The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-10-25
VOTE AGAINST 1T.

In a communication received by The News this morning, the
writer asks why is it not better in this constitutional amendment
matter to support the proposition than to vote it down. The city's
representation will be doubled and although it will even then be far
short of what it ought to be will it not be a step forward; will it not
provide that half loaf that is better than no bread?"
1t will do neither. 1t will not be a step forward, but a long step
backward; it will not furnish even the half loaf, but it will provide
a heavy stone with which to beat down citizens of Rhode Island who
are seeking the restoration of representative government and rescue
from the thraldom of impudent and designing usurpers.
The constitutional amendment to be submitted to the electors
on November 7 next, as The News pointed out yesterday, is not a
fair and frank endeavor to give Providence a more adequate repre-
sentaton in the house of representatives. On the contrary, it is a
craftiy devised scheme to cheat the honest eector out of the full
value of his ballot, to continue the subversion of the right of home
rule and to make popular government in this state impossible for
many years to come.
If The News correspondent will read carefully the proposed
amendment he will discover how cunning is its construction and how
menacing it really is to the rights of the Individual citizen no less
than to the prerogatves of the larger communities. Redistncting is
proposed ostensibly for the purpose of giving Providence as out of
100 members of the house of representatives. "Redistrcting" is but
a softer term for "geTymandering," for the dominant party will fix
the district lines, will see to it tina: those lines ar 10 drawn that
though in the minority in the city as a whole they will yet be able to
return a number of assemblyren of their own selection and who will
vote as they are directed by the powers that rule a: the state house.
Out of a total of 3s cities and towns in the state there are
but IL in which, under the proposed amendment, there will be any
redistricting. These eleven are Newport, Providence, Warwick.
Westerly, Cumberland, Cranston, East Providence, Pawtucket,
Woonsocket and Central Falls and in these the gerrymandering will
be done.
On the other hand, there are twenty-seven country towns that
will not be touched by any redistricting process that may be under
taken. That is to say, these towns will continue to send one senator
end one representative to the assembly, and by the representatives in
the senate of these country towns the laws will be made and the func-
tons of government administered.
Providence would have IS out of a total of one hundred in the
house, but what would that amount to when the 20 country towns
represented in the senate could and no doubt would nuify and
render abortive any effort at broad and intelligent legislation of which
the state stands SO greatly in need today.
The vital defect in the proposed amendment, the defect that
should lead every honest Rhode Islander to vote to reject it, is that
1t proposes a perpetuation OF minority rule in this commonwealth,
and through such un-Amercan methods throttle popular government
and continue a government by an insignificant minority of eight and
one-half per cent. of the population.