590 



OHIO. 



The total acreage planted was 46,986, yielding 

 an average of 865 pounds an acre. 



Mining. The report of the chief inspector of 

 mines gives the year's product of coal as 14,599,- 

 908 tons, a gain of 1,549,721, compared with the 

 preceding year. Ninety-one new mines were 

 opened during the year, 30 remained suspended, 

 and 46 were either worked out or abandoned. At 

 the close of the year there were 892 mines in the 

 State, and of these 832 were in operation. 



The World's Fair. The official report of the 

 representation of Ohio at the World's Fair calls 

 attention to the fact that the State had collective 

 exhibits in every department of the exposition, 

 prepared under the auspices and at the expense 

 of the board of managers. Ohio was the only 

 State, excepting Pennsylvania, that had exhibits 

 in every department and section, and was the 

 only State that was represented by an exhibit 

 from every one of its public institutions. 



Legislative Session. The adjourned session 

 of the General Assembly began on Jan. 3 and 

 ended on April 27. It passed 374 acts, including 

 the following : 



Imposing a collateral inheritance tax. 



Requiring certain qualifications of railroad con- 

 ductors, locomotive engineers, and flagmen. 



To provide for the safety of mechanics and others 

 engaged in the work of constructing buildings. 



To correct abuses existing in the way of retaining 

 wages under various pretexts from minors. 



To provide for a State Board of Arbitration for the 

 settlement of differences between employers and their 

 employees. 



To establish a uniform system of keeping time 

 throughout the State of Ohio, making ninetieth-me- 

 ridian time the legal time. 



To prohibit the docking of horses. 



To require railroad corporations to equip and fur- 

 nish all cars used in their service with air brakes and 

 automatic couplers, and their engines with power 

 brakes. 



To provide for cumulative sentences to workhouses. 



Providing for return and taxation of gross premium 

 and assessment receipts of foreign insurance com- 

 panies and associations. 



Establishing standard weights of a bushel. 



To limit the manufacture of knit and woolen goods 

 in penal, reformatory, and charitable institutions. 



To tax the business of trafficking in cigarettes or 

 cigarette wrappers. 



To compel elementary education of children. 



Amending the law of libel so that the defendant 

 may prove the truth of the matter charged as defam- 

 atory. 



To provide for the return for taxation purposes of 

 the stock and business of express, telephone, and tele- 

 graph companies. 



Political. The first of the political conven- 

 tions was the Republican, held at Columbus, June 

 7 and 8. The platform adopted by unanimous 

 vote approved and reaffirmed the platform of the 

 national Republican Convention of 1892, com- 

 mended the administration of Benjamin Harri- 

 son as President, and of William McKinley as 

 Governor of Ohio, and the action of the General 

 Assembly of Ohio in passing certain laws. It 

 also declared in favor of "biennial sessions of the 

 General Assembly in obedience to the original 

 purpose of the present Constitution." On na- 

 tional questions it said : 



We favor the policy of full and adequate protection 

 to American labor and industries. The best exempli- 

 fication of the principle of protection and reciprocity 



that has found expression in the statutes is the Mc- 

 Kinley act. We cordially declare our adhesion to the 

 doctrines of that great measure and favor such amend- 

 ments thereto for protection as time and experience 

 may show to be advisable. 



We condemn the bill passed by the Democratic ma- 

 jority in the House of Representatives of the last Con- 

 gress and the present avowed policy of the Democratic 

 party to place wool on the free list as an unjust and 

 ruinous attack on all the agricultural industries of the 

 country. We insist on such full and adequate protec- 

 tion for the wool industry as will enable American 

 farmers to supply the wool required for consumption 

 in the United States. 



We indorse the policy of the national grange " that 

 all tariff laws shall protect the products of the farm us 

 well as the products of the factory." 



We believe in a free ballot and fair count, and we 

 favor such legislation as will secure these results for 

 every voter in the United States. 



We adhere to the Republican policy of granting 

 pensions to the wounded and disabled Union soldiers 

 and sailors of the late war and the widows and or- 

 phans of such as are deceased, and we condemn the 

 unfriendly and unjust policy already made manifest 

 by the present Democratic Administration. 



We favor honest money, composed of gold, silver, 

 and paper, maintained at equal value and under na- 

 tional and not State regulation. 



We denounce the avowed purpose of the Demo- 

 cratic party to repeal " the prohibitory 10-per-cent. 

 tax on State bank issues." 



The convention renominated all the occupants 

 of the offices to be voted for William McKinley 

 for Governor. Andrew J. Harris for Lieutenant- 

 Governor, William T. Cope for Treasurer of 

 State, John K. Richards for Attorney-General, 

 Joseph P. Bradbury for Judge of Supreme Court, 

 Frank J. McCulloch for Board of Public Works, 

 and F. B. McNeal for Dairy Commissioner. 



The Prohibition Convention was held at Cleve- 

 land, June 27 and 28. There was a long and 

 heated discussion of the platform, which as 

 passed included the following : 



The liquor traffic must and shall be destroyed. We 

 utterly reject all plans for regulating or compromising 

 with this traffic, whether such plans be called local 

 option, taxation, license, or public control. 



No citizen should be denied the right to vote on ac- 

 count of sex. 



Tariff should be levied only as a defense against 

 foreign governments which levy tariffs upon or bar 

 out our products from their markets. The residue of 

 means necessary for an economical administration of 

 the Government should be raised by an equitable ad- 

 justment of taxes upon the property and incomes of 

 the people. 



Railroads, telegraph, and all other natural monopo- 

 lies should be controlled, or if necessary owned, by the 

 people, so as to fully protect the public from extortion 

 or unjust discrimination. 



We stand unequivocally for the American public 

 schools taught in the English language, and are op- 

 posed to any appropriation of public money for secta- 

 rian schools. 



The candidates nominated were : For Govern- 

 or, Gideon P. Macklin ; Lieutenant-Governor, 

 Seth H. Ellis ; Treasurer, Abram Ludlow ; At- 

 torney-General, S. E. Young; Judge of Supreme 

 Court, J. A. Gallaher; Dairy and Food Commis- 

 sioner, Seth H. Todd; Member of Board of Pub- 

 lic Works, Enos H. Brosius. 



The People's Party Convention was held at 

 Columbus, July 4, and the following ticket was 

 placed in nomination : For Governor, John T. 

 Brocken ; Lieutenant-Governor, M. B. Cooley ; 



