cratic councils and whose declarations and action prove them to be strangers as well to Democratic principles and traditions." The money plank read: "In the words of the National Democratic platform of 1892, 'We hold to the use of both gold and silver without discrimination against either metal or charge for mintage, but the dollar unit of coinage of both metals must be of equal intrinsic and exchangeable value, or be adjusted through international agreement or by such safeguards of legislation as shall insure the maintenance of the parity of the two metals, and the equal power of every dollar at all times in the markets and in the payment of debt; and we demand that all paper currency shall be kept at par with and redeemable in such coin. We insist upon this policy as especially necessary for the protection of the farmer and laboring classes, the first and most defenceless victims of unstable money and a fluctuating currency.' And to create and maintain the integrity of that dollar we adopt the words of the Democratic party of Wisconsin, assembled in convention, in June, 1896, in favor of gold, as the true measure of unfluctuating value."

POPULIST.

September 2, 1896.-Resolutions were adopted indorsing the National platform and all of the usual isms of the Populists.

WYOMING. REPUBLICAN.

May 15, 1896.-The platform contained this money plank: "We reaffirm our alle

giance to the principles of bimetallism as enunciated in the Republican State platform adopted at Casper in 1894, and we commend the record of our Senators and Representatives in Congress in maintaining this principle, and we instruct our delegates to the St. Louis Convention to take like action when the financial plank of the platform of the Convention is being made."

The 1894 State platform declared for the free and unlimited coinage of both gold and silver at the ratio of 16 to 1. The delegates to St. Louis were instructed to vote for McKinley, but the Convention pledged its support to any candidate nominated at St. Louis.

August 13, 1896.-"We favor the free coinage of gold and silver into standard money, as expressed in our former platforms, under such legislation as will guarantee that all our money shall remain on an equality."

DEMOCRATIC.

May 21, 1896.-The platform had this one plank only:

"Whereas, The paramount issue before the American people is the currency question; therefore,

"Resolved, That we, the Democracy of Wyoming, demand the free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold into primary redemption money at the ratio of 16 to 1 without waiting for the action or approval of any other Government."

No mention was made of President Cleveland nor his Administration.

APPROPRIATIONS.

Department of Agriculture for fiscal year of 1897-8, $3,182,902. Became a law in the special session of the LVth Congress, President Cleveland having declined to approve of the bill on the last day of his term. Army, for fiscal year of 1897-8, $23,129,344 30. Approved March 2, 1897.

Diplomatic and Consular Service, for fiscal year of 1897-8, $1,695,308 76. Approved February 20, 1897.

District of Columbia, for fiscal year of 1897-8, $6,187,591 06. Approved March 3, 1897.

Indian Department, for fiscal year of 1897-8, $7,670,420 89. Became a law by action of the LVth Congress, President Cleveland declining to approve of the bill on the last day of his term.

Legislative, Executive and Judicial expenses for fiscal year of 1897-8, $21,690,766 90. Items: Senate-Compensation of Senators, $450,000; mileage of Senators, $45,000; office of Vice-President, $5,460; office of Secretary of Senate, $66,074 40; clerks and messengers to committees, $102,220; other expenses, $434,623. House of Representatives-Compensation of members, $1,803,000; mileage of members, $130,000; other expenses, $896,497 75. Capitol police, $52,420. Public Printer, $18,100. Library of Congress, $281,900. Botanic Garden, $18,893 75. Executive Office-President, $50,000; Vice-President,

$8,000; contingent expenses of office, $43,200. Civil Service Commission, $98,340. State Department, $135,220. Treasury Department, $3,215,063 60. Collecting Internal Revenue, $3,610,000. Independent Treasury, $438,440. United States mints and assay offices, $900, 400. Government in the Territories, $88,700. War Department, $1,479,430. Public buildings and grounds, $48,520. State, War and Navy Department building, $158,880. Navy Department, $420,690. Interior Department, $4,880,780. Surveyors-General and their clerks, $162,450. Postoffice Department, $887,800. Labor Department, $173,490. Department of Justice, $209,930. Judicial (United States courts), $913,960.

Military Academy, for fiscal year 1897-8, $479,572 83. Approved February 10, 1897. Navy Department, for fiscal year of 1897-8, $33,128,234 29. Approved March 3, 1897.

Pension Department, for fiscal year of 1897-8. $141,263,880. Approved December 22, 1896.

Postoffice Department, for fiscal year of 1897-8, $95,665,338 75. Approved March 3, 1897.

Sundry Civil Act, for fiscal year of 1897-8, $53,611,783 38.

Deficiencies for fiscal year ending June 30. 1897, $9,662,101 23. Approved December 22, 1896.

