Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-09-17
Aamcaster fntcIliqsnrcr.
MONDAY EVENING, SEPT. II, iess.
The Mandnmms Eases.

The Mardamus Gases.
A majority of the subcommittee of
the law committee Of Philadelphia couu-
ellis have found and reported to their
superior body certain facts touching the
imlnistration of City Solicitor Coils,
which are a very significant feature OF
the history of municipal government in
that city az administered in the old days
of reckless carelessness or criminal mis-
conduct on the part of the officials 1t
seems that in 1875 and 1876 Charles III.
T. Coils, then city solicitor, confessed
judgments or suffered them to he given
against the city amounting to 81, lis, ,S72,
95 One Of these cases was that of George
Holdcraft, aud judgment was confessed
for $l59. 25 for labor in the highway de-
partment. Holdcraft had already been
paid for this labor and never brought a
suit for the money, but it was paid again
by mandamus nor had he ever sold any
claim against the city. The real plaintiff
was William Armstrong, who said he
hal "bOught it in the usual way" Nj.
NJ. Coppuck, chief clerk Of the highway
department, acted as agent for Arm.
strong in the purchase of about $500, ,OCO
worth Of claims. These we're bought at
ten per cent. discount. In this case Gen.
eral Coils agreed with the attorney for
the claim that the decision should bind
some thirty others, amounting TO about
S50, 900. In number of other cases it
has been made manifest that the city has
been paying the same claim more than
once and some claims that had no fOun-
dation whatever:
In the Monaghan and Wecder case Gem
eral Coils confessed judgment for Sl,-
OBS 20, aud both men say that they had
their pay by war; ants and did not authorize
William ii. YeIkes, now judge, to sue the
city. Neither had they received any of the
money. The 81 ,03S was in addition to the
appropriation. Mr. William Armstrong
was the real plaintiff. William May,
whose suit was for sl2, 4l0 5s, said he had
never authorized Fiudlay II Thomas to
appear for him nor had he authorized the
suit. George l. Dietz's name was used
in mandamus for $500 without his
knowledge or consent, and the report
mentioned many other cases in which the
allegations were of the same kind. Mr..
Armstrong said he he had bought the
claims of Assistant Highway Commits
sioners HaiRes, Nuttall, Cobb and Gill
gan, and ex Controller Hancock bought
1000 worth of contractors warrants at
ten per cent. discount. Mr. Armstrong
collected by mandamus through his at
torney, William Ii. Mann, prothonotary.
In thirty cases, involving S3i, 900,
brought through Findlay & Thomas, Mr..
Findlay denied that he allowed the use of
his name or received any Of the fees. Out
CT these thirty cases twenty seven were
paid to S. p. Hancock, city controller, and
to Peter Lane, jr., chief clerk Of the city
treasurer, and not to the plaintiffs Of
record. In the case Of the Blue Stone
company mandamus suits were brought
without the consent of the company and
the company did not receive the money
paid by the city. Then the report speaks
OF the Miskey case and others. 1t was
shown that the suits were brought by
spectators and the money was obtained
on suits brought nominally by plaintiffs
who knew nothing of them and had no
share in the profit.
Gen. Coils maintains and claims to be
able to show that in all these cases he
acted in good faith and upon representa-.
tions made to him by the proper city
officers, that the city had no defense and
1t would he a waste of time and money
to attempt to make one. Nevertheless,
he declined to waive his privileges to
make the defense of the statute of limi-
tations in any suits to be brought against
him for Official negligence or miscOn.
duct. And the main committee trusts
so far to his innocence as to refuse to
order any such suits. This refusal does
not, however, relieve Coils from the
necessity of clearing up his record which
he shows disposition TO do by unload.
ing the responsibility upon some other
of those who were in Office, IN other de
partments of the city government at his
time.
When he shall have succeeded in thus
transferring the burden the fact will
still remain that the city was plundercd |
by wholesale in this mandamus business
and the incident will serve as fresh illus
tration of the course Of the Republican |
party i'll federal, state and local admin |
istration over the whole country In the |
past twenty years. There is no remedy |
for it except in the custer of that party |
from power and the way to accomplish |
this is for the Democrats to succeed |
them. The most radical opponents of |
the Democracy are beginning to recog
nize this, and even such men Us Wendell |
Phillips say #" II could would try to
rallya temperance party, but the TEN
perance men have always betrayed us at
the polls or / would try to rally u
Greenback party, since the Greonbackers
have only half done their work. But at
present there can he only two political
parties. The Republican is one.
distrust aud despi8e the Republicans as
hypocrites and time servers, as double
dealers, AS souiless carrion masquerading
in the grave clothes of their honored
For sheer audacity of statement and
impudent adherence to it, Chairman