MILITARY ORDER OF AMERICA. 



553 



for Auditor, Lucius A. Ives ; for Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, James R. Adsett; for Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction, David Howell ; for Justice of 

 the Supreme Court, Noah W. Cheever; for Com- 

 missioner of the Land Office, Caiiton Peck ; for 

 Member of State Board of Education, Charles 

 Scott. A platform was adopted containing the 

 usual resolutions against liquor selling. 



On July 1 a State convention met at Detroit, 

 composed largely of representatives of the Pa- 

 trons of Industry, a farmers' organization, which 

 has proved popular. There were also present 

 delegates from the Farmers' Alliance and from 

 various labor organizations. An independent 

 political party, styled the Industrial party, was 

 there formed, and the following ticket was nomi- 

 nated : For Governor, Eugene Belden ; for Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, John M. McGregor ; for Secre- 

 tary of State, William E. Adams ; for Treasurer, 

 Henry E. Blackmail ; for Auditor, William W. 

 Graham; for Attorney-General, Adolphus A. 

 Ellis ; for Superintendent of Public Instruction, 

 Charles A. Littler; for Justice of the Supreme 

 Court, O'Brien J. Atkinson; for Commissioner 

 of the Land Office, David Treat ; for Member of 

 State Board of Education, James Powers. A 

 platform was adopted substantially embodying 

 the principles of the national Farmers 1 Alliance. 



The Republican State Convention met at De- 

 troit on Aug. 29. Its nominees were : James M. 

 Turner for Governor, William S. Linton for 

 Lieutenant-Governor, Washington Gardner for 

 Secretary of State, Joseph B. Moore for Treas- 

 urer, Theron F. Giddings for Auditor, Benjamin 

 W. Huston for Attorney-General, Orr Schurts 

 for Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ed- 

 ward Cahill for Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 John G. Berry for Commissioner of the Land 

 Office, James M. Ballon for Member of the State 

 Board of Education. The platform includes 

 the following : 



We favor such changes in our State tax laws as shall 

 provide for a more equal and just assessment of real, 

 personal, and corporate property, to the end that all 

 property in the State, and not exempted, shall con- 

 tribute its equal share in maintaining the public bur- 

 dens. 



We favor such a change in our tax laws as will com- 

 pel no person to pay taxes on a greater interest in 

 property than he owns. 



We reaffirm the position of the Republican party, 

 heretofore expressed in its State platforms of 1886 and 

 1888, upon the temperance questions. 



We oppose the further issue of free passes to mem- 

 bers of the Legislature and all other public officers. 



The Democratic State Convention met at 

 Grand Rapids on Sept. 10, and nominated the 

 following ticket : For Governer, Edwin B. Wi- 

 nans ; for Lieutenant-Governor, John Strong ; 

 for Secretary of State, Daniel E. Soper; for 

 Treasurer, Frederick Braastad ; for Auditor, 

 George W. Stone ; for Attorney-General, Adol- 

 phus A. Ellis ; for Superintendent of Public In- 

 struction, Ferris S. Fitch ; for Justice of the 

 Supreme Court, John W. McGrath ; for Com- 

 missioner of the Land Office. E. D. Baker; for 

 Member of the State Board of Education, David 

 A. Hammond. The name of George T. Shaffer 

 was later substituted for that of E. D. Baker. 

 The platform includes the following : 



We are in favor of a secret ballot and of such legis- 

 lation as shall be adequate to effectually preserve the 



purity of elections while securing to each voter the 

 exercise of his franchise. 



We demand that henceforth the issuing of all circu- 

 lating medium be made under acts of Congress, 

 through the National Treasury, in such amounts as 

 the business wants of the country require. 



We believe in the free and unlimited coinage of sil- 

 ver, and condemn the Republican party because it de 

 monetized silver and still refuses the demands of the 

 people for a restoration of silver to complete equality 

 with gold. 



The November election resulted in the first 

 complete triumph of the Democratic party since 

 the State election in 1854. For Governor, Wi- 

 nans received 183,725 votes ; Turner, 172,205; 

 Partridge, 28,651 ; and Belden, 13,198 a Demo- 

 cratic plurality of 11,520. The other Demo- 

 cratic candidates were elected by the following 

 pluralities : Lieutenant-Governor, 1,842 ; Secre- 

 tary of State, 2,706; Treasurer, 887; Auditor, 

 3,277; Attorney-General, 7,486; Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction, 3,361 ; Justice of the Su- 

 preme Court, 4,644 ; Commissioner of the Land 

 Office, 3,142 ; Member of the State Board of Edu- 

 cation, 3,536. Upon the question of calling a 

 Constitutional Convention the vote was 16,431 in 

 its favor, and 26, 261 against it. Members of the 

 Legislature were elected as follow: Senate, Re- 

 publicans 14, Democrats 14, and Patrons of In- 

 dustry 4 : . House. Republicans 37, Democrats 57, 

 Patrons of Industry 6. Eight Democratic Con- 

 gressmen were elected, and 3 Republicans. 



MILITARY ORDER OF AMERICA, an or- 

 ganization that was granted a charter by the 

 Congress of the United States in 1889. There 

 were 43 incorporators, from all ranks in the 

 United States army during the civil war, nearly 

 all of whom were members of the Grand Army 

 of the Republic or of the Loyal Legion. Among 

 the incorporators were Major William Howard 

 Mills, Col. Royal E. Whitman, Gen. Marcus J. 

 Wright, Gen. Albert Ordway, Dr. D. W. Bliss, 

 Col. Felix A. Reeve, Col. T. G. Morrow, Major W. 

 P. Huxford, Col. W. G. Moore, Gen. William S. 

 Rosecrans, Col. George K. Brady, Gen. James R. 

 O'Beirne, Dr. J. F. Hartigan, Gen. James B. Colt, 

 and Col. James A. Bates. The object, purposes, 

 and powers of the corporation were limited to 

 " the erection and provision of a memorial build- 

 ing at the national capital, which shall be a suit- 

 able monument to the valor, patriotism, and fidel- 

 ity of the American soldier and sailor since the 

 days of George Washington, and the establish- 

 ment therein of a war museum and library ; to 

 perfecting of the fraternization of Appomattox ; 

 to the perpetuation of the memories of the heroic 

 dead : to the strengthening of the renewed bonds 

 of union between the States ; to the education of 

 their children so as to forever insure the nation 

 from the perils of another civil war from any 

 cause ; and to promote purposes fraternal, char- 

 itable, loyal, and historical, and in no sense par- 

 tisan." The order consists, first, of the men who 

 were regularly enlisted or mustered in either of 

 the contending armies during the war ; second, 

 of their sons who have reached a required age ; 

 third, of such patriotic citizens as desire to con- 

 tribute to its success. Half of all admission fees 

 and fixed dues from members go to a building 

 fund to be used, first, for the erection of the me- 

 morial building until completed, and then for 

 the creation of the war museum and library. 



