The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1908-07-17
MESSAGE FROM Mr.. WHEELER
LaVerne F. Wheeler Emissary
Of Uncle Sam Writes of
the City of p Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pa, July Eth, 1908
Dear Friends
Taking it for granted
that most of you are as ignorant OF this
city, which is the birth place OF our
republic, as l was, came to the conclu-
sion that a few words 10 regard to the
Quaker City" might not come amiss.
AS you are expected to be familiar
with the early history of Philadelphia
and its occupation by the British forces
their expulsion and the final establish
ment of the United States, will pass
that by and tell you something of G
city as | find it today. In the course OF
my duties as an emissary of your Uncle
Samuel travel from one end OF the city
to the other, in every direction, and see
much that would escape the visitor who
had but short time to spend here.
In the first place, Philadelphia is To-
Gated in one of the most beautiful spots
in America, and the contention of some
OF the citizens that the Garden of Eden
was situated on this very portion of the
globe must have had some reasonable
foundation in fact, for after one has
made several trips through Paramount
park and acquired fairly good idea of
its vast size and many attractions he
cannot but acknowledge that it does
look much as Eden must have done.
Situated on both sides OF the picturesque
Schuylkill River, which ,empties into
the Delaware at this point, the park
also encloses several miles Of the famous
Wissahickon creek, along the banks
Of which pretty stream wonderful drives
and walks have been constructed.
And then Philadelphia is the great
manufacturing city of America, and
everything from pin to a garship is
made here. | have inspected a hat
factory where the superintendent told
me that they were working short force.
| asked him how many hands were em-
ployed now, that they were running
short, and be told me that the present
number of people at work was tour
thousand and nine hundred In the
factory there is twenty three acres of
floor space. In the basement there is
stored twelve millions of pelts of the
Scotch Coney specie Of rabbit that
abounds in Scotland. and from the fur
of the Coney is made the finest quality
of felt hats / have been in furniture
factories that made nae wonder where
Grand Rapids could find q market for her
products. | visited the great shipyard
of the New York Ship Company, in
South Camden, just across the Delaware
and marvelled at what saw. My work
takes me among all kinds of great and
small factories and l am beginning to
believe that there might be such a thing
as over production. And yet. these
mighty workshops send their products
to every part of the world 1t Is claim
ed here that Philadelphia has the most
varied industries of any place on the
globe, that it leads IN the vast quantity
of its products, and puts more wealth
into the hands of its people
But, with all that, the people oil
Philadelphia are asleep They allow
the most constituencies gang of political
thieges and robbers Oh earth to exploit
them continually, and they do not rise
upin wrath and eXterminate the vampires
Millions of dollars are stolen every
year by the ringsters in all kinds oil
fraudulent transactions, and it is done
so openly that one can but wonder al
the nerve of the politicians. The city
councils are owned body and soul by the
corporate interests, and 10 one seems
inclined to take a bold step to break
the ties. The Philadelphia Traction
interests do things that would not be
tolerated in any other city on earth
They run antedated rattletrap cars that
would not be allowed to make one trip
in the Chicago stock yard district. The
tracks are so rough and the rails so worn
and disjonted that it reminds US elder
people of the old plank roaos that we
saw the last of They call it a rapid
transit SYSTEM" Ye Gods and little
eels! Rapid Oh my! A ten year old
lad in fair health could trot alongside oil
many of the cars without discomfort
You see, they dare not run at any great
speed for fear the unaccustomed motion
would burst the wheels. And the extor.
ton OF the street car companies is fright.
full. IL you ride three or four blocks
and want to change to another line, (all
owned by the same monopoly you
must pay for your transfer, or exchange,
as they call it.
As for improvements in the re,idence
quarters of the poorer people, they have
had none since Washington crossed the
Delaware. | have walked along many
a street where the waste water from the
kitchens and other places ran down
narrow passage way between the houses,
across the pavement into the gutter,
with an offensive odor that made me
hnnfnrn A n