JAMES MCDONALD, Secretary of the Commonwealth.

In response to a resolution of the Senate calling for information, the President of the United States, on the 14th of December, said: It is well understood that the presence of United States troops at the polling-places never prevented the full exercise of the franchise of any citizen, of whatever political faith. If, then, they have had any effect whatever upon the ballots cast, it has been to insure protection to the citizen casting it, in giving it to the candidate of his unbiased choice with out fear, and thus securing the very essence of liberty. It may be the presence of twenty-four United States soldiers, under the command of a captain and lieutenant, quartered in the customhouse at Petersburg, Va., on the 7th of November, at a considerable distance from any polling place, without any interference on their part whatever, and without going near the polls during the election, may have secured a different result from what would have been obtained if they had not been there (to maintain peace in case of riot), on the face of returns. But if such is the case, it is only proof that in this one congressional district in the State of Virginia the legal and constitutional voters have been able to return as elected the candidate of their choice.

General Sherman, in his report to the Secretary of War on the subject, made the following statement:

Company B, Captain Breckinridge, of the Second United States Artillery, was posted at Petersburg, Va., from November 4th to November 13th, when it was recalled to its proper station, Fort Foote, Maryland. To a more complete understanding of the case, I will add that, on the 2d day of November, a gentleman came to me from the Attorney-General, representing that there was reason to apprehend a breach of the peace at Petersburg, Va., and asking a detachment of troops to be sent there. You being then absent, I saw Judge Taft in person, and he advised that a company of soldiers be sent to Petersburg if practicable; and the next day, being in New York City, I saw General Hancock in person, and, after some inquiries as to available troops, I ordered him to send the above designated company to Petersburg, to remain during the election of November 7th, and then to return to its post.

Governor Kemper, alluding to the subject in his annual message, said:

The posting of a band of soldiers close to the voting-places of that city, on the eve of the elections, was as unexpected as a thunderbolt out of a cloudless sky. The entire Commonwealth was in a condition of profound peace. No indication or apprehension of any possible disorder existed, and this government was ready and able to protect the rights of all its citizens in every contingency. Not even a

private quarrel, leading to any single case of assault and battery, had occurred for months in the community in which the armed force was thus stationed. Emboldened by the presence of these troops, an inferior ministerial officer of the United States appointed a large number of special deputies for service at Petersburg on the day of the election; and these appointees, including in their number recent malefactors, and wearing the insignia of national authority, assumed to direct and control many votes of a particular class. The effect of the intrusion of national force was to intimidate voters, to control an election for partisan purposes, and to overthrow within certain territorial limits the freedom of the elective franchise. I record for your information, but I forbear to discuss, the particulars connected with a revival of prætorian power, which imperils

our institutions and our liberties.

VOL. XVI.-51 A

The session of the Legislature began on the 6th of December, but before the adjournment over the Christmas holidays little had been done beyond preparation for legislation. A special committee of five Senators and nine members of the House was appointed, to which could be referred all propositions to amend the constitution of the State. Edmund C. Burks was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court, to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Judge Wood Bouldin. In response to a joint resolution, Governor Kemper submitted a special message indicating what offices could be abolished, and wherein the clerical work at the Capitol could be reduced. Among other sug

gestions was one that the offices of AdjutantGeneral, Superintendent of Public Printing, Register of the Land-Office, and Second Auditor, could be advantageously abolished.

Early in the session a series of resolutions was adopted expressing sympathy for the people of South Carolina, and admiration for the firm, manly, and patriotic assertion of their rights by the people of South Carolina, by their chosen representatives, and by their wise, prudent, and courageous Governor, Wade Hampton, who have with moderation and forbearance borne outrages committed upon them and the constitution and laws of their State, and appealed with calm confidence to the legal tribunals of the State and to the enlightened judgment of the American people."

