The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-26
WHO ARE THE ELECr9

1t Is beginning to develop that there Is
an elect within the circles OF The Journal
reform party, the party that tolls not,
neither spins, but only kicks the party
OF kicking lilies, II we may be permitted
to pursue the metaphor into the last
ditch.
! II is become manifest that about
the nucleus, the eight original sponsors
OF reform-lster reduced to seven,
and still again further reduced to six
every body who may want to reform
things is not TO be permitted to revolve
in an orbit OF equal diameter. There are
to be circles within circles just as there
are wheels within wheels in the cranial
cavities OF some OF the reformers. There
is to be an elect, sort OF 1900" of re-
form. And The Journsl, in the pose OF
the WARD McALLIsTER OF reform will
select the elect and identity il.
The process OF sitting, OF asserting
and OF properly assigning to their proper
and respective orbits, is now going on,
and is visible so far as ii has gone. Mr..
f.. ID BAssETT, despite mis- recent unfortu-
nate reflection on the unselfshuess and
distinterestedness OF the Consolidated
railroad, a subject which should not
enter at all into the reform movement
since who says sught against so holy
thing does but argue himself unhallowed,
is, OF course, within the inner circle, the
first born and best beloved OF the child
rem of reform who gather about The Jour.
nails knee to say their little prayers and
rest their weary heads on The Journals
buxom bosom. Mr. RATHBoNK GARDNER,
needless to remark, Is of the elect, the
choicest spirits OF reform who exhale
the kind of reform and no other kind
that The Journal means wher 1t refers to
the subject AS 1t doea occasionally refer
to II. There are indications, also, that Mr..
JAMES A. WILLIAMS, too, may be taken
into the fami lily circle, as a sort of adopt
ed son, though Mr.. WILLIAMS political
parentage is in doubt, no card OF explana-
ton having been found tied to the basket
in which he was discovered on The Jour
nails front stoop.
But do these represent the reform SEN
timents just now stirring the souls OF
the suffragists loose In this town? Not
much. Compared to many reiormers,
Mr.. BAssETT, Mr.. GARDNER, even Mr..
WILLIAMS, surely the Journal, are mar
row-minded, unintelligible and too prone
to chew reform in only small bites. When
the reformers got together in Infantry
Hall the other night under the auspices
of the Rhode Island Citizens Leag ue--
whatever that may be-we showed 'em
what reform really could mean In
this town IL 1t were let loose and had .
chance to air ITSELF We gave to the
palpitating atmosphere some reform thun-
der that about split the tympanums OF
such small reformers as Mr.. BAssETr,
Mr.. GARDNER and The Journal. We
made chairman WILLIAMS wilt under the
collar. We showed The Journal that II
II is going to reform his town II mustn't |
try to do in homeopathic doses.
But though we let loose go valiantly at |
Infantry Hall we were unable to reach
the larger ear OF the mass Of the people, |
who were not there to listen. The Journal
ignored us. The Journal Disseminated
IL against us. The Journal gathered about
its fold OF selected retormers and declined
TO admit US to the joyous circle. We
were made to feel that we were but the
under crust OF reform.
There was p. J. MCCARTHY, a"citizen,
but not partisan, and a veteran re-
former when The Journal was in the
swaddling clothes OF reform. The Journ-
sl,s 400 Of reform have no use for Mr. |