The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-18
AN OPEN LETTERING S.

To the Hon. Nelson Wilmarth Aldrioh,
United States oenstor:-
Dear Senator---I have IL on credible au-
thority that. in remote parts OF the world,
Rhode Island is known as tine State
that Aldrich comes from"
This, OF course, whilc markedly iiatter-
ing to you, IL not unoomplimentary TO
your Stato. Rhode Island Is, as everybody
knows. a very imposing commonwealth
for It's geographical and political dimen-
sions, while you are very largo man 10
come from any state. You may. indeed,
feel justified In feeling that in the greater
world you would have won only duly
proportionate share Of fame as coming
from Little Rhody.
never knew a man yet who was able TO
progress very far In tho world because of
his nativity in any particular state, any
more than because no was the son of his
father or was free and accepted Mason.
You are right In giving the credit for your
name and fame TO your own endeavors,
your energy, your tact and yonr talents.
Still, il seems TO me you must aokuowl-
edge that you owe something to Rhode
Island, too. for the perspicacity evidenced
by it's people in persistently returning
you to your post in the Senate. That's
not little TO credit them for, it seems
to me.
You hove demonstrated in your career
that a great deal of good can come out OF
Foster, for in Foster you were born, a
contemporary OF the Hon. Jim Wright,
who for all know. first discovered you
to the world, and perhaps contributed to
your early education in the art and pro-
fession of politics. The Jim Wright In
stitute of Politics Is almost as famous as
Brown University has recently become by
reason of an exceptional opportunity for
advertising and If il Is indeed true that
you look to it as your Alma Mater /
must say that you have done credit TO it
and must be regarded by the students of
today as one of the most distinguished
alumni. You learned the rudiments Of the
sugar business in one of our best known
MAJ hpusoa ha ie,a
thereof that you hayo since been credited
with having acquired was thus developed
on a substantial foundation. In recent
times you have taken up the tramway
business, a sort Of a side line as appeared
Mt first, but having given to it large
measure Of your talent and enterprise
am not sure that posterity will rememb ber
| you for your distinction in that line quite
| as much as for grand master at the art
| OF getting through the kind Of tariff bill
you want TO get through, rather than the
kind of tariff bill you pretend TO want
to get through.
For you must know, Senator, that
have had a suspicion that you have cul
tivated the art of dnesse to a very marked
degree. AS l have pondered over the
splendid abundance of criticism and abuse
discharged at you on account OF your
efforts to place upon the statute book of
your country tariff measure as different
from that that Mr.. Dingley proposed as
chafipg dish is from frying pan, 1t has
gradually come to me chat the tariff bill
you framed over and regilded was by no
means the tariff bill that you expected
your fellow senators to ad opt. Perhaps
I can illustrate what mean by remind
ing myself that when an aggrieyed party
feels that the editor has damaged his
reputation $4,000 worth or has been
bruised py one of the Union Railroad cars
to the same amount no promptly sues
under discriminating legal advice, for
$40, 600. He has no desire or reason TO
expect that he will secure judgment for
the lattor amount although of course the
chances are usually better that he will IL
ho is suing the Union Railroad Company
than II he is suing the editor OF The
News. for instance But he knows, or his
lawyer knows 1t for him, that II he only