The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-29

elected Democratic Mayor, Demo
cratic Board OF Aldermen and pretty
nearly a Democratic Council.
We were told then and have been re-
peatedly reminded since that this was
the result OF a great popular urpising
against the trolley corporation and rep
resented a spontaneous public demand
for transfer tickets.
II there was actually any such popular
uprising, the self-respecting people of
Providence would have good reason to
feel ashamed of their town and would at
the earliest opportunity give us an ex-
ample of another popular uprising
against such spirit of anarchy and reck-
less anti-monopoly claptrap IN their
midst. Aud II there ha, ever been any
demand for universal transfers. the
people identified with it must by this
time be disgusted and a-weary with the
DuHpllOuphosS, pls s-hcaHeuhS'o "HH az
competency OF the men who have, accord
ing to their own statements, been en-
trusted with the interests of the people in
the furtherance of such demand.
The tactics adopted on the stump in
wards and 3 during tho progress OF the
political fights waged by Goo-Goo candi-
dates for Office, which were alleged to
have resulted in victory for the interests
OF 1a5, 900 people as opposed to the "poli-
ticisns', were introduced into the negotia-
tions on an important business matter be-
tween the representatives OF the City
Council and the management Of the troll
ley corporation. and have again been
brought to bear upon the committee of
the General Assembly to which APP
peal has been taken, because the
trolley corporation declined to
submit to bluff and bullying. The City
Council committee went to the trolley
company ostensibly to negotiate. What
they actually did was to throw negotia-
tions to the winds and to go at the trolley
company with a club. Abuse threats,
and the intolerance of the political black
mailer characterized the methods of sine
gotiating'' on the part Of majority
of the City Council committee, and when
the trolley management undertook to find
a basis for the business like consideration
Of this proposition, Of SO much import
ance to the public IL not to the corpora
tion, the committee almost literally told
the trolley management to 60 to the
demnition bow vows. The committee
had nothing to do with talking business.
1t was engaged only in cramming the as
surances OF stump oratory down the
throat OF the trolley company and neither
the interests OF the latter nor of the pub
lie that the trolley corporation serves
Nouiu ioo VI ohy Ne'khs VI uiOtato aut
course of procedure for them.
Accordingly, after dodging every effort
of the trolley corporation to find COM
mon ground for negotiation. the Council
committee peremptorily broke away with
fine pretense OF indignation and the case
was appealed to the General Assembly to
which was presented bill for an act
that was so outrageous in what it sought,
so ridiculous In its pretensions to repre-
sent public demand, that nothing but
the fact that II originated with a body
that for the time being must be
recognized as representing the municipal
corporation of Providence could for an
instant secure for It serious considera
tion ut the hands OF any sane legislative
body. With this bin and armed with
the same weapons that were brought to
bear on the trolley corporation direct, the
Council committee appeared before the
legislative committee and it may be said
that never in the history OF legislative
proceedings has consideration OF serf-
GUS ana important matter been asked for
on any such flippant and bumptious an
appeal as that made by this Council COM
mittee whose position the legislative COM
mittee is bound to retain their respect for,
despite its methods OF presenting its case.
The rapidly-made history of the trolley
corporation and OF other corporations
that have franchises, demonstrates clesrl y
enough that the public interests will be
better and better served as the years, nay,
only the months, go by. We make no
doubt this town will receive transfers or
as valuable advantages in its trolley SER
vice. The indications ought to be plain
enough that no city in the country can
hava bafter or ohaopay tropspnrtatin, O.