The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-05-06
ARIyULET OF INDIGNATION.

road Company's franchise" held nomi-
nally under the auspices Of the Union
for Practical Progress, and in the inter
est Of which this newspaper had taken
pains,to devote much space to advance
notices. W as held Saturday evening.
For a fairly complete report of this
interesting event we beg to refer our
readers to the Providence Sunday Jour
nal of yesterday. 1t is a far cry in
these busy days from Saturday night to
Monday afternoon and our columns
must needs be filled with the
news of the day. But we
shall take space here to give our readers
a review and an adequate impression of
what this mass meeting was like be-
cause we have from the start taken con-
siderable interest in it and besides the
report IN our esteemed contemporary of
yesterday, while complete enough as a
newspaper story, can but give an utterly
wrong impression Of the occasion. This
misfortune is due to the bias of that
newspaper. The Journal today is en-
trenching on the field heretofore held
without competition by our other meas
urably esteemed contemporary, The
Telegram. In fact, the former appears
to be trying to drive the latter out of its
territory. The Journal is sort of ROBES
PIERRE in the new burlesque revolu-
tion. Its rival has the nature of
MARAT, but history will be reversed
by these figurative newspaper char
acters, we opine, if the competition
continues long enough.
That the meeting at Infantry Hall had
any warrant for being called the "voice
OF the people," or that it was "a tre-
mendous gathering" representative of
anti-Union Railroad sentiment, is sim
ply not the fact. Infantry Hall was,
perhaps, half full. We should estimate
there were seven hundred men pres
ent-a more than fair estimate. The
seating capacity of the hall is about
sixteen hundred, we believe. 1t was a
large enough meeting, we should say, to
give satisfaction to the promoters with
out discrediting it by needless exaggera-
ton. We have seen Second Ward eau
cuses in Infantry Hall as well attended
rs was this meeting.
On the platform were some of our fell
ow-citizens who are distinguished for
good works and ability and more that
nave not achieved distinction, as yet, and
ave us no hope that they ever will, by
'eason OF already being back numbers.
Neither OF our contemporaries published
complete list of those who honored
he meeting by sitting upon the plat
orm. The list In full would detract
argely from any idea that anybody may
ave OF the importance of the meet
ng as being at al representative of
he substantial interests of our COM
hunity. The audience was repre-
entatlve much as any company
I men that might be attracted to
hre. or dog fight, a circus. or any
ccasion that attracts men to crowd
round and see "what is going ON
We remark this without any desire of
laking any reflection on the audience. .
ut simply to emphasize the fact that it
as representative of nothing in par
cular except for that proportion of !;
that is by nature always pronounced :,
its tendency to protest and wax in :,
gnant at every opportunity. There was :,
so in the audience representation of :,
at sentiment in the community that :.
els that injustice is being done because :;
have not transfer tickets, have not 8,
nders, or have rot more cars. a senti- -
ent tho honesty of which we appre- =,
ate, while we are inclined to believe A.
at 1T pas been led to give an undue :.
agnitude to the desirability of the de-
ands 1t seeks to make upon the trolley -.
mpany, and has no idea at all of what =.
carrying out OF these demands i'm g
'es on the corporation. There were 81,
sent also goodly number, mem bers NJ
the city government for instance, who -
re their to learn at first hands the =.
,ure OF the consideration" that would =.
given to the subject of the meeting. ~
That indignation" and "protest" =
re the slogans of the gathering was -
nonstratei clearly enough. There ~.
5 no discussion. The gentlemen who a.
Ike attacked the railroad and the city 90,
'ernment from one point or the other
no invitation was extended to any 49,
er kind Of remarks. And if any other ~ -;
d had been made they would have ~,
dly met with cordial reception. a.,
"rapacity" and "greed" of the troll 80,
corporation were dwelt upon, and the =.
lblic sentiment" of the six or seven a.,
ldred present was emphatically with o.
speakers, as it might be guessed. :,
lr. RATHBoNE GARDNER was the :,
and principal speaker That he did 60,
arouse the enthusiasm of his audi. ,ho
e, as did, for instance, Mr.. ]. A. 20,