754 



RHODE ISLAND. 



Churches in the United States, as it has done 

 in the unification of the mission churches in 

 heathen lands, so that some arrangement may be 

 entered into by which there may be less expense, 

 less interference, and greater efficiency in the 

 mission work. The overture asks the Council, 

 through its committees, to enter into correspond- 

 ence with the various home missionary boards 

 of the churches mentioned, asking co-operation 

 and inviting suggestions, from which a plan may 

 be formulated to be approved by the boards and 

 submitted to the succeeding General Council, 

 and then to the highest judicatories of the 

 several churches. The following problems were 

 specified as needing adjustment : 



1. A plan by which in the cities churches of the 

 same language shall not be located within a certain 

 distance of each other lest they interfere with one 

 another; 2. A plan of agreement by_ which another ot 

 the denominations may not come into a city unless 

 the city exceeds a certain size, thus giving room for 

 another congregation ot" the Presbyterian or Eeformed 

 faith, or unless the original congregation or congre- 

 gations have attained to a certain numerical or finan- 

 cial strength ; 3. A plan of agreement by which, in 

 case of a division in any Presbyterian or Eeformed 

 congregation, another allied denomination may not 

 organize a second new congregation from the seceders 

 unless the old congregation has attained a certain 

 numerical or financial strength, or unless agreed to by 

 the presbytery or classes of the old as well as the new 

 denomination ; 4. Apian of agreement by which neigh- 

 boring weak congregations, whether in large cities or 

 sparse country districts, but of different denomina- 

 tions, may be united or supplied and thus made 

 strong and self-supporting. 



An appropriation was made for a mission to 

 immigrants at Castle Garden, New York. The 

 Home Mission Board was advised to begin a 

 mission among the Hungarians in the coke 

 regions about Connellsville, Fa. The Brother- 

 hood of Andrew and Philip, a social organiza- 

 tion of the young men of the Church for re- 

 ligious work, was approved. The work of the 

 American Sabbath Union was commended, and 

 delegates were appointed to represent the Gen- 

 eral Synod in its organization. 



The joint commission of the two General 

 Synods met at Catskill, N. Y., Sept, 2, and 

 unanimously agreed upon a constitution for 

 the proposed Federal Synod of the Reformed 

 Churches, to consist of twenty ministers and 

 twenty elders for each denomination, and to 

 meet annually, the powers of which were care- 

 fully defined and limited. This constitution is 

 to be submitted to both General Synods for their 

 approval. 



RHODE ISLAND, a New England State, one 

 of the original thirteen, ratified the Constitution 

 May 29, 1790; area, 1,250 square miles. The 

 population, according to each decennial census, 

 was 68,825 in 1790; 69,122 in 1800; 76,931 in 

 1810; 83,015 in 1820; 97,199 in 1830; 108,830 

 in 1840; 147,545 in 1850; 174,620 in 1860 ; 217,- 

 353 in 1870; 276,531 in 1880; and 345,506 in 

 1890. Capitals, Newport and Providence. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year : Governor, Herbert W. 

 Ladd, Republican, succeeded by John W. Davis, 

 Democrat ; Lieutenant-Governor, Daniel G. Lit- 

 tlefield, succeeded by William T. C. Wardwell ; 

 Secretary of State, Samuel H. Cross, succeeded 

 by Edwin D. McGuinness ; General Treasurer, 



Samuel Clark, succeeded by John G. Perry; 

 State Auditor and Insurance Commissioner, 

 William C. Townsend, succeeded by Elisha W. 

 Bucklin ; Attorney -General, Ziba 0. Slocum ; 

 Railroad Commissioner, E. L. Freeman ; Com- 

 missioner of Public Schools, Thomas B. Stock- 

 well ; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 Thomas Durfee ; Associate Justices, Pardon E. 

 Tillinghast, Charles Matteson, John H. Stiness, 

 and George A. Wilbur. 



Population. The following table shows the 

 population of the State by counties, as deter- 

 mined by the national census of this year, com- 

 pared with the population of 1880 : 



Finances. There was no change during the 

 year in the bonded State debt, which remained at 

 $1,283,000, but the sinking funds increased 

 from $860,016.76 on Jan. 1 to $951,703.95 on 

 Dec. 31, thereby reducing the net State indebted- 

 ness from $422,983.24 to $331,296.05 during the 

 year. The summary of the operations of the 

 State treasury is as follows : Balance on Jan. 1, 

 1890, $179,167.73 ; receipts for the year, $1,075,- 

 963.65 ; expenditures, $1,169,602.81 ; balance on 

 Dec. 31, 1890, $85,528.57. There was an increase 

 of $22,414.76 in the receipts over the total of 

 the previous year, due entirely to increased re- 

 turns from liquor licenses. At the same time 

 the expenditures, on account of large appropri- 

 ations, were greater than in 1889 by about $125,- 

 000, causing a net reduction in the treasury bal- 

 ance of about $100,000. 



Legislative Session. The adjourned session 

 of the General Assembly began at Providence on 

 Jan. 21, and continued through May 2. The Aus- 

 tralian ballot law was amended so that ballots 

 may be printed and distributed at public expense, 

 under the provisions of the law, at any adjourned 

 or second election for members of the General 

 Assembly. The Governor was authorized to ap- 

 point a commission of three to revise and codify 

 the general statutes, and to report the result of 

 its labors to the General Assembly within three 

 years. The same commission was directed to 

 report a plan for changing the judicial system 

 of the State so as to simplify and equalize the 

 duties of the State courts. Other acts of the ses- 

 sion were as follow : 



Providing a penalty for fraudulently placing bal- 

 lots in, or abstracting them from, anjr ballot-box. 



Appropriating $75,000 for completing the Soldiers' 

 Home. 



Establishing as legal holidays the first Wednesday 

 of April in each year (State election day) and the 

 Tuesday next after the first Monday in November. 

 1890j and in every second year thereafter (national 

 election day). 



Creating a board of State valuation to report to the 

 January session of 1891 a revaluation of tne taxable 

 property of the towns and cities of the State, which, if 

 approved by the General Assembly, shall be used by 

 the general Treasurer as a basis for apportioning the 

 State tax % 



Increasing the salary of the Governor to $5,000 ; of 



