The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-02-09
FRIDAY, Feb. 9, 1906

day during the sessions Of the Gene
raj Assembly, led to the beautiful
Marble Palace on smiths Hill. Every
day he is received by the representa-
tives Of the people with Difference and
respect, and in some cases, ii Is said,
witha fawning adulation that Is sick
ening to the beholdcr Strange 10 say
this man is more powerful than the
Governor, more powerful perhaps,
than the Assembly, itself for, in Il
sense, he is its master. He holds no
office, but is the uncrowncd ruler of
the State. To explain his position and
how he reached it TO q stranger would
mean long story, difficult 10 relate
and perhaps even more difficult for
the stranger to understand. 1t would
be the simplest way 10 just say he
is the Boss" who has ruled Rhode
Island with few trifling Interrupt
tions, for over twenty-five years. He
has, il is claimed, dictated what men
shall constitute the majority of the
Legislature Of the State and practically
what these men should or should not
do, after they were elected Possibly
if boss rule had not existed for the
past quarter century, the politics OF
the State would have been no purcr
and the conditions no better than they
are today; but the idea Of one man
holding an almost absolute sway is rs
much un-American, as IL is unusual
The voters of Rhode Island must tell
their sons, if they tell them anything
Of State politics, that they have been
dummies and figure heads; that they
have sold their birthright for less than
pottagc; that they cringed at the
crack Of the party whip and like
dumb, driven cattle obcycd the de
mand for party fealty at any cost, that
they have allowed themselves TO be
deceived by the tinscl and glitter of
many cases have sold their very
votes for the most paltry cunsidcra-
tion. They have allowed the highest
Offices i'm the State to be disposed Of
to the highest bidders and stood su-
pinely by while their representatives
made corrupt use Of their official
powers It is useless for men To plead
ignorance of these things. They have
existed and have been carried ON with
such openess that would enable the
most shallow investigator TO verify
their truth. People of this state, who
pass for good citizens, have known !
these things, but have savCd their |
souls with the assurance that the |
State is no worse than others, and |
have gone on about their business |
The statements in regard to political |
corruption in Rhode Island given To /
the public by Ex-Governor Garvin. I
Lincoln Steffens and others cannot he /
successfully refuted; in fact. we be. |
lieve, the half has never been told. |
If the inside political history of this |
State for the past twenty-five years |
could be truthfully written i'm all It's |
corrupt and rotten details il would |
perhaps arouse the dormant Rhode |
Island conscience from its Rip Van
Wrinkle slumbcr and lethargy. II is SO
easy for the average citizen 10 vote |
with his party once year and then
cast aside his obligations and inter
est like worn out garment II is SO
easy for the SO called good man TO
say with selfsatisiacjion, politics |
are too dirty for me to come in contact |
with" and thus delegate his rights and /
privileges to bosses and heelers. II |
is this blind Indifference to one of |
the most important of mans duties
that has brought this state into the
mud and filth it is now wallowing in,
and where il will remain until the cit
liens assert their manhood and real |
ize that i'm state rs well as i'm a re-
public The government should be by |
the people and for the people"