Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-05-06
lancaster fntelltgencer.
THURSDAY EVENING. MAY fe, 1880.
A Rotten ROrOuph,

A KOtten Borough.
Senator Wallace, who has been inves-
tigating Rhode Islands political con-
stitution, with the aid of the select sena-
torial committee whose labors have like
wise illustrated election methods in
Pennsylvania, New York and Massa-
chusetts, finds "good ground for the
complaints made that Rhode Island
under its present constitution is nearer
an oligarchy than a democracy" And
yet the committee is not ready to report
that the government is so insufficiently
republican in form as to permit the in
reference of the other states, under the
clause of the constitution of the United
States which gives the federal govern.
ment authority to require republican
forms of government in the states.
The people of the country do not take
very lively interest in the affairs of
Rhode Island, which is too small a state
to be very highly esteemed. No doubt
its practices are very undemOcratic. 1t
has always enjoyed the reputation of
being politically a rotten borough, under
the control of few important families.
1t is certainly disadvantageous to the
nation that Rhode Island, SO small in
territory and voting population, should
he given the political Importance con-
ferred upon it as an independent state;
and it is especially unfortunate because
of the character of its population and
the state of dependence of most of the
Others upon few large manufacturers.
There is but one voter in Rhode Island
to twenty of the population, whereas. in
other states the rate is one to six. One
important reason for this is the fact that
fOreign-born citizens are required to own
real estate of the value of one hundred
and thirty-four dollars. The amount is
not great, but it is large enough to eX-
clude nearly all the foreign voters who
are not sufficiently interested in political
matters to incur the expense and trouble
of owning Rhode Island land. 1t may be
said that a..man who does not care enough
fora vote to be willing to invest Sl34 in
a lot of ground, and pay the taxes on it.,
ought not to have vote. But if that is
good argument it applies to the natives
as well as the foreign-born citizens !;
whereas the native is not put to the test
in Rhode Island. And still he does not
vote. 1t is not only the foreigner who
does not esteem it very high privilege
to vote in this little state. Only 2G,627
votes were cast in the last presidential
election whereas the census showed II, IL
egalssvOters in the state.
The truth probably is that most of the
voters, being dependent for their bread
upon the manufacturers who possess
Rhode Island, and being afraid to vote
as they think, do not care to vote at all.
The trouble which democracy always
has to encounter with the dictatiOn OF
capital is especially great in this
rotten borough state. Capital is
strong and aggressive. The en-
ployers claim to own their workmen
as their slaves. They demand that they
shall vote in the interest of those who
give them bread and that they shall
let their employers decide what their mu.
tual interests are. The granite com.
panies at Westerly in the presidential
election issued a general order to thei1
people tovote for Grant or quit. Itwould
be well if Rhode Island could be indOc.
trinated with a little of the republican,
ism she so sorely needs but she is a Lit
tie thing anyway, and not worth both.
ering much about.