All Pawtucket All The Time

By Ken McGill, Registrar of Voters

City of Pawtucket

Every year you get that one Christmas gift that is more special than any other. Usually it’s from family or friends who know your likes and dislikes. This year was no exception for me. A dear friend, Diane Dufresne, who is the Director of the Pawtucket Substance Abuse Task Force, gave me an antique State of Rhode Island Election Manual for 1926. Knowing my love for history and elections she purchased the manual in an antique store and it quickly became one of my favorite Christmas gifts.

The cover reads: State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations – Election Manual – For the use of Moderators, Clerks and Supervisors – Prepared by the State Returning Board – 1926. The E.L. Freeman Company of Providence, Rhode Island prepared the manual. Members of the “State Returning Board”, which would be equivalent to the modern day Board of Elections, was: John W. Ramsbottom – Chairman, Charles H. Sparks, Benjamin C. Seabury, Thomas J. Mathews, James M. Stockett and William A. Needham was the recording secretary.

You would be surprised how much of the language of the state laws regarding elections has remained the same over the years except for one section. Chapter 6 of the General Laws called “Citizens” under Sec. 4 states “Every woman citizen of the United States and resident of the state shall have the same right to vote for civil officers and on all questions in all legally organized town, ward of district meetings as is conferred upon and enjoyed by male citizens the United States…” This section of the election laws of the state, which has since been taken out, was a direct result of the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States that allowed women to vote after a very lengthy fight to do so. The 19^th Amendment was proposed in 1919 and ratified by the states in 1920.

The Election Manual itself is old and the paper is aged but it is truly a keepsake. In addition to the manual Diane gave me an old post card that depicts a scene of downtown Pawtucket in its heyday. The postcard shows women in long dresses with horses and buggies going up and down Main Street. There is a police officer in a long coat and bowler hat watching the horse traffic go by. There is one store sign that I can make out and it reads- “Kirby & Co. 5 and 10 Cent Store”. In the window a sign reads “We sell nothing over 10 cents”. The postcard does not have a date on it but my guess would be that it is late 1800’s or more likely early 1900’s. I have put the postcard in a frame and have it on the shelf behind my desk.

So I will put my 1926 Election Manual away with my program from when the Pope came to the U.S. in the 1980’s and my autograph of then 1972 Vice-Presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton (anyone remember him). I’m a collector of all things historical and especially when it has to do with the City of Pawtucket. So this is why old postcards and old Election Manuals will always be part of Pawtucket – Your Hometown!

-           Until next week.