Si i IT 1 1 DAKOTA. 



7"7 



tax. This will reduce the interest indebt. 



;i per unmun. The outstanding revenue war- 

 rant < will all be taken up by April. I*!'?. 



The a>se>sment of the 2.762 miles of railroad 

 property in 1*110. as equalized by the State board, 

 was $9.1 33.5^:! ; of sleeping-cars companies. $11,- 

 000; of telegraphs. | of telephones, $89,- 



of express companies. 54.500. The at 

 m en t of lands as equalized was $73.f>84.'>37: of 

 town lots, $13.906.621: of personal property. $2o.- 

 434>'!7 : the total valuation being $119^91,156, 

 which is $2.3511.995 less than in 1895. 



The amount of tax paid by railroads in 1895 was 

 s-.2.->' i.4:!0.06. The tax extensions for 1896 amounted 

 "ru.-^ol.^O. and the amount of delinquencies, on 

 June 30. was $446.754.80. of which amount it was 

 expected that over $200.000 would be paid before 

 l v '.iT. The Auditor urges the necessity of a consti- 

 tutional revenue law. The receipts for the next fis- 

 cal year are estimated at $586.000. and the expen- 

 ditures at $643,000. The sale for $57.666 of realty 

 taken upon execution from the bondsmen of W. 

 \V. Taylor brings the total credit upon his shortage 

 : i.ooo. 



Insurance. Statistics to Jan. 1. 1896. show that 

 during the preceding year the risks written by for- 

 eign companies amounted to $132^)02,623.82 : pre- 

 miums. $'2.701. 157.il : losses paid, $1,227.424.66. 

 The foreign life insurance companies show risks 

 written $47,304,725.07 : premiums received. $2.150.- 

 4119.16: losses incurred. $641,367.50: losses paid. 

 $661,119.12. The amount turned into the treasury 

 funds from the insurance department in 1896 was 

 $24.692.86, a slight increase over last year. 



Banks. The abstract of the condition of the 31 

 national banks on July 14 shows total resources of 

 -.41*7: loans and' discounts, $3.360.477: value 

 of stock securities, etc.. $1.261.110: reserve, $1.417.- 

 607. of which $313.567 was gold. Principal liabil- 

 ities: Capital stock. $1.935.000 ; surplus funds and 

 undivided profits. $478.811; deposits. $4.064.n25. 

 The average reserve held was 35'71 per cent. Dur- 

 ing the year 7 State banks were organized, 5 banks 

 reduced their stock, 3 increased it, and 1 was dis- 

 solved. 



Education. The number of children of school 

 age Jan. 1. 1896. was 104.029: the number of 

 schoolhouses provided for them was 3.633. The 

 total permanent school fund bearing: interest 

 amounted to $2.044.833.49. though $1.388.902 are 

 deferred payments. From the interest and income 

 fund $140,439.15 was collected during the fiscal 

 year and apportioned to the common schools : $1.- 

 753.28 was paid for endowment, and $2,041.50 was 

 paid into the general fund. 



The Springfield Normal-school building has been 

 put up, and the school was opened in the fall. The 

 enrollment at the Madison Normal School was 353, 

 of whom 153 were in the model school. 



The capacity of the Reform School was taxed to 

 the utmost during 1896, the number of inmates 

 being 88. 



1 T various State institutions the amounts paid 

 out were as follow: For the Agricultural College, 

 $6.952.94: School of Mines, $9.960.96: Madison 

 Xormal. $12.500; Spearfish Normal. $13.932.26. 

 For the maintenance and tuition of the blind $1.- 

 2ln} was expended; for deaf-mutes. $12.250; for 

 the insane. $81.600. The Reform School cost the 

 State $17.475. and the Penitentiarv expenses were 

 $33,750. 



Soldiers' Home. The number of inmates of the 

 home on April 4 was 145. and 20 members were 

 on furlough. Of the present membership. 140 re- 

 ceive pensions amounting to $17.085 a year. The 

 State paid to the home during the year $26,801.- 

 41, of which $17.100 was for maintenance. 



Corporations. The number of corporations or- 

 ganix.ed was 2ti3 for profit ami 72 for 

 charitable, or benevolent purposes. Tin- f- 

 corporations authorized to transact !>u-i 

 State numbered 311. 



Immigration. An Immigration held 



in January, formed a permanent association and 

 arranged fur issuing a pamphlet setting forth the 

 advantages of the four districts of tin- Statt the 

 irrigation, the natural rainfall, the grazing, and the 

 mineral. 



Corn. In 1896 South Dakota led in the produc- 

 tion of Indian corn, the amount being 38.557,000 

 bushels. 



Live Stock. The assessment of horses showed 

 their number to be 311.615. valued at $4. tin: 

 of milch cows. 234.499. value $2.657.061: ,,f 

 and other cattle. 280.020. valm- \ : of mules 



and asses. 4.758. value $69.959; of sheep. 34U.751. 

 value $374.495 ; and of swine; 212.572. valued at 

 $1 each. 



Political. A Republican State convention met 

 in Huron. March 25. selected delegates to the na- 

 tional convention, and adopted resolutions declar- 

 ing for protection, instructing the delegates for 

 McKinley. and. until the national convention 

 should provide another, adopting the platform of 

 the national convention of 1S'2. 



A second Republican State convention met in 

 Aberdeen, July 8. when representatives to Congress 

 and a full State ticket, headed by Amund 0. Rings- 

 rud for Governor, was nominated. Candidates for 

 presidential electors were nominated, and a plat- 

 form was adopted which heartily accepted the Re- 

 publican national platform adopted at St. Louis, 

 and commended the present administration of the 

 affairs of the State, and demanded " the passage of 

 an act providing adequate punishment for defalca- 

 tion committed by public officers " ; favored the set- 

 tlement of all questions qf dispute arising between 

 capital and labor by legally constituted arbitration ; 

 opposed harsh or unjust legislation concerning rail- 

 roads, but demanded " such legislation as will clothe 

 the Board of Railroad Commissioners with full 

 power and authority to prevent unjust discrimina- 

 tion, and to provide by legislative enactment a rea- 

 sonable maximum tariff of passenger and freight 

 rates " : and recommended that each county con- 

 vention take such action as will require all legisla- 

 tive candidates to commit themselves to carry out 

 the meaning and purpose of this resolution : pledged 

 the party to the destruction of trusts and com- 

 bines ; and favored investigation of the manage- 

 ment of the grain elevators. 



As soon as this platform was adopted 21 dele- 

 gates who favored free silver left the convention, 

 and, with other silver Republicans, prepared an 

 address urging the Republicans of the State to aid 

 " in the restoration of silver to its position as stand- 

 ard money." Committees on ticket and on platform 

 were appointed to co-operate with the People's State 

 Convention, which recommended to that convenffon 

 the adoption of the nomination of Bryan for Presi- 

 dent. On July 15 the bimetallists chose delegates to 

 the national bimetallic convention. 



The Democratic State Convention that met in 

 Aberdeen. May 20. chose delegates to the national 

 convention at Chicago, and on the money question 

 declared as follows : " The Democratic party of 

 South Dakota is in favor of the present standard 

 of value in our money system and the use of full 

 legal-tender silver, coins, and paper, convertible 

 into coin on demand, in such quantities as can be 

 maintained without impairing or endangering the 

 credit of the Government or diminishing the pur- 

 chasing or debt -paying power of the money in the 

 hands of the people ; and it is not in favor of the 



