MASSACHUSETTS. 



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most heartily that the day designated be observed by 

 the inhabitants in the planting of trees, shrubs, and 

 vines, in the promotion of forest growth and culture, 

 in the adornment of the public and private grounds, 

 places, and ways, and in such other efforts and under- 

 takings as shall be in harmony with the general 

 character of the day so establishe'd. 



Battle Flags. On Dec, 22 the veterans of 

 the Seventh, Fifteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty- 

 third, and Fifty-eighth Massachusetts Volunteer 

 Regiments gathered at the Statehouse to re- 

 turn the captured flags to the State officers. 

 Capt. J. G. B. Adams, in behalf of the veterans, 

 told how the colors had been given to regiments 

 by the State, and at the close of the war how 

 they had been returned, excepting those that had 

 fallen into the hands of the enemy. He said : 



We return the flags of the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, 

 Twenty-third, and Fifty-eighth Regiments, which, 

 by resolutions offered by Gen. William Cogswell, 

 member of Congress from Massachusetts, were for- 

 warded to His Excellency the Governor, by the 

 Secretary of War. We also return the State flag of 

 the Seventh Massachusetts, which has been in the 

 hands of a private individual until a few weeks ago 

 It was the desire of the men who followed the flags 

 to see them once again and to formally turn them 

 over to the Commonwealth. It was thought wise 

 that a short account of their capture should be read 

 by some one from each regiment. 



The history of each flag was then read by 

 James E. Seaver. They were received by the 

 Lieutenant-Governor, who said : 



In the name of the Commonwealth I accept these 

 flags. They shall be treasured, my friends, as a price- 

 less heritage, to teach the youth of Massachusetts of 

 the heroism, the loyalty, and the devotion of the 

 Massachusetts men who went out from 1861 to 1865 

 to carry the flag of Massachusetts and the flag of the 

 country, and to shed their blood to preserve this great 

 nation to be the beacon light of liberty and of democ- 

 racy to the world. 



War Loans. The last of the old war loans 

 was paid, in London and in Boston, in pounds 

 sterling and currency respectively, on May 1. 

 It was the bounty loan of 1864, authorized by the 

 General Court of 1863 under the vigorous incen- 

 tive of Gov. Andrew. There was deposited at 

 Barings, in London, the equivalent of $2,398,211.- 

 20 in pounds sterling, while in Boston there was 

 paid in scrip $2,100,500, both payments being in 

 cash, and each representing the balance and 

 interest due of the original loan. The amount 

 gross to the Barings was 826,600, or $4,022,- 

 648.90, of which the Commonwealth owned by 

 purchase of bonds $1,624,437.70, and the amount 

 gross in this country was $4,379,500 in the cur- 

 rency scrip, of which the State owned by pur- 

 chase $2,279,000. Payment of the loan was pro- 

 vided for by sinking fund, which has held 

 $1,000,000 of Fitchburg Railroad bonds since 

 purchased out of the fund, as well as Boston and 

 Albany Railroad bonds and city and town se- 

 curities, which, however, have *all been trans- 

 ferred elsewhere, with the exception of some few 

 that mature before the loan was paid, so that 

 the settlement was entirely in cash. 



Political. The State convention of the Popu- 

 list party met in Boston, July 19, and nominated 

 the following ticket for State officers : For Gov- 

 ernor, George H. Gary, of Lynn; Lieutenant- 

 Governor, Wilbert 0. Dwinell; Secretarv of 



State, Carlton S. Beals ; Treasurer, M. W. Mo- 

 ran ; Auditor, M. W. Landers ; and Attorney- 

 General, James Sumner. A platform was adopt- 

 ed denouncing national banks, favoring postal 

 savings banks and Government ownership of 

 railroads, telegraph, and telephone lines, approv- 

 ing direct legislation by the initiative and refer- 

 endum, and proportional representation, the 

 abolition of the sweating system, an eight-hour 

 day for laborers, and numerous other reforms. 



The Prohibitionists held their convention in 

 Worcester on Sept, 13, and nominated a ticket 

 that was headed with the name of Alfred W. 

 Richardson for Governor. 



A platform was adopted of which the princi- 

 pal features were a reaffirmation of uncompro- 

 mising hostility to the traffic in alcoholic bever- 

 ages in all its forms and branches ; an expression 

 of belief that the present high-license law is a 

 failure; a recommendation for the extirpation 

 of trusts and monopolies ; that disputes between 

 capital and labor should be referred to public 

 boards of arbitration ; that civil service should 

 be enforced ; that the President, Vice-President, 

 and Senators be elected by a direct vote of the 

 people; and that uniform laws governing mar- 

 riage and divorce be enacted. 



On Oct. 6 the Republican State Convention 

 assembled in Boston and renominated the ticket 

 of last year, as follows: For Governor. Fred- 

 eric T. Greenhalge ; Lieutenant-Governor, Roger 

 Wolcott ; Treasurer and Receiver-General, Henry 

 M. Phillips ; Attorney-General, Hosea M. Knowl- 

 ton ; Secretary of State, William M. Olin ; Au- 

 ditor, John W". Kimball. The platform included 

 the following: 



The principles of the Republicans of Massachusetts 

 are as well known as the Commonwealth itself. Chief 

 among them are : 



An equal share in government for every citizen. 



Best possible wages for every workman. 



The American market for American labor. 



Every dollar paid by the Government, both the 

 gold and the silver dollars of the Constitution and 

 their paper representative, honest and unchanging in 

 value and equal to every other. 



Better immigration laws. 



Better naturalization laws. No tramp, anarchist, 

 criminal, or pauper to be let in. 



Americanism everywhere. 



The flag never lowered or dishonored. 



No surrender in Samoa. 



No barbarous queen beheading men in Hawaii. 



No 'lynch ing. 



Faith kept with the pensioners. 



The suppression of dram drinking and dram selling. 



A school at the public charge open to all the chil- 

 dren, and free from partisan or sectarian control. 



No distinction of birth or religious creed in the 

 rights of American citizenship. 



Two days later the Democrats held their nomi- 

 nating convention at the same place. The fol- 

 lowing ticket was selected : For Governor, John 

 E. Russell ; Lieutenant-Governor, Charles E. 

 Stratton ; Secretary of the Commonwealth, 

 Charles A. De Courcey ; Treasurer and Receiver- 

 General, James S. Grinnell; Attorney-General, 

 Henry F. Hurlburt ; and Auditor, Alfred C. 

 Whitney. The platform adopted includes the 

 following declarations : 



We have for years advocated a thorough reform of 

 the tariff. The House, or Wilson bill, was an honest 

 effort to carry out the Democratic policy. Its defeat 



