700 



RHODE ISLAND. 



the land upon which they stand, and immediately 

 surrounding the same, to an extent not exceeding 

 one acre, so far as said buildings and land are occu- 

 pied and used exclusively for religious or educational 

 purposes ; the estates, persons, and families of the 

 president and professors, for the time being, of 

 Brown University, for not more than ten thousand 

 dollars for each such officer, his estate, person, and 

 family included; property specially exempt by char- 

 ter, unless such exemption shall nave been waived 

 in whole or in part ; lots of land used exclusively for 

 burial-grounds; land of the Narragansett tribe of 

 Indians, held by the tribe, or in severally according 

 to their usage, but not including any land owned in 

 fee simple by a member of the tribe: provided that 

 such land shall not be liable to taxation for the sup- 

 port of the poor, or the erection or repair of school- 

 houses, or the support of public schools; the property, 

 real and personal, held for or by any incorporated 

 library society, or any free public library, or any free 

 public library society, so far as said property shall 

 be held exclusively for library purposes ; or for the 

 aid or support of poor friendless children, or for the 

 aid or support of the aged poor, or for the aid or 

 support of the poor generally, or for a hospital for 

 the sick or disabled, and any fund given or held for 

 the purpose of public education; almshouses, and 

 the land and buildings used in connection therewith, 

 except that almshouse estates, when belonging to 

 the town, shall be subject to taxation for school pur- 

 poses, in the scliool-district in which they are situ- 

 ated ; the estate of any person, who, in the judgment 

 of the assessor, is unable, from infirmity or poverty, 

 to pay the tax ; the bonds and other securities issued 

 and exempted from taxation by the Government of 

 the United States. 



An amendment to the statutes in relation to 

 divorce provided for giving effectual notice 

 to the person against whom proceedings are 

 instituted in case such person resides without 

 the State. An act in relation to manufactur- 

 ing corporations limits the liability of individ- 

 ual stockholders to the proportion of the 

 shares of stock held by them. Another act 

 established a Board of Harbor Commissioners. 

 An act providing for the inspection of dams 

 and reservoirs was defeated. 



The first Board of Harbor Commissioners 

 was appointed by the Governor on the 14th of 

 June, and organized on the 28th of that month. 

 It consists of J. H. Shedd, H. F. Potter, and 

 Jedediah Williams. 



While the Legislature was in session, the 

 canvass for the State election, which occurred 

 on the 5th of April, had been carried through. 

 The first political convention was that of the 

 Prohibitionists, which was held at Providence, 

 on the 22d of February. Candidates for State 

 offices were put in nomination as follows: for 

 Governor, Albert C. Howard, of East Provi- 

 dence; for Lieutenant-Governor, Alfred B. 

 Chadsey, of North Kingston; for Secretary 

 of State, Joshua M. Addeman, of Providence ; 

 for Attorney-General, Warren E. Perce, of 

 Providence ; for General Treasurer, Alonzo D. 

 "Vose, of Woonsocket. The following resolu- 

 tions were unanimously adopted : 



Resohed^ That we declare our continued hostility 

 to the policy of licensing the sale of intoxicating 

 liquors as a beverage, and our confidence in pro- 

 hibitory measures as the only safe and wise policy. 



Resolved, That we declare our conviction that the 

 present license law is producing a wide-spread de- 



moralization, and increasing the evils of intemper- 

 ance, and we demand its immediate repeal. 



Resolved, That we reiterate our uncompromising 

 opposition to the bribery and corruption wnich have 

 too often characterized our State elections, and we 

 summon the people of Khode Island to set the seal 

 of their rebuke upon the party that seeks to corrupt 

 our politics. 



Resolved, That while we will use all proper means 

 to secure the enactment and enforcement of prohibi- 

 tion, we will omit no effort to promote the temper- 

 ance reform by moral and educational agencies. 



The Democratic Convention was held at 

 Providence on the 16th of March, and nomi- 

 nated, for Governor, General George Lewis 

 Cooke, of Warren; for Lieutenant-Governor, 

 Ziba 0. Slocum, of Gloucester; for Secretary 

 of State, John B. Pierce, of North Kingston ; 

 for Attorney-General, Oscar 8. Lapham, of 

 Providence; for General Treasurer, W. P. 

 Congdon, of Newport. Mr. Cooke declining 

 to be a candidate, Mr. William B. Beach, of 

 Providence, was named for the vacancy on the 

 ticket. The platform adopted was as follows : 



The Democracy of Rhode Island, now in conven- 

 tion assembled, in view of the approaching presi- 

 dential election, feel it due to their lellow-Dtmocrata 

 of the Union to declare their political attitude : 

 therefore 



Resolved, That we reaffirm our devotion to the 

 Union of the States on the broad and liberal princi- 

 ples of its founders, that all are equal in the Union. 



Resolved. That we denounce the violation of this 

 equality of rights by the Federal Government, in its 

 illegal and wicked interference with our sister 

 States, and we call upon all patriots,, of whatsoever 

 party affiliations, to unite with us in wresting tlie 

 control of the Government from the hands of those 

 who have trampled upon this fundamental principle 

 of our Union. 



Resolved, That the astounding developments so 

 recently made through the committees of Congress 

 and the courts, of Federal official corruptions at 

 "Washington, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis, 

 Chicago, and many other cities^ have stamped in- 

 delible disgrace upon the Administration of Preti- 

 dent Grant and his advisers, and should convince all 

 candid men that an immediate change of rulers and 

 policy is imperatively demanded. 



Resolved, That the present blighted condition of 

 the business interests of the country is due to and 

 chargeable upon the Republican paity, in that it de- 

 serted the well-tried and established theory of all 

 enlightened governments of the earth, and adopted 

 an irredeemable currency. 



Resolved, That the only possible return to prcs- 

 perity is a return to a sound currency, bssed on a 

 gold redemption, and that we are in favor of such 

 return at the earliest moment consistent with the 

 business interests of the country. 



Resolved, That we are opposed to that long-stand- 

 ing system of legalized robbery, under the name of 

 protect'on to American producers, by which ilia few 

 are enriched at the expense of the many^ and de- 

 mand in its stead a tariff for revenue. 



Delegates to the National Convention at St. 

 Louis were chosen, and a State Central Com- 

 mittee appointed. 



The Republican Convention was held at 

 Providence on the 23d of March. The nomi- 

 nations were : For Governor, Henry Lippitt, 

 of Providence; for Lieutenant-Governor, Henry 

 T. Sisson, of Little Compton ; for Secretary of 

 State, Joshua M. Addeman, of Providence for 



