ited with having 106 factories, making of all varieties about 4,500,000 pairs. The city of Baltimore produced 1,400,000 pairs, Cincinnati 2,000,000 pairs, and Chicago 9,000,000 pairs. It is needless to enumerate more. Sufficient has already been done to convince this Senate of the vastness of the boot and shoe interest in this great country of ours.

But the legislation now proposed would not decrease the number of boots and shoes made except in New Jersey, and it is important, therefore, to know how many shoes are made in the New Jersey State Prison, and to compare this production with that of the whole country. There are at present employed in the New Jersey State Prison 270 convicts, and I am informed that they average four pairs per man each day, a total of 1,080 pairs per day, and for a year (allowing 300 working days as before) 334,800 pairs. Estimating the average value of this work at $1.50 per pair, this production would reach the sum of $502,200, an amount utterly insignificant when compared with $200,000,000, the production of the whole country! Whether prison-labor ceases utterly or continues, it can have no perceptible effect upon the vast market of this country, or upon the price paid for labor. As well might you expect to affect the supply of the city of Trenton by taking from or adding to its reservoir a hogshead of

water!

Although the bill failed to pass, yet its discussion probably led to the adoption by the Legislature of a joint resolution providing for the appointment of a Commission of seven by the Governor, three of whom may be citizens of other States, to make careful inquiry into the question of prison-labor, as to whether it comes into competition with free labor; to state the best means to prevent such competition, and at the same time to supply employment to the convicts. The Commission will receive no compensation, but may employ a clerk at $300, and must make a report to the Governor before the next session of the Legislature. The Commis sion appointed by the Governor consisted of the following persons: Edward Bettle of Camden, William R. Murphy of Burlington, A. S. Meyrick of Middlesex, Schuyler B. Jackson of Essex, and Orestes Cleveland of Hudson.

The efforts made to secure a better religious observance of Sunday by the enforcement of laws enacted at a former period caused more active opposition in Newark than in any other part of the country. Early in the year the Law and Order Association began to prosecute the dealers who sold liquor on Sunday. As an offset to the action of the Society, the Germans began to insist on the enforcement of the old Sunday law, which for years had been considered as obsolete. On the first Sunday when the German Protective Association attempted to enforce this law, all the liquor-saloons were closed, and ordinary business was suspended. The object was to make the Sunday laws offensive to the citizens, but the result was to create a public sentiment against the liquor-dealers. The question of repealing the law against the selling of lager-beer on Sunday, which was first agitated in Newark, gradually spread all over the State, and from the Citizens' Protective Association of Newark sprang the Liberal League of New Jersey. This body held a State Convention in Newark in September, and adopted the following resolutions:

Whereas, The founders of our government invited the oppressed of all nations to come here and to participate in a free government for free men; and,

Whereas, In compliance with this invitation people from every land have flocked to our shores, and, blending their nationalities together have formed a mighty nation; and,

Whereas, Of late there has been manifested in certain quarters, and among certain religious bodies, a disposition to exercise extraordinary powers and to prostitute the forms of law for the furtherance of their peculiar views, and to the manifest injury of the civil rights and personal liberties guaranteed to all of our people, and to the contrary of the well-being of the State; therefore, we, a part of the people of the State of New Jersey, in mass-meeting assembled, do resolve: 1. That every man has an indisputable claim to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

2. That the liberty of action in the pursuit of happiness gives to every man the right to carve his life in his own way, so far as that way is consistent with the same rights of others.

3. That we proclaim ourselves law-abiding citizens, but that we renounce the spirit of reaction and of bigotry as opposed to the genius of our free institutions, and as contrary to the progressive spirit of the age. 4. That we denounce the attempts recently made by some of the officers of the law in this State, through obsolete laws, repealed by the consent of three generathe instigation of a few fanatics, to revive and enforce tions, as wrong in principle and vicious in practice, tending to weaken popular respect for all law and to bring the administration of justice into disrepute.

5. That we call upon the Legislature of New Jersey to so modify existing laws as to secure enlightened liberty of action to all classes of our citizens; and we ask that the Legislature shall see to it that New Jersey shall no longer be the laughing-stock of the civiliza tion of the nineteenth century.

