The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-31
Very Peculiar Kind of Fl
nanCial Reform.
No Penalty for Passing Check
That Is Worthless.
Obtuseness That May Lead to Liti-
cation in the Courts.

Yesterdays session of the Board OF AL
dermen furnished a striking example OF
the kind OF financial reform this town is
going to get at the hands OF a Goo-Goo
government. Alderman Nichols and fell
low-reiormer are in for retrenchment
"ss Is retrenchment,n and they have
adopted a very simple and somewhat un-
usual expedient for accomplishing their
purpose. Ii is nothing more or less than
cutting down every appropriation asked
for one-hslf. II makes no difference that
the whole sum is absolutely needed. The
Goo-Goo reformers care nothing fer that.
What they are after is retrenchment with
a big r, and so they lop off the npprop'i-
alton in the middle. Their economical
system Is pretty much the same as that
which a reporter who fourished in these
Plantations some years ago attempted to
Introduce into the journalistic profession.
h reporter had been assigned TO a
church lecture and about a. m. turned
In about three columns Of copy. The ed
itor glanced over the mass and handing
it back TO the man Of the pencil. told
him TO cut 1t down one-half. Back TO
his den the reporter proceeded with The
manuscript. For half AN hour he sorted
over the pages and having divided them
into two piles OF an equal number OF
sheets each, seemed to have struck a
snag. After a few moments cogitstion,
however, a bright idea seemed To strike
him, for he FASTENED to the editor and
asked: (Which half OF that lecture do
you want-the first half or the last half?'
By recent disclosures IL was made
known that a Providence man has been
borrowing money and giving in payment
checks upon a tank In which he had no
deposit. This calls attention 10 the fact
that IN this state there is no law directly
dealing with such cases. In New York
and several other States the giving OF a
check when there is no money in the
bank TO meet il Is a very serious offence
ard 10 Feverely punished. Here In Rho1e
Island there is no specific law on the sub
Jet and there is no other way of reaching
n man who passes a worthless check than
by prosecuting him for obtaining goods
or money under false pretenses. Should
fuen II NutAh NC given III pay uitu Y o
previously contracted debt the person
passing 1t could not be prosecuted at all
as the law stands at present. Some years
ago ex-Chief Child recommended that a
law for the punishment OF Iersons who
uttered worthless checks Re passed, but
like a good many other equally valuable
recommendations, nothing ever came of it.
1t Is interesting to note how persistently
Boston keeps up her fight before the ma
tional Legislature for the improvement
OF ner harbor. There are pow In Wash
iugton fer the purpose OF urging large
appropriations for the belterment of the
waterways 10 tie modern Athens Presi.
dent John II. Lesson end ex-PresIGent
Jonathan A. Lane Of the Boston Mer-
chants Associstion, Colonel Il. III. Has-
kell aud Wellington Smith of The Paper
Trade Association and Alden speare Of
the Associated Board of Trade. There is
one thing about The business men of
Boston and th,t is they know what they
want and are not at all back ward in ask
ing for 1t. Through their influence and
exertion millions OF money have tesn
sIeut by the national government in inn
proving Boston's harbor and by that
means that port has teen able to over
come the many and serious natural disad-
vantages under which che lsbors. Why
don't the business men OF Providence
show an equally enttrprisiDg spirit? 1t
is true the government, has done consider
able work in widening, deepening and
strengthening the channel, but it is not
yet what it ought to lie. The need OF
the competitor of the improvement on
the lines originally planned should be set
before TIE national government in as
strong a light as possible to the end that
it may he induced to provide the money
required. And ii may be just as well to
remember hat an appropriation will not
be secured by one asking. On the con-
trary, the only certain and sure method
is that pursued in Boston, aud that Is
persistent ~hammeFing until he desired
end is ettained.
The obtuseness Of some individuals,
who seem TO be fairly successful ss the
world goes, is remarkable. This morning
the Gossiper's attention vas called to a
case Of m,ntal density that before long
is likely to be exploited i'm the courts un-
less a settlement is effected. a citizen
who is regarded by his fellow-townsmen
as somew hat above the average Of inte,li-
gence, and who has, through his thrift
and frugelity, accumulated considerable
poperty, entered into to a contract with
a builder some time ago for the erection
of a dwelling house. TIE pans called
for a cellar TO be dug for feet deep.
This was to be surrounded py a stone
wall up TO the level Of the street and on
ton Of this there was TO he three feet Of
brick underpinning, thus giving a height
To- the cellar OF four feet. IL so happened
that when work OF excayating was fin
fabed a,d that a tho IavfnU Of tho a4opa