The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-04-27
CHAT AND CHAFF.

-Of course. the State Department ex-
plains that II IL not an ultimatum that
mas been cabled TO his Serene Things
Abdul Hamid, the Tooth.
The term ultimatum h~S fallen into
too common use altogether.
1t IL handled now a-days in a way
that is not calculated to add 10 its
prestige pr Importance.
Nobody ever heard Of ultimatums.ex-
cept as minor exhibit in the varied
collection of the unabridged dictionary,
until the Cretan revolution when Eng
land sent an ultAnatuin that so far
from being an ultimatum, in truth. as
II was in name, was only the beginning
OF tedious series OF ultimatums.
The Greek war resulted from neg
lect on the part of the parties Interested
to comprehend the meaning and respect
the majesty of the ultimatum and bear
in mind 1t meant what the dictionary
makers said il meant.
The dictionary proved TO be correct
as " usually does.
was sent by the President of the United
States 10 Spain.
Spain turned up her nose at ii and
war followed.
Barring little ultimatums between
great big nations and small fry, the
big fellows being,invarisbly the senders
and the small fry the receivers-since.
TO exercise the ultimatum privilege with
safety IL is wise 10 first size up the 9TH
er fellow and figure that you are able
To wallop him in event he doesn't re-
Ceive the ultimatum kindly--the next
ultimatum Of great historic interest was
sent by Dom Paul Kruger when he told
the British government that he would
give IL until next Wednesday" 10 move
its troops back from the Transvaai bor-
der.
That was the most sensational ulti-
matum since David told Goliath to get
off his shadow--though, OF course, in
those DAYS they didn't call them ulti-
matums or anything else. They just
said it and it went.
But now-a-days since we first began
To have ultimatums in our midst the
term is threatened with falling into dis
repute through too familiar use.
Every time a government OF big
power says anything trine more than
ordinarily sharp to the government of a
little power. the newspapers all begin to
holler ultimatum.
And they do not seem to realize how
they are abusing the term even after
ultimatum has followed uhimatum in
a particular case for four or five times
in the course Of diplomatic passage at
arms.
Moreover We have the ordinary ulti-
matum of commerce in our every day
life TO an astonishing degree.
Fathers deliver ultimatums to their
sons.
Wives to their husbands.
The boss gives one now and then ia
the office boy. t
TIE school master to the refractory
pupil.
Collectors leave them at your resi-
dence or place of business after they
little account justifies.
And so ultimatums fly thick and fast
as the autumnal leaves that strow the
brooks in vallombrosa.
1t is a fine high sounding word. is ul-
timatum. and folks find much pleasure
in it's use just as the old lady did who
thought Mesopotania the most precious
word in Scripture.
But to be a real bonafide ultimatum
an ultimatum must necessarily be an
ultimatum.
Now they want the charter of the
city OF woonsocket made over so that
the Mayor won't have so much power
and the legislative branch of the city
government will have more power.
This eager anxiety for a change is
evidently traceable to the circumstance
that the woonsocker charter was
drawn with an idea that the Mayor
would always be of a particular party.
whereas the woonsocketers have devel-
oped a disposition to put Mayor OF
the other political party in the chair,
the council meantime remaining stead
fast and loyal to the reasonable expectA
ations of the statesmen who framed
? the charter.
Here In Providence the situation Is
regarded from directly opposite po-
litical point Of view.
Since the Democrats developed a
capacity for clecting mayors we have
had a lot OF preaching of the doctrine
that more power should be placed in
the mayor and less In the city council.
which latter continues Republican.
The charter of the city OF Providence
was of course framed long before such
questions az this were considered, ex-
cept I'm the most general way. the sys-
tenn adopted for the administration OF
the federal government being. gener-
ally speaking. the model for municipal
charters.
But times have changed and the dis