Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-08-31

cal work, were those of Orr vs. Hydrau-
lie Works and Kehoe vs.. same leading
cases in determining the law of negli,
gence and the duties of property owners
to the public.
Thus far the father lived to see the
success of his son, who, with strong
filial devotion, refusing to bask in other
peoples sunshine by acceptance of in.
vitations to membership in the richer
churches, has OF preference rigidly ad.
hered to a kind of "little church around
the corner" wherein was his fathers
last ministry.
RECoLLECTIoNs OF DICKINSON.
Previous mention of DR.. Pattison's
earlier education in Dickinson College
recalls fact or two that may as well be
put down right here in refutation of the
assertion made here and there in stall
wart organs, that "hitherto Pennsyl-
vania has invariably elected governors
born in the State" Now, to begin with,
without hunting up the baptismal re.
cord of them all, John Dickinson, whose
name that college bears, according to
Jefferson zone of the most accomplish
ed scholars the country ever Produced"
was himself a native of Maryland, lived
for long time in Delaware, and was in
1882 elected executive of Pennsylvania.
And he was succeeded in the office of
governor of Pennsylvania by Benjamin
Franklin, who, until now when ohiec.
tion is made to the Providence that
gave Pattison his birth in Maryland,
was always supposed to have been born
in Massachusetts, and to have walked
from Boston to Philadelphia, whereunto
Pattison was brought when barely old
enough to walk to school, and where,
ever since he was six years old he has
been alike by his education, profession
and public service Pennsylvania.
Surely the men who worked Like
Beavers" to put Grant in nomination
for a tiled term at a time when he had
been altogether out of the country for
four years, and who applauded to the
echo Conkling's exclamation "f it
be asked whence comes our candidate,
he halls from Appomattox " should not
now make serious objection to the like
Indian but less savage sounding Quan.
tico, which Pattison babe "hail and
farewell" " by proxy, if at all, since he
was removed from there before he could
cleverly articulate. Nor is the Gamer.
oman cry of foreigner" against the
city controller of Philadelphia, alto
| gether consistent with even The old
straight and. out Know Nothingism,
which is sought to be rehashed, it seems
in the coming campaign, and to be serv-
ed up with an altogether new infusion
of a peculiar kind of states rights.
And, what is more remarkable than this,
the whole and sole objection that has
been raised against Controller Pattison
as man, originates at and is sent out
from the headquarters of the Cameron
State Central Committee, the chairman
of which, and would like to.haye-been
candidate for governor, vas himself
born tout west in Ohio.
IN POLITICAL LIFE.
Upon Pattison's introduction into pol.
itical life, ct the first brought forward
by his friends for clerk Of the court of
quarter sessions, he gracefully gave way
to an older and more experienced law.
yer, Henry $. Hagert, Esq, whose nom.
ination he helped to secure. Afterward
when his name was presented to the
State Convention in 1877, for Auditor
General, although then but little known
outside the city, Mr.. PattiEon received
the next highest vote to that by which
Mr.. Schell was placed in nomination.
A little later in the same year, 1877,
Robert Emory Pattison was nominated
for City Controller of Philadelphia, and
WIS elected by 1852 majority. He was
re. elected in 1850 by a majority of 49,.
j93 in Presidential campaign that gave
General Garfield 20,8s3 majority in the
citv.
BY way OF explanation of this rapid
rise, il passed into history that at the
time of Mr.. Pattison's first election, the
business men, property holders, work.
ingmen, and the people of Phi!adel.
phia generally. were FIRST waking up to
the fact that for years they had been
going behind in their municipal affairs.
There had been a steady aud alarming
increase in the tax rate the depnri ment
expenses, and for ten yeaIS thcre bad
been on annual average addition to the
city debt of SO G22 40G. Unpuralled
municipal extravaganza prevailed.
There was reckless waste ia the appTo
priatons, criminal neglect ia the col
lection Of taxes and hideous and open
corruption in disbursement.
THE REvEL OF THE RING.
While the population Of Philadel
phia increased only one fifth and the
value OF its property scarcely one.third,
its debt was doubled and the interest on
its obligations required an annual levy
of one per cent. on the property. On
January lst, 1878, the annual deficien.
cies, counting the deficiency loan of
S., 1887, had reached SIG 6,0S7,6S7. 1t
cost the city of Philadelphia hundreds
of thousands of dollars annual interest
on its unpaid and overdue warrants.
One fifth Of the city taxes were uncol.
lected and went into the hands of the
delinquent collectors, where enormous
expenses were added for the profit of
speculating politicians, who at the same
time allowed political friends entirely to
escape their municipal obligations. The
poor and unfortunate were plundered
for the enrichment of rapacious parti.
l. n