636 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



viously declared its nominee for that office, 

 the two parties seem to have subsequently 

 entered into an agreement to the effect that 

 all of the candidates presented to the people 

 in the Greenback party's ticket should be con- 

 sidered common to the United Labor party 

 also. 



The Liquor Prohibition party nominated as 

 its candidates for the several offices : For 

 Judge of the Supreme Court, K. H. Winton; 

 for Auditor- General, A. A. Barber ; for State 

 Treasurer, Samuel Oornett. 



MAUCH CHUNK. 



At the election, held on November 6, 1877, 

 the Democratic candidates were chosen, by a 

 comparatively uniform majority. The aggre- 

 gate votes cast in the State numbered about 

 550,000, which is above 200,000 less than the 

 whole number of votes polled at the Presiden- 

 tial election in November, 1876. The highest 

 number of votes received by any of the candi- 

 dates of the same party in 1877 was : Among 

 the Democratic, 251,717 for State Treasurer; 

 among the Republicans, 244,480 for Judge of 

 the Supreme Court ; among the United Green- 

 back and Labor nominees, 52,854 for State 

 Treasurer ; and among the Liquor Prohibition, 

 2,997 for Auditor-General. 



An interesting decision was rendered by the 

 Supreme Court of the State, on the 4th of Oc- 

 tober, 1877. The city of Williamsport, em- 

 powered by an act of the Legislature to con- 

 trol the improvements of her streets, sewers, 

 etc., and to issue bonds therefor in the sum of 



$200,000, issued bonds to the amount of $645,- 

 000 instead. These bonds are held by private 

 parties in different sections of the State. The 

 validity of the bonds issued in excess of the 

 $200,000 having been called in question, and 

 the matter brought before the courts, the 

 court of the first instance gave judgment, de- 

 claring the over-issued bonds valid. On appeal, 

 the Supreme Court has affirmed the judgment 

 of the court below, on the ground that " the 

 power granted to the municipality to control 

 street and other improvements necessarily im- 

 plies the raising of means 

 to perform such duties," 

 and that "the mere fact 

 that the act limited the is- 

 sue to $200,000 does not 

 render the issue of the 

 $445,000 additional illegal, 

 because the power to issue 

 was an implied one." In 

 affirming judgment, the 

 court also "ordered that 

 the treasurer of the city 

 of Williamsport do forth- 

 with apply any money now 

 in the treasury of the said 

 city, and not otherwise 

 appropriated, to the pay- 

 ment of the accrued inter- 

 est and coupons overdue 

 on said bonds, known as 

 Series A." 



The Chief Justice, and 

 two of the Associate Jus- 

 tices, filed dissenting opin- ' 

 ions. 



A local explosion of fire- 

 damp, in a mine worked 

 at Pottsville, in Schuylkill 

 County, took place on the 

 9th of May, 1877, between 

 the hours of 10 and 11 

 o'clock in the forenoon, 

 killing six men, and bruis- 

 ing and scorching six more. The ignition oc- 

 curred in a somewhat retired part of the mine, 

 where about 30 men were at work, and did 

 not communicate itself to the rest, or its effects 

 would have proved far more disastrous. 



For the details of the memorable strike of 

 railroad employes in July, 1877, see LABOR- 

 STRIKES. 



In Pennsylvania the strike resulted in the 

 deaths of over 50 civilians and 5 soldiers, and 

 the wounding and maiming of 100 or more, 

 and the destruction of millions' worth of prop- 

 erty. 



By the middle of August all of the railway 

 lines throughout the State were running on 

 schedule time. The military detachments, post- 

 ed at the several places of danger, were sue- ' 

 cessively withdrawn as a state of permanent 

 tranquillity had been secured. In some locali- 

 ties they were ordered to remain for months. 

 Such was the case with the middle coal-field of 



