NKW JERSEY. 



517 



in Concord, Sept. 10, approved the administration 

 anil the Indianapolis platform, appointed a Stale 

 committee, and chose an electoral ticket. They 

 made no nomination for the ullice of (in\ ernor. 



Delegates to the national convention of Prohibi- 

 tionists were chosen by the State committee. March 

 31. At a meeting on -Inly 3, the chairman and 

 other members re-igned. having decided to join the 

 " P>road-gauge " wing of the Prohibitionists the 

 new National party. That party was organized for 

 the State at a convention held in (.'uncord, Aug. 4, 

 when a State committee was appointed, presidential 

 electors named, and George W. Barnard nominated 

 for Governor. 



The Prohibition party (Narrow-gauge) met in 

 convention in (.'uncord. Aug. 5. The State commit- 

 tee was reorganized, electors named, and John C. 

 Berry chosen as candidate for Governor. The reso- 

 lutions made no reference to the currency, but de- 

 clared for Prohibition, woman suffrage, nonsec- 

 tarian schools, restricted immigration, and stringent 

 naturalization laws. 



Delegates to the national convention of the Peo- 

 ple's party were appointed by the State committee. 

 At the State convention in Manchester. Sept. 9, G. 

 J. Greenleaf was nominated for Governor. 



The Socialist-Labor party held a convention in 

 Manchester, July 19. The platform declared for 

 the gold standard. Electors were nominated, and 

 Harry II. Acton was the chosen candidate for 

 Governor. 



The election returns showed the following vote 

 for electors : Republican, 57.444 ; Democratic, 21,- 

 271: National Democratic. 3.520; Prohibition, 7 79 : 

 National Prohibition, 49 ; People's, 379 ; Socialist- 

 Labor. 228. 



The vote for Governor stood : Ramsdell. Repub- 

 lican. 48,387 ; Kent. Democrat. 28,333 ; Berry, Pro- 

 hibitionist, 1.052: Greenleaf, Populist, 286"; Bar- 

 nard, National Prohibitionist, 229; Acton, Socialist- 

 Labor, 483. 



Both the Representatives in Congress chosen are 

 Republicans. 



The Legislature stands : Senate 22 Republicans 

 and 2 Democrats ; House 291 Republicans and 06 

 Democrats. 



After the use of the Australian ballot law at 3 

 elections, the general opinion seems to be that the 

 process prescribed for this State should be simpli- 

 fied. The Governor says, in his message, that it was 

 estimated that at least 5 per cent, of the ballots cast 

 at the November election were rejected by reason of 

 imperfect or erroneous marking. 



NEW JERSEY, a Middle Atlantic State, one of 

 the original thirteen, ratified the Constitution Dec. 

 18, 1787. Area. 7.815 square miles. The popula- 

 tion, according to each decennial census, was 184,- 

 139 in 1790 : 211.149 in 1800; 245.5H2 in 1810: 277.- 

 426 in 1820; 320.823 in 1S30: 373.306 in ls4<>: 

 489.555 in 1850: 672.035 in 1860; 906.096 in 1870; 

 1.131.116 in 1880: and 1.444.933 in 1890; by the 

 State census of 1895. 1.672.1)42. Capital. Trenton. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year : Governor, John W. Griggs, 

 Republican: Secretary of State. Henry C. Kel^-y; 

 Treasurer, George B. Swain ; Comptroller. William 

 S.Hancock: Commissioner of Banking and Insur- 

 ance, George S. Duryee. who died in November, 

 Attorney-General, John P. Stockton : Adjutant 

 General.' William S. Stryker; Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction. Addison B. Poland, until March, 

 and C. J. Baxter: Chief Justice of the Supreme 

 Court. Mercer Beasley; Associate Justices, Bennet 

 Van Syckel, David A. Depue. Jonathan Dixon. 

 William J. Magie. Job H. Lippincott, Charles G. 

 Garrison, William S. Gummere. and George C. Lud- 

 low; Clerk of the Supreme Court, Benjamin F. 



