Evening journal., 1905-08-01
EDITORIAL OPINION
Mr.. Root and Mayor Weaver.

From the Boston Herald
District Attorney Bell is an obstacle in
Mayor woaver's way He has refused 70
prosecute those who are charged with
frauds against the city Of Philadelphia,
and he has broken his leg The Mayor
has earned the gratitude Of the city and
cf the whcle country by exposing the
frauds and their perpetrators and by his
evident determination to bring the latter
90 Justice. But Philadelphia suffers as
other parts of the country suffer. from
the fact that the officer charged with the
prosecution Of Offenders acts as If he him
self were IN league with the chief Offend
ers. who are politicians. Mr. Bell, the
District Attorney puts himself across the
path Of Mayor Weaver and refuses to do
his duty, and now his broken leg still
further complicatos matters. for the
Mayor insists on giving Mr. Bell another
chance. The Mayor has another methcd
at his command and may. as private
prosecutor. go on with the cases. He has
been advised to do this by Mr. Root in
an admirable letter, which defines the
Mayors duties both as Mayor and as citi-
zen, and which, incidentally, is good read
INK Tor the whole country
Mr. Root proceeds upon the strong
ground that the city Of Philadelphia is in
the hands of a corrupt group who con-
stitute criminal combination, and he
urges the Mayor to do his utmost to re-
deem the fair fame Of the city If his ad-
vice is followed Boss Durham must be
arrested. He closes his letter with a few
sentences which ought 20 appeal TO every
decent man in the country and especially
TO every man who lives in cities where the
conditions .ot municipal life are very near
ly such as those which prevail in Philadel-
pha. Mr.. Root says;
IL have taken very great interest in
the cases, because | have acquired abso-
lutte confidence in the sincerity OF your.
purpose and IN your pluck and persistsncy
and I have a strong desire that the city
of Philadelphia, whose history and good
name are so dear TO every American,
shall be relieved from the stain which
corrupt aud criminal combination mas
quernding under the name Of Republicans
have put upon her"
The question which is facing Mr.. Weaver
according 10 Mr.. Root. is whether Phila-
delphia shall continue under criminal rule.
This describes the character Of The govern
ment Of the city for many years. II is not
a peculiar city IN this respect for 1t has
been cquallod in the past in viliainy by the
government Of New York, and Is now
equalled. probably. by the government Of
Cincinnati. In the present state Of public
sentiment sroused by Mayor Weaver, the
last thing that the governing criminals
must desire is to be brought before iuries
Of their fellow citizens. Philadelphia has
been supne Its public virtue. except on
rare occasions. has been ne sli -ible q az
tity. Sometimes Il has seemed, IL IL has
existed at all That its expression was con-
fined to private conversation But Phila-
delphla, which has been bad longer and
more continuously than any other city in
the country cannot possibly rest qui,t ur-
der the accusations which are made by
Mayor Weaver. If there are not enough
citizens in the town TO pay to his lawyers
the fees which the Councils are refusing
to MIR Root Philadelphia, in indeed in
bad and almost hopeless way II is pretty
safe TO say. however that Philadelphia
will rise TO this occasion. as IL has risen TO
other occasions, and that the boss will
not be able TO prevent the doing of Justice
TO himself and TO the other criminals who
are his political friends When il Is all
over, and when the criminals or some Of
them are in iaii, then IL will be time for
the citizens themselves TO reflect upon the
truism that democracy cannot put crim-
inals into Office and escape criminal gov
ernment