The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-26

usurpers of the peoples will. autociats
of the suffrage dictators, manipulators,
managers heelers all, will welcome with
| wide-open arms the accession TO MEM
bership OF Mr. Howard q. Stugges, coun-
Gilman from Ward l. past grand master
of cleverness in epigram, frsmer extraor-
dinary of picturesque figure of speech
knight of the Kid Glove. the foremost II
not the only, exponent Of the survival
Of civic sense in Goo-Gooism.
| According TO a local contemporary, Mr..
| Sturges was approached by the Repuoli'
| cans OF Ward ana asked 60 select for
| them couple Of council candidates. lie
acquiesced and tho gentlemon he named
were unanimously made the nominees OF
| the subsequent caucus OF free ana
Independent Republicans, expressing
their convictions through the medium
of the great American primary, in which
all men are equal and a few sometimes
seem to be more than the equal of the
rest IL statements of the maligners of
that institution uie 10 be believed. Ihers-
after, according to the chronicle. came
to Councilman Sturges, the Democrats OF
the ward with tho request that he name
a couple of candidates for them. And
upon his naming the same two gentle
men thus fortunate in the favor OF Coun-
Gilman Stufges, the Democratic voters,
as their free and voluntary act, so help
me. otc.
We believe we share prevailing public
sentiment of regret in the voluntary pass
lug of Mr.. Sturgos from the sct ne of his
earnest and interesting labors in the
! Common Council But we are also con-
fldcnt that the people of this town Will
rejoice, as wo do with the oliRarchy OF
the insiders and the fellowship of the
boss, the machine and the manipulation.
| that from the ranks Of oivic obscurity
| through tho sieve of public service, Mr..
| Sturges IL arrived mt an altitude OF boss
ship that may we'll make him the envied
of mis- fellows in the boss business. AS 1t
must command the unqualified admira-
tion OF his fcllow-citi zens. And so we are
| not to lose him.
| Whero can we find parallel to, or a
precedent for. the kind Of boss ship exem-
plfied in the mastery somple of the handi-
work offered by Mr.. Sturges at the very
outset of his career as boss. so far as ii
has beeu publicly made manifest? IL is
unique, original. What party boss OF all
| history would assume to dictate to both
partiesY Or IL such bold and original
| spirit did exist, what show would he have
| Of. acceptance Of his mandateY Would not
such an attempt to rule. two opposing
| partisan bodies be met with prompt and
| vigorous opposition2 "T'row him down,
| McCloskeyl" would echo from one end of
the battle-ground to the other and like
prosumptuous boss would be flattcned out
| like n pancake beneath the feet Of the
contcnding forces. unless, indeed, such
an usurpation of authority should stagger
| the partisans and render them incapable of
recovery before the time for resistance
had passed-as il we'll might be expected
| to do.
Truly, the boss ship of Mr.. Sturges is
as fine art TO the poundings of q black
smiths helper by contrast TO the methods
and WORK of bosses as we ordinarily
| recognize them. We behold In him II new
and shining light in the armament OF
bosses beside which all others pale, like
wicks in the etfulgence of tho incan-
descent Cards and spades can the new
development In bossism give TO the old
regime and then beat it out OF its boots.
Mighty Is tho potency OF the gloved hand |!
Since the molnentous moment that
Councilman Sturges took the oath of
Office, The News has never venturcd to
critioise or to oavil. Today this news.
paper can but congratulate itself on its
political perspicacity In thus early dis
covering new force in politics that,
while not pretending to soc clearly its
ultimate fruition, it yet instinctively
recognized as possessing elements that it
would be only discreet to reckon with
soulfully and not be hasty In combating
--as who should say, This poker has a
hot end-be carefully No wonder Mr..
Sturges scorns the paltry Office. He Is Of the
timber of the bosses who create tho Office
holders! The people are his creatures,
the offices are his to dispose Of, the Office
holders only the servants OF his will.
career with ro-awakcned interest Happy
the ward that knows his rule and trom-
bles with delight at his power. Happy
tho town when that rule shall have
extended to its ncthermost boundaries,
as IL surely must rocking rs little of
purilo compacts like that Of the Munici-
pal League as Of the lesser bossism that
darcs not venture beyond tho boundaries
| of party name. We may confidently expect
| that one OF these days the name of Boss
Sturges will be eDbagoned in the head
lines of our contemporaries surmounting
terrible fulminations against his power
and rule. Mass meetings will be held tn
denounce tho Boss of Bosses and to
arouse the peoplo to shake Off the yoke
Goo -Gooism, or something TO the same
effect will rage rampant to rescue the boss
ridden town from Boss Sturges. The
"botter element" and thinking citizen"
and all such kind will howl at him In pub