New-York tribune., 1869-04-17
SENATOR SPRAGUE.
THE MoNTAGUEs AND CAPULETs OF RHODE
ISLAND.

PARTY-THE SECRET SPRINGS or sENAio"
sPRAGUE's RECENT SPEECHES.
IFRoM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
PROVIDENCE, April 16.-On the rallroau cars
going out and coming into this city, In the
in the streets and on the streetcorners wherever mem
meet and exchange greetings the only general topic Oh
conversation Just now is the recent action Oh senator
sprague On the Providence and Stonington road tna
morning I heard men all around me say, sprague mas
hurt himself all over this country "sprague has dis
graced himself" "Sprague is disgrace TO the eta.e
"What does he meant" lido not understand IT, buu
sprague knows what he is about" "Sprague always
comes out all right" "There are going 70 Do
lively times In Rhode Island about this time, was
chimed in from the other side until was soreiy per-
picked to know who in the right or who the most M
earnest good Methodist clergyman heard 1t all, ana
way quite as much perpexed az was but no yaorousy
whispered TO his wife, whom he had only married the oay
before cts all about speech sprague maoe III tna
sepate-or should say the House of Representatives.
That was the way he understood IT. but the truth -
times are lively here already, and some ngnt' hooouy
knows when sprague will come tumbling down rom
washington and make them hveier STILL so far ne mas
not degned TO make any explanation OF his course pug
some day. before long, the explanation ana the ihepa
young Senator will come before the people OF Rhode
Island together shall hear what he mas 10 say
about Rhode Islands honor and there will be, no doubt
fresh "aspersons" 10 be accounted for, and rembt-
tered attacks upon the great family whom he has typ
fed by the splendid figure, "A million dollars"
Two households, b0th alike IN ulgnlty'
grudge break mutny was said Of old; but nows
instead Of Verona the laid among the ooms
and spndes Of little Rhody and as belts tho spirit OF
this manufacturing and commercial 1t the house
OF sprague against the house Of Brown Ives OF thesa
two great houses the spagues the youngest and hd
most energetic, II not the richest; Brown Ives thu
and arstocrac the proudest of their birth
and breeding, their wealth and culture, and the moss
exclusive matters pertaining their personal annaf
tons ana social recognitions.
sfarfad Will ma
grandfather Of Amasa and William the present repre-
sentayes the house He was succeeded by his sons
| Amasa and william, and thus, the firm OF A. q We
sprague came into existence. At the death OF the Oh
Governor" as William sprague, the uncle OF the "two
boys who now control the house Of A. W. sprague,a
generally called the business had not yet as>
sumed anything present giant proportions Thad
event occurred in 1885, and there were at that time ohS
six calico printing machines in the print works at Crans
ton since then only has addition after adj
dition and extension after extension been put TO thd
works until the mills form extensive village In them-
selves but every species Of improved machinery ha ad
been procured set In motion. Instead OF slxcoor
machines the highest number any machine was
capable Of printing at the death Of the Old Governor
there are in the works at Crauston, to-day, machines
mitch nrint 10 There are machines In the Worxss
and $1,000 pieces Of cloth be printed and hnshed III
! week This immense establishment Is driven by SIX
engines varying from 40 10 800 horse power ana the cons
sumption Of per day not short OF 100 tuns twenty
|
TO do special duty needed Trimming machiness
washing and drying machines dyeng apparatus engrayt
ing machines all the immense and complicated machn-
cry necessary the manufacture OF the material ior
new dress The villages where the operatives reside ara
built after uniform model, and consist OF story and
half doube houses In the store at Cranson immensd
business DONE The spragues do their own saughters
ing and kill about IS head Of cattle per week, and
sheep aud hogs In proportion. The meat is fur
| nished to their operatives four and five cents
ner mound cheaper than 1t be bought in the Proyis
dence market and the store" sells goods OF every kind
AT proportonately low figure the sales in single yeaf
| amounting to 100000.
| Amasa sprague resides at Cranston, about one milo
from the City Of Providence and William lives with his
mother in the City Of Providence. What this woman
has had to DO with building immense business, thd
Influence Of which is felt everywhere In the country has
uever been told 1.-THE boys" habituay resort 10 he's
for advice and the old Governor" was accustomed tn
hold her judgement the highest esteem. Her coansea
70 the old firm OF A g. sprague have been tansfered
TO the new house and have proved as beneficial to hes
! sons as to their father and their uncle.
| She is now an old lady OF 70 years.
| but her faculties as vigorous as eSert
The house Of A. &w sprague as at present eonstuteds
resembles the old house OF that name In srlkng de-
gree Amasa sprague, at his home at Cranston Is muen
like Amasa sprague his father As the father hated polls
tics so too the dskes the turmoil Of party and det
votes himself his family his business and his trotfer
Ha has now in his stables near the Narraganset Races
Course an association Of which he Is President. muen
| thoroughbred and blooded stock-the famous horsd
Rhode Island and the Dutch Girl among the others Oh
Rhode Island he especially confident and expects MIN
IN rot his mile in 92O at the June meeting ut the Nar<
| raeansett Park. But william sprague. the uncle
| and william Sprague, the nephew, both naturally
took TO politics Both Governors OF the states
| and both Senators Of the United States. In his
recent course the Senate, William sprague youngef
only did what would have been done by William spragud
| cha IA circumstances,
been done by the latter with the same intrepdiy thd
disregard consequences and the same dehaneeoa
the opuons Of others that the former exhibited In tho
mast few weeks these bold acts apparently so inca
pable Of explanation, sprague may have caculafedtd
some extent upon his Rhode Islanders" In the works
at Crauston hands employed besides those en<
Gagged at their other mills. In this there Ia power as
great as in spndes fed by the ingenuity and ors<
sht OF Senator sprague and his brother He boased In
one Of speeches perhaps rather complained, thaf
small m manufacturers breaking down because they
could not he does. It very vaguely put and
was not generally understood. lie simply meant that
his purchases OF stock immense that those who
could not buy In like immense quantities cannot competd
with him. But he also meant to say that be can mako
better goods ont inferior material than any ese1
His great point however, that persons who do not
own nm immense capital cannot borrow. owing 10 tho
course OF legislation In tho last few years{
and that like himself, by their great facilit
ties and large capital crush their neighbors eithea
willingly or unwlingly Ten thousand bales OF coons
2cOo casks of madder and proporionate quantities q
drugs is no unusual single purchase They consumed
1900 bales Of the last year. and within the past
five months have bought at least yards OF eion
from other manufacturers and printed It In thero
works at Cranston.
the sprasues have mills at other places besides Provi.
dence, even far away Augusta Me- Ihelr baI.l0
mills are an immense affair also the ouidnieh
"Natick "Arcco and Central Fails" They have bc<