500 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Gentleman's Glee-Book," 1842; "American 

 Sabbath-School Singing-Book," 1843; "Bos- 

 ton Academy Collection of Choruses," 1844; 

 "Sono--Book of the School-Room," 1845; 

 *"The Vocalist," 1844; *"The Psaltery," 

 1845; "Primary-School Song-Book," 1846; 

 "The National Psalmist," 1848 ; * " The Glee- 

 Hive," 1851; *"Cantica Laudis," 1850; 

 * " Boston Chorus-Book," 1851 ; " The Hand- 

 Book of Psalmody," 1852; "The Hallelujah," 

 1854 ; " The Normal Singer," 1856 ; " Mammoth 

 Musical Exercises," 1857; "Sabbath Hymn 

 and Tune Book," 1859; new do., 1866; with G. 

 J. Root, "The Young Men's Singing-Book;" 

 and with W. B. Bradbury, " The Choralist." 



MASSACHUSETTS. The Legislature of 

 Massachusetts met on the 3d of January and 

 adjourned on the Tth of May, after a session 

 of one hundred and twenty-six days, the short- 

 est for several years. Three hundred and 

 fifty-nine acts and sixty joint resolutions were 

 passed. A bill, introduced by the Labor Re- 

 formers, making ten hours a legal working-day 

 for minors and females in cotton and other 

 manufactories, passed the House after a pro- 

 tracted debate, but was defeated in the Senate. 

 The advocates of female suffrage presented pe- 

 titions signed by several thousand persons, 

 which were referred to a special committee 

 on that subject. A bill was reported provid- 

 ing for an amendment to the constitution, al- 

 lowing women the right to vote and hold 

 office, but after much debate it failed to pass 

 the House, by a close vote. No material 

 change was made in the laws respecting the 

 sale of intoxicating liquors, though there was, 

 as usual, a good deal of talk on the subject. 

 The sale of alcoholic liquors is still prohibited, 

 and ale and beer can be sold in any town only 

 with the sanction of a majority of the voters. 

 A general railroad act, carefully prepared and 

 maturely considered, was finally adopted. It 

 allows any twenty-five or more citizens to as- 

 sociate themselves together to build a railroad 

 and to take land necessary for the purpose, 

 subject to the revisal of county commissioners. 

 It is intended to do away with special charters 

 for small railroads. A general street railway 

 bill passed the Senate, but was killed in the 

 House. The subject which occupied the 

 largest share of attention was the charter of 

 the Highland Street Railway Company in 

 Boston, which, after an immense deal of dis- 

 cussion and of hearings before committees, 

 was passed. Two new towns were formed, 

 viz. : Holbrook, which was taken from the 

 town of Randolph, and Norwood, which was 

 cut from Dedham. Fitchburg was incorpo- 

 rated as a city. The question of changing the 

 organization of the State police caused an ex- 

 cited discussion, and the two Houses could not 

 agree upon it until conference committees 

 were appointed to reconcile their differences. 

 It was finally settled by placing the terms of 

 office of the police commissioners at the pleas- 

 ure of the Governor, and authorizing him to 



increase the force to one hundred men, when- 

 ever he should deem it necessary. The whole 

 purpose of the State police is to secure the en- 

 forcement of the liquor laws. The Legislature 

 disposed of a large amount of miscellaneous 

 business of more or less importance to the 

 State. It increased the salaries of the Judges 

 of the Supreme Court, and the salaries of Dis- 

 trict Attorneys, and in many instances of po- 

 lice justices and clerks ; dissolved a large 

 number of corporations, which were not doing 

 business; abolished the head-money which 

 immigrants had to pay ; annexed Mount Hope 

 Cemetery to Boston, and straightened the 

 boundary between Boston and Brookline ; es- 

 tablished district courts in Worcester and 

 Norfolk Counties ; changed the time of elec- 

 tions in cities from Monday to Tuesday; 

 joined together in one city Haverhill and 

 Bradford ; reformed the almshouse system, 

 and abolished the school-ship ; united the Old 

 Colony & Newport and Cape Cod Railroads; 

 gave Boards of Health additional powers over 

 small-pox, so that they can take a patient 

 from his home, if he lives in a house with two 

 or more families ; established the office of in- 

 spector of provisions ; and made it illegal for 

 city officials to make or have a pecuniary in- 

 terest in contracts with their own city. 



Among the resolutions adopted, was one 

 requiring the Inspectors of the State-prison to 

 submit a report at the next session as to the 

 practicability of enlarging and improving the 

 present prison, and as to the policy of selling 

 the present property in Charlestown, and 

 building a new prison at some other point. 



On the 30th of September there were, be- 

 longing to railroad corporations of the State, 

 2,194.44 miles of main line and branches, witli 

 524.85 miles of sidings and 534.13 miles of 

 double track, making an equivalent in all of 

 3,253.417 miles of railroad. Of this amount 

 1,657.87 miles were within the limits of the 

 State, or one mile to every 4.7 square miles of 

 territory, and to every 879 inhabitants. This 

 proportion of railroad to extent of territory is 

 greater than in any other part of the country, 

 and not exceeded in any country of Europe. 

 The average cost of the roads has been $51,- 

 250 per mile, exclusive of equipment, which 

 has cost $6,875 per mile. The entire amount 

 invested in the railroads reporting to the 

 Massachusetts Commissioners, is $135,000,000. 

 Of the 55 corporations making returns, 30 paid 

 dividends averaging nearly seven per cent, on 

 the capital, and 25 per cent, on dividends. The 

 gross income of the roads during the year w.is 

 22 T \ per cent, of their cost, but the cost of 

 operation was 72.2 per cent, of the gross earn- 

 ings, leaving an average net income of 6fV l )C1> 

 cent, on the investment. The capital stock of 

 these fifty-five corporations is owned by al>ont 

 29,650 persons, 74 per cent, of whom are resi- 

 dents of the State. The total earnings re- 

 turned for the year amounted to $30,878,- 

 542.70, being an increase of $3,092,567 over 



