516 



NEW HAMPSHIEE. 



in 1846 was $3,187,726 ; in 1896 it was $29,361,418. 

 The first cotton mill was built in 1809. 



Legislative Reunion. The first reunion of the 

 past and present members of the Legislature was 

 held in Concord, in June, with more than 1,000 

 present. Thi'ee members of the Legislature of 1840 

 were among them. With a view to holding similar 

 reunions hereafter at fixed intervals, a permanent 

 organization was formed, with the Hon. Samuel B. 

 Page as president, and the Hon. J. 0. Lyford as 

 secretary. 



Political. The State Republican Convention 

 for choosing delegates to the national convention 

 met in Concord, March 31, with 679 delegates pres- 

 ent. United States Senator William E. Chandler, 

 who presided, said in his address : " In 1894 there 

 was a Republican uprising, which gave greater ma- 

 jorities against the Democracy than ever had been 

 known since the organization of the Republican 

 party, and to-day there is a settled determination 

 in the minds of the American people to restore, in 

 November of this year, the Republican party to 

 more complete power in State and nation than it 

 ever yet possessed ; all this we hope and trust to be 

 accomplished under the banner of our energetic, 

 strong, positive, and magnificent New England 

 leader, Thomas B. Reed." The mention of Mr. 

 Reed's name aroused great enthusiasm ; neverthe- 

 less the convention adopted the platform submitted 

 by the Committee on Resolutions, which declared 

 equally for Reed and McKinley. After congratu- 

 lating the country upon the prospect of release from 

 Democratic misrule, it continues : 



" We demand of the national convention, soon 

 to assemble at St. Louis, the nomination of candi- 

 dates whose election will mean the speedy repeal of 

 the infamous and ruinous Democratic tariff and 

 the substitution therefor of one based upon the 

 principles of the McKinley act ; the enactment of 

 currency laws that will provide a circulating medi- 

 um in gold, silver, and paper, which will always be 

 interchangeable at its face value because each and 

 every dollar of it is of the same purchasing power 

 as a gold dollar ; liberal appropriations for an 

 adequate navy and harbor defenses, and internal 

 improvement; fair and generous treatment of 

 Union veterans ; a foreign policy characterized by 

 sturdy Americanism, including the assertion of the 

 Monroe doctrine and the moral and material sup- 

 port of the Cuban patriots if they have not already 

 achieved their independence, and an immediate re- 

 turn to all policies in which the Republican party 

 has so successfully illustrated the soundness of its 

 principles, and to the methods by which it has dem- 

 onstrated its ability to apply those principles in the 

 administration of the Government. 



" We recognize as most conspicuous among such 

 candidates New England's noble and illustrious son, 

 the Hon. Thomas B. Reed, of Maine, and that pure 

 and able statesman and champion of protection, the 

 Hon. William McKinley, of Ohio. 



" We will give the electoral vote of New Hamp- 

 shire to any nominee who worthily represents the 

 party, but we prefer one of these, because either is 

 in himself a platform." 



At the State convention, Sept. 3, George A. Rams- 

 dell was nominated for Governor. The platform 

 declared adherence to the position of the party on 

 national issues. 



The Democratic State Convention for choosing 

 delegates to the national convention was held May 

 20, in Concord. Hon. Harry Bingham presided. 

 In his address he said: "The enemies of the Democ- 

 racy are tauntingly proclaiming to the world that 

 we shall be compelled, in the National Democratic 

 Convention, to adopt a platform favoring the free 

 coinage of silver at a ratio of 16 to 1. The paraly- 



sis of all business, the ruin and bankruptcy that in- 

 evitably would follow the enactment of such a prop- 

 osition into law, are so palpable that all sane men 

 who consider would instinctively oppose it." 



The resolutions were : 



" We declare, first, that under present conditions 

 there can be but one standard of value, and that 

 every kind of currency should rest upon a gold basis 

 so long as gold is the standard recognized by the 

 great commercial nations of the world; and we 

 heartily commend the action of President Cleve- 

 land in so firmly maintaining our public credit and 

 faith in the face of formidable opposition. 



" We favor a system of tariff taxation so adjusted 

 as to produce the necessary revenues to meet the 

 present expenses of an honest government with the 

 least possible burden upon the people, and afford 

 such incidental protection as will meet the require- 

 ments of American capital and labor. 



" The Monroe doctrine embodies our idea of na- 

 tional self-defense and should be vigorously main- 

 tained. 



" The civil and religious rights of all our people 

 as guaranteed them under the Constitution should 

 be sedulously guarded, and no proscriptions on ac- 

 count of religious opinions should be countenanced 

 or tolerated." 



At the convention for naming candidates for 

 Governor and electors held in Concord, Sept. 2, the 

 platform, besides condemning the prohibitory law 

 and calling for a license law, condemned the State 

 legislation of the Republican party, especially the 

 districting of the State and of cities, and the sub- 

 stitution of police commissioners for home rule in 

 cities ; and contained the following : 



" We, the Democracy of Xew Hampshire, in dele- 

 gate convention assembled, recognizing the action 

 of the national convention held in Chicago on the 

 7th day of July last as authority for party action 

 on all political subjects therein stated, hereby adopt 

 the platform of said convention and pledge our- 

 selves to the earnest support of William J. Bryan 

 and Arthur Sewall, the candidates for President and 

 Vice-President." 



The convention rejected a substitute for this, of- 

 fered from the side of the gold Democrats, as fol- 

 lows : 



"Whereas, The Democratic party is divided upon 

 the question of the acceptance of the platform and 

 ticket of the Chicago convention : and Whereas, It 

 is desirable that no breach should be created that 

 will prevent the future united action of the party ; 

 therefore, 



" Resolved, That we recognize the right of every 

 Democrat of New Hampshire to act and vote on 

 the national ticket as his judgment may dictate 

 without affecting his standing in the party, and 

 that the nominations by the convention of presi- 

 dential electors is binding upon him only so far as 

 he may approve the same." 



Only 67 delegates voted for this amendment; and 

 one approving the national administration received 

 only 91 affirmative votes, while the following was 

 adopted : 



" Resolved, That we have observed with gratifica- 

 tion the triumphant tour of our national standard 

 bearer, Hon. William Jennings Bryan, his masterly 

 exposition of Democratic principle, and his valiant 

 struggle for the rights of the people." 



The gold men then withdrew after protesting 

 against the resolution approving the Chicago plat- 

 form and announcing that they would take no 

 further action in any political affairs based upon 

 that platform. 



Henry 0. Kent was nominated as candidate for 

 Governor. 



The Gold-standard Democrats held a convention 



