342 



ILLINOIS. 



the following totals : Number of tons mined, 

 17,949,989 ; aggregate value at the mines, $19,- 

 688,593 ; number of employees, 83,625 ; amount 

 paid in wages, $12,835,512; number of accidental 

 deaths, 57 ; number of persons injured, 418. 



This total product represents an increase over 

 the preceding year of 2,284,291 tons, and is both 

 the largest output and the largest yearly in- 

 crease in production ever recorded in the State. 

 The aggregate home value of this output is 

 greater by 5,451,519 than that of any other year ; 

 and the amount distributed as wages is $1,633,- 

 268 larger than ever before. 



Agriculture. The area devoted to winter 

 wheat this year in the State was 1,895,146 acres, 

 and the total crop raised thereon was 32,831,718 

 bushels. The area seeded to oats was 2,737,538 

 acres, of which 1,912,092 acres were in the north- 

 ern division of the State, 560,520 in the central 

 division, and 264,926 in the southern division. 

 The total yield of the State was 93,314,515 

 bushels. 



For the year 1891, the following report is made 

 by the State Board of Agriculture, showing the 

 total value of the several farm products of the 

 State during that year: Corn, $83,990.210; win- 

 ter wheat, $26,583',636 ; spring wheat, $818,926 ; 

 oats, $32,312,485 ; rye, $2,541,905 ; barley, $329,- 

 820; buckwheat, $25.539; hay, $24,202,252; 

 timothy seed, $208,009; clover seed, $303,756; 

 Hungarian and millet seed, $22,904 ; Irish pota- 

 toes, $3,955,879 ; sweet potatoes, $247,205 ; tur- 

 nips and other root crops, $207,780 ; flax seed, 

 $40, 611 ; broom corn, $532,965 ; sorghum, $256,- 

 909; beans, $43.826; castor beans, $55.398; to- 

 bacco, $50,480; other crops not named, $286,- 

 661; apples, $1,022,036; peaches, $133,713; 

 pears, $8,149; grapes, $68,272; strawberries, 

 $126,250; watermelons, $49,304: other fruits 

 and berries, $116,340; wine, $92,828; honey, 

 $112,934; horses (equalized value), $19,997,119 ; 

 beef cattle (equalized value), $15,985,158 ; dairy 

 cows, $17,342,362; hogs (equalized value), $4,- 

 131,570; sheep (equalized value), $680,385; 

 wool, $631,790; milk sold, $12,106,797; cream 

 sold, $1,587,500; butter sold, $4,454,717; cheese 

 sold, $148,488; poultry sold, $1,277,629; eggs 

 sold, $1,142,233. Total, $257,332.190. 



Floods. Early in May, in consequence of the 

 overflow of the Mississippi river and some of its 

 tributaries, notably the Illinois river, a large 

 number of people living in the adjacent low- 

 lands were driven from their homes, their crops 

 injured or destroyed, and their means of liveli- 

 hood temporarily cut off. Gov. Fifer, after a 

 tour of inspection of the flooded district, being 

 convinced that the burden of this loss should be 

 shared throughout the State, issued, on May 14, 

 a proclamation calling for contributions of 

 money, food, and clothing for the sufferers. 

 The contributions of money were distributed by 

 the State Treasurer, who received and paid out 

 on this account $14,843.52. The money was ap- 

 plied by local relief committees. 



Political. On April 27 a Democratic State 

 Convention assembled at Springfield and selected 

 delegates to the National Democratic Conven- 

 tion", Democratic candidates for presidential elec- 

 tors, and the following ticket for State officers : 

 For Governor, John P. Altgeld ; Lieutenant- 

 Governor, Joseph B. Gill; Secretary of State, 



William H. Hinrichsen ; State Auditor, David 

 Gore; State Treasurer, Rufus N. Ramsey; At- 

 torney-General, Maurice T. Moloney; Trustees 

 of the State University. J. E. Armstrong, J. S. 

 Raymond, and W. B. Morrison ; Congressmen- 

 at-Large, Gen. John C. Black and Andrew J. 

 Hunter. 



The platform adopted contains the following 

 declarations : 



We demand an immediate revision of the tariff', free 

 raw material, a reduction in the duties on all neces- 

 saries of life, and such changes in the shipping and 

 navigation law as shall restore the American mer- 

 chant marine and the supremacy of the American 

 flag upon the high seas. We reiterate our allegiance 

 to the liistoric policy of the Democratic party in favor 

 of honest money, the gold and silver coinage pro- 

 vided by the Constitution of the United States, and of 

 a currency convertible into such coinage without loss 

 to the holder, and we recommend an invitation by 

 our Government to the commercial powers of the 

 world for an international conference for the purpose 

 of fixing a ratio between the values of gold and silver 

 so that parity may be maintained between the two 

 metals, and all mints thrown open to free coinage. 



We denounce the Republican party for enacting a 

 law which tends to bring the cause of popular educa- 

 tion into disrepute ; a law which takes from the par- 

 ent the right to educate his child according to the dic- 

 tates of his conscience ; a law which creates a State in- 

 quisition over schools toward which the State con- 

 tributes nothing; a law which gives the absolute 

 power to every local school board, no matter how ig- 

 norant or spiteful its actions, to harass and persecute 

 a large class of people who are among our oest citi- 

 zens and who do their full duty both toward the State 

 and their children, and who by their labor, their pa- 

 triotism and intelligence have contributed very much 

 to our prosperity and greatness. 



We favor the election of United States Senators by a 

 direct vote of the people. 



We favor all laws that can be enacted under the 

 present Constitution that will prohibit the truck sys- 

 tem, enforce weekly payment of wages in cash, and fail- 

 weights and measures wherever used in fixing com- 

 pensation. 



The delegates to the National Convention were 

 requested to present the name of Gen. John M. 

 Palmer as the candidate of the Democracy of 

 the State for President. 



The Republicans held their State Convention 

 at Springfield on May 4. Gov. Fifer, Lieut.- 

 Gov. Ray, Secretary of State Pearson, and Audi- 

 tor Pavey were renominated. For State Treas- 

 urer the nominee was Henry L. Hertz ; for At- 

 torney-General, George W. Prince ; and for 

 Trustees of the State University, Solon Phil- 

 brick, Emory Cobb, and Robert B. Stinson. 

 George S. Willits and Richard Yates were nomi- 

 nated for Congressmen-at-Large. Delegates to 

 the Republican National Convention and Re- 

 publican candidates for presidential electors 

 were also selected. A platform was adopted ap- 

 plauding the national policy of the party, in- 

 structing the delegates to the National Conven- 

 tion to vote for the renomination of President 

 Harrison, and containing the following: 



We heartily approve the emigration laws enacted 

 by the last Congress, and demand such further legis- 

 lation as shall most effectively exclude paupers, crim- 

 inals, " contract labor," and other elements hostile to 

 the welfare of the American people and the genius of 

 American institutions. 



We indorse the invulnerable administration of Gov. 

 Fifer, and testify our appreciative recognition of its 



