KIIODK ISLAND. 



685 



deaf-mate children, not otherwise incapable, to send 

 such children to the Institute for the Deaf, unless 



they are otherwise provided with suitable education 

 ami allowing legal residents between tfa 

 three-and-twenty to go to the institute without 

 charge. 



Making pri/e fighting punishable by a fine not 

 exceeding x 1.000 and imprisonment not exceeding 

 ten years. 



Among the appropriations were : For State print- 

 ing. $30,000; State binding, $6,000; advertising 

 and publishing laws, f 10,000; rewards or bounties 

 for the destruction of wild foxes, si, 000: for care 

 of soldiers' and sailors' monument in Providence, 

 $50; for payment of medical examiners ami coro- 

 ners. *.j.u()0 ; for expenses of enforcing laws of the 

 relating to fisheries. $1,200; for the Board of 

 Health, $3,500; for care of Statehouses. $2,200; for 

 care of Providence courthouse. s-">.72<>. 



Political. The election for State officers took 

 place April 1. The State convention of the Prohi- 

 bition party was held in Providence. March 2. 

 Henry 1>. Metcalf was chairman. The platform 

 adopted was in favor of economy in State expendi- 

 tures: suffrage without distinction of race, color, or 

 sex. and with distinctions of age and intelligence 

 only; Sunday observance : public schools: munici- 

 pal ownership of water, light, and transportation 

 plants : and of the no-license movement. It con- 

 demned the license tax, mulct, dispensary, and per- 

 mit systems of dealing with the liquor traffic, and 

 declared that the Prohibition party offers the only 

 reasonable and comprehensive plan for the suppres- 

 sion of the traffic ; favored placing all legitimate 

 manufacture and sale under the direct control of 

 the State or National Government. A resolution 

 favoring the initiative and referendum and propor- 

 tional representation was also adopted. 



Ten delegates to the national convention at Pitts- 

 burg were chosen and were pledged to the "domi- 

 nant issue." The ticket follows: For Governor, 

 Thomas II. Peabody ; Lieutenant Governor, John 

 J. Babcock : Secretary of State. George F. Varney ; 

 Attorney-General, James A.Williams; Treasurer, 

 Pierce Tuckerman. 



The Republican State Convention met. March 10, 

 in Providence. Elisha Dyer was chairman. The 

 resolutions declared in favor of protection and " a 

 financial policy that recognizes every dollar to be 

 of equal value " : for recognition of services of sur- 

 vivors of the civil war ; and for restriction of immi- 

 gration. It also approved " the recent acts of a 

 Republican Congress to increase the strength and 

 efficiency of the naval and military forces of the 

 country : opposed appropriations for sectarian 

 schools : fa vi ire J generous appropriations for needed 

 public improvements, for educational and charita- 

 ble institutions, and for the militia: and called for 

 revision of the Constitution, recommending "that 

 the General Assembly, upon reassembling, appoint 

 a bipartisan commission to revise the Constitution, 

 such revision to be reported to the General Assem- 

 bly that the same may be submitted as an amend- 

 ment to the electors in the manner provided in the 

 Constitution." and denounced the Democratic poli- 

 cy ' which, for partisan purposes, demands a con- 

 stitutional convention in open defiance of the pro- 

 visions of the Constitution and in utter disregard of 

 the solemn opinion of the justices of our Supreme 

 Court that the Constitution can be lawfully amended 

 or changed only in the mode itself prescribes." 

 The State officers were all renominated. 

 The Democratic State Central Committee decided 

 to hold a separate convention for choosing delegates 

 to the national convention, and this was ratified by 

 the convention called to meet in Providence. March 

 11, to nominate State officers. The resolutions de- 



clared the State to be on the verge of bankruptcy 



in consequence of Republican management, and 

 called for revision of the tax laws. In n-lVivnce t 

 a revision of the Constitution, the following resolu- 

 tion was adopted : 



"The Democratic party congratulates the people 

 of this Slate that, owing to our continued ami in- 

 cessant demand for a revision of the Constitution. 

 the party in power has been driven to see the im- 

 perative need of a change in our fundamental law. 

 The Democratic party, however, demands a revision 

 of the Constitution by the representatives of the 

 people, duly chosen for that purpose, and not by 

 commissions appointed by the party in power. The 

 scheme of the party now in power is only to retain 

 power and more surely fasten upon the State corpo- 

 ration rule." 



The candidates of 1895 were renominated. with 

 the exception of the nominee for Secretary of State. 

 The ticket was : For Governor, George L. Little- 

 field : Lieutenant Governor, Augustus S. Miller; 

 Secretary of State. George L. Church ; Attorney- 

 General, George T. Brown ; Treasurer, John G. 

 Perry. 



Candidates were placed in the field by the Peo- 

 ple's and Socialist-Labor parties. 



A larger number of voters qualified than ever be- 

 fore, owing to the naturalization of foreign-born 

 residents under the Bourn amendment. 



At the election, April 1, the total vote was 50,592, 

 against 44,110 in 1895, and the Republican candi- 

 dates were elected by large pluralities. Following 

 is the vote for Governor: Lippitt, Republican. 2*.- 

 448; Littlefield, Democrat. 17.170: Peabody, Pro- 

 hibitionist, 3,032: Thienert, Socialist. 1.224: Bur- 

 lingame, People's. 718. Lippitt's plurality, 11.27*. 

 The number of Democrats in the State Legislature 

 was reduced from 9 to 6, with 103 Republicans. 

 On the question of liquor licenses, which was sub- 

 mitted in many of the towns, all but North Kings- 

 ton voted in favor of license. 



A Democratic State convention was held at Provi- 

 dence. April 21. Delegates to the national conven- 

 tion were chosen. William E. Russell was named 

 as the preferred candidate for the presidential nom- 

 ination. The platform approved the existing na- 

 tional administration, especially its management of 

 the finances ; favored the maintenance of the Mon- 

 roe doctrine: approved the Wilson bill; opposed 

 reciprocity as impracticable and unnecessary; and 

 on the financial question said: 



"It is vital to the interests of our people that 

 there should be no departure from the gold standard, 

 to which all money, whether gold, silver, or paper, 

 should conform, and we are opposed to the free 

 coinage of silver until at least four of the great pow- 

 ers of the Western World shall come to an interna- 

 tional agreement establishing the ratio at which 

 gold and silver shall be admitted to mintage." 



After the Chicago convention, the State Central 

 Committee, by a vote of 15 to 3. adopted resolutions 

 approving the platform of that convention and rat- 

 it'ving its nominations. 



"The Gold-standard Democrats bolted and held a 

 convention, Aug. 26. Delegates to the Indianapolis 

 convention and candidates for presidential electors 

 were chosen, and the resolutions declared in favor 

 of Democratic principles and sound money. 



A convention of Silver Democrats was held the 

 same day. and electors were nominated. 



The Republicans held a convention in Provi- 

 dence, April 10. declared for the gold standard, and 

 chose delegates to the national convention, leaving 

 them uninstructed. 



The vote at the November election stood : McKin- 

 ley. :-J7.4:5T: Bryan. 14.459 : Palmer. 1,166; Levering, 

 1,160 ; Matchett, 558 : Bentley, 5. 



