Published on the 2nd of June in 1899 in the
Philadelphia Inquirer out of Philadelphia, PA
CITY GETS
NOTHING
Little Scheme
Involved in the
Publication
of Fourth of
July Programs
A
COUNCILMANIC DODGE
Parties to It
Said to Be Trying to Back
Out –
Question of Official
Indorsement
If there was one thing more than another that has been
talked about in City Hall circles during the past two days it was the exclusive
expose in Tuesday morning’s Inquirer of the fact that a member of Councils’
Fourth of July Committee had succeeded in grabbing the privilege of publishing
the official Fourth of July celebration program, a privilege for which
responsible men declare they stood ready to pay anywhere from $300 to $1000,
and for which the city, although expending this year $10,000 on exercises which
make the publication of the program possible, gets nothing. It will be
remembered that Councils’ Fourth of July Committee had the awarding of the
coveted privilege in charge.
But there is still another chapter to be added to the
story of the Councilmanic manipulation, free manipulation, of a valuable
privilege. It seems that at least one other member of Common Council is not
content that Joseph Eslen, the member from David Martin’s ward, the Nineteenth,
whose printing concern is getting out the “official” program under the sanction
of the Fourth of July Committee, should capture all of the fat, so he has
started in the Fourth of July program business on his own hook. He doesn’t fail
to appreciate the value of a Councilmanic position, however.
Issued a
Letter
Councilman Eslen issued a letter to the men he hired
as solicitors for his “official program.” written on letter heads bearing at
their top the imprint of the Common Council of Philadelphia. Councilman Leo S.
Meyers, of the Twenty-eight ward, is not in competition with Councilman Eslin,
of the Nineteenth ward. He has advertising solicitors at work also, and each of
them is equipped with a letter to be shown to prospective contributors to
Councilman Meyers’ Fourth of July program scheme.
Mr. Meyers does not designate his program as
“official,” by the way. He calls it the “citizens’” program. But his contracts
are printed almost exactly like those put out by his brother Councilman, Mr.
Eslen. Each has red and blue ink on white paper, and each bears the imprint
of a United States flag waving in the
breeze on the upper left hand corner.
An Inquirer reporter has managed to get hold of one of
the letters issued by Common Councilman Meyers, of the Twenty-eighth ward, to
the men and women Mr. Meyers has out soliciting advertisements for his
“citizens’” Fourth of July program. Here is the way it reads:
“Common Councils, Philadelphia, May 19, 1899. – The
bearer Mr. – is authorized to solicit advertisements for the Citizens’ Fourth
of July Program, which will be distributed through the various parts of the
city where the ceremonies will take place. Any favors extended to him will be
appreciated. Very truly yours, Leo S. Meyers, Councilman, Twenty-eight ward.”
Letters
Differ
The letter, it will be noticed, differs from that
issued by Councilman Eslen in that it does not have affixed thereto the
signature of Councilman John S. Hammond, chairman of Councils’ Fourth of July
Committee, nor does it contain a clause intimating that business firms signing
contracts for advertising in Councilman Meyers’ program will be considered as
contributors to the city’s celebration of the glorious Fourth.
But the two programs, both being gotten out by members
of Common Council, and the solicitors for both of which are armed with
credentials written on Councils’ letter heads, have set would-be advertisers
guessing.
“We don’t know just where we are at,” facetiously said
one of them to and Inquirer reporter yesterday. “Of course, we want to contribute
a little toward the city’s Fourth of July celebration, but we don’t know just
who is who or which is which, and so we have decided to wait until we learn.”
All of which is interesting in view of the declaration
by Chairman Hammond, of the Fourth of July Committee, that the city gets
nothing whatever out of the privilege secured by Councilman and member of the
Fourth of July Committee Eslen. If the city doesn’t receive anything from Mr.
Eslen it certainly doesn’t form Councilman Meyers, whose program does not bear
the “official” stamp.
Meyers’
Program
“I have heard of Mr. Meyers’ program,” said Chairman
Hammond to The Inquirer reporter, “although I have not seen it. I spoke to
Sergeant-at-Arms Hall, of Councils, about it, and Mr. Hall said, as I understood
him, that Councilman Meyers had agreed to with-draw it. Whether or not he has
done so I am unable to say.”
It was said yesterday Mr. Meyers was trying to sell
out his program deal to Councilman Eslen. It was also stated that Mr. Eslen was
endeavoring to withdraw the ante-dated letters bearing Chairman of Fourth of
July Committee Hammond’s authorization to Mr. Eslen’s solicitors to obtain
advertisements to the “official” program. In evidence of the truth of the
latter statement were the frantic endeavors made through various channels to
obtain possession of the copy which fell into the hands of The Inquirer
reporter.
