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EVENING LEDGER PHILADELPHIA, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 191.
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TUDLIG LEDGER COMPANY
CTRIS II. k. CUIIT1S, PuKSIDENt.
Geo. Vf. Oehs. Secretary; .Tohti C. Martin, Tressurer
Charles H tuillngton, Philip 8. Collins, John B. Wil
liam, Directors.
EDITOniAI, 120 AUDI
Cibcb II. K. Cumis, Chairman.
r. H. WHAtiET Executive EJItor
JOHN C. MAUT1N Central Business Manager
Published dally at PcBLia LtroBn Building,
Independence Square, Philadelphia.
IjMr Crvral .Broad ami ClwMnut Streets
ArtA.Mtc Cur I'rrsj-L'nfon Bulldlnn
Naw Yonic 1T0-A, Metropolitan Tower
tlHiotao , 817 Home lnnttrnnre Building
IjONDON a Waterloo rim, rail Mall, S. w.
f . NEWS BUREAUS :
Oi? rtASnlsntttm Brnmo The r-nlrlol Bullillnc
Wamiimiiov HrnBAO The rof llnlUIInu
fi t. ..m Hr.v . . . . . . lire limn ituiitiuiK
Maes 15 pwiMs Hiihrac no FrlcdrlchstraiiMi
I J,,o', llnnEAU 3 Poll Mali r,mt, B. V.
h a o I'abis Ucniuu oa Hue Louts le Urand
nVeE . sun3cniPTto,TEnMs
Tffvi. ViiBV 1, ..... - , ...., ,.-
jne cv Tty carrier, Dut.T Ovlt, Mxcenm. By mail, postpaid
ifrnnt'JPu,","e. nf. Philadelphia, except uhere foreign poiaee
. u U r1ulrei1' Dhi.t OM.I, one month, tnenty-me cenlK,
ten r '. l. i-, "n year, inree uoiiari ,ui man sun-
' acrlptlona payable In advance
ad'
BM.L, .1000 VAI.M-1
Kr.YsroM;, main anno
KJ" .tildrtja n'l comiminlcnffnrtj to Evening
Ledger, ncfcpeHflruer ftquare, l'litladclnhla
cntkbed ATTltBrniLAOFLritlv rosrorrtcs AS tKOSD-
Ct SS Milt MATTE.
!
piiiunci.PiitA. jiosniY, Mivi:innt 2, iit.
Lot No Sinn Be Deceived
LKT NO man be deceived by the Insidious
I argument that a vote ugalnBt Penrose
Ism is a vole against Republicanism. There
stands Brumbaugh, bulwnrked In honesty.
Around him good Republicans can rally;
through him they can give Pennsylvania's
verdict In favor of Republican principles;
through him they can put the State fairly
and surely on record.
A verdict agnlnst Penroselsm will mean
to the nation what It will mean to every
Pcnnsylvanlan a rensscrtlon of fundamental
principles, which must first be vindicated
before It Is possible to determine the ordi
nary routine of governmental procedure.
It Is a fortunate thing that Republicans
arc able now to vote for their political and
moral principles at the samo time. It Is a
fortunate thing that they can elect a real
topubllcnn while they are utterly rcpudlat-'
K a Republican mnsqucrnder. It Is a splen-
Itl thing that Penroselsm can ho over
sown without Imperiling In the slightest
Pennsylvania's message to the nation or dis
turbing In any manner whatever her historic
economic position.
Every Republican votes tomorrow for or
against a Republican President in 1917.
-Every vote for Penrose fattens the Demo
cratic chnnccs of victory In 1016; each voto
against him will bring measurably nearer a
revision of the tariff.
Roosevelt Voiced the Nation
IF ANY one imagines that Penrose and tho
Penrose vocalists would devote every
speech In the last days of the campaign to
refuting Roosevelt if Roosevelt had done
them no harm, ho does not understand poli
tics. "When the Colonel pleaded with the peo
ple to overthrow Penroselsm ho was speaking
for tho conscience of the entire nation.
N7n mnn l.',nn Ihn irnU..l Ctnn 1H nil I
1
fp
, jt& -ogtirta more Intimately than Roosevelt, and
.ilbefd whether men always agree with him or not
' irthey know that he has the power of Intcr-
J11CIIH& Lilt; iiiuukui I'l mo iiiaas ul lilt? I'CUlne
with remarkable precision. Penrose has
precipitated a national crisis and Penroselsm
must bo overwhelmed.
Vote for the Loan
VOTE for the loan. It carries a provision
for sufficient funds to hegln preliminary
work on the new subway-elevated system.
It is work which If not undertaken at once
will seriously delay the completion of the
whole project. Tho good Items In tho loan
so far overbalance tho bad ones that every
body should voto for It.
Pennsylvania on Trial
IT IS settled that Penrose is guilty or he
would have taken the only effective way
of rebutting tho charges. An Innocnt man
would spend his last cent and devote every
atom of strength to clearing his personal and
public honor of such befouling accusations ns
have been made against Penrose. His eva
siveness, his complacency, his fnlnt and
.vague general denial can only bo Interpreted
as a confession of guilt.
