The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-04
NON-PARTISANSHIP.

rum inphnt--pTeellnBr'
1t shall go on the records that 10 the
city OF Providence on the 80 Of Novem-
ber, 1898, a Democrat OF life long stand
leg was chosen with all bat unanimous
ness by his fellow citizens, Republicans
and Democrats, to sitin the chair OF the
Aiayor. This imposing fact commands
attention. We are OF the opinion that en-
| examination of tie returns will develop
! that every vote that made plurality
! for Ma or McGUINNEss was contributed
by men who ordinarily call themselves
Repu blicaps. TO our mind, there Is not
/ the least doubt thst II the total vote had
teen divided by even loose kind OF
party lines, Mayor McGUINNEss would
have reen oyerw helmingly defeat ed.
More tnsn that, il IS far from the unlikely
that more Republicans voted for Mayor
MoGUINNEss than for his Republican
opponent, SIR. CovEL.. To go farther,
persopl more Repub bliclns than DeDio-
Gratis voted for Mayor Mc5UINNEss.
The conditions that developed this
situation are several and various. They
conspred peculiarly in favor OF Mayor
| McGUINSFss. 1t is not to the point now
to consider them or to seek to discover
how far a change In or the absence Of
any one or more Of them might have
altered the situation shown in the cleo
| iion figures. The spectacle actually
presented ia most curious, entirely novel
and wholly interesting.
The SPIRIT of Nom -Partisanship -again.
Grse,ings! so far as this town is con-
| ccrnrd vs. thing of almost exactly twelve
monIns' Visible growth-no more. AT
the municipal election less than one year
ago 1t was wee infant in arms, and
| though clnmorou' invoked did make
but smsll sligo and bid fair 10 laDguish
and Gle altogether. Yesterday larger
numbtr OF citizens than perhaps ever be-
| fere marked tsllots in this town on the
same oay went into their booths at the
| 22 voting places, and when what they did
there wGs dis losec, 10 therc was the
| Spirit OF Non -Parl rlisanship swelled up
ana nlling space like most porten~
tous genie OF the most am zing political
Wonderland ycu could possibly imagine!
We venture the option st no COM
munity In the country has ever developed
anything 10 compare with 1t for substan-
tial proportions.
Was il indeed really IL? Was 1t truly
and susely Non Partissnship? Look at
| the figures! Is there no mistake, actually
| Is tho expanded genie Non Partisan?
| ook at the figures There Is no mis-
take. What developed IL may be argued.
What would rave kept it sealed in its
urn may be explained. Wbilher ]. may
betake itself 10 the future msy be dis
cusseu. Hairs may be split over hun
dred problems about 1t. But as to its
identity there il no mistake. 1t was
the Spirit os Non Partisanship that
beamed exultant upon 'us yesterday after
the sun went down upon nll that silent,
socrt. pencil pushing IN the voting
booths. 1t was, aud don't let anybody
fool himself that 1t was not.
What rare sport the citizens OF Provi-
dence had in those voting places yester-
day! How they did survey that war map
Of names. select their victims-drop tnem
gently hut firmly their favorites,
x them fondiy but vigorouly-!ook over
the list again To see IL they mad got 'em
all right-the X beside tho right man,
be ne Republican or Damocrnt, or Prohi-
nItionist or Socialist Labor. or Dem. Good
Gov. or Rep. Good Gov, or Dem. Citizen or
Rep. Ciiiz or just plain Citizen, or Rep.
Ci,iz u. Ind, or Rep. Independent, or
Dem independent, or Dem. Good Gov.
Prohibit, or whatever else he was, so
long us he was the particular man they
were after or we o not after as the case
might be. Voting, privilege9 Voting, a
duty? Why vo ing yesterday to the ma
jlrity Of our fellow cilizehs was as abb
sorbiugly erestinG, as delitiously ex-
cililg as gime of Halma at lsast.s Not
10 rny more so.
And so out OF the box came the candi-
dates In q heap as hor relessly confused as
a bowl of we'll boiled vermicelli. And IL
you will look at the strings now they ste
pretty fairly Strengthened out, you cannot
fail to observe that A, who is a Democrat,
got q heap OF votes, while y, though also
Democrat, did not begin to get so many