do this is made by legislating out of existence the whole silver coinage of the country as legal tender, and at the same time depreciating the value of one of its most important products in the markets of the world, the consequences of this nefarious scheme are so far-reaching and disastrous that it calls for unmeasured denunciation.

Resolved, That the proposal to pay the bondholders exclusively in gold (which their bonds do not call for), and at the same time to demonetize silver, except so far as to make it legal tender to some small amount for all other kinds of indebtedness, would be partial class legislation of the very worst character. We emphatically reject all such compromises. The money that is good enough for the public at large is good enough for the bondholders. mand that the silver dollar be returned to its full legal-tender quality in payment of all debts, both public and private, and we will be satisfied with nothing less than this; and we pledge ourselves to vote for no man for Congress who is not fully committed in favor of this measure.

er.

We de

Resolved, That we will resist the consummation of this wrong by all honorable means within our powWe call upon both Houses of Congress to insist upon the repeal of the demonetizing act and the restoration of the silver dollar to its rightful place in our currency; and if the President shall, by the use of his negative, succeed in defeating the bill, then wo call on Congress to append a similar repealing clause to the general appropriation bill, and stand by it to the last, with full confidence that the people will assuredly stand by them.

Resolved, That we view with intense indignation the efforts now being made by the money power of New York and other cities of the East to coerce public opinion in the West and South upon the question of silver remonetization, and that, speaking in behalf of the State of Illinois, we say most emphatically that the honest convictions of the people of this section of the Union will never be surrendered at the dictation of greedy capitalists and bondholders, be the consequences what they may. Resolved, That the President and Secretaries be required to forward a copy of these resolutions to the President of the United States, and to each member of the Cabinet, as well as to the Senators and Represenatives in Congress for the State of Illi

nois. 4

The convention of Nationals for the nomination of State officers to be elected assembled at Springfield on March 27th, and was organized by the appointment of Joseph Gillespie, of Madison, as President. General E. N. Bates, of Chicago, was nominated for State Treasurer, and Professor Frank H. Hall, of Sugar Creek Grove, for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Clerks for the Northern, Central, and Southern grand divisions of the Supreme Court were nominated, and also Clerks for the four appellate districts. The platform adopted was the same as that adopted in February at the National Convention in Toledo (see UNITED STATES), to which the following resolutions were added:

Resolved, That we demand an immediate issue of a full legal tender paper currency by the Government to the full limit, at least, of the $400,000,000 legaltender United States Treasury notes.

Resolved, That the credit of the Government can best be strengthened and preserved by its first paying off its interest-bearing debt before calling in any part of its non-interest-bearing obligations for redemption.

Resolved, That we recommend and urge upon all

State, county, and township committees, and all other persons engaged in the work, to organize National Greenback and local clubs that support the principles set forth in the Toledo platform.

Resolved, That payment of all wages in lawful money of the country is the only valid payment for labor; and that we are opposed to employment of minors in shops and factories under fourteen years of age.

The Democratic Convention assembled at Springfield on April 11th, and organized by the appointment of Michael W. Robinson, of Cook County, as President. E. L. Cronkite was nominated for State Treasurer, and S. M. Etter for Superintendent of Public Schools. The following platform was adopted:

The Democracy of the State of Illinois, assembled in convention, congratulate the country on the final settlement of the questions resulting from the late civil war upon the principles of local self-government so long supported by the Democratic party: and reaffirm confidence in the capacity of the people to govern themselves, and their belief in the supremacy of the civil over the military power, the liberty of individual action uncontrolled by sumptuary laws, the separation of church and state, the support of free common schools, and the duty of all to yield to the lawfully expressed will of the majority. And we declare

1. That reform must be made in national, State, county, and municipal government, by the reduction of taxes and expenditures, the dismissal of unnecessary and incompetent officers and employees from the public service, and the strict enforcement of official responsibility; and that the provisions of the State Constitution limiting indebtedness and the rate of taxation should be strictly observed and enforced.

2. That tariff for revenue only should be adopted, and if discrimination is made, it should be in favor of the necessaries of life; and in order to remove a part of the burden from the mass of the people who are taxed too much, a graduated tax on incomes, over a reasonable sum for support, ought to be adopted and placed upon the surplus profits of the wealthy, who escape their just proportion of the

taxation.

3. That we are in favor of United States bonds and Treasury notes being subject to taxation the same as other property.

good faith, according to the terms thereof, and the 4. That all contracts ought to be performed in obligations of the Government discharged in lawful money, except where otherwise expressly provided upon their face and by the law under which they were issued, and repudiation should find no favor with an honorable people.

