The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-16

our esteemed contemporary the Bristol
| Phoenix cries out With an amusing SEM
bisucs Of horror and a not less amusing
spirit of rebuke: statesman, indeed ;
Shades of Hamilton ana Sumner. to
what base uses the word statesman iE
subjected nowadays, and what a Rlori.
ous occupation The News has, to be
sure, bestowing fulsome praise on every
thing, good or bad, which has the Re-
publican label"
The News Acknowledges TO y fondness
for the "Repu blican label" indeed. 1t
often enough may be relied upon TO cover
a multitude of what some persons are net
disinterestedly disposed to regard as
sins, and msy often be depended upon
to transform them into virtues acknowl-
edged by all the world, il you give 1t
time. But to The NEWS an occupation
far more "glorious" than that OF praising
"everything which has Repu blican
10 bel" is that OF puncturing fiuo dub and
dissPcting fihp1oodle, OF earnestly in
quiring into things that 1t is asked to
believe are so-and-so with a view to dis
covering IL they really are not something
else. To suct joyous occupation The
NEWS is ever glad to devote its hest ener-
gies, invoking oply a spirit of conscien
tiousness, Of fairness and OF as much
common sense as may be possible to it.
The Hon. THOMAS COLLIER PLATr is
one OF the best abused and most vari-
ousIy lied about men OF our day and gen.
Grafton. Many of our esteemed contem-
poraries have informed their readers over
and over again that he is Il very wicked
man. But The News has chosen to form
it's own opiniop--in no spirit OF partisan
ship, be 1t said, but inspired by the
faith that no human. being could be quite
so wicked as SO many of our mugwump
contemporaries have made out the Hon.
THOMAS COLLIER PLATT to be, and whose
verdict our contemporary Of Phoenix ha,
evidently accepted with 80 much Of
childlike faith.
OF course, Mr.PLArr is "psrty boss"
and that alone is enough to condemn
him in the eyes of our ntugwump cen
temporariss as 1t has also opened him to
attacks from fellow Republicans in New
YORK State who are not themselves
party bosses, at least are not bosses OF
such power and influence as Mr.. PLATT
has. But 1t Is fact, of course, that
an ordinary intelligence may grasp with
out too great effort, that party boss Is
far from being a supreme autocrat. lie
esnnet be- party boss aHiess the party
permits him to he. And so far as Mr..
PLATr, for instance, is a party boss
that is an honor not TO be despised in
great state like New York with It's
thousands upon thousands of earnest
and honest and intelligent American
citizens supporting him in his boss-ship.
The fact Is, of course, that like any
other party boss, the Hon. THOMAS COL
LIVER PLATT does not run the Republican
party OF New York state, but on the
contrary the party runs him aud in spite
Of all opposition retains MIN as IL,
chosen boss. And whatever the duties
OF party boss may be it must be ad-
mitted tnat Mr.. PIATT performs them
well. greatly TO the benefit of the party that
supports him and to tie interests of the
Empire State that supports the party
that supports Mr.. PLATT-and IL MIR.
PLATT we're not a remarkably able and
far-seeing man, warranted by natural
talents and training TO be classed as a
statesmsn 10 whom the shades OF HAMIL-
temporary, miyht we'll bs disposed to
extend the right hand of fellowship, he
would not have been able TO secure and
could not possibly hold bis position as
recognized influence in New York poll
tics, singularly gifted citizen who is
honored and respected far beyond the
measure achieved by the average Ameri-
can.
1t is silly To- prcten that thetributes
paid him oy the Republicans and citizens
generally Of New York State have besn
"coerced"-to quota from the Popocratic
oratory OF the late campai gn-from intel
ligont American citizens ia behalf of a
nature that is weak aud ignoble, talents
that are only mediocre aud motives that
are base. And yet that is what our con.
temporary must believe II 4, believes In
the ridiculous stud shat our Mugwump