NKW YORK. 



NKW YORK CITY. 



527 



A convention of "sound-money" Democrats was 

 held in Syracuse mi Aug. >!, with Daniel G. Griffin 

 a- chairman. A platform repudiating " the Chicago 

 platform localise it proposes to substitute for mir 

 j>iv-ent standard of value, which is equal to tli 

 in the world, an unstable and depreciated standard, 

 which has been rejected by every civilized and pros- 

 perous nation, and would put us on a monetary 

 level with China, Mexico, and other countries where 

 labor is notoriously underpaid.'' Delegate? were 

 chosen to represent New York at the convention of 

 the National" Democratic party. 



A Democratic State convention was held in Buf- 

 falo on Sept. 10-17. presided over by Hosea H. 

 Rockwell. A platform was adopted that approved 

 the platform adopted by the Democratic party in 

 Chicago and the nominations there made, and de- 

 clared as its deliberate judgment that never in the 

 history of the Democratic party has a platform been 

 written which embodied more completely the inter- 

 ests of the whole people. 



On State issues it said : ' We denounce those pro- 

 visions of the Raines liquor law which deprive 

 municipalities of the right to restrict and regulate 

 the liquor traffic within reasonable limits prescribed 

 by law ; which divert excise moneys from local 

 treasuries, where they properly belong, into the State 

 treasury, in order to make good deficiencies in State 

 revenues caused by the extravagance of Repub- 

 lican Legislatures that otherwise would need to be 

 supplied by additional direct taxation : which fasten 

 upon the people a gigantic State political machine 

 breeding corruption and intimidation, and which 

 compel the granting of licenses to persons or places 

 of notoriously bad character.'' 



The names of John Boyd Thacher. William 

 Sulzer, and Wilbur F. Porter were placed in nomi- 

 nation for Governor, and the following ticket was 

 chosen : Governor, John Boyd Thacher ; Lieutenant 

 Governor, Wilbur F. Porter ; Judge of the Court 

 of Appeals, Robert C. Titus. A new State com- 

 mittee was also chosen, with Elliot Danforth as 

 chairman. Mr. Thacher declined the nomination, 

 owing to his unwillingness to make a canvass on a 

 platform that advocated " free silver." Accordingly, 

 at a meeting of the Democratic State Committee 

 held in New York city on Sept. 28. the ticket was 

 changed by nominating Wilbur F. Porter for Gov- 

 ernor and Frederick C. Schraub for Lieutenant 

 Governor. 



Finally, the National Democratic party of New- 

 York, representing the "sound-money" Democrats, 

 met in Brooklyn on Sept. 25, under the chairman- 

 ship of Charles S. Fairchild, and after adopting 

 resolutions denouncing the platform adopted by the 

 National Democratic Convention, held in Chicago, 

 nominated the following ticket : Governor, Daniel 

 G. Griffin ; Lieutenant Governor. Frederic W. 

 Hinrichs : and Associate Judge of the Court of Ap- 

 peals. Spencer Clinton. 



The election, held on Nov. 3, resulted in the suc- 

 cess of the ticket containing the Republican presi- 

 dential electors by a vote of 819,838, against 551,- 

 513 for the Democratic electors. On the State 

 ticket, for Governor. Black received 787.576. Porter 

 574.524, Griffin 26.698. and Smith 17.449 votes; for 

 Lieutenant Governor Woodruff received 793,845, 

 Schraub 565,063. Hinrichs" 25.593, and Latimer 17,- 

 136 votes : for Judge of the Court of Appeals, Vann 

 received 799.122 and Titus 555.942 votes. 



An amendment to the State Constitution to 

 authorize the leasing of tracts of the Adirondack 

 forest preserve, the exchange of State lands outside 

 the preserve for those owned by individuals within 

 the preserve or the sale of State lands outside the 

 forest preserve, received 321,486 in favor and 710.- 

 505 votes against. 



With the exception of the candidates from the 

 Seventh. Ninth. Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth 

 giv-<ional Districts (in New York city), the entire 

 delegation elected to Congress was Republican, 

 while the new Legislature :' 114 Republic- 



ans. 35 Democrats, and 1 Independent Republican. 



atervli(>t. the thirty-eighth city of the 9 

 in the order of incorporation, was given a charter 

 in May, 1896, to become operative on Aug. 1. fol- 

 lowing. The charter, in its general features, follows 

 the charters of Gloversville, Ithaca, Johnstown, and 

 others of the more recently created cities. The city 

 included certain tracts, divided into 9 wards, in the 

 towns of Watervliet and Colonie, in Albany County. 

 The greater part of both the territory and the popu- 

 lation of the new city came from the former village 

 of West Troy. All the real estate and the personal 

 property formerly belonging to that village and 

 the board of education of the West Troy school dis- 

 trict became vested in the city of Watervliet. The 

 city is on. the west bank of Hudson river, about 5 

 miles above Albany, and directly opposite Troy. 

 The boundary runs along the river about two miles, 

 and the city extends in land more than a mile. A 

 combined railroad and wagon bridge gives access 

 to Troy, and the Delaware and Hudson Railroad 

 makes connections for the north, south, and east. 

 The eastern terminus of the Erie Canal and the 

 southern terminus of the Champlain Canal are with- 

 in the limits of the city. Watervliet is on the elec- 

 tric railroad between Albany and Troy. The city, 

 under its former name of West Troy, has been well 

 known as a center for the manufacture of bells, 

 railroad supplies, electric cars, hinges, stoves, hollow 

 ware, cement, shawls, and knit underwear. The 

 United States Government has jurisdiction over 

 the 105 acres belonging to the Watervliet arsenal, 

 where all the large guns for coast defense are made 

 (see Guxs FOR COAST DEFENSE, in the " Annual 

 Cyclopedia" for 1887. page 348). The recent en- 

 largement of this plant has resulted in the making 

 of 12-inch and 16-inch guns, together with their 

 carriages. When the guns are ready for delivery 

 they are placed on flat boats and towed to Sandy 

 Hook, where they are tested before they are finally 

 mounted. Next to Albany. Watervliet handles the 

 largest amount of lumber in the vicinity, and there 

 is a large trade in various commodities from the 

 two canals. The deepening of the channel of the 

 upper Hudson has also added to the commercial 

 importance of the place. The population of West 

 Troy was 10,693 in 1870; 8,820 in 1880; and 12.967 

 in 1890. The estimated population of Watervliet 

 (1897) is 14,000. Owing to the proximity of Troy 

 and Albany, but one newspaper is published, anil 

 that is a weekly. The city contains 10 churches 

 and 7 schools. 



NEW YORK CITY. Government The city 

 officials who held office during the year were : 

 Mayor. William L. Strong; President of the Board 

 of Aldermen, John Jeroloman ; Register, William 

 Sohmer; and Sheriff, Edward J. H. Tamsen, all of 

 whom were elected on the anti-Tammany ticket 

 and took office on Jan. 1, 1895. except the Register, 

 who is a Tammany Democrat, and took office on 

 Jan. 1, 1896. 



Finances. The condition of the city debt on 

 Dec. 31. 1896. is shown in the table on next page. 



During the year the cost of permanent improve- 

 ments amounted to $26.191.84-5.91, and bonds for 

 that sum were issued. The expenses of the munici- 

 pality exceeded the income, and the net funded debt 

 of the city was increased by $8.391,689.11. During 

 1896 $7,000.000 of the city's bonds, formerly bear- 

 ing 7 per cent, interest, were redeemed by the issu- 

 ance of other bonds at 3| per cent. The returns as 

 given beyond in the wealth of the city resulted, in 