5. That it is inexpedient to make any further reduction of the principal of the public debt for the present; and bonds, as they mature, or sooner if possible, should be replaced by the issue of other duty of the Federal Government to issue bonds, in bonds bearing a lower rate of interest. It is the small denominations, to be sold in this country, for the accommodation of those who wish to invest savings in safe securities.

6. That we are in favor of the immediate and unconditional repeal of the resumption act.

7. That we applaud the action of Congress in the enactment of what is known as the silver bill, and accept it as a partial measure of financial relief; but we demand such further legislation as may result in authorizing free coinage of the silver dollar, the de monetization of which we denounce as an act meriting the condemnation of the people.

8. That it is the exclusive prerogative of the United States to issue all bills to circulate as money, and

a right which ought not to be exercised by any State or corporation.

9. That no further contraction of the volume of legal-tender Treasury notes ought to be allowed, and they should be received for customs, taxes, and public dues as well as private debts, and reissued as fast as received.

10. That the national-bank notes should be retired, and instead thereof there should be issued by the Government an equal amount of Treasury notes. 11. That subsidies in money, bonds, lands, or credit ought not to be granted by the Federal Gov

ernment.

12. That the bankrupt law ought to be immediately repealed.

13. That the courts should be brought as close to the homes of litigants as economy in government will justify, and that, therefore, the judicial power of the United States should be so regulated as to prevent, in controversies between citizens of different States, the transfer of cases from the State to the inferior Federal courts, which are so far removed from the people as to make justice therein inconvenient, expensive, and tardy; and, further, that not less than five thousand dollars should be fixed as the minimum jurisdiction of such courts in such controversies.

14. That the appointment by Federal courts of receivers of corporations who resist the payment of taxes, disregard the rights of the citizen, and turn the earnings of the corporations into foreign channels, is an evil which ought to be corrected by law; and Congress ought to enact such laws as will prohibit such evils and prevent the interference by Federal courts with collection of State, county, and municipal taxes by the appointment of receivers, granting injunctions, or other procedure.

15. That the wages of employees of corporations engaged in mining, manufacturing, and transportation should be made a first lien upon the property, receipts, and carnings of said corporations, and that said lien should be declared, defined, and enforced by appropriate legislation.

16. That the system of leasing convict labor ought to be immediately abolished by the Legislature, and some measure adopted to protect the manufacturers, mechanics, and laborers from unjust competition

with the convict labor of other States.

Resolved, That the contract recently made by the Commissioners of the Penitentiary at Joliet, with the Commissioners of the Eastern Insane Asylum, to build and complete that asylum, is without the authority of law; and the act of the Penitentiary Commissioners in subletting the entire work is a like violation of law and a flagrant wrong to the mechanics and workingmen of this State; and the AttorneyGeneral is hereby requested to take immediate steps to have such contract annulled, and to compel the letting of the work according to the statute.

Resolved, That the acts of the leaders of the Republican party, in defeating the choice of the people for President and Vice-President, is the monster political crime of the age-a crime against free government and the elective franchise which can only be condoned when the criminals are driven from power and consigned to infamy by the people whom they have outraged. And we denounce the act of the President in appointing to high office the corrupt members of the Returning Board as a reward for their infamous conduct, and we condemn the officers of the Federal Government who have attempted to interfere with the administration of justice in the courts of Louisiana.

Resolved, That it is the duty of our Legislature to enact laws for the protection of depositors in savings and all other banks, and for the incarceration of defaulting bank officers.

The Republican Convention assembled at Springfield on June 26th, and organized by the VOL. XVIII.-28

A

appointment of Charles E. Lippincott for President. John C. Smith was nominated for State Treasurer, and James P. Slade for Superintendent of Public Instruction. The following plutform was adopted:

The delegated representatives of the Republican party of the State of Illinois, in convention assembled, do hereby declare

1. Our unfaltering faith in the principles and patriotism of the Republican party, State and national, and in its permanent fitness and ability over all other parties to administer the government of both the State and nation wisely and successfully.

2. That the Democratic party, being largely composed of recent rebels and their sympathizers, can not be safely intrusted with the administration of the affairs of the Government; that the partial success of that party in Congress, as well as in several of the States, only shows its grossly partisan character, and general incapacity and lack of honor and patriotism.

3. For the financial system created by the Republican party during the war, and in spite of the violent opposition of the Democratic party, we express our unqualified admiration. By its provisions the people have been supplied with a larger amount of paper currency, safer and more uniform in value, than they have ever before enjoyed. The credit of the nation has steadily improved, while both the principal and interest of the public debt as well as the burdens of national taxation have been steadily diminished. Such results can only be produced by honesty, economy, and wisdom in the management of financial affairs.

