The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-20
TEN GROUPS OF WISDOM.

In ten towns in the State of Rhode
Island the Democratic party has failed
TO make nominations for Assemblymel
to be elected on Wednesday, April 3,
next.
This failure indicates much wisdom
on the part of the Democrats of these
ten towns, although we marvel much
that such wisdom should exist in SO
many of them.
These towns where the Republicans
have the field all TO themselves are:
East Greenwich, Jamestown. Johnston,
Little Compton, Middletown, Ports
mouth, Smthfield, Exeter, Foster and
West Greenwich.
Little Compton Democrats rarely
make nominations. We don't know as
there are any Democrats down there,
though there are few Prohibi-
tionists. In Portsmouth, Ntoo, most
of the Democrats call themselves
Prohibitionists, although the party usu-
ally puts up candidates. Middletown
and Exeter, too, are communities where
the Democratic candidates represent
nothing more material than supreme
loyalty 10 political principles.
But what shall we say of Smithfield,
and of Foster, and of East Greenwich,
and Johnston, and West Greenwich!
Smithfield is the town where so fine a
fellow as ex-Speaker Adm b. CAPRoN
was not infrequently put to it
to hold his own against the
Democratic hosts-we use the word
"host" in a figurative sense as the total
vote Of the town rarely exceeds three
hundred. And how about Foster? Has
JIM WRIGHT, the mighty. at last un-
horsed his lifelong enemy, forever?
Foster has rarely been a doubtful town
when JIM WRIGHT was out of bed,
and he has rarely been confined
to the house since we have known
him. And may we assume that
Foster Democrats have at last given up
the long struggle against the destiny of
events and the indomitable Senator
WRIGHT? Peace to their ashes.
And here is East Greenwich, too.
Why, it was ever grave question
whether or no we should capture a
full delegation from East Greenwich.
And now the question seems to
be in the grave. And Johnston-have
all the Democrats disappeared from
Johnston before the yearly-growing
strength OF the valiant yeomen of the
grand old town?
But saddest of all these collapses, to
the Democracy. must be the loss Of
West Greenwich, one time the pivotal
town, on which the destiny of State pol
itics was in past times wont to wob-
BILE in fearful way. West
Greenwich has been Democratic
stronghold OF tremendous Importance
when it came to tie vote in the AS
sembly and West Greenwich holding
elections every day in the week for seven
days, yet to be heard from What is
the meaning of this? 1t hardly seems
possible that the news of recent politi-
cal events has so soon reached the Demo-
cracy of West Greenwich.
Undoubtedly the plurality law is the
cause of much of this backwardness
among the Democrats of so many of our
sister towns. The Democracyex in the
past chiefly to make trouble in majority
elections, and it now being impossible to
make trouble all these town Democrats
are disposed to retire gracefully.
But il something of the name of Demo-
crat is not voted for in these towns
on next election day to the extent of 9
per cent. OF the total vote cast, the
Democratic party in these communities
will be prevented by law from making
nominations in the future.
WHERE has Colonel FRANKLIN PIERCE
OWEN been in this distressing emer-
gency.