USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the end of the century : a history, Volume 1 > Part 36
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Caueuses and conventions were held early in 1832, and the Anti- Masons were now a full-fledged party. William Sprague, jr., of Warwick, and Augustus Peekham of Newport, were nominated by them for Governor and Licutenant-Governor, respectively. The National Republicans had renominated Governor Arnold and Lieuten- ant-Governor Collins, and the General or Democratie-Republicans
1 For a further discussion of this subject, see the chapter on Free Masonry and Odd Fellowship.
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FROM 1830 TO THE DORR WAR.
again placed Fenner in nomination, with Jeffrey Hazard of Exeter for Lieutenant-Governor. There was no election in April, Governor Ar- nold lacking 87 votes of a majority in a total poll of 5,594 votes. Sprague and his ticket had an average of nearly 600 votes. Four special elections were held afterwards-in May, July, August and November, in the vain effort to secure a choice, but none was made on either Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, or a single one of the ten sen- ators. At the trial in August a "split ticket" had been circulated, with Lieutenant-Governor Collins's knowledge, containing his name and that of the Democratic-Republican candidate for Governor. His name was dropped from the National Republican ticket in Novem- ber, and that of Joseph Childs of Portsmouth substituted.
The old officials held their places throughout the year, and the usual sessions of the general assembly were held, besides an extra one in August to count the votes cast at the special election in July. In May, 1832, a resolution was passed, requesting the members of Con- gress from Rhode Island to oppose the proposed reduction of tariff rates, as detrimental to Rhode Island industrial interests. The National Republicans endorsed the candidacy of Henry Clay for the presidency early in the year 1832. The Clay electors received a majority of 684 at the election in November in a total vote of 4,936.
Senator Robbins's term was to expire on March 4, 1833, and on Jan- uary 19, 1833, the two houses met in grand committee and re- elected Mr. Robbins-who was supported by the National Republican members-by a vote of 41 to 25 for Elisha R. Potter and 12 for Dutee J. Pearce. The Democratic-Republican minority-30 in number- made a formal protest against the holding of this election, claiming that as the assemblymen were elected in 1831, they were not compe- tent to represent the will of the people in such a case in 1833. The house refused to receive the protest.
The Democratic-Republicans combined forces on the state ticket in 1833, and placed John Brown Francis and Jeffrey Hazard in nomina- tion for Governor and Lieutenant-Governor respectively. The Na- tional Republicans renominated Governor Arnold, with Childs for Lieutenant-Governor. A singular incident at the convention which placed them in nomination was the presence of ex-Senator James De Wolf, who a few days later called the Democratic-Republican conven- tion to order. Mr. De Wolf was invited to take a seat in the conven- tion. He declined, but told the assemblage that he was with them on national matters, as the Jackson administration had deserted tlie interests of Rhode Island. The coalition won at the April election, electing Francis and Hazard by a majority of about 750 in the largest vote that had been cast since 1818. An inspection of the ticket of the three parties at Newport, shows that the Anti-Masonic ballot had been used by 1,106 voters.
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
From a report regarding the Narragansett Indians, presented to the assembly at the January session in 1833, it appears that the commu- nity in the town of Charlestown, living on the tribal lands, then num- bered 198 souls, of whom 6 were full-blood Indians; 14 half-brecds ; 158 of mixed parentage, but less than half Indian; and twenty non- Indian residents. The six "full-bloods" were all aged females, and the 158 were, on an average, as much as three-fourths African. About 50 members of the tribe were absent, and were not included in the enumeration. The moral and physical condition of the tribal rem- nant was far from satisfactory. Rum and other forms of vice were gradually enervating and exterminating them, they were constantly being imposed upon and robbed by designing individuals, and many of the tribe were living in a half-starved condition.