4. We are also opposed to any further contraction of the greenback currency, and are in favor of such currency as can be maintained at par with and convertible into coin at the will of the holder. We are

in favor of such currency being received for import duties, and we deprecate the defeat of the recent bill for that purpose by the Democratic House of Representatives.

5. The permanent pacification of the Southern portion of the Union, and the complete protection of all its citizens in all their civil, political, personal, and property rights, is a duty to which the party stands sacredly pledged. In order to redeem this pledge it placed the recent amendments in the Constitution of the United States, and upon the righteous basis of said amendments it will go forward in the work of pacification until peace shall come through right doing and contentment through justice.

6. That the criminal code should be amended for

the protection of depositors in savings banks by providing for the punishment of dishonest bank managers.

7. And finally, Be it resolved, We believe that those who preserved the country should govern it, instead of those who attempted to destroy it.

The election for State officers and members of the Legislature is held on the same day as the election for members of Congress. In 1878 the day of the general election was November 5th. The election for Governor takes place in this State once in four years. The present incumbent, Shelby M. Cullom, was elected in November, 1876. The next election for Governor will be in 1880.

The proposition for the amendment of the State Constitution above mentioned received 295,960 votes, to 6,008 cast against it, out of a total vote of 448,796.

The vote for Representatives in Congress was as follows:

On March 31, 1878, there were 7,551.5 miles of railroad in operation.

On March 31, 1876, there were 3,661 postoffices. The number of letters sent in the year preceding was 107,576,943, and the number of papers 9,423,670.

The length of the telegraph lines on March 31, 1875, was 16,649 miles, and of the wires, 33,798 miles; number of stations, 225. In 1875-76 the number of dispatches sent was 1,166,833, the receipts £212,914, and the expenditures £387,581.

The budget was officially published on March 20th. The accounts for 1876-'77 show the revenue to have been £56,022,277, and the ordinary expenditure £58,205,055. The loss entailed by the famine was £3,450,000, and the deficit amounted to £2,182,778, exclusive of £3,809,288 expended in productive works. In the regular estimates for 1877-'78 the revenue was stated at £56,310,900, the ordinary expenditures at £62,113,000, and the loss by famine, virtually a deficit, at £3,431,000. The surplus on the ordinary account, excluding the expenditure on account of the famine, was £3,069,000. The budget estimates for 1878-79 include £2,750,000 for provincial rates and taxes. The new taxation on account of the famine appeared for a gross amount of £1,200,000; arrears of land revenue, £671,000; ordinary expenditures, £61,094,000, including £500,000 expenditure on account of famine in Madras. The surplus was estimated at £2,156,000, exclusive of £4,555,000 expended in productive works. The loss on exchange was estimated at

£3,000,000, on an amount of £17,000,000 remitted.

The latest" Statistical Abstract relating to British India" gives a table of the chief features of Indian finance for the last 39 years, from which it appears that only 13 of these years have yielded a surplus of income over expenditure, and that the net deficit for the whole period amounts to a total of nearly £54,000,000. During the last five years £14,000,000 have been, absorbed in relief of sufferings from famine, and the debt has increased by £29,000,000. Up to March, 1877, nearly £25,000,000 had been spent on so-called productive works, of which about £10,000,000 were applied to irrigation works, and £15,000,000 to state railways. During the year ending March, 1877, the irrigation works produced a gross revenue of £520,000, against an expenditure on revenue account of £586,000. The state railways yielded a net profit during 1877 of £141,000, or a return of nearly 1 per cent., while the guaranteed railways, on which £94,000,000 had been expended to the close of 1877, earned for that year more than £6,000,000 net, or an average of considerably more than 6 per cent. The state railways, it must be remembered, are mostly new lines, constructed mainly for strategic purposes or as feeders to trunk lines. The annual trade of British India with Afghanistan is estimated at £1,830,000, nearly equally divided between exports and imports. Of the total, £1,500,000 passes through the Punjaub and £330,000 through Sinde. The trade of Beloochistan is valued at less than £100,000.

On March 14th the Council passed a bill for the better regulation of the native press. In the course of the debate it was explained that the operation of the measure was confined to papers in the vernacular, as they alone appealed to the peasant classes. The Government did not object to fair criticisms of its acts, but the articles against which the bill was directed were not of that character. They attacked established institutions in a manner which no country in the world would suffer. Lord Lytton said it was his deliberate judgment that the bill was imperatively called for by the supreme law of the safety of the state. English rule and English race were maligned in the vernacular press, and sometimes sedition was openly preached. The provisions of this act were extended to Bombay, Bengal, Oude, the Northwest Provinces, and the Punjaub. The immediate passing of this measure into a law was deemed by the Government to be of such grave and paramount importance, that the bill was introduced without the customary notice, the standing orders were also suspended, and it was carried through all its stages at a single sitting of the Council. It was stated to be worthy of note that some of the most seditious of these attacks were published in Mahratta papers, and that the most disloyal of all the papers was published in the capital of Maharajah Holkar, Indore.