The Legislature of 1875-76 had refused to make an appropriation for a display of the resources of the State at the Centennial Exhibition, on account of the poverty of the people and the embarrassment of the State Treasury. From the same considerations the Governor, in October, declined to take part in the celebration of a special Virginia day at Philadelphia. The University of Virginia during the year

WALKER, Sir BALDWIN WAKE, a British naval officer, born in 1803; died February 14, 1876. In October, 1828, he rendered valuable aid in the reduction of the castle of Morea, the last hold of the Turks in the Peloponnesus, and for this service was rewarded with the order of the Redeemer of Greece, and the Cross of the Legion of Honor. In 1834 he became commander, and in 1838 captain. For a time he was a rear and a vice admiral in the Turkish Navy, and in 1840 commanded the Turkish fleet which operated on the coast of Syria, participating in the attack on Beyrout and the bombardment of Acre. In 1847 he was appointed Surveyor of the Navy, attained Flag rank in 1858, was appointed to the command of the South African station in 1860, and afterward to that of the East Indian station. He was created a baronet in 1856, a K. C. B. in 1841, and was a knight of different foreign orders.

WARREN, JOSEPH, an enterprising citizen of Buffalo, N. Y., where he died, September 30, 1876. He was born in Waterbury, Vt., July 24, 1829. He graduated at the University of Vermont, and went to Albany, N. Y., where he became assistant editor of the Country Gentleman, and also Professor of Latin and Greek at the Albany Academy. He became associate editor of the Buffalo Courier in 1854, and subsequently editor-in-chief. He took a prominent part in politics, was a member at large of the Democratic State Central Committee, and for ten years had been a recognized leader of the Democratic party in Western New York. He labored zealously to promote the in

received a gift of $55,000 from W. W. Corcoran, of Washington, and $2,000 from a citizen of the State of New York, whose name was withheld from the public.

The committee, headed by A. J. B. Beresford Hope, in England, which raised the funds for the memorial statue of "Stonewall" Jackson, set up in Richmond in 1875, having a balance of over £245 unexpended, transmitted it to the Governor to be used for the foundation of a Jackson prize at the Lexington Military Academy. It has been decided to invest it as a permanent fund, from the income of which gold medals, to be known as "The Jackson Hope Medals," shall be provided, to be awarded to the most distinguished members of the successive graduating classes of the Virgins Military Institute.

The Lee Monument Association has been formed, and is engaged in raising funds to procure an equestrian statue of the late General Robert E. Lee, to be given to the State and placed on the Capitol grounds at Richmond.

(For the action of the Board of Arbitration to fix the boundary between this State and Maryland, see MARYLAND, in this volume.)

terests of Buffalo. In 1857 he was elected Superintendent of Public Schools. He advocated the project of the public-park system, and served on the Park Commission from its formation in 1871 till his death. He was one of the organizers of the plan to erect the city and county buildings. It was largely through his exertions that the Buffalo Asylum for the Insane was located in that city, and he served as one of its managers, and chairman of the Executive Committee, until within about a month of his death. He was also instrumental in the estab lishment of the State Normal School in Buffalo, and was a member of its Board of Trustees. He took an active part in the organization of the Fine-Arts Academy, and was interested in the project of the Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia Railroad. He was formerly President of the Young Men's Christian Association in Buffalo; was a member of the Council of the Medical Department of the University of Baffalo, and for several years prior to his death was President of the State Associated Press.

WEST VIRGINIA. The Senate of West Virginia was in session as a Court of Impeachment for several weeks in January and Febru ary for the trial of E. A. Bennett, Auditor, and John S. Burdett, Treasurer, on the impeachment begun in 1875 (see ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA for that year). The result was the conviction and removal from office of Burdett, and the acquittal of Bennett.

The State is in a sound financial condition. It has not yet assumed the payment of that portion of the old debt of Virginia set apart as

These are to be paid from appropriations of 1877. The deficiency making it necessary to borrow for current expenses was occasioned by delinquency in the payment of taxes. There was due on the 1st of October, on account of taxes of 1875, the sum of $117,349.10.

The system of public schools of the State is gradually improving. The expenditures for school purposes during the year amounted to $1,000,933.16 against $921,778.90 in 1875. The number of children enrolled was 184,760; number attending schools, 123,540; average daily attendance, 70,112. There were 3,127 school-houses, valued at $1,660,467.33; and 3,683 teachers, to whom was paid over $538,400 in salaries. These figures show a substantial increase over those of 1875.

The Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, at Romney, is supported at a cost of about $30,000 a year. The attendance during the year was 65 deaf-mutes and 19 blind persons. In connection with the school are four shops in which shoemaking, tailoring, mattress-making, broom-making, etc., are taught.

Reverse.

VIRGINIA

MONTANI SEMPER

The Hospital for the Insane, at Weston, had 397 inmates on the 30th of September, of whom 222 were males and 175 females. Accommodations for 90 patients have been added during the year, and a new brick building erected for colored patients. The average cost, per week, for each inmate of the hospital was $2.38. The appropriation asked for, for current expenses for 1877, is $60,840. The institution is now crowded, and an extension is urged by the superintendent.

The penitentiary, at Moundsville, contained 157 State and 32 United States prisoners at the close of the year. The latter are taken on contract with the Federal Government at forty cents per day. The cost of feeding prisoners during the year was on an average 10.95 cents per day, per capita. The penitentiary is not self-supporting, and appropriations are asked for, amounting to $42,000 for 1877, and $25,

000 for 1878. Of the former sum $15,000 is wanted to complete and equip the workshops.

A convention of the Democrats of the State, held at Charleston, on the 8th of June, made nominations for State officers and presidential electors at large; chose delegates to the National Convention of the party; appointed a State Central Committee; and adopted a declaration of principles. The State ticket was as follows: For Governor, H. M. Matthews; for Attorney-General, Robert White; for Auditor, Joseph S. Miller; for Treasurer, Thomas J. West; for Superintendent of Schools, W. K. Pendleton; for Judges of Supreme Court of Appeals, A. F. Haymond and Okey Johnson for the full term, and T. C. Green for the unexpired term of Judge Paull. Majority and minority reports were made by the Committee on Resolutions. The former consisted of four resolu

tions, the first urging harmony in the party, and the last arraigning the Republicans. The second was as follows:

Resolved, That the great principles which, in our opinion, underlie and must sustain the national Democratic party, of which we are an integral part, are: 1. Restriction of the Federal Government to its original sphere of action, and to the powers prescribed and limited by the Constitution. 2. The independence of the Supreme Court of the United States preserved against intimidation or undue influence on the part of the coordinate departments of the General Government. 3. Subordination of the military to the civil power. 4. The equality and constitutional self-government of the States, leaving to each of them respectively the solution of questions and difficulties arising therein, subject only to the Constitution of the United States. 5. No occupation of State territory by United States forces, except in aid of civil authority, upon demand of the Governor, as in the Constitution prescribed. 6. Reform of civil service, in such manner that honesty and competency shall again be regarded in the selection of Federal officers, and that such officers shall not be permitted to interfere with the freedom of elections, nor be subjected to contributions to further the political aims or aspirations of the appoint ing power. 7. Complete and universal unconditional amnesty for all those who participated in the civil war upon a basis of mutual reconciliation, such as the spirit of the age demands and the permanency of our institutions requires. 8. A return to the old landmarks of Anglo-Saxon liberty, viz.: no suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in times of peace; trial by a jury of the vicinage when the prisoner demands it; freedom of the press, and no religious or expurgatory political tests for suffrage or office-holding. 9. No interference by the General Government with education and religion in the States, upon any pretext whatever, however plausible. 10. Firm and uncompromising resistance to the further infection of the American mind with the spirit of peculation, plunder, and universal corruption in office, inaugurated by the Republican party, fostered by the war, and culminating in the disgusting indecency practised by the present Administration.

The third related to national finances, and was the chief cause of division in the committee. It was as follows:

Resolvel, That while we belong to a debtor State, and believe that the Republican party has treated such States unfairly and unjustly, by its financial policy, and while we favor an immediate repeal of the "specie resumption act," taxation of United States bonds like other property, and the abolition of the present banking system, yet, at the same time, we emphatically deprecate the effort to divide the Democratic party upon issues involving money only, and recommend that such issues be remitted to the congressional districts, or otherwise subordinated to those great moral and constitutional questions which underlie the very existence of the Union and its institutions.

