The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-04-11

We learned recently from the Journal
that the city of Providence had captured
the com pact part Of the town Of Johns
ton. The conquest was made without n
str asgle and. indeed. was so quietly con-
summated that few people were aware Of
It. 1t seems that a committee OF Johns.
tonitss had been caught on this side Of
the border and were promptly held as
hostages, the ransom for their release
being the surr snder to 1.-THE municipal
powers of the territory referred to. At
least that was as near as the situation
could To intelligsntly understood.
But now we understand from our g. c.,
tho Olneyvilie Times that what the
Journal indicated is not true. Johnston
is not captured. Johnston is still free
and independent town power, at liberty
to have Goo Coos and lead pipe cinches
on Its own internal affairs rs heretofore.
without interference from the government
OF the city OF Providence. We under
stand that the Johnston annexation oom-
mlttee is still being held as hostages,
but, so far as we can learn, the govern
meut Of Johnston doesn't begin to value
them highly enough to warrant 10 in
swapping one square foot of territory for
them. They may stay In Providence If
they choose. Johnston will remain In
Johnston.
We are not surprised that it isn't true.
Few things that the Journal says ever
are true.
The amiable efforts of the Journal to
consummate the annexation of Johnston
without reference 60 either the Johnston
ties or the folk in Providence were practi-
cally completed some days ago when the
Journal told all about it. There Is q COM
mittee of the City Council appointed to
confer with a committee of the town Of
Johnston, the latter having hsen appoint
ed by itself, as The News has heretofore
veraciously set forth. AS nearly as We
can undei stand the Journal rsport, the
conferences Of those committees have re-
suited In the annexation without the me-
cessity of bothering anybody else. With
cheerful assurance the Journal reports
that the land newly acquired from our
neishbors In Johnston twill become the
third district of Ward = for short period
and afterward districs ward"-what-
over that Is. We are also Informed on the
same authority that the city is to proceed
with . new ward division to better ac-
commodate the territory acquired, and AZ
the city authorities were going to redis-
tribute the wards anyway, Johnston
people have no worry In this particular. "
We guess that Is so, as We understand
that the majority Of the population Of
Johnston is organized into Don't
Worry" Club, any way. as a sort of foil
to the annexation enthusiasts. Accord
ing to the Journal too, "The oity will
assume the school district debts OF the
territory annexed, and proportional
part of the town debt This is a per-
fectly equitable arranGemsnt and will be
satisfactory to all citizens who give the
matter thoughtful consideration, which
certainly will te vary nice of them, and
we are informed, too. that 'the result Is
satisfactory to the Johnston committee.
But according to our 9. O., tho Olney-
VILE Times which usually knows what
IL is talking about, the town Of Johnston
still preserves It's autonomy and ths terri
tory which the Journal had led us to sup
pose had been grabbed by the city after
the fashion that Germany recently grab
bled a mouthful OF the Chinese empire.
The Times indeed, charges that the
whole annexation scheme is a dream of a
Journal reporter resident In Johnston,
who is getting square for failure on the
part of his fellow citizens to appreciate
his services in town politics by leading
flibustsrina expedition to seize the terri
tory on which the offensive politicians
thrive. and convert 1t and them to tho
uses Of the municipality where they will
be handler to get at through the columns
of the Journal
We don't know about this. but it must
be a great relief to those Johnstonites TO
be thus assured that they are still In
Johnston.
AS for the city of Providence, Of course,
II any part of Johnston wants to come in,
we would be very glad to annex It, But
we don't want to do tho reeoncentrados
act on our fellow citizens over the border.