6. And we do hereby pledge ourselves to vote only for such men for the Legislature as will guarantee to us their adherence to the above principles.

This was followed on the same day by an immense procession, the line of which embraced in its different sections not only the representatives of the brewers, and all the trades which contribute to the lager-beer business, but delegations from almost every branch of business which is carried on in the State of New Jersey. At the charter election in Newark in October, the Protectionists were successful by a large majority. This success was not regarded as expressing objections to the Sunday laws as a whole, but as asserting that they needed modification.

At the opening of the Oyer and Terminer in that city in March, Judge Depue thus defined a disorderly house" under the law of the State:

66

A disorderly house is defined in law to be a place where the law is habitually violated; and if in the course of investigation of this subject you find any place in which the law is in either of the respects mentioned habitually violated, such places are disorderly houses within the meaning of the law. At the last and preceding term of Court indictments were found for keeping disorderly houses, based on the habitual sale of liquor without any license, and at times when the public authorities were forbidden to grant licenses for the sale of liquors. A question having arisen, one of them was made a test case and taken to the Supreme Court, and the indictment was there sustained. So, with regard to that subject, it has been adjudged by the Supreme Court, and there now remains no doubt as to the law on this subject.

Under an act of the Legislature to prevent the spread of contagious or infectious pneu

monia among cattle in the State, the Governor appointed William H. Sterling to carry out its provisions. At the time of his appointment the disease, so far as known, existed only in the northern and eastern portions of the State. Wherever it was known to exist, veterinary surgeons were sent to make a correct diagnosis, and the cattle were preserved in all cases where it could be done, and none destroyed except it was absolutely necessary in order to save the herd, or to prevent the spread of the contagion. In all cases a strict quarantine was maintained. All cattle entering or leaving the State were also inspected.

A plan was adopted by Governor McClellan, the object of which was to so improve the efficiency of the militia of the State as to secure a body of troops that would in many respects bear comparison with the regular army. The estimate of the number of reserve militia of the State, based on the census returns of 1875, is 248,127. The number organized in regiments, companies, and battalions is 3,180. These compose two brigades, divided into one battery of artillery, two Gatling-gun companies, and seven regiments and one battalion of infantry. A school for commissioned officers and another for non-commissioned officers were instituted, and attendance was stimulated. Very soon a commendable increase in promptness of attendance of the enlisted men at the drillrooms began to be noticed. An effort was then made, although hitherto without success, to obtain from Congress a larger appropriation of arms, etc., for the militia. Meantime much attention has been given to rifle-practice, in order to improve the marksmanship of the troops. An officer was sent through the State to instruct the National Guardsmen in the use of the rifle in their armories preparatory to practice on the ranges, of which there are two in the State. In order that he should do this successfully, it had been necessary previously to devise a way of making armory practice essentially similar to that on the range. It was necessary that the same rifles, with the same sights, should be used in both instances; yet 75 feet was as long a range as could be constructed in most of the armories. The targets were easily reduced to a size that would make it as difficult to hit them at 75 feet as it would be to hit a target on a range at 200 yards. To prevent accidents in the armories from the premature pulling of triggers, screens that could not be perforated by a rifle-bullet were set up at a distance of about 25 feet from the firing-point. These had holes cut in the center, just large enough to give to the marksman a full view of the target. Lest the continual crack of the rifles should prove a nuisance to persons residing in the neighborhood, it was found necessary to reduce the charge of powder in the cartridges from 70 grains, the ordinary range-charge, to 6 grains. This was found sufficient to drive the bullet-reduced from 420 to 230 grains to its work. The same

