The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-05-28
MATCHING PHILADELPHIA.

WA CHlNG PHlLADEEPHlA.
Philadelphia effort TO protect itself
from a gang of thieves who know no
mercy or conscience or any pretense of
public honesty, is being watched all
over this country because other cities
believe that If reform is possible in the
Quaker town, it is more than possible
anywhere. For years the corruption Of
municipal government in Philadelphia
has been a byword; for years the city
has been dominated by the most notori-
GUS, unblushiuE, cOId-blOoded aggregs-
ton of sCoUudrels that ever disgraced
American citizenship OF pIundered a
complaceut community. In other great
cities there have been occasional
spasms of remorse and reform. but
Philadelphia has calmly held up its
hands and smiIingIy submitted to a
programme of everyday piundering
which would have dissraced a company
of free-booters in the middle ages or
made a modern highWayman envious
because of its opeuHess and freedom
from danger of punishment
Suddenly. the sang has walked up 90
discover that its latest and most dis
graceful attempt at stealing on a
wholesale plan has finally aroused the
sleeping Quakers and they are ugly
enough To make it unpleasant for the
bandits who attempt to complete the
deal Curiously enough. the organ
ization" which plotted the robbery of
millions is highly indignant that its
programme should be overturned and
makes threats Of punishment against
Mayor Weaver, who stands between
the citizens and the gang.
Now observe the facts Senator Pen
rose pupil and protcEc of Senator
Quay, is very active in the proceed
ings- An ignorant foreigner would sup
pose that a senator who represents "a
sreat state like Pennsylvania in the
most august deliberative body i'm the
world, would he found aligned with the
people in defense of their rights and
against the plunderers. Is he2 Hard
ly. Instead. he is the leader of the
gang, the bearer of their banner. dis
tributor Of the loot and recruiting ser
geaut for the system which controls
his state. Moreover. he has for silent
partners and allies some of the most
highly respectable citizens of New
York and Philadelphia, meu'who hoped
to profit by the steal, were willing to
furnish the capital for the preliminary
campaign of corruption and underwrite
the whole programme from petty thiev-
cry 90 grand larceny. provided they
themselves escaped publicity in conuec-
ton with the transaction
Beside Penrose and his political part
uers. the robber barons Of medieval
days were desirable members of so
ciety. Il is true they robbed everybody
who passed their way, they tortured
and MANNED and occasionally burned
innocent men, they ravished women
and sometimes sacked cities without
rhyme or reason BUt-and this is their
claim 10 regard as compared with the
Pennsylvania pillasers-these robber
barous rislzed their lives. they were oc-
casi0ualIy decent, they made some pre-
tense Of patriotism where their over
lords were concerned OF their domain
threatened. they even eNeTted them
selves To defend their own subjects
from other robbers. The Penrose crew
takes TO chances. it makes a great city
pay tribute and preteuds no return; it
compels poor and rich alike 10 pay toll
and makes them furnish the machinery
of collection. If there were any fur
Their refinement of IeEaHzed theft. they
have at last exceeded the limit of hu-
man endurance and the people have
risen in revolt
There, as elsewhere, the excuses Of
the thieves have provoked excuses in
the victims. defiance of law is met
with threats OF law-breaking; heaped
up wrongs are confronted with the
danger of retaliation by violence. And
there. as elsewhere, the righteous in
diEnation Of an aroused and wrathful
people is called anarchy. As if any
bomb-throver with his pitCousIy insane
deiusiou ever wrought by murder half
the injury 10 a people that has been in
flicted by the Pennsylvania propogan-
dists Of respectable anarchy hidden be
hind the forms of legal authority,
The battle has not been won in Phil
adelphia yet. but a whole nation is
watching IT much as the fathers
watched for news from the old hide
peudence hall when the freedom of a
people was in the balance. and a whole
nation is praying that the kueH of mu-
nicipal corruption and mis-goveTnment
may be sounded there as the kueu of
autocratic misruIe was sounded in 20