846 



WISCONSIN. 



The State Supreme Conrt, in January, inter- 

 preted this to allow women to vote for school- 

 officers, but not for such other municipal offi- 

 cers, like the mayor, as only indirectly con- 

 trolled educational matters. 



Ciaritios. Wisconsin has a peculiar system 

 for the maintenance and care of its insane. 

 This system includes two exclusively State in- 

 stitutions and the Milwaukee County Asylum, 

 which is both governed and maintained in part 

 by the State. These institutions have a normal 

 capacity for the care of 1,370 patients, and at 

 the close of the fiscal year had 1,425 inmates. 



In addition to these hospitals proper there 

 are now 16 county asylums for the care of the 

 chronic insane, with two others in process of 

 erection. The. combined capacity of these asy- 

 lums will be sufficient to accommodate 1,505 

 inmates. These asylums, while they are main- 

 tained and managed by the counties exclusively 

 in which they are situated, yet when con- 

 ducted in a manner satisfactory to the State 

 Board of Charities and Reform, become enti- 

 tled to assistance from the State at the rate of 

 $1.50 a week for each inmate. 



The School for the Deaf cost the State 

 $35,515.30 for 1887, and $37,609.29 for 1888. 

 The number of pupils in attendance in 1887 

 was 198; in 1888, 206. The School for the 

 Blind maintained 73 pupils in 1887 at a cost of 

 $19,630.52, and 84 pupils in 1888 at a cost of* 

 $20,885.41. 



The last two Legislatures made provision 

 for the establishment and maintenance of a 

 State public school at Sparta. There has been 

 expended for that institution $95,000 for lands 

 and buildings $30,000 in 1885, and $65,000 

 in 1887. Five substantial cottages and one 

 large main building have been erected, and 

 surrounding these is a farm of 165 acres, nearly 

 all under cultivation. The cost for current 

 expenses in 1888 was $20,128.48. The school 

 was opened Nov. 13, 1886, and from that time 

 to Sept. 30, 1888, 301 children were received. 

 At the close of the present year there were 

 184 remaining in the school. 



Prisons. The average number of prisoners 

 confined in the State prison in 1887 was 448; 

 in 1888, 441. The total expense for the sup- 

 port of the prison for the past two vears was 

 $59,325.53 for 1887, and $61,073.87 for the 

 fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1888. Total for 

 the two years, $120,399.40. Of this amount 

 $99,187.96 was received from the prison-labor 

 contractor. This leaves the net cost of the 

 prison to the State for the two years, $21.- 

 211.44. 



The Industrial School for Boys cost the State 

 for 1887, $45,583.12; and for 1888, $49,104.25. 

 The average population of the school in 1887 

 was 334, and in 1888, 359. 



Railroads. At the close of 1888 the entire 

 mileage of the State was 5,178 miles, an in- 

 crease in two years of 400 miles. Of this, 340 

 miles were built in 1887 and 60 miles in 1888. 

 The entire cost of the railroads of Wisconsin, 



as reported on June 30, 1888, was $208,867,- 

 606.27. The capital stock at the same date was 

 $97,393,515.86. The amount of debt, funded 

 or unfunded, was $117,547,909.35, or a total 

 of capital stock and debt of $214,941,425.21. 

 There was earned on Wisconsin railroads for 

 the year ending June 30, 1888, $24,891,619.06, 

 of which $6,266,259.35 was for transportation 

 of passengers, and $17,165,959.24 for freight, 

 and $1,459,400.47 for mails, express, etc. There 

 has been a decrease in the cost of freight car- 

 riage in ten years of over 50 per cent. 



Fisheries. The value of the catch of Wiscon- 

 sin fishermen on the Great Lakes in 1888 was 

 $270,595.06; value of property, $337,706; 

 number of persons employed, 628. Fishing is 

 assuming an important place among the State 

 industries. 



Militia. The National Guard consists of three 

 regiments, one battalion of infantry, one troop 

 of cavalry, and one light battery, aggregating 

 2,282 officers and enlisted men. The expenses 

 for 1887 were $54,990.14, and for 1888, $56,- 

 927.37. 



Political. Democratic and Republican State 

 Conventions for the choice of delegates to the 

 National Conventions were held on May 1 and 

 9 respectively. On May 23 the Prohibitionists, 

 in State Convention at Madison, selected dele- 

 gates to the Indianapolis Convention and nomi- 

 nated the following candidates for State offices: 

 for Governor, E. G. Durant ; Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor, Christopher Carlson ; Secretary of State, 

 Nelson La Due; Treasurer, L. W. Hoyt; At- 

 torney-General, Charles E. Pike ; Superintend- 

 ent of Public Schools, J. H. Gonld; Railroad 

 Commissioner, E. W. Drake; Insurance Com- 

 missioner, S. M. Bixby. 



On July 24 a State Convention of the Union 

 Labor party met at Oshkosh and nominated 

 the following ticket : For Governor, D. Frank 

 Powell ; Lieutenant-Govern or, Nelson E. Al- 

 len; Secretary of State, William M. Lock- 

 wood; Treasurer, Alfred Manheimer; Attor- 

 ney-General, T. E. Ryan ; Superintendent of 

 Public Schools, E. W. Krackowitzer ; Railroad 

 Commissioner, John E. Thomas; Insurance 

 Commissioner, Rittner Stephens. This ticket 

 was changed before the election by the substi- 

 tution of Kerellio Shawoan for Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, Joseph W. Stewart for Superintendent of 

 Public Schools, and Frank J. Heines for Rail- 

 road Commissioner. Resolutions were adopted, 

 demanding: 



Taxation of all notes and mortgages. 



All laws should be simplified so that there is but one 

 law on one subject, and that worded in plain language, 

 which will enable the people to understand the law 

 without paying enormous fees to lawyers. 



The one-man power has no place in a republic ; 

 hence all public officials, as far as practicable, should 

 be elected by a direct vote of the people, and the vot- 

 ers be allowed to recall all unfaithful, inefficient, and 

 dishonest officials. 



A revision of the patent laws (riving inventors a 

 premium for their inventions and then giving the free 

 use of such inventions to all the people, which will 

 prevent the system of monopoly now existing, and 



