Delaware tribune, and the Delaware state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1877-18??, 1877-10-18
PHILADELPHIA LETTER.
1BVFEW or PROMFNENTT OFTC1 OF
smn9 THE NEEk. F

Hmn7 THE wEEK. gW
HlNu
pasy Finances and the Aayer's
n essssee-R adacinG Civic Expenses
-Ac.ton of che Heads Of Depart
neuts-Tbs nlias Trial and Jury
Ousra.e s-sale Of "Ths rFsss"-
Exhibition Troubles = Lutheran
General Ceaneil : German Ops1a-
MAs Anderson, &c.
Of Evszy Kvsaias and oa.nsrssal
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 12.-Ths Mayors |
message, published this week, has nothing !
very encouraging in II. Irefer, Of course,
10 the financial parts Of the paper, for |
those arc the portions at once turned to
by every person interested in these annual
statements. Tho reports Of the heads OF
departments, police, surveys, highways,
DC. are Of tho routine kind, which is to
say that they appear favorable, but may
not be 80, and require key for their true
explanation, but it b thu Anancii report
which concerns people most. On investi-
eating this, citizens find, however. no
Comfort. 1t il not that the funded debt
ia SO enormous, but that the floating debt
is so constantly increasing, and without
prospect of settlement. This floating
indebtedness constitutes our real peril.
The amount OF it. ~ given by Mayor
Stokley, is Sl1, 73l, 101, this sum not
including the Public Building debt. The
funded debt amounts to $55, $50, s7l, and
the guaranteed, gas works, debt to
$5, 500, 400. Now, no matter
what city's yearly liabilities
are, they may DO safely borne il
they are less than the yearly income; but
with u.s. unhappily our expenses are
greater than the yearly receipts and thus
In addition to paying millions Of interest
No are annually adding to the floating
debt: the white property owners are sink
ing under load Of taxation which with
all the misery it causes, is not sufficient to
ausy 81 its purpose. Not without reason
did General Wagner, st recent meeting
of a COMMITTEES Of Councils, say solemnly
that the city stood on the verge of bank
,nnt,y. To be sure, it has stood there
40 long that the dizzy precipice has seemed
to lose something of its terrors, and men
arc getting their heads again, but it ia not
Ahe less true that there can be but one
end, no matter how long deferred. to
spending more than you make. :.
II is depressing state OF thlngs, but II
must be faced. Retrenohment il the only
thing to saya us, for raising more money
by taxatloL is clearly impossible. What
ever or whoever suffers, expenses must
come down. Salaries must be cut, badly
paved streets must remain badly paved,
needed streets must remain unopened
school supplies, even, mus. be entrenchec
on il necessary, though this should be The
last thing done. 1t is hard; it will put
back the develop .nent of tho city; but
what else is there 10 do? The business
n,sn conducts his affairs on this principle
and why should no. Councils9 A begin
ming has been made; . special comnittes
of Councils has resolved On scale o.
reduction of salaries Of city employees
and DESPITE all the opposition the measure
will excite, it does not seem roa@ibie j
should be- defeated. The heads Of depart
ments refused to meet General Wagoci
and his associates half way, aud de'larat
that the proposed reductions we're in.Possi
BILE; that Increase was, in iact, more prop
erly in order. The committee had, there
fore, to decide on the new policy on its Owl
responsibility. 1t would puzzle Il eoniure
to determine what the departments wan
or expect. They should know bette
than Tie rest Of Us the urgency OF Ii
case, yet !hey refuse to raise a help:n
hand
Inc sale Of The Press has natural
croerioncd some tulk, but l do not thin
i La, Grated arg real feeling. The Pre-
mas not hsBu = power Of late years, thong
its former strength has suficed to keep
in certain standing. If rorney la
given himself entirely to his newspGpI
business it would have been better IL
lin, but he has had too many irons in ti
fire. For this reason do not call him
true iournaiias. He has frittered away
fine property IN 4 way that can only b
called painful, even by those who do nc
personally admire him. This is shown b
the terms Vi the recent sale, Us compare
with those offered for the paper by til
Times people three years ago. II is no
worth while to give figures, becaus
nobody knows anything detinitel
about them. Considerations hay
been ramed, but it is not to be suppose
that they represent the real amounts pal
ov;r now, or that would have been pal
on the previous occasion. AL that is Gel
tain is that the Press would have brougl
twenty-five per cent more when Mcclure
party wanted to buy ii than it has ju!
been sold for, and tho story of declin
could not be more forcibly indicated.
for the rev administration, wishes a,
entertained that IL may give the pap.
fresh life, but it is g dubious outlool
Captain Necin has previously been in fu
char OF the paper and made no mark q
it whatever, il being even more vapi
under his rule than at any other time.
seesns pity that with such chance u
should not now have a paper of the Ne
York order, and we will have. too, if IL
new Press does not ill the bill.
Rcally,the most important matter of IL
week. Or of many weeks, is the result
the Bliss trial, and the sequel to that r
suit. Important not III itscit' because Il
defendant in this ease was or 10 earth
account, all whether he went to jail {
carried his fooleries elsewhere was Of /
consequence, but because Of the blow
has given the jury system. Bliss shon
have boon convicted Of obtaining nlouG
OIL false pretGnsag, ard everybody su
passed he would be- it was rs clear a ca
as ever was made up, and there Was 81
prise felt that The jury should have evl
left the box. Finally the word was Civ,
that the Jury disagreed, eleven of Il
members st.a,lLng for conviction and OF
IDf oCttulLst' ADS Nv attn man, Il y
son nauisd J! ldLf. h;.s made anuuIher
astonishing a'.I.slio;s lie said, amol
other thugs, th.l hs belsy
Bliss guiiss, Ju; l5 wou
i.ob vote for Bis conv;etio
because he had in the first Instance thong
and said otherwise, and HI could not
honor break lis norC. This modrl juf
has been brought before Judge Briggs
examination, the result bsins TO render t
folly" nj tie Judge onlgdit, of his cour
the more apparent. What is trial by iu
worth in view Of such recurring failures
Justice The Bot Aiiair WA much su
another case, iii faot they are OF cougti
occurrence. Events are surely forci
society ei..ler 10 give up the jury syste
or to greatly modify il, so that only luen
high character, regardless Of prljudiCes
knowledge of ihs facts 10 he consider
shall sit on iuries, Or else have v..l.
depend on l,ss tnan entire unaului
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