The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-04-01
THE NECESSITY OF CITY VOTES.

public spiritedscitizen who believes in
the support Of busness-like and con-
servative government such as we have
now enjoyed for three successive years,
and before that whenever the Republi-
can party has been in control, to come
ont and vote for CHARLES WARREN
LIpPITT and the full general aud Assem-
bly, ticket on Wednesday next.
OF the FIVE cities of the State, four OF
them cast sixty per cent of the total
vote. and the city of Providence casts
about 60 per cent. of that, and full 80
per cent. of the total vote of the State.
These cities all went Republican in every
election in 1894 by good pluralities.
and on them must especially depend
much of the success of the Repub-
lican party on Wednesday, because
the vote in most of the towns is quite
likely to show falling off-and the
towns being largely Republican the ac-
cumulated loss in the Republican Fl cures
is likely to be considerable.
In ten OF the towns no Assembly can
didates have been put up by the Demo
Gratis and in many of the other towns
the certainty of Republican success on
the local ticket is SO far assured that
the total vote is likely to be light
and the Republican plurality is
likely to be smaller than usual The
Assembly contests are usually of i'm
mense interest in the smaller towns. and
the vote on the general ticket reflects
this interest, and according as there is,
or is not, an enthusiastic contest for
Assemblyman, to this local interest must
be accredited a good proportion of the
vote secured for the general ticket.
Coupled with the Democratic demoral-
| ization in the towns is the fact that the
election of the Governor and State
officers cannot now be made by the AS
sembly, and this has undoubtedly con-
tributed to rob the local elections of
much of their interest.
The general ticket must be elected by
the people-and not by the ''cream of
the people" as the distinguished father
of the present Republican gubernatorial
candidate once wittily observed when
| referring to his own election by the Gen
efal Assembly. And the size of this
| plurality must depend largely upon the
four cities--and chiefly upon the city of
| Providence.
In the tremendous vote for Governor
last spring, Governor Brown secured
| plurality of 266 in Providence, his
! total plurality all over the State being
6507. But this was an extraordinary
election. 1t was tremendous battle,
the Democrats fighting as never before
very center of the conflict with every
| available resource brought to bear to
bring out the full Democratic vote, be-
cause, then, for the first time. plurality
would elect. The country towns were
abandoned by the Democracy because
the Assembly was conceded in view
| of the Senatorial contest and it
was expected that the strength of the
Providence Democracy alone would be
sufficient to give the Democratic candi-
date a plurality of the votes of the
State. Never before had the Democrats
brought out their vote as they did last
April in Providence. They made an
amazingly fine fight. feeling confident of
success if they could only poll their
vote. The result of that election was
slogan for the Republican party all
over the country, and the spark that
fired the explosion that came in Novem-
Der.
But in November, with every assur-
ance of success for the Republican nom
inees for Congress, the city of Provi-
dence gave the Republican candidate
plurality of 2131, or 80 per cent of his
total plurality in the district, this being
due to the fact that the Democratic
vote fell off nearly 45 per cent, while
the Republican vote only dropped 90 per
cent. as compared with the great battle
in April-the big Republican plurality
being due to the coming out of the Re-
publican vote. AT the city election again
the Democrats made strong stand,
pulling their vote Of 5379 for Congress
men up to S499, within about 1900
of the vote they cast in April, and suffi-
cient to have swamped the Republican
candidate for Mayor had he received
only the vote which the Providence Re-
publicans gave their Congressional can
didate. In word, il the Republicans
of Providence had not come out in good
strength and voted on the day of the
municipal election the Democrats would
have scored victory in that election.
Democratic apathy and demoraliza-
ton rarely affects the Democracy of
Providence as it does the party in other
parts of the State. The city Democrats
are pretty we'll united today, and they
have always shown liking for exhibit