676 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (COLORADO.) 



The twelfth federal census gives the total value 

 of Colorado live stock as $49,359,781, while the 

 number of farms is 24,703. The figures are dis- 

 tributed as follow: In October, 1900, there were 

 of range and farm cattle, 1,333,202; dairy t cows, 

 100,166; horses, 236,546; mules, 6,784; sheep, 

 2,044,814; swine, 101,198. The increase of horses 

 over 1899 was 87,859; of swine, 80,485; of sheep, 

 389,263. 



With an irrigable area of some 20,000,000 acres, 

 the State has only about 10,000 miles of irrigating 

 canals and ditches, or one-tenth of the requisite 

 supply. The amount of improved and cultivated 

 land is about 2,000,000 acres. The farm and gar- 

 den products for 1900 were estimated to be nearly 

 $90,000,000 in value. The shortness of the 1901 

 potato-crop in other parts of the country was in 

 contrast to the large yield in Colorado, which 

 was a source of great profit to her farmers. In 

 this, as also in other respects, 1901 was the best 

 year they have ever known. The acreage of po- 

 tatoes planted was estimated at 35,000, and the 

 number of bushels marketed at 4,000,000. With 

 the progress of irrigation, fruit-raising is rapidly 

 developing. Peaches and many kinds of small 

 fruits are grown as successfully as anywhere in 

 the Union. In 1900 the number of acres planted 

 with fruits was 140,000, and the value of the 

 fruit product was $6,300,000. The increase in 

 acreage over 1899 was 10 per cent., and in yield 

 about 30 per cent. At the beginning of 1901 there 

 were 5 large beet-sugar factories in the State. 

 In 1900, 75,000 tons of beets were used, producing 

 about 15,000,000 pounds of sugar, valued at 

 $750,000. The capital employed in the industry 

 was $2,000,000, and the number of persons about 

 2,000. 



In 1900 the capital invested in Colorado in 

 manufactures and mechanical industries aggre- 

 gated $62,825,472; establishments, 3,570; wage- 

 earners, 24,725; value of products, $102,830,137; 

 an increase of over 135 per cent, in capital and 

 142 per cent, in value of products since 1890. 



Legislation. The thirteenth biennial session 

 of the Legislature began Jan. 2, 1901. Its mem- 

 bership (in both houses) consisted of 52 Demo- 

 crats, 21 Silver Republicans, 15 Populists, and 12 

 Republicans. The number of bills introduced was 

 774, of which 116 were passed. T. M. Patterson 

 was elected to succeed E. O. Wolcott as United 

 States Senator. The appropriation bills passed 

 by both houses aggregated $1,771,621. The gen- 

 eral appropriation amounted to $550,000. Among 

 special appropriations were: State Reformatory, 

 $85,000; Penitentiary, $172; Insane Asylum, $141; 

 State University, $120,000; St. Louis exposition, 

 $20,000; Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, $40,000; 

 State Normal School, at Greeley, $25,000; State 

 School of Mines, $25,000; completion of the State 

 Capitol, $64,000. Acts were passed for the follow- 

 ing purposes: 



To improve the normal institutes. 



To prevent the desecration of the American flag. 



To require instruction in the public schools on 

 the humane treatment of animals. 



To preserve the forests on State lands. 



To build a hall of metallurgy at the State 

 School of Mines. 



To create a food and dairy commissioner. 



To compel fire insurance companies to pay the 

 face of the policy in case of total loss. 



To prevent farm-products from other States 

 being shipped from this State as Colorado prod- 

 ucts. 



To establish a State normal school at Gunnison. 



To build a State tunnel and reservoir to irri- 

 gate Delta and Montrose Counties. 



To establish the counties of Adams and South 

 Arapahoe. 



To provide that railway-train employees shall 

 not be required to go on duty for ten hours after 

 working sixteen consecutive hours. 



To submit constitutional amendments for an 

 eight-hour law, the eight-hour act of 1899 having 

 been declared invalid by the Supreme Court. 



For adoption of the Australasian land-tax sys- 

 tem. 



To repeal the law against blacklisting arid boy- 

 cotting. 



To request a convention for proposing amend- 

 ments to the Federal Constitution. 



That mortgaged property shall be assessed as 

 a unit at full value, disregarding the mortgage, 

 which shall not be otherwise returned or assessed. 



That all private corporations doing business in 

 Colorado, except railroads, shall pay their em- 

 ployees in cash, or in checks convertible into cash 

 on demand, on the 5th and 20th days of each 

 month; and that railroads shall be required to 

 pay once a month. 



The last act to be passed was the revenue 

 bill, prescribing many additional taxes. 



Bailroads. About 200 miles of new railroad 

 was built in 1900. A link was made giving Den- 

 ver direct connection with the Burlington system 

 and opening to the city the trade of a large sec- 

 tion. The like connection of Denver with the 

 Northwestern system, in progress during 1901, 

 will also greatly strengthen the position of the 

 Colorado capital as a railroad and trade center. 



Interesting and successful tests were made in 

 July on the Pike's Peak cog-road with a new 

 locomotive weighing 14 tons. It was considered 

 that the tests demonstrated the practical impossi- 

 bility with this locomotive, which is stopped auto- 

 matically, of accidents on account of the heavy 

 grade. 



Banks. Reports from the 37 national banks 

 of Colorado outside of Denver show that in the 

 three months ended July 15 the individual de- 

 posits increased over $200,000, to $24,817,762, 

 while the total loans and discounts increased 

 nearly $700,000, to $13,939,591. These banks held 

 $1,626,038 in gold coin, compared with $1,411,891 

 in April. The total amount of outstanding na- 

 tional bank-notes issued by them was $1,831,600, 

 an increase of $6,000. These banks had bonds to 

 secure deposits amounting to $350,000, while in 

 April they aggregated $100,000 less. 



Quartocentennial. The celebration at Colo- 

 rado Springs of the twenty-fifth anniversary of 

 the admission of Colorado to the Union as a 

 State was a noteworthy event. On Aug. 2 an 

 address was delivered in presence of a great mul- 

 titude by Vice-President Roosevelt. 



Lawlessness. In February one member of a 

 posse, said to be acting without legal right, in an 

 attempt to oust a Denver gambler from his prem- 

 ises was shot and fatally wounded by the man 

 against whom the ejectment was designed. 



During the summer, trouble w r ith miners at 

 Telluride led to much riotous violence against 

 private individuals and peace officers, necessitat- 

 ing appeal to the highest authorities. Large re- 

 wards were offered by mine owners and county 

 commissioners for the conviction of specified of- 

 fenders. 



A large mob of men, residents of Delta County, 

 July 17, burned a hotel and other buildings be- 

 longing to the proprietor of the Grand Mesa 

 lakes in revenge for the killing by a game-warden 

 of a citizen who was fishing in the lakes without 

 the proprietor's permission. In September the 

 game-warden was convicted of manslaughter. 



