Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-09-07
truth about them, and few country editors
can afford to do so. If he attempts he is
"sat down upon with crushing force. We
have "been there."

can aUOrd 10 do so, III ne atuenpJS ne iS
"sat down upon with crushing force. We
have "been there.'
=" At the height Of their prosperity, the Spragues
were employing ten thousand operatives and had
assets amounting 10 nineteen millions About
eight thousand OF these operatives were employed
in Rhode Island. They controlled five banks In
the city OF Providence, three national and two
savings, which held 'Sprague paper to the
amount Of nearly four million dollars. In state
whose total vote varies from twelve to twenty
three thousand, IL Is easy to see how important
a factor eight thousand operatives would be, when
all OF them could be swayed by single interest.
II was almost certain ruin for tradesman to op-
pose such power The goodwill OF the Spragues
meant prosperity to any kind OF business. Their
ill-will almost rs often meant ruin. without this
tremendous power behind him, no member OF
the family ever had shadow Of chance for Sc
curing public office. The family never had any
personal following In the state. AT the moment OF
their greatest political power, neither their wealth
nor the public position OF their representatives
was able to give them social standing Yet 80
enormous was their influence that they had only
to command the highest honor within the gift of
the state to obtain It, The legislature, the muni-
cipal government Of Providence even the courts,
were all more or less under the Sprague influence.
The situation was constant disgrace and every
honest, self-respecting man In the state felt the
humiliation, but what could be done about it?
william Sprague was ambitious for political
piNltIntHb anu III lobV He WAS put lDTtH rs ule
democratic and conservative candidate for gov
ernor, and an astounding campaign followed
During the canvass, some one said that the city
of Providence might have been called the New
Jerusalem, for its streets were paved with gold
Spragne was elected ran again as the Union can
didate in 1861, and secured the office a second
time. In 1862 he was the only candidate in the
field, and was almost unanimously chosen be-
cause Of his record as war governor. His SER
vices to his country in the war, which the fervor
of the times exaggerated, carried him into the
United States senate, as n republican, in 1863
and the overmastering influence of the family Sc
cured him re election in 1869. There il nothing
in his public career which demands consideration,
while there Is much over which It Is simple char
ity TO draw a veil. 1t was always absurd and
sometimes farccal. II was brought to an end by
the failure of the company in 1873
during the early part of the war he married
Miss Kate Chase, the eldest daughter of Hon.
Salmon =. Chase then the secretary of the treas
ury, subsequently chief justice OF the United
States. Miss Chase at the time of her marriage
was n beautiful young lady, gifted talented
occupying the highest position in the land Their
married life has been a sad commentary upon the
sacred relation of husband and wife, father and
| mother Two suits for divorce between the
parties are now pending, each charging the other
with grossest impr0pretes and crimes, the details
of which, for the sake of common decency, should
| never be given to the public. The history OF this
firm and the story of the life of William Sprague
and his wife seems like an impossibility, but un-
fortunately it is correctly told and it is another
| proof that truth is stranger than fiction"