720 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (MISSISSIPPI.) 



136,621 in 1830; 375,651 in 1840; 606,526 in 1850; 

 791,305 in 1860; 827,922 in 1870; 1,131,597 in 

 1880; 1,289,600 in 1890; and 1,551,270 in 1900. 

 Capital, Jackson. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1901: Governor, A. H. Longino; Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, J. T. Harrison; Secretary of 

 State, J. L. Power, who died Sept. 24 and was 

 succeeded by Joseph W. Power; Treasurer, J. R. 

 Stowers, resigned Sept. 6 and succeeded by George 

 W. Carlisle; Auditor, W. Q. Cole; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, Monroe McClurg; Revenue Agent, Wirt 

 Adams; Land Commissioner, E. H. Nail; Adju- 

 tant-General, William Henry; Superintendent of 

 Education, H. L. Whitfield ; Railroad Commission, 

 John D. Mclnnis, A. Q. May, J. C. Kincannon; 

 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Albert H. 

 Whitfield; Associate Justices, S. H. Terral, S. S. 

 Calhoon; Clerk, Edward W. Brown all Demo- 

 crats. 



The term of the State officers is four years; 

 they are chosen in November of the years next 

 preceding those of the presidential elections. The 

 Legislature meets biennially the first Tuesday 

 after the first Monday of January of the even- 

 numbered years. Every second session is a spe- 

 cial session, the regular sessions coming quadren- 

 nially. The special sessions are limited to thirty 

 days, unless extended by the Governor, and only 

 appropriation and revenue bills may be consid- 

 ered, unless the Governor introduces other sub- 

 jects by message. 



Census Figures. A bulletin of the Census 

 Bureau says: "In Mississippi persons of school 

 age are practically all of native birth, the for- 

 eign-born element of this class representing only 

 a tenth of 1 per cent, of the whole number. Col- 

 ored persons of school age in 1900 constituted in 

 Mississippi 59.9 per cent, of the whole number of 

 persons of school age. White males of militia 

 age in 1900 are substantially all of native birth. 

 Colored males of militia age constitute 57.8 per 

 cent, of all males of militia age in 1900. The 

 foreign-born males of voting age are only 1.4 per 

 cent, of the total number. The colored element 

 constitute 56.8 per cent, of the whole number of 

 males of voting age in 1900. Among males of 

 voting age the proportion of illiterates is 33.8 per 

 cent., due almost wholly to the large number of 

 illiterate negroes. Among the whites of native 

 parentage, the proportion of illiterate males of 

 voting age is 8.4 per cent. Illiterate foreign white 

 males of voting age constitute 9.5 per cent, of the 

 whole number of foreign white males of voting 

 age. 



Only 14.7 per cent, of the population live in 

 incorporated places. 



Finances. The receipts for the two years end- 

 ing Sept. 30, 1901, were: Cash on hand Oct. 1, 

 1899, $333,765.80; received from ordinary sources, 

 $3,411,649.48; received from sales of college lands, 

 $575,844.47; received through revenue agent, 

 $348,151.90; received from minor sundry sources, 

 $12,188.05; outstanding warrants Oct. 1, 1901, $4,- 

 257.91; total, $4,685,857.61. The disbursements 

 were: Outstanding warrants Oct. 1, 1899, $11,- 

 342.36; account judiciary, executive, and other 

 State departments, $508,774.91; account educa- 

 tional institutions and public schools, $1,983,639.- 

 24; account charitable institutions and pensions, 

 $678,855.70; account interest on bonds, $107,662.- 

 56; account miscellaneous relief appropriations, 

 $26,539.10; account special warrants canceled, 

 $35 ; account 5-per-cent. bonds, series B, redeemed, 

 $338,000; account new State-house, $20255480- 

 cash on hand Oct. 1, 1901, $828,453.85; total, $4,- 

 685,857.61. 



At the session of the Legislature of 1900 the 

 State tax levy was decreased from 6J to 6 mills. 

 The condition of the treasury, as is pointed out 

 by the Auditor, is not due to excessive taxation, 

 but to the sale of college lands and collection of 

 railroad back taxes. 



The collections from privilege taxes amounted 

 in the second year to $365,792.56, of which the 

 saloons paid $149,700. 



In litigation concerning the right of the State 

 to "certain railroad taxes, the United States Su- 

 preme Court affirmed the judgment of the State 

 Supreme Court against the claim of the railroads 

 for exemption under their charters. 



On July 1 the Governor called in $400,000 of 

 5-per-cent. bonds issued in 1896. In May the 

 bonded debt of the State was given as $1,003,000. 

 The amount due to school funds on which onlj 

 interest can be paid was $1,884,658.89. 



The total of the personal assessment in 1901 was 

 $62,236,476. The increase in the number of polls 

 assessed was 11,382, the whole number being $291,- 

 919. The payment is voluntary, but is a pre- 

 requisite to the right to vote ; the collections go 

 to the county school funds. 



Ihe railroad assessment of the State forms 

 about 14 per cent, of the total property valuation, 

 real and personal. In 1900 the assessment was 

 $27,549,788, as against $26,337,353 for 1899, an 

 increase of $712,432. 



Education. The State provides for only four 

 months' school during the year; the counties are 

 authorized to levy an annual tax for additional 

 support for schools, and some of them do so, but 

 the majority have but the four months' term. It 

 is stated that more negro than white children at- 

 tend the public schools, and that only 65 per cent, 

 of those enrolled are regular attendants. 



The Agricultural and Mechanical College had 

 an enrolment of 517 for the session of 1900-1901. 

 The textile building, for which the Legislature of 



1900 appropriated $40,000, has been completed 

 and is filled with students. 



The attendance at the State University in 1900- 



1901 was 260; the preceding year it was 287. 



At Millsaps College 14 young men took the 

 bachelor's degree this year, and 12 members of the 

 law class were examined for license to practise. 



Charities and Corrections. The Board of 

 Penitentiary Control shows by its report that of 

 the 1,035 convicts in the prison 513 were con- 

 victed of taking life or attempting to take it. 

 The convictions for criminal assault numbered 

 27, and for attempts 44. The entire force is en- 

 gaged in farm work. The receipts were $179,674.- 

 05, the expenditures $169,925.70. Improvements 

 during the year cost $42,525.07. Four plantations 

 belonging to the State were cultivated, 1 was 

 rented, and 9 were taken on shares. Some of the 

 counties have tried the experiment of working 

 convicts in the same way, and it has proved 

 successful. 



The State Insane Hospital is just north of Jack- 

 son. There are 31 wards, giving accommodations 

 for 1,300 patients. The present population of the 

 institution is nearly 1,100 and is increasing. The 

 average number of patients in 1899 was 876, and 

 in 1900 it was 978. There are 108 officers and 

 employees. The trustees recommend an appro- 

 priation of $115 per capita instead of $110 as 

 heretofore. The East Mississippi Insane Hospital 

 had 450 patients during the year, and 193 w r ere 

 removed by discharge or death. The recoveries 

 amounted to 23 per cent. 



The Institution for the Blind had 48 students 

 at the summer session. Three were graduated, 

 and 3 recovered their sight. 



