Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-03
John Weaver.

The friends of good government the coun-
try over will deplore the action o. Mayor
John Weaver of Philadelphia, who, after
heading the hosts of reform for several
months, now turns his back upon the anti
machine organization and rejoins his old
friends of the state and city gang. Mayor
Weaver's position has been peculiar Elect
ed by the regular republican organization,
he suddenly found himself confronted by an
overwhelming public demand that he re-
pudiate his party affiliations and strike
out for honest government. An issue of
vital Importance to the people of Philadel-
phia was presented in the question of re-
newing the gas leases. 1t was demon
strated beyond the shadow of an honest
doubt that the regular machine was allied
with a crowd of treasury looters. The
clergymen of the city prayed for Weaver
in their pulpits He was besought by
crowds of citizens who had awakened to
the fact that their interests were menaced
and the honor of Philadelphia was in graver
danger than ever. Weaver yielded to this
pressure and for a time gave evidence of
his entire sincerity as a reformer by GUST
ing the corruptionists who held public Of
flee and instituting Investigations that dis
closed shocking fraud and graft in various
departments of the municipal government.
Recently Mayor Weaver has been quarrel
ing with his subordnates and his latest
official act of Importance was the custer
of his entire advisory council on point Of
dsa greement This shook the faith Of the
decent citizens, who had begun to notice
signs of wavering in the mayor. At the
dedication of the new state capitol. which
had lined the pockets of the machine lead
ers and their friends to the tune of several
million dollars wantonly squandered,
Weaver and Penrpse, state republican lead
er and machine boss, were observed in close
association. Now the mayor comes squarely
out into the open and declares that he
stands by the regular organization and de-
nounces the reform party as the cloak of
would-be gang of bosses and ringsters more
vicious and menacing than any that has
ever afflicted Philadelphia and Pennsyl-
vania in the past.
Weaver characteriZes the reform move
ment as newspaper combine" He re-
fers to the fact that of all the newspapers
of Philadelphia only one is supporting the
regular organization. 1t is true that there
IS newspaper combine in the sense that
with a single exception the press of Phila-
delphia is united in the cause of honesty
and good government.
This act of treason against the people
of Philadelphia ought in it's final results
to react against the machine. It
should strengthen the hands of the re-
formers and inspire them to greater efforts
for the salvation of the state from the slime
of machine politics into which it has fallen.
Weaver's declaration that a vicious CO.
terie of would-be bosses is hiding behind
the veil of the reform ticket is a misera BILE
subterfuge a stupid attempt at excuse.
The sensible Pennsylvania knows, or
should know, that the old gang is incurably
corrupt Weaver himself admits that it
is bad. Yet he asks the voters to eschew
the chance of reform for the sake Of GER
tain capture by combination of con-
scienceless politicians who are working for
their own pockets all the time, in evidence
of which it is but necessary to point to the
figures showing the cost of the new state
capitol.
Whichever way the tide may turn In
Philadelphia next Tuesday. the future of
John Weaver IS deplorable He cannot
command the respect confidence of his
old associates, whom he overthrow in their
hour of need, and he has earned the ever
lasting contempt and distrust of every
honest citizen of the state.