EB1911 - Volume 23.djvu/270

Exported from Wikisource on September 16, 2024

RHODE ISLAND

253

also complicated by racial and religious prejudices, a large proportion of the factory operatives being foreigners and Roman Catholics, and most of the country people native Protestants. The former were in general associated with the Democratic party, the latter with the Whigs. A convention summoned without any authority from the legislature, and elected on the principle of universal manhood suffrage, met at Providence, October 4-November 18, 1841, and drafted a frame of government which came to be known as the People's Constitution. A second convention met on the call of the legislature in February 1842 and adopted the so-called Freeman's Constitution. On being submitted to popular vote the former was ratified by a large majority (December 27, 28, 29, 1841), while the latter was rejected by a majority of 676 (March 21, 22, 23, 1842). At an election held on the 18th of April 1842 Dorr was chosen governor. The supreme court of the state and the president of the United States (Tyler) both refused to recognize the validity of the People's Constitution, whereupon Dorr and a few of his more zealous adherents decided to organize a rebellion. They were easily repulsed in an attack upon the Providence town arsenal, and Dorr, after a brief period of exile in Connecticut, was convicted of high treason on the 26th of April 1844, and was sentenced to imprisonment for life. He was released by act of the Assembly in June 1845, and was restored to the full rights of citizenship in May 1851. The Freeman's Constitution, modified by another convention, which held its session at Newport and East Greenwich, September 12-November 5, 1842, was finally adopted by popular vote on November 21-23, 1842. Only a partial concession was made to the demand for reform. The suffrage was extended to non-freeholders, but only to those of American birth. Representation in the lower house of the legislature was apportioned according to population, but only on condition that no city or town should ever elect more than one-sixth of the total number of members. Each city and town without regard to population was to elect one senator. In order to perpetuate this system the method of amending the constitution was made extremely difficult (see Administration). Since the adoption of the constitution the conditions have become worse owing to the extensive immigration of foreigners into the large cities and the gradual decay of the rural towns. From about 1845 to 1880 most of the immigrants were Irish, but since 1880 the French-Canadians have constituted the chief element. In 1900 over 30% of the population of the state was foreign-born. A constitutional amendment of 1888 extended to them the right of suffrage in state and national elections, and an amendment of 1909 partially remedied the evils in the system of apportionment. When the last Federal census was taken in 1910, Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket and Newport, with a combined population of 341,222, had four senators, whereas the remainder of the state, with a population of 201,452, had thirty-four. Providence, with a population of 224,326 out of a total of 542,674, had one member in a Senate of thirty-eight and twenty-five members in a House of Representatives of one hundred. The Republican machine finds it easy with the support of the millionaire summer colony at Newport and the street railway corporations to corrupt the French-Canadians and a portion of the native element in the rural towns and maintain absolute control of the state government. The majority has occasionally protested by electing a Democratic governor, but he has not been able to accomplish a great deal, because until 1909 he did not have veto power nor effectual means to induce the Senate to ratify his appointments. Bonds were issued on the 8th of November 1892 for the construction of a new state house at Providence, the corner stone was laid in October 1896, and the building was thrown open to use on the 1st of January 1901. A constitutional amendment of 1900 dispensed with the session of the legislature at Newport.

In presidential campaigns the state has been Federalist, 1792-1800; Democratic Republican, 1804; Federalist, 1808-1812; Democratic Republican, 1816-1820; Adams (Republican), 1824-1828; National Republican, 1832; Democratic, 1836; Whig, 1840-1848; Democratic, 1852; and Republican since 1856.

GOVERNORS OF RHODE ISLAND

Portsmouth.

William Coddington

Judge,

1638-1639

William Hutchinson

”

1639-1640

Newport.

William Coddington

Judge,

1639-1640

Portsmouth and Newport

William Coddington

Governor,

1640-1647

PRESIDENTS UNDER THE PATENT OF 1644

John Coggeshall

1647-1648

Jeremy Clarke

1648-1649

John Smith

1649-1650

Nicholas Easton

1650-1651

Providence and Warwick[1]

Samuel Gorton

President,

1651-1652

John Smith

”

1652-1653

Gregory Dexter

”

1653-1654

Portsmouth and Newport

John Sanford

President,

1653-1654

PRESIDENTS UNDER THE PATENT OF 1644

Nicholas Easton

1654

Roger Williams

1654-1657

Benedict Arnold

1657-1660

William Brenton

1660-1662

Benedict Arnold

1662-1663

GOVERNORS UNDER THE CHARTER OF 1663

Benedict Arnold

1663-1666

William Brenton

1666-1669

Benedict Arnold

1669-1672

Nicholas Easton

1672-1674

William Coddington

1674-1676

Walter Clarke

1676-1677

Benedict Arnold

1677-1678

William Coddington

1678

John Cranston

1678-1680

Peleg Sanford

1680-1683

William Coddington, 2nd

1683-1685

Henry Bull

1685-1686

Walter Clarke

1686[2]

John Coggeshall (acting)

1689-1690

Henry Bull

1690

John Easton

1690-1695

Caleb Carr

1695

Walter Clarke

1696-1698

Samuel Cranston

1698-1727

Joseph Jencks

1727-1732

William Wanton

1732-1733

John Wanton

1734-1740

Richard Ward

1740-1743

William Greene

1743-1745

Gideon Wanton

1745-1746

William Greene

1746-1747

Gideon Wanton

1747-1748

William Greene

1748-1755

Stephen Hopkins

1755-1757

William Greene

1757-1758

Stephen Hopkins

1758-1762

Samuel Ward

1762-1763

Stephen Hopkins

1763-1765

Samuel Ward

1765-1767

Stephen Hopkins

1767-1768

Josias Lyndon

1768-1769

Joseph Wanton

1769-1775

Nicholas Cooke

1775-1778

William Greene, 2nd

1778-1786

John Collins

1786-1790

Arthur Fenner,[3]

Federalist and Democratic Republican

1790-1805

Paul Mumford (acting),

Democratic Republican

1805

Henry Smith,

Democratic Republican

1805-1806

Isaac Wilbour,

Democratic Republican

1806-1807

James Fenner,

Democratic Republican

1807-1811

William Jones,

Federalist

1811-1817

Nehemiah R. Knight,

Democratic Republican

1817-1821

William C. Gibbs,

Democratic Republican

1821-1824

James Fenner[4]

(Democratic Republican and National Republican)

1824-1831

1. ↑ A separation occurred in 1651 between the towns of Providence and Warwick on one side and Portsmouth and Newport on the other. They were reunited in 1654.

2. ↑ The charter was suspended from 1686 to 1689, during which time the province was under the supervision of Sir Edmund Andros.

3. ↑ Arthur Fenner became a Democratic Republican about 1800.

4. ↑ James Fenner was a Democratic Republican to 1826, a National Republican (Adams) to 1829 and a Democrat (Jackson) to 1831.

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EB1911 - Volume 23.djvu/270

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