KAN 



459 



Prisons. The number of prisoners in the 

 State Penitentiary, when compared with the 

 population of the .State, has been steadily de- 

 creasing for eight years past, and there has 

 been an actual decrease in the number in con- 

 finement during the past two years. On Jan. 



1. 1<S7, there were 895 State prisoners con- 

 fined in the Penitentiary ; on Jan. 1, 1888, 

 there were 898; and on. Jan. 1, 1889, there 

 were 861. 



The Legislature of 1885 directed the build- 

 ing of an industrial reformatory, which was 

 located at Hutchinson. Appropriations aggre- 

 gating $60,000 were made in 1885. and addi- 

 tional appropriations, aggregating $100,000, in 

 1S-7. The board of commissioners having the 

 building of this institution in charge, report 

 that a cell-house with fifty completed cells 

 therein has been inclosed, and the foundations 

 and one story for the office and guard-house 

 have been completed. 



State Capitol. A contract for the foundations 

 of the east wing of the Capitol was let on May 



2, 1866, and this wing, partially completed, 

 was occupied by the State officers on Dec. 25, 

 1870; but it was not finished until early in 

 1873. The State issued and sold bonds to the 

 amount ol .to provide means for its 

 construction. Its total cost, however, was 

 $480,000. In the summer of 1879 the building 

 of the west wing was begun, and it was, though 

 in an unfinished condition, occupied in the 

 summer of 1881. It was completed in 1882, 

 and cost $312.000. "Work on the central build- 

 ing was begun in 1881, and its foundations 

 were completed in 1884. Eariy in the spring 

 of 1885, work was begun on the first story, 

 and the walls are now finished to the height 

 of the fourth and last story. The cost of the 

 central building to date has been $517,000, 

 and it is estimated that from $600,000 to $700,- 

 000 will be required to complete it. The re- 

 modeling of the east wing, including the Sen- 

 ate Chamber, in 1885-'86, cost $140,000; so 

 that the Capitol, as it stands, has cost an ag- 

 gregate of $1.449.000. No bonds have been 

 issued since the east wing was finished. The 

 half-mill tax for State-house purposes has pro- 

 vided a fund sufficient to meet all the expendi- 

 tures made. 



In western Kansas a strong feeling has been 

 developing that these expenditures have been 

 ill-advised, and th:it the interests of the State 

 require the removal of the State Capitol to 

 some central location. In April a convention 

 of six hundred delegates was held at Abilene 

 for the purpose of organizing a Capitol-removal 

 movement, at which the following resolution 

 was passed among others : 



K^olred, By the representatives of the citizens of 

 Abilene and western Kansas, in convention assem- 

 bled, that we will now. in the future, oppose any fur- 

 ther appropriations by the State Legislature for the 

 erectment of the piesent State institutions of whatso- 

 ever kind. That we pledge ourselves to oppose fur- 

 ther appropriations for work on the State-house ; that 

 while we lavor the maintenance of our present State 



institutions where located, we favor and recommend 

 the adoption of a new policy, commensurate with cur 

 pew growth, present ar.d future importance, and that 

 in this line we a-sk all of central and western Kansas 

 to unite with us in the work of duplicating even- one 

 of the present State institutions, locating the new 

 buildings most advantageously to the interests of the 

 State among the several towns of central and v. 



-, and the State Capitol at some suitable central 

 point to be determined by the ballots of the people of 

 the State. 



Development. The Governor says in his an- 

 nual message : 



The last two years have not been, in all portions of 

 Kansas, sea-sons'of plentv and prosperity. The har- 

 vests in many counties of the western half ot'tL 

 have been below the average of former seasons. But, 

 notwithstanding this, our general condition is fairly 

 prosperous. The growth of the State has been con- 

 stant and the development of her resources and in- 

 dustries remarkable. This fact is best shown bv a 

 comparison of the vote . 'f he 



total vote of 1884 . while that of 1- - 



330.215 an increase of 64,836. A contrast of tlie vote 

 of 1880 with the United States census of that year 

 shows that the ratio of population to voters was nearly 

 five to one. This ratio increases with the age of a 

 State. The vote of 1SS3. therefore, clearly establishes 

 the fact that the population of Kansas is fully 1.651,- 

 000 an increase since 1880 of over 654,000, and since 

 1885, of 39- . 



During the past four years twenty-three counties 

 have been fully, and one partially organized, making 

 a total of 106. These newly organized counties em- 

 brace an aggregate area of 19,932 square miles, or very 

 nearly one fourth of the total area of the State. A't 

 the date of their organization their population aggre- 

 gated 66,147, and they polled at the November elec- 

 tion an aggregate vote of 19,428 votes, indicating a 

 population," at that time, of 97,140. Five of these 

 counties were organized in I ~ anton, June 



17; Haskell. July 1 ; Garfield, July 16: Gray, July 

 - ptember 17. Three have been or- 

 ganized during the past year. viz.. Kearney, March 

 27 : Grant, June 9 ; and Gree-ley- July 9. 



The increase in the area of land cultivation during 

 the past four years aggrega: I acres ; and 



of land taxable. 13,032,815 ac-r 



value of property has, during the same period, in- 

 creased *1 1 7 . 227 .'941 . 



The most extraordinary growth, however, is shown 

 in the railway svstem of'the State. On Jan. : 

 the railways of Kansas aggregated 4,064 miles of main 

 and 489 miles of side track, or a total of 4,553 miles. 

 On Jan. 1, 1688, they had completed and in operation 

 :niles of main and 899 miles of side track, or a 

 total of 9.698 miles, and an increase in four years of 

 5,135 miles. TtK !ue of railway property 



in .March, 1584, was $28,455,909, while on March 1, 

 1888 (when the u are made by the State 



board), it aifi. r re^r.tcd ?"'-'. 829, 664 an increase of 

 $24.37- r years, or very nearly double the 



valuation ol 



Statistics. According to the assessor's re- 

 turns for 1SS8. Kansas has 700.723 head of 

 horses, 92.435 mules and asses, and 742.639 

 milch cows, a large increase in each class over 

 the number reported in 1887. She has also 

 1,619,849 head of other cattle : 402.744 sheep, 

 and 1.433.245 swine. The total value of the 

 farms of the State, in 1887, was $453,220,155; 

 of farming implements, $8,432.534. 



The coal-product in 1885 was 30,001.427 

 bushels: in 1886. 34.750.000 bushels; and in 

 1887, 39,251,985 bushels. The industry gave 



