On January 1, 1869, he was inaugurated, and his first official duty as Mayor was to formally receive on behalf of the city authorities General Grant as President-elect. The reception took place in Independence Hall, in the presence of Councils and a large number of prominent citizens, and was conducted on the part of the new Mayor with ease, grace, and elegance. His municipal administration was marked by many reformatory and sanitary measures, especially in those portions of the city where the impurity of the denizens hazarded the health of more respectable neighborhoods. It was during his official term that the Volunteer Fire Department ceased to exist. It had been his practice during its closing days to attend all conflagrations for the double purpose of holding a moral check on the lawless and to stimulate the police in their duties of keeping the streets clear for the free exercise of those whose business it was to extinguish the flames. The passage by Councils of the ordinance establishing a Paid Fire Department created a profound sensation in the city, arousing the bitter feelings of many of the volunteer firemen, and kindling an intense anxiety on the part of the people generally as to the fate of the bill when it reached the hands of the Mayor. He retained it for a fortnight, unsigned, evidently desiring to soften the feeling engendered by its passage, and also to perfect such arrangements as would be necessary to meet any emergency in carrying the act into effect. The latter being accomplished, he formally approved the ordinance and it became a law. This course was very unpalatable to the riotous element of the volunteers, who manifested their feelings in various ways, such as suspending the effigy of the Mayor in several engine houses, but no other violent demonstrations of any moment occurred, as the steps taken by his officers proved effective and rigorous; these, coupled with the co-operation of many of the discreet firemen, enabled the new “Paid Department” to go into operation without any disturbance whatever, and the city has ever since rejoiced in an efficient system without any of the former accompaniments of noise, riot, and public disturbance.
A startling attempt at assassination occurred during Mayor Fox’s incumbency, in the shooting of United States Revenue Detective James Brooks, in open day, in a Front street store, by some miscreants. The case was at once taken in hand by the Mayor, who by stimulating the police and offering heavy rewards caused the arrest of the parties. Their conviction soon followed. Whenever any question of grave public importance presented itself, it was his practice to invite conferences with the most prominent citizens at his office, as to the best course to be pursued; thus, while showing a true devotion to the public interests, he was enabled to act with great sagacity; he also brought to his support the power of eloquence, which he possesses in an eminent degree; this added much to his popularity. He did not hesitate to use the veto whenever he differed with Councils, and during his term he transmitted to these bodies thirty-two messages of this character, the majority of which were sustained. His official term ended in a most gratifying manner, both chambers of Councils unanimously passing resolutions of thanks for his able and energetic administration of the city’s affairs. This was followed by a grand banquet at the Academy of Music, tendered to him by our most distinguished citizens, irrespective of party. In two successive State conventions he received complimentary votes for the Gubernatorial nominations.
The great International Exposition in commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the birth of our nation was held in this city in 1876. In the preparation for this grand demonstration, in its opening and down to its close, in the autumn of that year, Mr. Fox took a leading part, the incipient step having been taken in the Mayor’s Office during his administration, in a consultation with a committee from the Franklin Institute, who waited upon him for that purpose. As an active and earnest member of the Centennial Board of Finance, which had charge of all the funds for the Exposition, Mr. Fox contributed his time, his means, and his voice greatly to its promotion and final success.
Once more Mr. Fox was called to the discharge of an important public duty. For a number of years a controversy had existed between the general Government and the railroad corporations with reference to the transportation of the United States mails, the former complaining that the service was not satisfactorily rendered, and the latter that they were not adequately compensated.
On the 12th of July, 1876, Congress passed a bill authorizing the President to appoint a Commission of three civilians to investigate the subject and make report upon it. Mr. Fox was one of the appointees, his colleagues being selected from other States. The Commission, in the exercise of its functions, visited every section of the country, embracing a distance of travel of over twenty-eight thousand miles. Sessions were held in all the principal cities, much testimony taken, and when its labors were completed a report of great value was prepared and presented, which went far towards a satisfactory settlement of the controversy.
[From The History of the Philadelphia Police.]
One of the most important occurrences during Mr. Fox’s term as Mayor was the abolition of the old Volunteer Fire Department. The ordinance for the erection of a Paid Fire department was passed December 29, 1870, after a series of hot debates. The old volunteers were a power in politics, but their acts of violence and incendiarism made it imperative in the opinion of a majority of citizens that they should be superseded. The passage of the ordinance caused a sensation because it was not believed that Councils would dare to abolish the volunteers. Feeling ran high. The firemen held meeting after meeting in their engine-houses. All attention was directed towards the Mayor. Would he sign the ordinance and make it a law? He had ten days in which to consider the bill. He was known to favor it; but day after day passed and he took no action. Meanwhile he was not asleep. He had perfected police arrangements whereby the whole force could be called out at once on the outbreak of any violence, and the excitement was so great that the rowdy element and the firemen were expected to sally forth at any moment. There were two or three isolated outrages, but no general riot. The ten days drew towards a close and the excitement became less intense every day. It was with this object in view that the Mayor delayed signing the ordinance. He waited until the last day before putting his signature to the bill. The volunteers had become in a degree reconciled to the measure, and some of them hoped to resume work with engine and hook-and-ladder under the new system.
The old volunteer firemen now hold Mr. Fox in high esteem. At the great fire in Newhall, Borie & Co.’s sugar refinery, which stood at the corner of Race and Crown streets, the lives of a number of the volunteers were endangered through their own stubbornness, and only saved through determined action on the part of the Mayor. The engine-house of the refinery was a single story building facing on Crown street; over it was a projection five or six stories in height containing the hoisting apparatus and other machinery of great weight.
His Watchful Care Saves Many Lives.