The general assembly at the May session hastened to repeal the act by which they had held so many abortive elections during the previous year. At the June session a memorial signed by Elisha Mathewson and many others, praying that the incorporated Masonic bodies in the state be cited to appear before the general assembly and show cause why their charters should not be revoked, was accepted by a vote of 44 to 18, after a warm discussion. Many of the leading members of the assembly were Masons, and while they could not defy public opin- ion they used every parliamentary device to evade its edicts. The house finally voted to continue the memorial to the next session, and required the petitioners, at their own expense, to cause public notice of the pendency of their memorial to be published in all of the newspapers of the state. A petition from certain citizens of the villages of Central Falls and Valley Falls to be set off from the town of Smithfield and annexed to the town of North Providence, was also continued. The progress of humanitarian ideas was shown by the passage of an act at the same session to seclude executions of criminals for capital crimes from public gaze.
Politics were a good deal mixed at the congressional election in August, 1833. Burges was re-elected at the first trial, and Mr. Pearce was finally re-elected, as the Democratic-Republican candidate, at a special election in November over Nathan F. Dixon, the candidate of the National Republicans. Other candidates who were voted for in August were Wilkins Updike and Nathan B. Sprague, Democratic- Republicans, and Albert C. Greene, Henry Y. Cranston and Nathan F. Dixon, National Republicans. William Sprague, jr., was nomi- nated for congress by the Anti-Masonic party, but declined.
The Democratic-Republicans secured a majority in the house of representatives at the semi-annual election in August, and at the October session the action of the hold-over assembly on the January previous in re-electing Asher Robbins to the United States senate, was declared null and void. The two houses met in grand committee on
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FROM 1830 TO THE DORR WAR.
November 1, and elected Elisha R. Potter to the seat they had thus declared vacant. The National Republicans refrained from voting, and Henry Y. Cranston of Newport, one of their number, offered a protest against the proceedings, but the grand committee, by a vote of 48 to 29, refused to receive the protest. Mr. Potter then went to Washington and contested Mr. Robbins's right to the seat, but the senate finally decided that the latter was legally elected.
President Jackson visited Newport and Providence in June, and was received at both places with the honor due to the Chief Magistrate of the nation. All eminent visitors were now entertained in Providence at the City Hotel. Among those who called upon President Jackson was the venerable Moses Brown, then in his ninety-fifth year. The aged man, who "thee'd" and "thou'd" Old Hickory after the Quaker manner, told him that as he had known all the previous Presidents he thought that he would call upon him, and he invited him to visit the Friends School during his local itinerary. Jackson accepted the invitation, and complimented the aged philanthropist upon his retain- ing his physical and mental faculties to so great an age. Henry Clay, who was at this time almost idolized by the National Republicans of Rhode Island, visited Providence in October of this year, and received great attention.
At the January session of the general assembly in 1834 an act was passed making all property devoted to religious or educational pur- poses taxable, unless such property was held under charters granted by the assembly, and religious bodies were forbidden to hold real estate exceeding $10,000 in value, in excess of the value of their several churches and the lots upon which the churches stood. The license law was amended by giving the Providence board of aldermen and town councils authority to prevent the sale of rum, wine and strong liquors on Sunday and on such other times as they should deem proper.
The Anti-Masonic memorials headed by Elisha Mathewson were discussed in the house with the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor and senate present by invitation, and after a motion to dismiss them, made by Mr. Atwell of Glocester, had been rejected by a vote of 13 to 44, an act was finally passed revoking the charters of the six chartered bodies in the state, and requiring them to render annual reports, under penalty of a fine of $100 if the requirement was neglected.1 Other important acts passed at this session were a mechanics' lien law, and a provision for the assessment of the machinery of cotton and woolen companies as personal property, including the machinery owned by non-residents.
At a special session in May, the election law was again changed, so that, when there was no choice for Governor or Lieutenant-Governor,
1Sixteen other charters of Masonic bodies were not molested.
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
and for a majority of the members of the senate, the speaker of the house should issue a warrant for a new clection.
There was a good deal of complaint of hard times during this year, a fact that was ascribed by the National Republicans to President Jackson's war upon the United States bank. The Providence Journal, in April, 1834, published a list of thirty cotton mills, containing 70,000 spindles, in and near Providence, which were closed because of the hard times.
