MICHIGAN. 



608 



are now : " The Legislature shall not authorize 



: township to pledge its credit for 

 liding in tin.- ci. iistructii.ii lit' -my 

 .tent thai the out-landing 

 indc!' .elusive of interest, on account 



I all railroads shall exceed ten 

 nt. >(' the ass.-sscd valuation of such city 

 or township. No county shall bo authorized to 

 credit, or raise money by taxation, 

 i.-li purposes; but counties in the 

 Peninsula may ho authori/cd to do so, 

 subject t<> the restrictions in this section as to 

 :.:: ! t iwn-hips. The question of such aid 

 ehall l)o submitted to a vote of the electors of 

 oiiuty, city, or township, to be affected 

 thereby. The Legislature may empower any 

 city or township to raise by tax, in aid of any 

 railroad company or companies, an amount of 

 money not exceeding ten per centum of the 

 1 valuation of such city or township, but 

 . such tax shall be first approved by a vote 

 of the electors of such city or township : Pro- 

 vided, That the amount levied by any such tax 

 shall not, \vlu-ii added to the principal of the 

 credits of such city or township, already pledged 

 for like aid, and then outstanding, exceed ten 

 per centum of the assessed valuation afore- 

 At any time after January 1, 1880, the 

 iturc may submit to the people the ques- 

 tion of calling a new convention for the revision 

 of the constitution. This instrument encoun- 

 rong opposition among the people, and 

 its ratification appears to be uncertain. The 

 principal points of objection seem to be, theex- 

 'ii of the right of suffrage to colored per- 

 sons ; the increase of salaries ; the compulsory 

 support of the Agricultural College ; and the 

 permission to the municipalities to extend aid 

 to railroads. Objections are also made on other 

 grounds. 



The chief feature of the legislative session 

 \va-i the passage of a large number of bills by 

 the two Houses, authorizing townships, cities, 

 and counties to vote pecuniary aid in the con- 

 struction of works of internal improvement, 

 and their veto by the Governor, on the ground 

 that they were both unconstitutional and im- 

 politic. Only one of these, and that to legalize 

 bonds already issued, could be passed over the 

 i-nor's veto. The controversy created a 

 warm and angry excitement. 



During the year the Jackson and Lansing 

 Railroad was extended 1 to Bay City, under the 

 name, of the Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw Rail- 

 road, and is doing a large business. The Three 

 1 livers and Kalainazoo Railroad was also com- 

 pleted, and is now being extended in the direc- 

 tion of (Irand Rapids, by way of Allcgan. The 

 (Irand Rupidsand Indiana Railroad is also laying 

 its track north of Grand Rapids in the direc- 

 tion of Big Rapids. Considerable grading is 

 In-iii-,' doii'.- upon several other lines. 



The school reports for the year show that 

 the a igea paid male teachers per 



month are xll.' 1 :!: females, $18.48. Number 

 of children between the ages of 5 and 20, 



838,244, an increase of 17,108 for the year. 

 Number attending school, 'Ji:;.l''.i. Average 

 attendance of each, 8f' rf months. Average 

 timo school was taught in the di-tr',< -ts, Qf g 

 months. Number of volumes in i|'.-':i<t libra- 



7, COG. Value of school buildings, :; 

 n('n ; an increase of $506,577 for the 

 Teachers employed, 2,007 males and 7,377 fe- 

 males. Total wages paid male teachers, $338,- 

 208.84; female, $579,052. 07. Total moneys 

 raised or received for schools durin 

 $2,011,236.01 ; increase over preceding year, 

 $423,797.01. Paid for buildings and repairs, 

 $545,437.30 ; increase, $205,816.30. The schook 

 are generally prosperous and satisfactory, and 

 every village of much importance has its ^; 

 school, in which pupils can be fitted for the 

 university. During the year the system of 

 township school inspectors has been abolished, 

 and county superintendents substituted. The 

 State Normal School, at Ypsilanti, is also pros- 

 perous and well attended. The statistic of 

 the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, 

 show: 



Department. Attendance Dtgrwi voultmd, 



Literature, Science, & Arts, 418 57 



Law 387 146 



Medicine 418 82 



Total 1,223 285 



The national bank capital of the State is 

 $5,030,010, which pays a State tax of one per 

 cent, annually, after deducting the value of real 

 estate. There is but one State bank, and that 

 issues no bills. 



The number of convicts in the State prison 

 at the beginning of the year was 502 ; at the 

 close, 582; increase, 80. Number received 

 during the year, 254. Discharged by expira- 

 tion of sentence, 161. Pardoned, 2. Died, 2. 

 Escaped, 9. Total, 174. The expenditures for 

 the year were $80,268.29, of which $25,000 was 

 an appropriation by the State, and the remain- 

 der was received from the labor of convicts 

 and miscellaneous sources. The amount re- 

 ceived from contractors was $50,766.99. The 

 labor of the convicts is let to contractors, at 

 biddings open to all, and the compensation paid 

 the past year varied from 40 to 65 cents per 

 day. The number of female convicts is 21 ; a 

 decrease of 5 for the year. 



The number of sentences to the State Reform 

 School during the year was 111. Discharged, 

 134. Present number of inmates, 257. Of 

 those received during the year only 27 were 

 children of American parents. Average age, 

 13 years 8 months. The most of them bad 

 lost one or both of their parents, and were va- 

 grants. 



The Detroit House of Correction, which in 

 some sense is a State institution, inasmuch as 

 persons convicted in any part of the State, of 

 offences punishable by imprisonment in county 

 jails, may be sentenced to confinement in it, is 

 managed on a different system from that adopt- 

 ed at the State prison, and with much more 

 satisfactory results. The convicts are employed 