Tomorrow, therefore, Pennsylvania and not
Tenrcso will be on trial. Every one who
votes for Penrose will tacitly admit that ha
approves what Penrose has done, and accepts
tho mud-turtle political morality for which
Penrose stands. If the face of the returns
should show that Penrose has a plurality of
the votes cast this great Commonwealth will
be convicted at the bar of the nation of hav-
jJrjK' lapsed from American Ideals and repu-
fi(atCM me ooae 01 puuua muraniy uibi is
essential to the permanence of a republic.
The Vares Bridled
IN 1911, when Mr. Penrose was betraying
Gang secrets to the enemies of the Vares
jKl turning daylight on the nefarious prao-
ie&a of himself and other politicians who
S0ntrolIed City Hall, according to unrefuted
' accusations, he waa generous in his excori-
u-.itmy of the. Vara Influence In Philadelphia.
' J Is quite probable that the Vares will not
ccaet vengeance for this at the ballot box
,, (morrow, for it la openly asserted that the
f awl . interests nave overruled tne brother
BLjVwa In thnlf, ntvii fonlllwlnlr! ne f 4 Imi.
Stljtetf "BUI" Vare has been promised the
yorany as a rewaru ior not jumping over
traces T
v Splitting,
fnm oaly tbtiHf I da at .like alMwt this
L 'MBaUiBKJ BMtre Jda is the trouUa
at WeWtttiw ny Uokat, I bate ta spUt any.
lite" W tae mfiH-
" utoll ' lumD tho aauUF -it Pln-r.- IV. .V.
tWtjtun bad fett Utu that there wouldn't have
1pm wy "-J- A."
Styles in War
JT1MBRB are atyto even in warfare. And
ijjtaey ruu to SMtauwr matters taan tne
laeetiit Hipuiariiy 01 suuxuaruiM ana ais
fargeaiLat of fcita, HoatlDX or otherwise
tltrasuwiy 19 sc.ttijg a u umber of very U-
laicjiint 111. a i.ihii-i.iiii" - ur abaadoalaj; some
(W jUf Kallu.JhU.en lUUStalUM T ''-
UMT " a"J'-Ji:- Tmu maay offioers have
fegks ipjuibjdd b tiur eoamy and em
tWrf ui- khut uadtr tb unwcsslon taat the
mmrnin, w, suite "JNMk" fta Stt-
terlng blade, last token of tho romance of
war, only Insignia of tho gallant ofilcer. Is
doomed, Waving It In battle Is nothing more
than a signal to tho onemy for extermination.
War is becoming every day a more routine,
matter-of-fact killing machine We sing
neither arms nor the man.
Penrose on Pcnroscisni
ANY candidacy which relies on corriipllotb
u fraud, coercion of officeholders Is coil
foispdly weak and unworthy of supports
Senator Pentose In the 1911 campaign.
Concentrate on Patincr
INTO such a state hns triumphant Ropub
Hcaulsm fallen under tho leadership of
Penrose that he no longer even assumes the
possibility of securing a majority tomorrow.
Ills hopes arc all based on n plurality. Not
half of the registered Republicans of tho
Slate would enter the primary. More than
half have been nllenated by Penroselsm.
It Is a foregone conclusion that more votes
will be cast against than for Penrose. The
division of tho opposition offers the sole pos
sibility of a Penrose victory, tt Is of the
utmost Importance, therefore, that the antl
Penrose voto should bo concentrated on tho
candidate' who has tho better cluinco of suc
cess. That candidate is A. Mitchell Palmer, lie
will be knifed by whisky Democrats. No
Republican need hesitate to meet such a sit
uation by voting for Mr. Palmer. He Is tho
one Instrument through which Penroselsm
can bo rebuked and overcome.
Two Good Congressmen
AGAINST Congressman .Michael Donohoe,
.who In n remarkable spirit of nonpartisan
ship, has served this city well, tho Organiza
tion has nominated Peter E. Costollo, whoso
efforts In behalf of bad government have on
more than one occasion earned for him well
merited rebuke. Up Is the same Costello who,
In 1!)10, took $G 1.000 of the taxpayers' money,
having sold to the city for $1.1."). 000 property
which he had bought within the year for
$G1,000. Were Mr. Donohoo not distinguished
already for his exceptionally valuable serv
ice, It would nevertheless bo the duty of tho
voters to givo him an overwhelming voto ns
an ovidence of the estimate they place on Mr.
Costello's activities.
J. Washington l.ogue Is another Democrat
who deserves well of his constituents. Ho Is
entitled to re-election. Ho has earned tho
Indorsement which he ought to get.
Every Man a King
IN .MANY lands men are subjects; In
America nil men are sovereigns. The In
signia, tho socptre, of this kingly right Is the
ballot. When a citizen of tho United States
falls to register or falls to vote ho abdicates
his throne.