Fortifications and Coast Defence, $9,517,141. Approved March 3, 1897.

Granting an American register to the steamer Kahului. January 20, 1897.

Referring the claim of the owners of the brig Tally-Ho, sunk by collision with the war vessel Pinta, October 3, 1883, to the Court of Claims. January 9, 1897.

Providing that all vessels of above fifteen tons burden, carrying freight or passengers, for hire, propelled by gas, fluid, naphtha, or electric motors, shall be made subject to the provisions of the United States Revised Statutes relating to the inspection of hulls and boilers and requiring engineers and pilots. January 18, 1897.

Requiring that every documented vessel of the United States shall have the name marked, with letters not less in size than four inches, upon each bow and upon the stern, and the home port shall also be marked upon the stern. For violation of this act the owner or owners of a vessel will be liable to a penalty of $10 for each name omitted. January 20, 1897.

Providing that "yachts belonging to a regularly organized yacht club of any foreign nation which shall extend like privileges to the yachts of the United States, shall have the privilege of entering or leaving any port of the United States without entering or clearing at the customhouse thereof or paying tonnage tax: Provided, That the privileges of this section shall not extend to any yacht built outside of the United States and owned, chartered or used by a citizen of the United States, unless such ownership or charter was acquired prior to the passage of this act." Became a law without the President's approval, February 3, 1897.

Amending the Revised Statutes relative to quarters for seamen so that on and after June 30, 1898, every place appropriated to the crew of a seagoing vessel of the United States, except a fishing vessel, yacht, a pilot boat and all vessels under 200 tons register, shall have a space of not less than 72 cubic feet and not less than 12 square feet measured on the deck or floor of that place for each seaman or apprentice lodged therein: Provided, That any such seagoing sailing vessel built or rebuilt after June 30, 1898, shall have a space of not less than 100 cubic feet and not less than 16 square feet measured on the deck or floor of that space for each seaman or apprentice lodged therein. Such place shall be securely constructed, properly lighted, drained, heated and ventilated, properly protected from weather and sea, and, as far as practicable, properly shut off and protected from the effluvium of cargo or bilge water. It is further provided that on and after June 30, 1898, every steamboat plying upon the Mississippi River or its tributaries shall furnish an appropriate place for the crew, which shall conform to the requirements of the section amended, so far as they shall be applicable thereto, by providing sleeping room in the engine-room of

the steamboats, properly protected from the cold, winds and rains by suitable screens or awnings on either side of the guards or sides and forward, reaching from the boiler deck to the lower or main deck, and shall be properly heated. It is also provided that "every master or other officer of an American vessel on the high seas, or on any other waters within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States, who, without justifiable cause, beats, wounds or imprisons any of the crew of such vessel, or withholds from them suitable food and nourishment, or infiicts upon them any cruel and unusual punishment, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by imprisonment not more than five years, or by both." Other amendments provide for certified copies of lists of crews; regulation lights for steam pilotboats; sale of effects of deceased seamen; fort fees; American registry; the suspension of certain distinguishing lights warships whenever the Secretary of the Navy, the commander of squadron or ship may conclude that the special character of the service in which the ship is engaged may require it; providing for a suspension of the exhibition of lights on a revenue cutter whenever it is deemed desirable; regulations for fog signals, the right of way to avoid collisions, and obtaining stores and equipment of ships from bond. The act was approved March 3, 1897, and took effect July 1, 1897.

NAVY.

on

Authorizing the President to nominate and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate to appoint ex-Commander John N. Quackenbush to the same grade and rank in the Navy as of date of August 1, 1883 (the date of his dismissal), and to place him on the retired list as of date of June 1, 1895. Became a law without the President's approval, February 4, 1897.

PUBLIC LANDS.

Defining the rights of purchasers under mortgages authorized by an act of Congress approved April 20, 1871, concerning the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company, March 3, 1897.

Extending the time within which the University of Utah shall occupy the lands granted to it by act of July 23, 1894, so that instead of five years it shall read ten years thereafter. January 8, 1897.

con

An act providing that any person, live stock company or transportation corporation engaged in breeding, grazing, driving or transporting live stock may struct reservoirs upon unoccupied public lands for the purpose of furnishing water to such live stock, and shall have control of such reservoirs, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior. Such reservoirs must not be fenced and are to be open to the free use of any person desiring to water animals of any kind. January 13, 1897.

Providing for the entry of lands in Greer County, Oklahoma, to give preference rights to settlers. January 18, 1897.

Providing that all the right, title and interest of the United States in and to the lands in Louisiana known as the located but unconfirmed private land claims therein, aggregating about 80,000 acres,

shall be released and relinquished by the United States to the respective owners of the equitable titles thereto, and to their respective heirs and assigns forever. February 10, 1897.

