History
By 1917, Rhode Island was one of only four states in the Union where
the state legislature had completely blocked initiative and referendum for
both the state and local governments. Like Pennsylvania, Rhode Island
was controlled from the Civil War to the Great Depression by a
Republican Party machine allied with the state’s big industrialists, in this
case textile mill owners.
Foremost among its I&R advocates was Lucius F. C. Garvin, a state
legislator who was elected governor in 1902. Garvin called for passage of
an I&R bill in his 1903 message to the legislature and continued pushing for
I&R after his term was over. Lewis A. Waterman, Democratic candidate for
governor in 1910, also called for I&R, but to no avail.
In the 1980s, agitation for I&R resumed under the leadership of Marilyn
Hines, director of the state chapter of Common Cause. The group won
approval of a statewide initiative amendment in a state constitutional
convention in 1986, but voters, probably not comprehending its meaning
due to a lack of publicity on the issue, rejected it by a narrow margin.
The next big opportunity came in 1996 when the citizens voted on a
statewide advisory question asking them if they wanted the initiative
process. Voters said yes by a 53% to 47% margin. However, as would be
expected, the state legislature ignored the people’s wishes once again.
Excerpted from the Initiative & Referendum Almanac by M. Dane Waters.