cartridge-shell was used, but it was filled nearly to its mouth with a brass cylinder perforated from end to end to allow a train of powder to extend back to the percussion-powder st the base of the cartridge. In this way practice in the armories was made to take the place of range-practice. After this style of shooting was introduced it became popular. Officers and privates were eager to practice. The practice in the armories, however, had two defects. The reduced charge of powder reduced the force of the recoil, and the rifle was the more easi ly held to the bull's-eye, and nothing had to be allowed for windage. A marksmen's badge was established, which any National Guardsman could win by making 25 out of a possible 50. Reckoning by the number of marksinen's badges won, there has been an increase in marksmanship this year over last year of more than 300 per cent. This has encouraged the General Inspector (Sterling) to institute a contest at long ranges, the distances to be from 800 to 1,200 yards. He has also in view, should this longrange contest give favorable results, to attempt shooting at 1,500 yards. This distance would lack only 260 yards of a mile, yet he is of opinion that the effect on the men would be beneficial, because it would aid in teaching them to judge of distances, and because it would be properly preparatory to another object he has in view. This is to teach them to shoot at objects they can not see, as, for example (in actual warfare), at soldiers behind a battery, when the elevation of the rifle must be such that the bullet, having passed over the intervening object, will descend toward the objects to be hit.

The work done by the Fish Commissioners during the year previous to April consists of 58,000 landlocked salmon hatched and liberated in lakes in the northern part of the State; 2,500 black bass distributed to lakes and ponds; 1,665,000 shad hatched and liberated in the Delaware River; 225,000 California salmon distributed early in 1878; 500,000 California salmon hatched and partly distributed; 43,500 brook-trout purchased and distributed; 200,000 brook-trout hatched and nearly ready for distribution; 100,000 whitefish in the hatching-house. The Commissioners deem the introduction of black bass into the State an event of the utmost importance. Their presence in the Delaware has aroused some opposition from those who feared that they would se riously diminish the number of young shad. Bass live mainly above tide-water, and the young shad, after being hatched in the headwaters of the rivers, must, in making their way to the sea, pass through the regions inhabited by the bass. It is not now generally believed, however, that any considerable number of infant shad are sacrificed to the voracious appetite of the bass. It is true that bass prey upon other fish, and it is equally true that they will eat young shad; but it is the opinion of close observers that they will not

eat young shad if they can get any other kind of small fish. The Commissioners have frequently seen a black bass in full chase after a fleeing minnow, while the water was fairly alive with young shad with which he could have gorged himself had he been so disposed; and they have repeatedly found the stomachs of bass filled with other kinds of food, when the fish has just been taken from water in which young shad could be seen in thousands. The brook-trout and California salmon have been placed in the waters of Somerset, Camden, Passaic, Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon, Warren, and Essex Counties. In accordance with the recommendation of Professor Baird, the United States Commissioner of Fisheries, who says that California salmon will thrive in waters where there is no access to the sea, but will be smaller, a large number of young salmon have been introduced into the deep, cold lakes in Morris, Sussex, and Warren Counties.

Nine cases for violation of the "act for the preservation of fish were argued on certiorari before Judge Reed of the Atlantic County Circuit Court. The convictions were of two classes-the first class for the violation of the first section, and the second class for the violation of the second section of the act. The first section of the act provides generally that it shall not be lawful for any persons to fish with a net in any of the waters of this State (except as hereinafter provided) between May 15th and July 15th. The second section provides that it shall not be lawful for any person to fish with a net, etc., in the counties of Atlantic and Burlington, between June 1st and September 1st. It was contended that the second section was local as to its character, and that, being within the body of a general law, it is, first, void in itself, and second, its presence Occasions the invalidity of the first section, because it is in contravention of the 4th paragraph of section 7 of the amended Constitution, which provides, "No general law shall embrace any provision of a private, special, or local character." The Judge said that he did not know of a similar provision ingrafted into the Constitution of any other State; that the distinction between those acts which may be considered general or public and special or local acts, as used in the Constitution, has received no direct judicial consideration. The question has been considered in the courts of New York, under the constitutional provision that "no private or local bill which may be passed by the Legislature shall embrace more than one object, and that shall be expressed in its title." There it was held that an act is local, within the meaning of the Constitution, which in its subject relates but to a portion of the people of the State or to their property, and may not, either in its subject, operation, or immediate and necessary results, affect the people of the State or their property in general (43 N. Y., 11). "The test is not whether it applies to acts to be done in a particular lo

cality, but whether the operation of the act is restricted to the people of that locality. This act does not impose a specific and exclusive penalty for the punishment of the people of Atlantic County, but upon all the people of the State who fish in that locality within a restricted time. I think the statute is constitutional." The other objections raised were to the formality of the proceedings and the right of a trial by jury. The Judge held that the defendants were not entitled to a jury trial, and that the statement of the facts charged brought the defendants within the operation of the statute. The convictions were affirmed with costs.

