522 



MISSOURI. 



the "Western country, when they understand the force 

 and significance ot all your votes, will understand 

 that it is proper for them to coalesce, and combine, 

 and consort with anybody and everybody that will 

 reduce to the nearer approximation of justice and 

 truth that immense tax which is now levied upon 

 us under the false and fraudulent guise of a revenue 

 tariff. 



Aside from this memorable political cam- 

 paign, there was little in the public affairs of 

 Missouri during the year worthy of especial 

 notice. The Legislature which met on the 

 last Monday of December, 1869, continued its 

 sessions until near the end of March, and in 

 that time passed 227 acts and adopted 18 joint 

 resolutions. 



A large share of attention was given to edu- 

 cational matters. A long debate occurred on 

 the question of disposing of the lands donated 

 by Congress for the establishment of an Agri- 

 cultural College, and of locating that institu- 

 tion. Several members were in favor of 

 diverting the funds, if the permission of Con- 

 gress could be obtained, to the benefit of 

 the common schools. Another question which 



was warmly debated was that of excluding 

 colored persons from the college. The subject 

 was finally disposed of by authorizing the ap- 

 pointment of commissioners to select the lands 

 and locate the institution, and the proposed 

 discrimination against colored persons was re- 

 jected. Subsequently the work of the com- 

 mission was accomplished in part, and the 

 institution located at Columbia, in Boone 

 County. Two Normal Schools were also es- 

 tablished, one at Kirksville, in Adair County, 

 and the other at Sedalia, in Pettis County, and 

 a school of mines and metallurgy was founded 

 at Rolla, in Phelps County. An act was also 

 passed amending the general school law, and 

 another authorizing cities, towns, and counties, 

 to organize sch'ools. 



The Federal census shows tlxat Missouri has 

 advanced from the eighth to the fourth position 

 among the States of the Union since 1860. The 

 population is now 1,714,000, an increase of 

 532,000 in ten years. The following table 

 gives the details by counties for the years 1860 

 and 1870 : 



St. Louis has risen to the rank of the fourth 

 city in the country in point of population. It 

 now numbers 312,963 inhabitants, an increase 

 of 100,545 since 1860. The other important 

 cities are : Kansas City, 32,362 inhabitants ; 

 St. Joseph, 14,957 ; and Springfield, 5,563. 

 The assessed value of taxable property in the 

 State is $557,685,387. The taxable property 

 of the city of St. Louis is: real estate, $217,- 

 355,611; personal estate, $57,777,720; total, 

 $275 133,331. The extent of the commerce of 



that city may be inferred from the following ar- 

 rivals of vessels of 500 tons each and upward : 



From Upper Mississippi River 967 



. Lower " " 794 



Illinois " 287 



Missouri " 372 



Ohio " 187 



Tennessee 39 



Arkansas 36 



Red 34 



Osacre 



Cumberland " 1 



All others 7 



Total 2,725 