RAILROADS.

Extending the time for the construction of the Eastern Nebraska and Gulf Railroad to June 27, 1900. February 6, 1897. Extending the time for the construction of the Kansas, Oklahoma Central and Southwestern Railroad, through Oklahoma and the Indian Territory, to December 21, 1898, for the first hundred miles, and to December 21, 1900, to complete the same. February 15, 1897.

Authorizing the Muskogee, Oklahoma and Western Railroad to construct and operate a line of railway through Oklahoma and the Indian Territory. Became a law without the President's approval January 28, 1897.

Granting the right of way to the Hudson Reservoir and Canal Company through and across the Gila River Indian Reservation, in Arizona. It provides that the company must furnish to the Indians located along the canal, at all times, water sufficient for all domestic and agricultural purposes. February 15, 1897.

Authorizing the issue of bonds by NewMexico for the cost of rebuilding the Territorial Capitol at Santa Fe, which was destroyed by fire May 12, 1892. Became a law without the President's approval January 15, 1897.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Revising and amending the Revised Statutes relating to patents. March 3, 1897.

Amending the act of June 30, 1876, relative to the appointment of receivers of National banks, the rights of shareholders, etc. March 2, 1897.

Prohibiting persons from selling to or giving to Indians any malt, spirituous or vinous liquor or intoxicating liquor of any kind whatsoever, under penalty of imprisonment and fine. January 30, 1897.

Providing for the correction of records and adjustment of claims of certain officers and enlisted men of the volunteer forces of the Civil War. February 24, 1897. Prohibiting the carrying of obscene literature and articles designed for indecent and immoral use from one State or Territory into another State or Territory. February 8, 1897.

New

Admitting free of duty needlework and similar articles imported by the York Association of Sewing Schools for exhibition purposes. February 24, 1897.

Authorizing the entry and patenting of lands containing petroleum and other mineral oils under the placer mining laws of the United States. February 11, 1897.

Authorizing the Secretary of War to issue Springfield rifles to each State and Territory for the National Guards thereof, in exchange for other rifles held by them. February 24, 1897.

Providing that all soldiers, sailors, marines and nurses who served in the Civil War dying in the service or dying in a destitute condition after having been honorably discharged may be buried in any National cemetery free of cost. March 3, 1897.

Amending Section 5,459 of the Revised Statutes, prescribing the punishment for mutilating United States coins and for altering or passing or attempting to alter or pass such mutilated coins. March 3, 1897.

Amending the postal laws providing rules under which the sender or owner of first-class registered matter shall be indemnified for losses thereof in the mails, but in no case to exceed $10 for any one registered piece. February 27, 1897.

Providing that any person who shall wilfully or maliciously set on fire any portion of the forests, or shall carelessly or negligently leave or suffer fire to burn unattended near any timber or other inflammable material, or who shall not totally extinguish a camp-fire built by such person near any forest, etc., before breaking camp or leaving said fire, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and may be punished by fine and imprisonment. February 24, 1897.

Authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to place at the disposal of the Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco any warship best adapted for such service for the purpose of transporting to the famishing poor of India such contributions as may be made for their relief; or to charter a suitable merchant vessel for such purpose. February 19, 1897.

Providing for the distribution of the maps and atlases of the United States Geological Survey at such prices and under such regulations as may from time to time be fixed by the Secretary of the Interior. February 18, 1897.

Providing that forfeited domestic smoking opium may be sold to the highest bidder, pursuant to the provisions of Section 3,460 of the Revised Statutes, if not valued at over $500; but if valued at more than $500 the sale shall be made pursuant to the judgment of the Court in proceedings for condemnation or forfeiture. March 3, 1897.

Incorporating the "Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf," for the promotion of the education of the deaf on the broadest, most advanced and practical lines, and naming the following as incorporators: Edward M. Gallaudet, Washington, D. C.; Francis D. Clark, Flint, Mich.; S. Tefft Walker, Jacksonville, Ill.; James L. Smith, Faribault, Minn.; Sarah Fuller, Boston, Mass.; David C. Dudley, Colorado Springs, Col., and John R. Dobyns, Jackson, Miss. January 26, 1897.

Directing the Secretary of War to prepare a roll of all persons who served not less than ninety days in the operation of military telegraph lines during the late Civil War, and to issue to each, upon application, unless it appears that his service was not creditably performed, or to the representatives of those who are dead, suitable certificates of honorable service in the military telegraph corps of the Army of the United States, stating the service rendered, the length of such service, and the dates, as near as may be, between which such service was performed.