No one cltlren has the right to do anything
that would destroy the government If nil
tho citizens did the same. It Is palpable
even to the most stupid that If nil voters re
frained from going to tho polls there would
be no public officers elected and, therefore,
government would break down.
Absonteo citizenship or the neglect of duty
at tho polls Is most prevalent among tho com
fortablo and respectable part of the popula
tion. Because of that It Is tho more repre
hensiblo and unpardonable. There nre no
extenuating circumstance, jio nvallablo ex
cuses. The disreputable voters will bo
whipped or cajoled to tho booths by tho ward
bosses. Tho only way to offset and outwit
and wipe out such a vicious element Is for
every self-respecting man to make his voting
the paramount duty for Tuesday.
Business Beyond the Rockies
EVERY day now export opportunities, new
markets for American products, aro dis
covered, while all the time the trado balanco
between the United States and Europo Is
shifting over In our favor. But tho present
optimism of business men is not confined to
the East. The increasing commercial pros
perity of tho Pacific States Is a matter of
gratulatlon to tho whole country. Crops In
California are abundant, shipments of staples
from San Francisco nre unusually large,
trade with ports on the western coast of
South America is booming and Alaska Is
becoming more and more a potent Influence
In tho commercial and Industrial prosperity
of the Commonwealths beyond the Rockies,
All this leaves out of consideration the im
petus given to business in general by tho
canal and the coming fair.
Keep the Cotton Industry at Home
A VICTIM of Its own economic crime, this
country is now nslted to save the cotton
planters from the predicament in which they
find themselves. For a hundred years too
much of the American cotton crop has gone
abroad to build up tho manufacturing indus
tries of other nations, and now we pay the
penalty for the long delay in utilizing the
opportunity hero at home. But fortunately
our cotton factories are rapidly Increasing
in number, especially In the South. The faster
the better. Producing three-fourths of the
world's cotton crop, the country now con
sumes one-third of its own yield; and one
third of the spindiea in the United States are
in Southern factories. As the industrial de
velopment of the South goes on, following
upon Ita advanced agricultural development,
the recurrence of such a dilemma as the
present one becomes less and less likely.
"Buy a bond,"
It might truthfully be said that Swarth
more was all Tuckered out Saturday.
The Bjglana will have no constitutional
objections' to the Rockefeller Foundation.
''Taft to go to Harvard." In time for a
decision on the Tale game?
If the war does nothing else which seems
highly probable at any rate It Is teaching
us a lot ,of forgotten geography.
There Is some truth In the statement that
Penrose is going back. Certainly the Repub
lican party has been going baek ever sine he
bsarae influential In Its councils.
These are riotous days for the hitherto
sober-lived elock in Independence Hall. After
tw or three vacations the first In thirty,
odd years It celebrated Penrose's birthday
yesterday by striking thirteen.
"Chicago packing houses have three skirts
of men at work en aaoeunt of the rush of
Buregwati ordeM." Prosper! tyT Dear me,
ae another excuse for raUtag the prise of
meat-
RaiMlali In tb smalt feouja of tbe Bight
has otbar advantage than tae lniiratlon
ot MMtaactaoly poU. It, as Director Hart
says, we muet have moisture, let It accow
nioAate Uaeif to amiaaity's workioK hur.
a it 414 last aOstat.
THE HANDS OF ESAU
Philadelphia as the Victim of a Bracc-gamc With the Cards Stacked,
Contractors Take What Profit They Please Interesting Facts That
Reveal ihe Immensity of the Spoils Taken from Taxpayers.
"Tie voice is Jacob's voice, but tho hands arc the hands of ii$m."
FOltRWOIlD
"A perfect form of ijorernmrnt irqutrcs so man) Uinreillcnts no pood lit their
sctrral Milt!.' ami so much niccnciM in mlxlnp them, that for some thousands of
pears men have despaired of reducing their schemes to perfection." Dean Swift.
Hotter uovemmcnl in Philadelphia is heinp slowly strangled. The niankcnhurp admin
istration of a few city offices expresses heller government fust as completely as an nitM
Tammany Administration docs in Xcw York. The cold fingers of "The Organisation," J'ila
dclphla's Tammany, twitting dexterously through a pllahle majotlly In Councils and offlclaU
under control, arc pressing hard on Its wlndp pr. Union pried off hy thc'pcoplc themselves
strangulation of better government must ctntir. In the modest palaces hchlnd the myriad
ttuo'Story rcd-hrtck fronts of worklmi Philadelphia dwell the real bcncflciaUcs of better
government. Their support alone menns belt r government. The irorsl that can be said of
people who toil Is that they arc sometimes too tired to study a public subject SOMUTIMJM,
KOT AhM'AYS.
