Daily Republican., 1882-05-10
PHILADELPHIA LETTER.
What the People are Dotn9 I'm the
Quaker Clly-sDrfng Prospects,
Cost Of Living, ess.

Quaker Cliy-spring Prospects
Cost Of Living, ess.
For the Republican.
The recent fair weather that we have
had for the last week or ten days has
had the effect of making all kinds Of
business boom, but 1t has had no effect
on the price of living, which, to say
the least, is outrageously high. You
will hardly credit 1t, but 1t is fact
nevertheless, that choice cuts Of sirloin
steak sold in one of our markets last
W ednssday for 45 cents per pound. 1t
Is not much of q beefsteak that you will
get now for 30 cents per pound. Other
things are in proportion and what Is
worse than all, there Is SO much shoddy
and adulteratiOn that people are
paying one half more for living than
formerly, and getting actually ono half
less of pure food. Take sugar for in
stance, where is the rich, yellow, moist
sweet sugar that we had ID or 20 years
ago? Conc to give place to glucose.
Where IL our pure ground pepper? For
answer, go and look at the piles of
cocoanut shells at the spice mills. In
decd fraud and adulturation seems to
rule In this city.
You can by dry goods and clothing
a. cheap as ever, but what is it" II
you want anything that that will wear
we'll you have got to pay for 1t, but
poor people have got to buy cheap
clothes and adulterated food, and
manufacturers 60 on making them,
whilst gin mills and beer saloons are
daily dealing out acids that destr oy
brain and mind, shrivel up the body and
set sons to kill their mothers, who are
daily numbering born and unborn babes
and to the close observer If Philadel-
phia and New York Is not destroyed by
fire from heaven, then Sodotn nor Com
morrah never deserved it. This may
seem strong language to some, put 1t is
true and anyone has but to live here to
find it out.
The city Is head over heels in debt;
the politicians are sucking the life blood
out of her veins, and yet the news
papers are SO taken up with fixing
tickets and candidates that they have
no time to spend in looking after the
real welfare of the people.
There is almost universal complaint
by the people who.ride on the P. W. Il
b. road, in regard to the bad manage.
ment since it came into control of the
p. r. 4 Il. A train is advertised to
start at a certain time,it gets off 10 or Il
minutes late, with conductor growl.
ing, and passengers angry. BY the way
is the company going to give us ice
water to drink this summer, OK are we
to drink the warm fluid that stands in
the coolers now.
Fairmount Park is very pretty just
now in its fresh spring attire. There
has been immense sums of money
spent on this pleasure ground, and it
seems to he the only place in the city
where tho public money has been we'll
spent.
The public buildings drag slowly
along, with a man hero and there at
work on them. I suppose the child Is
born that may see them finished, but
your correspondent wont.
A very pretty sight may be seen no v
at Sixth and Chestnut streets, the
whole building being covered with
flags of different countries, whilst
tropical plants, palms, ETC., are set
around, and in the entrance to Yates
e Co.'S, clothing store, this being their
sixth anniversary.
There is nothing new to chronicle in
amusements except that Uncle Toms
Cabin, now playing at Haverley's is as
popular as ever, hundreds are turned
away every night. Strange isn't it?