VERMONT. 



VIRGINIA. 



705 



The Vermont life insurance companies had poli- 

 cies valued at $3,356,074 in force in 1893, and 

 they issued policies to the value of $540,702, or 

 nearly double those issued in 1892. Their pre- 

 miums on policies amounted to $120,759, or 

 about $20.000 more than the year previous. The 

 losses paid by Vermont life companies aggre- 

 gated $54,878, against $63,913 in 1892. The 51 

 fire insurance companies licensed to do business 

 in Vermont wrote risks to the amount of $49,599,- 

 004, or nearly $2,000,000 more than the year 

 previous. The 4 fire companies of the State 

 wrote risks aggregating $12,157,594, or nearly 

 one quarter of the amount written by all com- 

 panies. The amount of premiums received by 

 foreign and home companies was $764,326, and 

 the losses paid $527,631. 



Savings Banks. The number of depositors 

 in all the savings banks and trust companies in 

 the State June 30, 1894, was 92,239. Of this 

 number 82,080 are residents of Vermont, and had 

 to their credit $23,628,516.44, showing an in- 

 crease of $479,209.23. Nonresident depositors 

 numbered 10,159, and had to their credit $4,- 

 338,339.02, an increase of $224,716.54, making a 

 total increase in deposits for the year of $703,- 

 925.77. The total amount of deposits in all the 

 banks is $27,965,855.46, an increase in two years 

 of $3,292,113.70. 



The surplus reserve fund required by law to 

 be set aside and held to meet losses and depre- 

 ciation of securities by all the savings banks 

 amounts to $853,782.17, an increase of $167,577.- 

 16 : and the accumulations in all the savings 

 banks and trust companies, including the lawful 

 reserve and interest, is $1,583,382.27, an increase 

 of $92,679.09. 



Of the 16 trust companies paying dividends 

 to their stockholders, two have paid 3 per cent., 

 two 5 per cent., eight 6 per cent., two 8 per 

 cent., and two 10 per cent. 



Prohibitory Law. Concerning this meas- 

 ure the retiring Governor, Levi K. Fuller, said, 

 in his message to the Legislature : 



The report of the officers of the House of Correc- 

 tion shows that the commitments to that institution 

 have increased from 328 for the biennial period end- 

 ing 1884, to 808 for the biennial period ending 1894. 

 In attempting to account for this increase of crime 

 the superintendent points to tho rigid enforcement of 

 the prohibitory law as an important element. In 

 1884 there were committed under the provisions of 

 the liquor law 162, while in 1894 that number was 

 swelled to 513. For larceny and burglary the num- 

 ber of commitments has increased from 50 to 00. 

 Tramping has increased from 50 to 145. All other 

 offenses have increased from 66 to 90. 



1 prepared a circular letter of inquiry, and mailed 

 1,000 copies to prominent people equally in each 

 town. The replies received from 50 per cent, of all 

 the towns are unanimous that no liquor is illegally 

 sold in those towns. The replies received from 32 

 per cent, of all the towns are divided, but a careful 

 study of the replies would seem to indicate that but 

 very" little, if any, liquor was sold, and in most cases 

 they are mere conjectures. The replies from 18 per 

 cent, of all the towns are unanimous that there is 

 illegal liquor selling in those towns. The law as at 

 present enforced is increasing the criminal popula- 

 tion with alarming rapidity. Of the inmates of the 

 House of Correction 327 are the poor victims guilty 

 of intoxication, while the seller and the landlord are 

 not so thoroughly reached. The way to break up 

 this abuse is to pass a law disallowing appeals on a 



pica of guilty in liquor cases. The landlord can bo 

 reached by making the owner of the prciuist- 

 judged a nuisance, a party, and requiring a bond 

 from him. 



Political. On May 23 a convention of Pro- 

 hibitionists was held in Middlebury, and the 

 following State ticket was nominated : For Gov- 

 ernor, Rodney C. Whittemore ; Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor, Dr. L. W. Hanson ; Treasurer, J. F. 

 Leonard; Secretary of State, II. R. Muck; and 

 Auditor, F. W. Wheeler. 



The Republican State Convention was held in 

 Montpelier, on June 20, and the following ticket 

 nominated: For Governor, Urban A. Wood- 

 bury ; Lieutenant-Governor, Zophar M. Mansur; 

 Treasurer, Henry F. Field ; Secretary of State, 

 Chauncey W. Brownell ; Auditor, Franklin D. 

 Hale. The officers named for Treasurer, Secre- 

 tary of State, and Auditor were renorninations. 

 The platform contained the following: 



We denounce the Wilson bill as sectional in its 

 provisions, as subservient to gigantic monopolies, as 

 a menace to our varied interests ; and we predict 

 that if it becomes a law prosperity will not return to 

 our land until the Kepublican party is again in 

 power. 



We declare our belief that the repeal of the Federal 

 election law was passed in the interests of the fraudu- 

 lent election methods of the Democratic party. 



We favor the continued and extended use of silver 

 in our circulation within the extent of the ability of 

 the Government to preserve the present parity be- 

 tween gold and silver, and to this end we will hail 

 with enthusiasm all efforts of the Government to ob- 

 tain an agreement with all other commercial nations 

 to secure the free coinage of silver on any proper 

 ratio. 



On June 28 a Democratic State Convention 

 was held in Burlington, and the following ticket 

 was nominated: For Governor, G. W. Smith; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, E. N. Bullard ; Secretary 

 of State, J. W. Gordon ; Treasurer, Charles 

 Clark ; and Auditor, E. E. Sargent. 



The platform approves of the measures proposed 

 by Democrats in Congress for the relief of trie coun- 

 try from unjust and "discriminating tariff taxation ; 

 holds the Kepublican party responsible for the 

 present depressed condition of the country ; says 

 that pensions should be just, even liberal, for the de- 

 serving; opposes further importation of degraded 

 labor to usurp the places of honest and willing 

 toilers; approves of the repeal of the Federal election 

 law ; favors gold and silver as a circulating medium, 

 and says they should be made of equal value : de- 

 nounces any organization that seeks to ostracize the 

 adherents of any particular faith ; denounces the pro- 

 hibition laws; and favors the election of Senators by 

 direct vote of the people. 



At the election, held on Sept. 4, the Repub- 

 lican ticket was successful by the following ma- 

 jorities : Governor, Woodbury, 27,311 majority; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, Mansur, 26,782 majority ; 

 Treasurer, Field, 26,749 maj6rity; Secretary of 

 State, Brownell, 26,749 majority ; and Auditor, 

 Hale, 25,771 majority. Besides the foregoing 

 2 Republican Congressmen were chosen and 

 various local officers. 



VIRGINIA, a Southern State, one of the 

 original thirteen, ratified the Constitution June 

 25,^1788 ; area, 42,450 square miles. The popu- 

 lation, according to each decennial census, was 

 747,610 in 1790: 880.200 in 1800; 974.600 in 

 1810; 1.065,116 in 1820; 1.211,405 in 1830; 

 1,239,797 in 1840; 1,421,661 in 1850; 1,596,318 



