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of schools a certain amount of instruction in physiology and hygiene concerning the effects of stimulants and narcotics, was introduced by Senator Malby, and was under discussion at the end of the quarter, with doubtful prospects of passing. Some such modification is favored by teachers generally, on the ground that the present law, by its minute specifications and rigid demands for the prominence of one topic, interferes with the due liberty of the teacher and with the proper balancing of studies. Their protest, however, is not likely to secure the desired change.

Political Developments.-The legislature, a partial account of whose proceedings has been given above, met on January 1, the senate numbering 36 republicans to 14 democrats, the assembly 103 republicans to 47 democrats. Timothy E. Ellsworth was elected president pro tem. of the senate, and Hamilton Fish was elected speaker of the house.

The factional turmoil in the republican party (Vol. 5, p. 902) continued through the quarter, giving the somewhat dejected democrats much comfort and some renewal of hope. Suspicion is excited at almost every turn in affairs, and charges of fraud and treachery are rife in all the political air. These mostly are aimed at the republican faction known as the "machine," which is accused of being entirely in the hands of Thomas C. Platt, who in turn is accused of being in league with the leaders of Tammany Hall. Governor Morton, in high repute for integrity through years of conspicuous public service, not being a man of warlike tastes, has not withheld recognition and favor from either faction, and naturally has not escaped charges of yielding, in some of his appointments of officials, to the behest of the "machine." Probably nothing less than open and relentless warfare by the governor on Mr. Platt and his whole company could have prevented some suspicion of sympathy with them, especially in view of the fraudulent republican primaries and enrolment which were engineered in their interest in New York city. Various evidences of this fraud had brought into action a committee of twenty-five prominent republicans (Cornelius N. Bliss, chairman), who, on January 19, appointed a general committee of 500 representative men of high standing to take measures for an honest organization of the party in the city. Complaints of the dishonest enrolment were made to the republican state committee on February 8, but were utterly ignored, though based on thorough investigations by a committee of five (John Sabine Smith, chairman). The revelations of fraud were astonishing,

showing a determined attempt by the faction in power to keep control, and invalidating the whole party organization in New York city. Dr. Parkhurst, writing to the committee of investigation, mentions some items in their report of the 25th assembly district, in which his church stands: the fraudulent republican enrolment there had 1,564 more names than there were republicans in the district; it had the names of twenty-one deceased persons; it had 497 names of which no trace was found in the district; it had also a considerable number of Tammany men. On February 13, three of the election inspectors who had served in the enrolment were indicted by the grand jury.

The republican state convention was held in New York city March 24. The platform which was unanimously adopted, presented Governor Levi P. Morton as the candidate of New York for the presidency. There was abundant evidence, however, that Mr. McKinley had a strong following in the empire state. The financial plank in the platform was an unequivocal demand for continued maintenance of the single gold standard, as follows:

We recognize in the movement for the free coinage of silver an attempt to degrade the long-established standard of our monetary system, and hence a blow to public and private credit at once costly to the national government and harmful to our domestic and foreign commerce. Until there is a prospect of international agreement as to silver coinage, and while gold remains the standard of the United States and of the civilized world, the republican party of New York declares itself in favor of the firm and honorable maintenance of that standard."

Miscellaneous.-The New York city asylums for the insane at Ward's Island and Central Islip, with 6,807 patients, passed into the control of the state on February 28, being reorganized as the Manhattan State Hospital, under the state commissioners of lunacy. This completes the beneficent system of state care for the dependent insane, numbering in all 18,898.

The acquittal of Police Captain William S. Devery in the supreme court on March 28, on a charge of accepting a bribe from a contractor, occasioned some surprise. He had been dismissed by the old police board, reinstated by the court, and then suspended by the present commissioners.

The application of a new traction company to the state board of railroad commissioners for a certificate to build a competing street railroad in Buffalo, was denied on January 23. The new company proposed to build sixtysix miles of roads in streets already supplied with forty miles. On January 27 it applied to the board of aldermen for leave to extend one of its roads into the city.

The Prison Association of New York has been commending to the authorities, with practical demonstration, the Bertillon method of identifying criminals. The introduction of it by the police in the large cities is promised; and the state will be asked to legalize it. Its fundamental principle is the fact that no two men ever have heads, arms, hands, and fingers identical in measurement.

measurably more certain and trustworthy than the method by photography. As it reveals the facts as to the first or second offense, it has bearing on the system of assigning heavier penalty to habitual than to occasional criminals.

Ohio.-On January 15 ex-Governor Joseph B. Foraker (rep.) of Ohio was elected by the state legislature to succeed Hon. Calvin S. Brice (dem.) as United States senator, on the expiry of the latter's term in March, 1897.

