436 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



followers, announcing that the People's party 

 had put up a full electoral ticket for Weaver and 

 Field, and had candidates for Congress in the 

 First, Second, and Fifth Districts. The ad- 

 dress laid stress upon the grievances suffered by 

 the farmer at the hands of the Democratic Gov- 

 ernment, and urged some action for redress 

 against the oppressions of Maryland, since no 

 State in the Union has suffered more from po- 

 litical misrule and unfair legislation. The farm- 

 ers, having had no voice in the government, had 

 now become tribute bearers to the Common- 

 wealth, farm lands having so depreciated in value 

 that the sheriff is the only man who can make a 

 sale. The present assessment of agricultural 

 property was upon a valuation made nearly 

 twenty years ago a condition of affairs for 

 which the Democratic party are responsible. 

 Attention was also called to the election laws, 

 whereby at least 5,000 people in the Third, 

 Fourth, and Sixth Congressional Districts were 

 disfranchised. 



At the election in November the Democrats 

 carried the State by a plurality of 21,130. The 

 vote was : Cleveland, 113,866 ; "Harrison, 92,736; 

 Bidwell, 5,877. 



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, Wil- 

 liam H. Haile, Republican ; Secretary of State, 

 William M. Olin, Republican ; Treasurer, George 

 A. Marden, Republican ; Auditor, John W. Kim- 

 ball, Republican; Attorney-General, Albert E. 

 Pillsbury, Republican ; Railroad Commissioners, 

 Everett A. Stevens, William J. Dale, Jr., ap- 

 pointed on Jan. 6, and John E. Sanford, appoint- 

 ed on Jan. 20, in place of George G. Crocker, 

 resigned; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 Walbridge A. Field; Associate Justices, John 

 Lathrop, James M. Barker, Charles Allen, Oliver 

 Wendell Holmes, Jr., Marcus P. Knowlton, and 

 James M. Morton. 



Finances. The receipts and payments on ac- 

 count of revenue for 1892 were as follow : Cash 

 in the treasury, Jan. 1, 1892, $5.867,760.97; cash 

 received during the year, $21,204,470.93; pay- 

 ments during the year, $20,634,984.85; cash in 

 the treasury, Jan. 1, 1893, $6,437,247.05. 



The nominal funded debt on Dec. 31, 1892 was 

 $29,277,415.55. The actual funded indebtedness 

 on that date, however, was only $23,876,415.55. 

 The difference between the two sums is the 

 amount of the Metropolitan Sewerage loan thus 

 far issued ($4,421,000), and the Aimory loan 

 ($980,000), these bonds not being properly a part 

 of the State debt, since the interest and sinking- 

 fund requirements of both are annually taxed on 

 the cities and towns benefited by the loans. To 

 meet the indebtedness, as above stated, there are 

 in the sinking fund $20.077,844.81. 



During 1893, $1,150,000 of the Troy and Green- 

 field loan becomes due, and will be paid from 



the sinking fund established for that purpose. 

 In 1894 the entire Bounty fund loan, amounting 

 to $8,402,148.90, together with $900,000 of the 

 Danvers Hospital loan, and $300,000 of the Troy 

 and Greenfield loan, will mature, making a total 

 of $9,602,148.90 to be paid during that year. 



Valuation. The total assessed valuation of 

 property in the 'State for 1892 was $2,333,025,- 

 090, personal estate being assessed at $579,369,- 

 392, and real estate at $1,753,655,698. Included 

 in the assessment were 4,054,273 acres of land, 

 372,545 dwellings, 185.113 horses, 249,817 neat 

 cattle, 47,092 sheep, and 30,866 swine. Personal 

 estate in Suffolk County, which includes the city 

 of Boston, was valued at $216,570,569, and real 

 estate at $708,920,605. For 1892 a total State 

 tax of $1,750,000 was levied. 



Legislative Session. The regular annual 

 session of the General Court began on Jan. 6, and 

 adjourned on June 17. 



Early in the session an act was passed prohibiting 

 railroads from issuing free passes to the Governor. 

 Lieutenant-Governor, any member of the Governor's 

 council, any judge, and any member of tlie General 

 Court. Such persons were forbidden to solicit, ac- 

 cept, or use passes in any form. By the same act the 

 mileage of each legislator was increased to $2 for 

 every mile of traveling distance from his home to the 

 State House. An act to prevent corrupt practices in 

 elections defines strictly the purposes for which can- 

 didates may expend money to secure election, requires 

 every political committee to choose a treasurer who 

 shall keep a true account of all receipts and expenses, 

 forbids such committees to solicit money of candi- 

 dates, and candidates to pay when solicited, although 

 the latter may make voluntary contributions ; and re- 

 quires all such treasurers, and all persons receiving 

 money for campaign purposes, to file a full sworn 

 statement of receipts and payments with the city or 

 town clerk or Secretary of the Commonwealth, as the 

 case may be, such statements being open to public in- 

 spection. 



In the interest of labor, it was provided that any 

 person or corporation who shall compel any person to 

 enter into an agreement not to join or become a mem- 

 ber of any labor organization, as a condition of such 

 person securing employment or continuing in employ- 

 ment, shall be punished by a fine of not over $100. 

 By another act. no minor under eighteen years, and 

 no woman, shall be employed in any manufacturing 

 or mechanical establishment more than fifty-eight 

 hours a week. The act of 1891 forbidding the im- 

 position of fines for imperfect weaving, wnich was 

 declared unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court, 

 was _repealed, and a substitute was enacted which 

 provides that " the system now or at any time here- 

 after employed by manufacturers of grading their 

 work shall in no way affect or lessen the wages of a 

 weaver except for imperfections in his own work ; and 

 in no case shall the wages of those engaged in weav- 

 ing be affected by fines or otherwise, unless the im- 

 perfections complained of are first exhibited and 

 pointed out to the person or persons whose wages are 

 to be affected ; ana no fine or fines shall be imposed 

 upon any person for imperfect weaving unless the 

 provisions of this section are first complied with, and 

 the amount of the fines are agreed upon by botli 

 parties." 



The appointment of persons not residents of the 

 State as special police officers was prohibited. Lot- 

 teries were forbidden, and persons in any way con- 

 nected with or representing them in the State were 

 made liable to a heavy fine or imprisonment. 



The registration law was amended and codified, 

 and a commission was appointed to arrange and con- 

 solidate the laws relating to elections and to report 

 to the next general court. An elaborate law regulat- 



