The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-04
Little Rhody" Celebrates Fourth"
 Two Months Early

Rhode Island isn't a very big state, but in patriotic enthusiasm it's people do not take a alback seat for anybody. What's more, they never did. Which Is why 6dttle Rhody'' celebrates it's
 gloriods Fourth today just two naonths ahead ofIthe remainder of the UD4ted States. It was on May 4, 1776, that Rhode Islands Colonial Assem- bly, in session at Providence, abjured allegiance to the British crown, and established 8 separate republic. All the inhabitants of the colony were called upon to help uphold the new government and to consider them selves as free and independent citi- gems of Rhode Island. owing al- 1egtance to no other power.
 The act declaring the independence of Rhode Island met with general ap- proVa1. The upper house of the Colonial Assembly voted for the measure to a. man, while only six out that time it looked as if the Rhode Islanders had been very rasn, for the scattered settlements were open to in vasion from both land and sea.
 Rhode Islanders believe that they haven't been given their full share of credit for the patriotism and bravery of their fofefathers, os the legislature has set aside the fourth of May as a, proper date for a little celebration in the little state. For years before Rhode Islands declaration of fnde- pendence the people of Providence Plantation were inclined to be free and easy in their criticisms of the mother country. In 1765 Samuel Ward, Of Rh ode Island, alone of royal governors, refused the oath to sus- tain the Stamp Act. The following year a, number of young ladies of the colony organized society called s'Daughters of Liberty to work for independence. In 1769 the people of Newport who were not so fashion able as those of today, manifested their peevishness at British authority by dismantly and scutt1ing a, British armed sloop, the Liberty. In 1772 they repeated this feat with the schooner Gaspe. A little later, the Newport citizens held a town meet ing and resolved that any person took should be frowned upon as an enemy of the country.
 In 1T75 Providence had a little tea party of it's own, but instead of fol- lowing the Bostonian example they publicly burned the beverage in Mar ments as kndling for the flames
 When the British sent 25o soldiers to maintain the peace in Providence, they were met by troops and driven back on their ships
 ssA1though Rhode Island issued it's l. Of TITS, the new Estate of Rhode Isl- and and Providence Plantations'' joined with the ether rebellious colonies in adopting the declaration | of the Continental Congress in Phila- l delphia just two months later
 Although Rhode Island has two
 independence days it is surpassed in l this respect by North Carolina, which has three. The people of the Tar Heel state celebrate as legal holidays, be- sides the fourth of July, the twelfth of April, commemorating the Hali- fax independence resolutions of 1776, and the twentieth of May on which date North Carolina celebrates the
 anniversary of the signing of the HHeeklenburg declaration of indepen- dence at Charlott on May 20, 17T5. l Texans celebrate on the second of March the signing of the declaration 1 of independence from Mexico and the founding of the Republic of Texas.