The corresponding declaration of the minority was as follows:

Upon national questions, while counseling har mony and toleration on the part of our representa tives in the National Convention, we desire the unconditional repeal of the Republican measure for the resumption of specie payments, the abolition of special exemptions upon the property of wealthy individuals and corporations, and such other financial reforms as should furnish the business and labor of the country with a sound and ample currency which, without forced contraction, without forced resumption, will aid in restoring prosperity to our land.

There were also resolutions in favor of preserving the public-school system "free from sectarian influence or control," reducing taxation, reforming the judiciary, and submitting to a vote of the people the question of removing the capital. The vote on substituting the financial resolution of the minority report for that of the majority stood-yeas 1761, nays 305; on substituting the whole minority report for that of the majority-yeas 226, nays 260. The majority report was then adopted by a vote of 289 to 1798. The following was adopted unanimously as an addition to the platform:

Resolved, That we pledge the Democratic and Conservative party to the preservation of our publicschool system, free from sectarian influence and control, and promise to its promotion and improvement the earnest and active efforts of our party."

The Republicans had met in convention in May to select delegates to the national nominating body at Cincinnati, and held their convention for the nomination of candidates for State officers at Parkersburg, on the 27th of July. General Nathan Goff, Jr., was nominated for Governor; Moses Frankenberger for Treasurer; Charles M. Shinn for Auditor; John A. Hutchinson for Attorney-General; F. H. Crags for Superintendent of Schools; and W. H. H. Flick, R. L. Berkeshire, and R. S. Brown, for Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals. The Committee on Resolutions made a majority and a minority report. The following is a synopsis of the former:

Arraignment of the Democratic party for its nonconformity with the pledges of six years ago, to economize and reform; on the contrary, increasing taxes and expenditures; multiplying the number of officials, raising their salaries, imposing an unwise constitution upon the people, inimical to their interests; the vagueness and uncertainty of its language, which has been a constant source of conflict between the legislative, executive, and judicial departments, changing the road-law, making it oppressive in its county court system; in the construction of too large unjust discriminations; in reestablishing the old with Federal convicts to cheapen the labor of our and expensive a penitentiary, that it might be filled mechanics; in tampering with the school-laws; in the landlord to strip the tenant of his furniture and providing a homestead-exemption law that permits clothing; in covering up the frauds of its public of citizens to other States; in destroying local selfficials; in having, by excessive taxation, driven many hands of cliques at court-houses; in so arranging the government, and concentrating the power in the disbursements of the county funds as to create a class of money-changers, shavers, sharpers, and Shylocks; appropriating moneys for bogus railroads, boom companies, etc.; with unusual privilege for the excessive benefit of bankrupt corporations, etc.; demanding such amendments to the present constitution as will relieve it from the odium of incongruities and absurdities; opposing the restoration of the test-oath; pledging a reduction of State taxation; demanding the abolition of the county court system; the restoration of township and local self-government; the exclusion of everything sectarian or partisan from the public schools; the selection of men for public positions who are honest, capable, and sober; the prompt and vigorous punishment of public men guilty of fraud or misconduct; demanding a just homestead-law: indorsing the principles of the National Republican

Convention, and pledging their undivided support to its nominees; calling them the friends of honest labor, and not the manipulators of political intrigues, the real reformers and not pretenders, statesmen and not politicians; and, finally, calling upon all men, of all parties, to unite with them in relieving the people of this State from the existing evils and in the reestablishment of good government.

The minority report was in favor of submitting to a vote of the people the question of removing the capital, and it was adopted, after some modification, as an addition to the platform given above.

The Greenback party also made nominations for Governor and presidential electors, the candidate for the former being James M. Laidley.

