The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-05-16
LOCAL OPTION.
How Quickly the Proposition Was
Killed When Hugh's Hand Appeared.

RnRh ]. CARROLL may be tho Boss GrokeI
. 0l BnWtncket, His mere word may zoe
law among the Democratic voters of
Tho hye wards OF the nttle olas
and in tho neighboring country towns
but, II facts go TO prove anything, MS
power In Providence Is o. somewhat
Questionable character. When Mr.. Sar-
roll wanders out of his borough, in TACT,
his Influence grows less with sueh
astonishing rapidity that IL may even De
duestio ioned il he il able to attain theSum
NIT OF hig ambition which, at the present
time, Is the chairmanship OF the Demo-
cratic State centSal committee.
Some days ago there was introduced
into the House OF Representatives an act
providing for local option in regard TO
The liquor question. by the reading
Of the act the annual license or no license
vote was not To be optional but compul-
sorry. and as il was discovered that the
measure had Just seen the light in Paw
fucket il was suspected that Mr.. Carroll
knew more about the matter than any
other person.
In the course of time and TO the total
surprise of the members of the judiciary
committee to which the act had
been referred, the measure was reported
with recommendations for its pass
age. One OF the committeeman who
had not been present in the House when
the bill was presented started TO look the
luAkkGI uD anu 10 u4r kiCub hiBAASc LIZ
found that there were but two members
of the committee who knew anything
about the measure, and the questions that
suggested themselves were how and when
the act was considered and recommended.
The members quickly took the bill
under consideration and, contrary to the
anticipations OF the gentlemen from
Pawtucket, IL was defeated in the House
when the vote was taken.
In speaking of the matter yesterday
one OF the members OF the committee
said that the bill was of too much
ip1portance to be rushed through at the
end OF a session, for there YVES every rea-
son to believe that IL had been prepared
for political purposes only. Under the
present law ample provisions had
been made for those who wished to vote
on the license question, and the effect OF
this bill would be TO keep the matter
stirred up every year, probably with most
serious results.
IL was for this reason that the bill was
killed and it would probably have been
put to sleep long before il the committee
rs q committee had ever had an oppor-
tunity to consider il.
Another apparent Carroll measure is the
effort to unseat Representative Wheaton
Cole of Pawtucket. The charges were
man, there were Carroll men on
the committee OF Investigation and it was
Carroll men who engineered the examina-
tion. 1t Is doubtful, however, IL the
resolution OF the committee ever
passes the House and if it does
The effect of such an action would be
somewhat peculiar. According TO the
resolution the seat occupied by Mr.. Cole
is to be declared vacant, on account
of the fact that he was not
legally elected in April, 1893. As this
cannot be done, the House having no
TO allow the former occupant To return
il is this course that must be
taken and as Mr.. Cole succeeds himself II
will be somewhat difficult to unseat him.
III the resolution had stated that
Mr.. Coles political opponent had
been elected this would have been
different but as the matter stands at pre-
sent the House may unseat Mr.. Cole as
the representative for 1888, but he will
still remain under the provision that
ensbles him to hold mis- seat until his
successor Is elected.
It IL in this manner that the Democrats
OF Providence and from other parts o.
Rhode Island are showing their disrespeci
for the wishes of the Pawtucket dictate
and when he returned, will
his sad heart, 10 his home yester-
day afternoon--after the House hac
shown such deliberate intentions OF sit
ting upon him-even the car wheels
rumbled and rumbled in rhyme, and to
him the noise took the form of these fa-
miliar and all too true lines:
''Thc best laid pans Of mice and men
(uuer vlav