Empowering the Secretary of the Treasury to bestow life-saving medals upon persons making signal exertions in rescuing and succoring the shipwrecked and

saving persons from drowning in the waters over which the United States has jurisdiction, whether the said persons making such exertions were or were not members of a life-saving crew, or whether or not such exertions were made in the vicinity of a life-saving station. January 21, 1897.

ANALYSIS OF MORE IMPORTANT ACTS OF CONGRESS. TENNESSEE EXPOSITION.

An act was approved on December 22, 1896, providing for a Government exhibit, etc., at the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Section 1 authorized that the exhibit should be such articles from the executive departments, the Smithsonian Institution and National Museum, and the Fish Co'nmission, as would illustrate the function and administrative faculty of the Government in time of peace and its resources as a war power, tending to demonstrate the nature of the institutions of the United States and their adaptation to the wants of the people; also authorizing the appointment of a board of managers for such exhibit.

Section 2 appropriated $30,000 for the construction of a building or buildings for the Government exhibit, and for the disposition of such buildings at the close of the exposition, giving preference to Nashville or to the exposition company to purchase the same at an appraised value.

Section 3 appropriated $100,000 for the expenses of the Government exhibit, including salaries of persons employed and contingent expenses.

Section 4 provided that "all articles which shall be imported from foreign countries for the sole purpose of exhibition, upon which there shall be a tariff or customs duty, shall be admitted free of payment of duty, customs fees or charges, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe; but it shall be lawful at any time during the exhibition to sell, for delivery at the close of the exposition, any goods or property imported for and actually on exhibition in the exposition buildings or on its grounds, subject to such regulations for the security of the revenue and for the collection of import duties as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe: Provided, That all such articles, when sold or withdrawn for consumption in the United States, shall be subject to the duty, if any, imposed upon such articles by the revenue laws in force at the date of importation, and all penalties prescribed by law shall be applied and enforced against such articles and against the persons who may be guilty of any illegal sale or withdrawal."

Section 5 provided that such medals as the exposition company desired for award to exhibitors could be prepared at some mint of the United States upon the payment of a sum not less than the cost thereof.

Section 6 provided that the United States should in no manner and under no circumstances be liable for any bond, debt, contract, expenditure, expense or liability of any kind whatever of the exposition company, or any one connected with it, nor for any amount in excess of the $130,000 appropriated.

ALIEN LAND OWNERSHIP.

An act of March 2, 1897, defines and regulates the rights of aliens to hold and own real estate in the Territories. The first section reads: "That no alien or person who is not a citizen of the United States, or who has not declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States in the manner provided by law, shall acquire title to or own any land in any of the Territories of the United States except as hereinafter provided: Provided. That the prohibition of this section shall not apply to cases in which the right to hold or dispose of lands in the United States is secured by existing treaties to citizens or subjects of foreign countries, which rights, so far as they may exist by force of any such treaty, shall continue to exist so long as such treaties are in force, and no longer."

Section 2 provides that the above shall not apply to land then owned in any of the Territories by aliens, which was acquired on or before March 3, 1887, so long as it is held by their then owners, heirs or representatives, nor to any alien who shall become a bona-fide resident of the United States; and any alien who shall become a bona-fide resident or shall have declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States shall have the right to acquire and hold lands upon the same terms as citizens of the United States. It is provided, however, that if any such resident alien shall cease to be a bona-fide resident of the United States, then such alien shall have ten years from the time he ceases to be such bona-fide resident in which to alienate his lands. This act does not prevent aliens from acquiring lands or any interests therein by inheritance or in the ordinary course of justice in the collection of debts, nor from acquiring liens on real estate or any interest therein, nor from lending money and securing the same upon real estate or any interest therein, nor from enforcing any such lien, nor from acquiring and holding title to such real estate, or any interest therein, upon which a lien may have heretofore or may hereafter be fixed, or upon which a loan may have been or may be made and secured, provided that all lands so acquired shall be sold within ten years after title shall be perfected in him under said sale, or the same shall escheat to the United States and be forfeited, as other parts of the act provide. This act is not in any manner to be construed to refer to the District of Columbia.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

An act approved January 15, 1897, to reduce the cases in which the death penalty may be inflicted, provides that in all cases where the accused is found guilty of murder or of rape under sections 5,339 and 5,345, Revised Statutes, the jury may qualify their verdict by adding thereto "without capital punishment," and whenever the jury shall return a verdict so qualified the person convicted shall be sentenced to imprisonment at hard labor for life. That except offences mentioned in sections 5,332, 1,342, 1,624, 5,339 and 5,345, when a person is convicted of any offence to which the punishment of death was (on January 15, 1897) affixed by the laws of the United States, he shall be imprisoned at hard la