New-York tribune., 1905-11-05
pe9orm Prospects Bright and
thc Old Gang Badly
Scared.

Philadelphia Nov. 4-"ihe eyes VI 'e
are upon Philadelphia
c,ov.rnnr Folk of Missouri thus apty charac
.erized the situation which Will reach l'S ou4-i--
nation IA this city In the election inc 1oi-e
Tuesday and which means the perpetua'ioi
or overthrow Of one OF the most po"eiiui "'-I
most corrupt arrogant and criminal poii'ic0
combinations ever built up in the history ol 'iie
Republic. ,,
r-or xveeks the followers Of the Duriis'ih-
McNichoI so-called Republican organization H.
to, . ,ie "o &" have been battling against the
,,.a1 wave Of reform and civic purity which mas
been swearing over the city and State for
r-aak. the supporters OF decent government CIVIC
-,rb,eousne.s and honest ballot have strugsieo
ceaselessly day and night against the poMel ea
of gang rule. The casting Of upward OF -oo'0o'
ballots Tuesday is to decide the ISSUE -
PHILADELPHIA corrupt and contented or oiscoh-
tented under corruption?
T. 90 not an exaggeration to say that SlooO-
600 and over has been expended upon 'ho
c.una,1n OF this huge sum the gang has
rsit out tho greater amount. No less than
$4,000 has been spent by the machine on
,na,.- aave-t,sing Fully S1SO,0o0 more
IN. eone into paint brushes and signboards.
s,tu s95OOOO more has been paid for warn
meetings red fire professions, door bell can
vassing hire OF halls. carttail orators ana gen
,rally speaking, IN "whooping it up Another
k1oO.OOO u declared ready for those mysterious
expenses" on Election Day.
Combating these figures the reform or CITY
party Democratic Prohibition amalgamateo
ticket has put up q round 100000 for meet
ings canvasses speakers ana even h"Ssioii
teas for the folks.
Al least twenty assessors, election ofncers anu
small fry ward workers have been sent TO jail
and fined within the last two months Tor cor
rrptfue the ballot-an almost unprecedehteo
thing IN ring-ridden Philadelphia. Then' too'
some 10000 odd names taken from tonpstoilss'
dogs cats and otherwise variously devised anu
coined have been stricken from the voting lists
With the disappearance of these "phantoms
the gang leaders knew they were up against
the real thing" in the Quaker City at last
The cry Down with the gang! is In the air
Reform is epidemic The whole city seems In
fectad with il. 1t has spread like fever. af-
fectfng thousands alike. 1t is this spirit.
aroused cultivated and maintained. upon which
-be refor7ners count TO gain victory AS though
the hand of Providence almost were in the pat
tie the gang" has been smitten right ana lett
and by it's own leaders. Following the coHapse
OF the 25.OO0O00 gas steal last spring "hlch
started the rumpus. and the sudden revolt OF
Mayor Weaver against gang rule, the chler-
rains of the organization seemed TO lose their
heads
Were the matter not SO serious and was there
not so much at stake the blunders committed
bv the gang leaders would be positively hu-
morous One night few weeks ago the Wnoie
town suddenly bristled with gorgeous electric
signs scintillsting letters four feet high blazed
forth from prominent buildings and walls. One
Of the most prominent Of these signs read:
know how / was elected District Attorney
and grateful WEAVER
The idea intended TO be conveyed all
rish. from the gangs" standpoint, but it went
too far Prior to his elevation to Mayor John
Weaver was made District Attorney. By thus
quoting from a speech made by him upon his
election as District Attorney the gang" sought
to give the impression that he was renegade.
q traitor TO the party which made him. The
phrase II know how I was elected, however,
proved a boomerang. Instantly the newspapers
took # up "I know how I was elected" could
mean nothing more than that the gang stuffed
the ballot boxes; II admission on the
part OF the gang leaders most disastrous.
The signs stayed up several nights and then
disappeared.
Likewise the material published IN the reform
newspapers at cost of $4,000 to the gang
for advertising In each OF six papers proved an
utter failure. With q keen sense of the ridicu-
lou. the newspapers accepted the gangs cash
for the gangs advertising, printed the mat
ter furnished by the gang and embellished 1t
with good. black type reading political adver-
.fsemen,' Then the editors proceeded to pick
the gang ads" to pieces. ono paper ADVISING its
readers to peruse them carefully. but TO re-
member that gang chiefs who would stun bai-
10, boxes pack 1uries and corrupt public Offices
would not hesitate at perjury. Another paper
humorously printed this line clear across seven
columns on its drst page:
The STUFF we print to-day on page 18 costs the
gang" S315. II seems a shame TO take the
money.
And again:
The gang spends 100000 advertising for
votes. Why 10 victory worth 100000 to Dur
ham and McNichol?
Finally, TO cap the climax, one OF the papers
printing gang Advertising announced that the
money gained through corruption by the gang
astunk' alongside OF honest dollars; but that
the money might yet be made clean by giving
II to charity. Therefore. this paper turned over
~ entire $4,000 received from gang" adver-