Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-22
MEN OF THE MAYORALTY CAMPAIGN
Congressman j. Hampton Moore Name Headed the Harmony
Conferences List of Possible Candidates Has Long
of Honorable Service at Home and in Washington
BY HERBERT S. WEBER

think, if he should turn reformer at this
late day.
For he served Ashbrdge faithfully, and
Ashbridge rewarded him bounteously. 1t
just fifteen years ago this month that
Moore, private secretary to that Mayor, first
figured largely in the newspaper columns.
When a newspaper man goes into politics,
and Moore was a newspaper man, he usually
becomes private secretary to the Mayor. The
young man was affable and popular Sec
retary. He was 36 years old then. He was
little known to the city at largo when the
Mayor decided to make him City Treasurer
An outcry of protest followed Ashbridge's
autocratic action in stating candidates be-
fore the primary. There had been aggravat-
ing circumstances which increased popular
Indignation McNichol, then a Select Coun-
Gilman, had publicly announced that the
nominees for City Treasurer and Register OF
Wills would be whomever Ashbridge desired.
Insurance Commissioner Durham also blunt
ly admitted that the Mayor was powerful
enough to dictate. Jacob ]. Seeds had i'm
agined he had chance, and had innocently
called himself a candidate. He went to Dur
ham with his grievance.
IF any decision has been reached about
the City Treasurership," he said, at ought
to be informed, as do not care to be posing
as a candidate If some one else has been
slated"
Durham gave him a hard stare
Moore has been agreed upon" he snapped.
The private secretary had wanted the place
three years before, but had withdrawn in
the interest of harmony. He knew the Treas
ury WELL had been chief clerk there from 1894
to 1897. The Mayors choice for Register Of
Wills was Jacob Singer. There was some
I'M gta ahp
had demanded these two offices for his favor
ties for the fees they brought to the Treas
urer and the Register amounted to 5000 900
during the terms of office The independents
set up the cry, What are you going to do
with the fees?" Moore refused to say what
he would do with them, whether he would
keep them for himself or turn them over to
the Treasury. 1t was a presidential year and
Mckinley carried the city by a plurality of
125,OOO but so great had been the feeling
against Ashbridge that his candidate for
City Treasurer received a plurality of only
$4,000, or 10000 less than the head of the Re-
publican ticket
Settled the Fee Question
Moore soon showed the right spirit about
the fees. He said he did not want them
and, what was more, he did not want any
other City Treasurer in the future to appro
pirate them either. He wanted the matter
settled and he placed all the fees in a sepa-
rate account in the Treasury. He instituted
test case and the courts decided that the
fees should revert to the city
His wide knowledge of manufacturing con-
ditions in the United States was recognized
by President Roosevelt, who appointed him
chief of the Bureau of Manufactures. De-
partment Of Commerce and Labor, in 1905.
lie soon gave up this post to become presl-
dent OF the City Trust, Safe Deposit and
surety company and was appointed by the
court receiver of the company shortly after
ward About this time George Castor died
and Mr.. Moore was elected TO serve the
unexpired term Of the Representative from
the Cd District in the seth Congress- He
mas been elected TO every succeeding Con-
sFess py overwhelming pluralties His dis
trlct is spread over the bailiwicks of the
wares and the rival faction, including the
"a Sd, 4th, 5th, 9Th, 11th. 18TH, 10th. nth.
18th and 18th Wards
Demanded a 35-foot Channel 10 the Sea
The month Mr., Moore took his seat in Con
gress in 1905. he made Immediate demana
for S5-foot channel from Philadelphia 10
the sea. He aided In forcing an early conn
pletion OF the 9o-foot channel, ana asttated
and organized for the greater channel until
Congress, in 1sOa approved IT. In 1907 he
organized the Atlantic Deeper Waterways
Association, OF which he was the first presi-
dent, being reelected unanimously s.ch
year. part Of this project is the Improve
ment OF the upper Delaware from Philadel-
phia to Trenton at a depth OF Y feet. for
which he secured an appropriation.
In 1908 Moore gained the passage OF a
bill for new immigrant station al PbiIa-
delphia and later for an enlargement OF the
station, the total appropriations being $685.
600 He was IN the thick Of ali the tartr
nights opposing the Underwood bills stren-
uously He offered an amendment 10 ths
Underwood Palmer iron ana steel sehedtle
providing that mo article of forelsn manu-
1actufe upon which iabor haa hs.., ....,l,,,.s l