Two of the cities of the State, Elizabeth and Rahway, are in a condition of bankruptcy. Both have been crippled by the depreciation of values. In the former the debt has been increased by decisions of the Supreme Court which reversed a former decision with regard to assessments for improvements, and thus threw on the city a large amount of obligations of private citizens. The people do not say they will repudiate, but assert that they are unable to pay. There is no authority for compromising the claims against the city, and both the citizens and the bondholders are at a loss what to do.

In 1869 the township of Bernards, in the county of Somerset, issued $128,000 worth of bonds to aid in the construction of the New Jersey West Line Railroad. Eleven miles of the road was built, from Summit to Bernardsville, at a cost of $5,000,000. The road went into the hands of a receiver, and was sold under foreclosure to the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Company. Suit was brought on the bonds of the township. They were signed, but not sealed, and were issued in that condition. A plea that the bonds were not valid by reason of such omission was set up in defense. But Judge Nixon, of the United States District Court, granted a perpetual injunction restraining the township from making use of this defense. The principal and interest amount to $200,000.

The great railroad question, as regarded in New Jersey, was briefly and summarily presented on a festive occasion at Long Branch, by the Vice-President (Smith) of the Pennsylvania Railroad, in these words:

The system has to-day outgrown the limits of State together reaches from the shores of the Atlantic to those of the Pacific. Has not the time arrived when the General Government should enact general laws that would be applicable to all the interstate railways of this country, which, among other things, should provide for full reports to be made of their organization, working, and financial condition, as often as might be required, with a power of verifying reports of examiners, which would regulate the proportion of stock to bonds, make the forms of mortgages uniform, for other than supplies, and provide that the railways forbid the contraction of floating debts by railways shall publish their rates of freight, based on certain principles, and make any evasion of such rates an in

sovereignty, and the iron band holding this country

dictable offense? The rates should be fixed for each class of goods, the classification to be made by the companies per hundred pounds per mile, and when determined might be published as a tariff by which all transportation on each line of railroad should be regulated. These lists of rates should be accessible to every person, and should not be permitted to be changed without reasonable notice. The effect of such provisions as to a fixed basis of rates, with a prohibition for any railroad officer to charge less than the public rates under a severe penalty, would do much toward making the business of the country more stable, the traffic on the railroads more remunerative, and lessen burdens now placed on the public through the agency of secret discriminating rates. The great cardinal principle which should pervade this question of rates is, that the rate on the same class of goods for the same quantity for the same distance should be the same to every one.

The public press, or the number of daily, weekly, and monthly publications in the State, is as follows: Daily, 22; tri-weekly, 1; semiweekly, 2; weekly, 146; bi-weekly, 1; monthly, 1; total, 178. These are classified politically, etc., as follows: Democratic-daily, 7; tri-weekly, 1; weekly, 41; total, 49. Republican-daily, 9; weekly, 44; total, 53. Greenback-daily, 1; weekly, 3; total, 4. Independent-daily, 5; semi-weekly, 2; weekly, 56; total, 63. Temperance-weekly, 1; monthly, 1; total, 2. Mechanical-weekly, 1. Literary-monthly, 1. Law-monthly, 1. College -bi-weekly, 1; monthly, 2; total, 3. Of the above journals, 1 daily, 9 weekly, 2 semi-weekly, and 1 tri-weekly are published in the German language-all of the others in the English language.

