The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-19
THE MAYOR AND Hrs ADMINS
TRATION.

| and not too analytical consideration ol
the adm inistration OF which His Hon ol
L. ID. McGUISNEss has been at the head
| for something over nine months, we
take for . text the following:
Resolved, That the Municipal League
| OF Providence hereby endorses the admin
| stration OF EDWIN ID. MCGUINNEss al
| Mayor OF Providence for his honesty,
ability and non-partisanship In the
executive office, aud commends him fol
reelection TO the voters at the coming
election. III
We omit reference to the matter Soi
honesty" which the foregoing reso-
luton considers Of first importance. We
should hope that Mayor MoGUINNEss'
honesty would nsver be in controversy.
That one qualification ought to oe
taken for granted. We shall therefore
conhne ourselves TO considering how far
his liability and non n-partisanship in the
executive Office should commend him
for re election to the voters at the coming
elsction"-upless the voters are pre-
sumed to be thoughtless aud emotional
idol worshippers or citizens who find no
difficulty in forgetting Whatever they do
not choose to remember and are moved
by bias regardless Of facts.
Overlooking several lapsss in the past
from high standard demanded Of a
citizen who performs pu blic duties which
are not today at issue it Is to De ssid
OF His Honor II. ID. MoGuINNEss,
Mayor OF the city Of Providence, that
between the charges that he made and
the promises that he pledged to secure
the Office which he now occupies and
the record OF his attempt to prove the
charges and his failure to keep his pledges
there is exposed a wide gulf that marks
him either as o foolish and vain protender
regardless of his public uttersnces or a
wicked caluminator and selfish seeker
for honors to which he was not entitled.
Mayor McGuINNEss is q man Of ire
proacha BILE private character and personal
integrity. That he should, In seek in z
public Office, have abused the conf see
that these qualities had secured for him,
makes his oaense particularly glaring.
AS a political poseur he has seemed to
be absolutely regardless Of the principles
that control In his career as private
citizen and reckless OF his private reputa-
tion for sober judgment and honest
uttersnce. To be sure, he was sorely
tempted to the disaster OF failure and lost
public confidence. He found himself
placed In the position Of an sd-
vocste of an impossible cause, With
q RlIttering prize 40 a reward for
temporary success. II was not alto
gelhcr his fault that the term OF his ad-
ministration now drawing to a close,
has justified MIN In no way in the cour7e
he adopted to secure Office. But his fellow
citizens who give serious thought to the
matter have Ii in their power to deny him
a continuation Of that confidence which
they were misled into reposing in him
about one year ago.
Briefly stated the Indictment that his
thinking fellow citizens to-day find
against Mayer McGuINSEss rests on two
counts; First, he made charges which
were unjustined end could not be sus
tained; second, he made promises that
he has not kept. Upon the good faitn
repcsed in these charges and pledges he
was honored with tho high Office he now
occupies but that good faith has been vi
olated In practically every particular.
IfMsyor McGuISNEss could not sustain
the charges that Candidate McGuINNEss
made, n Mayor McGUINN Ess could not
keep the promises that Candidate Nc
GUINNESS pledged, Mayor McGUINNEss
was either unfortunate or blams bic, and
Candidate McGuISNEss was either foolish
or Intentionally wicked. In either case
a trust has been violated.
IL We glance at Mayor MoGUINNEss' in
augurai message, presented SIX weeks af-
ter his election, we find therein the set
tied, presumably well considered and GER
tsinly somewhat soberod OF contentious
that in the hurrah OF the campaign OF
last fall be had fang fast and loose from
the stump, Ills wild charges about mu.
nicipaI eItravegsnccs are only psralleled
by his solemn pledges TO "psy as you
60" TO quote the language OF his mes
sage. The charges OF extravag0nceSgainst
previous administrations nave been long
since quashed and the present admins
trstion has SO far lspsed from the