780 



SOUTH DAKOTA. 



200, with an annual interest and sinking fund 

 charge of about f 54,000. 



County Debts. The total debt of South Da- 

 kota counties is $2,690,484, nearly all of which 

 has been contracted in the past ten years. The 

 bonded debt is $2,219,077, and the floating debt 

 $471,407. 



Population. The following table shows the 

 population of the State by counties, as deter- 

 mined by the national census of 1890, compared 

 with the population for 1880 of the Dakota coun- 

 ties now embraced within the limits of the State: 



(a) No returns. * Decrease. 



Legislative Session. The adjourned first 

 session of the Legislature met on Jan. 7 at Pierre 

 and concluded its work on March 7. The State 

 Treasurer was authorized to issue and sell 4-per- 

 cent, bonds of the State to the amount of $100.- 

 000, the proceeds to be used in meeting casual 

 deficits caused by the failure of revenue. When 

 the portion of floating indebtedness of the Ter- 

 ritory of Dakota, which the State of South Da- 

 kota is to assume under the terms of the admis- 

 sion act, has been ascertained, the Treasurer is 

 further authorized to issue and sell 4-per-cent. 

 bonds in amount sufficient to raise money to pay 

 such indebtedness. In order to enlarge the debt 

 limit, the following amendment to the State 

 Constitution was proposed for submission to the 

 people at the November election : " For the pur- 

 pose of defraying extraordinary expenses and 

 making public improvements, or to meet a defi- 

 cit or failure in revenue, the State may, in ad- 

 dition to pre-existing debts, contract debts never 

 to exceed in the aggregate $500,000, except to 

 repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or defend 

 the State or United States in war." It is provided 

 that a State tax shall be levied each year sufficient 

 to meet the ordinary estimated expenses of the 

 State and any deficiency of the previous year, to 

 meet the annual interest on the State debt, and 

 to provide a sinking fund for its payment at ma- 

 turity. The tax rate for each year, sufficient for 

 these purposes, shall be fixed by the State Board 

 of Equalization, which is also directed to equal- 

 ize the assessments in the various counties. The 

 same board shall assess the property of all rail- 

 road, telegraph, and telephone companies in the 

 State, and these shall pay the same tax as oth- 

 er property. Provision was made for submit- 

 ting to the people at the November election a 

 proposed constitutional amendment permitting 

 woman suffrage, and a proposed amendment ex- 

 cluding from suffrage Indians who sustain trib.il 

 relations, who receive support in whole or in 

 part from the Government of the United Stales, 

 or who hold un taxable lands in severally. Pur- 

 suant to section 2 of Article XX of the Constitu- 

 tion, an act was passed requiring the people to 

 vote at the November election for a permanent 

 location of the State capital. 



A stringent law was enacted for the suppres- 

 sion of " trusts." Other acts of the session were 

 as follow : 



Creating a State Board of Charities and Corrections. 



Creating a Board of Regents of Education. 



Kaising the age of consent in females from fourteen 

 to sixteen years. 



Creating a State Board of Equalization. 



To establish a Board of Pardons. 



To create a Bureau of Labor Statistics, and to pro- 

 vide tor the appointment of a Commissioner of Labor. 



Providing for the uniform organization of town- 

 ships. 



