WISCONSIN". 



761 



right of State control remains unchanged, but 

 the rates are modified. The amended law 

 is, in this respect, more favorable to the rail- 

 road companies than was the Potter law, 

 and is regarded as a compromise between 

 the companies and the friends of the Potter 

 law. 



On the 4th of February, when twelve ballots 

 had been taken, Angus Cameron was elected 

 to the United States Senate for six years from 

 the 4th of March, 1875, as the successor of M. 

 H. Carpenter. 



Mr. Cameron was born at Caledonia, N". Y., 

 in 1826 ; went to Wisconsin in 1857, where 

 he was elected to the State Senate in 1863, 

 and was reflected to that body in 1871 ; was 

 a member of the House in 1866 and 1867, 

 being the Speaker during the latter year. 

 From 1866 to 1875 he was one of the Regents 

 of the University of Wisconsin. He is a lawyer 

 by profession, and was elected to the Senate 

 by the combined votes of Republicans, Demo- 

 crats, and Liberals. 



The State finances are reported to be in a 

 sound condition. The total State debt, Sep- 

 tember 30, 1875, amounted to $2,252,057, and 

 was classified as follows : Bonds outstanding, 

 $14,000; due to the school-fund, $1,559,700; 

 university fund, $111,000 ; Agricultural Col- 

 lege fund, $51,600 ; normal-school fund, $515, - 

 700 ; currency certificates, $57. 



The total balance in the Treasury, September 

 30, 1874, was $378,345 ; September 30, 1875, 

 it was $277,681. The general-fund balance, 

 September 30, 1874, was $125,531 ; September 

 30, 1875, $1,846. The entire receipts amount- 

 ed to $1,750,806.48 ; the disbursements to $1,- 

 851,470.02. 



The most important sources of revenue and 

 items of expenditure on account of the general 

 fund were as follows : 



RECEIPTS. 



State tax and suit tax $595,602 72 



Kailroad companies' tax 486,414 46 



Plank-road companies* tax 178 84 



Telegraph companies' tax 2.288 CO 



Bonds receivable 510 00 



Insurance companies' tax and fees 67,859 05 



Hawkers and peddlers 18,061 76 



Miscellaneous 20,578 84 



TotaL $1,136,488 67 



DISBURSEMENTS. 

 Salaries and permanent appropriations. $262,686 40 



Legislative, expenses 86,645 50 



State-prison and charitable institutions. 505,030 50 

 Miscellaneous 845,805 99 



Total $ 1,260,1 68 89 



The total valuation of real and personal 

 property, as determined by the State Board 

 of Assessments, with the amount and rate of 

 State taxes levied, has been as follows : 



The value of property exempt from taxa- 

 tion, besides 1,511 miles of railroad not valued, 

 has been reported as follows, no returns hav- 

 ing been received from several counties : 



United States property $609,01 5 



State property 146,005 



County property 1,073,518 



Town, city, and village property 822,950 



Common-school property 1,655,349 



Church property 8,951,783 



Railroad property 4,301,753 



Cemetery property 230,580 



College and academy property 602,800 



All other property 780,973 



Total property exempt $14,174,721 



. The whole amount of lands held by the State, 

 September 30, 1875, was 1,622,642 acres. 



The condition of the charitable and correc- 

 tional institutions for 1875 was as follows : 



In the State-prison convict-labor is per- 

 formed on account of the State, the chief 

 industries being the manufacture of chairs, 

 wagons, boots and shoes, clothing, and stone- 

 work. The institution is not self-sustaining. 

 The receipts from labor, etc., in 1875, amount- 

 ed to about $53,000. The total disbursements 

 were about $100,000. The State appropriation 

 was $46,341. The present site of the prison 

 is deemed to be unfavorable on account of 

 its great distance from sources of supply and a 

 market for the industrial products of the pris- 

 on. At its session in 1875 the Legislature 

 passed a joint resolution providing for the ap- 



pointment of a commission to consider the ex- 

 pediency of removing the prison, to recom- 

 mend a more suitable site, and to report to 

 the next Legislature. The resolution further 

 suggests that the prison-buildings at Waupun 

 be transformed into an institution for the in- 

 curably insane of the State, of whom there 

 are about five hundred confined in the poor- 

 houses and jails of the different counties. 



Steps have been taken to discontinue the 

 Soldiers' Orphans' Home at Madison. This 

 institution was organized in 1866. It contin- 

 ued in successful operation, with an average 

 annual attendance of about two hundred, un- 