No. XlII-TwTI CONTHACTOItS
EVER heard of the braco-gatne? It Is
gambling with all chatico for tho other
fellow to win snuffed out. Thero Is nothing
meaner In life, it has a variable facade. Wo
find It In loaded dice, the false appraisal of
real estate, marked cards, the salted mine,
the crooked roulette wheel, tho bribed Jockey
who pulls his mount, tho phoney diamond, tho
fake prospectus, the padding of tho Income
nccounl In tho nnnual report of a prlvoto
corporation ono might go on Indefinitely.
Preconcerted action In a scheme to swlndlo
or cheat with the principals mnsked, and
behind legal bulwarks, are tho chief essentials
of a brace-game. It Involves tho playing of
a double rule. Rotting with a legless man
nnd holding tho stakes well expresses It, for
the possibility of successful pursuit has been
eliminated. When a man Is denied a
"square deal" ho begs for a "fighting chance,"
and only when this Is refused Is ho up
against a bracc-gamc. Ho Is pocketed. Thero
Is no road out.
When tho political leaders of a community
are also contractors looking for public work,
thny are conducting a brnco-gnmo against
the taxpayers. They havo tho public corner
ed. Even their praise-chanters, sycophants,
kneo-crookors and hired Ink-throwers will
have to admit ns much, for with government
itself In tho hands of tho contractors, who Is
thero to prevent them from filling theTr carts
at the public gold bins?
Observe: Two contractors seize the local
machinery of both tho majority and minority
parties. They namo tho candidates for of
fice Counellmcn, Magistrates, Mayor, Dis
trict Attorney, Judges nnd members of tho
Legislature. In return for their Jobs these
haltered officials let tho two contractors
pave, clean and repnlr tho streets, lay tho
sewers, removo the ashes and gnrbage, con
struct the parkways, build tho filtration
plants, erect municipal courts nnd now hos
pitals, etc. Who will say them nay? No
body. Who daro Inspect their work ns It
should be Inspected? Nobody. Who will
prosecute them If they disobey the law? No
body. This Is the model government garment out
to" the pattern of Jim McNlchol and the
Vares. The contractors decide what work
shall bo done, when It shall bo done, how It
Bhall be done and what their profits shall
be. Pay for It all comes out of the public
till. It is the braco-gamo In politics. Heads
or tails the taxpayers lose.
Beyond all physical daring or prowess our
henrls acclaim the records of boys who be
gin desperately poor and win fortune, fame,
power and eminence. Good! Let us snluto
all the boys who havo fought their way up
In the competitive open.
But we cannot be forced to applaud those
who win fortune, fame, power and eminence
In a brace-game. Thero Is nothing hearten
ing In the careers of men who raid tho pros
perity of tho Commonwealth thot shelters
them. In the long run they lose moro than
tho mulcted taxpayers, for men with a
chilled sense of right often seek late In llfo
to snuggle In the warmth of public appro
bation by spectacular acts and gifts, well
preBS ngonted.
If James P. McNlchol or Edwin H. Vnre,
tho rival clan-heads, who for years havo ex
ploited Philadelphia, had been bona-fldo con
tractors thero would have como a timo long
before this when they would have broken
away from the political brace-game. Thoy
would have retired from tho Stato Senato
and "The Organization," tho local political
machine they Jointly operate. They are al
ways talking about their skill in private
business. Thero are plenty of railroads to
be built in South America and Alaska, and
construction work of every conceivable sort
all over our own country. They havo not
lacked capital. Yet they will not go, but
they continue to clrole like vultures around
City Hall, never out of sight 6f its lofty
tower.
Why relate these things now? The past
is past; let It be. Are there not honest men
In City Hall doing their utmost to bring
order out of the chaos of years of misrule?
Must we forever bo hearing of Jim McNlchol
and the Vares?
True, It Is rather an old story- Rut,
Brother Taxpayer, tlieso contractor vover
lords aro not content with bossing their own
Mayors; they want to boss ours. They have
set out deliberately with malice aforethought
to tear down the achievements of the Blank
enburg Administration; they have ordered the
blocking of public welfare in Councils and
they have hectored faithful public servants by
launching veiled attacks at them through
controlled placeholders and subsidized organs.
Their very activity foreshadows their pur
pose of backing their carts again under the
publla hopper. Their intent is plain. They
cannot do business in the competitive open.
They have to return to the brace-game. They
are after our next grist of taxes. Now the
question arises: Do we taxpayers want the
carts again T
No! We do not want the carts again. They
have carried off too much already. More
than $27,000,000 in city contracts went to
James P, McNlchol and his allied companies
in ten years. More than $18,000,000 in mu
nicipal contracts went to Edwin IL Vara and
his agents in the same period. Altogether
140,000,000 Is the haul of a decade for the
carts, and their net profits were at least 35
per cent, or 10,000,OW. Cannot they live
on this? Richard Croker retired on less and
lives like a king In Ireland.
