The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-26
OLNEYVILLE.
The Other Side Heard Last Evening
at the Engine House.
The Opponents Of the City Charter Scheme
Out In FO;c:-Notes.

the oppressive temperature I'm order TO
listen to what their fellow townsmen
knew about the proposed city charter
scheme, its advantages and disadvantages.
The meeting, as was expected would De the
case, was controlled by the anti-charteritos
and all the speakers save ono, spoke In
opposition TO the scheme, but their reasons
for doing SO were OF the shallowest kind.
Not one single good argument was made
in support of the opposition. The speeches
were all Of the party caucus tone and
color and Will have no weight with any
one capable Of thinking for himself. so
far as creating sentiment against the city
charter the meeting.wa Hat failure.
III. Is. Wood was the first speaker. Ills
opening remarks were intended as a
reply TO statements made by Hon. f. L..
Freeman and Others at the Wednesday
evening meeting. He then ohampioned the
farmers, To whom he declared great In.
justice would be done If the city charter
should be adopted. he referred To the
ring rule that has governed the town for
years, and made terrific onslaught on
the police department for permitting the
town To pe converted into "a sink of in
iquity by gamblers, unlicensed liquor
dealers and other classes. more or less
undesirable and criminal.
He referred TO the town of Warwick.
the largest town In the state. as having
excellent roads and being well managed
In every way by the old-fashioned town
government system, on tax OF 90 cents
He said their town meetings were not
ruled by q mob, and there was no talk OF
city charter In the town. The people OF
this town, he said. have grown disgusted,
not with the form Of government but
with the administration Of the towns
affairs, which, during the past few years.
has sunk the town into debt TO its limit.
Since 1888 this town, he said, has anpro-
priated $225, 900 for highway work. What
has been done with ity he asked. The
condition of the roads of tho town Is a
disgrace. The money has been frittered
away.
He referred 10 the state sample road,
which he characterized as n gigantic
swindle. lie asserted that no one has
been able to learn the exact cost OF the
half mile Of sample road which was built
in this town. but from what information
could be obtained on this point IL was
estimated that the cost for "a mile OF such
road would amount To about SIS, O00. A
city form of government was necessarily
more expensive than the town form, not
withstandipg the claims OF some OF the
speakers at the Wednesday meeting TO the
contrary. A man must be fool, he
declared, to believe anything different.
He said he wasn't much alarmed at
the prospects OF tho town being deprived
of street lights and police protection, il
the city charter should be defeated.
He had 81 tenants, and he said fs did
not expect to see them all move out of the
town as soon as the lights were turned
off and tho police removed from the
streets
Henry +. Thompson was the next one
called on for remarks
He said he had been pronounced
advocate of the city charter idea up 10 the
time of the last meeting of citizens, but
lofe ss,xex Infs ,tt,ad ff
the scheme His mind was changed by
the tone Of the remarks Of n majority OF
the sleakers of that evening. He said
above all things he disliked most to hear
men call each other fools and that, 1t
seemed to him, was the tenor of the re-
marks made Wednesday evening.
He thought IL was not fair TO draw
comparison between the towns OF Johns
ton and Lincoln. as was done by MIR. Free
man. The conditions were not sufficiently
alike and n comparison was absurd. The
town of Lincoln, prior to tine incorpora-
tion OF the city Of Central Falls. had q
population of 90 600 and n property valu-
alton of sl2, 000,0 600 while the town of
.Johnston's population was only TO- 200
and its property valuation about 81, oO0-
600.
One OF the calamity orators at the last
meeting, he said, spoke of the darkness
that would overcome the town II the city
charter was defeated. He didn't think
the town would be any more In the dark
than it was at present.
There Is a way out of that darkness, he
said, II we get into it, and II the present
town officials don't know il they can get
the advice by paying for It,
He didn't believe 1t would be wise to
change the form of government. He be-
leved in the old town system when the
people come together TO transact the busi-
ness of the town. He had faith in the
ability of the people to manage their own
affairs
Anthony Corcoran Of Manton was me
next one given a hearing. His remarks
were on the same line as those he de-
livered Wednesday evening He didn't
show Any very good reason why any one
should oppose the city charter, but in his
method of reasoning IL was plain to see
the advantages of the new scheme, al
though that was not Mr. Corcoran's in
tention for he is "agin" il.
Mr. Middlebrook introduced himself ms
another one from Manton. His logic was
equally ms good as the preceding speakers.
in his efforts 10 thow why he was OPP
posed % the city charter. He said the
Msnton end OF the town had never been
able to get Justice at the town meetings
The appropriations for that section were
either defeated or the meeting was ad-
iournsd before they were reached. He
10 vote on the charter question he deter
mined To oppose It, He had no faith i'm
the registry votes because he believed
they could be purchased. He knew they
could be purchased for he had seen il
done.
Among the signers of the petition for
the passage Of the charter act by the
General Assembly be could pick out 20
from Manton that could bs purchased and
~ of that 20 didn't know what they were
signing when they wrote their names to
the petition.
Paris Mathewson, the "old Roman"
was next called on. He said noarlv every
body had made fling 1T the financial
but Mr.. Phillips. He let it alone He
wasn't there. He had other FISH to fry
and he almost get his goose cooked in the
bake, too.
If the city charter will help us, let us
have it. | don't know whether | shall
vote for 10 or not. Two been gulled so
many times already l might DO able TO
stnnl IL. was induced last year To vote
for an independent council. There was no
Justice IN asking man from his part Of
the town to support fire department. in
Olueyville lie got no benefit from IT,