The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-10-29
Philadelphia the Degraded.

Philadelphia the Degraded,
Ten of the most prominent Clergy-
men i'm Philadelphia have voiced an
appeal TO the people OF that corrupt
and unshamed community. That
Philadelphia is now and has been for
many years cursed with a system Of
false registration. by which thou
sands OF fraudulent votes are an
nually cast" they say, lis a fact
known to all who have taken the time
TO make a careful and unprejudiced
investigation" Then they present
the following remarkable declaration:
A committee Of well-knowu citizens
has WiIlIu q few weeks carefully exam
ued the registration lists of several
wards On this city where special deteC-
LlFeS and expert examiners have been
engaged lu making "a systematic canvass
TO liScoNef SpeelHt cases OF EIauL
The names OF fictitious voters. OF con-
FiErs who for two or more years have
been confined i'm the peniteutlary ON long
term sentences or dead men. and ~
those who long since removed from their
divisions or wards, appear i'm startling
numbers.
That many of the assessors and di-
Visou leaders are thoroughly coguizaut
OF these facts, il not the direct iustiga-
tors of these false entries, can scarcely
De questioned.
Any such statement from reputable
citizens must be impressive. How
much it means, then, when it bears
the signatures of such men as Bishop
Cyrus d. Foss, Of the Methodist Epis-
cODaI Church; Bishop CoadjutoI Al
eXander Mackay-Smith, of the
Protestant Episcopal Church; Charles
Wood, pastor of the Second Presby-
terrain Church; Edwin HeyI Delk,
pastor OF ST. Matthews Lutheran
Church. and Edwin ". Rice. editor
OF the American Sunday School
Union
But this is not all. The non-par-
tisan newspapers OF Philadelphia pub
hsh also outlines OF certain aHdavits
by members of the Law and Order
Society, which indicate that the con
troll of the elections has passed en-
tirely out of the control by the courts.
According To the PHILADELPHIA
Ledger this evidence indicates that
''the fraudulent registration in the
Second Third, Fourth. Fifth. Elev-
enth, Twelfth. and Nineteenth wards.
is, approximately, so per cent of the
total number Of names on the lists.
Elaborate and detailed reports com
piled by experts confirm this estimate
OF the fraud. The percentage is more
than go in the Third and Fifth wards.
and considerably below it in the
Fourth and the Nineteenth wards.
The percentage Of fraud in the sixth.
Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eight
zenith wards is comparatively small"
But what difference does this make2
Read what one Felix Stein-the only
lawful Voter in lodging house
which covers thirty-nine names-has
to say Of the registration and the
courts:
look to 1aloney for nay orders and
Tor protection 10 mas business. }t han he
SAYS counts. What difference can IL
tlahe l9 me "nal Ln- courts say or what
they -lt judge SulzbeTger struck ror-
-t-ule names ON 4 bee list from mE house
al The last assessment aIaIouev had
eFe-. one Of them voted upon M the
pi---- ana fls court never said anything
or E-e anything
So Ions as Malonev looks after my iu-
teE---- rlo can handle the police just so
Ions HiH z go ms utmost 10 serve him
ana look after his interests I look 10
1lHlcEeE for everything What have i
H'l go Htll enc courtst want u8rh-
ing POI do #lrl them. They don't count.
Only one point further is needed TO
complete this dreadful disheaFteniue
picture. 1t is that half the uewsDa-
pers In the. city are as completely lost
10 a sense OF shame IS the lowest Do
Hucal Dealer in the city. The phil
adelphia Press" for example. prints
today a milk-and-water editorial on
"The Protest of the CIergymen." in
Which-WillfuIIy closing its eyes 10
tnnumerable violations of the law. as
i1 now slands-au it can find 10 say
Is this;
The protest of the cIereymeu is VALE
--5-s -- Loa -ii-.I= a. 4e---lF
h..1--. opinion mar sHaN demand from
tle -.zls.- rlEl oil PENNSYLVANIA "a prom
eIlE Sa1eEuarded registration law for tH-|
larger cities of the State
And 10 ignores even In it's news col
umus these astoundzag adldavits as 10
crime i'm the present registration oil
voters.
AS The Times has said before. this
subseryiency OF Philadelphia partisan
newspapers is the last proof needed
TO establish the city's utter shameless
ness and supreme contempt for civic
honor.