The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-29

would be undecided from our present
knowledge OF their business abilities.
We would probably be as willing to vote
for Mr.. LITTLEFIELD as trustee of our
church or president of our bank as for
Colonel LIPPITT. If. however, we were
to choose between them for any Office
having to do with the public service we
should. irrespective of politics. be more
disposed to vote for Colonel LIPPITT than
for Mr.. LITTLEFIELD, for the former has
given evidence of an extraordinary
amount Of study Of public questions, of the
possession Of talent and ability and men,
tai equipment for the consideration an
treatment Of matters of public iml ort
that have secured for him prominent
position among our broad-minded and
public-spirited citizens and afforded
every evidence Of thorough equipment
for high Office as the representative OF
the interests of State. Mr.. LITTLE
FIELD may be similarly well equipped,
but if he is he has never had, or never
taken, the opportunity for the display
of it, and, accordingly, we should
choose Colonel LIPPITT, political con-
siderations being left out.
But. perhaps, our correspondent will
protest that we cannot demonstrate that
Colonel LIPPITT has any monopoly of
fitness, or if he has, that the governor
ship of the State of Rhode Island de-
mands any more than Mr.. LIrTLEFIELD
is possessed of. We will admit that. IL
our correspondent pleases. with the reser-
va.ion that the value of any position is
more oftener than not limited only
by the qualifications of the person
who fills it. The higher the qualifica-
tions OF the office-holder the greater is
likely to be the value of the Office. But
waving this we will revert to our pro-
test that we cannot make really salts
factory answer to our correspondents
question without considering the factor
of politics.
The State is a political institution.
iNhCSo iOi tilCC ID 40 LhuIu otpCubCht
on the fitness for administration of the
political party which the office-holder
represents as upon the office-holder
himself. The candidate for Office is
not an independent creature. He repre-
sents the principles of the people who
nominate and elect him, whether those
principles be of n political party or Of
some other body of citizens. la this
election the citizens are divided by
political lines. Colonel LIPPITT is the
representative of the Republican party,
a party of splendid principles and prac-
tices consistent with those principles.
Mr.. LITTLEFIELD is the representative
of party that is in discredit because
neither its principles nor It's practices
appeal to public confidence and
support. The influences behind Colonel
LIPPITT are influences that have ever
worked for the welfare of our State as
they have for the welfare of the nation.
They have ever conserved the interests of
all the people, the capitalist, so called,
the wolkingman, SO called, and every
body else. They are guarantee
of good government. of efficiency,
of economy, of decency in the State Of
Rhode Island as in the country
at large. The influences behind
Mr.. LITTLEFIELD are the same that,
on the rare occasions when they
have prevailed, have given us
"Rump' house, office scrambling, ridicu-
lous and vicious legislation, loose and
expensive management of the States
affairs, the floating to the surface of
self-seeking politicians of little standing
or character outside the party that pro-
iuces them with the luxuriance of
fungi, and disturbances to the smooth and
business-like administration of State
affairs to the despair and disgust of
thinking people.
II Colonel LIPPITT were the candidate
of the Democratic party and Mr.. LIT
TLEFIELD of the Republican party we
should still believe that Colonel LIPPITT
was the ''better man" for Governor, il
only his politics were different, but we
should feel that Mr.. LITTLEFIELD would
make better Governor because he
would represent that political party
which has better demonstrated its
fitness fer the administration of public
affairs and would contend that Mr..
LTTLEFIELD with the Republican party
in power behind him would better serve
the State than Col. LIPPITT with more
personal ability, but with that ability
tainted with Democratic ideas of how to
run government and with the Demo-
cratic party behind his every movement,
We are glad, however, that situation
like this is not before us. We are able
to give our support to Col. LIPPITr
both because we believe him to
be the "better man" and
because he represents the better party.