Martinsburg Gazette And Public Advertiser

Primary Location

Philadelphia

Event Date

Recently

Key Persons

Outcome

no plan of reform is recommended.

Event Details

The Grand Jury of Philadelphia have recently presented as nuisances—the multiplicity of taverns—the 400 lottery offices—the number of pawn-brokers—the collections of boys at the corner of the streets—the wheelbarrows running on the side walks—the boxes, casks and packages piled up in the streets—together with several bad practices prevalent among the criminal magistrates, touching the fees of officers, and such like pan drippings. The best mode would be undoubtedly to take up these evils, one by one, as Hays take up gentlemen swindlers, and not by dozens, as the rogues are taken up at the Five Points, and oppose to each of them an anti-society with the usual number of residents, secretaries, clerks, patrons, patronesses, &c. Then shall we have an anti-tavern society—an anti boy at-the corner of the-street society—an anti lottery society—an anti-pawn brokers society—an anti wheel barrow running on the-side-walks society, &c. &c. The heroic age, when single heroes such as Hercules or Amasis de Gaul patched up the world, is all over. We now move by platoons, companies and regiments in eating drinking, fighting, legislating, or evils. The heroic age is past.