·.- . • .I' C'. "f1:. ~', .(1 _"_I O' .# ",. • • ,0'10 • • • • • .. "). - RHO DE ISLAND HISTORY Pub lished by The Rh oJ1l' Island Hisunical Socu-" ' y cssumes TIn RHODE ISlAND HISTORICAL SOC IETY no re,\pom ib ilily for npiniom of contribu tors. 52 POWER STRH T, PKOVlD lNCl. RHonE ISLAND Issued Quanerly at Providence, Rh ude Islan d, Fehruary, May, Aug ust, and November Second Joseph K. Ott, president class postage paid at Providence, Rhode Island. George C. Davis, vice {'residcll! Duncan H un ter Mau ran, vice l're .~id ent Bradford F. Swan, secretary Table of Con ten ts M rs. Norman T. Bolles, IJJ ,~ j ,ltlinf secretary Townes M. Harris, Ir., ItCIHUft'l Rhode Island in Disunion, 1787· 1790 lawrence Lanpher, dssislanl Icrcaurer by " ull ick T . Conley 99 Alben T. Klyberg, director PUBLICA n ONS cow w rrrtt SPOilS and Franco-Americans Stuart C. Sherman, chairma n in Woonsocket, 1870-1930 Henry L. P. Beckwith, Jr. by Richard S. Sorrell 117 Mrs. Philip Davis Wendell Garren N orman W . Smith Clarkson A. Collins 3rd 11911 · 19721 A Bibliography ST A FF by Nod P. Conlon 117 loci A. Cohen, editor Noel P. Conlon, mall d?:ing edito r Mild red C. T illey , p iclUTC editor VOlUME .11, NUMBIR 4 NOVEMBER 1972 III /lNO wh en Fr,Jncu·Am",ic<Jt1l 1tI</,k (II' rh,' 11If~c\t .<if/xl<· ,,[hIlK" )(fOUP 1Il W oo m oc k c r I l'd)l.C /l7i th ey cel eh ril led IWI" 24 (,:ll't or 51 fohn. l', Hmn 'dint Ilf Frl'IKh C"n,Jdi,w, . with" )(1/1" jl<Jf<lJe ." " as hupl'y amcce'5 a, could be dr'ired:' repOlled Ihe woonsocket Patriot of Ihe c;ty'., " ~ t ea l r ' t ctleb" Jlion:' A tetm tl<la I,i Rocham/,,'ull" 1780 dt tl~'al \,>'a, hh porlrdll en the urch Iwa .\ lalll .\llrel On CllIllb..,lllnd anulh.., decut<llrdarch "'deulIled marcher, und cot nags:» . 11Iu,tr<llm~ Ihe Illd Ihal French ",a" then the domlllanr Idn11.Uti1.e 01 \V()()fl<ol:ket. ,- ....,. .. ..-- - . ,1/iL 6t'71t~"'t;" ,,1,J{.;,.r tUij./;j ofIV'] 1; lu.if ~Ii.ut dt 4. ot:. w.J ;T, r. Pr " .If... '/U- ... .</. / / :6 _ /1 _.,- . .• -.'-.., "" \l... t • ~- :l -3_... ; ~ :j H . r R lHS l.> b , ~ , y 99 Rhode Island in Disunion, 1787-1790 br I'ulrick T Conley · Su rpnstnalv. Rhode lslnnd's initial response 10 a plan recalcitrance in nationa l councils which proved for permanent cen traI government was cordial. Such a exasperating In many of its sister states. Its initial prop o..al was adv anced hy the ad hoc Continental connariness con sisted in flat rejecnon of th e proposed Com~r('ss in 1777 and em bodied in the Articles of co n tin en tal impost of 1781 , despite efforts of Thomas Confcdcranon drafted . de bated by Co ngress, and Pai ne and othe r prominent figures 10 enlist the sraie's plac ed before the rebellious states in late 1777. suppo rt.I Its most blatant demonstration of defiance Delegat e Henry Marchant bo re this first national was repeated refusal 10 rat ify the Federal Constitution rnnstitution to Rhode Island and u rged its acceptance of 171'.7, at a special session of the Ge ne ral Assembly in Acquaintance with rbc political setting in wh ich De cember. The question o f adoption was def erred to Rhode Island's contest for adoption wok place is th e February 177'0 session. At that conclave Rhode essennal to understanding the rauficanon con tro versy. Island l/:3\'C its assent unanimously. Three arn endmenrs The prin cipal political fact of life was the dominance in were suggested hut the se were merely recommenda­ sta te affai rs of the so-call ed Country Pany. This faction , tions, not prerequisites for ratification. led mainl y by legislator s fro m ru ral and agra rian towns, Rhode Island was so unc haracteristically ubliging ha d swe pt in to pow er in the spring clection of 178(, because several of its towns we re under British occu ­ on a pap er money platfor m. Their victory consm urcd parum, and because it had incurred enorm ous military somewhat of a political revolu tion, because it trans' expenditures which m ight be panially absorbed by the fo rmed the legtsleture from a merchant-dominated new cen tr al government. Rhode Island instructed its body to one in which the interests of the termer took delegates to ratHy if eight other sta tes should do so and, pr ecedence.' in the event tha t any alter ations in the A rticles were T he Country Party m ade good its campaign pledge advanced. these delegates were empowered to acc ept an d