504 



MICHIGAN. 



at Yera Cruz for Europe, and to abdicate. But 

 this design was prevented by Marshal Bazaine, 

 who insisted that the Emperor must first abdi- 

 cate before he could leave the country. Soon 

 after Maximilian yielded to the entreaties of the 

 chiefs of the Conservative party, and resolved 

 to stay. In a proclamation, dated December 5th, 

 he expressed a wish to convoke a national Con- 

 gress on the most liberal basis, so that all par- 

 ties could participate in the election ; but this 

 proclamation met with no response from the 

 Liberal leaders. Thus at the close of the 

 year the empire was in a desperate condi- 

 tion, the country, with the exception of the 

 cities of Mexico, Queretaro, and Vera Cruz, 

 being practically in the hands of the Republi- 

 cans. The departure of the French troops, 

 which was completed in the first month of the 

 current year, was soon followed by an entire 

 collapse of the, empire. When the Eepublican 

 forces on all sides victoriously advanced upon 

 the capital, Maximilian concentrated his troops 

 at Queretaro and placed himself at their head. 

 But gradually the Liberals surrounded the en- 

 tire Imperial army which was besieged in Que- 

 retaro, and finally the Emperor, with his en- 

 tire force, had to surrender. This capitulation, 

 though probably it could not have been very long 

 delayed, was precipitated by the treachery of a 

 Colonel Lopez, of Maximilian's staff, who for a 

 bribe introduced the Mexican advance-guard 

 into Maximilian's camp at night and pointed 

 out the Emperor, while asleep in his tent, to 

 them. The Emperor and his principal generals 

 were tried, found guilty of treason, god sen- 

 tenced to be shot. Notwithstanding the earnest 

 remonstrances of the United States Government 

 and that of Great Britain, the Mexican Presi- 

 dent, Juarez, confirmed the sentence and ordered 

 their execution on the 19th of June, alleging 

 in justification that Maximilian had personally 

 ordered the execution within twenty-four hours 

 after their capture of Generals Ortega, Salazar, 

 and others. This charge has unhappily since 

 been proved true. The body of the ex-Emper- 

 or was embalmed, and after several months' 

 delay, at last delivered to the Austrian admiral, 

 to be carried to Europe. 



MICHIGAN. The receipts of the Treasury 

 from all sources during the year amounted to 

 $1,697,390.32. Amount in the Treasury at the 

 close of the previous year, $579,004.80. Expen- 

 ditures during the year, $1,694,283.68, leaving 

 a balance in the Treasury of '$582,111.44. The 

 total funded and fundabledebtis $3,979,921.25, 

 which is a reduction of $78,678.55 during the 

 year. The State has a claim against the Gen- 

 eral Government for military expenditures 

 during the late war of $212,819.58, which is 

 still unadjusted. The taxes levied upon prop- 

 erty for State purposes were $880,739.30. In 

 addition, specific taxes were collected from cor- 

 porations as follows: From railroad compa- 

 nies, $163,915.97 ; insurance companies, $52,- 

 210.22; national banks, $34,212.30; State 

 banks, $900 ; mining companies, $51.50 ; Ma- 



sonic lodges, $35.43 : total, $251,325.42, an in- 

 crease of $49,718.54, on the preceding year. 

 The tolls collected at the St. Mary's Falls Ship 

 Canal' were $31,054.79, an increase over the 

 previous year of about $8,0*00. 



Elections were held during the year for a 

 Justice of the Supreme Court, and for one hun- 

 dred delegates to a convention to revise the State 

 constitution. Of the first the result was : for 

 Benjamin F. Graves, Eepublican, 80,819; for 

 Sanford M. Green, Democrat, 55,865 ; scatter- 

 ing and iiqperfect votes, 246 : total 136,932 ; 

 Eepublican majority, 24,954. Of the delegates 

 chosen to the Constitutional Convention seven- 

 ty-five were Eepublican and twenty-five Demo- 

 cratic. The convention met at Lansing on the 

 15th day of May, and contimfed in session until 

 August 22d. Charles M. Croswell, of Adrian, 

 was president. A constitution was agreed upon, 

 to be submitted to the people for ratification 

 on the first Monday of April, 1868. The im- 

 portant changes proposed are the following: 

 Senators in the State Legislature are to be chosen 

 for four years, instead of two, as now. A sep- 

 arate proposition is to be submitted to the peo- 

 ple, whether legislative sessions shall be annual 

 or biennial, as they now are. The present 

 constitution prohibits the Legislature from pass- 

 ing any law authorizing the grant of licenses for 

 the sale of ardent spirits or intoxicating liquors. 

 This article is omitted from the proposed con- 

 stitution, but is submitted to the people as a 

 separate proposition, and to be incorporated in 

 the constitution if approved. The number of 

 Justices of the Supreme Court is increased from 

 four to five, and their term from eight to ten 

 years. The word " white " is omitted in de- 

 fining the qualifications of electors, and the 

 clause in the present constitution, permitting 

 civilized male Indians not members of any tribe 

 to vote, is also left out. Salaries are made as fol- 

 lows : Governor, $3,000 ; Judges of Supreme 

 and Circuit Courts, $3.000 ; Secretary of State, 

 Commissioner of State Land-office, and Attor- 

 ney-General, each $2,000 ; Auditor-General, 

 State Treasurer, and Superintendent of Public 

 Instruction, each $2,500; and the Legislature 

 may increase or diminish these by a two-thirds 

 vote of all the members elect to each House. The 

 support and maintenance of the Agricultural 

 College is made compulsory upon the Legisla- 

 ture. The Legislature is prohibited renewing or 

 extending any act of incorporation granted 

 prior to January 1, 1851, and from altering or 

 amending any such act except with the assent 

 of two-thirds of the members elected to each 

 House. Not less than $500 of personal property, 

 and a homestead not exceeding $2,500 in value, 

 are to be exempt from execution. If the owner 

 of a homestead die or desert his family, leaving 

 a widow, wife, or children, the homestead is ta 

 be exempt from the payment of his debts so 

 long as the widow shall be without oth'er home- 

 stead of her own, and during the minority of 

 her children, or while the deserted wife shall 

 occupy such homestead. The following clauses 



