New-York tribune., 1905-02-16
pH,14DELpH14's WAVE OF REFORM

The civic awakening going on in Phliadeiphla
ie similar TO several reform movements IN New
York within the last few years 1t Is an ola
story in this city In Philadelphia 1t is a nov
eItv for the second greatest city OF tue East
has ACQUIRED the reputation of being splrltuaHy
hardened TO charges of machine mlsrule ana lhu-
nicinal corruption the like of which nave stirred
tho nublic conscience and revolted the sense Oh
oiic righteousness in other American commun-
ties Philadelphia is listening to-uay 10 IeFeia-
tions of police corruption exactly similar to
those which were brought 10 the attention of
NavYorly in 1898. The evidence is laid be
fore the nublic in exactly the same way. IL
concerns the same vice. 1t is being received by
tbe authorities with the same Indifference In
fact the parallel is exact in its details; ana the
paysnapers report that Philadelphia has never
before been so moved by sense of outraged
civic decency.
The leader Of this Philadelphia spasm OF re-
form, is u Clarence Gibboney, and his organ
ization is the Law and Order Society lie
has made many raids on houses of evil charac-
fer 70 whose existence the Philadelphia police
were officially blind Impetus to the cause of
reform was received from a presentment of the
January grand jury, which concluded that pa
trOgmpn habitually reported the existence of evil
resorts to their superors, who i'll turn reported
them to superiors, until they Were brought to
the immediate attention of the head of the force,
the Director of Public Safety. The grand jury
said:
II is therefore, with regret that this grand
Jury is led to believe that the responsibility
for the increase and continuance of the social
evil in Philadelphia, contrary to all law and
public opinion lies Immediately with the Drec-
tor of Public Safety
Mr. Gibboney offered to prove to Mayor
Weaver that certain places he had raided were
protected by the police. The Mayor declined to
listen to the proof. So last week Mr. GibbOney
brought together the ministers of one hundred
Philadelphia churches and gave them his evil
dence The ministers passed n resolution de-
manding that Mayor Weaver remove the Direc-
tor of Public Safety. Nearly every pulpit i'll
Philadelphia rang on Sunday last with denun-
cations of the local administration and of the
police and its protection OF vice.
A sinister phase of the matter peculiar to
Philadelphia which is not protected by a per-
sonal registration law, is the number of quail
fed voters credited to dsordery houses 'rhe
Press" of that city, says: ''The association of
''disorderly houses and Illegal voting is demon
''strated. and the evidence of the association is
"at the present time under the roof of our City
Hall"
The whole incident is extremely familiar
Barring the Illegal registration it might have
happened in New-YOrk 1t might have happened
in almost any large city in the country. The
Philadelphia Press" of Sunday printed dis
matches from nearly all the large American
cities in regard to their customs In dealing with
disoraerly places. Everywhere is a law against
their existence nowhere is 1t enforced except
in spasms of political virtue. The experiences
of Philadelphia and New-York show the danger
OF the unenforced law. NewYork knows how