The question of a new constitution and the extension of the suffrage again came to the front in 1834. Agrecable to an invitation from the towns of Smithfield and Cumberland, delegates from Newport, Provi- dence, Smithfield, Bristol, Warren, Cranston, Johnston, North Provi- dence, Burrillville, and Cumberland, assembled in convention in Prov- idence on February 22, to consult together upon the best course to be pursued for the establishment of a written state constitution which should properly define and fix the powers of the different departments of government and the rights of the citizen. Another convention, at which delegates were also present from Scituate and North Kingstown, was held on March 12. A constitutional party was formed, and an address to the people of Rhode Island was issued.1 This address and also a memorial from the mayor and city council of Providence, de- claring the city to have one-sixth of the inhabitants, one-seventh of the voters, and one-fourth of the wealth of the state, while it had only one- eighteenth of the representation in the house of representatives, was presented to the general assembly at the January session. A commit- tee was appointed to consider the subject, and at the June session, Benjamin Hazard of Newport, presented a motion in the house to call a convention to annul the charter. Thomas W. Dorr, a new member from Providence, moved as a substitute the calling of a convention to form a constitution. His motion was carried in an amended form. The convention met in September, adjourned several times, the last time to meet in Providence, on June 29, 1835, but the members, for some reason, failed to meet at the latter date. The delegates to this convention were generally opposed to an extension of the suffrage, and a proposition to that effect received but seven votes.
The National Republicans called a convention of "Independents" in January, 1834. It was presided over by Senator De Wolf, who had now definitely separated from his former political associates, and it
1 This address was drawn up by a committee consisting of Thomas W. Dorr, Joseph K. Angell, David Daniels, William H. Smith and Christopher Robinson, and appointed by the convention. Chiefly the product of Dorr's pen, this ad- dress was a clear exposition of the defects in the existing system of govern- ment and of the changes essential for a proper correction of these defects. For the details of its authorship, see E. R. Potter, Considerations on the adoption of a constitution, p. 27.
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FROM. 1830 TO THE DORR WAR.
placed in nomination, on a "Liberty and Union Prox", ex-Governor Nehemiah R. Knight and George Cross of Charlestown for Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. The Constitutionalists held a convention and endorsed these nominations. Mr. Cross declined the nomination, and the National Republicans substituted the name of George Irish of Middletown in the place of Cross, while the Constitution people sup- ported Cross, who received 442 votes. The Democratic-Republicans and Anti-Masons renominated Francis and Hazard, and they were elected by small majorities.
Resolutions in favor of the United States bank passed the house in October by a vote of 41 to 24. At this session, William Sprague, jr., who had been speaker since 1832, was opposed by ex-Senator De Wolf, now a representative from Bristol, but was re-elected by a vote of 36 to 31 for his opponent.
At the January session of the assembly in 1835, an act was passed requiring Masonic lodges to make annual returns to the general assem- bly regarding membership, and to divulge the forms of initiation and of the oaths administered to candidates. A resolution to restrict meetings of the general assembly to Newport and Providence was laid on the table by a vote of 41 to 13. The two houses met in grand com- mittee on January 21, to elect a successor to Senator Knight, whose term would expire on the 4th of March, 1835, and on that day and the next took twenty ballots without effecting a choice. On the first ballot Albert C. Greene of Providence, the attorney-general of the state, re- ceived 39 votes, and on the last ballot 40. Elisha R. Potter was given 30 on the first and 29 on the last ballot, and William Sprague, jr., 11 and 12 votes, respectively, on the first and last ballots. Senator Knight and Tristam Burges also received single votes in the course of the balloting. As no choice could be effected, further balloting was postponed until the May session.
