News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1905-06-14
QUAKER CITY QUlRKS
A former kOrris,iIIe Man Tells About
The Big Cos Steal

lDdC writer delayed his enOrU q Dlu d
would have been obliged to hav
changed his headline, for things hav
been moving rapidly within the pas
two or three weeks-going far to re
move the stigma thar has gone wit
the statement that Philadelphia
content with her undoubted corrup
ton. Philadelphia, as a whole,
and has been far from corrupt and {
long way from contentment, but it Il
a mere statement of the facts in th
case to say that as a great city of
million and half of people, she ha'
been bound hand and foot and gag
ged by the com bipation OF self ap
pointed leaders and bosses, who have
outraged public sentiment, trampleC
under foot all sem blance of honest
ST. aight haired, open and fair munic
ipal government, incorporating a;
the regular Republican organization
and seeking by that mantle TO shield
their schemes of graft and boo1liDg,
which have become absolutely ap.
polling in magnitude and brazen in
difference to the welfare of the city and
it's citizens. The Ripper bill hus
tied without debate through the last
session of the city, which, in spite Of
the mighty protests by the people,
has been approved by the machine
made Governor, uprOots the proVis-
ions of the Bullitt charter, under
which the city has been governed,
and, at the expiration of the present
mayors term, two years hence, will
turn over to councils the election OF
certain officers in the city govern;
ment, who will directly control the
greater portion of patronage to be
dealt out. These officers have for
years wisely been appointees of the
Mayor. This rank change, which
was strongly opposed, but not sue
cessfully so, the throwing down by
the gang of an earnest effort to pro.
vide first. class personal reeistra-
ton law, the free gift of valuable
street railway franchises, the hand
ling of contracts by the chosen, fav.
ored few, the illegal registration and
voting in spite OF all opposition, the
making of the great police force-a
strong arm of the political machine
the white slave traffic, and the set.
ting up of sort of upper and inner
circle of self-appointed leaders, exer-
cising power, which among the
gang was recognized as above that
of the mayor, all this and much more
had made honest Philadelphians any
thing but content.
But the climax came when this
gang, flushed with victory over their
opponents, who worked for the per-
sonal registration law andA4gaies~
the "Ripper bill, saw anottI -
opportunity and without q2SfSg
jammed through Councils y pc most
steal in the shape of
granting lease of the city's entire
gas works, under the most outras
geous conditions, and for period OF
seventy-five years, the revenue for
that period to be anticipated and
paid at once into their hands. The
have been awakened as never
before to the fact that the city must
be, and shall be, rescued from this
band OF plunderers and the good
name OF Philadelphia redeemed.
The Mayor, John Weaver, who is
an honest man, was placed in bis
present position by these same men,
but at a time when their corrupt
methods and schemes had not been
carried with quite so high a hand.
His term is for four years, two OF
which have passed. lie has aimed
to do right without question, but in
fact has been bound almost power
less by the strongly intrenched ogan-
ization. But he broke completely
from the gang and avowed that he
would fight this gigantic gas steal to
the last ditch.
Select and Common Councils, the
city's legislative bodies, have been
made up almost entirely of menwho
serve the bosses who slate men for
their positions and this gas lease bill
was hurriedly passed by both bodies, |
which took the pains to illustrate TO
the Mayor and the people what they
would do in case of a Mayors veto, |
by passing at the same sessionsev-
eral minor bills over the Mayor'sveto, |
and there the question was, before a
snubbed and indignant Mayor and
an enraged community. His honor,
the Mayor, publicly announced that
he would veto the bill, and in the
meantime went to work. His two
department heads, Smyth.
Director of Public Safety, and Cos.
tello, Director of Public Works, we're
found to be recognizing the power of
the gang instead of the Mayor and
he forthwith dropped their official
heads in the basket, proposing to
have in such positions men he can
depend on. Each position carries
with 1t an annual salary of ten
thousand dollars and the two Direc-
tors have direct control, under the
Mayor, upon no less than from eight
to ten thousand places to be filed
by that number of men, including the
police force, which will be taken out
of politics.
Well, now, with all this vast op-
portunity for graft and soft places
at the official crib, and all this police
protection melting away from their
grasp, and with two men of unblem
ished character and standing APP
nninfnd IN Ahann 70 hp ~