Looking backward from a distance in time
measure one gets an ideal perspective of
these men, their cunning, their daring and
their pathetlo endeavor to wtar the halo of
achievement. From ISM to 1912 tbey struck
palms for aa equal division of tbe munici
pal fu&ds. MeKtchol took tho wok north of
Market street and waa paid 7,t3.9S.ii. and
Vara took tho work south of Markot straat
and drew down I7.981.S92.3X. It was a eloae
division of the spoilt, and U oompilnaantary
to tho skill of the combine la getting up
ways for letting contracts that would ilguro
out upon such aa even basU.
The traMrea of th Utson of tbe
plo Into tho capacious pockets of tho two
contractors was always chnperoned by ex
port legal advice. Who has not winced at
tho country-wide opinion of the unerring
keenness of a "Philadelphia lawyer"? Once
under way, our contractor overlords bought
their power on each succeeding election day
with tho people's money, paid to them on
contracts, nnd then with their candidates
landed In tho offices they split the future
city's revenue botween themselves as If It
were a Cnptaln Kldtl's treasure. For well
thoy know William Pcnn's honest ears were
of Iron and his great volco wns forover si
lent, lost In tho metal depths of the statue
atop City Hall.
In tho two mnynrnllty terms prior to the
advent of the Rlnnkonburg Administration In
1012, another $10,000,000 was paid out of the
city's trcasuro rbest In extortionate land
damages. Hero Is whero tho contractor over
lords let their friends In high placos, nnd
underlings In Councils clean up at tho ex
pense of tho taxpayers. Enormous awards
of damages in favor of owners of swampy
land were made along tho Vnre South Broad
Street Botilovnrd extending Into League
Island Park; nnd equally scandalous dam
ages were made for land In tho route of tho
McNlchol Northcnst Boulevard.
Two Instance will suffice In these costly
roadways to Illustrate how tho invisible hands
operate.
Among 332 different Items In tho specifica
tions for the further Improvement of League
Island Park wo find this joker: "For addi
tional excavation (without classification) or
filling, Including all sheathing, shoring nnd
other appurtenances where ordered, for tho
sum of 02 cents per cubic ynrd." Innocent
enough to the lay mind. Well, thnt little
clause hid away in such guileless language
is said to have netted Edwin II. Varo $1,000,
000 clear profit, and tho end Is not yet. Wo
said In a previous article thnt he had a clovor
lawyer.
It worked as follows: What layman would
havo known thnt a place to dump dirt In
South Philadelphia was tho crying need of
prlvnto contractors? Many nro willing to
pay for tho privilege as high as G cents a
cubic yard or oven more. In that single word,
"filling," Senator Vnre cashed. Ho claims
to have paid 10 cents a yard for dirt to com
panies dredging the river, and for this samo
dirt ho charged tho city 62 cents a cubic
yard. Profit 52 cents on each cubic yard.
Ho did not havo to put a team out to cart
tho dirt to tho great hole In League Island
Park, for tho dredging people delivered it
themselves.
One cannot help wondering if the wholo
League Island Purk Improvement was not
a schemo devised for tho explicit purposo of
handling dirt that camo out of tho river
upon a profitable brace-gnmo basis.
Good engineering provides that a roadway
should always follow a ridge; then the
nmount of fill nnd excavation equalizes nnd
tho cost of tho Improvement Is chenpened.
Somo such Idea must have been In tho mind
of nn under-engineer laying out the original
route of tho Northeast botilovnrd. But tho
route was changed; It wns deflected so as to
enter a ravine from GO feet to 100 feet deep,
and follow it for a distanco of over 2000 feet.
"Did you know that the land upon either
side of tho ravine nnd In tho ravine was
owned by J. P. McNlchol?" wns asked of a
witness In a recent inquiry that was sud
denly called off.
"I only know that tho plans showed ho
waa tho owner," was the reply.
Enough! It is clear to nnybody that when
It came to filling tho ravine Mr. McNlchol
wns the only person who could bid on that
contract, and at the samo tlmo enhance the
valuo of his own property. The city simply
paid him to Improve his own land by bring
ing It to grade with the Parkway. If the dirt
had been brought from afar the hauling
would havo cost more than the contract.
Senator McNlchol held four aces; It was a
bi-aco game, and tho taxpayers had to lose.
The Northeast boulevard three times the
width of Market street and seven and one
half miles long to Rhawn street, costing
$1,000,000 has tho added advantage of being
a magnificent speedway out of Logan Square.
Before It reaches tho ultimata terminus at
Torresdale it will havo to cost another
$4.000,000 If the "boys" can get back into
office next fall.
It is easy to Bee why there Is a shortage
In the municipal treasury. Eighty million
of dollars shot Into favored hands In ten
years naturally makes an ugly hole In the
city's funds now needed for tho conduct of
better government.
In contrast to our way of building high
ways let us consider the wonderful Kings
Way Improvement in London, England a
broad thoroughfare cut through one of the
most thickly settled parts of the greatest
city in the world from Southampton Row to
the Strand. It has cost $25,000,000, but the
stupendous improvement has been so hon
estly administered and financed that the re
sale of the land adjoining, and rents there
from, will return Its entire cost to the tax
payers. London gets a great parkway; cost,
nothing. This la honesty in road building
plus intelligence.
