The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-07-23
COL. WYMAN AT CHICAGO.
He Talks About Politics and the
Worlds Fair.

Executive Commissioners Wyman of the
RHODE ISLAND board of Worlds Fair
Commissioners is reported as follows in
an Inter Ocean interview at Chicago:
IL am a Republican aud take an opti-
mistic view of politics, favorable, of
course, to my party. Farther than this
general statement / do not care to dis
cuss politics, as / am the executive COM
missioner OF non-partisan board. "
These were the words OF John c. Wyman
Of RHODE ISLAND, at the Auditorium
yesterday.
81 know very little about New York
politics." continued Mr.. Wyman, "and
think there are lots of other people In the
same fix. who think they know a good
deal. The Democratic leaders of New
York are very indignant because the as
sertion is made that the rank and file of
the party won't follow their dictation.
think these leaders are right in their
opinion. / think the rank and file will
go with their leaders, because 1t is fact
they follow party dictation and party
leaders ana bosses more consistently-if
that be the right word-than the Repub
licans. 1t Is because the individual mem
bers of the great Democratic party do
less independent thinking than the Re-
publicans. These conditions make it
possible to have them fall into line like a
flock OF sheep at the shepherd dogs bark.
I'm New York overwhelming Republi-
can success goes down to Harlem bridge;
there IL receives its first shock. l look
for the defeet of the Democratic party in
November, but / do not hope for disin-
tegration of that party for several years
to come.
Now. that's all the politics to day.
do not feel that outside Of this general
line of talk should say anything"
Mr.. Wyman is the Worlds Fair Com
r,iagioner from RuOnE IgI md ha W m
done with politics he naturally talked
about the fair and Chicago.
when General Davis was in Newport
we entertained him." he said. "He made
speech in which he referred to some
thing ] once said to him. A gentlem an
RHODE ISLAND aud saying IL the whole
state were brought to the Worlds Fair,
Milwaukee girls foot could cover it. /
replied that we did not count in RHODE
ISLAND by feet but by heads. General
Davis knew that il he could not expect
quantity he could quality. But tell you
we will astonish the people Of the country
who have been in the habit of Judging OF
our industries by the number of our
square acres.
II am astonished at the magnitude of
the fair. IL all the space could be grant
ed that Is asked for it would take all the
territory In Illinois to accommodate the
firms who seem to want to seud their en-
tire plants to Chicago. The necessary
reductions of space will diminish the size
of the exhibits and everybody will send
the best they have as representative OF
their State, nation or business. There
will b. quality Instead of quantity.
"In RHODE ISLAND we have the largest
consumer of cotton in the world and the
largest producer of spools, and l think
RHODE ISLAND will be on the seat with
the driver In the band wagon. will read
you an extract from the letter of FRANK
g. Harris, another OF RHODE ISLANDS
commissioners
"In city like Chicago. whose extra
ordinary business and social progress the
people Of the East have read with infinite
interest and admiration, it is but natural
that commercial rivalry should be exceed
ingly keen. 1t is by such rivalry that,
not infrequently, villages become town
ships, townships become thriving towns
anu towns become governing cities. But
it will be readily understood that keen
competition does not always tend to in
duce good feeling For "A time at least
the Chicagoans appear to have lost per
sonal rivalry and settled down to one pur-
pose--namely, showing TO the world that
Londo aud Paris and Vienna and Phila-
delphia, where highly successful exhibit
tions have from time to time been held,
are to be outshone in these by the Colum-
bian Exposition of o."