The New York herald., 1869-04-26
SPRAGUE.

between the sprngues and the Browns-
| sprngue the Inside Track.
PROVIDENCE, T.. l., April %, 1860.
This after ALL is the proper place TO comprehend
our friend Sprague. Those fellows IN washington
| those lawyers Of the Senate especlally-have no
competent idea OF the breadth and ability OF MS
character. They laugh at his utterances ana put
him down generally as . nuisance and an enigma
They know better here. True, they feel very indig
nant his want0n assault the honor OF the First
Rhode Island regiment. but beyond that there
is little disposition to crtcise Sprague
Nevertheless though l have been here the
best portion Of Q week talking with scores
OF men who were either for or against
sprague. have felt considerable hesitation in sitting
down TO write under the perpleXty Of hearing b0th
sides OF the story and always hearing some new fact
either pro or CON- Coming here as the representa-
tive OF an independent paper with instructions to tell
the truth about this Sprague quarrel. have found
myself good deal in the position Of the man in
Balzac's tale who was always starting out to avenge
some fancied aspersion on the character OF an ac-
quaintance, but changed his mind on
hearing that the said acquaintance had
reputation not exactly reprOcne. Let
me- however, in few lines, put this case Of
Spragues so that your readers can understand the
whole dispute that has agtated Rhode Island ana
made chapter OF novelty in the records OF the United
States Senate Sprague, the Senator, has immense
interests around here He has been marvelously
successful In business in connection with
his brother. Amasa Sprague. Perhaps, after
oil, Amasa deserves the most credit for this sue.
cess. He Is older than William, though he looks
much younger He Is young America personihed.
Very Juvenile appearance for at the head OF
such enormous business, but possessing o fund of
energy sound sense and forethought that is In ev
dence all around this CITY, William Spra2ue has ac-
complished some famous things also in business.
The two brothers have been absolute chdren OF for
tune far Whatever they touched turned to gold.
There no failures in their history. They employ
ten thousand people and WELD their millions
grandly. Brown 4 Ives firm OF rival wealth.
They have mills like Sprague, and their money Is IN
vested ~ N al all sorts OF ways e bny are %n1 S G ne
fashioned, conservative kind OF family, very ex-
elusive, very aristocratic 1 would say almost
ought to be organized Between these peo-
pie and the Spragues there Is deadly feud.
Sprague attacked this family In that extraordinary
speech OF his in the Senate that aroused the ire OF
Anthony and drew from that genial gentleman such
reply as Cato in his mood of scOrn might have
made. Sprague thought he saw Brown IL Ives at
the Of as ss T
Anthony took the Brown Ives side or the quar-
rel. Sprague struck out with abandoned reckless
ness and raked the whole crowd with merclless
severity. He accused Anthony OF being the brl6ed
henchlnan of Brown & Ives. He accused the First
battle of Bull Run, and attributed their action
IN that curious fight to the influence of the
There were some relations of this family in the reg
ment. Robert Ives was killed. Frank GODDARD was
the coward according to Sn1 sprasue Me
Sprague himself took the regiment to the front.
He was imperious and arbitrary, but at the
same time daring to raslness. He thought he saw
cowardice In the First Rhode Island regiment He
thought he saw the influence OF this million dollar
power work its relations IN the regiment,
therefore it was that he flung recklessy out Ia his
remarks about It; and yet II can give credit to
was a mighty conservative regiment al the battle Of
Bull Run. Its composition was eminently arlsto-
cratic some o. te prlvaes @ were Is %
of Rhode island. The loss OF any OF its members would
involve money and mourning on large scale
Sprague did an awful offence in assaing them. l
have met good many members Of the regiment and
there is a unanimous feeling Of fretiul Indignation
''What cause had he for ~ and other such inter-
rogatores Of reproachfu ire break forth from every
they continue "abOut the finances and so fOrtn are
all right enough but his assault on the Fist Rhode
Island Is without Justification altogether. That
alone Is enough TO make him the most unpopular
man In Rhode Island" They say, further that
nnuence OF Brown, Ives Anthony, Tom Jenckes and
that entire concern. He wants. they say two votes
In the Senate In place OF one. He desires to kili
get man, perhaps Smith, sent by the Legislature Of
the State to the national Senate.
Now you may begin to realize this Sprague quarrel.
Let me- however, tell story heard this morning,
not vouching for Its correctness, but Offering 1t as
sample OF the information rendered to newspaper
correspondent. Congress- as you remember, granted
some time ago certain amount or the public lands
University here ere got its Share spragae and Anthony
worked together TO secure the location OF that land
In the most profitable part Of the West. Baptist
minister named Love went out, as 1t Is alleged, at
the insgatlon OF Brown Il Ives, saw this land, and
came back with report to the trustees OF the uni
versty tnat ought to be sold being poor land and
rather worthless bargain. 1t sold for $4,000.
II worth, according TO informant, 81, 900 000
and was purchased by Brown Ives. Sprague got
| mad when he heard OF the transaction Anthony
went over to the Brown Ives sde ana there Is the
source, as am informed Of the present pretty quar-
rel between these two great houses
In another letter shall go fully into the question
OF which house Is the richer. IL Is subject Of eer
nal argument here, one man contending that Brown
Ives have three times the wealth OF the Spragues
| which would mean that they own seventy-ive or
| eighty millions OF property; another says the
Spragues have one hundred thousand spndles more
than the Browns, and so on.
Sprague Is into everything. His enterprises are
| aembracing. lie has an immense concern across
| town, where h0rseshoes are made by machinery
\ People predicted 1t would be a iaiiure but their
He has gone along, ike Napoleon, from one triumph
to another, and there plenty OF wise folks here
who say, Sprague knows what he Is about this time,
| and he'll come out right you bet"
There is no great feeling that can discover OF ad-
| sentiment that greets John Bright when he goes
| home from Parliament. The people OF this State are
| good deal conservative, like all manufacturing
| communities. and they have naturally but small
appreciation OF Sprague's revolutionary theories
Then. again, he fails to possess those elements OF
| character that contribute TO popularity His ap-
| pearance, voice. manner and disposition are not
what you wonld call popular ills brother, Amasa,
II OF different style. lie ~ an ardent h0rsemarl,
very free and easy In disposition, u whoe-souled
fellow that takes at once with tue democratic
Of the people There Is that splendid PARK at Mar
raganset which AInasa started, and which has
Afforded 80 much enjoyment 10 the people OF Provi-
dence and to strangers generally. lie went into that
affair with his habitua dash and enterprise and made
II great success. Brown Ives attempt
| nothing OF that kind. Amasa IL democrat In two
senses lie Is democrat In politics and a democrat
In Ilfc-thnks one man as good "a another and puts
on airs whatever. We ought OF course tn expect
this under our republican form OF government: but
here nnd such people as Brown Ives living
after fashion that would only be adapted to the
| atmosphere Of some such monarchcal country as
| England. Yesterday had glance at one Of this
| family. Mr. william Goddard, IA he strutted along
Westminster street. with huge camelia in his but