MICHIGAN. 



551 





ha vo been assessed for periods less than a year, I es- 



IIIIIMU- from tin- iv|"irt that theru are about 4,000 

 n for the sale of liquors in that State. 



Tin- olticiul reports of the police-otiioers of the 

 <>f Detroit, Grand Rapids, East Sagitutw, and 

 Jackson, report 3,974 arrests for drunkenness in 

 1874, 3,232 in 187.i, and 2,228 for 1876. This de- 

 >f drunkenness, and of places where human- 

 ity is made barter of and dollars traded for degrada- 

 ti'in, must be gratifying to every citizen. 



The reports show very generally that behind this 

 law there stands a public sentiment that says, En- 

 force it. There are counties, however, aa shown by 

 the reports of 1876, in which it has not been proper- 

 ly enforced. This is notably the case in Bay, Hough- 

 ton, Ingham, Jackson. Kent, Lapeer, Marquette, St. 

 Clair, Suj^inaw. and Wayne Counties. tSome of the 

 officers whose business it is to enforce the law have 

 lost sight of the restrictive and restraining idea 

 underlying it, and, rather than close up the business, 

 have fostered it by accepting monthly payments on 

 account. I find this system in vogue quite exten- 

 sively. There is no time fixed in the law for the 

 collection by the sheriff, or for return of warrant by 

 him. I suggest, therefore, that the law be amended, 

 giving the Treasurer a certain specified number ot 

 days in which he niay receive the tax, giving to the 

 sheriff not exceeding thirty days in which to collect, 

 and five days additional in which to make his return. 

 When his return is made, he should be required to 

 furnish a copy of it to the prosecuting attorney of 

 the county, whose duty it should be to commence 

 proceedings at once in all cases where the tax has 

 not been paid. 



The general business of the State was great- 

 ly depressed during the whole year. In the 

 lumber-regions it was especially dull, though 

 mills were kept in operation to an extent that 

 decreased steadily the stock of lumber remain- 

 ing on hand at the places of manufacture and 

 at points of storage. The iron and copper 

 interests were characterized by no activity. 

 Report of production for taxation copper, 

 15,164 tons; iron, 739,645 tons. In the manu- 

 facture of salt it was different. The report of 

 inspection for the year shows the following 

 result: 



Fine salt, barrels 1,402,410 



Packers' salt, barrels 14,288 



Solar salt, barrels 24,418 



Second quality, barrels 21,668 



Total 1,462,729 



This would amount in bushels to 7,313,645, 

 an increase of 1,904,320 bushels or 880,864 bar- 

 rels over the preceding year. The manufacturers 

 were pretty effectually united in a combination, 

 and nearly all the salt sold passed through the 

 hands of an association which allowed on re- 

 ceiving it a certain price, and sold in its dis- 

 cretion. The amount in the hands of the asso- 

 ciation at the end of the year was very large. 



In fish-culture since December 1, 1874, the 

 State has expended $23,057.20. Of white-fish, 

 12,400,000 have been placed in the waters of 

 the State; of salmon, 1,470,000; of lake-trout, 

 150,000. The results thus far are very satis- 

 factory. Salmon are occasionally caught, and 

 promise finely. A large stock of eggs of sal- 

 mon and white-fish is on hand and being 

 hatched in the Detroit and Pokagon hatcheries. 



In respect to education, as there was no 



session of the Legislature, there is little to re- 

 port beyond the usual statistics of the primary 

 schools. The State University had its usual 

 prosperity, modified somewhat by the very 

 determined opposition of a portion of the 

 44 regular " medical profession, growing out of 

 the establishment of an homoeopathic school. 

 This diminished the attendance of medical 

 students somewhat, but not so greatly as was 

 anticipated. The two medical schools had no 

 connection whatever, except that students in 

 the new school were admitted to some of the 

 lectures in the old. The Agricultural College 

 had a year of prosperity, with the exception 

 of the accidental destruction of one of the dor- 

 mitories by fire. Number of students, 166; 

 number graduated, 17. The college held in 

 January a series of six institutes in different 

 parts of the State, which were largely attended 

 by farmers, and at which papers were dis- 

 cussed. About one-half of these were pre- 

 sented by farmers. The State Normal School 

 was attended by 722 students, an increase of 

 236 in two years. Its condition under the 

 management of Principal Estabrook is in every 

 respect prosperous. The statistics of primary 

 schools, so far as yet received, are the follow- 

 ing: 



Number of children between ages of five and twenty. 467,785 



' attending public schools 848.94T 



" of school-houses 6.917 



" of sittings in school-houses 419,609 



" of teachers employed 12,900 



Value of school-buildings and grounds $9,862,270 00 



Total school expenditure for the year 4,126,707 00 



Indebtedness of school-districts ' 1,674,176 00 



Annual income from primary-school fund held 

 byState 214,860 88 



A convention of the Republican party of 

 Michigan, to appoint delegates to the Republi- 

 can National Convention at Cincinnati, was 

 held at Grand Rapids on May 10th. The fol- 

 lowing delegates at large were chosen : Henry 

 P. Baldwin, William A. Howard, Silas S. Tyler, 

 and Jonathan J. Woodman. 



The following resolutions were adopted by 

 the convention : 



We, the Republicans of Michigan, in convention 

 assembled, in this Centennial year of the nation's 

 life, reiterate our firm and abiding faith in the prin- 

 ciples of the Republican party as enunciated in for- 

 mer national platforms, while we point with pride to 

 the party's glorious record of grand achievements 

 in behalf of freedom, equal rights, and good govern- 

 ment. We exult in the reflection that from the day 

 of the party's organization within the borders of 

 this State to the present time the people of Michi- 

 gan have attested their steadfast fealtv to the party's 

 true views and purposes. In the unbroken line of 

 Republican victories we recognize the fact that no 

 past achievements or declaration of principles, how- 

 ever just and patriotic, will deserve or can alone ^se- 

 cure success without candidates of known ability, 

 integrity, stability, and character. Therefore 



Jttsolved. That the delegates this day chosen to 

 represent us in the forthcoming National Conven- 

 tion be requested to act in the convention with har- 

 mony and as much unity among themselves as is 

 possible; that they extend all proper courtesy to 

 other delegations, and treat with deference the opin- 

 ions of those representing States less reliably Re- 

 publican than our own ; but under no possible cir- 



