Evening star., 1903-11-07
TOLD OF JOHN WEAVER
Remarkable History Of the
Mayor Of Philadelphia.
UNKNOWN TILL LATELY
THOUGH A RESIDENT FOR
TWENTY-SEvENY YEARS.
Anecdotes That illustrate the In
domitable Will of the English
Born Executive.
UNKNOWN TILL LATELY


Written for The Evening Star by Guy T viskniskki.
Dick Wilmington ran away from London
and turned back again. to become its lord
mayor. John Weaver ran away from Eng
land and turned not back again. to become
| mayor of what is known the most Amer
| lean of Americas big cities-Philadelphia
| His is a remarkable story of success that
| Is all the more pronounced because he is
| the first Quaker city executive to give sat-
| isfaction to all classes within the last twen-
| ty years.
MY boy" said the elder Weaver to
John. when the latter was in his sixteenth
year. now that you're getting to be man.
| l wish you'd decide on what you're going
to do and then settle down here"
| But don't want to stay In England,
was the reply Chances are better in
America. and I want to start life there"
The father, English through and through,
| took a decidedly different stand You are
| to stay right here was his ultimatum
But the boy was not to be deferred by
| any parental command from his ambition
| to go to America and carve out his fortune.
| He set to work to earn his own money so
| that he would not have to start out empty
| handed, and when he had small sum to-
gether he quietly decamped one day made
|
| would carry him over for a song, and set
sail for the land of his boyhood's dreams.
That was twenty-seven years ago. Two
| years ago the republican organization OF
| Philadelphia was looking around for
| suitable candidate for the office of district
| attorney. The man then the incumbent was
| persona non grata: he had placed Senator
| Matthew Stanley Quay in the prisoners S
| box and tried hard to convict him. The
| leaders consulted long about this and that
promn nent lawyer but without result.
Finally. when the solvers of the problem
were beginning to despair, Mayor Samuel
H. Ashbridge's director of public safety.
| Abraham L. English, who was also COM
modore of the Philadelphia Yacht Club, Of
| fered a suggestion.
A Pretty Decent Fellow.
zone Of the enthusiastic members of the
yacht club is a lawyer of the name of John
Weaver" he began.
who's John Weaver" asked the mayor.
WELL replied the director of public
safety. hes pretty decent sort of fellow,
and he has law Office downtown some
| where. But he hasn't taken much interest
| in politics. and 1 understand that's the kind
of a man we're looking for to nominate for
| district attorney"
know anything else about him?" asked
| the mayor.
why. yes. believe he teaches Bible
| class up in Tioga.
The mayor thought a moment.
L guess we IL teu DuTnaH ABOUT w cav
err he said
Several days later three men sat in the
! cabin Of the yacht that fioated the pennant
of the Philadelphia Yacht Clubs commo-
| dore.
II think we've found the man for district
attorney" said Mr.. Ashbridge.
| Who is her asked Israel Durham, lead
| er of the republican organization.
| John Weaver" said the mayor.
| who's John Weaver?' asked Mr. Dur
| ham. in unfeigned establishment.
Why" spoke up Mr.. English, hes a
member of the Young Mems Republican
| Club and of the yacht club, and-oh, yes
| by the way, he teaches Bible class up in
| Tioga, and"
Has a Record.
| He was interrupted by Mr. Durham
| Weaver is our man." he declared en-
| phatically. He'll be the next district at
| torney. His Sunday school record will sat-
| isfy a great part of the opposition by prov
| ing to it that We do what it says we
can't or won't-put up respectable man.
AND, you know, unless we divide the oppo-
stion it will be powerful"
| The candidate was found; the next thing
| was to learn whether he would run To
| that end deputation of political leaders
| looked in the city directory to get the busi
| ness address of John Weaver LAWYER and
iater introduced themselves to him in an
| uhpretentlous of1ce In the lower part of the
| CITY. Then they utterly astounded him hv
| offering him the nomination. II was 500
time before he could make reply: when he
| did, 1t was to say: N
Il will accept the nomination onau /,
added. Il will do my duty as l see if If 7
| am elected. ~ IL
John Weaver's friends and acquaintances
| say that II mas been his unsweryipe ale
| glance to the principle to do his dI,tv q C
| he sees 1t that has advanced him sucoaso
| slvely from grocery boy to dry Foods
tt tlefk. 10 s1enographer in law office, to
| the bar and to the
| 1t may, the leaders of the republican marty
upon his acceptance, let it be known tbst
the man the party would nominate for the
| office of district attorney was named John
Weaver. ~
John Weaver" said Philadelphians
| searching their memories, John Weaver?
Who's John Weaver"
Hard to Identify.
In a day the whole city was asking the
question. Who's John Weaver" and
| newspaper men and other seekers after
political information were hunting high
| and low for John Weaver It's a Joke"
said some; and John Weaver's a myth"
said others who had been unable to locate
the new star on the political horizon
Meantime John Weaver went about as
usual, attending to comfortable, but not
record-breaking law practice and in
structing his Bible class in the Tfoga Bap-
tist Church on Sundays
When Weaver was at last located and
pictured and interviewed-and it took
some time-the fact came out that he was
a naturalized Englishman. The political
leaders had not known that-they knew
very little of the man-and many of them
were alarmed. What will the Irish voters
in the town think about that?" they asked
one another. But the three men who had
found him stuck to him. and so Mr.. Weav-
er was nominated. Then men high in the
councils of the party went. to him.
''Of course" they said, you'll not take
the stump. The office has always been
looked upon a semi-judicial one, and
your opponent, the present occupant, who
is running on the Independent ticket, holds
that attitude"
"Gentlemen,' said Mr.. Weaver, TIN go
Ing on the stump. l don't care what other
men have done who have run for the office
believe it is good thing to let the people
see their candidate, and I'm going to make
speeches.
The Irish Did It.
The leaders retired. discounted. Mr..
Weaver went before the public, and his
plain brief talks caught. Even in the Irish
districts he was well received; SO much SO.