Corson was an active member. It went to work to create a healthier public sentiment, petitioned the legislature on the subject and procured an act compelling these corporations to make no distinction on their cars because of color. Mr. Corson looks back with just pride upon his share in that reform. To show still later that he was in advance of the drift of public sentiment, and in favor of giving the colored man the ballot which justly belonged to him, we copy the following extract from the minutes of the Union League of Philadelphia:

"Special meeting, held May 21st, 1868. Mr. Robert R. Corson offered the following resolution:

"Resolved, That while we thoroughly sustain and approve the action of the Chicago convention in pledging the Republican party to maintain impartial suffrage in the Southern states, we believe that principle and policy equally oblige Republicans to enact a law to establish equal rights in the North.

"On motion of Mr. Gibbons, the resolution was laid upon the table."

The above political record was made May 21, 1868, the very day General Grant was nominated for President, at Chicago. It is one of the curious and surprising incidents of our domestic political history. To reflect now that a body of such staunch Republicans as the members of the Union League of Philadelphia should reject such a resolution, and on the motion of such a prominent and distinguished man as the late Charles Gibbons, and with but one vote in its favor, seems at this day passing strange. Fortunately, for the uses of history, Mr. Corson asked to have the resolution and vote go on record as his motion, which was done, and the above is an official copy from the minutes of the Union League.

As time elapsed and Mr. C. found his work finished in the charity just described, as also that of the Freedman's Aid Association, our subject, true to his instincts and patriotic impulses, soon found himself drawn to another movement designed to correct political abuses then generally acknowledged to exist in state and city governments. To meet this evil a public meeting was held at the Academy of Music, June, 1871, which authorized the chairman to appoint a committee whose duty it should be to select the best candidates from the party tickets, and to make independent nominations for municipal and

legislative offices, where neither of the regular candidates were worthy of support. This committee, of which Mr. Corson was a member, and the writer thinks secretary also, met in September and formed a ticket, as indicated by the meeting, which at the ensuing election received 3,500 votes. They then determined to form a more complete organization. With this object in view twelve citizens met at the office of Henry C. Lea, October 26, 1871, and formed the Municipal Reform Association. Our subject is again found as one of the twelve leading names mentioned. The work of this association continued till after the spring election of 1877.

The facts in relation to the above organization we take from the very interesting book, by George Vickers, "The Fall of Bossism and History of the Committee of One Hundred."

Nine years later the Committee of One Hundred was organized by another meeting of citizens, called by E. D. Lockwood and others, to meet at his office November 15, 1880, at which Amos R. Little was elected chairman and authorized to select a committee of not less than one hundred business men, who eleven days later made a permanent organization, of which Mr. Corson was again made one of the secretaries. This organization exerted a wide and salutary influence upon city politics for several years.

It will doubtless be of interest to many readers to detail some of the means employed by the now famous Committee of One Hundred to reform abuses and protect the ballot-box from desecration. Mr. Corson remained secretary during several years of its active operation up to the time private business recently called him to Virginia, when he resigned that position, but not his membership in the committee, and on his return again took an active part in the work, being placed on the campaign committee. As a sample of their work during the canvass, it may be stated as a premise that there had been much undetected falsifying of election returns known to exist. To absolutely find out how many votes were thus fraudulently suppressed the following plan was adopted: To ascertain how many persons in each division intended to vote the Reformed or Independent ticket, postal cards were printed addressed to

Mr. Corson as secretary on the one side, while on the other was printed the following:

"I am in favor of the election of John Hunter as Receiver of Taxes. Ward, Name Division,

Residence

"N. B.—Friends and supporters of Mr. Hunter will please sign as above, giving address, and send by return mail, so that tickets may be furnished you."

Mr. C. lays no claim to the invention of this plan, Mr. Ellis D. Williams of the committee being the first to suggest postal cards, which proved such an important factor in the election of King and Hunter.

