The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-10-21
CRAFTS BITTER FIGHT.

1t is extremely doubtful whether there has ever occurred a Bit
terer municipal contest than the one now in progress at Philadelphia.
The latest incident in this struggle between the honest and decent
citizenship and the discounted grafters was the election from the
aldernanic investigation of Mayor Weaver, which the Philadelphia
Ledger characterizes Is "a last feeble. futile and waspish attempt to
be vindictive." The Durham machine has received a battering so
severe that the wonder is enough of it is left to make a pretence of
resistance of the public wiI~or to impudenty threaten retaliation on
those who have exposed its monstrous corruption.
Just when the ring was on the point of delivering the city into
the hands of the gas monopoly forever" Philadelphia, which before
had been corrupt and contented," awoke to the enormity of the con-
templated outrage and turned with fierce vigor upon the gangsters
who had plundered her for years and plotted further pnlage. Mayor
Weaver, who had been elected largely through the efforts of the gang,
faced about and dealt it a staggering blow by depriving it of control
of the two d~rectorships by which the affairs of the city are chiefly
administered.
The citizens, aroused and angry, went on the trail of the members
of the select and common councils, hunted them night and day, and
by moral appeals and threats of social and political ostracism, forced
them to recant and to withdraw The odious ordinances that embodied
the surrender of the municipality to the gas monopoly. There was
another humiliation fer the gang when a committee demanding
reform within the party" purged its list Of nominees and Mayor
Weaver increased its dismay by ordering an investigation of the poll
ing lists which resulted in the striking off of about 10000 names found
to be fraudulently upon it BY this action the gang was deprived of a
phantom army of electors larger than the total force that voted for
Parker for president in November last.
Nor did the battle against the corruptonists end there. Con-
tracts given to bosses which yielded immense profits were rescinded;
the heavy hand of the law reached out and clutched two near relatives
of Durham; public sentiment, which was with good reason distrust-
full of the reform within the party" movement, organized the City
party and put in the field a separate ticket to be voted for at the
November elections.
In its despair the machine sought the aid of orators of national
reputation, but from Washington came the curt and cutting reply
that no member of the administration would appear either as advo-
cate or apologist for the gang. Then as a last resort the Work COM
nittee, which was long ago appointed by the councils to investigate
Mayor Viewers administration for the purpose of finding material
for impeachment was put into working order and has begun its work,
an incident of which is the barring of Mayor Weaver from its hear
ings.
This is the last desperate effort of a band of political brgands to
save themselves from deserved punishment, but it will fail ignomini-
ouly even though II is backed by some of the most powerful corpora
tons in this country. AS the Ledger remarks, Let the Work COM
rnitee do its worst and the worst thing it can do for the organization
is to keep it in the public view"