Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-11-11
RE0pR ISLAND
How FIFTY Thousand citizens are
Dtstranaht.ed-A property quail
giCation.


$50, GOO inhabitants, is Tho OOlS one Of the
30 in which popular 60, erunisnt docs
not exist, II eucoiuet statement Of our con- !
dition may te Interesting 10 Sutnr NJ ynnr
readers without, ~ well AS 10 tbs many
within, tho hne,'r4 at Rhode Island The |
beat way IL understand our prsst at status
is to glance briefly nj the successive steps |
which have led 10 it The extreme con.
drrValiAm of Rhode Islsud. first exhibited |
by this hesitsnny with which she gave in |
hAr adhesion to the Union OF the states, is |
still more manifest ~ the fact that, until |
after 1870, she never had Il constitution o.
her O@u, but continued under the old |
colonial charter Ct 1868. The voters
under the old regime iuciuded only pos
sps5orA OF real estate to the amount of !
-l3t, aud their eldest sons. AT fist,
because farming was the chief occupation /
us the people, und because younger sons
who. engaged In other employ ments, snah |
Us fishing trading, smith'DR, NC, could /
easily purchuse II homo stead for few
huIdr.d dollars, the restriction was
scarcely felt To be harden, and did |
not remove the control from the hands of |
the majority. But, in process of time,
land in the villages augmented in value, |
nnd the number of persons engaged IN |
occupations which did rot require the |
ownership of real estate 10 increased that
at the Presidential election of 1910. in |
Which the excitement probably exceeded I
the one lust closed. it became painfully
manifest that II minority OF the people
had for years heen governing the State.
The vote cast ut that election, then the
largest ever polled In the State, was $. 292,
and the United States census of the same
year gave the adult population ms about
%, 900, thus showing that only one third OF
all the men exercised the franchise. That
condition OF affairs 10 different from
what existed in other states, and so con
trGy to the principles npon which not
only the general government, hut also that
! of l.oger Williams had been based should
have given rise TO
A WIDESPREAD FEELING or Discomfort
cannot he wandered at. Consequently, all
vino were deprived of the suffrage, and as
the event proved, majority OF those who
| possessed it, were ready to engage in
movement for the extension of the fran
chise. The present constitution was
adopted in December, 1912. In the
spring OF lsi3, the first vote east for gov
ernor in accordance with it's provisions
reached the high figure of III, $50 just
douu that Of two and a-hslf years before,
and clear majority of all the adult males.
Thus, again, Rhode Island enjoyed popu-
lar government, stood IN line with her
sit, s,at,s in Accord win the n,incinlas
Of 7G, aud her people were satisfied. Iu-
\ asmuch as nearly all the citizens were
native born. it seeins OF little conseqp, nee
that a clause should be- inserted III the
new constitution requiring real estate
qualification OF the foreign born. But, as
time wore on, manufacturing establish
meuts, employ ING chiefly persons OF for
sign hrin caa t to be tie chief industry
al DE State. This change il the popula-
tlou tog' lhtr with other restrictions, con
5utl Licual gnl ard tXtrA Legal, III less
thsh - years from the adoption OF the
constitution, hai again converted the gov
etnhltut into one 10y minority. Although
lhg p'rula ltu has Increase from los ono
ia 1870 10 2IG 600 II 1850, the average
vote ot the S.ate hul nt!e exceeds thc
first oar riht JOuDr the constitution, Ia the
year lsi| y he present election IN sac
fifth Ut I'll that have ever bean held IN
which thu tolAl vote has risen above
~, 900, Although the nnrlUer Of ninii
males now rce.dlng III the State ii -, 600
tho total vote last Tuesday, the largest
) -, ,b,;. -
tg''''G 90 "'' ""'
49,, s"" ',',' y n""
Man ,it IA r,.rh tnt ro,l.
pr ""''' ~ "t +o"NA AM N''''s'
10 sho| iaore clearly tue ehtct OF the
: restricted suffrage, VIII cite LEGAL in
stances. DurMs 10 years residence In
Rhode Island hsYe lived IN three differ
> ent towns, VIZ fGwtucket Lincoln aud
{ Cumberland. BY estimate from the state
CENSUS of lsIi the number Of adult males
in the town OF PaWtucket in November,
! 1876 was above 1000; the total number
= OF votes cHsl at the Presidential election
4 Of that yeer-which then was the largest
ever polltd-was ., 100 leaving nearly
> 3, 900 men who, chiefly because OF restrlc
e tons upon the suffrage, did not vote. IL
it In the town of Lincoln the number o.
q adult males exceeded 3 600; the vote wa
i. 767. In Cumberland the adult male,
1t numbered more than l,50O, the total vote
g j55 In the city of Providence, who's,
population is nearly twelfth of that Of
the entire state, the number of adult LialeI
10 in 1876 was 10000 the vote cast wa
9llO Since, at the above election mucl
Il greater number of votes were pollod thar
'e IN local elections, and since the OF position
Ne Us well as many members of the donlinan
a party, objects to the existing Limitation o
- the franchise, il may readily be seen hoy
ID small the olearchy which is controlling /,
lg the Safe. IA the great city of Providence
e. =