The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-07
A COSTLY BELL.

COSTLY BELL.
The taxpayers Of Philadelphia doubt
! less begin to think the Liberty Bell is
a rather expensive relic. On Thursday
the councils OF Philadelphia voted S15,-
! 900 to cover the expenses of taking it
to the St. Louis Exposition, and ap-
pointed a special joint committee Of
twenty-four 10 escort il. OF course it
viii not cost anything like that amount
10 take it TO the fair and bring it back.
The money is to enable the committee
having it in charge to have a good
time at the expense of the city.
If there were no other purpose in
view than TO put the Revolutionary
relic on exhibition $500 would be am
pie. but nothing so tame as that
would satisfy the members of the Phil
adelphia councils. They saw chance
to have a good time and they took ad-
vantage of il. OF course the taxpay-
ers protest. but the junketing council
men simply say, what are you going
to do about It? The city is in the hands
of about as bad lot of politicians as
could well be got together, if all &C
counts of them are true. They spend
their time in inventing ways to get the
best of the taxpayers.
The Philadelphia papers saw some
time ago that there was a plan on foot
10 make the bell an excuse for a
junketing trip to the exposition and
they tried to head it off. One Of the lead
ing Republican papers, one that usual.
ly stands by its party under any and
all circumstances, said before the mat
ter came up in the councils for consid-
Grafton, that there was mo valid ex-
cuse for taking the bell to the ST.
Louis Exposition unless it be that
committee of councils would like to
enjoy frst-class junket at the ex-
pepse of the people"
No doubt the bell will attract very
little attention. Indeed, IL is a ques-
tion if a hundredth part of the Wis
itors will even ask for II. and, unless
it is placed in conspicuous position.
comparatively few will see it. The
Philadelphia Inquirer, in speaking Of
the possibility of the bell being taken
to the exposition by a iunketing COM
mittee of members of the councils.
said:
The st. Louis Exposition viii col
iect thousands of visitors from every
where, but what would be the bell 10
the mobs that will surge past the miles
of machinery and agricultural imple-
ments, past the pyramids of groceries
and pure foods, past the piles of dry
goods and wOmen's wardrobes, past the
products Of the Pittsburg mills and
those Of the farms of Kansas, and
storm the varieties and the vaudeville
of the exposition show places?"
OF course the foregoing is true, but
what do the Philadelphia councilmen
care whether it is or not? They don't
care whether or not the people at the
exposition will be interested in the bell
1t is a matter of no consequence to them
what the feelings of the people are in
regard to the bell. They know that
they themselves don't care a pinch of
snuff about it. They have no senti-
ment in connection with it. Its only
interest to them is the number of times
they can make it useful as an excuse
for iunket at the expense of the peo-
pie. And the people of Philadelphia
will soon cease 10 set much store
by it, If it is going to cost them $751;
900 every time there is an exposition in
any part of the country.