MASSACHUSETTS. 



521 



Pittsfield 17,281, increase 3,917; Quincy 16,723, 

 increase 6,153; North Adams 16,074, increase 

 5,883 ; Northampton 14.990, increase 2,818 ; Chic- 

 opee 14,050, increase 2,764; Newburypprt 13,- 

 947, increase 409 : Marlborough 13,805, increase 

 3,678; Woburn 13,499, increase 2,568; Brook- 

 line 12.103, increase 4,046 ; Medford 11,079, in- 

 crease 3,506; Everett 11,068, increase 6,909; 

 Weymouth 10,866, increase 296 ; Beverly 10,821, 

 increase 2,365 ; Clinton 10,424, increase 2,395 ; 

 Hyde Park 10.193, increase 3,105; Peabody 10,- 

 158, increase 1,130. 



Finances. The receipts and payments on ac- 

 count of revenue for the year were : Cash in the 

 treasury Jan. 1, 1890, $1,587,838.44; cash re- 

 ceived during the year, $11,381,720.82; total, 

 $12,969,559.26; payments during the year, $11,- 

 481,502.07; cash in treasury Jan. 1, 1891, $1,- 

 488,057.19. The estimated receipts for the year, 

 exclusive of the direct tax, were $3,461,868.24, 

 and the actual receipts $4,033,856.47. Adding to - 

 the latter sum the direct tax receipts, $1,749,- 

 212.50, and the balance on Jan. 1, 1890, $1,587,- 

 838.44, there is found to be a total actual reve- 

 nue of $7,370,907.41. The actual expenses for 

 the year were $5,774,591.60, as against $6,027,- 

 991.60 in 1889. 



The transactions on account of the several 

 funds and trust deposits show the following ag- 

 gregates for the year: Cash on hand Jan. 1, 

 1890, $2,401.468.36; cash receipts during the 

 year, $13,253,352.33 ; total, $15,654,820.69; pay- 

 ments on these accounts, $10,372,635.11 ; cash 

 on hand Jan. 1, 1891, $5,282,185.58. 



Public debt: Amount of debt Jan. 1, 1890, 

 $28,251,287.85; amount of debt Jan. 1, 1891, 

 $31,381,158.30; increase in 1890, $3,129,870.45. 

 The increase was caused by the issue of the ar- 

 mory loan, $40,000 ; metropolitan sewerage loan, 

 $3,000,000 ; State House construction loan, $600,- 

 000 ; total, $3,640,000. There was a decrease by 

 payments as follows : Troy and Greenfield Rail- 

 road bonds, $505,129.55 ; coast - defense loan 

 bonds, $5.000 $510,129.55 ; net increase as 

 above, $3,129,870.45. This statement shows the 

 aggregate amount of State scrip now outstand- 

 ing, but the actual debt of the Commonwealth is 

 $3,870,000 less than is named, viz., $27,511,158.- 

 30. The deductions are made on account of the 

 armory loan, $870,000, issued in 1889 and 1890, 

 which is to be paid from a sinking fund sus- 

 tained and increased each year by the taxation 

 of the cities in which armories are located ; and 

 the metropolitan sewerage loan, $3,000,000, 

 which will be paid by a sinking fund created 

 by the taxation of several cities and towns. 



The State now holds trust funds to the amount 

 of $8,042,197.93 and other funds of $59,692.46, 

 making this aggregate of resources: Sinking 

 funds Dec. 31, 1890, $21,568,960.37 ; trust funds 

 Dec. 31, 1890, $8,642,197.43 : other funds, $59,- 

 692.46 ; total funds, $30,270,850.26 ; add market 

 value above par, $1,000,000; land, etc., pledged 

 for the payment of the debt, $7,000,000 ; grand 

 total, $38,270,850.26. 



Valuations. The total assessed valuation of 

 property in the State for 1890 was $2,154,134,- 

 626, personal estate being assessed at $553,996.- 

 819, and real estate at $1,600,137,807. The in- 

 crease in the total assessment over 1889 was $81,- 

 963,763. Included in the assessment were 4,491,- 



954 acres of land, 350,537 dwellings, 178,742 

 horses, 45,899 sheep, 263,207 neat cattle, and 42,- 

 160 swine. Personal estate in Suffolk County, 

 which includes the city of Boston, was valued 

 at $204,961,135, and real estate at $646,369,200. 

 The following is the total valuation of the sev- 

 eral counties: Barnstable, $19,119,734; Berk- 

 shire, $42,863,035 ; Bristol, $134,054,787 ; Dukes 

 $3,521,114 : Essex, $219,502,533 ; Franklin, $20,- 

 021,645; Hampden, $95,128,777: Hampshire, 

 $28,286,316 ; Middlesex, $361,959,890 ; Nan- 

 tucket, $2,996,610 ; Norfolk, $135,206,582 ; Plym- 

 outh, $60,828,402 ; Suffolk, $851,330,335 ; Wor- 

 cester, $179,314,866. For 1890 a total State tax 

 of $1,750,000 was levied upon this valuation. 



County Debts. The total indebtedness of 

 Massachusetts counties in 1890 was $4,008,660, 

 an increase of $2,637,447 in ten years. The 

 bonded debt was $3,016,000 and the floating 

 debt $992,660. 



Legislative Session, Bribery Investiga- 

 tion. The regular session of the Legislature be- 

 gan on Jan. 1, and was prolonged by reason of 

 the bribery investigation until July 2, covering 

 a period of 183 days, and being the longest ses- 

 sion on record, with one exception. The most 

 important measures discussed related to elevated 

 railways in Boston and its vicinity. The pro- 

 moters of the Meigs system of elevated railways 

 obtained an act permitting the use of their sys- 

 tem by any railroad or street railway company, 

 all other systems being rejected. At the same 

 time the West End Street Railway Company, 

 owning all the street railways of Boston, pre- 

 sented a petition for authority to construct an 

 elevated railway in connection with its surface 

 tracks, to be run through the principal streets, 

 and to connect by an inclined plane with the 

 surface tracks in the suburb. A bill was re- 

 ported in connection with the petition, and a 

 prolonged debate ensued. In the course of this 

 debate Representative George F. Williams, of 

 Dedham. boldly declared to the House that the 

 means adopted by the railway company to carry 

 through its bill would not bear investigation, 

 and that disclosures could be made effecting the 

 integrity of at least one member of the Senate. 

 Senator Fassett, whom rumor pointed out as 

 the person alluded to, promptly demanded an 

 investigation, and a committee of his colleagues 

 was appointed for that purpose. At the same 

 time the House appointed a similar committee to 

 investigate the practices of the railway company 

 generally with regard to this measure. Testi- 

 mony was given before the Senate committee by 

 persons connected with a project called the Peo- 

 ple's Elevated Railway Company, tending to 

 show that Senator Fassett had solicited a bribe 

 for himself and other Senators whom he claimed 

 to control. This was denied by Senator Fassett, 

 who testified that he had been, in effect, offered 

 a bribe by an officer of the company, and had 

 rejected the offer. The report of the committee 

 discredited the testimony of the Senator's ac- 

 cusers and exonerated him from all blame. The 

 House committee devoted much time to hearing 

 the testimony of officers of the West End Com- 

 pany, its agents in the lobby, and others. A 

 surprising ignorance was shown by the lobbyists 

 regarding what they were hired to do, although 

 their pay was extremely liberal. The findings 



