CONNECTICUT. 



241 



wo pledgo ourselves to use our most earnest cf- 

 t to secure the reelection of the men who have BO 



orthily ami capably discharged the important trusts 



>nfldod to tin-in. 



The ili-publicans hold their State Convention 

 at Hartford, on the llth of February, 1874. 

 Tin- ;iiu-iulance was large. Henry J3. Harrison, 

 of Now Haven, was nominated as tho Republi- 

 can camlidat r for Governor, by acclamation. 



Tlio candidates for the other State olli< <. -; 

 were, respectively, as follows: for Lieutenant- 

 Governor, John t. Wait, of Norwich; for Sec- 

 retary of State, John G. A. Stono, of Killingly ; 

 for Controller, E. Perry Parker, of Coventry; 

 for State Treasurer, David P. Nichols, of Dan- 

 bury. 



Tho following resolutions were reported 

 from the appropriate committee : 



The Republican party of the State of Connecticut. 

 in convention assembled, declare that the true end 

 of government is to secure equal and exact justice 

 to all ita citizens, with as little infringement as pos- 

 sible upon individual freedom ; that the government 

 of the people by the people and for the people, inter- 



Sreted and foreshadowed by the Declaration of In- 

 ependenco, is the true American idea; that this 

 idea can only be realized by the election of honest 

 and capable men to public office, and by conducting 

 public affairs with strict prudence and in accordance 

 with the sound and approved maxims of business 

 and political economy. 



Btsolved) That, in accordance with these princi- 

 ples, the States should be left to regulate their own 

 internal affairs without interference, and this con- 

 vention gladly indorses tho course of the national 

 Administration in reference to the recent election in 

 Texas. 



That good administration and freedom from 

 temptation to official dishonesty can be best secured 

 by such an organization of the civil service as shall 

 insure a competent body of civil officers who shall 

 be undisturbed by the changes and temptations of 

 active politics. 



That there ought to be no further increase of the 

 paper currency of the country, and that the people 

 expect from the present Congress the adoption of 

 such measures as will forward the early resumption 

 of specie payments. 



That there should be no more subsidies of public 

 lands in the interest of private corporations ; that 

 taxation should be equal, and be laid in such a man- 

 ner as least to interfere with the general prosperity, 

 and so as to encourage the various industries. 



That we expect of our State Legislature and State 

 officers the strictest integrity and economy, the 

 largest possible relief from the burden of taxation, 

 the maintenance of public education, the preserva- 

 tion of the purity and freedom of the ballot-box, the 

 continuance of such registration laws as shall invite 

 all who are entitled to the precious right of suffrage 

 to participate in it, and shall at the same time ex- 

 clude all from fraudulent voting. 



That the sessions of the General Assembly should 

 be short, and its legislative acts few and general. 



That in making judicial and other legislative ap- 

 pointments, character and capacity should be the only 

 qualifications considered, and that all bargains and 

 trades for these appointments are abusive of the 

 health of the Commonwealth and destructive of tho 

 interests of the people. 



That tho rightful interests of labor, in view of the 

 present condition of the industrial classes, and their 

 relations to capital and the great corporations of the 

 country, demand the careful solicitude and attention 

 of the Legislature. 



That wo recognize the wisdom and necessity of 



VOL. xiv. 16 A 



obtaining reliable statistics in regard to the eondi- 

 tion of the laboring closse*. upon which to base 



{roper legislation, and we believe that un iiuimrtial 

 urcsu for that purpose is demanded alike by hu- 

 manity and the best interests of the State. 



That party organizations are useful and necesssry, 

 but that, while we are proud of the birth and history 

 of the BepnblittU) party, wo recognize no Much ulk-- 

 ffianco to political associations an shall prevent <ur 

 fair and candid criticism of the acts of ull public 

 men; and that every case of negligence, wawtcful- 

 ness, or dishonesty, on the part of any having con- 

 trol of public moneys, ought to be promptly and 

 severely punished without lear or favor. 



That the question, whether or not a convention 

 ought to be called to revise our present constitution, 

 should be submitted by the General Assembly to Un- 

 people of the State for their decision. 



With these declarations we present to the people 

 of Connecticut the names of tho lion. Henry B. Har- 

 rison for Governor, and of his associates upon the 

 ticket for their several offices, with pride. 



The resolution concerning a revision of the 

 organic law of the State gave rise to a lengthy 

 discussion, in which several delegates took 

 part ; some of them arguing for the removal 

 of that plank from the platform, others for its 

 retention. The sentiment of those who were 

 in favor of passing the resolutions as reported 

 by the committee finally prevailed, and the 

 platform was adopted in full. 



At the election, on the 6th of April, 1874, 

 the candidates on the Democratic ticket were 

 reflected by considerable majorities. The 

 whole number of votes polled for Governor 

 was 91,678 ; which is 4,716 more than the ag- 

 gregate votes cast for Governor in 1873. Of 

 that number, 46,689 were given to the Dem- 

 ocratic candidate, 40,011 to the Republicans, 

 and 4,859 to tho candidate presented by the 

 Temperance party. On the one-capital ques- 

 tion, all of the votes cast had been 67,529 

 yeas, 36,731; nays, 80,298. The political 

 complexion of the Legislature was as follows : 

 In the Senate Democrats 17, Republicans 4; 

 in the House of Representatives, Democrats 

 142, Republicans 97, Independent 2 ; which 

 gave the Democrats a majority of 13 votes 

 over the Republicans in the Senate, of 45 in 

 the Lower House, and of 58 on ioint ballot. 



The Legislature assembled at New Haven on 

 the 6th of May, 1874. 



The financial condition of the State appears 

 to be remarkably prosperous. Her bonded 

 debt, which at the. close of the late civil war 

 amounted to $10,000,000, is now reduced to 

 $5,014,500 ; the rate of interest to be paid on 

 it being six per cent, per annum. Its reduc- 

 tion during the last fiscal year was $207,210.27. 

 The amount of State bonds purchased within 

 the same period was $81,000 ; and at the end 

 of it there was in the Treasury a balance on 

 hand of $863,988.33 ; which is $126,000 in ex- 

 cess of the balance on hand one year before. 

 No floating debt exists. 



The public revenue, collected during the last 

 fiscal year on account of the civil list, amount- 

 ed in the aggregate to $1,762,427.86, derived 

 almost entirely from the following four sources : 



