178 



COLORADO. 



extract from his communication, dated Bogota, 

 November 22, 1865 : 



The undersigned has received orders from his Gov- 

 ernment to represent to that of Colombia that the 

 United States of America cannot consider this new 

 law as baring any force or obligation which affects 

 their citizens, in any case when said law may contra- 

 vene the existing treaties or international law. 



The undersigned, obeying the imperious demand 

 of that frank straightforwardness which always ought 

 to characterize the intercourse between friendly na- 

 tions, holds it to be his duty to represent to the Co- 

 lombian Government, besides : that the Government 

 of the United States of America finds itself obliged 

 to retain the hope that the citizens of either of the 

 two republics, within the territories that are subject 

 to the jurisdiction of the other, be they passing 

 through or residing in it, are respectively entitled to 

 a real, effective, and prompt reparation for all injuries 

 done there to their rights in contravention of the 

 stipulations of the existing treaties between the two 

 countries, or of modern international usages; and as 

 the Government of the United States acknowledges 

 its just obligation to make such reparation to Colom- 

 bian citizens, whenever such injuries should unex- 

 pectedly be done to them, in the same manner it 

 hopes, and will insist upon, that equal justice be done 

 to its own citizens, when their rights have been or 

 may be so violated. 



As the correspondence which formerly had taken 

 place about this matter between the Department of 

 your Excellency and this Legation, has been made 

 public, it behooves the Government of your Excel- 

 lency to decide if the interests of their respective 

 countries will be served by giving publicity also to 

 the present note. 



The undersigned avails himself of this occasion to 

 renew to your Excellency the assurances of his dis- 

 tinguished consideration. ALLAN A. BURTON. 

 To His Excellency Sr. Santiago Perez, Secretary of 



Home and Foreign Relations, &c., &c. 



The one hundred and fifty miles of telegraph 

 constructed by the American firm of Davidson, 

 Stiles & Woolsey, having been completed to the 

 satisfaction of the Government, the latter party 

 have contracted for four hundred additional 

 miles, which are to be constructed immediately. 



COLORADO. A territory of the United 

 States, lying between the thirty-seventh and 

 forty-first parallels of north latitude, and the 

 hundred and second and hundred and ninth de- 

 grees of longitude, west from Greenwich, and 

 embracing an area of one hundred and five 

 thousand eight hundred and eighteen square 

 miles. It is at present divided into seventeen 

 counties, viz. : Arrapahoe, Boulder, Clear Creek, 

 Conejos, Costilla, Douglas, El Paso, Fremont, 

 Gilpin, Huerfano, Jefferson, Lake, Laramie, 

 Park, Pueblo, Summit, and Weld. The capital 

 and the chief town of the territory is Denver, 

 in Arrapahoe County. It was organized as a 

 territory by act of Congress of March 2, 1861, 

 which vested the legislative power in a Gov- 

 ernor and Legislative Assembly, to consist of a 

 Council and House of Representatives. The 

 legislature, treasurer, auditor, and superintend- 

 ent of schools were authorized to be elected by 

 the people ; all other officers, including the ju- 

 diciary, were to be appointed by the President 

 of the United States. 



In consequence of the great influx of popu- 

 lation into Colorado subsequent to the discov- 



eries of gold in the Rocky Mountain ranges, 

 measures were taken in 1864 to form a State 

 Government, and an enabling act was passed 

 for that purpose at the first session of the thirty- 

 eighth Congress. A convention was called in 

 the territory in the same year, by which a con- 

 stitution was adopted. The project for obtain- 

 ing admission into the Union failed, however, 

 by a considerable vote, mainly in consequence 

 of the unpopularity of prominent men connected 

 with it, and no further action was taken in the 

 matter until the succeeding year, when a con- 

 vention assembled in Denver, August 8, to con- 

 sider the propriety of forming a State Govern- 

 ment and of framing a constitution, to be 

 subsequently submitted to the people for rati- 

 fication. On August 12, the convention adopted 

 a constitution, which was voted upon on Sep- 

 tember 5, with the following result : 



For the Constitution 3,025 



Against the Constitution 2,870 



Majority In favor 155 



This instrument gives the right of suffrage to 

 " every white male citizen of the age of twenty- 

 one years and upward, Avho is by birth, or has 

 become by naturalization or by treaty, or shall 

 have declared his intention to become a citizen 

 of the United States, according to the laws there- 

 of, and who shall have resided in the State of 

 Colorado for six months next preceding the elec- 

 tion, and shall have been a resident ten days 

 of the precinct or election district in which he 

 offers to vote, shall be deemed a qualified elec- 

 tor, and entitled to a vote at the same." Ex- 

 ceptions are made in the case of insane persons, 

 felons, soldiers or sailors in the United States 

 service, and persons refusing to take the oath of 

 allegiance to the United States. Among the 

 miscellaneous provisions of the Constitution 

 was one, submitting to popular vote the question 

 whether the Avord " white " in the above clause 

 should be stricken out, which was decided in 

 the negative by a majority of three thousand 

 seven hundred and sixteen in a total vote of 

 four thousand six hundred and sixty-eight. 



The Constitution further provides that the 

 legislative power of the State shall be vested 

 in a Senate and House of Representatives, to 

 be called the Legislative Assembly ; the former 

 to consist of thirteen members, to be elected 

 for two years, and the latter of twenty-six, to 

 be elected annually. The Senate may, ulti- 

 mately, be increased to thirty-nine, and the 

 house to seventy-eight members. The sessions 

 are to be annual. Members of the Legislative 

 Assembly mnstbe above the age of twenty-one, 

 citizens of the United States, and residents and 

 qualified voters of the districts they are elected 

 to represent. Bills may originate in either 

 House, but may be x rejected or amended by the 

 other. The Legislature is required at its first 

 session to provide for a census, to be taken be- 

 tween January and July, 1866, and every six 

 years thereafter, and which shall form the basis 

 of a new apportionment of senators and repre- 



