DKI.AW MJK. 



DFAMAKK. 



As the name of one of the McKinley electors was 

 given James (i. Shaw on the regular Republican 

 ticker ami James (i. Shaw. Sr.. on tlie Union Re- 

 publican, the question arose whether this did n.'t 

 irivc the elect ion to the Bryan elector having the 

 highest number of votes. Gov. Watson issued 

 a proclamation declaring the three Republicans 

 d. since the omission of the word "Sr." implies 

 that the older one of the name is intended. 



Trouble arose over the returns from Kent County, 

 from which two certificates were received by the 

 Governor, one not including returns from all the 

 precinct.-, and the other not signed by a majority of 

 the Board of Canvassers. The question came before 

 the courts in the form of an application for manda- 

 mus proceedings against the board, directing them 

 to reconvene and canvass the returns. In the 

 hearing the fact was brought out that no election 

 inspectors had been legally elected since 1891. 



The majority of the Supreme Court, Justice 

 Orubb dissenting, granted the writ of mandamus 

 prayed for by the Republicans, and issued an order 

 directing the" Kent County Board of Canvassers to 

 reconvene and canvass the returns. The counsel 

 for the Democrats appealed and the case goes to 

 the Court of Errors and Appeal-. 



Congressman Willis served notice in December 

 on Irving L. Handy. Congressman-elect, that he 

 will contest the election on the ground of fraud 

 and irregularities. He avers that voters were in- 

 timidated and kept away from the polls in Kent 

 and Sussex: that he had 400 plurality in Kent 

 County; that the party name and emblem was ille- 

 gally placed on the Regular Republican ballots; 

 and that the vote in Kent County was not canvassed. 



The Constitutional Convention. This body 

 began its sessions in Dover. Dec. 1. Efforts had 

 been made to make its membership nonpartisan or 

 equally divided between the two leading parties ; but 

 this proposition was rejected, apparently by the Re- 

 publican managers. Each party therefore nominated 

 a full ticket. When the convention met the elec- 

 tion dispute in Kent County was still undecided, 

 and it affected 10 of the 30 seats in the convention. 

 Party conferences were held, and various ways of 

 settling the matter were proposed, and at a confer- 

 ence held by the Democratic members and those 

 Regular Republicans whose titles were undisputed, 

 it was agreed to compromise by admitting half of 

 each of the contending delegations. This arrange- 

 ment was not satisfactory to the Union Repub- 

 licans, who decided not. to accept any compromise 

 but to claim their seats in the convention and await 

 the decision of the court. At the opening session 

 the Committee on Credentials reported that certifi- 

 cates had been received from the sheriffs of New 

 <'a-tle and Sussex Counties, showing that certain 

 people had been elected, and that from Kent 

 County one certificate had been received which was 

 signed by the sheriff and six members of the can- 

 \a--ing board, certifying that 10 men had been 

 elected, and another certificate had also been re- 

 ceived which was signed by the coroner and 10 

 members of the canvassing board, certifying that 

 10 other men had been elected. The report recom- 

 mended that 5 of each of the contesting delegations 

 should be seated. The report was adopted, the 

 Kent County Union Republicans not voting. One 

 of them who had been declared entitled to a seat 

 objected to the arrangement, and moved that the 

 convention adjourn for a week in order to give the 

 committee time to count the vote. His motion was 

 declared out of order, and all the Union Republicans 

 then withdrew. 



The convention adjourned with John Biggs as 

 permanent chairman. Charles R. Jones secretary, 

 D. V. Ilutchins. scrgeant-at-arms, and Walter E. 



VOL. xxxvi. Iti A 



A very chaplain. The following resolution \\.-, 

 ferred to a committee of 3, with in>t ructions i 

 port later in the session : 



"ir/u'm/.s. The act calling this convention ex- 

 pressed the opinion that any constitution framed 

 by this convention should be submitted to th. 

 pie of this State for their formal approval bcfoiv 

 the >ame should go into effect, which expression of 

 opinion in the wisdom of the General Assembly wa- 

 but the wish of the people of this State put in 

 words by their representatives when calling for the 

 election of delegates to the convention ; and 



H"/M />7/s. It is the sense of this convention that 

 said opinion and wish should be duly respected and 

 complied with by the convention ; therefore, be it 



"Resolved, That the work of this convention, 

 whether resulting in amendments to our existing 

 Constitution or in the substitution of a new consti- 

 tution as a whole, shall be. and of right should be, 

 first submitted to the people for their ratification 

 or rejection, for the same shall be considered as 

 of binding force or ordained and proclaimed as the 

 fundamental and organic law of this State." 



Among the committees appointed was one to con- 

 sider whether the members should be sworn, and if 

 they decided in the affirmative, to decide on the 

 nature of the oath. The committee recommended 

 that no oath be required, and their report was 

 accepted. 



DENMARK, a constitutional monarchy in north- 

 ern Europe. The legislative body is called the 

 Rigsdag, which is composed of 2 chambers, the 

 Landsthing, having 66 members, of whom 12 are 

 nominated for life by the C'rown and the rest are 

 elected by indirect suffrage for eight years, and the 

 Folkething, consisting of 126 members elected by 

 direct universal manhood suffrage in the propor- 

 tion of 1 member to 16,000 inhabitants. 



The reigning king is Christian IX.. born April 8, 

 1818, who belongs to the family of Schleswig-Hol- 

 stein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, a younger branch of 

 the house of Oldenburg that became extinct on the 

 death of Frederick VII, whom Christian succeeded 

 on Nov. 15. 1S63. having been named heir to the 

 throne in the treaty of London, signed May 8. 1852. 



The State Council at the beginning of 1896 was 

 composed of the following ministers : President of 

 the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Baron 

 K. T. T. 0. Reedtz-Thott, appointed Aug. 7. 1894; 

 Minister of the Interior, H. E. Horring : Minister 

 of Justice and Minister for Iceland. J. M. V. Xelle- 

 mann : Minister of Finance. C. D. Luttichau : Min- 

 ister of War. Gen. C. A. F. Thomsen : Minister of 

 Marine. Commander X. F. Ravn : Minister of Edu- 

 cation and Ecclesiastical Affairs. V. Bardenfleth : 

 Minister of Public Works, II. P. Ingerslev. The 

 last-named minister died in April, and his office 

 was merged in the Ministry of the Interior. On 

 April 25 Gen. Thomsen resigned his portfolio on 

 account of ill health and was succeeded by Col. 

 Schnack. A Ministry of Agriculture was created, 

 and M. K. de Sehested was placed in charge of it 

 on May 22. 1896. Minister Xellemann. who for 

 twenty years has been the most prominent member 

 of the Government, resigned on June 13 and was 

 succeeded by M. Rump, another Conservative. 



Finance. The revenue for the year ending 

 March 31, 1895. was 67.342>57 kroner (1 krone = 

 26-8 cents). The budget for the year 1896-'97 

 makes the revenue 67.423.955 kroner, of which 40,- 

 N34.100 kroner are derived from customs, excise, 

 and other indirect taxes. 10.iiS4.170 kroner from 

 direct taxes. 8.739.515 kroner from property and 

 the sinking fund. 4.941.376 kroner from interest on 

 state assets. 1.260.000 kroner from lotteries, 814.071 

 kroner from domains. 665.810 kroner from special 

 sources, and 84,913 kroner from posts and tele- 



