604 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



the time has come when the executive officers of the 

 Commonwealth and members of the Legislature should 

 be elected for a longer time than one year, and the 

 adoption of the constitutional amendment providing 

 for biennial elections and biennial sessions of the 

 Legislature would tend to give steadiness to legislation 

 and to the administration of the laws, and add to the 

 importance of the offices and the care of voters in fill- 

 ing them, and would relieve the people from that fre- 

 quency or elections which is believed to be no longer 

 conducive to the welfare of the Commonwealth. 



6. The administration of the State government dur- 

 ing the past year has been able, just, and efficient. The 

 pledges made by the Republican party have been re- 

 deemed, in that reforms have been initiated and ac- 

 complished, the State tax and expenses have been 

 reduced, commissions have been consolidated^ and 

 offices now become unnecessary have been abolished. 

 We appreciate the eminent services of the present 

 Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth, whose pru- 

 dence, sound judgment, and integrity of character 

 have largely contributed to this result. In the con- 

 tinuation of its work the Republican party will insist, 

 in the words of Governor Talbot, " on a judicious but 

 not penurious economy in State administration, on a 

 discontinuance of the State tax at the earliest date, on 

 increasing no further the State indebtedness, and a 

 speedy liquidation of existing liabilities, and on shut- 

 ting the door of the Treasury against all attempts to 

 secure public means for private ends." 



7. We commend to the voters of the Common- 

 wealth the nominees of this Convention, whose high 

 character, commanding ability, and large experience 

 in public service are guarantees of official rectitude 

 and a wise administration of our State affairs. 



The Independent Democrats assembled at 

 Worcester on September 17th in State Con- 

 vention. Albert Palmer was chosen President. 

 The nominations for State officers resulted as 

 follows: For Governor, Benjamin F. Butler; 

 for Lieutenant - Governor, Albert 0. Wood- 

 worth ; for Secretary of State, Michael T. 

 Donohoe ; for Treasurer and Receiver - Gen- 

 eral, David W. Skillings; for Auditor, Davis 

 J. King ; for Attorney - General, William D. 

 Northend. The following resolutions were 

 adopted: 



Resolved, That we recognize the fact that differences 

 of opinion exist regarding certain principles of na- 

 tional administration ; that while we may differ as to 

 the true policy to be pursued concerning the adjust- 

 ment of vexed national questions, we are all united 

 upon the common platform of our great leader equal 

 rights, equal duties, equal powers, equal privileges, 

 and equal protection by the laws to every man every- 

 where under the Government, State and national. 



Resolved, That we are unalterably opposed to the 

 rule of the ring which has fastened itself upon the 

 Commonwealth ; that we put the seal of condemna- 

 tion upon that growing spirit of " Bourbonism " and 

 " caste," which conceals itself under the pretentious 

 title of the " better element," which sets itself upon a 

 high pedestal of preeminent right to dictate and to 

 control the people because of its alleged superior pub- 

 lic virtue ; that we denounce these pretenders, and in 

 behalf of the great common people of the State arraign 

 the hypocrisy, the arrogance, the much- vaunted self- 

 purity, and the spirit of unwarrantable abuse which 

 characterize the modern political Pharisees who have 

 so long misrepresented the people of the Common- 

 wealth. 



Resolved, That we demand that reform in the State 

 government shall be thorough, impartial, and com- 

 plete ; that all useless offices shall be abolished, in- 

 competent officials discharged, economy take the place 

 of extravagance, thrift supplant waste, watchfulness 

 succeed negligence, energy uproot sloth, system re- 



place confusion, and honesty prevail everywhere, to 

 the end that our noble old Commonwealth may re- 

 sume her place among the best governed communities 

 of the civilized world. 



Resolved, That the rights of labor, the creator of all 

 values, should be respected, and to this end we com- 

 mend the establishment of a National Bureau of Labor 

 Statistics ; advocate the rigid enforcement of all laws 

 in the State and nation fixing the hours of labor, as 

 well as those for the protection of life and limb, and 

 for the regulation of child-labor in mills and factories ; 

 and oppose any system of convict labor in our prisons 

 by which its products are brought into unjust compe- 

 tition with honest labor outside of prison walls. 



Resolved, That we denounce the intimidation of 

 voters, whether by force of arms, the more civilized 

 method of social ostracism, of proscription of em- 

 ployees, or of the withdrawal of business patronage, as 

 opposed to the spirit of our free institutions and de- 

 serving the condemnation of every true American citi- 

 zen. 



Resolved, That the evils which now afflict the State, 

 morally and financially, may be and should be cured 

 by unflinching firmness and impartiality on the part 

 of the Governor in the administration of the laws. 



Resolved, That the creation of commissions to per- 

 form the duties of the Executive is dangerous and ex- 

 travagant, and should be wholly discontinued. 



Resolved, That we are opposed to the system of dou- 

 ble taxation which now prevails in this State. 



Resolved, That all promises made to our patriotic 

 soldiers and sailors should be kept. 



Resolved.! That a pure suffrage is the life-blood of 

 the republic. No ballot can be pure which is not free. 

 The way to the ballot-box should be direct, easy, un- 

 impeded, and secure from espionage. We demand, 

 therefore, that the laws be so framed as to insure the 

 one without impairing the others, and that the right to 

 vote should not depend upon its purchase by the pay- 

 ment of a tax. 



Resolved. That the office of Governor is one requir- 

 ing the highest executive ability ; that General Ben- 

 jamin F. Butler will fill it with complete success ; and 

 we believe the multitude will applaud in General But- 

 ler the citizen soldier who abandoned a lucrative po- 

 sition in private life at the first call of his country, 

 who has served her with untiring industry and un- 

 flagging zeal, and who has suffered no associations of 

 party or predilections or political pride to blind him 

 to the true character of the struggle in which the 

 nation was engaged. That we recommend the other 

 nominations of the Convention as the representatives 

 of State reform worthy to be associated with our illus- 

 trious leader. 



The State Convention of the Prohibitionists 

 assembled in Boston on September 24th. A. 

 A. Miner was chosen President. The nomi- 

 nations for State officers resulted as follows: 

 For Governor, Eev. Dr. D. C. Eddy ; for Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, Timothy K. Earle; for Sec- 

 retary of State, Charles Almy; for Treasurer 

 and Receiver-General, David N. Skillings ; for 

 Auditor, Jonathan H. Orne ; for Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, Samuel M. Fairfleld. The following res- 

 olutions were adopted : 



Resolved, That we are assembled not to support or 

 to defeat a man, but to maintain principles that lie at 

 the foundation of the welfare of our Commonwealth. 



Resolved, That we renew our protest against a liquor 

 policy which makes the State an ally of the tratlic, 

 which wastes its wealth, enslaves its labor, begets its 

 paupers and its criminals, and destroys its homes. 



Resolved, That for the State to merely tolerate such 

 a traffic is dangerous, while to license it is infamous. 



Resolved, That to overthrow the dram-shop, which 

 in all its branches and disguises stands as the enemy 

 of the schoolhouse and the Church, is the highest in- 



