

MICHIGAN. 



455 



A conference of the People's party was held 

 March 10, with a view to bringing the whole party 

 to act together in the election this year, but the ob- 

 ject was not attained, and the Middle-of-the-road 

 division called a convention to be held at Grand 

 Rapids June 21. At that time resolutions were 

 adopted that denounced fusion, declared direct 

 legislation and the money question to be the para- 

 mount issues, and demanded the repeal of the 

 national banking law, establishment of postal 

 banks, a graduated income tax, Government owner- 

 ship of railroads, telegraph, etc., the purchase by 

 the Government for actual settlers of all lands 

 owned by corporations in excess of their needs, pro- 

 hibition of alien ownership of land, taxation of all 

 property at its true cash value, and the establish- 

 ment of a forestry commission ; denounced war 

 bonds, asked for more greenbacks and free coinage, 

 and declared that no officeholder should hereafter 

 be a delegate. 



The following nominations were made: For Gov- 

 ernor, Sullivan Cook ; Lieutenant Governor, Austin 

 S. Randall ; Secretary of State, Jonas M. Borough ; 

 State Treasurer, Robert Bienhuber ; Auditor Gen- 

 eral, Archibald Malone ; Attorney-General, S. G. 

 Houghton ; Land Commissioner, J. H. Baker; Su- 

 perintendent of Public Instruction, Philander 

 Brant; Member State Board of Education, M. O. 

 Graves ; candidates for the Board of Education were 

 afterward Dison J. Parker and William Warner. 



The ticket of the Socialist party was : For Gover- 

 nor, Mr. Hasseler; Lieutenant Governor, Joel Du- 

 grey ; Secretary of State, Peter Friesema : Treasurer, 

 Henry Sievers; Auditor, Anthony Louwet; Land 

 Commissioner, Gustav Zander; Attorney-General, 

 W. W. Wittenberg: Superintendent of Public In- 

 struction, Joseph Kopyskiewicz ; Member of the 

 Board of Education, Louis Erb. 



The Democrats, Silver Republicans, and one wing 

 of the Populists met at Grand Rapids June 22. 

 The platforms were modified somewhat in the way 

 of compromise. Following are the nominations, 

 which were ratified in joint convention : For Gov- 

 ernor, Justin R. Whiting, Democrat ; Lieutenant 

 Governor, Michael F. McDonald, Democrat; Sec- 

 retary of State, L. E. Lockwood. Populist; Auditor 

 General, John L. Frisbie, Silver Republican ; State 

 I Treasurer. Dr. Edgar B. Smith, Democrat ; Attorney- 

 General. Royal A. Ilawley, Silver Republican; Land 

 Commissioner, Carlton Peck, Populist ; Superinten- 

 dent of Public Instruction, Mrs. Florence Renkes, 

 Silver Republican ; Member State Board of Educa- 

 tion, George E. Willetts, Populist. 



There was an effort to defeat the nomination of 

 Mrs. Renkes on the ground that a woman is not 

 eligible under the State Constitution, but an author- 

 ity on constitutional law decided in her favor, and 

 her nomination was made unanimous. 



The Prohibitionists held a convention at Lansing 

 Aug. 23. The platform declared that the only 

 remedy for (he liquor evil is a political party united 

 on that issue, as all other parties are hopelessly 

 divided on it. The party in power was arraigned 

 as a license party. The resolutions therefore de- 

 clared for the complete outlawry and suppression of 

 the entire traffic in alcoholic liquors, and for very 

 rigid regulations governing the manufacture and 

 sale of alcohol for legitimate uses. They favored 

 making a fair and thorough trial of " the initiative 

 and referendum.'' and demanded the abolition of 

 all distinction of sex in regard to suffrage. The 

 nominations were : For Governor, Noah W. Cheever; 

 Lieutenant Governor, N. Horton Clark; Secretary 

 of State, John Sweet; State Treasurer. Robert King; 

 Auditor General, Henry Andrus; Land Commis- 

 sioner, John Van Zollenburg ; Attorney-General, 

 Myron H. Walker; Superintendent of Public In- 



struction, David S. Warner; Members State Board 

 of Education, Delevan B. Reed, William C. Clemo. 



