The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-10-24
AN AMENDMENT TO BE DEFEATED.

AIN AIILINDIlLINI ~ De DETEAIED.
There is not within the confines OF the state of Rhode Island a
citizen of fair and unbiased mind who does not realize that the pres
ent constitution is ancient, archaic and wholly untitled to the present
needs of this intelligent, progressive and prosperous commonwealth
With all its amendments of which boast was made at the recent
Republican convention, it still remains an instrument under which
the grossest political outrages can be perpetrated; an instrument that
can be made use of to destroy the fundamental principle of our Ameri-
can institutions-the right Of home rule-to Danish from the state
representative government which means government by the majority
and substitute for it a government by al insignificant minority,
which, if not itself corrupt, is guided by agencies that ar corrupt,
corrupting and designing.
The Republican party, intrenched behind this out-of-date organic
law, has never yet sought to broaden its scope, to make it what it
ought to be, a document insuring to every municipality the right to
manage its local affairs in its own way, free from state interference,
to give to the Individual citizen the full value of his vote and thus
maintain that system of real representative government which the
founders of the republic intended and desired. Whatever enlarge
rent OF the scope of the constitution. whatever liberalzing of its
narrow provisions has taken place through the medium of amend
nents, has been wrung from the dominant party by the force of public
sentiment and made effective by the votes of an electorate that was
willing to sacrifice some of its present rights in order that deserving
fellow citizens might be granted even a limited franchise.
Briefly that is the history of Republican endeavor along the line
of constitutional reform and a meagre and palry record it is. And
now, with amazing disregard of the popular demand for a constitu-
tonal convention to be called in conformity viii the provisions of the
constitution itself and without In any way infringing the advisory
opinion of the supreme court given in 1883, the present dominant
party offers a sop to the intelligent electorate in the form of an
amendment of the organic law by which the number of representa-
tivesi in the lower branch of the general assembly will be increased
from u to Zoe.
This amendment should not prevail. 1t S a delusion, a snare and
a deceit 1t should receive the disappearing vote of every citizen who
hopes to see Rhode Island rescued from the control of an insieni6can
minority representing but eight and a half per cent, of the population,
and from the clutches of the ringsters who have made popular gov
eminent impossible in this sovereign commonwealth and usurped its
functions for their own gain and for the profit of the sinister cor
porate powers for which they labor and by which they are employed.
This amendment, on its face apparently intended to give the city
OF Providence IS representatives in the house. is really designed to
tasten the hold which twenty country towns already have on the
lawraking and governing functions. It's vital provision is: "As soon
as this amendment goes into effect, and after each census, and as
occasion may require, the general assembly shall divide each town
and city into as many districts as it is entitled to representatives and
one representative shall be elected from each district BY the qualified
electors thereof"
1t is also provided that each town or city shall have 1t least one
representative and that no Gy or town shall have more than one.
fourth of the total membership. Thus Providence, although on the
basis of population entitled to more than forty representatives, will
be given but twenty-hve-and what a price this increase will cost ns
citizens if the amendment becomes effective. Today every citizen
has the right to vote for twelve representatives and for a senator
Adopt this amendment and his voting power will be reduced to the
casting of a ballot for one representative out Of twenty-five. IS the
city will be gerrymsndered into assembly districts. What this
amendment proposes in its essence is that the individual citizen Of
Providence shall rob himself of the right he now enjoys to votef or all
...o,a 49, are, 60 i;r;, HE oH,n .-.