552 



NEW JERSEY. 



power to appoint the Adjutant-General and 

 Quartermaster-General. Changes in section 2 

 of this article provide that the Governor shall 

 appoint the judges of the Inferior Court of 

 Common Pleas; that the term of office of 

 Treasurer and Controller shall be three 

 years; that the Keeper of the State-prison 

 shall be appointed by the Governor, and hold 

 office five years ; and that sheriffs and coroners 

 shall be elected for three years, and sheriffs 

 renew their bonds annually. 



The chief opposition to the amendments 

 was made by the Roman Catholics against the 

 first two given above, and those relating to the 

 maintenance of free schools. Some of the 

 clergy of that Church made efforts to have 

 these defeated, but many prominent laymen 

 openly advocated their adoption. There was 

 also considerable opposition in the cities to 

 the provision for uniform taxation, on the 

 ground that it would remove the exemption of 

 church property, and also that of mortgages 

 provided for in what was known as the " Five 

 Counties Act." The amendments were all 

 ratified, notwithstanding this opposition. The 

 total vote cast was 96,552. The opposition to 

 the school clause did not exceed 2,000 votes. 

 The majority in favor of the other amend- 

 ments, except that relating to taxation, was 

 about 40,000. The majority in favor of the 

 uniform taxation clause was 6,734. 



At the regular election on the 2d of Novem- 

 ber only local officers and members of the Leg- 

 islature were chosen. Five Republicans and 

 three Democrats were elected to the Senate, 

 while seven Republican and six Democratic 

 Senators held over from the former Legislature. 

 A full House of Representatives was chosen, 

 and the Legislature of 1876 consists of 12 Re- 

 publicans and 9 Democrats in the Senate, and 

 37 Republicans and 23 Democrats in the House, 

 making the Republican majority 3 in the Senate 

 and ^ 14 in the House, or 17 on a joint-ballot. 

 During the session two Judges of the Supreme 

 Court, a clerk in Chancery, Secretary of State, 

 State Treasurer, State-prison Keeper, State 

 Librarian, Inspector of the State-prison, judges 

 of the county courts, and other officers, are 

 to be chosen. The Secretary of State, Treas- 

 surer, and some of the minor officers, are elect- 

 ed ^ by the Legislature, and the judges and 

 Prison-Keeper are appointed by the Governor, 

 and confirmed by the Senate. 



A convention of temperance advocates was 

 held at Trenton, on the 22d of September, to 

 organize a new party, and resolved to support 

 no man for office who was not pledged to the 

 support of their principles. The State Grange 

 of Patrons of Husbandry held a meeting at 

 Camden, December 16th, and adopted a reso- 

 lution protesting against excessive charges by 

 railroad companies for freights, especially on 

 fruits and perishable articles, and recommend- 

 ing that suitable legislation, to remedy the 

 matter complained of, be asked for. 



A census of the population was taken during 



the year through the local assessors, but, owing 

 to the meagre pay allowed, the returns were 

 imperfect and incomplete, and it was found 

 necessary in some cases to make estimates based 

 on the vote at the election for members of the 

 Legislature in November. The entire increase 

 of the State, since 1870, is about 120,000, of 

 which 51,600 is in Hudson County, 25,000 in 

 Essex, 10,000 in Union, 7,500 in Camden, and 

 7,300 in Passaic. The annexed table gives the 

 population by counties in 1875, 1870, and 1860 : 



The returns of the State for the past century 

 are as follows: 



The following is the population of the lead- 

 ing cities as compared with 1870: 



The total valuation of property is $613,993,- 

 196 against $619,057,903 in 1874, a decrease 

 of $5,064,707. The tax-levy for 1876 is two 

 mills for school purposes and 1| mill for gen- 

 eral purposes. The revenue will be reduced 



* Estimated. 



