KANSAS. 



469 



were in the graduate department, 199 in the 

 college. 56 in the law school, 138 in the prepara- 

 tory department, and 130 in the other depart- 

 ments of art, music, and pharmacy. During 

 the same period 515 students attended the State 

 Agricultural College. At the State Normal 

 School there were 1,120 students, 908 in the nor- 

 mal department and 212 in the model school. 



Agriculture. The following summary, from 

 a compilation by the Secretary of the State 

 Board of Agriculture, shows the product and 

 value of the field crops of Kansas for 1889 : 



The value of the live stock for 1889 is. $116,- 

 126,466, the figures being as follow : 



Charities. During the two years ending 

 June 30, 1890, the average number of persons 

 cared for annually in the eight charitable in- 

 stitutions of the State was 1,939, at a total cost 

 of $672,085.61, the per capita cost being $173.30. 

 The average number of inmates cared for during 

 the preceding two years was 1,605, at a cost per 

 capita of $198.18. 



The average number at the Topeka Insane 

 Asylum during the two years ending June 30, 

 1890, was 723 ; at the Osawatomie Insane Asy- 

 lum, 504; at the Asylum for the Deaf and 

 Dumb at Olathe, 213 ; at the Reform School at 

 Topeka, 189; at the School for the Blind at 

 Wyandotte, 75 ; at the Soldiers' Orphans' Home 

 at Atchison, 111. There were 103 inmates at 

 the Institution for the Idiotic and Imbecile on 

 June 30. 1890, and 35 at the Industrial School 

 for Girls. The latter institution was established 

 at Beloit by the last Legislature, and is located 

 on a tract of 70 acres near the city. A building 

 to accommodate 100 children has been erected 

 by the State at a cost of $16,989. 



The State Soldiers' Home is on the Fort Dodge 

 military reservation. It is projected on the cot- 

 tage plan and admits not the old soldier alone, 

 but includes his wife and such other members of 



his family as may be dependent on him for sup- 

 port. The inmates on Nov. 1 numbered 123. 



Prisons. The number of prisoners in the 

 State Penitentiary on June 30, 1888, was 887. 

 The number received for the ensuing two years 

 was 675; number discharged 702; number in 

 custody June 30, 1890, 860. 



During the first year of the biennial period, 

 there was paid into the State treasury from con- 

 tract labor, boarding United States prisoners, 

 sales of coal, from other sources, the sum of 

 $103,867.49. During the second year of the 

 period the amount received from the same 

 sources was $105,258.10. 



The expenses of the institution for the first 

 year exceeded the cash receipts as above given 

 by $60,976.42, and the expenses of the last year 

 exceeded the cash receipts by $48,329.36. 



This showing is much improved if we take 

 into account the cash and labor expended in 

 permanent improvements and the coal furnished 

 State institutions, for which no cash is received. 

 These items for the first year amounted to $44,- 

 284.93, and for the last year to $51,681.24. These 

 amounts would reduce the excess of expendi- 

 tures over cash receipts for 1889 to $16,691.49, 

 and entirely wipe out the deficit for 1890. leaving 

 a surplus in the sum of $3,351.88. 



Railroads. As a result of the large corn 

 crop of 1889, the price of that grain fell in the 

 autumn so low that many of the farmers refused 

 to sell, and at the beginning of this year they 

 still held large quantities, which, at the prevail- 

 ing transportation rates, it was unprofitable to 

 market. Believing that a reduction in these 

 rates would inure to the mutual benefit of the 

 farmers and the railroads, Gov. Humphrey ad- 

 dressed communications to the officials of the 

 leading railroads in the State, requesting that 

 they make a large reduction in their rates. Sub- 

 sequent negotations resulted in a conference on 

 Feb. 8, at Topeka, between the railroad officials 

 and the Governor, other State officers, and repre- 

 sentatives of the farmers, which resulted in an 

 agreement by the railroads to reduce on and 

 after Feb. 20 the tariff rates on corn, from Kan- 

 sas points to Chicago, 10 per cent, from existing 

 rates, subject to a minimum of 20 cents and a 

 maximum of 25 cents a hundred-weight. This 

 concession afforded the farmers temporary relief, 

 but there was among them a strong feeling that 

 the freight charges on all agricultural products 

 were unreasonably high. The leaders of the 

 Farmers' Alliance took the initiative, and on 

 April 11 filed with the Railroad Commissioners 

 a petition, signed by more than 20,000 Alliance 

 men and farmers, asking the commissioners to 

 order a reduction of rates on all agricultural 

 products from Kansas points to Missouri river. 

 A hearing was held on June 17, and the decision 

 of the commissioners was rendered on July 1. 

 They held that the request of the petitioners 

 should not be granted, on the ground that such 

 a reduction would not accomplish the result de- 

 sired, but, believing that a reduction was needed 

 in local rates generally between Kansas points, 

 they promised to make such a reduction at an 

 early date. Accordingly, on Aug. 8, they pub- 

 lished a schedule of reduced rates, which the 

 railroads were directed to observe on and after 

 Sept. 1. In this schedule there was an average 



