766 



WISCONSIN. 



may be attributed in part to the law of 1867, 

 allowing the members a yearly salary, instead 

 of a certain sum per diem. The Senate was 

 composed of 33 members, of whom 18 were 

 Eepublicans and 15 Democrats: 13 Senators 

 were lawyers, 9 farmers, and 11 devoted to 

 other pursuits. In the Assembly there were 

 100 members, 59 Kepublicans and 41 Demo- 

 crats: 45 Representatives were farmers, 18 law- 

 yers, 7 merchants, and 30 engaged in other oc- 

 cupations. 



The following resolutions, touching affairs of 

 the national Government, were adopted by both 

 branches of the Legislature : 



Joint Resolution instructing our Senators and request- 

 ing our Representatives to adhere to the policy of the 

 loyal people of the Republic as adopted by Congress. 

 Whereas, the events which, have very recently taken 

 place, and are now transpiring at the Federal capital, 

 are such as distinguish times of great national peril : 

 and whereas, it is the right and duty of the people of 

 the State, when occurrences like the present are 

 pressing upon them, to give utterance to their will 

 and to strengthen and support those upon whom the 

 responsibilities of the occasion directly rest : 



Be it resolved by the Assembly, the Senate concur- 

 ring, That our Senators in Congress are instructed, 

 and the members of the House of Kepresentatives 

 from this State are requested to adhere with unflinch- 

 ing firmness to the policy of the loyal people of the 

 Republic adopted by Congress ; that they resist, by 

 all constitutional, just, and efficient means, any and 

 all attempted usurpation of power by any officer of 

 the Government ; and that in this they discharge 

 their whole duty as guardians of the rights and liber- 

 ties of the people of the country. 

 Resolved, That we declare our confidence in the 



and the Secretary of State, who are to meet 

 biennially on the third "Wednesday of April, and, 

 from statistics furnished -by the Secretary of 

 State, determine and assess the relative value 



patriotism and statesmanship of Hon. E. M. Stanton. 

 secretary of War ; that we admire the courage and 

 constancy with which he successfully resists the un- 

 warranted attempts at executive encroachments ; that 

 we approve the action of the United States Senate in 

 restoring him to the office from which he was unjustly 

 suspended j that it is the desire of the citizens of the 

 State of "Wisconsin that he shall remain in the War 

 Office so _long as the country is in danger from the 

 conspiracies of its enemies, whatever be their charac- 

 ter or position, and that we honor General Grant for 

 that obedience to law which prompted him at once 

 to surrender the office of Secretary of War to him 

 upon whom it was conferred by our martyred Presi- 

 dent. 



Resolved, That the Governor of the State is hereby 

 requested to transmit an attested copy of the forego- 

 ing to each of our Senators and Eepresentatives in 

 Congress, to the presiding officer of each House of 

 Congress, and to Hon. Edwin M. Stanton. 



A. M. THOMSON, Speaker of the Assembly. 



N. M. LITTLE JOHN, Pres. of Senate^ro tern. 

 Approved March 6, 1868. 



LUCIUS FAIECHILD, Governor. 



Resolutions were also adopted asserting in 

 the strongest terms the right of expatriation, 

 and demanding protection for American citi- 

 zens abroad, whether native or adopted. The 

 constitutional amendments proposed by the 

 Legislature of 1867 were both rejected. One 

 of these proposed to confer the right of suffrage 

 on women, and the other authorized the State 

 to give its aid for the construction of railroads. 

 The most important measure of the session was 

 a new assessment law providing for a State 

 Board of Assessment composed of the Senate 



of all property subject to taxation in each 

 county. The Secretary of State shall then ap- 

 portion the tax levied for the year, among the 

 counties pro rata, according to the valuation 

 made by the Board of Assessment. The su- 

 pervisors of each county are required to assess 

 and determine the value of property in each 

 town and city, and determine the tax levied 

 for county purposes. Each town is to have 

 three assessors, and all property, real and per- 

 sonal, to be assessed at its actual value, the 

 assessors determining the value, and having 

 power to examine witnesses on the subject. 

 The chairman of the Board of Supervisors, 

 clerk, and assessors of each town, or mayor, 

 clerk, and assessors of each city, constitute a 

 Board of Review, to hear and determine any 

 errors made in the assessment, and to make 

 the necessary corrections. This Board of Re- 

 view is to meet on the last Monday in June, 

 following the meeting of the Board of Assess- 

 ment in April. 



The Democratic State Convention was held 

 at Madison, on the 19th of February, and can- 

 didates were nominated for Chief Justice and 

 Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. These 

 were the only State officers to be chosen this 

 year. Charles Dunn and E. Holmes Ellis were 

 nominated. Presidential electors were also 

 nominated, and delegates appointed to the Na- 

 tional Convention which was to meet in New 

 York on the 4th of July. A motion, that a 

 committee of seven be appointed to report res- 

 olutions, was opposed on the ground that the 

 only officers to be nominated were judges, and 

 resolutions " would not help their election, or 

 be appropriate." Mr. Ernest, who proposed 

 the committee, thought that, if ever there was 

 a time when the Democracy ought to speak out, 

 it was now. There would not be another con- 

 vention until after presidential candidates were 

 nominated, and it was incumbent on the Demo- 

 crats to denounce in fitting terms the outrages 

 perpetrated upon the country. Mr. Ernest's 

 motion was nevertheless laid upon the table, 

 and no platform was adopted. 



The Republican Convention assembled at 

 Madison, on the 26th of February, and nomi- 

 nated L. S. Dixon and Byron Paine for reelec- 

 tion as Judges of the Supreme Court. After 

 the nomination of electors, and the appoint- 

 ment of delegates to the National Convention 

 at Chicago, a series of resolutions was adopted. 

 These declare an unalterable devotion to the 

 principles of the Republican party; deplore 

 the necessity which compelled the House of 

 Representatives to impeach President Johnson, 

 but express thanks for the prompt action of 

 that body, and claim that the vital interests of 

 the Republic require that the disturbance of 

 the public peace caused by the wanton acts of 

 Mr. Johnson should be ended by bringing him 



