Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-05-22
SECOND EDITION.
PHILADELPHIA.
OUR TuRDAY LETTER.

OUR SATuR DAY LETTER.
THE RESERVOIR scANDAI,-THE INVESTIGATION
oLosED--MR. NJ CLUES CoNTRACr-THE CITY
LIABLE For Ir-JUDGE BRIGGS AND HR. HEvER-
ms CONTEMPT OF coURT-END OF THE aERDE-
MANN cAsE-MEETINa OF THE CENTENNIAL CON-
MIssIoN-sTATE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION AND
GOV. HARTRANFT-TuE FRY DEFALoATIoN-THE
JAY COOKE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. &c.
Special Correspondence Of the Commercial.
PHILADELPHIA, May 81.
1t has been an exciting week for local poll
ticians. The threatened exposure of the reser-
ervoir frauds embracing no one knows what
disaster to individual reputation "The
Row and parts jacent in ferment. The de-
termined attitude of Mayor Stokley in the matter
was a presage of the best results and the
jobbers were in manifest tremble.
But the storm has been allayed in tho most gem
teel manner. With the evidence fairly in its
hand the committee OF investigation OF Coun-
ella practically dismissed the matter by declaring
it ''inadvsable" to proceed in the inquiry and
by indefinitely postponing it. There is general
Indignation expressed at this betrayal OF public
interests for 1t is evident that great wrongs have
been perpetrated and quite clear that the
committee could have ventilated them If it had
30 chosen 1t now remains to be seen il tho
Mayor will not be more honest than his sup
porters.
AS connected with the subject the decision of
the Court to-day that the city is liable for the
disputed bill of the contractor McGlue attracts
remark McGlues charges are admittedly ex-
orbtant, and the contract was awarded at a
time whom it WAS known there was no money
to foot the bill. Still, it seems he has the
law on his side. His charge for grading
Scots cubic yard, while the Centennial author
tiles got work Of the Same character done for
2icts. This is q fair sample of the reservoir
job throughout. There indications that tax
payers will raise themselves this last-and
in some respects worst-abuse in our municipal
history and if they do they will raise some
of the "managers'' at rate too lively for COM
fort.
If the week has been an animated one among
the politicians it has been no less go for judges
and lawyerB. The Gerdemann case terminated
with d practical acquittal of the accused, for
while the jury disagreed the fact that it stood 10
to for the prisoner, and the further fact that
one of the minority was Catholic, and the 9TH
or a colored man who was under obligations to
Col Mann Counsel for the prosecution) showed
clearly enough the justice of the case and the
effect of the evidence. The Jury in effect pro-
nounced Gerdemann innocent, and in this judg
ment the majority of people unite. But with the
close of the came the Biggs-Heverin COM
plication which seemed to keep attention direct
ed to the Quarter Sessions. The action of Judge
Briggs in arraigning MIR. Hevern for contempt
has been unanimously condemned 1t B shown
that the especial Sights of which the Judge
complained were INDUCED in by counsel after
Court adjourned and when one man might be
supposed AZ good as another. Even then Mr..
Heverin contends that he did and said nothing
unSentlemanly, although confessing to annoy
ance ut the strange rulings of the Court. But
the Judge had the lawyer at disadvantage and
is supericially the victor. He has laid his for
NAL rebuke upon the counsel and fined him 300.
On the other hand Mr.. Heverin knows that he
has the support OF his professional brethren
and of the public.
The Centennial Commission has held its an
nual convention-the last that it will hold be-
fore the event which it was organized to per-
feet. These meetings are always looked for
ward to with high anticipation, followed by I'M
reasonable disappointment in the matter of
practical result. The fact is lost sight of that
the gentlemen composing it do no more than
report public action. If no action is taken they
can have nothing assuring to say. The public is
the real commission, the real body to whom to
look for encouragement. There is inevitably a
great deal of routine about the commissions
repeating of the designs of the Ex-
position, &c. Consequently the proceedings
fall rather flat here where the scheme has been
canvassed 30 thoroughly for several years. But
in distant sections, in which Centennial interest
is just beginning to be awakened, reports of the
convention will do much service. 1t is good ad-
yertsing, and experience shows that it takes
great deal OF hammering to drive the nail of in
dividual or general enterprise home. The most
noticeable features of this convention were Ger
eral Hawley's earnest appeal to the country for
cooperation his indignant reproach of Con-
gress for its lack of sympathy and encourage
ment and the decision reached oil the subject
of awards and premiums There is to be sim
gle uniform medal instead of several grades
Of awards, the commission thus hoping to avoid
the complication and confusion which it says
has attended the granting of the premiums in
all the worlds fairs hitherto held. Each medal
is to be accompanied by diploma, stating par
ticulars and upon what grounds the award was
made. The great size and cumbersomeness of
other International juries has also been consid-
cred and the conclusion arrived at that it would
be better to have small number OF competent
udges-experts-whose travelling and living
expenses shall be paid by the commission, thus
commanding the proper material. Half of these
Judges are to be citizens of the United Statesand
the remaining half foreigners The expenses
of this arrangement will be considerable but the
commission believe they will be justified in in
curing it OH account OF the accruing advan-
tages.
Considerable attention is given to the Penn
sylyania Republican Convention, which is to
meet in Lancaster next Wednesday. Although
meeting in an interior city, the convention pro-
gramme is marked out here. ridiculous story
was recently telegraphed from Washington that
the national administration was to have its
agents at Lancaster to prevent the convention
putting anti Third Term plank in its platform.
An administration that could do so undigni6ed a
thing as that would forfeit many claims to tho
respect of the country, but the Presidents en-
emes never seem to measure the weight of
their fabrications or the probabilities of their
acceptance by the people. This one was simply
laughed at and dismissed, and if the advance
guard of the Washington delegation has reach
cd this city, as the report said it would, it has
kept itself so modestly retired that no one is any
the WISER General Hartranfts denomination
for the Governorship by the Convention is con-
ceded, which is altogether as it should be, for
Hartranft has made the State one Of the best
Governors it eyer had. Mr.. d. b. Strang Of
Tioga Co. seems to have the best chance for the
Treasurership, but he has several strong cand-
dates against him.
1t has been a long time since the quieter kind
OF people have been 80 moved as by the dis
honesty OF Mr.. s. Gross Fry. Swindlers are,
unhappily, common +; but they are, for the most
part, either men who make a business Of swind-
ling or persons of little character that