676 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



are accommodations for nearly four thousand 

 patients. The buildings have cost several mill- 

 ion dollars, and are constructed in view of the 

 largest experience. In all of them, certain 

 sums are required of the State for annual main- 

 tenance. 



In 1879 the Legislature directed the erection 

 of a State hospital for injured persons of the 

 anthracite - coal region, for the counties ot 

 Schuylkill, Carbon, Northumberland, Colum- 

 bia, and Dauphin. This institution is now 

 completed. The buildings are well arranged, 

 the site is an eligible one, and the purposes of 

 the act seem likely to be successfully reached. 



Besides these State Institutions, very liberal 

 appropriations have been made in the interests 

 of the defective classes in institutions not un- 

 der State control. These institutions are the 

 "Pennsylvania Working Home for Blind Men," 

 the " Pennsylvania Institution for Instruction 

 of Blind," both in Philadelphia ; " Training- 

 School for Feeble- Minded Children," at Media; 

 "Pennsylvania Institution for Instruction of 

 Deaf and Dumb," at Philadelphia ; " Western 

 Pennsylvania Institute for Instruction of Deaf 

 and Dumb," at Pittsburg. Some thousands 

 of dollars were also appropriated to purely 

 private hospitals, in which were no State pa- 

 tients, in the different cities of the State 

 Pittsburg, Williamsport, Wilkesbarre, Scran- 

 ton, York, and Harrisburg. 



LIFE INSURANCE. The magnitude of this in- 

 terest may be estimated by the fact that in the 

 years 1880 and 1881 the regular life companies 

 of the State and other States authorized to 

 do business in Pennsylvania received premiums 

 from their business in the State amounting to 

 $10,483.836. Of this sum, $3,025,109 was re- 

 ceived by companies of the State, and $7,358,- 

 696 by companies of other States, upon which 

 last-named sum a tax amounting to $221,768.- 

 88 was paid into the State Treasury for the 

 privilege of doing business in the Common- 

 wealth. 



During the same years companies organized 

 under the laws of the State to insure lives upon 

 the assessment plan, received, in the premiums 

 and assessments, the sum of $5,500,989, upon 

 which no tax was paid to the State; and paid 

 for death-claims the sum of $2,959,302. The 

 balance of $2,541,687 was appropriated by 

 these companies to agents, officers, and ex- 

 penses. Most of these companies engaged, 

 without warrant of law, in business of a purely 

 speculative character, and entire communities 

 were demoralized by their nefarious operations. 

 The evil attained such magnitude that it was 

 found necessary to institute legal proceedings 

 for their suppression, which has been happily 

 accomplished through tho instrumentality of 

 the proper authorities. 



GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. The Board of Com- 

 missioners of the Second Geological Survey 

 make report of their work and their estimates 

 for the future. The unfinished survey is mainly 

 confined to the anthracite-coal region. Reasons 



are assigned for the delay and increased cost 

 of this portion of the work, and the letterpress 

 and maps illustrating it. They say : " But such 

 work can not be done within the time nor for 

 the money named in our former estimate. It 

 will require at least three more years and $50,- 

 000. Whether the Legislature will be willing 

 to expend that amount for the benefit of an 

 interest the most important in the State in 

 fact, the most important of the kind in the 

 known world, and which has contributed to 

 the State Treasury, directly and indirectly, 

 millions of dollars in taxation is not for this 

 board to say. If not, the work will be wound 

 up as well as possible, leaving about two thirds 

 of the anthracite region unsurveyed." 



NATIONAL GUARD. As now constituted, the 

 National Guard is composed of a single division, 

 three brigades, fifteen regiments, three compa- 

 nies of cavalry, three batteries of artillery, the 

 battalion of State Fencibles, and two independ- 

 ent companies, aggregating 8,220 officers and 

 enlisted men. They are distributed throughout 

 the State in such numbers and in such locali- 

 ties as seemed likely best to subserve any 

 duty to which they might be assigned. The 

 Guard is well equipped, and armed in an ap- 

 proved manner. The mobility and efficiency 

 of the whole command have been well attested, 

 both in camp and in route, on more than one 

 occasion. The quartermaster and commissary 

 departments have been fully proved in their 

 capacity to furnish prompt and economical sup- 

 plies. 



POLITICAL. The campaign of the year wa8 

 notable. Dissatisfaction with the party organ- 

 ization and management had for some time 

 been growing among Republicans, and led in 

 1881 to the independent candidacy of Charles 

 S. Wolfe for Treasurer, and to the formation of 

 an organization opposed to the existing control 

 of the party. These warnings were not heeded, 

 but early in the year it became evident that the 

 party managers, under the lead of Senator 

 Cameron, had selected their ticket and ar- 

 ranged their programme in advance of the 

 convention, which would meet only to register 

 their will. There was no objection, on per- 

 sonal grounds, to the nominee selected for 

 Governor. The objection of the Independents 

 was against the system. The chief points of 

 their creed were : the overthrow of " bossism," 

 reform in the choice of delegates to State Con- 

 ventions, civil- service reform, and the over- 

 throw of the " spoils system." The action of 

 the regular Republican Convention on these 

 points, though advanced, was not satisfactory, 

 to them. After the two conventions had been 

 held, efforts were made to secure union, but 

 they proved unsuccessful. To the split in the 

 Republican party was added the wise action of 

 the Democratic Convention, whose nominee 

 for Governor was taken as a fit representative 

 of the reform sentiment of the time. 



The Republican State Convention met in 

 Harrisburg on the 10th of May, and nominated 



