674 



RHODE ISLAND. 



allotment their lands are exempted from taxation 

 for a period of twenty-five years, being held in trust 

 for them by the United States Government. The 

 Indian Office holds also that whatever the right of 

 a State or Territory to assess or tax personal prop- 

 perty of Indian allottees, acquired by purchase or 

 inheritance, all articles issued to them by the Gov- 

 ernment are exempted from taxation, and, in the 

 case of horses or cattle, such ruling applies also to 

 their increase. 



In the allotment of lands, the question has arisen, 

 What is an Indian? where the rights of half-breeds 

 and mixed bloods are concerned. The old English 

 common law which makes the father the controlling 

 factor and determines relationship through him, ap- 

 pears not to be applicable to the condition of the 

 American Indians, where the mother, and not the 

 father, is the chief factor, and according to which 

 half-breeds and mixed bloods are recognized as 

 Indians. 



The general allotment act of 1887 provided, as 

 has been said, for the naturalization and citizenship 

 of all Indians within the United States. Prior to 

 that act Indians became citizens by treaty condi- 

 tions and special acts of Congress, the first treaty 

 being that with the Cherokees in 1817. The Choc- 

 taws in 1820 concluded a treaty providing for the 

 future allotment of their lands east of the Missis- 

 sippi, and for their becoming citizens. The first 

 lands allotted to Indians in severally were those of 

 the Brothertown Indians in Wisconsin, authorized 

 by act of Congress, March 3, 1839. These Indians, 

 on receiving their patents in fee, became citizens of 

 the United States. The same policy was followed 

 in the case of several other tribes, notably the Otta- 

 was and Chippewas, the Pottawatomies, the Shaw- 

 nees and Wyandottes, but with disastrous results 

 where no restrictions were made as to the alienation 

 of lands conveyed to the Indians in fee simple. No 

 Indian ever exercised the right of citizenship under 

 the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution, as 

 its provisions were held to be limited to those only 

 who were born owing no allegiance to any tribal 

 government and bearing the burdens of taxation. 

 It has been much discussed whether the Indians re- 

 siding in the territory ceded by Mexico became citi- 

 zens of the United States under the treaty of Guada- 

 lupe Hidalgo, inasmuch as. under what is known as 

 "the plan of Iguala," Indians were recognized as 

 citizens of Mexico, and would thus have become 

 citizens of the United States. They never have 

 been so treated, however, and the Pueblo Indians in 

 New Mexico, although a sober, virtuous, and indus- 

 trious people, and recognized as politic and corpo- 

 rate bodies, far in advance of other tribes in civili- 

 zation, still await action by Congress to entitle them 

 to the privileges of citizenship. 



RH01)E 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 08,825 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. By the State census of 1895 it 

 was 384,758. Capitals, Providence and Newport. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year : Governor, Elisha Dyer ; 

 Lieutenant Governor, Aram J. Pothier, succeeded 

 in May by William Gregory; Secretary of State, 

 Charles P." Bennett ; Treasurer, Clinton D. Sellew, 

 succeeded in May by Walter A. Read ; Attorney- 

 General, Willard B. Tanner; Auditor, A. C. Land- 

 ers ; Superintendent of Education, T. B. Stockwell ; 

 Adjutant General, Frederick M. Sackett ; Factory 

 Inspectors, J. Ellery Hudson and Helen M. Jenks ; 

 Record Commissioner, R. Hammett Tilley; Chief 



Justice of the Supreme Court, Charles Matteson ; 

 Associate Justices, John II. Stiness, Pardon E. Til- 

 linghast, George A. Wilbur, Horatio Rogers, W. W. 

 Douglas, and Benjamin M. Bosworth ; Clerk, B. S. 

 Blaisdell all are Republicans. 



Finances. The receipts for 1897 were $1,405,- 

 680.14. The deficit and checks outstanding Jan. 1, 

 1897, were $26,017.02; the amount paid on account 

 of appropriations, $1,329,013.88; the amount paid 

 on note, money borrowed by authority of Legisla- 

 ture, $50,000. The balance in the treasury. Dec. 

 31, 1897, was $649.24. The Statehouse construc- 

 tion loan sinking fund amounted to $209,422, an 

 increase during the year of $27,254. 



Wealth. The valuation of the ratable property 

 in the several towns and cities in 1897 was $384,- 

 817,957, an increase of $1,324,433 over 1896. The 

 cities of the State contain ratable property valued 

 at $266,564,635. The entire land area of Rhode 

 Island is equal to 694,400 acres, of which 465,043f 

 acres are in farm properties. The number of farms 

 reported is 6,441. The total value of farm proper- 

 ties, which includes land, buildings, live stock (ex- 

 clusive of poultry and bees), implements, etc., is 

 $30,759,698. The" value of poultry on hand Nov. 1, 

 1895. was $397,610.62, and the value of bees $12,- 

 681.70. The total investment in farming, poultry 

 raising, and bee keeping in 1895 amounted to $31,- 

 169,990.32. The investment in farming may oe 

 subdivided as follows : Lands, $16,388,729.50 ; build- 

 ings, $10,687,446.50; implements, $827,346.80; live 

 stock, $2,094,393.70; greenhouses, $325,284; and 

 other miscellaneous capital, $436,497.50. 



The following amounts were in 1895 invested : In 

 textile industries, $73,536,762; in metals and ma- 

 chinery, $18,056,872; jewelry, $12,175,444; rubber 

 goods, $4,049,485; stone and marble working, 



Insurance. The amount of life insurance in 

 straight companies in force at the beginning of the 

 year in the State was $38,678,368, an increase of 

 over $2,000,000. The amount in industrial com- 

 panies was $17,476,393, an increase of $1,782.491. 

 In assessment companies the amount in force was 

 $2,707,367, an increase of about $7,000. 



There are 26 fire insurance companies in the State, 

 3 joint-stock and 23 mutual companies; the joint- 

 stock companies with a cash capital of $900.00ii: 

 admitted assets, $3,168.614; liabilities, $1,494.C.71 ; 

 surplus, $773,943 ; the 23 mutual fire insurance com- 

 panies with cash assets, $4,918.493; contingent as- 

 sets, $17.667.228; liabilities, $2,212.944: surplus. 

 $2,706,451. The risks written and renewed in the 

 State by the 26 Rhode Island insurance companies 

 during the year 1897 amounted to $424,999,834. 



Banks. There are 35 savings banks in the State, 

 which had aggregate deposits in 1897 of sfiii.-}:!- .- 

 455.48, an increase of $750,757.58 over 1896. This 

 wealth belongs to 138,301 individual depositors, who 

 in number in 1897 were 2,153 larger than in 1896. 

 There are 6 State banks of circulation and deposit, 

 which in 1897 had a cash capital paid in of $916,675, 

 and deposits amounting to $721,711.66. The aggre- 

 gate resources of these 6 State banks in 1897 amount- 

 ed to $1,911,559.89. There are 8 trust companies n 

 the State, which in 1897 had an aggregate capit il 

 stock of $2,840,100.19, and asurplus of $1.130.100.19. 

 The combined resources of these financial instilu- 

 tions then was $26,053,275.18. and their bankii g 

 clientage 7,610 depositors. There are also .">? a<-ti' e 

 national banks in the State, with capital st<>r<. 

 $19,337,050; with resources, $55,587,225.81 ; a sur- 

 plus fund, $4,951.962.09, and individual deposits 

 subject to check, $18,436,658.13. 



Education. The school census of 1897 gave . 'in 

 enumeration of 76,262; the number reported as [it- 

 tending public schools was 53,195 ; number reported 



