612 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



the fees turned into the treasury during his 

 term of eight years, and received $16,000. 



A taxation case of importance was decided in 

 November. The State officers contend that 

 under the act of 1891 the capital stock of cor- 

 porations must be appraised arbitrarily at such 

 sum as would at 6 per cent, yield the amount of 

 net earnings reported, although the appraise- 

 ment reached in that way may be higher than 

 the actual value of the stock. In a great many 

 cases the Auditor-General has, upon that theory, 

 increased the valuation of stock made by corpo- 

 rate officers. The court of Dauphin County de- 

 cided that the Auditor-General could not do 

 this. 



Political. A State Treasurer and a judge of 

 the Supreme Court were to be elected Nov. 6. 



The Republican Convention nominated, Aug. 

 30, for Treasurer, Samuel M. Jackson, and for 

 Judge, D. Newlin Fell. The resolutions affirmed 

 adherence to the Minneapolis platform ; de- 

 manded repeal of the purchasing clause of the 

 Sherman act ; favored expansion of the circulat- 

 ing medium till it should amount to $40 per 

 capita of the population ; approved the proposi- 

 tion to issue to national banks notes to the par 

 value of the bonds deposited to secure their cir- 

 culation ; declared that the obligations of the 

 Government should be discharged in money ap- 

 proved and current in all civilized nations, and 

 to that end that a largely increased reserve of 

 gold should be gradually accumulated and main- 

 tained; expressed the belief that the financial 

 distress in the country was due to the conviction 

 that an attack was to be made on the American 

 system of protection, and protested against any 

 amendments to the McKinley bill until it should 

 have been fairly tested and judged by its practi- 

 cal operation ; condemned the pension policy of 

 the Government; and demanded strict immigra- 

 tion laws. It was resolved that representation 

 in future State conventions shall be based upon 

 the vote cast at the presidential or gubernatorial 

 election immediately preceding, one delegate 

 being allotted t > each legislative district for 

 every 2,000 Republican votes, and an additional 

 delegate for a fraction exceeding 1,000 votes, 

 each district to have at least 1 delegate. The 

 Legislature was commended for setting apart 

 from the revenues of the Commonwealth an addi- 

 tional $1,000,000 to defray the cost of public 

 schools, thus increasing the appropriation for 

 that purpose to $5,500,000 per annum. 



The Democratic Convention met Sept. 19. The 

 nominees were : For Justice of the Supreme 

 Court, Samuel G. Thompson ; for State Treas- 

 urer, Frank C. Osburn. New rules were adopted 

 for the organization of the party in the State, to 

 take effect April 1, 1894. They do not change 

 the basis of representation, but they give to the 

 State chairman and the State executive commit- 

 tee the selection of all the temporary officers of 

 a State convention. The platform approved the 

 national Administration ; demanded the repeal of 

 the purchasing clause of the Sherman act ; de- 

 nounced the declaration made by the Republican 

 State Convention in favor of an expansion of the 

 currency ; favored a currency of gold and silver 

 coin, Treasury and bank notes sufficient for the 

 business needs of the country, insisting that it 

 shall at all times be kept at a parity of value ; 



approved the action of the Government in re- 

 gard to pensions ; attributed the financial dis- 

 turbances to the legislation of the Republican 

 party, and demanded tariff reform; approved the 

 administration of Gov. Pattison, and condemned 

 the last State Legislature ; recommended a non- 

 partisan judiciary ; and urged thorough Demo- 

 cratic organization. 



The Prohibition party nominated H. T. Ames 

 for Judge, and J. S. Kent for Treasurer. 



The People's party also placed candidates in 

 the field. 



The Republicans elected their ticket by large 

 pluralities. Their candidate for Treasurer had 

 442,248 votes to 807,102 for the Democratic can- 

 didate, and their candidate for Judge of the Su- 

 preme Court had a plurality of 138,581. The 

 Prohibitionists cast a vote of 21,858 for State 

 Treasurer, and the People's party 6,979. Com- 

 pared with the vote cast for President in 1892, 

 the Republican vote was reduced 75,763, and the 

 Democratic vote 145,162. 



In Philadelphia the Republicans carried the 

 city and county elections, their county candi- 

 dates averaging pluralities of 52,000. 



A call was issued for a conference to be held at 

 Pittsburg, March 16, by persons interested in the 

 forming of a new political party. The confer- 

 ence met in Lafayette Hall, where the Republi- 

 can party had its beginning, and an organization 

 was effected. The platform recognizes God as 

 the author of civil government, equal right for 

 all, without respect to race, color, or sex ; aboli- 

 tion or suppression of the drink traffic, and such 

 other moral, economic, financial, and industrial 

 reforms as are needed in this country. A com- 

 mittee on permanent organization was appointed, 

 and an adjournment was taken to June 6, at 

 Harrisburg. 



The officers of the electoral college were not 

 paid for their services this year, the Auditor and 

 Treasurer taking the ground that there is noth- 

 ing in the law authorizing such payment. Four 

 years ago the electoral college cost the State 

 $989.47. This amount was divided between the 

 electors and the officers of the college. The ex- 

 penses under the new decision were estimated at 

 less than $200. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature was 

 in session about five months, from Jan. 3 to 

 June 1. 



The Governor's message, in referring to the 

 insurrection at Homestead, said that the sheriff 

 did not try to subdue it, and the county ought 

 to pay the cost, $430,000. The message further 

 called attention to the inequality of taxation be- 

 tween real estate and personal property : renewed 

 the recommendation that a revenue law be 

 framed by which the entire cost of the State 

 government be paid by a tax on corporations 

 and collateral inheritance, and that other taxes 

 be returned to the counties to relieve the real 

 estate therein ; urged legislation against com- 

 bines, especially the coal monopoly, and favored 

 free school books and renewed attention to 

 quarantine. In reference to the public printing, 

 the Governor called attention to the long delays 

 in bringing out public documents, the printed 

 report of a department often not appearing till 

 the manuscript for the succeeding one was in 

 the hands of the printer. He said precedence 



