NEBRASKA. 



NETHERLANDS. 



585 



The Democratic party has ever been the friend of 

 the farmer and laborer, and pledges itself on all ques- 

 tions of mortgages, usury, railroad discriminations, 

 extortionate freight rates, and kindred subjects, to 

 lift, as far as it has constitutional power, the burdens 

 from the wearied shoulders of the men who toil. 



The fourth State ticket in the field was nomi- 

 nated at Lincoln, on Aug. 29, by the Prohibi- 

 tionists. It contained the following names: 

 For Governor, B. L. Paine ; for Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor, George W. Woodbey; for Secretary of 

 State, Charles Watts; for Treasurer, H. W. 

 Hardy ; for Auditor, A. Fitch, Jr. ; for Attor- 

 ney-General, F. P. Wigton ; for Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction, Mrs. Mary R. Morgan; 

 for Commissioner of Public Lands, C. Olson. 

 Resolutions were adopted declaring adherence 

 to the principles of the National Prohibition 

 platform of 1888, declaring constitutional and 

 statutory prohibition the most vital issue before 

 the people, denouncing license, declaring the' 

 Prohibition party the only champion of the 

 home in its contest with the liquor monoply, de- 

 claring for the Australian ballot, favoring a re- 

 duction in the hours of labor, condemning 

 trusts, inviting the laboring men to join in the 

 suppression of the liquor traffic, declaring for 

 woman suffrage, demanding State ownership of 

 railways and transportation at cost, favoring just 

 pensions, and favoring the election of President, 

 Vice-President, and United States Senators by 

 popular vote. 



At the November election the defection from 

 the Republican ranks was so great as to wipe 

 out the usual Republican plurality for the 

 head of the ticket and to reduce the Repub- 

 lican plurality for the remaining offices to a 

 few thousand votes. For Governor the vote 

 was : Boyd, Democrat, 71.331 ; Powers, Inde- 

 pendent, '70,187 ; Richards, Republican, 68,878 ; 

 and Paine, Prohibition, 3,676. On the face of 

 the returns the Democratic candidate was there- 

 fore elected. For Lieutenant-Governor, the fol- 

 lowing vote was cast : Majors, Republican, 74,- 

 286; Dech, Independent, 71,127; Bear. Demo- 

 crat, 63,468 ; Woodbey, Prohibition, 4,515. The 

 remaining Republican candidates were elected 

 by nearly the same vote. Members of the Leg- 

 islature were chosen at the same time, as fol- 

 low : Senate, Republicans 7, Democrats 8, Inde- 

 pendents 18 ; House, Republicans 21, Democrats, 

 28, Independents 50, Knight of Labor 1. 



On the question whether an article prohibit- 

 ing the manufacture and sale of intoxicating 

 liquors should be added to the State Constitu- 

 tion, the vote was 82,292 in favor of the amend- 

 ment, and 111,728 against it. On the converse 

 proposition that a provision be inserted in the 

 Constitution authorizing the granting of li- 

 censes for the sale of liquor the vote was 75,462 

 for the amendment, and 91,084 against it. The 

 people were apparently disinclined to put into 

 their fundamental law any provision whatever 

 regarding the liquor traffic. Two other pro- 

 posed amendments to the State Constitution 

 were voted upon at the same time, and rejected. 

 The amendment increasing the number of jus- 

 tices of the Supreme Court from three to five, 

 and shortening the term to five years, received 

 86,418 affirmative and 53,022 negative votes ; the 

 amendment increasing the salary of the justices 



to $3,500, and of district judges to $3,000, re- 

 ceived 69,192 affirmative and 61,519 negative 

 votes. The total vote cast in the election was 

 214,861, a majority of which in favor of any 

 proposed amendment is necessary to its adop- 

 tion as a part of the State Constitution. Of 

 the three members of Congress elected, one is a 

 Democrat, one a Democrat and Independent, 

 and one an Independent. 



No sooner had the vote for State officers, as 

 given above, been officially ascertained than the 

 candidates on the Independent or Farmers' Al- 

 liance ticket prepared to contest the election. 

 Formal notice of the contest was served in the 

 last week of November upon Governor-elect 

 Boyd and the successful Republican candidates. 

 This notice contained numerous charges of fraud, 

 conspiracy, intimidation, bribery, unlawful vot- 

 ing, and unlawful procedure in the election at 

 Omaha, as well as charges of bribery, unlawful 

 voting, and unlawful procedure in Douglas, Lan- 

 caster, Saline, Saunders, Otoe, Hall, Sarpv, 

 Platte, Dodge, Box Butte, Red Willow, and 

 other counties. The taking of testimony began 

 at Lincoln on Dec. 4, at Omaha on Dec. *15. and 

 at Norfolk on Dec. 22. A week or more was 

 consumed at each place, and by the close of the 

 year a large mass of testimony had been secured. 



NETHERLANDS, a constitutional monarchy 

 in western Europe. The legislative power is 

 vested in the States-General, consisting of an 

 Upper Chamber of 50 members, elected for nine 

 years by the Provincial States from among the 

 most highly assessed tax payers of the 11 prov- 

 inces, and of a Second Chamber of 100 Deputies, 

 elected for four years by the direct suffrage of all 

 male citizens twenty-three years of age who pay 10 

 guilders taxes on real property or a personal tax 

 on property beyond the amount that is partially 

 exempt. The franchise was extended by the 

 law of Nov. 30, 1887, and still the total number 

 of electors does not exceed 290,000. Willem III, 

 at his death, was succeeded, on Nov. 20, 1890, 

 by his daughter, Willemine, born Aug. 31, 1880. 

 During her minority her mother, Queen Emma, 

 born Aug. 2, 1858, daughter of Prince George 

 Victor of Waldeck, will act as Regent. 



The Cabinet, as reorganized on Feb. 17, 1890, 

 is composed of the following Ministers : Presi- 

 dent of the Council, Baron Mackay, appointed 

 April 20, 1888 ; Minister of the Interior, A. F. 

 de Savornin Lohman, appointed Feb. 17, 1890 ; 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs, C. Hartsen, ap- 

 pointed April 20, 1888 ; Minister of Finance, K. 

 A. Godin de Beaufort, appointed April 20, 1888; 

 Minister of Justice, G. L. M. K. Ruys van Beer- 

 enbroek, appointed April 20, 1888 ; Minister of 

 the Colonies, Baron Mackay, appointed Feb. 17, 

 1890: Minister of Marine, H. Dyserinck. ap- 

 pointed April 20. 1888 ; Minister of War, J. W. 

 Bergansius, appointed April 20, 1888 ; Minister 

 of Public Works and Commerce, J. P. Havelaar. 

 appointed April 20, 1888. 



Area and Population. The area of the 

 kingdom is 12,648 square miles. The estimated 

 population on Dec. 31, 1889, was 4,548,596, com- 

 prising 2,252,742 males and 2,295,854 females. 

 The number of marriages in 1889 was 31,494 ; of 

 births, 157,972 ; of deaths, 98,577 ; excess of 

 births, 59,395. The number of emigrants who 

 sailed from Dutch ports in 1888 was 18,137, 



