MICHIGAN. 



MINNESOTA. 



495 



city to do its own lighting. There is to be a 

 hoard 11!' six eommisMoners, and no sum greater 

 than $<!00,000 may be raised in any three \cars 

 without (lie consent, of the people by ballot. 



A law was made providing for a tax on in- 

 heritances. It culls for 1 per cent, on all per- 

 sonal property in excess of $5,000 after the pay- 

 ment of delils. Inn no lax on real estate which 

 goes to direct heirs when the testator is a resi- 

 dent of the State. Where I lie IcMator is not a 

 resident of the State, or where the property goes 

 to collateral heirs, the tux is 5 per cent, on nil 

 real estate and personal property in excess of 

 |50(X 



The salaries of the judges of the Supreme 

 Court were raised under a new law, and they are 

 all required to live in Lansing. Salaries of the 

 Attorney-General and the Auditor-General were 

 increased. 



A new prison law was enacted, one section of 

 which provides for the gaining of time by con- 

 victs by good behavior. The new law in some 

 respects is not quite as favorable to the prisoner 

 as the old one. An insane asylum in the upper 

 peninsula was provided for, and $75,000 appro- 

 printed for buildings. An appropriation of 

 $2,000 was made for locating and marking the 

 positions of Michigan regiments on the battle- 

 fields of Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Mis- 

 sion Ridge. An additional $ 25,000 was given 

 for the World's Fair exhibit. 



A bill granting to women the right to vote at 

 all city, township, and village elections met with 

 much opposition, but finally passed. It carried 

 an educational restriction, providing that every 

 woman claiming the right to vote shall be re- 

 quired to read, in the presence of the Board of 

 Registration, at least one section of the State 

 Constitution in the English language. 



The constitutionality of this woman-suffrage 

 law was called in question, the Attorney-General 

 declaring against it. The question was brought 

 before the Supreme Court in October, and the 

 law was declared unconstitutional, on the 

 ground that the " source of all authority to vote 

 at popular elections is the Constitution ; that 

 the electorate is constituted by the fundamental 

 law ; and that the qualifications of electors must 

 be uniform throughout the State." 



A law, popularly called the "jag-cure law'," 

 was passed, providing that prisoners convicted 

 of drunkenness should have given to them the 

 choice between going to jail or the Penitentiary 

 and going to an institution for the cure of 

 drunkenness. The person convicted may have 

 sentence suspended on condition that he agree 

 to take the treatment and file a $100 bond for 

 the fulfillment of the promise. After his 

 graduation the expense of treatment is to be 

 paid by his county in case he brings sufficient 

 proof of his poverty. 



A bill was introduced to establish the death 

 penalty for murder in the first degree. It was 

 lost in the Senate, 17 members being unalterably 

 opposed to it. 



Political. At the general election, April 3, 

 a justice of the Supreme Court and two regents 

 of the university were to be chosen, besides cir- 

 cuit judges. The four amendments passed upon 

 by the Legislature were also to be submitted to 

 the popular vote. 



The Democratic Convention nominated 

 George II. Durand for Justice of the Supreme 

 Court, and Henry A. Harmon and Robert T. 

 Hunker for Regent ~. 



Tin- Republican nominees were Frank A. 

 Hooker for Justice, and Frank W. Fletcher and 

 Herman Keifer for Regents. 



The Populists nominated Edward S. Greece 

 for Justice, and Myron 0. Graves and Byron S. 

 Ashley for Regents. 



The candidates of the Prohibition party were 

 .Myron 11. Walker for Justice, and Robert C. 

 Safford and Joseph T. McCulloch for Regents. 



The total vote for Justice was 342,780, of 

 which Frank A. Hooker received 164,754, G. H. 

 Durand 148,712, E. S. Greece 14.409, and Myron 

 II. Walker 14,520. The number of blanks and 

 rejected votes was 319. Frank W. Fletcher and 

 Herman Keifer were elected Regents of the Uni- 

 versity. 



Amendments to the Constitution. All 

 the four proposed amendments submitted to the 

 people at the April election were voted favor- 

 ably upon by the majority. They were : 



1. Relative to works of internal improvement, 

 authorizing the city of Grand Rapids to issue its 

 bonds for the improvement of the navigation of 

 Grand river. 



2. Relative to the power of the Legislature to enaet 

 laws for the creation of county and township boards 

 ot highway commissioners, to maintain county roads 

 at the expense of the county, and township roads at 

 the expense of the townships. 



3. Relative to the salaries of State officers, increas- 

 ing and fixing the Governor's salary at $4 } 000 ; the 

 Lieutenant-Governor's salary at $1,200 ; the judges of 

 the circuit courts at $2,500 ; the Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction's salary at $2,000 ; the Secretary 

 of State's salary at $2,000 ; and the Commissioner of 

 the Land Office's salary at $2,000. 



4. Relative to the jurisdiction of circuit courts, giv- 

 ing them original jurisdiction in all matters civil and 

 criminal not excepted by the Constitution nonpr<>- 

 hibited by law, and appellate jurisdiction from all 

 inferior courts and tribunals and a supervisory con- 

 trol of the same. They shall also have powi-r t<> 

 issue writs of fuibeas corpus, mandamus, injunction. 

 quo warranto, certiorari, and other writs necessary t<- 

 carry into effect their orders. 



The first was carried by a vote of 70,597 to 

 55.091; the second by 68,486 to 00,015; the 

 third by 64,422 to 62^601 ; and the fourth bv 

 60,219 to 53,492. 



The Legislature did not provide for the con- 

 stitutional convention, which was voted favor- 

 ably upon at the election of 1892. 



MINNESOTA, a Western State, admitted to 

 the Union May 11, 1858; area, 83,30") square 

 miles. The population in 1890 was 1.301 >,'>. 

 Capital, St. Paul. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year : Governor, Knnte Nel- 

 son; Lieu tenant-Governor, David M. Clough ; 

 Secretary of State, Fred. P. Brown ; Treasurer. 

 .Joseph Bobleter ; Auditor. Adolph Biermann ; 

 Attorney-General, H. W. Childs; Adjutant-Gen- 

 eral, 11. Muehlberg all Republicans, except the 

 Auditor. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 James Gilfillan, Republican ; Associate Justices, 

 William Mitchell, Daniel Buck, Thomas Canty, 

 Democrats, and Loren W. (.'oil ins. Republican. 



Finances. The total indebtedness of the 

 State is $1,971.300. The permanent school fund 



