670 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (ARKANSAS.) 



the bill, but 'it was passed over the veto by a vote 

 of 9 to 2 in the Council and 16 to 8 in the House. 



Another bill passed over the Governor's veto 

 was in reference to the Board of Equalization, 

 the avowed object being to prevent interference 

 by the Governor. 



The Governor recommended that the Board of 

 Equalization have the same authority over the 

 mines as over railroads, as mines said to be worth 

 $100,000,000 were paying taxes on an assessment 

 of $2,000,000. 



A new game-law was enacted, and the penalty 

 for violation of its provisions was made not less 

 than $100 fine and costs, or imprisonment at the 

 rate of $1 a day until the fine is paid, one-half 

 of the fines collected to go to the person or per- 

 sons upon whose testimony the conviction is se- 

 cured. The law prohibits the killing of camel, elk, 

 mountain goat, female deer, mountain sheep, or 

 spotted fawn altogether, and the killing of ante- 

 lope for six years. No one person is allowed to 

 kill more than one male deer in one day, or more 

 than three in one open season, which is from Nov. 

 15 to Dec. 15. The season for doves is open all 

 the year; the closed season for quail, bob- white, 

 partridge, pheasant, wild turkey, wild duck, goose, 

 brant, snipe, or rail is from March 1 to Oct. 15. 

 No gun larger than 10-gage is allowed to be used 

 on ganie-birds, and no one is allowed to net, 

 snare, trap, or pound any game-birds. The open 

 season for brook, mountain, or rainbow trout is 

 from June 1 to Sept. 1, and for black bass, straw- 

 berry bass, or crappie, Sept. 1 to Dec. 1. Fish 

 may be taken only with hook, line, or spear, and 

 it is a misdemeanor to take one less than, 7 inches 

 long. 



A new school law does away with county ex- 

 amining boards, and requires Territorial certifi- 

 cates for teachers, but county certificates now 

 held are good for the term for which they were 

 given. 



Provision was made for the establishment of 

 a reform school at Benson for youthful criminals, 

 and appropriation was made for its construction, 

 the bill imposing a tax of one-half a mill on the 

 dollar for two years, estimated to yield about 

 $19,000 annually. 



Other measures passed were: 



Appropriating $30,000 for water- storage. 



For preservation of the public health. 



For establishment of the National Guard. 



Regulating the issuing of saloon licenses, pro- 

 viding that a county may not issue such a li- 

 cense unless the proposed licensee has obtained 

 the consent of a majority of the property owners 

 within 600 yards of the intended saloon or road- 

 house. 



Relating to games of chance, to exclude them 

 from incorporated towns. 



Authorizing a bond issue of $25,000 for the 

 building of a new structure at the university. 



For taxing transient herds of sheep and goats. 



Statehood. An enthusiastic statehood con- 

 vention was held at Phoenix, Oct. 26. Resolu- 

 tions were adopted declaring that the Territory 

 for the past ten years has had a larger popula- 

 tion and greater wealth than the average of all 

 the States of the Union at the time of their ad- 

 mission since the original 13 States established 

 the Government; that no other equal area west 

 of th6 Mississippi has more natural resources, her 

 mines of copper alone producing bullion of the 

 value of $35,000,000 annually; and appealing to 

 Congress to pass an enabling act. A commission 

 of six was appointed to organize the movement. 



The Governor's Report. The report at the 

 close of 1900 is summarized as follows: "The 



taxable property of the Territory has increased 

 more than $1,250,000 during the year, notwith- 

 standing the bad system of assessment. Railroad 

 construction amounted to 74 miles. Throughout 

 a greater portion of the year the Territory has 

 suffered because of the drought, but the farmers 

 have enjoyed prosperity and good crops. Last 

 year, he says, was the most prosperous for miners 

 in the history of the Territory. The public schools 

 are in a flourishing condition, nearly 21,000 chil- 

 dren being enrolled. 



ARKANSAS, a Southern State, admitted to 

 the Union June 15, 1836; area, 53,850 square 

 miles. The population, according to each decen- 

 nial census since admission, was 97,574 in 1840; 

 209,897 in 1850; 435,450 in 1860; 484,471 in 1870; 

 802,525 in 1880; 1,128,179 in 1890; and 1,311,564 

 in 1900. Capital, Little Rock. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1901: Governor, Jefferson Davis; Secre- 

 tary of State, John W. Crockett; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, George W. Murphy; Auditor, T. C. Monroe; 

 Treasurer, Thomas E. Little, who died April 10; 

 Commissioner of Lands, J. W. Colquitt; Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction, J. J. Doyne; Com- 

 missioner of Mines, Manufactures, and Agricul- 

 ture, Frank Hill; Railroad Commissioners, F. M. 

 Hanley, Abner Gaines, J. G. Wallace; Adjutant- 

 General, Charles Jacobson; Geologist, John C. 

 Branner; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 Henry G. Bunn; Associate Justices, Simon P. 

 Hughes, Burrill B. Battle, James E. Riddick, Car- 

 roll D. Wood; Clerk, P. D. English. All are 

 Democrats. 



State officers are elected on the first Monday 

 in September in the even-numbered years, and 

 serve two years. The Legislature meets biennially 

 the second Monday in January in the odd-num- 

 bered years. The session is limited to sixty days. 



Census Figures. The increase in the negro 

 population of the State from 1890 to 1900 was 

 57,739. 



The number of deaths in the State in 1900 was 

 22,518. By the reapportionment in Congress the 

 number of Congressmen for the State was in- 

 creased from 6 to 7. 



Finances. The whole indebtedness of the 

 State is $1,271,000 of 3-per-cent. funded bonds, 

 due in 1929, and $58,000 principal and interest 

 of 22 6-per-cent. bonds of 1869 and 1870, which 

 appear from the records to exist and to be out- 

 standing, but which were not presented and ex- 

 changed under the act of May, 1899. These $58,- 

 000 were due Jan. 1, 1900, and may really not be 

 in existence. 



Of the bonded indebtedness of $1,271,000 the 

 sum of $1,113,000 belongs to the permanent school 

 fund, which can not be considered an indebted- 

 ness, because it can never be paid under the law 

 creating it, only the interest thereof being paid 

 from year to year, while the principal must re- 

 main invested as it now is. The annual interest 

 on the whole bonded indebtedness is $38,130. 



The value of the work done on the new State 

 Capitol is $84,459.70, while the amount "expended 

 for all purposes is $49,252.53, convict labor hav- 

 ing been employed for part of the work. 



Valuations. The total valuation of real es- 

 tate in 1900, upon which taxes were collected in 

 1901, was $128,084,667; of personal, $73,824,116; 

 total, $201,908,783. The total the preceding year 

 was $189,999,050. 



Education. The State has 8 universities and 

 colleges with 108 professors and 1,636 students. 

 There are 259 newspapers published within it. 



The Insane. The provision for the insane ap- 

 pears from the reports to be inadequate. There 



