The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-30

Our eminent all-round literary friend,
Mr.. A. M. WILLIAMS, occasionally de-
lights himself and his associates with q
story about an Irish editor who, when
unsuccessful at racking his brain for a
subject for his "leader," time being
short, an empty column staring him in
the face, copy in demand and the
newspaper waiting on his space-filler
to burst its leashes and go to press, con-
ceived happy thought. He clipped
the day before's leader from his rivals
sheet and hastily penning an indignant
headline, "What does our loathsome
contemporary mean by saying this2"
rushed the article to the typos.
Now, THE NEWS is not hard up for
copy or subjects today, but we would
like to know what. under the canopy,
our pater, The Providence Journal, means
by saying this-which We print in full:
Although the election of Mr.. Lippitt as
Governor next "Wednesday is assured, 1t Is
equally certain that he will not receive a ma
jcrty of the total number OF votes
which could be cast in this State.
The Republican party enjoys its pres
ent prosperity not on account or It's
own virtues but because of the total incompe-
tency of the leaders of the Democratic party.
Increasing the taxes. paying open subser-
viency 10 graspng corporations and filling
important offices with worthless charac-
ters would soon bring out the reserve
vote against them and place the present In
cumbents in a hopeless minority. No govern
ment can call itself secure until it is intelli-
gently supported by decided majority of the
franchise holders. and that happy condition
has not of recent years been the lot Of the
Republicans of Rhode Island.
We don't care to devote much space
to discussing this amazing paragraph,
but simply PRINT it that our readers
may acquire an idea of how big speci-
men of fapdoodle half million dollar
newspaper plant can produce, off hand.
1t is certainly astounding, though, to
read that mo government can call itself
secure until it is supported by decided
majority OF the franchise holders" in a
newspaper that complained of majority
rule, year after year, until the plurality
law was substituted.
We fail to understand at all that
section which speaks of "open subser-
vency to grasping corporations and fill
ing important offices with worthless
characters" It's application is rs OBJ
scure as the inside Of barrel with the
bung plugged up, and its syntax would
drive the foot Of the class in an inter-
mediate school into 6t.
But the first sentence of this remark.
able production is fairly Ineligible.
You can tell something of what il
means. 1t declares that the election oi
Mr.. LIPPITT as Governor next Wednes
day is assured" That is, OF course, {
fact. 1t also goes on to state thst, 'i
is equally certain that he will not re
ceive majority Of the total number o
votes which could be cast in this State.
That is fapdoodle. Observe th'
word could" Ten million votes "could'
be cast in Rhode Island If there wer,
voters enough to cast them. If any
prophetic sight can estimate the Ger
tainty of a result Of all the votes tha
''could" be cast in this State, it could
make the oracle of Delphi blush will
shame at its own incompetency. As {
matter of tact. as. distinguished from
fapdoodle. of the votes that will be cas-
CHARLES WARREN LIPPITT is very likely
to secure majority. Governor BRows
had a majority of 243 in 1892. He had
majority of 3451 in 1894. The tota
majority of the Republican candidates
for Congress in November last was 6S40
2s92 in the first district and 394S In the
second district.
We can't guess what the result might
be of all the votes that "could" be cast in
this State next April, but there is pre-.
cedent for the opinion that of the vote
that will be cast Colonel LIPPITT will
get clear majority.