586 



NEBRASKA. 



Pursuant to an act of the Legislature approved 

 March 31, 1887, the Board of Educational 

 Lands ordered a reappraisement of the unsold 

 educational lands in about thirty counties. 

 More than double the value by the former ap- 

 praisement is shown. 



Soldiers' Home. The main building in this- in- 

 stitution was completed in July, 1888, and 

 opened for the reception of inmates, 52 

 in number. The home is on a tract of 640 

 acres given by the citizens of Grand Island. 

 The main building is to be occupied by unmar- 

 ried men. as the plan contemplates the erection 

 of cottages on tracts of from two to five acres 

 each, where soldiers having families may live. 

 Nebraska is one of the first States to establish 

 a home for soldiers where families are not 

 separated. The Legislature is asked to appro- 

 priate $189,500 for the home during the en- 

 suing two years. 



Insane isylnms. The hospital at Lincoln lias 

 been overcrowded during the year, its accom- 

 modations being only for 300 patients. There 

 were in the hospital, Nov. 30, 1888, 392, and 

 there have been present at one time as many 

 as 414. A new asylum at Norfolk was opened 

 in February, 1888, and a portion of the pa- 

 tients were transferred from Lincoln, but al- 

 ready this is filled. Two new wings are being 

 built to the latter hospital, and an asylum for 

 incurables is approaching completion at Hast- 

 ings : but even after these buildings are com- 

 pleted and filled there will be a large number 

 of insane in poor-houses and jails. 



The institution for feeble-minded children, 

 at Beatrice, was opened in May 1887, and the 

 capacity of the building has already been 

 reached, 70 pupils being accommodated. A 

 large addition to the building has just been 

 completed ; but this will not provide for all the 

 applicants. The superintendent estimates that 

 there are over 700 feeble-minded children in 

 the State. The law gives a preference for ad- 

 mission to the institution to the " most improv- 

 able cases," thus practically debarring the most 

 helpless and unfortunate. 



Other Charities. In the Institute for the Deaf 

 and Dumb at Omaha during the past two 

 years, 150 children have been cared for and 

 instructed. There have been admitted to the 

 blind institute during the biennial term end- 

 ing Xov. 30, 1888, 31 blind children, and the 

 total enrollment has reached 56. The number 

 remaining at the close of the period was 41. 



At the State Home for the Friendless there 

 were 72 inmates in December, 1888. Since 

 that time 375 have been admitted and 331 

 have been surrendered to friends, placed in 

 homes, or otherwise cared for, leaving at the 

 close of this year 116 inmates. 



Penitentiary. There have been received into 

 the Penitentiary sirr-e its establishment 1,465 

 convicts. The number of those discharged or 

 pardoned is 1,118, and the number of deaths 

 9, leaving in prison, Nov. 30, 1888, 338, an in- 

 crease of ten in two years. The number re- 



ceived by commitment during the two years 

 ending Nov. 30, 1888, was 316. The number 

 discharged in the same period under the good- 

 time act was 269. 



Reform School. This institution is now known 

 as the Industrial School, and is operated on 

 the open or family system as distinguished 

 from the prison system. There are no high 

 walls or fences or grated windows, but the 

 school, reading-room, and workshops are re- 

 sorted to as aids in the work of reformation. 

 The attendance of 184 boys and 61 girls shows 

 an increase of 109 over that in 1886. 



Normal School. The aggregate attendance for 

 the past two years at the State Normal School 

 at Peru was 645. There were graduated 111 

 teachers, nearly all of whom are now engaged 

 in the schools. The attendance for 1887 was 

 458, and for 1888 492. There were 310 stu- 

 dents in the normal classes at the end of this 

 year, besides 40 in the training classes. 



Cattle Diseases. Thorough quarantine regula- 

 tions have been established and efforts have 

 been made by the live-stock agents and veter- 

 inarians to stamp out all cattle diseases. Eight 

 hundred and thirty horses and mules were de- 

 stroyed by the Live-Stock Commission from 

 Nov. 30, 1886, to Dec. 1, 1888. The indem- 

 nity allowed was $36,071.50, averaging $43.50 

 a head. At the present, forty counties report 

 freedom from disease among cattle. 



National Gnard. Since July 1, 1887, one regi- 

 ment of infantry and one troop of cavalry have 

 been organized, so that the militia of the State 

 now numbers 1,200. New uniforms have been 

 purchased for the whole command, with new 

 arms and equipment?. An encampment was 

 held in Lincoln in 1887, and in Wahoo in 1888. 



New Counties. During the past two years 

 five new counties have been organized Box, 

 Butte, Thomas, Grant, Perkins, and Rock. 

 Four more will complete their organization 

 early in 1889 Banner, Deuel, Scotts Bluffs, 

 and Kimball. The last four are being organ- 

 ized out of Cheyenne County. 



New State Knii dings. The following is a list 

 of the State buildings erected by virtue of ap- 

 propriations made by the last Legislature and 

 the cost of each, most of them being additions 

 to buildings previously erected : Asylum for 

 Incurable Insane -at Hastings $63,900; Indus- 

 trial Home at Milford, $13,700 ; Soldiers' and 

 Sailors' Home at Grand Island, $28,000 ; In- 

 stitute for Deaf and Dumb at Omaha, $10,000; 

 Industrial School at Kearney, $29,975 ; Hos- 

 pital for Insane at Norfolk, $84,292 ; Home 

 for the Friendless, $5,651.20 ; Penitentiary, 

 $39,200 ; Feeble-Minded Institute at Beatrice, 

 $18,218: Institute for Blind, $30.700; Grant 

 Memorial Hall, $19,100; Industrial College 

 building (Nebraska Hall), $41,000. 



Political. A full set of State officers and 

 members of the Legislature and of Congress- 

 men, as well as presidential electors, were to 

 be chosen at the election this year. The first 

 ticket for State officers in the field was nomi- 



