The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-02
DIDN'T ASK Information.
Mayor POtter's Message Causes Con-
siderable Comment.
WHAT CHAIRMAN VAUGHAN SAYS
Tho Mayor Was Invited to Attend the
Meetings. but Did 20 Only Two or
Three Times-He Never Asked for Amy

If Mayor Potter thinks he has made a
| point through the medium OF his CON-
| munication to the common council rela-
tive TO the terminal ia cilities question,
he is about the only person in the
city hall who labors nnder the
same Impression. Some OF his friends
anl supper. say he was
| injud iious, while others less charit BILE
decl. re this latest move OF his TO be
| another and convincing Indication
| that he is not the man for the
| place and that re fills IL pretty
much as round Peg does a
square hole. OF course this
| sent iment comes from those who didn't
| vote fer Mr.. Potter and who have never
been satisfied with his occupancy Of the
| mayors chair.
Ii is to be said, however, that conserve.
| tive members OF T. o city council regard
the communication as anything but
| good taste. aud they are inclined
to the opln,ion, pl,do,,o that II aS the
| of three months off the mayor would not
have burled any midnight oil in its
composition.
Didn't ask for 1t.
"To say hs could not get all the infor-
| nation In ;he poss ssion OF any com
| mittee." remarked one member of the
common uncil. lis simply to aimit he
didn't ask for il. IL il now
| and always has been the custom of every
mmittee not only to freely
| give the chief executive any
| Information be might desire. but to in
| vite him to be present at tie meetings.
| have not the slightest doubt that had
| the mayor ed any member OF the COM
| miJtee the exact status OF this terminal
matter he would have been given every
| scrap OF information he desired.
| But furtl er tnat that have
| reason 10 believe the chairman OF the
committee wal ed upon the mayor shortly
70 be present at Its sessions.
| That doesn't look Us though there was
| any difficulty in finding out the
| cause OF the delay OF which the mayor
complains. But that isn't all. IL the
mayor cou du't get the information he
| iurnislea him by the newspapers whicl
We, from time to time. explained
the ccLdititn of the negotiations
b'tween tie city and he railroads, as
well RS the cause OF th delay in beginning
w, rk Oh he new sta ion. AS far as can
see a ow, the mayor has only himself to
| blame f. r his alleged lack of know ledge
Oh u snbject lie has become SO suddenly
sOlicitous about"
Mr.. Vaughan Talks.
Mr. William T.. Vaughan, chairma of
the joint special committee on rail-
roads. was found at his ofiic, on
South Water street this morning lie
was asked If information relating TO
~ G railway natt,r bad been Withheld
from the mayor as minated In the lat
t.r's message TO the common council,
Mr.. Vaughan smiled and said The first
inforn alton he had To that effect came
to him when the message WIS read in the
common uucil. There had, he said, been
no secrecy about the work of the commit
tee. 1t had "a difficult task before 1t and
had tried { O do its du Y. AS to the delay in
the beginning of he work on the new
station, it WAS due entirely to the Con-
oil da, ed railroad. The city through its
c. mmittee had more than kept its agree
ment. Land had ieen purchased, the large
holding ut Il c New York and New Eng
land was secured and everything the
Consolidated asked for had Leen ready
for it
Last fall President Clark of the New
Haven road at Il meeting OF the CommeI-
cial club stated that as soon as his road
could get possession OF the
proach to the proposed new station
work would be begun. The greater part
of the land in question belonged TO the
New York ana New England road.
The laltet corporation, Mr.. Vaughan
says, lived up TO its agreement. The
property / question was transferred To
The city. The city in turn made deed
transferring it to the Consolidated road.
O, May 16 last Mr., Vaughan noti-
fled MIR. Clark that the deed was
ready aud asked to whom he should send
il for examination. Two days later he
rec lived n reply telling him To send 1t to
Mr.. Clark who would In turn REFER III TO
the uusel of the road.
Mr.. Clark in his letter also stated tha
rs soon Us this company recelv, d the
decd the committee need fear no further
delay in the beginning of work on the
new station.
Ne.er Asked For Information.
Since that time the rold has post
poLed action on the ground that il
wanted It's counsel TO examine the title
to the land il question. There the mat
ler stands at present, and with these
facts the public bas been familiar for
many weeks.
Then Mr.. VaugGan's attention was
called to the sta enent in the mayors
message that he had been unable TO
elicit any particular Information ie!a-
| tive TO the present situation" OF the
terminal facli,es matter.
The mayor has never asked any in
| formation on the subject" he answered
prom pity ;and empnaticully. III he
| had ne would have received It.
lie was ~invited TO attend our meeting,
| EXTENDED the invitation TO him
personally ana more then tnat told
| him shortly after his inauguration that
! the other members of the committee and
myself would deem IL not only n
| du;y hut a pleasure TO give him all
the information in our possession, 4,
IA well as all possible assistance. Since
| that time Mayor Potter has attended
| the meetings OF the committee on two
| or three occasions only. When he says
by implication he Is unable
| TO obtain information from this commit
| tee lie stat, 8 wnat is not true. More
| than that / will say right here that he
| las ever asked for information and
| seemed until he wrote his message 10
| To- treat ;he matter with the utmost in
| difference"
Mr.. Vau chan was asked whether this
| committee would make report on the
| mayors message which nad beeu refer
| red 90 it. The committee will report
| at tie proper time," he answered, "and
| ayor Potter viii MT need e. complain
| Of en- ia want of information about IT. "