The gubernatorial contest of 1835 was, like that of the previous year, a close one. The Democratic and Anti-Masonic parties renomi- nated Francis and Hazard, while the National Republicans, who had finally settled upon the name of "Whig", again put Knight at the head of their ticket, and nominated George Engs of Newport for Lieutenant-Governor. The vote was very close and there were many questions regarding fraudulent votes to be decided by the grand committee on "Election Day" at Newport, before the new administra- tion could be inaugurated. When the grand committee, which was always composed of the old senate and the new house, met on that day, Governor Francis appointed five of each party as the canvassing com- inittee. The situation was an alarming one. Protestations regarding alleged illegal votes had been received from several of the towns, and were referred to the canvassing committee. The cases were many of them difficult to decide. The committee divided on party lines, and
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
was at a deadlock. Representative Allen presented a motion that the committee count the votes as returned, and Representative Bray- ton offered as an amendment to his motion that Speaker Sprague be added to the committee to break the tie. As this would have given the advantage to their opponents, the Whigs objected to such an arrange- ment, and Benjamin Hazard rose to his feet and solemnly warned the senators, who were Demoerats, against voting on any motion. He as- sured them he had examined the question, and was sure that they had no right to vote, and he solemnly deelared that if they attempted to do so, he would address the speaker, and move that the house retire to its own chamber. He would regret to see the charter government of the state destroyed by any unlawful attempts on their part, but he would do his duty. Mr. Brayton withdrew his amendment, and Mr. Allen's motion was aeeepted by the grand committee. The troublesome pro- tests regarding fraudulent votes were ignored, and the ballots were eounted as they had been returned by the election officers. Governor Franeis and the two Demoeratie senators and four Whig senators had been elected, while Engs, Whig, had defeated Hazard for Lieutenant- Governor. The house was composed of 37 Whigs and 35 Demoerats, and the former elected Henry Y. Cranston, of Newport, speaker over Sprague by a vote of 35 to 34. In August, however, Mr. Sprague was elected to Congress by 148 majority over Tristam Burges, while Dutee J. Pearee was chosen by 242 majority over Speaker Cranston.
On May 13, 1835, the general assembly in grand committee re- elected Nehemiah R. Knight to the United States senate. The vote was 41 for Knight and 38 for Elisha R. Potter. Congressman Burges desired the position, and was mueh disappointed at being set aside for a recent convert to Whig principles. That Mr. Potter was also dis- appointed will readily be understood. This ended his long and event- ful politieal eareer. He died in the following September.1
The Boston and Providenee railroad, the first steam railroad to begin operations in Rhode Island, commeneed running in June of this year. The guest-train from Providence to Boston on the opening day2 was, however, drawn by horses as far as Canton, owing to the non- arrival of the new locomotive which was to run between the two eities. On its arrival a few days later two trains a day began running between the two chief eities of New England. The faet that a train covered the distanee in two hours, twenty-five minutes, making five stops, was eon- sidered very fast time. A loeal eensus of Providence in 1835 diselosed
1 Mr. Potter was born in 1754, and began life as a blacksmith's apprentice. He then became a soldier, and finally a lawyer. He was elected from his town to the general assembly in 1793, and from that date until his death, with the exception of seven years in Congress, was annually re-elected. It was said of him " few political men in Rhode Island ever acquired or maintained a more commanding influence."
2 June 2, 1835.
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FROM 1830 TO THE DORR WAR.
a population of 19,277, of which 9,527 were on the east and 9,750 on the west side of the river. The colored population numbered 1,223. Great anti-slavery meetings were held in several places in the state during this year. The first public meeting in opposition to the institution of slavery had been held in Providence, on July 4, 1833.
The Anti-Masonic movement was already beginning to wane, and St. John's lodge of Masons of Providence, which had stoutly refused to surrender its charter, celebrated St. John's day by a parade through the streets. It was the first public Masonic function since 1831, and the "Republican Herald", which had been somewhat Anti-Masonic from political motives, solemnly warned the Masons of the folly of their action.
In January, 1836, the statute law regulating the admission of free- men was amended and simplified. Votes on real estate in reversion or wives' dowers were declared null and void. Over eight hundred names were signed to a call for an anti-slavery convention, to be held early in April, and numerous memorials against slavery were pre- sented in the house at the January session. Their reception caused some heated discussions. An act, restricting the power of banks, introduced by Thomas W. Dorr, passed both houses.