An addition of 15,000 men to the native army of India has been decided upon. This will bring up its total strength to about 140,000. The strength of the European force is about 62,600, making the total force for the future more than 202,000. The small number of European officers attached to the native regiments has been much commented upon, and actually appears insufficient for full security. Of the present native army of 125,000, the European officers only number 1,640, or 1.3 per cent., and the proportion will be smaller under the increase that is ordered unless the number of European officers is increased.

The difficulty which has been encountered in dealing with the applications from native states for improvement in their armaments, in regard to the equipment of troops, the importation of arms, and the services of European officers for instruction and drill, led to the circulation among subordinate governments and administrations, and among political officers, of an important dispatch declaratory of the Government policy. Feudatory armies are required henceforth to be limited to numbers sufficient for internal protection. No number in excess of this requirement can be permitted. It is said that, with due regard to the safety of the Empire, the Governor-General has, after much consideration, arrived at the conclusion that the utilization of the feudatory armies for imperial defense is at present impracticable, though no doubt would be felt as to the propriety of so utilizing these forces if a practical scheme were devised. The reduction of forces in excess of internal requirements is to be insisted upon, save in certain exceptional circumstances, such as where the imperial garrisons would be required were it not that their duty is performed by feudatory troops, or, again, where these troops perform police duties only. It is further required that great caution should be exercised in permitting feudatory troops to be drilled by European officers. The Government directs that arms of precision are not to be supplied, and is desirous of being kept fully informed as to the numbers, organization, equipment, and discipline of these forces, as it wishes to dispel all mystery in reference to feudatory armies, and to encourage the native chiefs to treat the Government with perfect confidence in this matter. The duty is also enjoined of periodical inspections not only of the feudatory troops, but also of the various state arsenals. To endeavor as much as possible to curtail extravagant military establishments, military operations, it is said, ought to be confined to the object of the personal security of the chiefs and the security of internal peace.

The suffering from the great famine which still prevailed in many parts of the country continued to attract attention from both the Indian and the English Governments during the earlier part of the year. The condition of the people continued to improve during the

latter part of the summer through most of British India. In Cashmere, however, the distress was unmitigated, so that orders were issued requiring all travelers found in Cashmere to return at once to British territory. The people were said in some districts to be living entirely on herbs, weeds, and unripe fruits, and it was represented that in some parts half the population was missing. The Durbar became aroused to the appalling state of affairs, the authorities began to buy grain in large quantities, relief works were started in all directions, and a mixed committee of Hindoos and Mussulmans worked together to relieve distress. The general report of the season and prospects of the crops in September was favorable everywhere except in Burmah. The number of persons on the relief lists in various districts during the earlier part of the year showed a considerable increase over the corresponding periods of the preceding year. In July the numbers were: In Madras-134,721 on the relief works, 72,743 on gratuitous relief; in Mysore-35,315 on the relief works, 12,552 on gratuitous relief; in the Northwest Provinces-99,052 on relief works (against 69,650 in 1877), and 7,805 in poor-houses (against 6,209 in 1877); in Oude19,212 on relief works (against 17,153 by the last previous report), and 3,341 (against 3,047) in poor-houses. Rains fell over a large part of the country during July, and an improved condition was immediately manifest.

A scheme of public works, to be instituted partly for the sake of giving employment to the people, was determined upon in several districts. The Governor of Madras was authorized in July to begin work on the South Coast Canal. A series of projects for the Northwest Provinces, sanctioned by the Viceroy, comprised four schemes for light railways and canals, the cost of which was estimated to range from two million to ten million pounds sterling. The suffering by famine was succeeded by commercial stringency. At the beginning of September, out of 150 vessels lying in the port of Calcutta, only six had charters for fresh voyages, the rest not being able to command rates of freight sufficient to justify their sailing; and a similar condition existed at Bombay. The failure of the Glasgow bank (see GREAT BRITAIN) involved several Indian firms.

The call of the British Government for native troops to be dispatched to Malta (see GREAT BRITAIN) was received with interest. The enrollment in the imperial service abroad was regarded as a kind of honor among the regiments, and the hope of receiving it stimulated the enthusiasm of the troops. At Bombay, not only was there no holding back of the native regiments ordered on service, but those who were declared to be physically disabled made urgent entreaties to be allowed to go with their comrades. Maharajah Holkar placed his troops at the disposal of the Gov