account of
the worthlessness of those parties AZ it il be-
| cause an opportunity seems here offered to pro-
| tect against the whole current system Of
jobbery and mismanagement. The men who
rule Philadelphia are beginning to realize
| that they have done 10 under the influence
| of mere party cries long enough. 1t il not
enough that they call themselves Republican;
they must be epubcan-devoted in the best
sense to popular interests-in order to deserve
approval.
The debate over those appointments has been
waged actively for several days and the feeling
reached it's climax last evening in the formal de-
| cision of the Union League that Councils had ac-
| ted in an unworthy manner and that they were
called upon tp reconsider action showing bad
| judgment and worre principle. This decisive
| break between the League and the Republican
leaders in Councils il the talk of the town. But
1t would be mistake to call 1t real
| Republican dlssension The little body of men
| who devise and carry these appointments do not
| represent the party in any true sense, although
they may ignorantly be supposed to do 80. The
Republicans are al strong and united as ever,
| and what is called dissenson is but the manly
protest of the bulk of voters against the few
who by the accident of place have power to bring
| the organization into disrepute. Some of the
number who voted for Bum and Marks begin to
| see that they have made a blunder demanding
instant correction. The appointments will
doubtless be reconsdered, but whether they
would have been without the League manifesto
| is not 30 certain.
| 1t seems at last likely that the important ques-
ton Of our water supply is to be treated IN a
| scientific manner. The work has been undertaken
none too soon. The appliances for furnishing
| the city with water are notoriously unequal to
the stress upon them and all previous efforts to
strike just balance have been unayaiing.
| Yearly the complaints have grown more griey-
ous, until it became apparent chat nothing short
| Of reconstruction would serve. Last summers
| experience was not pleasant one. It's possi-
bties were far greater even than the extent
| OF the drouth suffered. This we are all forced
| to admit well as the corresponding truth
| that il this summer should be an exceptionally
| dry one we should be not only as badly oil, but
much worse off, than we were last year Coun-
cils finally appealed to the Franklin Institute to
| name gentlemen eminent as Civil Engineers who
would be competent to give tho subject invest-
CATION. The Institute complied with the re-
| quest, furnishing the names of eight exports,
| from which list the Mayor was by the terms OF
| the ordinance of Councils to select five gentle
| IN, tr,ta a ma wa
| They have been chosen as follows VIM. j. Nc
| Alpine, Albany W. Minor Roberts, New York
Fairman Rogers Wm. T. Morris, and Solomon
| w. Roberts, Philadelphia. These persons are
each and all men of high reputation and it is ad-
mitted that the board is one that could scarcely
| be improved. For once, municipal improvements
| have been taken out of the hands OF politicians
| and the record shows well against other matters
just considered. But in this time OF mixed pub
lie feeling the spirit of criticism falls alike upon
| the Just and the unjust. General fault-hndlng
| PREVAILS and the choice of this admirable Board
| makes no exception. 1t IL alleged now in some
quarters that the Mayor failed signally in hla
| duty in not naming Mr.. Frederick Graeh,
who was ono of the nominees of
the Franklin Institute. But Mr.. Stokley's
critics are manifestly unfair in this.
The names offered for the choice by tho lnsti-
tute are OF equal strength, and to have chosen
Mr.. Graeff would only have been to have left oil
some one of equal value. The Mayor was moi
directed to choose five experts from the lnsti-
| tute list, one of whom should be MIR. Graeh, and
having no such limitation, and having made a
selection satisfactory i'll every respect, 1t secus
| hard that he should have to endure this attack.
| Mr. Graeff has to be sure, been long associated
with the Water Department, aud has won honor
in that connection, but 1t IL possible the new
Board may be all the stronger from having nc
| entanging alliances"
The convention of packers of canned goods
did work which will doubtless before long be
felt in every household in cheaper and more
trustworthy supplies OF these necessary arti-
cles The proceedings of the convention were
singularly practical and harmonious. All the
parties Interested were agreed that the trade
demanded n system of safeguards, al yet lack
ing, and that tho complaints OF the public, ol
short weight and inferior quality of goods put
forth by certain packers were entirely just
The only relief was felt to be in combination
and after that if citizens bought goods not is,
sued By members of the association they would
do 30, knowing they had no official guarantee
and therefore that they could moi
blame such packers as deserved
deserved to keep entire faith with the public
following this platform of principles the Assocl..
alton adopted scale of measures aud agreed
that uniform labels should be affixed to all good'
issued by its mombers. In efecting this sim
pie piece of business the packers have put ,heil
trade on sound and honest basis. lt wal
!, agreed that the regulations need not OF necessi
ty be binding until tho 1st of January next in
asmuch as some parties have already provided
:, their cans and labels for the present year, bu
there il nothing to prevent such members al
NAV choose embracing the new rules at once
= Altogether, it was very satisfactory meeting,
The Seibert gift of a bell to be placed in TIN
, steeple Of Independence Hall has been accepted
by the authorities and al unpleasant preceden
has been thus SGT. The conceit and vanity o
other people may be expected to show in simila
' directions one instance indeed has come u
light this week. Public work should be done b.
| the public. Individual interference, howeve
well meant is sort of impertinence, and mus
ALWAYS leave an unpleasant effect. Anything IL
t worse taste than the acceptance OF the Selber
gift it would be hard to conceive What l
= the money consideration of the cost 0
l. a new bell in comparison with the indell
cacy of an act which gives tn
o Seibert family such an undue share in the sens
n of ownership of Independence Hal2 On til
= same principle all repairs and furnishing q
! whatever kind might be trusted to this. kind Q
a charity, and people could be found in plent
a ready to crafty their vanity in such ways. Ihs
selfishness of low kind may creep into tiles
N enterprises can be readily seen. Encourage
i. probably by Mr.. Seiberts success MIR. Vile
d offers to erect fountain at Belmont and Ell
ia Avenues in the Centennial grounds, sultabl
" inscribed of course, and to cost the munliicer
sum of $4,000. Mr. Wiley is proprietor OF on
of the gay suburban restaurants whlc
Il already make lively the centennial confines an
& $4,000 would be cheap for such an advertisement
Is of bis business. The whole principle is wron
u and n not checked il will grow into monstrot