ARKANSAS. 



29 





would bo at least 40,000. Should the increase 

 (' mi in DC at this rate, the arrivals of one year 

 w.-iild, after the lapse of twenty more years, 

 equal the total population of the most advanced 

 provinces. Assuming that every immigrant 

 increases the national wealth by 1,000 pesos 

 1'iu-rtos, the total addition to the wealth of the 

 rountry would, during the year 1809, amount 

 to $37,000,000. The largest number of immi- 

 grants in 1869 came from Italy (22,420 persons), 

 ' were French; 8,406 Swiss. The largest 

 number of i in migrant- vessels came from Spain ; 

 in other countries, it was chiefly the ports of 

 Bordeaux and Genoa which furnished a con- 

 siderable contingent. Thus far the national 

 (iovcrnment had paid but little attention to 

 tliis important question, and left it altogether 

 to the central committee. But of late the 

 press of Buenos Ayres and other cities has 

 strongly nrged this subject upon the consider- 

 ation of the legislators, and with some suc- 

 cess, as the budget of 1871 contains, among 

 the expenditures, 200,000 pesos for immi- 

 gration. 



ARKANSAS. The Federal census of 1870 

 shows the population of Arkansas to be 486,103. 

 During the past year the people of the State 

 have shown a disposition to give their atten- 

 tion mainly to developing the resources of the 

 soil, inducing immigrants to settle upon their 

 surplus lands, and to organizing and directing 

 the interests of the Commonwealth for the 

 protection and improvement of the citizens. 

 There are still about 12,000,000 acres of public 

 lands unsold within the limits of the State, 

 subject to entry and occupation under the 

 homestead acts of Congress. The State home- 

 stead law is very liberal, providing that 160 

 acres of land, and $2,000 worth of personal 

 property, shall bo "exempted from sale on 

 execution, or other final process, of any court, 

 issued for the collection of any debt contracted 

 after the adoption of the constitution " of 1868. 

 It also provided, that "hereafter, the home- 

 stead of any resident of this State, who is a 

 married man or head of a family, shall not be 

 encumbered in any manner, while owned by 

 him, except for taxes, laborers' and mechanics' 

 lien, and securities for the purchase-money 

 thereof. Every homestead not exceeding one 

 hundred and sixty acres of land, and the dwell- 

 ing and appurtenances thereon, to be selected 

 by the owner thereof, and not in any town, 

 city or village, or, in lieu thereof, at the option 

 of the owner, any lot in a city, town or village, 

 with the dwelling thereon, owned and oc- 

 cupied by any resident of this State, and not 

 exceeding the value of $5,000, shall be exempt- 

 ed from sale on execution, or any other final 

 process of any court." Further, "the home- 

 stead of a family, after the death of the owner 

 thereof, shall bo exempt from the payment of 

 his debts, in all coses during the minority of 

 his children, and also so long as his widow 

 shall remain unmarried, unless she shall be 

 owner of a homestead in her own right." 



A Board of Immigration has been organized, 

 and the commissioner has been active m send- 

 ing abroad information and setting forth the 

 advantages of the State as a place of permanent 

 settlement ^10,000 pamphlets in English, and 

 5,000 in German, have been published and 

 disseminated throughout Europe. During tho 

 year 1869, and the spring of 1870, over 85,000 

 immigrants settled in the State, and the influx 

 has been even greater during the latter part 

 of the year. The Governor, in his last message 

 to the Legislature, in speaking of the condition 

 of the State, says: "Tho past year has been 

 one of great prosperity. The crops have been 

 most abundant, and the season for gathering 

 and securing them remarkably favorable. Tho 

 spirit of public improvement has awakened 

 the liveliest interest among our people, and in 

 many portions of the State has given substan- 

 tial evidence of it, by the inauguration and 

 rapid progress of important enterprises, which, 

 when completed, will be of incalculable benefit 

 to the State. Our population has been largely 

 increased by a healthy immigration. ThJe 

 wealth of the. State has been greatly aug- 

 mented by the influx of capital from the older 

 States, which our superior advantages and un- 

 developed resources have at length attracted 

 to us. Our State credit has been established, 

 comity and friendly relations exist between us 

 and the other States of the Union, our relations 

 with the Federal Government are harmonious 

 and satisfactory, law and order, peace and se- 

 curity reign throughout our borders. Under 

 the benign influence of our free institutions 

 and the faithful enforcement of the laws, old 

 feuds are rapidly dying out, old animosities 

 are being forgotten, and old prejudices eradi- 

 cated." 



The financial condition of the State is rep- 

 resented to be " as prosperous and satisfactory 

 as could be expected, taking into considera- 

 tion the extraordinary expenses growing out 

 of reconstruction and the reduced resources of 

 the people." The following statement covers 

 the period from July 2, 1868, to October 1, 

 1870: 



General Revenue Fund. 



Auditor's warrants and State scrip, issued 

 from the 3d of July, 1868, to September 30, 

 1870 $1,413,999 36 



Audi tor's warrants paid in United 

 States currency $246,761 07 



Auditor's warrants and State 

 scrip received on account of 

 the general revenue tax, etc., 

 and cancelled by the Treasurer 688,370 10 935,181 17 



$478,863 19 



Balance 



Of this amount there was re- 

 maining in the Treasury, the 

 amount received from the mili- 

 tary tax, which is to be trans- 

 ferred to reimburse the general 

 revenue for amount advanced 

 to the military fund, which 

 will be a reduction of the 

 amount of State scrip and Au- 

 ditor's warrants, outstanding, 

 unpaid, of. 



60,311 30 



Total amount outstanding 

 unpaid, October 1, 1870. . 



and 



$409,553 S3 