To Tristam Burges, who was defeated for re-election to Congress the year before, was assigned the honor of bearing the Whig gubernatorial banner in April, 1836. John H. Cross of Westerly received the nomi- nation for Lieutenant-Governor. Francis and Hazard were renomi- nated, and ex-Lieutenant-Governor Collins and Daniel Remington of Warwick, were placed in nomination by the Constitution party. The total vote was 7,151, of which number Francis received 4,020; Burges, 2,984 ; and . Collins, 135. Van Buren, the Democratic candidate for President, carried the state in November by a vote of 2,964 to 2,710 for Harrison, the Whig candidate. The preference of Rhode Island Whigs had been divided between Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, but they supported Harrison loyally, if not enthusiastically, upon his receiving the nomination. Providence gave Harrison 703 and Van Buren 279 votes.
Much was said regarding the mineral possibilities of the state this year, and so confident were many people, some of whom were mining experts, of the presence of rich veins of coal within the Providence city limits that the city appropriated $2,000 for experimental puposes. Borings were made in the northern section of the city, but although the presence of coal was clearly established, the vein was too thin to admit of remunerative mining.
The Whigs made no contest against the coalition combination in 1837, and Francis and his associates upon the Democratic-Republican and Anti-Masonic tickets had no opposition, except from the Constitu- tion party, which nominated William Peckham of South Kingstown
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
for Governor. Lieutenant-Governor Hazard deelining to be a eandi- date again, Benjamin B. Thurston was nominated for the second place on the tieket. Peckham rceeived 946 votes. Providenee gave him 345 votes and Francis only 231. Any candidate was more acceptable to the freemen of that eity than one of the Demoeratie stripe.
In August the Whigs rallied and eleeted their candidates for Con- gress, Joseph L. Tillinghast of Providence, and Robert B. Cranston of Newport, by about one thousand plurality over Dutee J. Pearee and Jesse Howard of Cranston, the Demoeratie candidates. William Sprague, Mr. Pearce's eolleague, had declined a re-election, and, just before the close of the campaign, wrote a letter to ex-Senator De Wolf, in which he announced his withdrawal from the Democratic-Republie- an party, because, as he believed, its national poliey was antagonistie to Rhode Island interests.
In January, 1837, a law was passed to inerease the license fee of liquor sellers. The fee for hotel keepers and retailers was placed at from $5 to $25, and for those selling by the quart or gallon at from $5 to $20. The state was to receive $2 on each lieense. The law was unsatisfactory and was repealed at the October session following. A resolution introduced in the house by Thomas W. Dorr, to eall a eon- stitutional convention, was rejected by a vote of 17 to 39. Another resolution of Mr. Dorr's, instructing Rhode Island members of Congress to favor the abolition of the slave trade, and of slavery in the District of Columbia, was rejected-7 to 47. A resolu- tion, offered by Jonalı Titus, instructing Senators Robbins and Knight to vote to expunge the resolutions eensuring President Jaekson for his action regarding the surplus revenue, which had been passed by the senate in March, 1834, led to a heated political debate, but it was finally adopted by the house by a vote of 32 to 28. A resolution opposing the annexation of Texas was also passed by the house. A bill allowing banks to issue post notes was passed by thir- teen majority, and an act was passed restricting bank loans to eertain pereentages of capital and deposits.
In 1838 legislation in revision of the criminal eode led to lengthy diseussion in the house before the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor and the senators, who were present by invitation. The death penalty for wilful murder, arson and treason, were retained by narrow majorities, but in many cases former penalties were modified. A bill was passed forbidding the bringing of slaves into the state, and providing for their emancipation if the law was violated. An aet proteeting banks during the temporary suspension of speeie payments was passed. A new lieense law, forbidding sales to habitual drunkards or on Sun- day, and providing for local option, was enaeted. Under this law, in August, Providenee deelared against lieense by a vote of 411 to 333. This experiment in prohibition was unpopular among business men.
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FROM 1830 TO THE DORR WAR.
Petitions for the repeal of the act were presented at the October session of the assembly and a repeal bill was introduced at the session in October. Its advocates contended that the prohibition of the liquor traffic was ruining the business of Providence, as many outsiders who were wont to trade there were then going elsewhere. The house, how- ever, refused to repeal the act by six majority.
At the January session an amendment to the election law, allowing certificate voters to ballot for members of the general assembly, passed the house by a vote of 28 to 23, but was rejected by the senate. The proposition was accepted, however, at the June session, by both houses.
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