The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-07

IL Ii wasn't such hot weather, we guess
the voice OF the people would rise up, as
II were, and smite Councilman LYMAN B.
MESSENGER OF Ward SO hard that the
impact would splinter his tympanum.
Councilman MESSENGER has put in a
bill for an ordinance and the bill is now
in the ordinance committee providing
that the hand organ man and his fellows
shall not be privileged to play in our back
yards between the hours of seven o'clock
in the evening and eight O'Clock the next
morning, except by permission OF the
chief OF police. And penalty is provided
for violation.
| So far as Councilman MEssINoER's bill
aims to deprive the people Of this town OF
the copious supply OF hand organ music
it has always been our privilege to enjoy
we say II deserves the condemnation it
will certainly receive al the hands OF the
voice of the people SO to speak-just so
soon as the voice of the people discovers
the animus of the measure and rises up to
throttle it and the Councilman in the bar
gain. Better had II been for Councilman
MESSENGER had he spoken a kindly word
in favor of the trolley company in the
presence OF Journal reporter, than to
have flung himself bang up against public
sentiment as he has done in this anti
hand organ bill
But if Councilman MESSENGER seeks
not to deprive us entirely of the music on
| our block but only to put the power in
the hands of the chief of police that the
permitting power may, perhaps, refuse to
| grant license for a'summer nights con-
| cert in the vicinity OF Councilman Mes
| SINGERS residence because the Council
man may want to sing himself that even
ing and doesn't care for competition in
the neighborhood, or, on the other
hand, may discriminate by granting per-
mits by the score to play on Bridgham
street and SO deprive the rest OF us Of our
| ration of music because there won't be
enough to go around-the bill, We affirm,
is equally. as Objectionable. We are
amazed that our esteemed contemporaries
have not already discovered in it another
plot of the city hall ring to control, in
their own selfish interests, the free and un-
limited coinage of music in this town.
We would not on any account be held
as rejecting on the integrity of the chief
OF poHce, even should he be put to the
strain that this measure would certainly
impose. He is upright, a man of con-
science, and even an Eighth Ward Council
man can't always succeed in pulling his
leg. Neither would we care to be reck
oned among those who might claim that
our chief of police is not capable OF musi-
cal discrimination, that he might give
permits to organs equipped with barrels
that pleased an unmusical ear and refuse
to license the barrels that the people love
to have revolved. The chief, as a matter
Of personal knowledge, has very good
ear for music, and is, besides, capable of
feeling the popular pulse, and as public
official, a servant OF the poepse, we are
sure that however his personal prejudices
might incline him to organs whose reper-
tory was charged with high -falutin' stuff,
he would give the people at large all the
popular melodies OF the day, reserving to
himself, for Friendship streets aesthetic
entertainment, his own personal >selec-
tions, not seeking to force them on the
people.
No. Councilman MESSENGER, 1t is not |
that we particularly fear the workings of
your bin. 1t is the principle OF the thing.
Your measure is most outrageous piece
of paternal legislation, striking at the |
very root OF the privileges OF the people.
We fear you have been attacked by one of |
those reform microbes that are just now |
thicker than summer bugs In the atmos-
phere OF this town. The fact that you at |
tempt to make your lone personal senti-
ments a matter OF public policy would |
suggest this View. Just because you go |
to bed at seven o'clock in the evening
and don't want to hear any music until
eight O'Clock the next morning, you have
no warrant to assume that the rest OF us
do and don't.
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RENJAMIN OVfNN JnNEc