The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-23
RHODE ISLANDS FIGHT Is ON.
THREE MEN IN THE RACE FOR A
SENATE SEAT.

and smash the Machine -RhOde Isle
lands Old Political Regime Attacked.
Providence. r.. l., Sept. 22.-Atl last, after
months Of preliminary skirmishing, greas-
ing Of wheels and nimble sidestepping, the
political campaign in Rhode Island, whose
nominal object is the election OF a United
Reates Senator to succeed George Peabody
Wetmore, may be said fairly TO be opened.
Senator Wetmore has crawled out Of his
Newport shell and il extending the glad
hand, q process in which he IL not by any
means an adept, ut agricultural fairs,
shore dinners, clambakes, old soldier re-
unions, religious camp meetings, and at all
Of the many kinds OF gatherings typical 10
New England life, urban and suburban.
Col. Robert Hale Ives Goddard, nominated
at a primary convention. the first in the his
tory Of the State. IA an independent candi-
date for the Senate, Is returning from
Europe, whittier he went after issuing his
letter Of acceptance, appointing his cam
paign committee n attending TO certain
other necessary preliminaries, and Col.
Samuel Pomeroy Golf; president Of the
United States Rubber Company, popularity
known IA the rubber trust, has already
arrived on the scene after his annual Euro
pean trip.
The contest in Rhode Island this year
nominally involves a Senatorship only with
o three cornered fight in progress between
Mr.. Wetmore, who holds the seat, Col. God
dard, the candidate Of the Democrats, and
their Republican allies, and Col. Colt, the
alleged candidate OF the organization Of
which Gen. Charles r. Brayton is popularity
supposed to be the active Inc Senator
Nelson w. Aldrich the actual dominating
force. Beyond and beneath the aspirations
and ambitions Of these rival gentlemen,
the campaign involves, possibly, the future
political status, economic policy and public
morale Of this ancient, rich and prosperous
although diminutive Commonwealth. h
result may be to overthrow political CON-
ditions whiCA, have endured in this State
since the Revolution
The formal letter Of acceptance Of Col.
Goddard supplies the keynote Of he CAM
paign. Col. Goddard should know whereof
he speaks, and presumably he does. He
IL a lifelong Republican who has been
h onored with Office by his party when
controlled in the State by the very forces
which he now assails "a corrupt.
A large part Of his great fortune has
been made as a manufacturer OF cotton
KDOuo allu ONtNI PIONAuChH NCtSANtIR NhO
benefits Of a high protective tariff, and
he n to-day aoti vely identified with mos
important business concerns dependent
upon the success OF the conservative
policies of the Republican party. What
Col. Goddard laws Of the political oondi-
tions within the State is briefly this:
l. That there IL nothing TO be hoped
for from the Republican party, and its
machine control must he thrust aside be-
fore any good can be accomplished.
VTr1A. -Aa, WAltNaanl 2AnAtNkAna n
species of despotism exists, degrading to
all right minded citizens Of the state,
under which the selection OF high officers,
and even the enactment OF laws, are subject
10 the dictation Of one man holding no
ofioe from the people and in no way re-
3. The people Of Rhode Island nave been
living for years under IN %autocracy and
are to-day in a life and death struggle 10
crush it and to bring liberty and the sacred
right OF self-government to their Inherit
ance.
Z. It is a base calumny TO say that oorrlp-
ton IL general amonget the people OF Rhode
Island, but the governing political machine
Is certainly corrupt.
S. The principle Of protection to home
industries Is sound and wise, but an imme-
diate revision Of the tariff schedules In
demanded in line with the recently enun-
ciated principles Of the Massachusetts,
tariff reformers.
Inns IL generally TeqAT10u az n seVbTo
indictment Of the Republican party and its
present management. II il a direct chal-
lenEe from a man heretofore a Republican
% put to a test with the voters OF the State
the stand pat tarif theory which has the
support OF Senator Aldrich and the other
national leaders OF the Republican party.
The -one man" who holds nc Office but
who IL "a despot" in politics is Gen. Charles
r. Brayton, the blind boss, who, while no
longer in actual contrel Of the politics Of
the State, holds the General Assembly
in the hollow Of his hand through his con
troll Of the country members elected undcr
the ~antiquated Constitution which gives
the sparsely settled counry towns equal
representation with the cities.
When Col. Goddard's letter appeared
Il was generally approved "A a sensible
moderate, temperate statement OF the
situation, and for three months 1t has been
used by the independent organization as
the basis OF an appeal to the voters OF tho
state to rally TO his standard and smash
the machine. Whether they will do so re-
Do the people Of Rhode Island beiievs that
they are boss ridden vassals living under
q corrupt despotism, n do they desire
that the protective tariff under which so
many of them, including Col. Goddard
have crown rich, he revised by those who
have in their party platforms declared
protection to be robbery? The answer
to these questions will be given In Noyem-
her, although even then II may D0 diff1cult
90 discover OF interpret the true meaning
and scope Of the verdict.
There may he a chance for a nisunder-
standing on these points. Lincoln Stefens,
for instance, declares that not only the
Republican bosses, but the people Of Rhode
Island themselves are corrupt. Col. God
dard asserts that the indictment lies only
against the bosses and that tho people are
honest and struggling to be free.
However this may he, there IL one peculiar
fact about Rhode Islands citizenship
which Is indisputabe. II h that in several
OF the towns Of the State there are groups
Of citizens, natives, descendants Of the
first families, who cannot read and write
Their iIiteracy actually exceeds that OF
any class Of the foreign immigrant popu-
htion.
Opinions differ about the opinions held
by this class Of Rhode Islands citizens
az 10 the restraint Of corrupt boss rule and
about the sincerity OF their desire to have
the tariff revised, but the towns in which
they dwell are not being neglected by the
campaign committee Of the Lincoln party.
The three cOmered contest a been
going on under the surface ever since the
early summsr, when the combination OF
hungry and thirsty Democrats. disap-
pointed Republicans and high minded II
impractical Independents making up the
ratification committee were uehered into