MASSACHUSETTS. 



517 



The accumulation each year of a large surplus in 

 the National Treasury, alter the payment of all such 

 charges, is in itself conclusive proof that the taxing 

 system fastened upon the country by the Republican 

 partv requires complete revision. The resolutions of 

 the "Democratic National Convention in IS^-i clearly 

 indicate the principles upon which such revision 

 ought to be made. 



The Republican Convention was held at 

 Easton on May 17. and the platform adopted 

 contained the following resolutions : 



That in the free-trade movement inaugurated by 

 the Democratic party, we recognize a renewed effort 

 to aid foreign manufacturers to displace the products 

 of American workmen with those ot pauperized labor. 

 We bc-lieve that the protective system, which has 

 made this nation great and ite people prosperous, is 

 the best means for maintaining that greatness and 

 prosperity, and denounce and oppose the unpatriotic 

 assault upon the independence and prosperity of the 

 American workingmen. 



That, recognizing the undesirability of a large sur- 

 plus revenue, we favor the abolition of the -internal 

 n tobacco and alcohol used in the arts and sci- 

 ences, and the modification of the duty on sugar, and 

 we declare that, in justice to the American ii: - 

 involved, any necessary readjustment of the tariff 

 should be made by its friends, and not by its ene- 

 mies. 



That we commend the course of the Republican 

 Senate in the matter of pensioning the disabled vet- 

 erans of the Union armies and those dependent on 

 them. We urge the representatives of this State in 

 the National Convention to favor greater liberality in 

 dealing with the just claims of these defenders of "the 

 Union. 



That we are in favor of an unqualified franchise 

 and equality of men before the law. 



The presidential election resulted in the cast- 

 ing of the following votes: Cleveland, 106.17:2 ; 

 Harrison, 99,761 ; and Fisk, 5,358, which 

 shows a plurality of 6,411 for Cleveland, 

 against 11,118 in 1884. Two Republican and 

 four Democratic Congressmen were elected, 

 and one seat is to. be contested a gain of at 

 least one Republican. In Baltimore the City 

 Council, by Republican gains, became tied. 

 The Legislature contains 22 Democrats and 4 

 Republicans in the Senate, and 68 Democrats 

 and 23 Republians in the Lower House 



MASSACHUSETTS. State Government. The fol- 

 lowing were the State officers during the year: 

 Governor, Oliver Ames, Republican : Lieuten- 

 ant-Governor, John Q. A. Brackett ; Secretary 

 of State, Henry B. Pierce ; Auditor, Charles 

 R. Ladd: Treasurer, Alanson W. Beard: At- 

 torney-General, Andrew J. Waterman; Rail- 

 road Commissioners, George G. Crocker, Ed- 

 ward W. Kinsley, and Everett A. Stevens : 

 Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court, Marcus 

 Morton; Associate Justices, TTalbridge A. 

 Field, Charles Devens, William Allen, Charles 

 Allen, Oliver W. Holmes, Jr., and Marcus P. 

 Knowlton. 



legislative Session. The Legislature met on 

 January 4. and adjourned on May 29. The 

 question of dividing the town of Beverly was 

 again a prominent subject of discussion; but 

 the bill for division, after passing the Senate, 

 failed in the Lower House. Several acts re- 

 stricting the liquor traffic were among the note- 



worthy features of the session. One of these 

 defines intoxicating liquor to be any beverage 

 containing more than 1 per cent, of alcohol 

 (instead of 3 per cent, as formerly), the ob- 

 ject of the bill being to render easier a convic- 

 tion for illegal selling. Another act forbids the 

 sale of liquor on Fast Day, Memorial and 

 Thanksgiving Days, and Christmas. Still an- 

 other limits the number of places that may be 

 licensed to sell liquor, to one for each one 

 thousand of population, except in the city of 

 Boston, where there may be one for every five 

 hundred people, and another raises the fees to 

 $1,000 for first-class licenses, $250 for second 

 and third class, $200 for fourth-class, and 

 $150 for fifth-class licenses. Lastly, the fol- 

 lowing amendment to the State Constitution 

 was proposed and referred to the next Legislat- 

 ure: "The manufacture and sale of intoxicat- 

 ing liquors to be used as a beverage are pro- 

 hibited. The General Court shall enact suita- 

 ble legislation to enforce the provisions of this 

 article." 



An act regulating child labor, provides that 

 no child under thirteen years of age shall be 

 employed at any time in any factory, work- 

 shop, or mercantile establishment, and no such 

 child be employed in any other indoor labor 

 for wages during the sessions of the public 

 schools, unless during the year preceding he 

 has attended school for at least twenty weeks. 

 No child under fourteen years of age shall be 

 employed in any factory, workshop, or mer- 

 cantile establishment, except during the vaca- 

 tion of the public schools, unless a certificate is 

 obtained from school officials stating that the 

 child can read and write, and has attended 

 school twenty weeks during the preceding year, 

 or is attending the public evening schools; and 

 no such child shall be employed in any other 

 indoor work for wages, except as aforesaid. 

 Xo child who has been continuously a resident 

 of a city or town, since reaching the age of 

 thirteen years, shall be entitled to receive a 

 certificate that he has reached fourteen years 

 until he has attended school twenty weeks in 

 such town or city since reaching the age of 

 thirteen, unless exempted by law from such 

 attendance. Truant officers are charged with 

 the enforcement of the law, and fines are im- 

 posed on parents or guardians that disobey. 



A new ballot act, modeled on the Australian 

 system, provides for the printing and distribu- 

 tion of ballots at the public expense, and regu- 

 late? the form of such ballots, the method of 

 voting, and the arrangement of polling-places. 

 Entire secrecy is secured to the voter by this 

 method, and the possibility of fraudulent bal- 

 loting reduced to a minimum. 



More efficient supervision of schools in the 

 smaller towns is secured by permitting two or 

 more towns to unite in obtaining the services 

 of a trained and salaried superintendent. 



In order to provide for contemplated addi- 

 tion to the State House, which for a long time 

 has been unable to accommodate all depart- 



