Los Angeles herald., 1905-07-16
Cbe man Of tbe Week |
An Intimate Sketch Of the Man who |

expected. He did fulfill his promise,
and this politician was tried and ac-
quilted, not because Weaver was faith
less as prosecutor, but, 1t has always
been presumed, because of certain
members of the ring were able to Sc
cure the selection of such jury
as was desired. When Weaver became
district attorney he must have had
more than a superficial acquaintance
with the ring, the contractors meth
ods, the personality and authority Of
various self-apointed leaders, and could
not have escaped the suspicion that he
was expected to serve first those who
had made him district attorney ana
then, il there were no objections in any
case, serve the city of Philadelphia.
He was placed in a peculiarly trying
and tempting position. He had come
to Philadelphia an immigrant without
a dollar BY industry and certain
cordial and companionable disposition
he had been promoted rapidly until he
had gained, while still in early life,
position honorable, fairly remunerative
and influential He owed it all to the
friendship Of the ring. If he had any
flutterings Of conscience these were
concealed. He was in precisely the
position that others have found them
a synonym for morality and quiet
have through association with the po-
l,ical powers found themselves placed
in Offiooc n orn 70 Al nd bot
distinguish man among his fellow
citizens
Mr.. Weaver seems to have been
modest and not at all tempted person
ally to gain anything but his lawful
payment for his services. His home was
a modest little dwelling in one of the
suburban districts of Philadelphia.
There was no more luxury or ostenta-
tion about 1t or about his manner of
life and that Of his family than any
of his neighbors, who were all of mod
crate income, displayed
Nomination for Mayor
Naturally the ring, in looking about
for convenient and serviceable man
who would acknowledge and protect the
interests of the ring if he were in the
office of mayor turned to District At
torney Weaver, For a man whose early
life had been what Weaver's was the
invitation to accept the nomination for
mayor must have been especially at
tractive. To come to Philadelphia as
an immigrant in boyhood and when
barely beyond forty years of age to be
elected mayor of that great city must
have seemed a dazzlingly brilliant ca
reer. He could not have served as
district attorney without knowing what
was expected of him. That he was pc
culiarly congenial to the ring was
shown through various gifts made to
him after he became mayor, among
them library and house furnishings
that, although not eXtravagant, were
yet luxurious. Whether Mayor Weaver
suspected that these presents were
made really by certain contractors or
not, he nevertheless accepted them, pre-
tending, at least, to believe that they
represented no more than kindly re-
gard of personal friends. To accept
them was a mistake, and one which
might have been found a fatal blunder
by him had not minor errors of that
kind been overlooked or forgotten in
the great turmoil and excitement that
followed Weaver's change of front and
defiance of the ring.
A few months ago probably no man
in public life in the United States was
more conspicuously held up to con-
tumely and scorn than was Mayor
Weaver of Philadelphia. Certain re-
form organizations of that city had dis
covered intolerable and degrading con-
ditions of vice, that seemed to be not
merely due to the natural tendency of
depraved persons and the disposition of
evil minded men and women to crafty
for money those propensities for vice,
but We're more shocking even than
that. There came evidence of the ex-
istence of vice syndieate-a traffic
even worse than that Of the barterers
in honor and virtue upon the east side
of New York. Then there followed a
great upheavel of moral sentiment in
Philadelphia with respect to this con-
dition. 1t was represented by the an
peals of clergymen. 1t had some of the
aspects of great religious movement.