458 



MINNESOTA. 



MISSISSIPPI. 



In December the Federal Land Commission made 

 public the report of two agents who had been in- 

 vestigating, denying that there was any basis for 

 the charges concerning the logging operations. 



Political. State officers were elected in Novem- 

 ber. Tickets were put up by Republicans, Demo- 

 crat-Populists, Prohibitionists, Populists, and the 

 Socialist- Labor party. 



The Democrats, Silver Republicans, and Popu- 

 lists held conventions at Minneapolis, June 15. " A 

 committee of seven from each convention, to act in 

 joint conference, was appointed without trouble by 

 both the Democrats and Silver Republicans, but 

 with the Populists the friction was so great that the 

 entire day was consumed in discussion. Both the 

 Democrats and the Silver Republicans indorsed 

 the Chicago platform and the candidacy of William 

 J. Brvan for the presidency. The Silver Republic- 

 ans also indorsed the initiative and referendum. A 

 joint conference committee held a lively session, 

 and it was agreed to divide the offices to the three 

 parties, allowing the conventions to make the nomi- 

 nations. John Linde, the Silver Republican, who 

 had been candidate for Governor twice, was in- 

 dorsed for that office. To the Populists were al- 

 lowed the offices of Lieutenant Governor, Auditor, 

 Attorney-General, and Clerk of the Supreme Court. 

 To the Democrats were given the nominations of 

 the Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and one of 

 the judges of the Supreme Court. The joint con- 

 ference committee recommended that Judges Buck 

 and Canty, at present sitting, be named by the 

 three parties." 



John Lind was nominated by the three conven- 

 tions for Governor ; J. M. Bowler, nominated by 

 the Populists and indorsed by the others, for Lieu- 

 tenant Governor ; J. J. Heinrich for Secretary of 

 State ; Alexander McKinnon for State Treasurer ; 

 Justices Mitchell, Canty, and Buck for the Supreme 

 Court bench ; for Auditor General, George M. Lam- 

 phere ; Attorney-General, John P. Kelly ; Clerk of 

 Supreme Court, Z. II. Austin. 



The platform of the Democratic convention 

 charged that State land has been frittered away at 

 ridiculous prices, and that taxes have been in- 

 creased. It said, in part: "Our banking institu- 

 tions, established to cure for the deposits of the 

 people, have not had their condition of solvency or 

 insolvency examined by a competent bank exam- 

 iner. The offices of the Clerk of the Supreme Court, 

 oil inspection, and surveyor of logs have been al- 

 lowed to demand and receive exorbitant fees, 

 amounting to about $50,000 annually. Our rail- 

 road and warehouse commission has failed to fully 

 protect the people. Unjust discriminations and 

 exorbitant charges in railway rates demand proper 

 regulations by this commission.'' 



The majority of the Populists having agreed 

 upon the compromise plan of fusion with the other 

 silver parties, the minority bolted and held a con- 

 vention the next day, nominating the following: 

 For Governor, L. C. Long ; for Lieutenant Govern- 

 or, Kittell Halverson : for Secretary of State, M. 

 Wogenberg; for Auditor, Charles Hopkins: for 

 Treasurer, P. 11. Kahilly; for Attorney-General, 

 John F. Kelly ; for Clerk of the Supreme Court, A. 

 L. Stromberg. The resolutions affirmed fusion to be 

 wrong on principle. The convention declared in fa- 

 vor of Ignatius Donnelly for United States Senator. 



The Republican State Convention met in St. 

 Paul, June 30, and nominated the following: For 

 United States Senator, Cushman K. Davis; Gov- 

 ernor, William Henry Eustis; Lieutenant Governor, 

 Lyndon A. Smith : Secretary of State, Albert Berg; 

 State Auditor, Robert C. Dunn ; State Treasurer. 

 August T. Koerner; Attorney-General, Wallace B. 

 Douglas ; Clerk of Supreme Court, Darius F. Reese ; 



Justices of the Supreme Court, John A. Lovely, 

 Calvin L. Brown, Charles L. Lewis. The platform 

 commended the tariff legislation of 1897, approved 

 the Administration in its treatment of our foreign 

 relations and its management of the war with 

 Spain, and favored immediate annexation of 

 Hawaii ; it said the Nicaragua Canal should be 

 constructed and under control of the United States 

 Government : declared for the gold standard ; and 

 praised Senators Nelson and Davis. It commended 

 the State administration, and recommended legis- 

 lation to secure good roads. 



John Lind, candidate for Governor on the fusion 

 ticket, was elected by a vote of 132,024, against 

 111,625 for Eustis, Republican, 5,^08 for Higgins, 

 Prohibitionist, 1,766 for Long, Populist, and 1,657 

 for Hammond, Socialist. 



The Republican candidates for all the other 

 State offices were elected. 



All the seven members of Congress elected are 

 Republicans. The Legislature stands : Republicans 

 in the Senate. 44; in the House. 93. Democrats in 

 the Senate, 18 ; in the House, 25. Independents, 

 1 in each house. 



Four proposed amendments to the Constitution, 

 which had passed the Legislature, were submitted 

 to voters and were ratified. They were : 



1. Permitting women to vote for members of li- 

 brary boards and to be eligible to become members 

 of such boards, in addition to the right to vote upon 

 school matters and to hold offices pertaining to 

 schools, as provided by the original section of the 

 Constitution. 



2. Providing that constitutional amendments 

 shall be voted upon at general elections, and requir- 

 ing, to carry them, a majority of all votes cast at 

 the election. 



3. Revising the amendment of 1896 relating to 

 city charters. The term of office of the local com- 

 mission for drafting a charter is limited to six 

 years instead of being unlimited, as before. The 

 commission must submit proposed amendments to 

 vote when petitioned by 5 per cent, of the legal 

 voters. Cities are divided into four classes instead 

 of three. 



4. Providing for the establishment of a State 

 highway commission, and of a fund to receive pro- 

 ceeds of internal improvement land fund and of 

 State tax of not over ^ of a mill. 



Decisions. An amendment to the general bank- 

 ing law relating to the minimum amount of capital, 

 organization, rate of interest, liabilities, loans on 

 shares, and available funds to be kept on hand was 

 declaredby the Supreme Court to be void because 

 not passed by a two-third vote. 



A law providing for a commuted system of taxa- 

 tion of mining property and products by payment 

 of a fixed sum per ton for all ore mined was de- 

 clared in conflict with the constitutional provision 

 that all taxes shall be as nearly equal as possible. 



MISSISSIPPI, a Southern State, admitted to 

 the Union Dec. 10, 1817; area, 46,810 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial census 

 since admission, was 75^448 in 1820; 136.(i21 in 

 1830; 375.651 in 1840: 606.526 in 1850; ?!H.:;u.-> in 

 1860; 827,922 in 1870; 1.131.597 in 1880; and 

 1,289,600 in 1890. Capital, Jackson. 



Government. The following were the State of- 

 ficers during the year : Governor, A. J. McLiiurin : 

 Lieutenant Governor. J. II. Jones; Secretary of State. 

 J. L. Power ; Treasurer, A. Q. May ; Auditor, W. D. 

 Holder; Superintendent of Education, A. A. Kin- 

 cannon; Attorney-General, W. N. Nash; Adjutant 

 General, William Henry: Chief Justice of the Su- 

 preme Court, Thomas II. Woods; Associate Jus- 

 tices, S. H. Terra! and Albert II. Whitfield; Clerk, 

 Edward H. Brown all Democrats. 



