MICHIGAN". 



555 



and iron, to cook, to sew, to sweep, and perform all 

 household duties. Some of the girls are too young to 

 do hard work, but they assist in lighter labors. 



The girls are taught in the school-room two 

 and a half hours daily in the ordinary branches 

 of the district schools. Four cottages are com- 

 pleted, and three occupied ; capacity, thirty-two 

 each. 



The statistical tables which accompany the 

 report of the Warden of the State House of 

 Correction at Ionia, for the year ending Sep- 

 tember 30, 1882, show : 



Number of prisoners September 30, 1881 886 



" received on sentence 1,267 



" returned from witness 1 



Total 1,654 



Number discharged by expiration of sentence. . . 1,034 



" order of court 7Q 



" " pardon 11 



death 4 



" escaped and not recovered 6 



1,125 



graph, during the sessions of the conventions, 

 and resulted in an agreement between the con- 

 tracting parties for a division of the State 

 ticket, each party to nominate its own assigned 

 portion and adopt its own platform. The 

 nominations by each party were ratified by the 

 other, and a union ticket thus presented for 

 the suffrages of the electors of the State. A 

 " bolt " from the Grand Rapids Convention 

 took place, and the nomination of a straight 

 Greenback ticket followed. 



The Democratic Convention, by a unanimous 

 vote, placed its chosen candidates upon the fol- 

 lowing platform, a platform heartily indorsed 

 by the entire Democracy of the State: 



The Democracy of Michigan, in convention as- 

 sembled, recognizing the people as the source of 

 political power, and the Constitution as the funda- 

 mental law of the landj do solemnly declare : 



1. That home rule is the essence of free govern- 

 ment ; that the line bounding State and national 

 authority is clearly denned, and needs only to be 

 strictly followed to insure the broadest liberty to the 

 people. 



2. Earnestly believing that a real civil-service re- 



form is needed to purify every department of the Fed- 

 eral Government, we therefore demand, as an initial 

 but important step in this direction, an amendment 

 to the Federal Constitution which will give to the 



Number remaining September 30, 1 882 529 



The greatest number of prisoners at close 

 of any day, 624 ; least number, 386. Average 

 daily number, 510. The disbursements on ac- 

 count of current expenses were $77,381.67; 



cash earnings for same period, $40,348.47 ; ex- people of the sev eral cities, villages. and~such other 

 cess of disbursements over earnings, $37,033.- postal districts as may be authorized by law, the right 

 20. Deduct from last amount value of labor 

 entering into permanent improvements, mate- 

 rial paid for from current expense fund, and 

 value of appraised farm products ($27,280.17), 

 and the net expenditures exceed the earnings, 

 $9,753.03. 



The annual report of Warden Humphrey, of 

 the State-Prison at Jackson, shows : 



901 



Number of con victs September 30, 1881 699 



Received during the year 202 



Discharged by expiration of sentence 238 



order of Supreme Court 2 



Pardoned by Governor 4 



Died 8 



Escaped 8 



Transferred to Detroit House of Correction 2 



Discharged for new trial 8 



265 



In prison September 30, 1882 636 



Average length of sentence, three years, nine 

 months, twenty-five days. The general classi- 

 fication of offenses is : against life and person, 

 49 ; against chastity and decency, 7 ; against 

 property, 139; for forgery aud counterfeiting, 

 7. The net earnings of the year are given as 

 $90,360.97, and the net expenditures, $98,040.- 

 99. During the year contractors paid $11,155.- 

 75 to convicts on account of overwork, or more 

 than twelve per cent of the net earnings. 



POLITICS. The biennial general election was 

 held November 7th. On the preceding 23d 

 day of August a Democratic State Convention 

 was held at Jackson ; and on the same day 

 the State Convention of the National Green- 

 back-Labor party was held at Grand Bapids. 

 Before the meeting of these two conventions 

 negotiations had been entered upon looking to 

 a union of the two parties upon a single ticket. 

 These negotiations were continued, by tele- 



to elect postmasters. 



We also demand that Federal subordinate officers 

 shall not be appointed or removed because of political 

 belief, nor appointed until their ability and merit 

 have been proved by open public examination and 

 competition, and that political assessments on, or 

 forced contributions from, public officers should be 

 made felony by law. 



3. We are unalterably opposed to the unjust, un- 

 equal and iniquitous system of taxation called a pro- 

 tective tariff, which oppresses the farmer and laborer, 

 destroys our merchant marine, breeds and enriches 

 monopolies and impoverishes the poor. The tradi- 

 tional policy and principles of the Democratic party 

 are on the side of complete commercial freedom ; and 

 we demand immediate and aggressive revenue re- 

 form in the direction of free trade, subject to a tariff 

 only sufficient to raise the necessary revenue for the 

 expenditures of government economically adminis- 

 tered. 



4. That the right of Congress to make appropria- 

 tions for the improvement of rivers and harbors 

 should be restricted to such as are of national im- 

 portance : that the people of Michigan can not be 

 bribed with a share of the theft to sanction the waste 

 of $30,000,000 in two years ; and we denounce with- 

 out distinction of party all who voted in Congress 

 for the iniquitous Eiver and Harbor Bill. 



5. That the letting of the printing of the annual 

 tax-sales to party favorites, without competitive bid- 

 ding, and the keeping in the State Treasury of from 

 one to two million dollars of State funds for the bene- 

 fit of partisan office-holders while the people are 

 heavily taxed, are demoralizing to the public service, 

 and demand immediate reform. 



"We cordially invite the voters of Michigan, with- 

 out regard to previous party affiliations, to join us in 

 an earnest effort to correct these abuses, by withdraw- 

 ing the administration of State affairs from those who 

 have been already too long in power, and confiding it 

 to those who come freshly from the people, untram- 

 meled by the tyranny of political rings and of party 

 machinery. 



The ticket nominated did not meet so cor- 

 dial an indorsement, but after some protesta- 