Lee : Chancellor. Alexander '!'. McGill : V;. . -( 'han- 

 cellurs, Henry C. Pitney, John R. Kinery, Alfred 

 Reed. John T. Bird until April 7. Frederic W.- 

 Stevens from April 27, and Martin P. Gn-v from 

 May 19. 



Finances. The balance to the credit of t In- 

 State fund Nov. 1. is!).-,. \ v ,-,s ss ( .i:;.747.ss ; the re- 

 ceipts during the year were s2.13N.532.Ss. made up 

 in part as follows: From tax on railroad corpora- 

 tions, $1.079. 6S7.N4 : tax on miscellaneous corpora- 

 tions, $707.951.45: ollicial fees, sl45.321.24: collat- 

 eral inheritance tax. ss-j.-J47.47 : State Prison 

 receipts, 45,016.83 ; judicial fees, $31,098.70; sink- 

 ing fund account, $20.0(iO: dividends, $18,870. 

 The disbursements during the year amounted to 

 $2,072,651.78, leaving a balance' in bank, Oct. 30. 

 1896, $959,628.98. The following extraordinary 

 disbursements are included in the above-named 

 amount : For State Prison Building Commission, 

 $100,000; State Reformatory. $100.000: improve- 

 ment at Morris Plains Hospital, $49.544.12 : Camden 

 Armory. $44.996.40; revision of statutes, $18,000 ; 

 Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, $10,000 ; 

 Trenton battle monument, $6,600; political and 

 legislative history of New Jersey, $4,500. An 

 amount of $107.658.82 heretofore paid from the in- 

 come of the school fund was this year paid from 

 the State fund. The receipts were $37.398.95 less 

 than in 1895. and there was a decrease in expendi- 

 ture of $196.388.08. The estimated resources for 

 the year 1897 are $3,046,498.98 ; the estimated dis- 

 bursements. s2.273.37l.32. 



The condition of the school fund is shown to be : 

 Total amount of securities Oct. 31, $3,589,274.71 ; 

 total amount of securities on same date last year, 

 $3,498,490.77: increase in school fund securities, 

 $90.783.94. The cash balance Nov. 1, 1895, was 

 si (.i5. 619.63: gross receipts during the year, $495.- 

 061.27: total. $660.680.90; gross disbursements. 

 $605.677.21 : balance Oct. 31, 1896, $55,003.69. out 

 of which sum there must be reinvested in school- 

 fund securities $26,529.32. leaving for amount of 

 appropriation of $200,000 for free public schools 

 $2S.474.37. 



The assets of the sinking fund Oct. 31 amounted 

 to $398,739.92. 



The war debt was reduced by a payment of $67,- 

 000, leaving a balance Oct. 31 of $573.400. A cer- 

 tificate of the State for $31,600 was issued during 

 the year to the Agricultural College, which sura 

 and the war debt still unpaid makes the total in- 

 debtedness of the State Oct. 31, 1896, $605,000. 



Valuation and Taxation. The value of the 

 property in the State, as returned in 1896 for taxa- 

 tion in 1897 for school and local purposes, was 

 $840.767,779. divided as follows: Real estate. $702.- 

 368,090 ; personal property, $138,399.689. The valua- 

 tion of taxable property was $794,428.048. an in- 

 crease of $7.429,978. 



The valuation of railroad property in 1896 was 

 $221,757,969, an increase of $1.052.147. The total 

 railroad tax of the year was $1,521.495.92, divided 

 as follows: Tax for State uses, $1,108,789.84; for 

 local uses, $412,706.08. This is an increase of $7,- 

 084.68. 



Banks. On Feb. 28 the individual deposits in 

 the national banks of the State amounted to $52.- 

 502.094: the loans and discounts were $51.866,773: 

 the gold-coin reserve was $1,658,148. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature met Jan. 

 14. and continued in session until March 26. The 

 elective judiciary act of 1895, which the Supreme 

 Court had declared to be unconstitutional, was re- 

 pealed, and a constitutional amendment was pas-cd 

 remodeling the judiciary. It provides for a Su- 

 preme Court of not fewer than 15 members, though 

 the Legislature may increase the number. This 



