The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-18
WE SNIFF "REFORM."

The summer zephyrs bring to us gentle
whifs of the redolence Of reform. We
inhale the breezes, we sniff the reform
and within few short weeks we expect
TO be able to gulp down whole table
spoonfuls of an atmosphere that will be
surcharged and heavy laden with the pun
IL 1t might choke US and make us gag, but
we are sure that we will recover and find
the air cleared again before the municipal
campaign really opens.
| For II Is the odor OF Democratic reform
the gentle whiffs OF which are borne TO us
| by the summer zephyrs. There is the
| fetid fragrance of the Tenth Ward, even
| now snitiable in it, delicate and softly In
sidious as II is. There are traces OF
the strong musk from that bloom of
perennial glory, the GEoRGEJwEsTUs
perpetualis, mingled with the dainty per-
fume given out by that newer graft, the
blushing BAssETrUs dulcissimus. And
the sometime arid desert OF the vast
Tenth seems about TO blossom with a
rank luxuriance heretofore unattainable
because OF lack OF opportunity, and to
send sprouting cen to the zenith long
shoots OF the prolific reform plant with
tendrils reaching into city hall whose
granite walls il wraps about with tropi-
cal overgrowth, while each and every twig
blooms luxuriantly with transfer tickets
and hangs heavy with the juicy buncombe
berries.
Reform is popular fad just now-mu-
nicipal reform. To be sure it has been
made popular by reason OF the fact that
certain of our municipalities were for a
long time prior to the discovery of the
reform idea under the control of Demo-
cratic administrations. We do not re-
call any notable instances where 1t has
been found necessary to develop the re-
form idea in community that is politi-
cally Republican. There has been no real
need. But we are sure that in Provi-
dence our Democratic friends are going
to pose rs municipal reformers next fall.
1t Is in the air. We can smell it. For a
generation, at least, the government of
the city OF Providence has been I'm the
hands of men who call themselves Re-
publicans We guess 1t has pretty nearly
always been in the control of Republicans.
The record OF municipal government is
peculiarly clean. There have been no
scandals, no misgovernment. Mistakes
have been made. There have been errors.
But they have not been of character
serious enough to demand change and
the people have sustained successive gov
ernments Of Republicans because OF their
integrity. The city has prospered, and Is
a clean, well governed city. We guess
there are few cities In the United States SO
pal administration has been of so gene
rally excellent character the people have
refused to make it over TO the gentlemen
who want Office for no better reason than
because they are Democrats.
But our Democratic friends have caught
on to the reform idea and they are be-
ginning to set It in motion. The "abuses"
of the Union Railroad Company are their
lever. First, some good persons dis
covered the abuses and then the Demo-
Gratis picked them up and proceeded to
plant them-to plant them in the spring
for harvesting In the fall; and the field
was further plowed for any other small
shoots of the reform plant that might be
made available. The people cried aloud
mot very loud but loud enough for the
public spirited Tenth Ward to hear and
for that nest of municipal localities, the
Third Ward, to harken to-and 10! the
"'SAS itb
birthright OF Democracy, is preparing to
rise up in arms and to make the air fairly
sizzlc with reform.
Just watch for II. Just wait for II.
Catch on to the city Democracy reeking
with the perspiration OF labor in the
vineyard of reform later on. And
Councilman WEST will chortIe in his joy
as he sees the plant grow And the whole
Democratic party will wiggle with the
new life infused into 1t.
But we shouldn't wonder II just as the
buds are bursting blight will come.
1t is likely to be just as frosty for the
Democratic party next November as it
usually is, no matter what sort OF a crop
they try to grow.