Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-05-15
FIRST EDITION.
PHILADELPHIA.
y OuR SATuR RDAY TIER

| q
| JUDGE WOODWARD D-sAiUsEMENTs-&c.
Spread Correspondence Of The Commercial
PHILADELPHIA, May ii.
The action taken by onr merchants this wee
to interest leading citizens OF New York in tn
Centennial was in the true line of suecess. II
WAS practical and business-lihe; worth all lh
Fairs, Loan Exhibitions. Theatrical Benefits
and Spelling Bees that could be held from nov
until the opening Of the Exposition. Yor
hear very often in reply to criticism
| OF Centennial management the queruous re Join.
der "What would you haye?" Well, this that has
| now been done for instance. This is the spirit
We would have, and which should have been
shown months ago The dubiousness which
must overcome anyone who looks at this
| matter in common sense way does not grow
out of an assumed impossibilty, for the scheme ii
gofiousy possible, but rather out of keen
apprehension OF the nmensity of the work and
OF the triiiing agencies brought to bear upon its
| accomplishments Such stroke az this refer
| red To gives encouragement, since it il clear
| that All argument elaborated in such liberal
and convincing fashion must enlist TO a consid-
cradle extent the sympathes OF the CONNER.
cial Capital Of the Country. Tho visit of the
New York merchants already gives promise of
the results. 1t has also demonstrated the cou-
yenience of ACCESS to the Exposition grounds.
1t is the intention of the Pennsylvania hallway
to run frequent excursion trains from New
II.
This arrangement will be great inducement to
visitors with limited time at their disposal
Various important matters already reverted to
continued to attract attention this week. The
House OF Correction inquiry eliminated in the
resignation of four OF the managers, MesaIs.
A. H. Franciscus Samuel Leonard, samuel +.
Stokes, and Wm. L.. Wilson. Some Councilmsn
We're eager to ut once fill the vacancies but there
seemed to be an opinion that such haste was IN
becoming under the circumstances go the cleo
tyar laiA fbrartp nurIo tbul
wins a decisive victory. He said he wonld have
regular house-ceaning and he has had it. The
lesson is severe. but it was needed The Gerde-
mann trial Is still on, and grows daily more ex-
citing. 1t has grown rather clear too, that the
prosecution counted beyond its host in this case
The charges against Gerdemann have been any,
thing but proved and there IL II general snspi-
cion that the affair has been pushed by the
hatred OF Catholics who hoped to crush
3 man who has forsaken, as they claim, his VOWS
to the church. The course of Judge Briggs
who IL hearing the case, occasions good deal
of unfavorable comment. Thrown off his bal
ance, apparently, early in the proceedings by
some silly anonymous letter writer's, tile Judge
appears to have lost his grasp of the case, and
the angry coloques between Bench and Bar
during the week. have been more amusing than
edifying The climax was reached this morn
ing when tie Judge expressed the ingenious
wish that the case were " scattered to the four
winds" lie lad previously aenisd the
request OF the defendants counsel
fer time for preparation. for the al
legged cause that they had addressed the Court
disresnectfully. Altogether, Ex-Priost Gerde-
mann has made sensation. The Legislative
Coal Investigating Committee continues its
sessions and its testimony is continuously DAM
aging TO the Reading monopoly. In regard to
the coal supply, and the views recently express
ed in the COMMERCIAL by another correspon-
dent wonld like to say that did not use the
language in my letter OF last week without pro-
per inquiry and reflection. | particularlzed
West Philadelphia because Of the facts there
have personal knowledge. A number of the
leading dealers told the same story,-of
dearth OF coal west Of the Schuylkill, and all
purchases have been made for rome time on
the Delaware ride. The Inconvenience,
to say no more, WAS merely hint
ed at, but it may he imagined. Nor was
the situation in the East side exaggerated in my
letter. or course there ia some coal, but where
there is any stock it is Very low and it is dlf-
cult to get more than half ton or ton at
time Messrs. Martin * Steel and other large
concerns on Market street, explained the mat
ter and said it was general, emphasizing the de-
termination of the dealers to avoid selling to
previous customers of the monopoly wherever 1t
is possible to do 80. But they cannot avoid so
selling for the simple reason that the Companys
yards empty and coal must he had. The
mild weather is great assistance i'll the difficult
ty. Except in cases of sickness few families
have fire now anywhere but in the kitchen. II
is thus possible to greatly economize household
consumption. and this ought to bring down the
price. But dealers say it will be worse before it
is better.
The Black Hills Fever is stretching this way.
There are many returned Californians' in
Philadelphia but if they should go to the Black
Hills meeting to be held at the Assembly Build
ings in body, and prove to the adventurers
there met that gold hunting was brilliant
snare, possibly the determined hunters would
not be convinced. They would admit that there
are blanks in the game, but they would all be sure
that they themselves were sure to draw prizes.
And 70 they will go, and suffer, and come back,
and those left of them. twenty-five years hence,
will regard tile new road to sudden wealth of
that era with the -kepticism which the ire
turned Californian now gives the Black HIS
project. 1t in generally understood that an ex-
pedlton OF about 1900 men is TO leave the East
ern States for the Hills on the 1st of June. The
headquarters OF the organization IL IN Boston
and the different sections of the country are al
lowed to enter within certain limitations. The
managers are very particular about the KIND OF
men they accep'. They will not take roughs'
or bad characters. and the recruits must be
physically stroug, young and courageous. For
the Indian is in the road, and this Will be the
reverse of party of pleasure. However 200 men
have sgreed to so from Philadelphia and the i'll
terror towns of the State-most OF them from
this city. They are to get railway Transports
ton to Cheyenne at S35 each, about half the
usual fare, and from that point to the Hills 1t
will cost them So apiece first rate oitft is
estimated to come within SlOO., including arms,
apparatus NJ ui66 hb out eiS h"'isn ~ p'tS
gold.
Another shameful municipal scandal looms up
relative to the East Park Reservoir Loan. May
or Stokley is the principal agent in an investiga-
ton now being held by special committee OF
councils. The Mayor makes the double charge
that large sums of money were paid for votes
for the Loan, and that "improper motives are
now influencing members who oppose the bor-
rowing of money to carry on the work which it
is necessary should be promptly finished. The
Mayor testified to names and amounts, in the
most uncompromsing manner before the COM
mittee. He said among other things that MIR.
Mccullough, of Councils, had told him that the
reseIvpr business 'beat anything he had ever
seen at Harrisburg, that another mem-
Der had told him he would vote for the
loan for n consideration of $4,000; and also
that he understood $4,000 had been paid for
votes for the first loan. There il no doubt
whatever that the whole affair is piece OF ut
terly corrupt jobbery. The reservoir has cost
already over a million and quarter dollars, OF
which third part at least has been waited, in
other words stolen. There may seem to be an
Inconsistency in asking for au additional loan,
knowing that the first one WAS so squandered,
but the point il that the work must be finished
or all that has been done already will be AZ much
AZ thrown away 1t is alleged by the Mayor that
some Councilmen hold Off from voting the ne
cessary supplies in the hope OF making some
thing by their final acquiescence. His Honor is
not apt to be wrong.
Still another painful breach of trust has to be