State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the End of The

818 STATE OJ' RBODB IsLAND AND PBOVlDKNOB PLANTATIONS. Potte- and John De Wolf, jr., also had some supporters.l The two sittin.l congressmen were re-elected, however, by more than two thou sand majority over all competitors. • CHAPTER XIX. FROM: 1880 TO THE DORR WAR. The National Republicans could no longer support Governor Fen ner. He was renominated at their convention in January, 1830, but their newspapers repudiated him, and put Dr. Asa Messer of Providence at the head of their ticket, with Nathan M. Wheaton for Lieutenant-Govemor. Fenner was re-eleeted, however, by over a thousand majority. The General Republican senatorial ticket was elected in most cases by small majorities. Elisha R. Potter was now fully committed to the Jackson party, and he was placed in nomination for speaker in May against 1'illinghast. The latter won, however, by one vote, he receiving 34 and Potter 33. At the previous January session the latter had offered resolutions indorsing Jackson's adminis tration. They were rejected, the vote standing 8 to 50. Mr. Potter, who was acknowledged by friends and foes alike to have been a man of great influence, seems to have been fairly driven into the Jackson camp. He was a constant target for many years for the shafts of the Providence press, and he, on his part, responded by generally opposing legislation favorable to Providence. Any measure lvhich the Provi dence delegation desired, if advocated by any country member, sub jected the latter to the charge from Potter and his followers of being "the fifth member from Providence". At the June session in"1830, Mr. Potter presented a resolution-which, however, w4s laid on the table on his own motion-for the appointment of a committee to take into consideration the expediency of more effectually guarding the liberty of the press, and" protecting the citizens of the state against its licentious abuse." The town of Providence having, by majority vote in town meeting, I The election contests of this year 1829 were productive of no 1888 than five electioneering pamphlets in which pel'8Onal abUSA, as usual. played an impor tant part. The" H.rald office", the Jacksonian stronghold. started the ball roll ing in April with aome anonymoua H,n,t, to 1M F"·rmer. 0/ RAiNU [.land. Replies and counter-ebargee followed in rapid sucoession, Tristam Burgee himself tak ing a hand in the coDtroversy with an Addr•• eo u.. UlfldlwltltJrll and Fa,..".. 0/ X_IIIp"'~ O",ftt,. Th8!18 pamphlets reveal much that is interesting in relation to . the poUtioa of the penod. FROM: 1839 TO THE DORR WAR. 319 expressed its desire to adopt a city form of government, was granted a city charter by t.he general assembly in January, but it was to be void unless accepted by a three-fifths vote of the freemen of the town. The charter was submitted to the voters of the city on February 15, 1830, but although a majority of the votes polled-383 to 345-were cast for it, it railed to receive three-fifths, and the proposition "88 lost.1 At the Janua.ry session of the general assembly in 1831 the question of the reli~f of insolvent debtors again came up for legislation, and the provision by which petitions under it were referred to the Supreme Judicial Court was repealed. In June the maximum limit of school age was changed from sixteen to fifteen years. John Brown Francis of 'Varwiclt, a grandson of John Brown, one of the famous Brown family of Providence, was nominated for Governor by the National Republicans in January, 1831, and in the brief inter- val between his nomination and his declination of the honor, he was given such an excellent character-private and political-by the National Republican press, thnt when he was brought for\vard by their opponents two years later, they were obliged to abstain from the usual custom of that day-an attack upon a candidate's private character. Mr. Fran~is declined the nomination, and Lemuel H. Arnold of frovi dence was finally chosen to head the ticket.1 Lieutenant-Governor Collins and the other state elective officials-the secretary of state, attorney-general and general treasurer-were unobjectionable, and were put upon the ticket. The General Republicans renominated Gov ernor Fenner, and the other state officers. The National Republican Prox, whose senatorial candidates were entirely distinct from that of 1 the "Republican, Administration and Farmers' Prox", was endorsed , by the anti-1\fasoDs, who were now becoming actively interested in politics, and it was elected by over 800 majority. The Administration Republica.Ds were 80 badly b~aten that they mad~ no nominations for Congress in opposition to Messrs. Burges and Pearce, ,vho