670 



OHIO. 



OREGON. 



women to be elected to any school-offices ex- 

 cept that of State Commissioner of Schools ; re- 

 moving the power of appointing the directors 

 of public institutions from the Governor to the 

 General Assembly ; limiting the power of com- 

 munities to incur debts ; changing somewhat 

 the militia system so far as concerns the ap- 

 pointment of officers ; making all counties and 

 townships bodies corporate; changing the 

 compensation of county officials from fees to 

 fixed salaries ; restricting the taxing power of 

 municipal corporations; introducing minority 

 representation into the management of all 

 private corporations; making stringent regu- 

 lations in the interests of the stock-holders and 

 the public as to the management of railroad 

 companies ; changing and enlarging the taxing 

 powers of the General Assembly; making a 

 new basis for legislative apportionment and 

 representation ; introducing in the election of 

 State Senators and Eepresentatives the princi- 

 ple of minority representation by the cumula- 

 tive vote ; permitting women to be appointed 

 to any (except an elective) office, and providing 

 greater security to miners. In addition to the 

 main body of the amended constitution, three 

 propositions were to be submitted separately : 

 1. Minority Representation, In every election 

 for Judges of the Supreme and Circuit Courts, 

 where three or more are to be chosen of the 

 same court, and for the same term of service, 

 no elector shall vote for a greater number of 

 candidates than a majority of the judges of 

 such court and term then to be chosen. 2. 

 Railroad, Aid. This permitted the General 

 Assembly, by general laws, to authorize any 

 township, city, or incorporated village, to aid 

 any railroad company in the construction of 

 its road within the State, subjected to certain 

 recited restrictions. 3. Traffic in Intoxicating 

 Liquors. This was an alternative proposition, 

 providing either that license to traffic in spirit- 

 uous, vinous, or malt liquors, under such regu- 

 lations and limitations as shall be prescribed 

 by law, may be granted but this section shall 

 not prevent the General Assembly from passing 

 laws to restrict such traffic, and to compen- 

 sate injuries resulting therefrom or that no 

 license to traffic in intoxicating liquors shall be 

 granted ; but the General Assembly may, by 

 law, restrain or prohibit such traffic, or pro- 

 vide against evils resulting therefrom. 



The vote was taken August 18th, and the 

 new constitution and all the separate proposi- 

 tions were lost by a heavy adverse majority. 

 The official count was as follows : 



New Constitution. For, 102,885 ; against, 

 250,169: majority against^ 147,284. 



Minority Representation. For, 73,615; 

 against, 259,415: majority against, 185,800. 



Railroad Aid. For, 45,416 ; against, 296,- 

 658 : majority against, 251,242. 



License. For, 172,252 ; against, 179,538 : ma- 

 jority against, 7,286. 



The State Grange of the Patrons of Hus- 

 bandry met at Xenia r February 18th, being 



the first annual meeting after the organization 

 of the Grange. The first Grange was organ- 

 ized in Ohio in 1872, Stark County having the 

 precedence. The growth was very slow for a 

 time, but, at the annual meeting, 517 subordi- 

 nate Granges were reported organized within 

 the twelvemonth, making the total number 

 over 600, with 30,000 members. 



The year 1874 is remarkable in the annals 

 of Ohio as that of the women's temperance 

 crusade, which began in the closing days of 

 1873, at Washington Court-House, and during 

 the early part of 1874 swept like a wave of 

 excitement over nearly the entire State. The 

 women marched in procession through the 

 streets, singing and praying in the saloons 

 where admitted, and on the sidewalks when 

 excluded. A large number of saloons were 

 closed, and in some villages the liquor-traffic 

 was suspended for a time. Ultimately a reac- 

 tion set in, disturbances occurred at Cincin- 

 nati, Cleveland, and Columbus, which led to 

 the enforcement of the municipal laws against 

 obstructing the streets ; the controversy was 

 carried into the elections, with unfavorable re- 

 sults to the temperance movement, and by the 

 close of the year the excitement had mostly 

 subsided. 



OREGON". The Legislature was in session 

 from September 14th to October 23d. During 

 this brief session the most important legislation 

 had reference to retrenchment and economy 

 in public expenditures, and to securing addi- 

 tional railroad facilities for the State. 



The receipts into the State Treasury during 

 the two years ending September 1, 1874, were 

 $628,775 ; disbursements $663,193 ; balance in 

 the Treasury September 1, 1874, $138,179. 



The current expenses for the two years end- 

 . ing September 1, 1876, were estimated at $553,- 

 350, viz. : legislative expenses, $30,000 ; sala- 

 ries of executive officers, $15,000 ; salaries of 

 judges, etc., $36,600 ; salaries, etc., of various 

 officers, $40,000; penitentiary, $80,000; In- 

 sane Asylum, $120,000 ; conveyance of convicts 

 and insane, $15,000 each ; public printing and 

 binding, $26,000; Agricultural College, $19,- 

 000; keeping and tuition of mutes, $10,000; 

 support of poor, $5,000 ; Orphans' Aid Socie- 

 ty, $3,000; miscellaneous, $48,750. The total 

 amount of taxes levied in 1873 for State pur- 

 poses was $238,482.57, of which $222,701.57 

 (55 cents on $100) was on property and $15,- 

 781 on polls. The equalized value of property 

 for purposes of taxation in 1874 was $45,688,- 

 924.94, including land (3,489,394 acres), $22,- 

 220,381.40 ; live-stock, $8,116,841 ; property 

 of corporations, $2,283,296.49. The actuai 

 value is estimated by the Secretary of State at 

 from $100,000,000 to $450,000,000. The total 

 debt on September 1, 1874, was $596,256, of 

 which $247,247 was in bonds bearing interest 

 at 7 per cent., and $349,000 in warrants bear- 

 ing .interest at 10 per cent. 



The public schools of Oregon are well sup- 

 ported. The Board of Education consists of 