When James P, MoNIahol entered Select
Councils In 1893 the name of his contracting
firm was J. P. McNlchol & Brother. As a
Councilman, McNlehol led In shaping the
city's policy for a great filtration plant. At
that time his contracting firm took the name
of D. J. McNlehol, his brother, who testified
in a memorable action as follows:
Q, What knowledge did you have of the
agreement with John M. Maek and Iiraol
W. Durham? A. I was told that Mrs. J. P.
McNlchol. myself, Mr. Maek and Mr. Durham
wore to (arm a firm. The nitration work was
coming on and w had to nave an agreement
Q. Who repreaeaUd Mm. McNlchol? A. J.
P. McNlchol. r
Q. Did J P McNlchol negoiiote tbe agree
ment with Durham and Mack? A. I don't
kno"7. All bo oaid to me waa that Mack and
PurbajM U tha thero wax $, )si U vim
coming out and he wanted to know if I
wontd take the contracts.
Q. Did Mrs. McNlchol ever pay nny money
under this agreement? A. No,
Q. Did you mako up the estimates nnd bids
for theso filtration contracls? A No, that
work wan dono mostly by Philip II, Johnson,
tho engineer I employed.
Ohl Yes, now we roo It all. Philip H.
Johnson Is tho great humanitarian architect,
brother-in-law of tho lato "lazy" Durham.
Ho had his finger In tho filtration, too. Tako
a peep at him there. He Is ccrtnlnly versa
tile. Ho fitters our water nnd ho builds all
our hospitals.
Probably the biggest prlvato contract J,
P. McNlchol hns handled was tho building
nf tho Market street subway. Probably tho
biggest prlvato contract Edwin II. Varo has
handled was tho construction of tho under
ground system for a telophono company.
Does It seem likely that cither contract
would havo been forthcoming had tho two
contractors been loss tho powers than they
aro In politics?
In conclusion: United States Senator Boles
Penrose wns not a enndldnto for re-election
In 1911. It appears that ho wns muck-raking
about that time, for ho said:
"Tho so-called contractor leadership of tho
local Republican Organization has for sovcrol
years been tho subject of criticism and ro
proach throughout the State. Any CANDI
DACY WHICH RELIES ON CORRUPTION,
FRAUD, COERCION OF OFFICEHOLD
ERS IS CONFESSEDLY WEAK AND UN
WORTHY OF SUPPORT."
Penrose knows.
VIEWS OF READERS
ON TIMELY TOPICS
Contrihutions That Reflect Public Opin
ion on Subjects Important to City
Slate and Nation.
7Vi (Jin .Editor of iht Evening Ltdgtr:
Sir-Colonel Peter Horry In his "Llfo of
Francis Marlon" relates nn Incident In which
the ravcn-blnck looks of n British ofilcer be
came snow-white In something less than 21
houis. AVhlle the British occupied Georgetown,
S. C, Colonel Horry, who wns scouting around
tho town with a small body of men, camo In
contact with n party of 30 British dragoons.
Tho Biltlsh were soon put to flight, and In
llio pursuit nil save only an officer were cut
down. This one escaped by darting Into tho
swmnps. Some yoars after tho war Colonel
Horry, whllo on a business trip to Now York,
was mado acquainted with a gentleman whose
hair was white, although ho was not an old
mnn. During their Interview It developed that
this gontlomnn wns the ofilcer who hnd escaped
the American charge; and he told Horry that
when he entored tho fight his hnlr wns "black
as a coal," but when he crawled out of tho
swamp the next morning It was white.
D. GUTHRIE.
Glenslde, Pa., October 28.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
To the Editor of tht Dvenlng Ledger;
Sir Some writers In your letter column dis
cuss the personal qualities of political candi
dates as though such a topic was of vital In
terest. Somo discuss political Issues that never
were nor will bo of nny Importance, whllo at
present many writers take sides for or against
tho warring nations of Europe, showing their
ill-tosto and lack of appreciation of this, the
greatest country In tho world. Discus
sion of such things Is In lino with other theo
retical discussions which will not get a work
Ingmnn a loaf of bread, nor do nny construc
tive good In the world.
ORIGINAL THINKER.
Paulsboro, N. J., October IS.
NEWS ACCORDING TO IMPORTANCE
To the Editor of the Evening ledger;
Sir The Woman Suffrage party of Philadel
phia extonds to you sincere thanks for the ex
cellent publicity you gave tho organization work
of last week. We appreciate that at this time
tho papers nre crowded for spaco and news has
to be out down, therefore the nmount of space
given to our causo was all tho moro gratifying.
FLORENCn L. PIERSOL,
Chairman Woman Suffrage party of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, October 30.