were re· elected in August. A state convention was held by the manufacturing interests in October to appoint delegates to a national tariff conven tion, to be held in New York. The National Republicans also held a 1Providenoe had 18,888 inhabitants, according to .the national census of 1880. It W&8 now more than double the size of Newport. whose population was 8,010. The factory towns of Smithfield, Warwiok, Scituate, Cumberland and North Providence were growing rapidly, while the fanning towns were at a standstill. Smithfield, the third towD. had 6,857 inhabitants, and there wete 6,tl29 in Warwiok. , During this and the following year, many abusive pamphlets were issued for election puryoeee. Governor Fenner's change in party affiliations and Arnold's connection with the Providence and Pawtuoket Turnpike gave all op portunity necessary for slander and vituperation, while the Anti-Masonlo troubles of the period furnished additional subject matter. After 1881 eleo tio~eering pamphlets seem to have been very seldom issued. 820 STATE OP RUODB IsLAND AND PBOVlDBNCB PLANTATIONS. convention at South Kingstown in November, for the purpose of elect ing delegates to a national Republican convention in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for President. A serious riot occurred in Providence in September, 1831, and the helplessness of the town authorities in preserving the peace on such an occasion probably had considerable influence in determining the gen eral assembly to grant, and the freemen of the town to accept, a city form of government. Providence had a large colored population for a New England town, and although there were many good citizens among them, there was a large floating element which was dissolute and disorderly. The riot, which was the outcome of a collision be tween dissolute whites and lawless blacks, is thus described in Staples's Annals of Providence: 'cThe first outbreak of popular feeling was on the night of Septem~ ber 21. A number of sailors visited Olney's lane for the purpose of having a row with the blacks inhabiting there. After making a great noise there and throwing stones, a gun was fired from one of the houses. The greater part of the persons in the lane then retreated to the west end of it, and five sailors who had not been engaged in any of the previous transaetions, went up the lane. A black maD on the steps of his house, presented a gun, and told them to keep their dis tance. They in turn proposed taking his gun. This they did not attempt, but pursuing their walk a little further, then stopped. Here they were ordered by the black man 'to clear out', or he would fire at them. This they dared him to do. He did fire, and one of their num ber was instantly killed. The first company, who were still at the foot of the lane, then returned, tore,down two houses and broke the win dows of the rest. During the next day there was a great excitement. The sheriff of the county with other peace officers were in 010ey'8laoe early in the evening. As tile nlob increllsed in nUlllbers and in vio lence of language, they were ordered to disperse, and seven taken in custody. Subsequently others were arrested, who were rescued from the officers. The sheriff then required military aid of the Gover nor of the state, and at midnight the First Light Infantry marched to his assistance. The mob, not intimidated by their presence, assaulted them with stones. Finding that they could effect nothing without firing upon them, the soldiers left the lane, followed by the mob, who then returned to their work, and demolished six more houses in the lane and one near Smith street, not separating until between three and four o'clock in the morning. On the Jnorning of the 23d, 8n attack on the jail being expected, the sheriff required Inilitary aid, and the Governor issued his orders to the Light Dragoons, the Artillery, the Cadets, the Volunteers, and the First Infantry, to be in arms at six o'clock in the evening. The mob appeared only in small force, and did little mischief. The military were dismissed until the next even~ng. FROM: 1830 TO THE DORR WA.B. 821 On the evening of the 24th there was a grea.t collection of persona in Smith street and its vicinity. Soon they commenced pulling down houses. Upon this, finding it impoaible to disperse or·stay them, the sheriff called again on theGovernor, and the military were again assem bled. During their marchtoSmith street they were assailed with stones. They marched up Smith street and took post on the hill. Here both the Governor and the sheriff remonstrated with the mob, and endea.v ored to induce them to separate, informing them that the muskets of the military were loaded with ball cartridges.

Load more