NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



547 



powers of the President of the Senate, or of either or 

 of both Houses, to deprive him of his right ; and, 

 believing that Mr. Tilden has such majority, we 

 pledge him our hearty and unqualified support in the 

 full exercise of his authority in all proper words in 

 conformity with the Constitution and laws of the 

 land, and the right of Mr. Hendricks as Vice-Presi- 

 dent shall be held equally sacred and inviolate. 



Resolved, That the Supreme Court of the United 

 States upon suits at law or equity regularly brought 

 is final judge in a disputed Presidential election. 



For the five State Councilors and three Con- 

 gressmen, local conventions were held by the 

 Democrats of the respective districts, when 

 they nominated for Councilors Messrs. Rand, 

 Clark, Hadley, Rounswel, and Blodgett; for 

 Congressmen Messrs. Jones, Sulloway, and 

 Kent. 



The annual State election was held on March 

 13th, and resulted in an almost complete victory 

 of the Republicans. The entire number of 

 votes cast for Governor was 77,870, of which 

 Mr. Prescott had 40,755, Mr. Marcy 36,721. 



Of the five State Councilors, four Republi- 

 cans were elected ; one Democrat in the fifth 

 district. 



The political complexion of the Legislature 

 was as follows : In the Senate, Republicans, 8 ; 

 Democrats, 4. In the House of Representa- 

 tives, Republicans, 224 ; Democrats, 156. 



All of the three Congressmen elected were 

 claimed by the Republicans, though concern- 

 ing the result of the election in the First Con- 

 gressional District some doubts were raised, 

 the number of votes cast in that district for 

 each of the two competitors Messrs. Marston 

 and Jones having been almost equal. 



At the same election of March, 1877, the peo- 

 ple also voted on the thirteen amendments to 

 the State Constitution. All, except two, were 

 adopted ; the two not adopted being the first, 

 " striking out the word ' Protestant ' in the Bill 

 of Rights," and the twelfth, "prohibiting the 

 removal of officers for political reasons." 



Of the result of the election, Governor 

 Cheney gave official notice to the people by 

 proclamation under date of April 7, 1877, in 

 which he enumerates the eleven amendments 

 adopted, and the two not adopted, in de- 

 tail. 



The new Legislature met for the regular ses- 

 sion of 1877 on the 6th of June, when both 

 Houses were promptly organized. In the Sen- 

 ate, Nathaniel Head was chosen President. In 

 the House of Representatives, Augustus A. 

 Woolson, of Lisbon, was elected Speaker by a 

 vote of 217 against 147 given to his competitor, 

 Horatio Colony, of Keene. 



On the 13th, the two Houses met in joint con- 

 vention again for the purpose of electing the Sec- 

 retary of State, the State Treasurer, the Com- 

 missary-General, and the State Printer. The 

 ballots taken thereupon resulted in the choice 

 of the following Republicans : 



For Secretary of State, M. B. Thompson, of 

 Concord ; for State Treasurer, Solon A. Carter, 

 of Keene ; for Commissary-General, William 



H. Sise, of Portsmouth; for Public Printer, 

 John B. Clarke, of Manchester. 



The condition of public affairs in the State 

 during the fiscal year ending May 81, 1877, 

 was generally satisfactory. 



The principal of the State debt, on the 1st of 

 June, amounted to $3,574,390.87, or $53,147.62 

 less than it was at the same date in 1876, this 

 sum having been paid on it within the 12 

 months intervening. The reduction of the 

 State's indebtedness last year was somewhat 

 smaller than its average for the five next pre- 

 ceding years ; which is ascribed to the fact that 

 the State Treasurer had to pay from the year's 

 revenues the extraordinary expenses of the 

 Constitutional Convention held in December, 

 1876. 



In consequence of the long-continued de- 

 pression in almost all branches of industry, 

 that portion of revenue which flows into the 

 Treasury from miscellaneous sources showed 

 a considerable decrease, especially in the 

 amount of taxes collected from railway corpo- 

 rations. This item alone fell short of that of 

 the previous year by more than $45,000. 



However, the financial condition of the State 

 being sound, and her credit at home and abroad 

 unquestioned, the Governor says, " I think all 

 the expenses liable to arise during the coming 

 fiscal year can be met, and the reduction of our 

 debt to the amount of $110,000, that matures 

 in July, 1878, made, by raising a State tax of 

 $400,000." 



The number of savings-banks doing busi- 

 ness in New Hampshire was last year 67 ; the 

 aggregate amount of their deposits being nearly 

 $31,000,000, and the number of their indi- 

 vidual depositors, 98,683. During the year 

 there was an increase of $270,000 in the whole 

 sum of deposits, and of 1,758 in the number of 

 depositors. These institutions pay into the 

 State Treasury a tax of 1 per cent, on their 

 deposits ; its amount being now equal to more 

 than | of that of the State tax. 



The charitable, reformatory, and penal in- 

 stitutions of the State are generally under 

 excellent management in all respects, and real- 

 ize the objects for which they were severally 

 designed. 



Concerning the State Prison, the dilapidated 

 condition of the building, as well as its un- 

 healthfulness, and its total insufficiency for 

 want of room, calls for the attention of the 

 Legislature. There are now 155 male con- 

 victs in the prison, with cell accommodations 

 for 119. 



The financial condition of the Penitentiary 

 is quite natisfaetory. The earnings of the con- 

 victs within the past few years, besides paying 

 the current expenses, and the necessary repairs, 

 have left an accumulated surplus amounting 

 now to more than $40,000; most of which is 

 invested in the securities of the State. 



With reference to the education of youth, 

 the present school system of the State seems 

 to have considerable defects in both theory and 