By the report of the Insurance Commissioner it appears that there are fifty-seven insurance companies authorized to do business in New Jersey, other than accident and life insurance companies. Twenty-six of these are jointstock fire and marine, thirty are purely mutual companies, one is a plate-glass company; and eighteen are companies of foreign countries. The total capital stock of all the stock companies is as follows: New Jersey companies, $4,897,070; of other States, $28,317,979. Total assets: New Jersey companies, $9,445,260.74; of other States, $74,432,160.87; foreign companies, $20,560,484.04. Total liabilities: New Jersey companies, $6,651,163.78; of other States, $53,386,905.02; foreign companies, $8,886,803.91. Total net surplus: New Jersey stock compa. nies, $2,795,406.23; of other States, $21,054,583.19; foreign companies, $11,673,680.13. There are twenty-seven life companies operating in New Jersey, of which twenty-five are from other States, and one is a friendly society. The number of policies in force in New Jersey increased from 28,545 at the close of 1877 to 39,512 at the close of 1878; but this increase .was entirely due to the numerous small contracts of the friendly society, 10,627 in 1877 and 22,303 in 1878.

The condition of the savings banks in the early part of the year showed the following results: Resources-Real estate, total value, $841,979.93; loans on bond and mortgage,

$7,991,543.63; United States bonds, $3,622,221.33; other stocks and bonds, $1,840,632.79; call loans on collaterals, $653,181.92; other assets, $1,640,339.90. Total resources, $16,589,899.50. Liabilities-Due depositors, $15,749,319.76; other liabilities, $62,098.80. Surplus over liabilities, $778,480.94. Number of open accounts January 1, 1878, 53,254; number of open accounts January 1, 1879, 62,990; number of accounts opened or reopened during the year 1878, 29,127; number of accounts closed during the year 1878, 19,391.

Cranberries are an important product of the State. The crop in 1878 was estimated at 300,000 bushels.

The geological survey of the State has brought into notice the oak and pine lands in its southern part. The area of the district southeast of the marl-belt is 1,580,000 acres, or two fifths of the area of the State. The survey has classified the soils of this district in two great general divisions. One is the gravelly loams, upon which oak and pine grow; the other is the more sandy soils, whereon pine alone thrives; and from these trees the groups are designated as oak-lands and pine-lands. There is another division, but of limited extent, and generally found along the sea-border, which is more loamy and supports a more mixed growth of timber. The best of the oak-lands are more commonly known as "white-oak bottoms." All travelers through that part of the State have observed these "bottom-lands." The wastes of white sand, with their fire-scarred and stunted yellow pine, are familiar. An extract from the report of the survey briefly sets forth the advantages of this portion of the State:

The climate is salubrious, and has been especially noted for its entire freedom from malarial influences. It is specially liked by those who suffer from asthmatic and pulmonary diseases; and many come here for the relief they obtain for such ailments. The seaside resorts are continually increasing in number and enlarging in size, and throngs of visitors come to enjoy the delightful air.

The water of this country is pure and soft. It is drained by many large rivers, which are chiefly remarkable for their full and equable flow, being very little affected by storms or by droughts. They furnish excellent water-power for manufacturers' purposes. Those at Mays Landing, Weymouth, Batsto, Atsion, Millville, Bricksburg, Manchester, and Toms River good ones. are of this kind, and there are a great many other

The soil is light but easily cultivated, and when well managed is productive. Mr. Hay's farm, at Winslow, is a model of productiveness for all South Jersey. The improved lands at Vineland, Hammonton, and Egg well for the future. The staple productions are wheat, Harbor City are yielding large crops and promise rye, oats, Indian corn, hay, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Melons are raised in abundance. Apples, pears, peaches, grapes, blackberries, raspberries, strawberrics, and currants grow remarkably well.

The means of communication are good. There is an abundance of gravel for road-making, and the bene fits of good roads are highly appreciated. Cumberland County claims to have more good roads than any other Glassboro and Millville, the Millville and Cape May, county in the State. The West Jersey Railroad, the the New Jersey Southern, the Camden and Atlantic, the Philadelphia and Atlantic City, the Mays Landing

branch, the Pemberton and Manchester, the Tucker ton, the Toms River branch, the Toms River and Waretown, and the Freehold and Squankum branch to Squan, are all railroads in this district; and every point in it is within an easy drive of railway communication, and, by this, is within three or four hours' ride of the best markets on the continent.

The various public institutions of the State are in a prosperous condition. Their details may be found in the volume for 1878.

