, 1881-01-02
PHILADELPHIA.
Ring Rule in the Quaker City
Counting Out Anti"Ring
~ Candidates.
Character of the Rosses-Extravagant
Salaries, an Enormous Debt, and
Lavish Expenditures.
fhe Reform association, and What It Has Dons-1hs
Committee ef One Hundred.

Committee bf 0ne Hundred.
| The Panorama Of Italy-A Great Work o;
49, Art.
spseia, Correspondence Of The Chicago. Tribune.
| Pu1ADELpH1, Dec. 30, 1SS0-Prlma facie
| the appointment Of the Committee OF one
Hundred, and their nomination of city OIL
cers-in Philadelphia, ihdicatea reform Of tile
Republican party,-a consummatlon sofel5
needed, and devoutedly prayed for by the
overburdened taxpayels. Having observed
the baneful effects OF party spirit, and
studied the history Of the Ring dynasty dur
ing residence of over three years in Phlla.
delphia, propose to tell yoWf ffgaders what
know about Ring politics in the City OF
Brotherly Love. ] shall endeayor to under
state, rather than exaggerate. the truth; and,
If the facts stated seem to be almost IN
| credible. l can only say the Whole truth
would stagger belief.
. The Republican party in Philadelphia, for
the last twenty years, has been the dominant
! party BY majorlties ranging from 10000 to
$1,000 on a fair party vote. The condition Of
| the party here illustrates the corrupting i'll
/ huence ola
| LONG LEASE OF POWER,
! unchecked by q vigorous and aggressive
! minority party. For, though there las been
/ an occasional successful revolt against some
J of the grosser and most shameless outrages
| upon public rights, yet the Ringsters OF both
| parties have made common cause against ali
t efforts to break the power Of Ring rufe,-
/ uniting to dcfray the expenses Of defeated
| Ring candidates. and buying over to their
| side Reformers who had become too popular
| to be defeated or counted out at the polls.
| The organization Of the party has been
such as to take from the people the power Of
nominating candidates, and delegate it to a
select few. The mass Of Republican voters
have no more voice in the choice Of candi-
! dates than have SO many dummies.
HEAP or DEPARTMENTS.
! T. The Gas-Trust, the Highway, Police, and
Fire Departments the School Board, ETC.,
employ from Il, 600 to e, 600 voters; and these
are under the control Of the heads OF these
departments, and their tenure Of service de-
pends on their doing the will of their en-
ployers. This vast army OF subsidized voters
! take possession Of the primaries, and run
them in the interest OF the Ring politicians.
COUNTED OUT"
Three times the Republicans Of the Fif-
teenth Ward-the most populqals ward in the
city, numbering some 10000 voters-at~
tempted to make their voice potential at the
primaries; but each year they were defeated,
though largely outyoting the Ringsters.
Once they were counted out; once the lights
were extinguished, and the ba1lot-boNes
taken possession Of by Republican rowdies;
and one time, when the Reformers went home
rejoicing in victory, they were astonished to.
lind, the. next morning, on reading the re-
turns that the Ring candidates were elected
A PERSONAL FRANCHISE. -
All the machinery Of the party is in the
hands of the Ring; and the select few who
compose the Ring regard the party as so
much personal property, and the Offices and
their emo1uments as theirs to enjoy and dis
tribute at their ga2d PLEASURE. As the Cdnl=
erons have regarded the State as their per-
conventions as convenient agencies to exc
cute their will, SO McManes, Leeds. Baldwin,
and Kemble have regarded the primaries and
city conventions as supple instruments to
register their will. And no weI1-posted
aspirant for a city Office would presume to be
a candidate without first consulting and seek
ing the support of these political dictators.f I
And, when some prominent Republicans i'll
the Fifteenth Ward reyo1ted at the nomina-
sAo4A ~ AoA ASE~AoA&AeA1t
from that Ward, Mr.. Kemblo--the 1nan since
GonVtaeu anu ssntsnGeu ~ 70 lnf renltenIlaty
1oa 1ass +h. Ra4 IL nttge s tist ta, ~
pass Tue tlot pi!ilIconplalnea that lhey ha9
1iot o consumed nlln peIorenana a h ne could
nare ae 1rn m9nllaeGa nGiaGr Nv; man dne nomlna
tlons were maae III las oahk-parlor. $
TIE PRIMARIES A FARCE. I:
The primaries were merely matters Of
form, and were never held till the program
was marked out BY the bosses. 4 half-a-
dozen or dozen leaders, more or less.
usually less,-dictate all the Important nom
nations ia this city. They say to one man.
tsGo"! and he goeth; to another. 'Come''!
and he cometh; and TO- others, 'sDo this"I
and they do it.
CHARACTER oF r,rE rossrs. . il.
r, san,a aon.1o,..,;ttes W 49,. t,s.'s, ss"ts,
nv u ts;r svf ;tnIae41a fe1mt'es men @ c9nefol otneis
n,ne Rmt thes, 5no aada.o u ioIa. si
if ,s oT;;, 9ni .e @ poi,e. f, !eauers are cleny
o1d H." ~, ~ @ ie" 1 ygdas i Ky me1e po0r
~ ~ aihO~ ~ iIae' .ulu nave llse1 70 taeif
nau t3li Gillffce y ny 1oW cnnnlng' ana py ques,
amassed wealth at the nnbl1c exnense Nav fe,
and then the long-sutering patience Of the |
people, excited beyond control by the au- |