MASSACHUSETTS. 



METEOROLOGY. 



537 



thorize the issue of notes to circulate ns money, 

 whether issued directly from the Treasury or indi- 

 rectly through the banks, should be exercised only 

 subject to certain restrictions : first, that no execu- 

 tive officer of the Government should have a discre- 

 tion to enlarge or contract the volume of currency ; 

 second, that the total amount of currency authorized 

 should be fixed by law; third, that whatever that 

 amount, it should be one that shall at every moment 

 bo redeemable in coin ; fourth, that all coins of the 

 same denomination shall be of equal value as nearly 

 as possible; fifth, that whatever currency is issued 

 by the Government shall be receivable by the Gov- 

 ernment in the payment of public dues at face value. 



5. That a revival of the great industries of manu- 

 facture, commerce, and the fisheries, now paralyzed 

 by unfriendly legislation, is essential to the future 

 prosperity of Massachusetts, and that reciprocal free 

 trade with the civilized world, restricted only by 

 necessary measures to provide a national revenue, 

 will alone once more whiten the seas with the sails 

 of our ships, quicken our languishing industries, 

 and relieve the masses from the oppressive indirect 

 taxation that now robs them of so large a portion of 

 their daily earnings 



6. The Democrats of Massachusetts renew their 

 demand for the extending of the right of sinTrage to 

 all citizens of the United States residents of Massa- 

 chusetts, without restriction by constitutional or 

 legal enactment. The prepayment of a poll-tax, as 

 a qualification for voting, is in violation of every 

 principle of equal rights, and ought no longer to be 

 required ; and while we favor all reasonable regula- 

 tions to protect the purity of the ballot, we denounce 

 the laws passed by Republican legislation in recent 

 years, which, tending to hinder and obstruct the 

 most ample exercise of the elective franchise by our 

 citizens, deserve the condemnation of all lovers of 

 true liberty and free suffrage. 



7. We demand that there shall be no further in- 

 crease of the State debt, and that measures for its 

 gradual reduction and final extinction shall be rigidly 

 enforced. We demand that constitutional provi- 

 sions be made to restrain the State, counties, and 

 municipalities from incurring debt in times of peace. 

 We demand the abolition of all unnecessary offices, 

 and the reduction of the expenses of the btate ad- 

 ministration, as necessary for the well-being of the 

 people. 



8. We demand that Massachusetts shall observe 

 her obligations to other States, so that our Common- 

 wealth shall not be made a safe asylum for refugees 

 from public justice. 



9. Resolved^ That the Democratic party, in sus- 

 taining, throughout its entire history, the great prin- 

 ciple of equal and exact justice to all men, has ever 

 been the truest friend or the laboring classes ; and 

 we demand the overthrow of monopolies, arid the 

 enactmant and execution of such laws as shall pro- 

 tect the rights of labor as well as those of capital, 

 not discriminating against either, but framed for the 

 mutual benefit of both. 



Lastly, That the platform here adopted and the 

 candidates here nominated are the platform and can- 

 didates of the Democratic party of Massachusetts, 

 in alliance with the national Democratic party ; and 

 the pretense that any candidates nominated by any 

 other party or body of men represent the Demo- 

 cratic party is utterly baseless and fraudulent ; and 

 we summon every true Democrat to rally to the sup- 

 port of the candidates this day nominated, because 

 they alone represent the principles and the organiza- 

 tion of the time-honored national party. 



The State election took place on November 

 5th. It was for the choice of members of 

 Congress, State officers, and members of the 

 State Legislature. The result on members of 

 Congress was as follows: 



( W. "W. Crapo, Republican 12,575 



I. 4 Matthias KlHs, National Democrat 7,38:3 



( Rodney French, Prohibitionist '219 



f Benjamin W. Harris, Republican 14,579 



TT j Edward A very, Democrat 4,374 



n - 1 Edgar E. Dean, National 5,472 



L Thomas J. Lathrop, Prohibitionist 891 



( Walbridge A. Field, Republican 10,919 



III. -< Benjamin Dean, National Democrat 10,478 



( Eugene H. Clapp, Prohibitionist 66 



{Martin Brimmer, Republican 7,654 



Leopold Morse. Democrat 11,647 



William Washburn, Prohibitionist 73 



v j Selwyn Z. Bowman, Republican 15,308 



' ' j Nathan Clark, National Democrat 10,653 



I George B. Loring, Republican 10,339 



VI. < F. E. Moody Boynton, National Democrat.. .. 10,226 



( J. H. Carlton, Democrat 2,653 



( William A. Lawrence, Republican 13,169 



VII. -C John K. Tarbox, Democrat 7,700 



( Samuel 8. Stevens, National 2,881 



( William Claflin, Republican 14,300 



VIII. { Isaac Bradford, National Democrat 11,758 



( George W. Stacey, Prohibitionist 223 



( William W. Rice, Republican 13,295 



IX. I Eli Thayer, National Democrat 8,960 



( Timothy A. Smith, Prohibitionist 265 



( Amasa Norcross, Republican 13,051 



X. J. James S. Grinnell, Democrat 8,609 



( Wilbur F. Whiting, National 6,746 



( George D. Robinson, Republican 10,927 



XI. < Jarvis N. Dunham, Democrat 2,069 



( Edward H. Lathrop, Prohibitionist 7,994 



The result of the election for Governor was 



as follows : Talbot, Republican, 134,725 ; But- 

 ler, National Democrat, 109,435 ; Abbott, Dem- 

 ocrat, 10,162. The other Republican State offi- 

 cers were elected by an average majority of 

 35,000. 



The State Legislature was divided as follows : 



MEGAPHONE. This is a combination of the 

 speaking-trumpet and the ear-trumpet, devised 

 by Mr. Edison. It consists of two large funnels 

 of some light material, as paper, each 6 feet 8 

 inches in length and 27 inches in diameter at 

 the larger end, and terminating at the smaller 

 end in a flexible tube of such size as to fit into 

 the ear. These two funnels are mounted on a 

 stand side by side, and a smaller funnel the 

 speaking-trumpet is fixed between them. 

 The flexible tubes being inserted into the ears, 

 it is possible to hear distinctly rather faint 

 sounds, as a whisper, at the distance of 1,000 

 feet. The sound of cattle grazing, or of a per- 

 son walking through heavy grass or weeds, 

 can be heard at even greater distances. By 

 the use of two megaphones, the voice being 

 uttered through the speaking-trumpet, a con- 

 versation in the ordinary tone may be carried 

 on at the distance of a mile and a half or two 

 miles. 



METEOROLOGY. Steady progress is be- 

 ing made in the study of the earth's atmos- 

 phere, in the practical application to storm and 



