Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-25
THE DEAL IN COUNCIL
AND WHAT 1T MEANS
The Combine Has the Votes and Il VIII
Use Them to Put s1,ooo,ooo Year
Profit Into the Pockets Of the
Political Contractors Unless


It Is Blocked
TT THE taxpayers of this town realized the
significance of what is going on in the
City Hall they would move ,cn masse upon
Council and put tho fear of just retribution
upon the Job Combine members who are now
running that body with high hand.
In all the history Of the city there has
never been baldcr or more cynical exhibit
tion of contempt for the verdict Mt the polls
nor a more deliberate conspiracy to loot the
public treasury for the benefit Of private
interests than the refusal to sanction city.
wide municipal street cleaning.
The thing began almost as soon Ms the
new Council was elected. There were eleven
members chosen on the strength of their
pledges to support Mayor Moore aud to carry
out the anti-contractor provisions of the new
Charter. They were able to organize the
Council and to elect one of their number as
It's president.
But there were selfish interests on both
sides The minority of ten was tied up
with the Ware contractor combine. They
could do nothing unless they could win over
some Of the opposition Councilmcn.
The desire Of Judge Brown. of the Mu-
nicipal Court. to get the support of the
Council for his patronage mill made it
necessary for combination with the men
WHO believe that government exists for the
benefit of the governors. and who in practice
treat public Office as private snap.
All the eircumstantial evidence points to
the existence of deal under which the
n 60. Ia,
pal Court appropriations If Wcglcin, Mont
gomcry and Limcburncr. the Councilm"n
from the Seventh District, part of which
Judge Brown controls, would vote for what
the Ware Councilmen wanted,
When the Mayor vetoed the budget appro
pratiOn for the salaries of 12J useless place
holders in the Municipal Court the veto was
overridden with Il shameless disregard for
economy. and it was ovcrriddcn By the Ware
votes with the help of the three votes that
Judge Brown controls.
And now Wcglein. Montgomery and Lime
burner are voting with the Ware Couucimcn
to hold up the plans of the Mayor to put the
contractors completely out of business, and
are thus fulfilling their part of the bargain
The Job Combine members have raised
legal bubbles against the termination of the
street cleaning contracts on October |. Tho
nature of the Quibblc is not material. They
first demanded an opinion from the City
Solicitor on the legality Of terminating the
contracts. When that official said that there
was no legal obstacl" in the way. as the
contingency had been provided for in the
Il, 49,,
contractors they sought new prctoXts. Now
they are saying that tho contracts cannot be
terminated by resolution. And If il should
be decided that there no validity in this
objection they would find some other point
to QuibbIc about.
This makes it look aS if they arc COM
mttcd to the rehabilitation of the contractors.
They ar" fighting now III" preliminary skir-
mish in the great battle that is to be- fought
when the Mayor and Director Caven plan
to have all the street cleaning and all the
collection Of garbage aud rubbish done by
the employees Of the city.
II the thirteen Job Combine Coun&lmcn
Gan force the awarding Of contracts for all
this work for next year they will do it.
They do not care anything about the
economic, that have been effected in the two
districts in which Director Cavcn is cleaning
the streets. This will amount to 500 900
tl,f, wear. They are Indifferent TO the saving
Of &I5U. 600 for tho last three months of the
vcar 10 be brought about by the taking over
hv tho city on October Of the work now
done by the, contractors. a saving at tho
rpfo Of 5000 600 a wear.
The decline in the COST Of labor and ma
tcriaIS which has already begun is so great
that II j, mornIlv certain that the CITY could
do all tho work Of collecting rubbish and
cleaning the streets for 81 600. 900 less than
tlc contractors will do it for On the basis
Of tho known figures for this year the saving
vnrId me $500 600
MS '' II' S'""' i'I "','" '"' N"'"' u