642 



OHIO. 



811.04, leaving the cash balance in the treas- 

 ury, Novamber 15, 1887, to the credit of the 

 following funds : General revenue, $65,364.09 ; 

 sinking fund, $102,294.08; State common- 

 school fund, $54,620.56; making a total of 

 $222,278.73. The State Auditor, in his re- 

 port for 1887, estimated the total income of 

 the State for the fiscal year 1888 at $5,555,- 

 413.99, and the expenditures at $7,071,466.49. 



The grand duplicate for 1887 showed the 

 taxable value of property as follows : Lands, 

 $720,329,294 ; real estate in cities, towns, and 

 villages, $464,681,331 ; chattel property, $520,- 

 172,094; total value, $1,705,182,719. On this 

 the total levy for State purposes was two and 

 nine tenths mills on the dollar, producing $32,- 

 235,067.93, excluding delinquent taxes and 

 also a $1 per-capita tax on dogs, which pro- 

 duced $202,772. On the same valuation the 

 total taxes of the county and minor organiza- 

 tions amounted to $27,292,620.70. 



State and Local Debts. The total funded debt 

 of the State is $3,416,465, and the irreducible 

 debt of the State (trust funds) $4,526,716.65. 

 The local debts are as follow : Debts of coun- 

 ties, $6,892,745.26 ; debts of cities, $43,193,- 

 963.34 ; debts of incorporated villages, $1,743,- 

 772.98; debts of townships, $557,883.71 ; debts 

 of special school-districts, $2,455,330.71 ; total 

 State and local debts, $54,843,696. 



Railroads. The report of the Railroad Com- 

 missioner gives the following statistics for 

 1887 : Total mileage of standard gauge railroad 

 in Ohio, 6,725; double-track railroad, 620; 

 total mileage of narrow gauge railroads, 619 ; 

 mileage in hands of receivers, 1,067; miles of 

 steel rail, 6,702 ; miles of fencing of all kinds, 

 9,965 ; proportion of stock and debt of lines 

 in Ohio, $536,189.382 ; stock and debt per mile- 

 line in Ohio, $72,335; average cost per mile- 

 line in Ohio, $73,272. These figures include 

 depot buildings, wood and water stations, and 

 sidings. The statistics show the following gross 

 earnings : Passenger transportation, $25,495.- 

 598; per cent, of total earnings, 22 '65 ; freight 

 transportation, $78,889,473 ; per cent, of total 

 earnings, 70'09; mail service, $2,826,679; per 

 cent, of total earnings, 2*51 ; express, $2,119,- 

 892; other sources, $3,215,100; proportion of 

 gross earnings in Ohio, $56,785,652 ; earnings 

 per mile, $7,415 ; proportion of operating ex- 

 penses in Ohio, $37,980,580; operating ex- 

 penses per mile in Ohio, $4,980 ; net earnings 

 per mile in Ohio, $2,455 ; number of passen- 

 gers carried, 34,378,926 ; average amount re- 

 ceived per passenger per mile, 2'179 cents; 

 number of tons of freight hauled, 85,739,801 ; 

 rate received per ton per mile, 7*07 cent. 



Coal and Gas. The State Mine Inspector's 

 report shows a larger production than ever be- 

 fore, and claims for the State the second place 

 among coal-producing States, a position hith- 

 erto held by Illinois. The introduction of 

 natural gas from Pennsylvania and the discov- 

 ery of large supplies of the gas at Findlay, 

 Lima, and other places in the northern part 



of the State, so far from having a baneful ef- 

 fect upon the coal-trade of the State, proved, 

 on the contrary, to be beneficial by forcing the 

 coal-product upon localities hitherto undreamed 

 of and which have proved to be of a consump- 

 tive capacity beyond expectation. The returns 

 show the product to have been 10,301,708 

 tons. The number of miners employed is re- 

 ported as 22,237. 



Political. The first of the State conventions 

 of the political parties was that of the Pro- 

 hibitionists, held in Delaware June 30. It 

 nominated for Governor, Morris Sharp, of 

 Washington Court-House, and for Lieutenant- 

 Governor, Walter T. Mills, of W T ooster, Wayne 

 County. The platform adopted commended 

 the work of the Women's Christian Temper- 

 ance Union, denounced the Dow law, expressed 

 sympathy for the wage-earners, declared that 

 personal and corrupt motives had no place in 

 politics, expressed indignation at the growth 

 of anarchy, which was declared to be an off- 

 shoot of the saloon, opposed sudden and violent 

 changes in the tariff system, demanded greater 

 safeguards for the Christian Sabbath, and 

 asked that a law be passed compelling instruc- 

 tion in the public schools as to the effects of 

 alcohol and narcotics on the human system. 



The State Convention of the Union Labor 

 party was held in Columbus July 4 and 5. 

 John Seitz, of Tiffin, was nominated for Gov- 

 ernor, and F. McDonald, of Springfield, for 

 Lieutenant-Governor. The platform adopted 

 favored the abolishment of the fee system of 

 paying public officials, demanded the enforce- 

 ment of laws against bribery, asked for the 

 revocation of the charters of corporations 

 which violate the laws, asked for the passage 

 of a law taxing mortgages and granting a cor- 

 responding exemption to mortgagors, de- 

 manded that school-books be printed by the 

 State and furnished to pupils at cost, demanded 

 that banks be required to give security to the 

 State, denounced the courts for not enforcing 

 the laws against gambling in stocks and farm 

 products, asked that discrimination by employ- 

 ers against associations of workingmen Be made 

 a felony, and demanded that railroads be taxed 

 on their capitalization. 



The Democratic State Convention was held 

 in Cleveland July 20 and 21. Thomas E. 

 Powell, of Delaware, was nominated for Gov- 

 ernor, and D. C. Coolman, of Ravenna, for 

 Lieutenant-Governor. The platform demanded 

 a judicious reduction of the tariff, asked that 

 the public domain be reserved for actual set- 

 tlers, expressed sympathy with the people of 

 Ireland, demanded protection for labor, fa- 

 vored a restriction of immigration, denounced 

 the Republican State administration as unbusi- 

 nesslike and partisan, demanded safeguards 

 for the ballot, declared for home rule in mu- 

 nicipalities, indorsed Cleveland's administra- 

 tion, declared that there should be no discrim- 

 ination by common carriers, and asked for the 

 regulation of the liquor-traffic by a license. 