The State election occurred on the 10th of October, and resulted in the choice of the Democratic candidates. The total vote for Governor was 100,015, of which Matthews received 56,206, Goff 43,477, and Laidley 332. Matthews's plurality over Goff was 12,729, majority over all 12,397. The largest Democratic majority was that for Attorney-General, Robert White having 57,843 votes, to 42,196 for John A. Hutchinson, and six scattering, making White's majority 15,641. The total vote cast for presidential electors in November was 99,939, of which the Democratic candidates had 56,565, the Republican candidates 42,001, and the Greenback ticket 1,373. The plurality of Tilden over Hayes was 14,564; majority over all, 13,191. Democratic members of Congress were chosen in all of the three districts. The majorities were 1,835 in the first district, 3,773 in the second, and 7,576 in the third. The Legislature of 1876-'77 consists of 19 Democrats and 5 Republicans in the Senate, and 49 Democrats and 16 Republicans in the House, giving the Democrats a majority of 14 in the Senate, 33 in the House, and 47 on a joint ballot. Henry Mason Matthews, the new Governor, is a lawyer, residing in Lewisburg, and had been Attorney-General four years prior to his election to the chief executive office.

The new Capitol building, constructed by the authority and at the expense of the city of Wheeling, was turned over to the State, and formally accepted, on the 6th of January, 1877. It cost $100,000.

WHEELER, WILLIAM ALMON, was born at Malone, N. Y., June 30, 1819. At the age of nineteen he entered the University of Vermont, where he continued two years. After four years' study of the law in Malone he began practice. During this time he was made Town Clerk, School Commissioner, and School Inspector, and, soon after the adoption of the State constitution of 1846, was elected District Attorney for the county. He was elected by the Whigs a Representative in the Legislature of 1849 and 1850, and in 1859 and 1860 he was a member of the State Senate, where he was chosen president pro tempore. He was Cashier of the Malone Bank from 1851 to 1865. In 1854 he became a trustee of the second-mortgage bonds of the old Northern Railroad (af

terward merged in the Ogdensburg & Lake Champlain), and, as President of the Board of Trustees, was virtual manager of the road for eleven years. In 1860 Mr. Wheeler was elected to Congress, and served one term. In 1867 he was chosen a member of the State Constitutional Convention, and when that body assembled he became its president. In 1868 he was again elected to Congress from his native district, and was three times reclected in succession. He served as a member of the Committees on Appropriations and Southern Affairs, and was chairman of the Committees on the Pacific Railroad and Commerce. In 1875 he visited New Orleans, and prepared an adjustment for the political difficulties in Louisiana, which became known as the "Wheeler Compromise." In June, 1876, Mr. Wheeler was nominated for Vice-President of the United States by the National Republican Convention assembled in Cincinnati. (For the results of the election see UNITED STATES.) Mr. Wheeler has acted with the Republican party since its organization, and was previously a Whig.

In

WILLIAMS, BARNEY, died in New York, April 25th. He was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1823. His name was Bernard Flaherty, but he was almost entirely known by his professional name, Barney Williams. As early as 1836 he was connected with the old Franklin Theatre in Chatham Square, New York. 1845 he was the manager of the Vauxhall Garden in the Bowery. In 1850 he was married to Maria Pray, then the widow of Charles Mestayer. His wife was an excellent actress, and subsequently Mr. and Mrs. Williams generally took the leading characters in the same plays. In 1854 they played a very successful engagement in San Francisco. In 1855 they went to England, where Mr. Williams achieved a notable success as Ragged Pat in "Ireland as it was." He subsequently played this part with great success in the chief cities of England, Ireland, and Scotland. He returned to New York in September, 1859, and fulfilled a long engagement at Niblo's Garden. He afterward appeared in the chief cities of the United States. In 1867 he assumed the management of Wallack's old Broadway Theatre in New York, where he remained for two years. He and his wife subsequently played in the chief cities of Great Britain, the United States, and Canada. Mr. Williams always represented Irish characters, and had a worldwide reputation as an Irish comedian. His wife survives him. He was a brother-in-law of the comedian William J. Florence, Mrs. Florence (who is also a well-known comédienne) and Mrs. Williams being sisters. Mr. Williams's mother died in New York Decem18, 1876, aged 80 years.

WISCONSIN. The Legislature of this State closed its session of 1876 on the 14th of March, after sixty-three days' continuance. A large amount of business was transacted within that