MISSOURI. 



463 



thus remanding the prisoner to the military 

 authorities. A petition was then presented to 

 the Supreme Court of the United States, pray- 

 ing for a writ of certiorari to remove the 

 cause to that court, and a writ of habeas corpus 

 to bring up the prisoner. This was demurred 

 to, on the ground that the Supreme Court, 

 under its appellate jurisdiction, had no power 

 to issue a writ of habeas corpus. This question 

 was argued hefore Chief-Justice Chase, at Wash- 

 ington, on the 14th of July. The decision of 

 the chief justice was rendered on the 25th of 

 October, and affirmed the power of the court 

 to issue the writ, but did not touch upon any 

 other question involved in the case. The hear- 

 ing of the matter on the merits was postponed 

 until the next session of the Supreme Court, 

 and in the mean time the State passed from the 

 hands of the military authorities into those of 

 the civil officials elected under the new consti- 

 tution, and on the 28th of February Mr. Yerger 

 was given into the custody of the sheriff of 

 Hinds County. Lieutenant William Atwood, 

 adjutant-general of the Fourth Military Dis- 

 trict, immediately made affidavit before Judge 

 Cabaness, charging the prisoner with the mur- 

 der of Colonel Joseph G. Crane, on the 8th of 

 June, 1869, and, his counsel waiving an exami- 

 nation, he was committed for trial without bail. 

 Thus the authority of the military commission, 

 involving the question of the constitutionality 

 of the Reconstruction Acts, escaped a final ad- 

 judication at the hands of the Supreme Court. 



The people of Mississippi have been so much 

 occupied with the stirring events which have 

 attended the reconstruction of the State, that 

 little has been done to revive their material 

 interests, and no reports have been made re- 

 garding the public institutions or the financial 

 condition of the Commonwealth. Consider- 

 able attention has, however, been given to the 

 subject of immigration, and several associations 

 have been formed for its encouragement and 

 promotion ; and it is quite probable that the 

 energies of the people will be directed, during 

 the coming year, to the development of their 

 resources, and the building up of their com- 

 mercial and industrial interests. 



MISSOURI. The natural advantages of this 

 State, especially with regard to her geographi- 

 cal position, the variety and vastness of her 

 resources, as well as water-power, the facilities 

 of communication by land or water, affording 

 to the inhabitants ample means of easy inter- 

 course among themselves and with other States, 

 are such as to rival other sections of the Union. 

 Several of these advantages were noticed in 

 the CrcLOPjaoiA for 1868. Her population, 

 which, by the close of that year, was put at one 

 million and a half, seems to have been under- 

 estimated; since Governor McClurg, in his 

 message to the General Assembly, dated Jan- 

 uary 5, 1870, says : " One may reasonably cal- 

 culate that the United States census of this 

 year will disclose the fact that we number two 

 millions." 



The State being interested to maintain a 

 constant tide of immigration flowing in from 

 abroad, as the most effectual means of attain- 

 ing that end, its authorities have recognized 

 the necessity of placing before the millions of 

 this and other countries correct information 

 as to the climate of Missouri, her soil, agricul- 

 tural products, minerals, timber, and water- 

 power. A Board of Immigration has been 

 organized to spread such information abroad, 

 and the sum of two thousand dollars is an- 

 nually appropriated by the Assembly for the 

 purpose of meeting their expenses. Much 

 praise is given the members of this Board for 

 the amount of good which they have succeeded 

 in effecting to the State, by the employment of 

 so little money. As the efficacy of their work, 

 however, depends in a great measure upon 

 enlarging the sphere of their operations, a small 

 increase of outlay for such a purpose would 

 prove an investment making large returns, 

 beneficial to the State beyond all proportion ; 

 it has been proposed to add $5,000 to the said 

 appropriation of $2,000, and make it annually 

 $7,000, in order to enable that Board, or 

 any other selected for the work, "to send 

 abroad printed letters, pamphlets, books, and 

 circulars, with reliable information as to the 

 resources of the State, * * with instruction 

 that they should prepare and disseminate such 

 information in the other States of the Union." 



The leading object of this recommendation 

 is to invite capital and labor into the State, 

 chiefly for mining and manufacturing purposes. 

 The occupation of the people at present is 

 almost exclusively agricultural ; whereas, the 

 working of the minerals, especially coal, iron, 

 and lead, and the establishment of manufacto- 

 ries for the purpose, as well as for using other 

 raw materials, as wool, cotton, and timber, 

 would not only prove of immediate benefit to 

 the State, but would also greatly promote agri- 

 culture itself. 



The assessed value of taxable property in 

 Missouri, for 1868, was $470,773,119, which 

 sum the Board of Equalization subsequently 

 caused to be increased nearly four millions 

 more. Its amount for 1869 was $508,278,860; 

 and it is estimated that there will be an increase 

 of five per centum per annum, in the future. 

 The assessments on this amount are, "one- 

 fourth of one per centum, under a constitu- 

 tional provision for the payment of the interest 

 and to form a Sinking Fund for the principal 

 of the State debt, and one-fourth of one per 

 centum for revenue; one-fourth of which is 

 for a ' Public School Fund,' and one and three- 

 quarters per centum of the remainder for a 

 ' Seminary Fund.' " 



The State finances are in good condition ; at 

 the same time it is urged, that no measure 

 involving an expenditure of public money, 

 though promising beneficial results, should be 

 engaged in by legislative action until the State 

 has paid her debt, and so improved her condi- 

 tion as to be able to lighten the burden of taxes. 



