New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-02

| lFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT oY THE rRlBuygl
| Woonsockct r. l., April l.-When left Proyi.
dence this afternoon the Democratic politicians
were In great state Of embarrassment over Mr.
| CIeveands visit. On the previous day they had
| very ioolishly allowed Ex-Governor Campbell to
challenge Governor Mckinley to Joint debate.
! Governor Mckinley upon his arrival in the morn
ing promptly expressed his willingness to meet any
representative leader the Democratic side who
was prepared TO discuss National questions in .
serious and responsible way The Republican conn.,
mittees had made arrangements for two mass
meetings in Providence on Saturday evening and
Mr. Cleveland was expected to speak in the after
| noon before a Democratic audience. with OK.
Governor Campbell in reserve. As these four men
were all to be in the city at the same time the
hepuollcan committee, determined, in the language
OF the unregenerate, TO see the blind and make
10 one better' They accepted the challenge, and
at the same time enlarged it, They agreed "a
furnish Infantry Hall, the largest audience room
IN the city, for joint debate between Mr.. Cleve-
land and Ex-Governor Campbell on one side and
Governor Mckinley and Mr.. Reed on the other.
Az the same time they suggested that all the
questions of the canvass should be discussed. silver
as we'll as tariff This was certainly a fair pro
| posal, as Mr.. Cleveland and ex Governor Camp
| Dell would DC at liberty TO present minority and
majority reports on the silver question The Joint
debate would offer free field for both sides and
give representative men Of both parties an oppor-
tunlty OF addressing an audience Of Mixed politi.
cal opinions.
Earlier in the day Mr. Cleveland's friend,
had received bucketful of freezing
water from THE Providence Journal It
announced that while his friends would be Glad
TO see him, they recognized the fact that he did
not come with authority TO speak for the Demo-
cratic party at large, nor even for one essential
portion OF it, the organization in his own State
| The New-fork Democracy, it stated, was for Hill
and the Democratic majority in the House was
| for silver. 1t reminded him that until he re.
ceived an Endorsement by the National Convention
his authority cannot be recognized. The Inde.
pendents of Rhode Island,' it added, do not pro-
pose to chase any rainbows, nor to advance their
influence, humble as it may be- except on substan-
tial suIeties. 1t is therefore respectfully
quested that when Mr.. Cleveland comes to us to.
morrow from New-Yorl. he will bring with him
collateras which are recognized everywhere as Of
unquestioned value" What took this to mean
was that the Rhode Island independents had de-
cided to vote The Republican ticket and they
thought he would do better to stay away.
Later in the day It was ascertained that Presi-
dent Andrews, who had been announced as the
presiding officer Of the Cleveland meeting, would
not take an active part in the demonstration. He
told me emphatically that he would neither pre-.
side nor speak at the meeting, although he might
attend the reception to Mr.. Cleveland. DR..
Andrews is president Of Brown University; and
the Democratic leaders have been idly gossiping
about making him compromise candidate for
United States Senator against Senator Aldrich. or
course they have no real intention of doing any
thing of the sort, since he is not a politician
of their kind and altogether too reputable
candidate for them. He is not likely TO leave
the college to take part in economic debate in
Washington, no matter which party may have
majority in the next General Assembly.
While all these embarrassments have been
created by Mr. Clevelands coming practical poll
ticians like Mayor Carroll, Mr.. Brennan and Mr..
McNally are all anxious TO have his friends send
in the subscription fund which has been raised
by his friends ia New-Yorx Every day there
gre rumors from Newport that Mayor Honey has
been distributing money among his friends ous
unless Mr. McNally has been favored with re-
mittances very little of it has come TO Providence
IL / may make another application of The
Journals language from what il intended, the
practical politicians are looking about very
anxiously for "collaterals which are recognized
everywhere Of unquesioned value
The Republicans, meanwhile, have been checred
during the day by the presence of such leaders AS
Governor Mckinley, ex-Speaker Reed and Senator
Frye Mr. Reed arrived in Providence late in
the afternoon, and vas taken by special train to
Woonsocket, where great preparations had been
made to welcome him. The Democrats sought
to break the force of the Republican mass
meeting by having a couple of their hippodrome
in tba town hay
OF their clubs. Mr.. Reed addressed large and
cnthusastio audience, and received welcome
which would have stirred the pulses of any veteran
in public life
Mr. Reeds speech was delivered in his most
facetous and drawing style and kept the great
audience in tumultuous uproar of merriment
While Illuminated by flashes of wit and sarcasm. 10
was strong and trenchant in statement. rather
than argumentatiye in FORM He followed Major
Hancock, of Maryland who dealt in statistical
manner with the evidences of American prosperity.
After making amusing refersnces to
the travelling Democratic delegation from
Washington, and 10 the appearance In
Providence of the Samese twins of defeat. ex-
Governor Campbell and ex-President Cleveland
who were expected to inspire the free-trade party
with the hope Of victory from the prestige of dis
aster Mr. Reed began quietly by saying that he
would simply try to describe what system of gov
rrnm.nt was the best to get living by. He
'henght that he could do this without referring TO
any defcnces OF his own conduct as Speaker, as he
was compelled to do two years ago. The Demo-
cratic Congressman who were crowding Rhode
Island no longer had anything TO say about his
wickedness, and so he would say nothing about
The righteousness of his acts. The attitude of the
Democratic party was that OF a horse toward
moving bicycle The combination of horse and
nan was too much for it. The Democratic party
,ad to be carried along year after year and recon-
lied to progress on the theory that it is always
necessary to ge. the human race together and to
start them ahead. In ls46 I'll economical liter
.turc was on the side Of free trade, but somehow
he era of free trade has never come. There
,as been. outside England, universal adoption
. rho system of protection There has also been