The republican state convention at Columbus, on March 11, committed its party

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in the state to the support of the candidacy of Hon. Wm. McKinley for president. The financial plank in the platform adopted leans toward "sound money," but is not sufficiently free from ambiguity, or sufficiently definite in its declaration of policy, to prevent a general suspicion that its framers were anxious to avoid arousing, at this stage in the campaign, the free-silver sentiment of the country at large in vigorous opposition to Mr. McKinley's candidacy. It is as follows:

"We contend for honest money, for a currency of gold, silver, and paper with which to measure our exchanges, that shall be as sound as the government and as untarnished as its honor; and to that end we favor bimetallism, and demand the use of both gold and silver as stand

ard money, either in accordance with a ratio to be fixed by an international agreement (if that can be obtained), or under such restrictions and such provisions, to be determined by legislation, as will se cure the maintenance of the parities of value of the two metals, so that the purchasing and debt-paying power of the dollar, whether of silver, gold, or paper, shall be at all times equal."

South Dakota.-At the republican state convention, March 25, the candidacy of Mr. McKinley was unanimously indorsed. A warm contest between the free-silver and sound-money" men ended in the adoption of the money plank of the republican national platform of 1892 (Vol. 2, p. 175).

Texas. At the republican convention held March 24-26 a bitter struggle occurred between the McKinley men on one side and the Reed and Allison men on the other. Chairman Cuney (colored) declared the election of two Reed and two Allison delegates to the national convention, and adjourned the gathering sine die. The McKinley men immediately reorganized, adopted a "sound-money and protection platform, and elected four McKinley delegates to St. Louis. The financial plank of the regular convention declares for

An honest dollar of greatest purchasing power for every class alike; the largest issue of gold, silver, and paper compatible with security and the requirements of trade, all of equal value, interchangeable, one for the other, every dollar resting on gold as money of final redemption."

Utah. On January 4 President Cleveland signed a proclamation formally admitting Utah to the sisterhood of states of the Union. The order for the addition to the national flag of the star representing the state of Utah was issued by the secretary of war August 27, 1895 (Vol. 5, p. 659).

The new state has a land area of 82,190 square miles, water surface 2,780 square miles; gross area 84,970 square miles. Its climate is admirably adapted to the development of its rich and varied resources, which are chiefly mineral and agricultural. Its people are energetic and thrifty, and it offers special inducements to iminigration. The population in 1890 was 208,000, and is now supposed to be not much less than 250,000. Excluding two or three of the "original thirteen," only four states have entered the Union with a larger population than Utah-Maine, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Washington-and five of its predecessors have fewer inhabitants to-day-Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota. The assessed valuation of property in Utah in 1895 was $97,983,525. The total export value of mineral product in 1895 was $8,312,352. Computing the gold and silver at their mint valuation, and other metals at their value at the seaboard, would increase the value of Utah's mineral product to $14,519,959. There are 19,816 farms, and 17,684 of them are absolutely free of incumbrances. The total acreage irrigated is 417,455 acres. The

number of sheep owned in Utah in 1894 was 2,422,802, valued at $3,696,934, and yielding a wool clip in that year of 12,119,763 pounds, valued at shipping points at $864,260.

The admission of the territory to the Union was long delayed by the fear, generally entertained, that political considerations might at some time avail to procure for its "peculiar institution" of polygamy the permanent protection of a sovereign state. But apprehension on this score is now dispelled. The constitution of the new state explicitly forbids plural marriages forever (Vol. 5, p. 382). Only the future can determine how long the Mormon element will retain its supremacy against the influence of a rapid growth in population and corresponding development of material resources.

January 6 was observed as a holiday in enthusiastic celebration of the entrance of Utah upon its career as the forty-fifth sovereign state of the Union.

On January 14 Messrs. Frank J. Cannon and Arthur Brown were nominated as United States senators at a republican legislative caucus. Both were subsequently elected, and took the oath of office January 27. The first governor of the state is Heber M. Wells, elected last November (Vol. 5, p. 849).

Wisconsin. The republican state convention, March 18, instructed delegates to the national convention in favor of Mr. McKinley. The platform, besides favoring protection and reciprocity, contained the following financial plank:

"The republicans of Wisconsin are unyielding in their demand for honest money. We are unalterably opposed to any scheme that will give to this country a depreciated or debased currency. We favor the use of silver as currency, but to the extent only and under such restrictions that its parity with gold can be maintained.”

PERSONAL AND MISCELLANEOUS.

Personal Notes.-The vacancy in the post of United States ambassador to Germany, caused by the death of Hon. Theodore Runyon on January 27, was filled February 10 by the appointment of Edwin F. Uhl of Michigan, first assistant secretary of state.

UHL, EDWIN F., United States ambassador to Germany, was born in New York state in 1841. His parents removed to Michigan in 1844, and the boy was brought up on a farm near Ypsilanti. He was educated in the common schools, was graduated at Ann Arbor, and studied law. In 1866 he moved to Grand Rapids, and was twice mayor of that city. In 1892 he was a delegate-at-large to the democratic na tional convention. He became attorney of the Michigan Central Railroad Company and president of the Grand Rapids National bank. He was appointed first assistant secretary of state in 1893.

Early in January, Dr. John S. Billings, director of the

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