Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-05-20
For the SPECTATOR.
Letter from Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA, May 7th, 49,

Mr.. Editorial few jottings from
Philadelphia may not prove uninterest-
ing to some of your readers, and going
upon that assumption will give few
items. I will not trench upon the
prerogative of the Geography maker, or
the History compiler to give any thing
pertaining to the city in those TIVE
branches, for Penn and Franklin, the
old State House, Carpenters Hall and
other Historical places are as well known
to the average Virginian, as are those of
Washington and Jefferson, Mount Yer
non and Monticello. In passing, may
state, that in the early history of our
country, the Commonwealths of Va and
Pennsylvania were more intimately con-
nected by ties, social and political, than
were any of the others of the Original
thirteen" States. Many of the Oldest
and best families of Philadelphia are
connected by marriage with some of the
best Virginia families, many of these al
liances dating back to the times soon af
ter the declaration of Independence
Take our Shenandoah Valley and we
find it settled to a large extent by an
overflow of the Pennsylvania German
farmers. And in Loudoun county there
is a goodly number of the Quaker
element. If I mistake not, the presid
ing officer of the Virginia convention,
that passed the ordinance of secession,
was a scion of an old Philadelphia
Quaker family. I allude tn the late Mr..
Janney of LOudoun county. While in
the past, the two old states had COM
mon sentiment and interest. binding
them together as by bands of iron, in
these latter days how asunder they have
become! Political differences have
arisen that have snapped the cordial
relations. and scars have been left in the
late conflict, that time only can, with its
Inellowing influences, heal.
1t is not unusual to hear of the boasts
of the important part taken ny Pennsly
vania in the late war, and particularly of
the influence exerted By Philadelphia,
through her boosted Union League in
encouraging and hi lping on the Union
cause.
Soon after the late Gubernatorial cleo
ton here, when Philadelphia gave ma
]ority of nearly 1900 for the Republican
candidate, gentleman, afterspeaking of
this large Republican majority given by
the city, land which virtually carries
the State for the Republicans, outside
of the city, there being assmall Demo
cratic majority,) said that 1.-THE city of
Philadelphia was the most loyal city in
the union, "-holding Republicanism to
be the synonym of loyalty, and Demo-
cracy the exponent of treason and all
uncharitableness. Many of that party
of hate, hold the same views. as witness
the recent action of the Union League
both in its late meeting held in the in
terest of Grants nomination for the
Presidency, and its ratification of
Hayes's veto of the army bill, held a
few nights ago. This Union League
has recently elected Geo. HI. Boxer,
Grants minister 10 Russia, its president,
and as they boast of having originally
brought out Grant, they, of course, are
now for him heart and soul Pennsyl-
vania is for Grant solidly, and Blaine
next stands highest on their list. If in
temperate, unjust and malicious false-
hoods and Misrepresentation, constitute
phia Repablicanism will bear the palm
over all others in that particular.
It is the custom of the Northern Press
Of a certain stamp, wherever any crime
is committed in any of the Southern
States, to comment upon it as an evil
dence of the brutal and uncivilized char
acter OF the whole section. While max
ing no excuse for crime, in the south,
aud which could no doubt be lessened,
il stringent measures were taken to pre-
sent the carrying of concealed weapons.
and which can be only done by legisla-
tive enact.nents, one can see from the
recent terrible crimes committed in en-
lightened and civilized New England
and other northern states that they are
as capable of the diabolical, as are other
sections. In this cycle of crime, this
city has been no exception, for last week
two very brutal murders took place here;
both of the victims were women, and a
remarkable coincidence is, that they
both had the same name that of Irwin
and both lived in the same locality. One
of these murders was of the most inhu
man and revolving character, the muir
der of daughter by her father, and all
the attendant circumstances, proclaim
the perpetfator to be more of the brute
order than of the human. One can but
think that there is some truth in the
theory of the evolutionists that in these
inhuman monsters, it is but the out
groupings of hereditary traits of ferocity
transmitted from an ancestor who may
have been an animal of cruel charac
terlstlcs, a murderous ape or gorilla per
haps. That is one easy way to explain the
why's and wherefores of disreputable
black sheep In high toned families. It
rather relieves somewhat, parental re-
sponsibility, and exonerates the heads
OF FAMILIES from part of the blame, when
rascally clerk or dishonest bank officer
or other offender against honesty, as is
found so frequently nowadays in the
upper circle of society. The Episcopal
Church is stirred to its deepest depths