378 



KENTUCKY. 



proved by us, and we pledge ourselves to continue 

 our support of this great truth. 



Resolved, That we denounce the wanton extrava- 

 gance of the State government, which has so em- 

 barrassed the finances of the State as to make addi- 

 tional taxation necessary ; the unequal administra- 

 tion of the laws, which has made life and liberty so 

 precarious in the State ; and that we pledge the Ee- 

 publican party to a reform in this matter which will 

 restore health to the finances, and give protection to 

 all in their rights. 



Resolved, That the national debt, occasioned and 

 necessitated as it was by the rebellion, aided in the 

 salvation of the nation, is sacred and inviolate, and 

 its payment should never be questioned in any wise 

 whatever. 



Resolved, That we claim the admission of the black 

 population of this State to the right of testifying in 

 our State courts in all cases whatsoever, upon the 

 same terms accorded by law to other classes of citi- 

 zens. We claim this as an act of justice to our most 

 helpless people, and because it is right. 



At the Democratic Convention, subsequently 

 held, Mr. J. W. Tate was chosen as the oppos- 

 ing candidate for the office of State Treasurer. 

 The election was held on the first Monday in 

 August, when 82,607 votes were cast for Mr. 

 Tate, and 24,759 votes for Mr. Wing Mr. 

 Tate heing elected by a majority of 57,848. 



The General Assembly met at Frankfort, on 

 the 6th of December, when H. P. Leslie was 

 elected as President of the Senate, and J. H. 

 Bunch as Speaker of the House. This body 

 was composed of 36 Democrats and 12 Bepub- 

 licans in the Senate, and 92 Democrats and 

 8 Kepublicans in the House. In view of the 

 fact that the term of Thomas C. McCreery, 

 in the United States Senate, would expire in 

 1871, it became necessary to elect a United 

 States Senator at this session. This matter 

 was taken up early, when a spirited and pro- 

 tracted contest ensued, in which Governor 

 John W. Stevenson and Senator McCreery, 

 the present incumbent, were the prominent 

 candidates. The contest resulted in the election 

 of Governor Stevenson, who received on the 

 last ballot 117 votes 67 being necessary to a 

 choice. 



The finances of the State are in a sound and 

 prosperous condition. The receipts for the 

 fiscal year ending October 10, 1869, were $678,- 

 505.70, which, with the balance of $587,199.68 

 in the Treasury at the beginning of the fiscal 

 year, amounted to $1,265,705.38. The expendi- 

 tures for the year were $908,921.26, which, 

 deducted from the preceding sum, left a surplus 

 in the Treasury on the 10th of October, 1869, 

 of $356,783.42 ; which, added to $902,552.08, 

 the amount of outstanding loans made by the 

 Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, increases 

 the amount standing to the credit of the State 

 to $1,259,335.50. The amount of the State 

 debt on the 10th of October, 1869, was $3,307,- 

 177.52, including bonds dedicated to the school- 

 fund, and not now redeemable, to the amount 

 of $1,648,283.52, which, deducted from the 

 preceding amount, reduces the State debt 

 proper to $1,658,894. This indebtedness of 

 the Commonwealth consists of 



6 per cent, bonds which have matured and 



are outstanding $33,394 00 



5 per cent, bonds due and outstanding 10,000 00 



6 per cent, honds maturing in 1870 and 1872.. 1,189,500 00 



Military bonds maturing in 1895 816,000 00 



5 per cent, bonds maturing between 1871 and 



1873 160,000 00 



Total $1,658,894 00 



The amount of the stocks held by the Com- 

 missioners of the Sinking Fund was $1,287,- 

 853.46, which, with the surplus in the Treasury, 

 together with the loans made by the commis- 

 sioners, gives a balance in favor of the State over 

 its outstanding indebtedness of $888,294.96. 



Of the loans here referred to, the principal 

 item is the amount of $840,849.55 due from the 

 revenue department proper to the State. The 

 annual current revenue of the State has been 

 insufficient for years past to meet the ordinary 

 necessities of the State government. To sup- 

 ply these deficiencies from time to time, the 

 Commissioners of the Sinking Fund were em- 

 powered by various legislative enactments to 

 make the advancements to the revenue de- 

 partment which were to be returned to the 

 Sinking Fund. The first of these loans was 

 made in the year 1861. This insufficiency of 

 the revenue has resulted from a thoroughly 

 defective system, the provisions of which are 

 incongruous and inconsistent. Many subjects, 

 which should be assessed, and which would 

 yield a large income, have escaped taxation 

 altogether by reason of not having been on the 

 revenue lists ; while many of the items on the 

 lists are not taxed in proportion to the value 

 of other property. In some portions of the 

 Commonwealth, property is assessed by a spe- 

 cie, in other portions by a paper standard. 

 The revenue has also been weakened by un- 

 equal valuations of property, and by a failure 

 in some instances to collect taxes due. The 

 attention of the last Legislature was called to 

 this subject, with the view of effecting a thor- 

 ough revision of the present revenue laws. 



The charitable and reformatory institutions 

 of the State are in good condition. The en- 

 largements and improvements which have been 

 made in several of these institutions during the 

 year afford greatly-improved accommodations 

 for the comfort of the unfortunate inmates. 



The number of convicts in the Penitentiary, 

 at the close of 1869, was 650 ; 34 more than 

 there were at the close of the preceding year. 

 During the year, efforts were made for the in- 

 troduction of changes and improvements in 

 the prison system. A plan was proposed for 

 classifying and separating the convicts, and for 

 giving the convict on his restoration to liberty 

 a portion of his surplus earnings. The provi- 

 sion made by the Legislature, at its extra ses- 

 sion in the beginning of the year, for the estab- 

 lishment of a House of Eeform for Juvenile 

 Delinquents, is intended to withdraw from the 

 Penitentiary the younger class of offenders. 



A committee of three was also appointed to 

 visit the prisons of other States, and make a 

 report upon the whole subject of prison dis- 



