MISSISSIPPI. 



MISSOURI. 



493 



labor from that of the party injured, or of a fellow- 

 Mt on another train, or one engaged about a 

 different piece of work. Any contract or agree- 

 ment, expressed or implied, made by an employee 

 to waive the benefit of this section shall be void. 



To develop internal commerce by giving the Rail- 

 road Commissioners power 10 grant leave to indus- 

 trial establishment.- to build side tracks. 



Authorizing supervisors to buy and maintain 

 hounds for the use of sheriffs in the capture of 

 criminals in certain < 



To render a claimant incompetent as a witness 

 against estates of persons of unsound mind. 



To allow persons affected by any trust or com- 

 bine to recover an absolute penalty of $500 and 

 actual dam 



Increasing the Pension fund from $67,500 to 

 $75,000. 



Making the maximum penalty for carrying con- 

 cealed weapons three months iu the Penitentiary 

 and a fine of $100. 



Appropriating $40,000 of bonds of the Gulf and 

 Ship Island Railroad, now owned by the State, to 

 the promoters of the improvement of Gulfport 

 harbor. 



Among the resolutions passed were: 



Memorializing Congress to grant a township of 

 United States land for the support of a hospital, 

 medical college, and bureau of vital statistics of the 

 university to be at Vicksburg. 



For securing the passage of the bill in Congress 

 for the " relief of the book agents of the Methodist 

 Episcopal Church. South," compensation for prop- 

 erty destroyed during the war. 



Memorializing Congress to grant belligerent 

 rights to the Cuban republic. 



Asking that Congress appropriate $500.000 to be 

 used in dredging a channel. 500 feet wide and 25 

 feet deep, to connect Ship Island harbor with the 

 pier of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad at Gulf- 

 port. 



Both houses passed resolutions strongly in favor 

 of free coinage of silver. 



Political. The People's Party State Conven- 

 tion met in Jackson, Feb. 26. Delegates were 

 chosen to the national convention, and an electoral 

 ticket made. The platform favored free coinage and 

 the other principles of the party. The following 

 resolution, with a facetious preamble, was adopted : 

 " That the People's Party of Mississippi are op- 

 posed to spending $1,000.000 or any other amount 

 at this time for the erection of a new Capitol." 



The Republican convention met at Jackson, 

 March 4. There was a contest over the seating of 

 delegates, and one party withdrew and held a sep- 

 arate meeting. Each faction chose delegates to the 

 national convention, one delegation headed by 

 James Hill, the other by John R. Lynch. 



Early in the year there was a movement among 

 Democrats in the State to put forward William C. 

 Whitney for the nomination for the presidency. A 

 call to him to " enter the race '' was signed by large 

 numbers in different parts of the State, and, being 

 circulated among members of the Legislature, re- 

 ceived the signatures of many of them. Fifteen 

 State Senators afterward said they signed it under 

 the impression that Mr. Whitney was in favor of 

 the free coinage of silver. Mr. Whitney answered 

 in a letter to the " Clarion-Ledger." saying that the 

 movement had been without his knowledge or 

 sanction, and that he was not a candidate, and giv- 

 ing his opinions on the currency question. 



The Democratic convention was held April 29 at 

 Jackson. The resolutions declared in favor of free 

 coinage at the ratio of 16 to 1, without reference to 

 the attitude of other nations, and the delegates to 

 the national convention were instructed to vote as a 



unit and to vote for no man for either President or 

 Vice-President who was not fully and unequiv. 

 in favor of free coinage. A resolution was adopted 

 also favoring effort for a deep-water harbor on the 

 coa-t. and one instructing the delegates to present 

 the name of Senator K. ('. Walthall for nomination 

 for the vice-presidency. 



A small number of Prohibitionists held a State 

 convention at Jackson. May (I. and chose deli y 

 to the national convention of the party. Tin 

 lutions favored, besides prohibition. Government 

 control of railroads, telegraphs, etc.. limitation of 

 individual and corporate ownership of land, recla- 

 mation of unearned land grants to railroads, exclu- 

 sion of nonresident aliens from ownership of land, 

 Sunday observance, arbitration of national differ- 

 ences, and suppression of speculation in margins 

 and of the formation of pools and trusts for control- 

 ling prices. They opposed appropriation of public 

 money to sectarian schools, and declared the volume 

 of the currency should be fixed at a definite sum 

 per capita, and should be made to increase with 

 our increase in population. 



The Gold Democrats held a convention at Jack- 

 son, Oct. 6, with 98 delegates. The resolutions de- 

 clared that the great principles of the party had 

 been denied or perverted by " the party recently 

 organized at Chicago, which has assumed" the name 

 and claims to exercise the functions of the Demo- 

 cratic party." 



Attempts were made to unite the Populists and 

 the Democrats, but they were unsuccessful. Bryan 

 and Sewall received 55,933 votes, and Bryan and 

 Watson 7.320. Each of the Republican factions 

 put out an electoral ticket, one of which received 

 2.702 and the other 2.147. The vote for President 

 stood, therefore: Bryan, 63,253; McKinley. 4,*49 : 

 Palmer, 1.021 : Levering, 390. All the members of 

 Congress elected are Democrats. In the Legisla- 

 ture are 2 Populists in the lower house. All the 

 other members are Democrats. 



After the adjournment of the Republican State 

 Executive Committee in December, the colored 

 men present held a meeting and formed an organi- 

 zation, the purpose of which is to take steps to test 

 the constitutionality of the suffrage clause of the 

 State Constitution." An executive committee was 

 appointed, and it was made their duty to investi- 

 gate and determine, first, whether it is possible or 

 practicable to test the constitutionality of the suf- 

 frage clause of the present Constitution through the 

 Federal courts, and if they find it can be done, to 

 take the necessary steps for that purpose ; second, 

 to bring this matter to the attention of the Presi- 

 dent and the Congress of the United States, with a 

 view of having an investigation made by the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States to find out whether 

 the State has a republican form of government ; 

 third, to ascertain whether it is possible or prac- 

 ticable to secure a reduction of the representation 

 in Congress from the State as long as the present 

 suffrage clause of the State Constitution remains 

 in force. 



MISSOURI, a Western State, admitted to the 

 Union Aug. 10, 1821 : area. 69.415 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial cen- 

 nce admission, was 140,455 in IS!" : 3S1702 in 

 1*40; v2.044 in lsr,0: 1.1 $2.012 in ls0 : 1.721.205 

 in 1870: 2.16S.380 in 1880; and 2.679.1S4 in 1890. 

 Capital, Jefferson City. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, William J. 

 Stone ; Lieutenant Governor, John B. O'Meara : 

 Secretary of State. Alexander A. Lesueur: Auditor. 

 James M. Seibert : Treasurer. Lon V. Stephens : 

 Adjutant General. Joseph A. Wickham ; Attorney- 

 General, R. F. Walker; Superintendent of Educa- 