NEW YORK. The annual session of the Legislature commenced on January 7th and closed with the month of May. In the Senate the Republican vote was about 20 out of 33, and in the Assembly about 100 out of 128. The Senate was called to order by the Lieutenant-Governor. In the Assembly Thomas G. Alvord was elected Speaker by 95 votes, against 24 for Erastus Brooks.

This session of the Legislature was held in the new Capitol. An effort was made on the evening of February 12th to signalize the change both historically and officially. The two Houses assembled in joint convention; the Judges of the Court of Appeals and the State officers were present by invitation; and speeches were made by the President of the Senate, Lieutenant-Governor William Dorsheimer, the Speaker of the House, Thomas G. Alvord, and one of the distinguished members of the Assembly, Mr. Erastus Brooks. The report of the New Capitol Commissioners was made to the Legislature on January 23d. The amount expended in 1878 on the building was $1,026,463. The finished portion was about one quarter of the area of the whole building; but it contains two of the three great rooms, one of three staircases, one half of the heating apparatus, five of the seven elevators, one third of the furniture, one half of the plumbing, the entire water-supply, the whole exterior drainage, and one half of the basement; also, the walls of the court and the south center section have been built up to the roof-line. The amount of additional appropriation required for the completion of the building and the payment of existing liabilities was estimated by the Commissioners at $4,200,000, in a period of two years. Being asked by the Legislature how much it would cost to administer the new Capitol after it was completed, the Commissioners replied that it could be kept clean, lighted, and warmed "for a moderate sum"; but to accomplish this result it is necessary that its administration should be kept free from partisan influence. They then proceed to say: "A force of forty-three men has been organized, to serve during the session of the Legislature, who take care of the machinery, attend the fires, run the elevators, and do all the work of cleaning the building, and also perform all police duty. The appointments to this force have been equally divided between the political parties, and it is proposed that the men shall serve during good behavior. We believe that upon a system like this the cost of maintaining the new Capitol, when the same

shall be completed, may be brought within $75,000 a year, and our estimate for maintenance during the year 1879 is $25,000."

The election of a Senator in Congress, to fill the vacancy arising by the expiration of the term of Mr. Roscoe Conkling, was made on January 20th. Mr. Conkling received in the Senate 19 votes, and Mr. Dorsheimer 12. In the Assembly Mr. Conkling received 95 votes, Mr. Dorsheimer 23, and Mr. Peter Cooper 2. Mr. Conkling was chosen. A caucus of the Democratic members of the Legislature was held, in which it was proposed to make a protest against the granting of any certificate, or the making of any declaration, that Roscoe Conkling had been duly elected Senator. The grounds for this protest were, that the Constitution of the State requires that, at the next session after every State census, the Senatorial districts shall be altered so as to contain as nearly as may be an equal number of inhabitants, and that the members of Assembly shall be apportioned according to population; that a census was duly taken in 1875, but no alteration of the Senate districts and no reapportionment of the members of Assembly has been made by the Legislature since the said enumeration; that the effect of such neglect has been that large numbers of the people of the State have been and are misrepresented in the Legislature; that its political complexion has been thereby changed from one party to another, the legal result whereof is that the present Legislature is a Legislature de facto and not de jure. This protest the caucus refused to adopt, but they resolved upon an address to the people. The complaints of the address rest upon the grounds set forth above. As an evidence of the justice of the complaints, the following statements were set forthi as facts taken from the census returns of 1875:

Under a just apportionment in the Senate, New York City, with Richmond County, is entitled to seven Senators, while but five represent that city. lowed only two, and this with a surplus population of Kings County is entitled to three members, but al46,000. New York City, by the lawful count, is entitled to twenty-seven members of Assembly, instead of twenty-two; Kings County is entitled to fourteen members instead of nine; Monroe County to four members instead of three. These additional members, all belonging to Democratic districts, are now awarded to the following counties, and entirely represented, except one district, by Republican members of the Legislature, viz.: Madison, Delaware, Ontario, Cattaraugus, Columbia, Washington, Niagara, Wayne, Oswego, Oneida, St. Lawrence. The Assembly representative population also gives the following unequal record: