WYOMING. 



841 



lands can now be invested in interest-bearing bonds 

 of the school districts of the State. 



Maie Institutions. Marked improvement is 

 claimed for tin- management and efficiency of the 

 institutions: that the provision of the Consti- 

 tution which requires that all charitable, reforma- 

 tory, and penal institutions shall be under the gen- 

 eral supervision of a State Board of Charities, 

 whose duties and powers shall be prescribed bylaw, 

 has been instrumental in bringing the institutions 

 of th> - i high degree of development. 



Irrigation. Irrigation in the State is through 

 small ditches. In 1895 33 ditches were surveyed 

 having a total length of 40 miles : 482 ditches with 

 a total length of 480 miles were surveyed in 1896. 

 A greater number of streams have been gauged 

 than ever before in the same length of time, and 

 their character and discharge ascertained. During 

 the past two years 891 applications for permits to 

 divert water have been recorded : 61 reservoir per- 

 mits have been received and recorded and the plans 

 for their construction approved. During the past 

 two years 1,002 rights to water have been adjudi- 

 cated. The total volume of water thus turned to 

 beneficial uses is 3,304.025 cubic feet per second, 

 and water rights have become attached to 92,393 

 acres of land. Touching this matter, the Governor 

 : " Our rivers are untouched. More water runs 

 to waste in the Big Horn river in one month than 

 is used in irrigation in the entire State during the 

 year. The best land is along our large streams: 

 and the best conditions for profitable farming here 

 prevail." 



Mines. During the past two years there has 

 been greater activity in prospecting for the precious 

 metals than ever, and many valuable discoveries 

 have been made which are likely to develop into 

 paying mines. These discoveries are scattered 

 through the State. The total production of coal 

 for 1896 is reported as 2.163,187 tons, the output 

 being divided among the following counties in the 

 quantities named: Sweetwater. 1.048.413: Weston, 

 :!4x7'^ : i larbon, 322.613; Uiuta, 330.403; Sheridan, 

 65,000 : Converse, 48,000. 



Fish and Game. During the past six years 

 there have been distributed in the waters of the 

 State 3.823.000 young trout, of which 1.316,000 

 have been supplied by the hatchery at Laramie. 

 Branch hatcheries have been established at Sheri- 

 dan and Sundance. Many private hatcheries have 

 also been located by ranchmen. Xo instance is 

 known where fish have died after being placed in 

 the waters of the State. It has been found that East- 

 ern brook trout of all varieties introduced are the 

 best for populating the streams and lakes. Several 

 years ago the North Platte river above Fort Steele 

 was stocked with rainbow trout intended for small- 

 er streams, but for which proper transportation 

 had not been provided from the above-named point. 

 Their growth has been remarkable. Individual 

 trout weighing more than 10 pounds have been 

 taken during the past season in the vicinity of Sara- 

 toga. Very large specimens of this fish are also 

 found in Laramie river. 



The State is celebrated for its large game, such as 

 moose, elk, deer, and antelope. It is said that nearly 

 half of the area of the State, or 40,000 square miles, 

 is the natural home of the large game found within 

 her borders. A serious controversy recently arose 

 between the settlers of Uinta County and the Ban- 

 nock tribe of Indians, growing out of the refusal on 

 the part of the Indians to recognize the application 

 of the game laws of the State. The matter was 

 finally settled by a decision of the Supreme Court 

 of the United States. May 25. 18U6. compelling the 

 Indians to observe the game laws. 



Indians. The Indians of the State are reported 

 as rapidly becoming civilized. They are taking 

 land in severally, and an- raising good crops. . 

 have erected flouring mills, sawmills, shingle mills, 

 and other manufacturie-. Under the policy pur- 

 sued by the agents of giving the Indians preference 

 in the purchase of farm products; they are begin- 

 ning to accumulate money. They gladly send their 

 children to the agency schools. 



Natural Soap. The "Newcastle Democrat." in 

 describing " one of the greatest natural-soap beds 

 in the world." which is said to extend for 20 miles 

 northwest from the town of Newcastle, says: " This 

 soap makes a good suds in hard water, and when 

 used in washing the hands and face leaves the skin 

 smooth and soft. It is used with good success in 

 washing clothing. A very peculiar feature of it is 

 that it can be entirely dissolved in clear water and 

 its presence can not be detected. Assays show 

 that it is 13 per cent, in weight pure aluminium, 

 which would make it more than half of that metal 

 in bulk. It shows a greater percentage of aluminium 

 than any clay that is being worked for that popular 

 metal in the United States." 



Political. The State Republican convention 

 for sending delegates to the national convention 

 met in Sheridan. May 14. The platform adopted 

 embraced the following : 



" We denounce the present administration, whose 

 vicious and vacillating course has brought us dis- 

 tress at home and humiliation abroad : we denounce 

 the free-trade policy inaugurated by the Demo- 

 cratic party, which has deranged our business, 

 crippled our industries, and compelled an increase 

 in the national indebtedness. We believe that the 

 paramount issue before the American people is pro- 

 tection to American industries and American labor. 



" We denounce the free-wool provision of the 

 Wilson tariff act as an unjust discrimination 

 against an important industry, and demand such 

 protection for sheep husbandry as will secure fair 

 prices for American wool. 



" We reaffirm our allegiance to the principles of 

 bimetallism as enunciated in the Republican State 

 platform adopted at Casper in 1894, and we com- 

 mend the record of our Senators and Representa- 

 tives in Congress in maintaining these principles, 

 and we instruct our delegates to the St. Louis con- 

 vention to take like action,- especially when the 

 financial plank of the platform of that convention 

 is being made. . . . 



We recognize in the Hon. William McKinley, 

 of Ohio, an able and honest embodiment of the 

 principles of the great Republican party, and the 

 choice of the people of Wyoming for President : 

 and our delegates to the St. Louis convention are 

 instructed to work and vote for his nomination so 

 long as there is any reasonable possibility of his se- 

 curing such nomination.'' 



The Democratic State Convention met in Laramie 

 on May 28. The Committee on Resolutions reported 

 the following, which comprises the entire platform 

 and was unanimously adopted by a rising vote : 



Whereas. The paramount issue before the Amer- 

 ican people is the currency question, therefore be 

 it I^soh-ed. That we. the Democracy of Wyoming, 

 in convention assembled, demand the free and un- 

 limited coinage of silver and gold into primary re- 

 demption money at the ratio of 16 to 1, without 

 waiting for the action or approval of any other gov- 

 ernment." 



The returns of the election gave the result : 

 Bryan. 10.655: McKinley. 10,072; Levering, 136. 

 Bryan's plurality over McKinley, 583. Bryan's 

 Populist vote was 286. The Republicans will have 

 a majority of 15 on joint ballot in the Legislature. 