Over two hundred thousand (200,000) of these cards were sent to voters, and nearly one hundred thousand (100,000) returned with the ward, division, name and residence filled in. The result was that one of the first divisions returned after the polls closed on election night gave Mr. Hunter only eight votes. These potal cards having been all assorted, by looking over those from this particular division it was found that over sixty voters had expressed their intention of voting for Mr. Hunter. The association thus having their names and addresses, they were called upon, and many expressed a willingness to testify that they did vote for Mr. Hunter. The result was that the officers of that division were arraigned, tried, convicted and sent to prison, soon followed by over a score of others, not including those who fled from the city to evade trial. Thus the committee more or less efficiently reformed election abuses, and others in the Almshouse, Tax Receiver's office, Gas office, &c., until its dissolution in 1885.

In 1867 (it ought to have been stated before) the Pennsylvania S. P. C. A. was organized with Morris Waln as president, and Judge Porter, A. J. Drexel, Geo. W. Childs, J. B. Lippincott and other humane citizens as managers. A charter was obtained, and amongst its directors Mr. Corson was the third person asked to join, and of which board he has been an active member from its organization to the present time, as also its first treasurer, but the latter position he resigned after the society got into full operation.

In addition to these benevolent efforts our subject is at present one of the managers of the "Chinese American Union" for the protection and improvement of Chinese resident in Philadelphia. He is also manager or director in several other charitable enterprises.

In 1885, without his knowledge or solicitation, he was appointed by the court one of the inspectors of Moyamensing prison, which position he holds at this writing.

Hitherto we have been chiefly recording Mr. Corson's labors in the form of public charities. We will close with one of a private nature and yet public in one of its aspects. Five years ago, 1881, he joined a syndicate to purchase and utilize the wonderful caverns at Luray, Virginia. After the purchase he organized a company, and procured a charter, the corporators being leading Philadelphians, to bring the property into notice and profitable use. Mr. Corson was elected general manager, and during 1881-82 remained almost constantly there superintending the erection of Luray Inn, and introducing electric lights into the caverns, about seven miles length of wire being operated— the first attempt known to light caves by electricity. After seeing to the erection of the beautiful house in which to entertain tourists, he returned to Philadelphia and soon after was elected president of the company, which position he still holds.

FRANCIS WHITING, ESQ.

This retired gentleman, resident at Whitehall, the eastern suburb of Jeffersonville, is better known as Elder Whiting, inasmuch as for many years last past he has been a most efficient helper in that capacity of the pastor of the Centennial Presbyterian church at the latter place.

Francis Whiting is the son of John Whiting, Esq., of Great Barrington, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, where he resided, and where our subject was born March 27, 1808. His father was an attorney at law, practicing in that county, having a large business for over fifty years, and much of that time serv

ing as district prosecuting officer for the state. He was also an officer enlisted for service during the war of 1812. The family was lineally descended from Governor Bradford, of Massachusetts, in early colonial times, but was early settled in Hartford county, Connecticut; and Elder W. counts himself the seventh from that famous Governor, the name Bradford still being a common patronymic of the family.

Francis Whiting received an academic education at Lenox, and was thence sent to Yale College, where in due time he graduated; after which, returning home, he studied law with his father, was admitted to the profession, and for a considerable time was joined in his extensive law practice; but finding, after several years' continuance, that he was so physically constituted that he could not longer bear confinement to office duties, and his father owning the farm upon which they lived, Francis took to outdoor labor, and found agricultural matters a better field of work and nearly as much to his taste.

In 1841 Mr. Whiting was married to Miss Harriet W. Curtis, of Canaan county, New York, but they have not been blessed with offspring, though often father and mother to the children of others.

At the death of his father the homestead came to him by inheritance, and he continued farming with fair success until 1866, when, feeling that the rigor of the New England climate was unsuitable to his health and advancing years, he was induced to emigrate further south and west, thus coming to Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, purchasing a lot of eight acres of land with a capacious mansion at Whitehall aforesaid, where he and his excellent lady have resided since that time, he occupying his time in horticulture, fruit raising, and small farming. On settling here, Elder Whiting and wife, being previously orthodox Congregationalists, joined the First Presbyterian Church, Norristown (of the same faith), but soon after transferred their membership to the Jeffersonville church, where he was soon after elected a ruling elder, and where he has been laboring in spiritual things ever since. He thenceforward became a very zealous Sunday school teacher, and largely through his efforts and encouragement, the Sabbath school of Centennial Church has latterly held its sessions