The Republican convention met in Detroit Sept. 

 21. The resolutions said, in part : 



" We indorse the present national administration, 

 and express confidence in the honesty, integrity, 

 and patriotism of President McKinley. 



" We indorse our honored Secretary of War, and 

 commend his conscientious, patriotic, and unselfish 

 devotion to the honor of the nation and the welfare 

 of the army. We denounce the unjust attacks 

 made on him, and offer him our undivided support 

 and confidence. 



" We reaffirm the principles of the St. Louis plat- 

 form, and pledge them our support as a sure guar- 

 antee of national prosperity and honor." 



The platform congratulates the country upon re- 

 turning prosperity under Republican rule and the 

 operation of the Dingley law ; offers honor and de- 

 votion to the volunteers from Michigan in the war; 

 congratulates the nation upon its land and sea vic- 

 tories, and leaves the future destiny of the peoples 

 over which the nation has gained control through 

 the war confidently to the hands of the properly 

 delegated authority. The administration of Gov. 

 Pingree is commended, especially his care and 

 energy in equipping and caring for the interests of 

 the troops and their families. The paragraph con- 

 cerning State taxation is as follows : " We com- 

 mend the present administration for its earnest 

 efforts in favor of the equal and just taxation of 

 the property of railroad, telegraph, telephone, and 

 express companies. We favor the immediate repeal 

 of the tax upon the gross earnings of railroad, tele- 

 graph, and express company property, this statute 

 to be determined by a State board. The taxes col- 

 lected therefrom should be paid into the primary 

 school fund. We indorse the principles of the At- 

 kinson bill, and pledge the support of the Repub- 

 lican party thereto. We favor also the readjust- 

 ment of the assessment laws of this State, so that 

 all taxable property shall be placed upon the assess- 

 ment rolls at a just value, and be taxed equally with 

 all other taxable property in the State." 



The ticket follows: For Governor, Hazen S. Pin- 

 gee ; Lieutenant Governor, Orrin W. Robinson ; 

 Secretary of State, Justus S. Stearns : Auditor Gen- 

 eral, Roscoe D. Dix; Attorney-General, Horace M. 

 Oren ; State Treasurer, George A. Steel ; State Land 

 Commissioner, William A.French; Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction, Jason E. Hammond ; Regent 

 of the University (short term), Eli R. Sutton ; Re- 



fent of the University (long term), J. Byron Jud- 

 ins ; Member of State Board of Education (short 

 term), E. F. Johnson ; Member of State Board of 

 Education (long term), F. A. Platt ; Chairman State 

 Central Committee, Gen. Arthur F. Marsh. 



The total vote for Governor was 421,164, being 

 126,638 less than that of two years ago. Gov. Pin- 

 gree polled 243.239 votes, against 304,431 in 1896. 

 This year he polled 57.76 per cent, of the total vote 

 cast for Governor, an increase of 2.19 per cent, over 

 his proportion two years ago. The vote for Gov- 

 ernor stood : Pingree, 243,239 ; Whiting. Democrat, 

 168,142; Cheever, Prohibitionist, 7.006 ; Cook, Pop- 

 ulist, l,65(i ; Hasseler, Socialist-Labor, 1.101. All 

 the Republican candidates for State offices were 

 elected. The Legislature stands: Republicans in 

 the Senate, 27; in the House, 93; Democrats in the 

 Senate, 5; in the House, 7. 



Michigan's Representatives in the Fifty-sixth 

 Congress are all Republicans. 



The proposition to revise the Constitution did 

 not receive a majority of the highest number of 

 votes cast at the election, and for this reason it is 

 claimed that it did not carry, although it received a 

 substantial majority of the votes cast on that subject. 





