The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-23
play has become ridiculous as we'll as


UIterior motives may be referred to be-
cause they are daily becoming more APP
parent as the Providence Journal aban-
dons one pretext after another as II is ex-
posed or is threatened with exposure.
And all the smaller, mesner motives, all
the personal grievances, all the eager
ness to wipe out old scores in which the
public has no earthly interest, are
absor bed in the larger and more readily
discoverable objects that 1t is hoped to
secure.
One is the political success of the Dem
ocratic party. In inclination, The Jour-
nal is Democratic newspaper through
and through. That 1t does not come out
honestly as backer OF the Democratic
party is due solely to cowardice and
selfishness. The loss OF circulation and
influence would quickly follow upon such
q step and the loss of business patronage
would ensue upon the falling OFF of The
Journals clientsge of readers. But The
Journal thought it found in it's reform ;
movement a happy scheme to turn the
city over to the Democracy without COM
promising itself and while concesling its
ignoble motives under the cover of "in
dependence, !" indignation, F" "reform,
and public sentiment that has never
existed. The success OF it's effort would
have meant another thing, too, of import
ance to The Journal corporation, and that
is restoration of Journal supremacy as
power in the community with continued
possibility OF Journal dictatorhip in the
affairs OF the taxpayers and citizens Of
this town in which it has no earthly in
terest that is not selfish.
And, so, we find no public sentiment
to engage in controversy. We may only
combat the Providence Journal and in
doing that We believe We represent a
large majority OF the public sentiment in
this town, for no public sentiment
prompted the first ''reform" line that the
Journal ever printed, nor has any public
sentiment como to the support of the col
umns of stuff that has emanated from The
Journal Office. Indeed, the whole scheme
is exposed as fraud. An unknown and
unimportant organization is alone in COM
ing to the support OF the Providence
Journal In its ridiculous scheme and the
end OF all the absurd and untruthful stuff
that has been printed is a resolution
passed by this so-called "organization" 4"
| that The Journal has printed in big type
out that represents only the opinion Of
the handful of queer visioned citizens who
framed its resounding phrases opinions
that are entitled only to the respect that
their authors personally can command
from the twenty thousand voters in this
I town.
We cannot take leave of this subject
without expressing our sincere surprise
that The Journal has SO signally failed
to stir up any important public interest
in the matter to which 1t has devoted SO
much OF its space. We are not in:re-
quently reminded that newspaper IN
fuence" is not "what II used to be-" An
intelligent citizenship thinks and reasons
for itself outside of what newspapers
tell it, and does not always accept news
paper statements as expressing more than
the personal opinions of the fellow that
writes them. But when you consider the
com mbined circulation OF the product OF
The Journal plant, the two newspapers that
It publishes every day reaching a very
considerable part OF the population, 1t Is
amazing at first blush that so little influ.
ence should be effective TO secure sup
port for whatever The Journal corpora
tion undertakes to promote. We may
well express surprise that the Journal
has not succeeded in "arousing" the