The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-06-09
The VOiCc,Of
The People
Editor Providence News:

Editor Providence News:
The traction monopoly is at the pres
ent moment defying and attempting 10
| nulnfy a law Of the state. This law that
the traction monopoly is defyins and at
tempting to nurify makes a legal days
work for employees on the street railroad
| OF this state TO consist OF ten hours
labor to be performed within IL consecu-
| tive hours.
This law was enacted at the instance
| OF tho street railway employees and 10
similar 10 laws relating to labor on street
| railways which obtain In other states.
| The employees OF the traction monopoly
| wish the law obeyed and a large num-
ber of them have filed protest against
the unlawful action OF the monopoly. by
| refusing 20 sell their labor otherwise than
| as the law directs. and have conse-
| Quently left the service OF the monopoly
| In a body. thus seriously crippling the
street car service OF this city and It's
| suburbs. The preponderanoe Of public
| sympathy Is with the employees In this
controversy and IL is only necessary that
| II shall be retained for the employees 10
win their battle
| Nothing, however, will more surely
! ALLEVIATE that sympathy than acts OF vio-
| lenoe or disturbances OF the public peace.
| or not, will be laid at the door of the
| striking employees and no one knows this
better than their opponents.
To whose interest IL is then that scenes
| OF violence and rotinG shall occur. To
| ask the question is TO answer H. Let,
then, all respecters OF law and all of
those who sympathize with the employees
In the unequal struggle, discontinue
and frown upon and treat as q device OF
the enemy. any suggestion OF disorder.
no matter from what source IL emanates.
The public has II in It's power. peaoea-
bly, and effectively TO compel the trac-
ton monopoly to obey the law. Let them
refuse while this strike Is in progress 10
use the cars of the monopoly. Let them
refuse absolutely TO lend their counte-
nance or bestow their patronage upon
this lawbreaking. law defying. law nulli-
flying aggregation In anything like the
degree that public sympathy Is with the
striking employees at the present moment
and the position assumed by the traction
monopoly will be abandoned very quickly
Meanwhile what are the prosecuting Of
fcers OF the state doing 10 uphold that
authority a law of which the traction
monopoly spits upon with contempt? Is II
true In Rhode Island today as IL was
true in England in the days OF biuff King
Hal that:
The law shuts UP the man or woman.
II
mon,
But turns the greater villain loose,
Who steals the common from the
goose?
GEO d. LIDDELL.
POLICE COMMISSIONS ORDER.
Editor Providence News:
The Constitutional League Is an old In
stitution. the head OF which is the Hon
to amend the constitution of the state.
This object is embodied in a bill now be-
fore the house. The bill II made q law
would permit 5000 people to propose
changes In the old. dilapidated affair. which
now rules. which the Union railroad IT.
self repudiates by It's announcement that
they did not consider the ten-hour law as
passed at the last session of the general
assembly, constitutional and that they
did not intend to accept It's provisions. al
though our supreme court has decided
that every law is To be deemed constitu-
tional until declared unconstitutional as
Mayor Granger stated In an interview
published in The News.
To further this object, the league con-
GUIDED to have open air msetings To
sion OF the police These meetings had
Of se eesss sas the
itiatiye" and to induce them TO register.
Registration Is at an end JUNG 30
sion s forbade IT, - " ~
What do you think Of that. ye wooden
why did they. the police commission
forbid IT. Ostensibly for fear. OF dis
turbance. A most ridiculous idea. But
hayseed hays "a commission comm could not stand for
that, where Is the contention that II "a
state police commissfon) would prove such
n vast Improvement on our home rule
force AS far as reports go. the Paw
tucket police are doing very much better
than our imported material
told the man OF medicine that whenever
he smoked he experienced some very pc
culisr symptoms: His head becape dizzy.
he became very nervous. etc. winding up
with the usual query. What can you do
for me- doctor? .
"I would advice you TO Stop smoking.
answered the doctor.
THE man became very Indignant. IT did
not come here 10 Joke: / came Tor pro-
fessional advice" he answered. waxing
"I am not Joking" said the doctor.
THAT Is my advice and IL is profes-
And he paid Sc for advice. as he put II.
that he could have got for morning.
So II seems to me is the police COM
such poor thing that II was bowling
farce. at least such were the arguments.
so we rot the real thing" a commission
that would secure th~ rights OF the com
munitv under the most trying oonditions.
A. present a strike - going on, The
Constitutional lesgue II warned that II
nns, not have It's regular Saturday even
inc outdoor uretinUs.
beearr Indignant But the advice was
rrofessio,al. and the pricel Well -.
put don't YOU tN'nk me old force could
have done as we'll ms thst7 we have Just
as much rieht 20 have q meeting a. the
psonIe had ~ walk ths street II would
have been no greater ira vertv or the
'riyhta ,f Tho reo-le" ~ th~ commission
haa 'ssr.H an order forbiddlnr them ~
GO outdoors.
Such an order would have heen en- a
~er with 49, advice Of NE doctor ~
'-.or smoking" ruet mini of te'Nrs
.Ne r~or's ~ r-ovide-ce mat ~ sher
don't IN out IN the rain ehrv wor't e~f
~@t TNsvs fvrsvfre us im~or'i~1 e-r-