News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-12-04
QUAKER CITY OUIRKS.
interesting Letter from "ROb. s.


Philadelphia expressed their dis
approval of the present machine or
ganization in the state and city, by
the manner in which they cast their
ballots in the November election.
Ninety-fve thousand men marching
up to the polls to oppose a condition
in municipal government, second
only to q New York Tammany,
sounds large, and indeed the showing
would be great if viewed from one
given point, but there are over one
thousand polling places in the forty
two wards of the city. Large as this
showing was the great Republican
machine organic alton so deeply and
strongly intreDched in official power
rallied a vastly greater number and
again demonstrated that the So
called stalwart Republican, in other
words the Quay band of corrupt
politicians, are yet in mighty majority
and a great fight is yet ahead, before
any change can be expected.
But the hundred thousand reform
voters believe that if New York City
can do it, so can it be done here.
There is this difference hoWeverin the
two Jobs; a difference which is not to
the advantage of those back of the
reform movement here, and that is
that in New York Tammany is Tam
many, everybody knows that and
knows it's methods, while Tammany
itself makes no particular claim to
being anything else than that which
it in reality is. On the other hand
this Philadelphia crowd is clothed in
a garb of eminent responsibility, SO
slick and smooth that nearly all it's
acts and schemes, it's claims and
general attitude are densely disguised
and it is consequently mighty hard
to know who's who and what's what,
but it is at heart a iobbing, theiving
ballot box stuff1ng, boodling, heart
lessly corrupt crowd. 1t looks like
much more of a job to GUST this gang
than it was for New York to accom-
plish it's good work. In fact this
Quaker city brand of Republicanism
is no more like the good old Vermont
sort than anything in the world. The
latest achievement of 1.-The gang" is
the severing of the head of Post-mas-
ter Hicks, a conscientious Republican,
who has given the city clean, bus
mess like administration, but entirely
independent and fearless in his at
titude toward "the organic alton"
To many this result ia a surprise,
more because of the fact that the
present Postmaster General, Charles
Emory Smith of this city was him
self outspoken in his advocacy of the
reform movement in the recent cleo
ton. But no doubt President Roose-
welt has made another of his indie
pendent moves, wise or otherwise we
will not undertake to say which.
In a former letter few things
were touched upon in connection with
the details OF q great mercantile bust
ness, the pioneer department store
establishment of this country. This
man now worth upwards OF fifteen
millions commenced at the very
bottom poor country boy; started
little business, delivering his goods
himself in a clumsy push cart. lis
employees to-day, in this business
alone, number about twice the popu-
latlon of Morristown. About twenty
five night watch men are employed
in the building. There is the night
gang OF sweepers, the day time por-
tiers, the night company of scrubbers,
the gang of carpenters, painters, cleo
tricians, decorators, etc. All employees
are paid in full once in two weeks,
every day being pay day to certain
department employees, this dividing
the task of making out pay roll and
dealing out the cash. There are fifteen
elevators in the building and in the
basement most complete electrical
plant. 10 the basement is a restau-
rant, where six hundred people can
be cared for, while on the third
floor is finely equipped tea room,
A high grade of employees are en-,
gagged, the salary OF some of the de.
partment heads running we'll up into
the thousands. Two or three evenings
each week instructors are furnished
for night school for the large mum
Der of cash boys, and the boys are
furnished their supper, the school
being held in the building. These
boys have their summer camp organ
ization and go in relays to a camp
estabIisheAsaiasanths> management
They have q 1ssa and orchestra
that have stated evenings for practice
in the building. There is an Employed
beneficial fund which pays five dollars
per week in case of sickness and 500
in case of death. This guarante,
costs the employees from thirty tt
seventy cents per month. This multi
millionaire, who owns and controls
this great business as we'll as Others
is man of quiet, kindly bearing
doing many acts of charity in al
unostentatious manner. Every sun
day morning will find him seated
with the large body of men, many o
them day laborers, who assemble il
body in the east gallery of Bethan,
Presbyterian church for the regula
morning service, he having at al
cashier hour addressed several hun
dred of them in the lecture room.
To return to few more details O