460 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



ment in the day without extra toll. If he is a 

 cattle dealer, he can drive hundreds of cattle, as 

 well as sheep and hogs, and yet not be compelled 

 to pay more than the one toll for the horse and 

 buggy he was driving when he went through 

 the gate prior to the others. 



The Charles County court decided that when 

 the property of one corporation is sold to an- 

 other no shareholder of the former can be re- 

 quired, without his own consent, to accept the 

 stock of the latter as his share of the proceeds 

 of sale ; but such stockholder has a right, as a 

 general rule, and in the absence of a special 

 agreement to the contrary, to have the partner- 

 ship property converted into money. 



The Attorney-General gave it as his opinion 

 that no county school commissioner may receive 

 compensation over the amount of his salary, no 

 matter what services may be performed by him. 



Political. In the elections for Congressmen, 

 in November, 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats 

 were chosen. 



MASSACHUSETTS, a New England State, 

 one of the original thirteen ; ratified the Consti- 

 tution 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; 737.099 

 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, Frederic T. 

 Greenhalge, Republican ; Lieutenant-Governor, 

 Roger Wolcott ; Secretary of State, William M. 

 Olin; Treasurer and Receiver-General, Henry 

 M. Phillips ; Auditor, John W. Kimball ; Attor- 

 ney-General, Hosea M. Knowlton ; Railroad 

 Commissioners, John E. Sanford, Everett A. 

 Stevens, William J. Dale, Jr. ; Chief Justice of 

 the Supreme Court, Walbridge A. Field ; Asso- 

 ciate Justices, Charles Allen, Oliver Wendell 

 Holmes, Jr., Marcus P. Knowlton, James M. 

 Morton, John Lathrop, James M. Barker. 



Finances. The receipts and payments on ac- 

 count of revenue and funds for 1894 were as fol- 

 low: Cash in the treasury on Jan. 1, 1894, 

 $9,251,380.10; cash received during the year, 

 $67,798,476.21 ; payments during the year, $69,- 

 179,124.71; balance on Jan. 1, 1895. $7,870,731.- 

 60. On Jan. 1, 1894, there were securities in the 

 treasury amounting to $25,939,749.47. During 

 the year securities valued at $12,897,020.61 were 

 purchased, while other securities amounting to 

 $16,873,390.55 were withdrawn, sold, or paid, 

 leaving on hand, Jan. 1, 1895, a balance of $21,- 

 963,379.53. The total funded debt on Dec. 31, 

 1894, exclusive of the armory, Fitchburg Rail- 

 road, grade crossing, and sewerage loans, was 

 $16,739,766.65, to meet which the State had in 

 its sinking funds $11,646,914.14, leaving the net 

 indebtedness only $4.907,147.49. The armory 

 and sewerage loans and that part of the grade- 

 crossing loan already issued together amount to 

 $7,340,000. The Commonwealth will not be re- 

 quired to pay the principal or interest of the 

 first two named, and only a percentage of the 

 last, but the bonds representing them are State 

 bonds, and form a nominal part of the public 

 debt. The same may be said of the Fitchburg 

 Railroad loan. Of the proceeds of the sewerage 



loan, amounting to $5,500.000, there had beer, 

 expended, up to the close of 1894, the sum of 

 $5,108,997.78. The receipts from the collateral 

 inheritance tax during the year amounted to 

 $239,368.55. 



Valuation. The total assessed valuation of 

 property in the State for 1894 was $2,471,521,- 

 505, personal estate being assessed at $572, 666,- 

 505, and real estate at $1,898,855,000. Included 

 in the assessment were 4,502,585 acres of land. 

 394,187 dwellings, 193,433 horses, 223,536 i.< 

 cattle, 44,608 sheep, and 35,603 swine. Person* 

 estate in Suffolk County, which includes Bost 

 was valued at $207,405,876, and real estate 

 $754,141,220. For 1894 a total State tax 

 $2,000,000 was levied. 



Legislative Session. The General Court 

 1894 was convened on Jan. 4, and its sessioi 

 continued until July 2. It was the 

 Legislature since that of 1883, with the excej 

 tion of that of 1890, which lasted four houi 

 longer. The President of the Senate was Wil 

 liam M. Butler, and the Speaker of the Assem- 

 bly George v. L. Meyer. In closing, it was an- 

 nounced that the Governor had signed 546 

 and 111 resolves, had vetoed 4 acts, and 4 

 become laws without his signature by constit 

 tional limitation of time. It was the last 

 lature in the historic Statehouse, as the nej 

 session will be held in the rooms appointed fc 

 that purpose in the Statehouse annex that hi 

 been completed recently. 



Among the important measures of the sessk 

 was that abolishing Fast Day, by a vote of 1( 

 to 59. In its place it was proposed to appoii 

 the first Thursday in April a holiday, to be calk 

 Puritan's Day, but other views prevailed, and 

 was decided to select April 19, the anni versa) 

 of the battle of Lexington, as a holiday, to 

 called Patriots' Day. A bill, giving to all worm 

 at present qualified, or who shall be qualifk 

 during the present year, the right to vote at 

 municipal election in December, 1894, passe 

 the House by a small majority. A bill amenc 

 ing the statute relative to liquor saloons 

 streets with schoolhouses, so as to prohibit tr 

 sale of liquor in a building within 400 feet of 

 school, was passed, but only after considcrabl 

 discussion, owing to the fact that it would 

 likely to injure property interests. A bill 

 exempt certain towns from taxation, result im 

 from the construction of State and county rot 

 failed to pass. The Norwegian liquor bill cai 

 up for consideration, and was finally referred t( 

 the next Legislature. Two new commissioner! 

 were added to the Board of Cattle Commissioi 

 ers by the Legislature. 



Other acts of the session were as follow : 



To provide for the blocking of railroad 

 switches, and guard rails. 



Prohibiting the killing of quail during 1894. 



Authorizing towns to take land for public librar 

 buildings. 



Incorporating the city of Beverly. 



Giving the courts of insolvency equity jurisdiction 

 in insolvent cases. 



Changing the name of the Society for the Collegi- 

 ate Instruction of Women to Radchffe Collc^f. 



Establishing a law uniform with the laws of othd? 

 States for a uniform .standard of weights and measures. 



To provide for appointment ot receivers of the 

 estates of absent persons. 