immediately authori zed issua nce of $I OO,(X)[) in whatever changes were approved by n ine o f the sta tes , paper muncy. Historians now realize that the primary Rhode leland further promised that it would be hound purpose of the paper emission was to alleviate the tax by any alterations agreed to in this manner- No burden which weighed he avily on owners of real changes were made and the sta te's rep resentatives property, and that payment of private debts in paper unhesitatingly signed the rariflcanon in Philadelphia was merely an incidental by-product of the program,' on July 9, 177'({, hailing the document as " th e G ran d hu t con temporary credi tors an d m any members of the Corner Stone" of the new na tion, I me rcantile community we re not so well informed, In the succeed ing twelve yea rs Rh ude Islan d wou ld Pape r mo ney - a chief so u rce of co ntrover sy in local seldom act with such compliance but exhibited a politics from 17M through 1791 - engendered the -A~ ~oc i a ll" prof essor of li i ~ lO r y at Providence Co lle);: e and 2 Frank Crccne Bares, Rh",k /"land all/I th e Fom wtion uf Spccial Assi~lantlO Congressman Rob ert 0 . Tiernan, til<' Union IN"w York, 1/l.98!71·W is still rhc best treat ­ Mr.Conley is cu rrent ly working for rhc degree I,D, at ment of impost proposals. Allan N evins, AlIll'rielln SldlL" Suffolk Umvetsitv Law School. al/ rlng and aiter Iht' Revolutiun, 1775-/789 [Ne w York, 191AI6.'\().37 Irwin Polivhoo k, Rhude hltlml and Ihe UnIOn, 1774·J795 [Evansto n. Ill" 19691 :>'~-~J. Hillman :l.telc.1H Brvbop, \\'hr Rho<'e bland Oppo,eJ (he Fedoal Merrill len -e n . AUK/t., 01 Cnniederotinn (Mad i<'(ln. WIS Cun-UlUlmn [Providence 1950 Icrrmt o t lour arucles rn 1%.\1 190-95, 'ohn Russell Barrle tt cd., Rem"/< or rhe Rhoae hlall<' H i ~l nr }' \',8 , 19491 '>·l oJ Co/lmy n, Rhod,' /.,1and ,rnd Provrden("/' Planl<ltlOn, 10 ,~ 107·14il . Polivhnok, Im -29. N /'w EIl,!:lan d [Providenc e, 18'>6- 0,';) /1. ,341, .1,(,2, . ~ M -6 7, Rates, Worthingrnn C. Ford ct al., eds. tonmol. " f II", ('O/ui· 4 Intricacies and principal intent " I (h e pap er emission nn lltll Con,!:"',,, 1774· 17X9I W as hi nJ:lOn, 190,k U ) have been fathome d hy Bishop, 15·25- Polis hook. UI · II :63 /1. -39, M3, Edmund Cody Rumen , OmI1Ot'D!<l1 162 - ami forrest Md ><lI13 IJ, WI:" The P.:or/l:'" ECUnOrllK ConY-fe" (S"w York, 190Jil , ~ I- -l oJ O rr,!:m~ of (he Cun.IIJlUlrnn [Chicago. 1 9'j ~1 H6-.Jl1 100 n1\UNION di sp ut e which preci puated th e landmark case of tested hy dcpurlcs from Pro viden ce an d Newport and Trcverr v . Wecdens an d serv ed as ce me nt and bond of also by [ame s M . Varnum and Pelcg Arnold , del egates uni on for the dominant Co un try Party which opposed in Congress, but to no av ail M ratification 01the Consti tution. On September 15, 1 7~ 7 , just pr ior 10 th e co m pleti on That Rhod e Island was the last of the original of th e fede ra l co nvention, Governor John Co llins thirt een sta les 10 ratify th e Fed eral Co ns titu tion is ....-ell otfe red to th e president of th e co nf ede ra tion Congress known . The vt.atc was recalcitrant from the outse t of Rhude Island 's feeble excuse for non-attend ance at the the co ns ntununal movement. wit h the exceptio n of its Ph iladelph ia sessions, Cullins declared that since the response to th e Annap oli s co nvennon. Just pri or to that freem en .11 large ha d the pow er of c1eeti ng delega tes to M aryla nd gathering, Rhode Island had expressed a represent them in Congress , th e legislature co uld not desire 10 secu re un iform and ce ntralized regu lation of convisrenrlv appu int delegates to a convennon wh ich co mmerce to pr ot ect ItS re-export tr ad e from the tariffs might be the m eans of d issolving that Co ng ress. In view 0 1 neighboring slates." Because th at im portant but of the broad po wer whi ch th e Assembly was accu s­ limited ac tion was the on ly topic on th e proposed tom ed to exercise, Collin ..'s remarks seemed evasive agenda, Rhod e Island - its govern me nt then under indeed A spirited rejoinder signed by N e w po rt and me rcantile co ntr ol - dis patched rw o delegates to Providence de pu ties reminded the gove rnor that th e Annapo lis Comrmssruners [abez Bowen an d Samuel Assem bly ha d dispat ched delegates to th e Contin ental Ward had jou rneyed as fa r as Philad elphia when Congress.