838 



WISCONSIN. 



for back taxes for the years the company had done 

 business in the State without the accident license. 

 The amount involved was about $104,000. Other 

 companies are affected by the decision. The re- 

 ceipts of the department in 1897 were $166,075. 



Banks. The number of State banks in 1898 was 

 133, an increase of 3; private banks, 114, an in- 

 crease of 4. There is but one savings bank, which 

 is at Beloit, though some of the others have a 

 savings department. All of these have an aggregate 

 capital of $7,944,413.38, deposits of $42,721,155.03, 

 and resources of $55,023,310.48. 



The aggregate increase in resources over those of 

 1897 is $8,429,770.20 ; loans and discounts, $4,267,- 

 576.72; deposits, $8,331,414.33; and available cash, 

 $1,766,887.42. The increase in the items, resources, 

 loans and discounts, and deposits is by far the 

 largest that has been made in any previous equal 

 length of time in the history of the State. 



Building and Loan Associations. A decision 

 important to shareholders was rendered in January. 

 A Minneapolis association which went into the 

 hands of a receiver had securities amounting to 

 about $100,000 on deposit with the Wisconsin State 

 Treasurer as security for Wisconsin shareholders, 

 but the receiver claimed them as part of the gen- 

 eral assets. The Supreme Court decided that they 

 should be used solely for the benefit of the Wis- 

 consin shareholders. 



There are 53 of these associations doing business 

 in the State, all domestic. Their liabilities and 

 assets aggregate $3,568,440. 



Labor. The Labor Commissioner's report shows 

 that during the two years past 1,292 changes have 

 been ordered, of which 1,021 affected the conditions 

 in factories and workshops, including the dismissal 

 of 327 children under fourteen illegally employed. A 

 table relating to all industries gives the following 

 figures for 1897: Capital invested, $189,760,669; 

 value of goods made and work done (gross product), 

 $169,946,673 ; value' of stock and other materials 

 used, $98,130,070 ; industry product (gross product 

 less value of stock and materials), $71,816,603 ; wages 

 (labor's direct share of product), $36,583,044 : profit 

 and minor-expense fund (industry product less 

 wages), $35,233,559 ; percentage of industry product 

 paid in wages. 50.94 ; percentage of industry prod- 

 uct devoted to profit and minor expenses, 49.06. 



Products. The wheat crop of the State in 1898 

 is given as 11,885,000 bushels; the wool clip as 

 4,475,952 pounds. 



The shipments of iron ore from Marquette aggre- 

 gated 2,278,000 tons, an increase over 1897 of 232,- 

 500 tons. 



The fisheries department during the season of 

 1897 made distribution of 60,685,920 fish. 



Political. State officers were elected in No- 

 vember. 



The Republicans assembled in State convention 

 in Milwaukee, Aug. 17. On national affairs the 

 resolutions approved the Administration, the con- 

 duct of the war, and the St. Louis platform. On 

 State affairs they approved the Administration and 

 called for the following measures : Laws "to com- 

 pel all persons and corporations engaged in busi- 

 ness within the State, except such fraternal and 

 other associations as are now expressly exempted 

 from taxation by law, to contribute their just and 

 equal share toward the burden of taxation " ; to for- 

 bid the issue to public officials of passes, franks, or 

 privileges of free transportation of personal prop- 

 erty or messages, and making the giving or receiv- 

 ing of any such a penal offense ; amendment of the 

 caucus and convention laws ; prohibition of ad- 

 vance payments from the State treasury on account 

 of salaries of officers and employees ; and abolition 

 of the lobby at the Legislature by law. 



The ticket follows : For Governor, Edward Sco- 

 field ; Lieutenant Governor, Jessie Stone ; Secretary 

 of State, William H. Froehlich; State Treasurer, 

 James O. Davidson : Attorney-General, Emmet R. 

 Hicks; State Superintendent, L. D. Harvey; Rail- 

 road Commissioner, Graham L. Rice ; Insurance 

 Commissioner, Emil Giljohann ; Chairman State 

 Central Committee, Joseph B. Treat. 



The State Democratic Convention met in Mil- 

 waukee, Aug. 31. A committee was appointed t<> 

 confer, with a view to fusion, with a committee 

 of the Populist convention, which was in session at 

 the same time. The committee reported in favor 

 of giving to the Populists the nomination of the 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, and a reso- 

 lution was offered proposing to add the Secretary 

 of State, but the whole plan of fusion was defeated 

 by a vote of 361 to 294. 



The platform approved the war and praised the 

 soldiers and sailors ; condemned the War Depart- 

 ment "for the blunders and crimes committed 

 against the brave boys in blue in camp and on 

 foreign battlefields by selfish contractors, incom- 

 petent surgeons, and vain, heartless army officers, 

 appointed for political purposes " ; and pledged to 

 the sailors and soldiers who should survive this war 

 " earnest and loyal support to secure the punish- 

 ment of the guilty parties." 



On State matters it made nine charges against 

 the Republican party ; among them were : The car- 

 rying upon the pay' roll of clerks and employees 

 who rendered no service ; the vetoing by the Gov- 

 ernor of legislation imposing restrictions or obliga- 

 tions upon corporations ; violation of a promise not 

 to remit judgment in the treasury cases ; payment 

 of salaries before they became due ; loaning of 

 money from the treasury without security and with- 

 out authority of law. 



Hiram W. Sawyer was nominated for Governor; 

 P. V. Deuster for Lieutenant Governor ; and Messrs. 

 Stromme, Malek, Grace, Schindler, and Wilcox for 

 the offices of Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney- 

 General, Insurance Commissioner, and Railroad 

 Commissioner respectively. 



The Populists in convention nominated, Sept. 1, 

 John F. Schindler for Secretary of State and K. ('. 

 Craig for Superintendent of Public Instruction, and 

 then took a recess to await the outcome of the con- 

 ference for fusion ; this having failed, they placed 

 a full ticket in the field. 



The Socialist-Labor and Socialist-Democratic 

 parties also nominated candidates. 



At Oshkosh, Aug. 26, the Prohibitionists in State 

 convention adopted a platform with the following, 

 among other statements : 



" Believing that many reforms are imperatively 

 needed in our State relating to equal taxation, 

 ownership, regulation, taxation, and control of 

 monopolies ; the abolition of the free-pass and 

 frank system of bribing county officials ; reduction 

 in the cost of State, county, city, and town govern- 

 ment ; and that as the purchasable saloon vote is 

 the one great hindrance to the election of honest 

 men to deal with these questions, we demand pro- 

 hibition. 



" We demand that all territory hereafter acquired 

 by as well as that lately annexed to the United 

 States shall be under prohibition ; that wo put 

 upon our banner, never to be taken down, the 

 motto, ' No more saloon territory.' " 



The candidates chosen were : For Governor, 

 E. W. Chapin ; Lieutenant Governor, W. \V. Coop- 

 er ; Secretary of State, E. S. Cronk ; Treasurer, 

 William Larsen ; Attorney-General, Wesley Mott ; 

 Superintendent of Schools! Kdward Berg : Railroad 

 Commissioner, George Clithero. 



The election resulted in the choice of the Repub- 