DEMANDS RAPID TRANSIT
To the Editor of the Eventng Ledger:
Sir Vou nro going to give us rapid transit In
the northern part of the city. I could tell
thnt when I rend the very thorough article on
tho street car situation which you published
yesterday. Wo're all getting tired of the push
ing and crowding.
Why can't we all get together and push nnd
crowd thoso Union Traction stockholders a lit
tle and the Councllmen, too, who are blocking
the good work. The men In Councils know that
we need better car service and won't help mat
ters. If they don't know that we need rapid
transit, then they don't Blze up to their Jobs.
You have started something and the people are
going to keep It going. LOUIS II. BETTS.
Philadelphia, October, 31.
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir Your newspaper certainly stirred things
up In this neighborhood with the article on the
Frankfort! trolleys. If your reporter rode to
Market street In 49 minutes he must have taken
a fast car, or else It didn't make many stops.
It often takes us an hour to reach Sixth and
Market streets from here.
A DAILY RIDER.
Philadelphia, October 29.
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir I must extend my thanks to the Evening
LcDdEii for the stand It has taken for better
traiiilt conditions In Frankford. It seems that
this part of the city has been entirely forgotten.
I used to stand with the strap-hangers all the
way to Market street but for the sake of com
fort and speed I now use the train to the Read
ing Terminal. Many other workers whom I
know had to do the same thing. But this Is
too expensive, so when you arouse tho people
and make them realize that we need qutok serv
ice to the centre of the town you will earn the
gratitude of many Frankford tollers.
O. E. SPENCER.
Philadelphia, October 29.
curiosity snop
"Pramnlan mixture" waa a name formerly
applied to any Intoxicating drink, Circe gave
to Ulysses Pramnlan wine. Impregnated with
drugs, to prevent his escape from her island.
The Odyssey says;
" And for my drink prepared
The Pramnlan mixture In a golden cup,
Impregnated (on my destruction bent)
With noxious herbs the draught"
"Gringo," the Mexican name for an Ameri
can, is said by some to have originated dur
ing the war of 1845, when the American!, In
vaded Mexico. The favorite American song
waa "Green Grow the Rushes, O," and the
Mexicans ever after referred to the singers
as Grlngoos.
"Scraping an acquaintance" dates back to
the time of Emperor Hadrian, One day he
went to the baths and found an old soldier
scraping himself with a potsheid, in lieu of
a flesh brush. So he gave him some money
to buy a brush. When the emperor went to
the baths tbe next day he found them
crowded with soldiers, all scraping with pots
herds. "Gentlemen," said the emperor, "scrape
away, for you cannot scrape up an acquaint
ance with me that way."
"Though lost to sight, to memory dear,"
waa written by Rutbven Jenkyos aad first
appeared in Greenwich Magazine for Ma
rinas, in 1824. The first verse reads:
"Sweetheart good-bye! That fluttering sail
Is spread to waft me far from thee;
And soon before the favoring gala
My ship shall bound upon the sea.
Perchance, all dea'lato and forlorn.
Theae eyes shall nlaa thee many a year,
But uBXorgottea every charm
TJwijh leat tight, la t&imaty r."
SCRAPPLE
Our Own G. K. Chesterton on the War
I wns counting tho buttons on my great
coat yesterday when I thought about tho war.
I hopo no ono will bo qtilto foolish enough,
not even if It bo Goorgo Bernard Shaw, who
Is ccrtnlnly not n fool, becauso ho is a mad
man, to think thnt thero Is no connection be
tween buttons antl tho war. Indeed, thero Is
a serious and awful connection botween but
tons nnil tho war. If it weren't for my repu
tntlon with which I have nothing to do m a
maker of paradoxes, I should say that with
out buttons there could havo been no war.
The peace-loving citizen of Somallland wears
no buttons, antl he makes no wars. Tho
shades of Napoleon and Caesar mako no
wars, and they wear no buttons, In spite 1 of
all tho tailors of Chcnpslde. Tho mild
mannered citizen of Tottenham Court road
wears a button on bis coattalls when ho
dresses In thnt greatest of Irreligious sins, full
evening ilrcs, and there Is no buttonholo for
that button. By a sublime Irony of nature
ho also wears a buttonhole which has no but
ton. When n bore nttempts to speak to him
ho takes him by tho buttonholo which has1 no
button, nnd that proves that buttonholes
havo nothing to do with tho war. Whereas
when nn enemy wishes to strlko him ho nt
tacks tho button which has no buttonhole,
and that shows that buttons have everything
to do with war. Now (and so on to the bot
tom of the pago).
Dirds of Pn.'sngo
Brtlco Ismay
Llpton
Lauder
n.
War Nows nf Society
Cable dispatch says that they nro fighting
nt Nlcttport. '.Must bo tho charge of the 400.
Speechless Willi Pain?
Tho Lecsburg, Indlnna, Journal asserts
that a family thero was made seriously HI by
"pantomime poisoning."
Ballade of Daschall
After Master Francois Villon)
Tell mo now, In what hidden place Is
Minor Brown, tho ancient foemnn?
