The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-23
A YEAR AGO.


rsign then just opening had not been
mixed by the Democratic leaders who saw
in the agitation against the trolley cor
poration an opportunity 10 secure the
municipal administration for themselves.
For years before, to be sure, they
had prated about the "City Hall ring"
and had, periodically, attempted to brow
beat the public into turning over the city
government to Democratic control. Quite
as regularly, however, was a failure scored
ano the citizens of Providence simply
went to the polls annually to register
| their confidence in the kind of mon that
had for half a century been identified
with the progress and development OF
| the town.
The ''transier ticket" issue was, how
ever, an entering wedge Of great political
| advantage. As an issue, as subsequently
developed, it did not cut much figure in
most of the wards and where II failed to
arouse the necessary agitati on, other "is-
sues" were trumped up to snit the sec
tonal needs OF the Democracy. The coun-
Gil delegation from Ward Two, which has
proven TO be about the lamest and most
absurd quintette that any ward in town
ever sent to represent il In the city gov
ernment was, we should say, the only
delegation that was chosen solely be-
cause of the animosity aroused against a
semi-public corporation by desperate pol
itical methods coupled with a not alto
gether incomprehensibls but still indie
Isnsible popular deluson as to the same.
! The fancIful ana fantastic can
! VAS made by the Goo.Goo and Demo-
I cratic candidates Of the Second Ward
| viil go Oh record as one OF the most Curl
Gus episodes in local politics, and we are
MT surprised that the citizens of that
and disguised with the kind Of represen-
tation they have had in an ad nistrative
body tnat was never squalled for peculiar
inetiiciency, and with the extraordi uary
inca pacity and fiapdoodleism hich found
tn, /. g2udiest and Rayest exponent In
the A, dermsnic chair that had Ward 2's
label oi 1. and Ward 2's choice occupying
1t.
In the candidate for Mayor that the
Democrats put up under the sleazy guise
OF non -partisanship, all the issues CEN
tered but from them the anti-trolley
ho. .ey showed its grinniug teeth with the
mes: copspicuousness. Mr.. McGUiNNEss
in lis canvass filled his hands from the
general mud pilo and proceeded 10 fling
the mud, bot Ii was for the riyhts
OF the PEOPLE against soulless cor
poration and a boodled city govern
mint Tor which he most stood ana
most talked. The Democratic candidate
for Mayor 1uring his campaign said a
great many things that have since been
proved to have been not at all SO. He
made, by inference, at least. n great many
promises that as matter of fact he nae
no; carried out. But it was with relatio ion
to the transfer ticket matter that his
rerklessness OF statements and his rich
of
notorious by the utter collapse of the
former under the hre Of mis- own ex parte
administration and the impoverishment
OF results from the latter. MIR. McGuIN-
NESS canvass for the mayoralty year
ago recalled In the light OF his record in
office, convInces US that at the former
time the candidate. while appearing to
be not on the heels OF corruption was sim
ply engaged in the amusing psstime of
chasing himself II he meant anything
by II, ,he results OF his administration
have not discovered the meaning. He has
been after something or other ever since
he took office with the ever inevitable re-
suit OF bringing mp on the completion OF
his cycle at the point from which he
started.
Rapid, frequent and cheap means Of
transit for our citizens between the d d.ffer-
ent parts of the city are absolutely essen
tisl to its proper growth and develop
ment, ,"wrote the Mayor on the very open
ing pages of his inaugural message,
seemingly oblivious to the plain fact
that such means were already available
at the time snd that they were almost
daily being made more rapid, more fire.
quent and cheaper. But, OF course, the |
Mayor had transfer tickets in mind as he
stated little further along. That there