Republican Administration. 59 



be optional and that if a person were not a church member he should 

 not be compelled to contribute to the support of any church. The 

 grants made to Yale College were criticised on the ground that it 

 was a Congregational institution and that the state did not thus aid 

 any other denominational institution.^ That this feeling was strong 

 is evidenced by the last great poHtical effort on the part of the fed- 

 eralist party in the act (referred to in the last chapter) which they 

 passed in the October session of the assembly in 1816 making grants 

 to the various denominations. ^ 



A still further cause for complaint was found in the system of 

 taxation. This system, good as regards the equality of valuation 

 Demand for of property, became unjust as soon as differences 

 Change in in wealth began to appear. It was based upon the 

 axation utterly false proposition that all property of the same 



kind was of about the same value. Then, too, no provision was made 

 for the taxation of the accumulating wealth, of which the evidences, 

 such as government stock and the stock of various kinds of cor- 

 porations, were at this time numerous. At the time this system of 

 taxation was formulated, very little stock existed, commerce such 

 as grew during the Napoleonic wars was yet to help create inequali- 

 ties of wealth, and manufacturing was in its infancy. Hence no great 

 injustice had been felt- by the people, because the standard of hving 

 for all was about the same. By the time of the War of 1812, condi- 

 tions had changed sufficiently to cause a feehng of dissatisfaction 

 with the existing tax system. 



B. Republican AD.MiNisrRATiox. 

 1. New Constitution. 



This overthrow of the federalists was finally accomplished by 

 these elements of discontent. In 1817 the Toleration or "old" Re- 

 publican party elected Oliver Wolcott governor and 

 Constitutional -^^ ^^^ ^j gg^^j^j^ ^^ ^g^g ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^-^^^ ^j^^^ ^ ^^_ 

 Convention . ■' 



jority in both houses of the legislature. Immediately, 



in pursuance of their program, they passed an act providing for a 

 constitutional convention and the result was the adoption (Sep- 

 tember 15, 1818) of the constitution under which, as amended from 

 time to time, Connecticut has been governed until the present day. 



^ Johnston's Connecticut, p. 347. 

 2 Cf. p. 54. 