Whero IS Chesbro, ho whose puces I
Kept In rank tho batting bowman?
Whore's Comlskey, tho baseball Roman,
And where Is Altrock; who shall know?
Graves of heroes nro known by no man
Bender and Coombs nnd Plank must gol
Hidden now the one-tlmo faces,
Tannohlll, Young, the ancient clan. ,
Gono and faded their bltl-tlntc places
Taken by many a swifter man.
Who shall question tho leader's plan?
Who shall nsk where tho salurios grow?
Let him remember whllo ho can.
Bender nnd Coombs and Plank must gol
Onco wo watched their pristine gracos
Bender, tho Redman, mowing down
Giant and Brave in pennant races.
And Coombs with his oddly puzzled frown.
Plank, on whoso head wo placed a crown;
Eddie, our Eddlo wo used to glow!
Father of Baseball! Is this renown?
Bender nnd Coombs and Plank must got
ENVOI
Fan, don't nsk If Fame's a woman 1
Flcklo ns Fortune! Sure but slow.
Back to tho minors or Federal yeoman
Bonder nnd Coombs and Plnnk must gol
Society SlufF
Willie Hohcnzollern Is being entertained by
French friends at their country homo In Bel
gium this week. ,
T. Roosevelt wns In our midst recently, but
hns left. Au revoir, T.
B. Penrose Is not receiving this year.
Many Englishmen nro spending tho winter
across the Channel.
Friends gavo a reception In hono- of Miss
Sylvia Pankhurst, of England and Jail, n,
fow days ago. Tho ushers wero dressed In
yellow and white.
Nick Romanoff Is shooting In Gallcla this
fall. He says tho shooting Is fair to mid
dling. Vic Emmnnuel has decided not to travel
north for somo time. Vic says tho climate at
homo suits him.
Mohammed V, of Constantinople, Is cruis
ing in tho Black Sea for a fow days.
Vcrtr Good, Etldic; You Am
This hricht llttlo verse to Scrannlo I in send
ing,
Just on tho chanco that It won't get cannedJ
Patlenco nnd thought I've been recklessly)
spending;
(Noto how smoothly each lino Is scanned) )
There Isn't much stuff to this sort of verslolej
I'm not intelligent, culturoa or glib.
For famo and fortune I don't enro a curslcle
But tell me, now, ain't I your first contrlbl
Eddie,
How to Cook a Skirt
(From the Handbook of Universal Knowledge
The editor docs not hold himself responsible oil
opinions expressed tit tins way.)
Tako a large, square piece of Turkish!
toweling and cut Into largo squares, If the!
squares are not large enough, tako another
pleco and repeat tho operation. Leave over!
night in n clean place, If you can find one.l
nnu in tno morning season sngntiy with pepw
per and a handful of butter. Then take w
fountain pen nnd roll gently over the mlxJ
ture. making sure that tho gravy is of
reddish green color. In tho afternoon of the!
next -rucsuay out ono, speak gently to it andl
let ic simmer. au rour apples cut on the,
mas, arape wim tne ripe fruit of the aspara
kuh ireu unu oner 1110 wnoie 10 tne servara
If the servant refuses to eat It discharge hfl
nnu repeat 1110 operation maenniteiy.
Mother Roazn
(Xursery Jihymes for Second Childhood) i
Old Father Muffet,
Ho snt In n buffet.
Drinking his Saturday pay.
Ho saw a green spider
With an arc-llght Inside her,
And Muffet he fainted away.
Whisky and gin.
Whisky and gin,
When a man tipples
His troubles begin,
Sing a song of beer-checks
And bottles full of rye.
Four-and-twenty banqueters
Stewed to the eye.
When the door was opened
The fellows wouldn't budge
Wasn't that a pretty case
To set before a Judge?
The Babbling Fool
wjut sue says what sire ih?n
I can't stand clev
er girls; they give
mo a headache.
Not' pretty but
such a beautiful ex
pression. You know
mere prettlness is so
tiresome.
No, I don't like
these new dancos.
They're so vulgar.
I'm so glad your
daughter Isn't the
kind of a girl that
has to be coaxed to
play.
I like to see a good,
elaan play like tnla
after all that stuff.
It's a fin Uttte
house 0 ooatforta
bio aad homelike.
You woro -uus
right, dear- I wuuid
not speak to her
again, ever!
You'ro 80 clever'
Of course, a wum
aa ia aa youaa as
aha jaiffll.
They make me feel
a iooi, that's what
Trying to w ,
soulful. How I bati
souirui people.
The man told ma1
was too awkward to
tango.
Showing off Plas
hko a machine.
Stupid, old - farhJ
HMtea tmng Does Ml
iwhk I'm child
iy Booq jur ,J
a wontn. but irati
And I would,
tik to you e'lhfil
it you tiditil
like that
Smart y
But tnt .
CU for j.,.
Uaa 19.
f
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