496 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



received 78,388 votes, and Edwin Higgins, the 

 Prohibition candidate, 5,120 votes. At this 

 election six proposed amendments to the State 

 Constitution were voted upon. The first em- 

 powered the Governor to disapprove separate 

 items in appropriation bills ; the second re- 

 stricted the exemption of corporations from 

 taxation ; the third provided for uniformity of 

 taxation ; the fourth related to the election of 

 county commissioners ; the fifth authorized the 

 sale of the State's interest in all works of inter- 

 nal improvement ; and the sixth empowered the 

 Legislature to provide for the taxation of mort- 

 gages, if such taxation is imposed in the county 

 or city where the mortgaged property is situated. 

 All of these amendments were adopted except 

 the third. The State Legislature as now consti- 

 tuted includes in the Senate 22 Democrats and 

 4 Republicans, and in the lower house 78 

 Democrats. 10 Republicans, and 3 Independents, 

 giving a Democratic majority of 18 in the Sen- 

 ate, 65 in the House, and 83 in a joint ballot. 



MASSACHUSETTS, a New England State, 

 one of the original thirteen, ratified the Constitu- 

 tion Feb. 6, 1788 ; area, 8,315 square miles. The 

 population, according to each decennial census, 

 was 378,787 in 1790; 422.845 in 1800 ; 472,040 in 

 1810; 523.159 in 1820; 610,408 in 1830; 737,699 

 in 1840; 994,514 in 1850: 1,231,066 in 1860; 

 1,457,351 in 1870; 1,783,085 in 1880; and 2,238,- 

 943 in 1890. Capital, Boston. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, William E. 

 Russell, Democrat ; Lieutenant-Governor, Will- 

 iam H. Haile, Republican ; Secretary of State, 

 William M. Olin, Republican; Treasurer, George 

 A. Marden, Republican; Auditor, William D. T. 

 Trefry, Democrat ; Attorney-General, Albert E. 

 Pillsbury, Republican ; Railroad Commissioners, 

 Everett A. Stevens, George G. Crocker, and Ed- 

 ward W. Kinsley, who died on Dec. 26 ; Chief 

 Justice of the Supreme Court, Walbridge A. 

 Field ; Associate Justices, Charles Devens (who 

 died on Jan. 7, and was succeeded by John La- 

 throp), William Allen (who died on June 4, and 

 was succeeded by James M. Barker), Charles Allen, 

 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Marcus P. Knowl- 

 ton, and James M. Morton. 



Finances. The receipts and payments on ac- 

 count of revenue for the year were as follow : 

 Cash in the treasury Jan. 1, 1891, $1,488,057.19; 

 cash received during the year, $18,792,998.53 ; 

 payments during the year, $18,956,569.52 ; cash in 

 the treasury Jan. 1, 1892, $1.324,486.20. The esti- 

 mated revenue for the year, exclusive of the di- 

 rect tax, was $3,782,837.50, and the actual rev- 

 enue $4,329,919.79. Adding to the latter sum 

 the direct tax receipts, $1,500,000, and the bal- 

 ance on Jan. 1, 1891, $1,488,057.19, there is found 

 to be a total actual revenue of $7,317,976.98. 

 The actual expenses for the year were $5.965,- 

 171.94, as against $5,833.353.24 in 1890. The 

 principal sources of revenue were as follow : 

 From corporation taxes, $762,826.68 ; from bank- 

 stock taxes, $468,689.71 ; from savings-bank 

 taxes, $1,053,606.28 ; from insurance companies, 

 $317,432.64; from excise tax on life-insurance 

 companies, $127,802.45 ; from liquor licenses, 

 $573,714.10; from State-prison industries, $146,- 

 699.40; from interest on deposits. $174,908.23. 

 The principal expenses may be classified as fol- 



low: Interest, $1,586.491.72; legislative depart- 

 ment, $315,603.77; executive and other depart- 

 ments, $93,244.15 ; State House and Common- 

 wealth Building, etc., $39,233.99 ; sundry com- 

 missions, $307.300.19; printing, $115,906.36; 

 educational, including State Library, $199,007.60; 

 judiciary, $254,546.67; public buildings, $515,- 

 392.30 ; agriculture, including scholarships, etc.. 

 $61,764.01 ; State and military aid, including ex- 

 penses, $457,352.87 ; charitable, $602,306.98 : re- 

 formatory and correctional, $810,568.68; mili- 

 tary, $235,186.18. 



The transactions on account of the several 

 sinking funds and trust deposits show the follow- 

 ing aggregates for the year: Cash on hand Jan. 

 1, 1891, $5,282,185.58 ; cash receipts during the 

 year, $20,037,376.82; total, $25,319,562.40; pay- 

 ments on these accounts, $20,776,287.63; cash 

 on hand Jan. 1, 1892, $4,543,274.77. 



The State debt on Jan. 1, 1891, was $31,381,- 

 158.30, and on Jan. 1. 1892. $27,929,415.55, a de- 

 crease of $3,451,742.75. This decrease is account- 

 ed for by the payment from the sinking fund of 

 the debt incurred on account of the Troy and 

 Greenfield Railroad and the Hoosac Tunnel, 

 amounting to $3,834,742.75. and by the issue of 

 new bonds as follow: For the metropolitan sew- 

 erage loan, $368.000; for the armory loan, $15,- 

 000 ; total issue, $383,000. 



The total value of the several sinking funds 

 held by the State on Jan. 1, 1891, was $21,568,- 

 960.37; the increase during the year, $1,355,- 

 696.41 ; the decrease by payment of the funded 

 debt, $3,834,742.75 ; and the total value of the 

 funds on Jan. 1, 1892, $19,089,914.03. 



Valuation. The total assessed valuation of 

 property in the State for 1891 was $2,245,042,- 

 2?3, personal estate being assessed at $566,496,- 

 761, and real estate at $1,678.545,512. The in- 

 crease in the total assessment over 1890 was 

 $90,907,647. Included in the assessment were 

 4,498,012 acres of land, 361.066 dwellings, 181,- 

 705 horses, 257,396 neat cattle, 47.536 sheep, arid 

 40,776 swine. Personal estate in Suffolk County, 

 which includes the city of Boston, was valued at 

 $207,821,828, and real estate at $677,828.400. 

 For 1891 a total State tax of $1,500,000 was 

 levied. 



Legislative Session. The General Court of 

 1891 assembled on Jan. 7 and was prorogued on 

 June 11, having been in session one hundred and 

 fifty-six days. Although the Senate consisted of 

 20 Republicans and 20 Democrats, there was no 

 delay in the organization of that body, Senator 

 Henry H. Sprague, Republican, being re-elected 

 President without opposition. In the House, the 

 Republicans, being in the majority, re-elected 

 William E. Barrett as Speaker, without opposi- 

 tion. During the session 431 acts and 118 resolves 

 were passed and became law. A bill redistricting 

 the State for members of Congress, on the basis 

 of the national census of 1890, was passed and 

 received the Governor's approval. The State is 

 thereby divided into 13 districts, in 5 of which 

 are included portions of the city of Boston. 



No opposition was offered this year to the de- 

 mands of the farmers for legislation protecting 

 them against the sale of imitation butter. Early 

 in the session an act was passed prohibiting the 

 manufacture and sale of any such article, but al- 

 lowing the production and sale of oleomargarine 



