790 



WASHINGTON. 



and asserts the belief that the Union is to be indis- 

 soluble, but that it is to be an indissoluble Union 

 of free and indestructible States ; opposes cen- 

 tralization ; denounces the so-called " Force bill " ; 

 favors taxation of the luxuries and not the nec- 

 essaries of life ; favors the unconditional and 

 immediate abolition of the internal revenue sys- 

 tem ; reaffirms the Virginia Democratic platform 

 of 1889 and the National Democratic platforms 

 of 1884 and 1888 ; demands an increase in the 

 volume of currency ; and condemns the extrav- 

 agance of the Fifty-first Congress. 



The first convention of the People's party of 

 Virginia met in Richmond, June 23, selected 

 delegates to the National Convention of the party, 

 and nominated candidates for Presidential elec- 

 tors. The platform recommends and reaffirms 

 the bill of rights of the Industrial Conference 

 held at St. Louis, Feb. 22, 1892 ; declares for 

 the union of labor forces ; demands a national 

 currency, safe, sound, flexible, and issued by the 

 General Government only ; free and unlimited 

 coinage of silver ; that the amount of circulating 

 medium be not less than $50 per capita ; a 

 graduated income tax ; demands that postal sav- 

 ings banks be established by the Government ; 

 asserts that all lands now held by railroads and 

 other corporations in excess of their actual needs, 

 and all lands now owned by aliens, should be re- 

 claimed by the Government and held for actual 

 settlers ; that the telegraph and telephone, like 

 the post-office system, is a necessity for the trans- 



mission of news and should be owned and oper- 

 ated by the Government in the interest of the 

 people ; and declares for honest elections. 



The State Prohibition Convention met at 

 Lynchburg, June 7, and selected delegates to the 

 National .Convention. Candidates for Presiden- 

 tial electors were also named. The platform 

 set forth that the Prohibition party of Virginia 

 has no affiliation with the Democratic or Repub- 

 lican party, but is a distinct political organiza- 

 tion and in harmony with the National Prohi- 

 bition party only. The manufacture or traffic in 

 intoxicating liquors should be suppressed by law ; 

 and no compromise should be accepted. It 

 denounces as a prostitution of government the 

 action of the National Government in attempt- 

 ing, through the Department of State, to foster 

 American breweries by extending the business of 

 " drunkard-making " into our sister republics of 

 South America ; the present tariff is condemned 

 as unjustly discriminating in the interest of 

 capital against labor. It asserts that the circu- 

 lating medium should consist of gold, silver, and 

 paper, every dollar of which should be equal to 

 every other dollar ; and favors the Australian 

 ballot system, and a more liberal free-school sys- 

 tem. 



At the election, on Nov. 8, the vote for Presi- 

 dential electors was as follows : Democratic, 

 164,058 ; Republican, 113,217 ; People's party, 

 12,191 ; Prohibition, 2.681. Ten Democratic 

 Congressmen were elected. 



WASHINGTON, a Pacific Coast State, ad- 

 mitted to the Union Nov. 11, 1889 ; area. 69,180 

 square miles ; population, according to the census 

 of 1890, 349,390. Capital, Olympia. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, Elisha P. 

 Ferry, Republican ; Lieutenant-Governor, Charles 

 E. Laughton ; Secretary of State, Allen Weir ; 

 Treasurer, A. A. Lindsley ; Auditor, T. M. Reed ; 

 Attorney-General, W. C. Jones ; Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction, R. B. Bryan ; Commis- 

 sioner of Public Lands, W. T. Forrest ; Chief 

 Justice of the Supreme Court, T. J. Anders ; 

 Associate Justices, Elmon Seott, R. 0. Dunbar, 

 T. S. Stiles, J. P. Hoyt. 



Finances. The report of the State Auditor 

 shows that the floating debt of the general fund 

 on Oct. 31, 1892, was $434,408.75, and of the 

 military fund, $62,507.77. Adding to these 

 sums the interest due thereon, the total floating 

 debt is found to be $510,166.52 above the cash on 

 hand, against $270,442.82, the amount of the net 

 floating debt on Oct. 31, 1890. There is also a 

 bonded debt of $300,000, making the total liabil- 

 ities of the State, bonded and floating. $810,- 

 166.52. Referring to the increase of the debt, the 

 Auditor says : 



"The rate of taxation for general State pur- 

 poses, which for 1891 was 3 mills, was reduced for 

 1892 to 2 mills, although the assessed value of 

 property in the State was $45,373,242 less in 

 1892 than in 1891. This reduction in the assessed 

 value of property should not be regarded as an 

 indication that there has been any actual depre- 



ciation in value. In 1891 several counties, in their 

 anxiety to be first in point of wealth, returned 

 very high assessments. The consequent increased 

 amount of taxes in these counties prevented a 

 repetition of what was to them a costly mistake." 



The State University. At the State Univer- 

 sity there were about 250 students during the 

 year 1891-2, a slight decrease from the preceding 

 year, caused by the abolition of the preparatory 

 department. 



Charities. At the Steilacoom Insane Asylum 

 there were 378 patients on Oct. 1, 1890 ; 381\vere 

 admitted during the two years ensuing, and !596 

 discharged, leaving 363 on Sept, : J ,0, 1892. The 

 total expenditures for the period were $165,- 

 4:32.60. In May and July, 1891, 122 patients 

 were transferred from this institution to the 

 Eastern Washington Asylum at Medical Lake. 



State Lands. In his message to the Legisla- 

 ture of 1893, Gov. Ferry says : 



There were granted to the State by the general 

 government, at the time of our admission, 622,000 

 acres of land for the establishment and maintenance 

 of a scientific school ; of State normal schools ; of 

 public buildings at the State capital ; of agricultural 

 colleges, and of State charitable, educational, penal, 

 and reformatory institutions. These lands were to 

 be selected by the State under the direction of the 

 secretary of the interior from the surveved unap- 

 propriated public lands of the United States. At 

 the first session of the legislature a law was enacted 

 creating the State land commission, composed of 

 the secretary of state, auditor and commissioner of 

 public lands, who, with seven agents, appointed by 

 the governor under an act approved March 10, 1891, 



