TERRITORIES OF TEE UNITED STATES. 



725 



on the 3d of January, 1872, this was entirely 

 paid off, and there was a surplus in the Treas- 

 ury of $55,104.32. Of the land of the Territo- 

 ry about 19,077,120 acres are included in an 

 Indian reservation occupied by four to six 

 thousand Utes, and another large district is 

 practically closed against settlers on account 

 of unadjusted land-grants. 



The railroad system of the Territory has 

 been rapidly developed in the last two years, 

 and there are now 444 miles in successful op- 

 eration, of which 76 were built during this 

 year, and 228 in 1870. Among the lines com- 

 pleted in the last few months is a narrow- 

 gauge road from Denver to Colorado Springs, 

 a distance of 76 miles. It is only three feet 

 from rail to rail, and is the first put in success- 

 ful operation on this plan in the country. 

 Among the new railroad enterprises is that of 

 the Denver & Salt Lake road. The proposed 

 route is from Denver along the course of the 

 South Platte to the Middle Park, and thence 

 by the most feasible and direct line to Salt 

 Lake City. It will be a narrow-gauge road, 

 and will probably be completed in about two 

 years. It will aid in developing the rich 

 region of the South. Park, which it will traverse 

 for 58 miles. A survey has been made for a 

 narrow-gauge road from Pine Bluff to Golden 

 City, a distance of 132 miles. 



Near the foot of Pike's Peak are the Colo- 

 rado Springs, whose waters have been lately 

 analyzed and found to possess valuable medi- 

 cinal properties. 



The school law of 1870 has been found to be 

 quite satisfactory in its working, and a toler- 

 able system of popular education has been es- 

 tablished. A School of Mines has been founded, 

 but the buildings are not yet completed. 



Denver, the capital of the Territory, is a 

 flourishing town of about 8,000 inhabitants. 

 The present Governor of the Territory is Ed- 

 win M. McCook. The expenses of the govern- 

 ment are as follows : For salaries of Governor 



and ^Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Chief 

 Justice, two Associate Judges, and Secretary, 

 $13,300; for compensation and mileage of the 

 members of the Legislative Assembly, officers, 

 clerks, and contingent expenses thereof, $20,- 

 000 ; for contingent expenses of the Territory, 

 $1,000. 



There was an election for members of the 

 Legislature on the 12th of September. The 

 Council, or Upper House, consists of 13 mem- 

 bers, of whom 9 are Republicans and 4 Dem- 

 ocrats ; and the House of Representatives is 

 composed of 16 Republicans and 10 Demo- 

 crats. The total vote was 16,635 against 

 11,508 in 1870, and 8,167 in 1868. The aggre- 

 gate of the Republican vote was 7,063, and 

 that of the Democratic 6,572, giving the former 

 a majority of 491. 



The ninth session of the Territorial Legis- 

 lature opened on January 15, 1872. The Gov- 

 ernor, in his biennial message, recommended 

 several reforms, among them the abolition of 

 the grand-jury system, and a provision allow- 

 ing defendants to testify in their own behalf. 

 As a substitute for the grand-jury system, he 

 recommends " the passage of a law authorizing 

 and empowering the district attorney, in afi 

 cases of misdemeanor or minor offences against 

 the Territorial laws, to file in court an informa- 

 tion predicated on the affidavit of the pros- 

 ecuting witness. This," he says, "would at- 

 tain every result now realized by an indict- 

 ment. District attorneys would thus be called 

 upon to take a responsible part in the great 

 judicial drama, and see justice administered 

 in its purest and most enlightened form. Their 

 action would be exposed to the searching 

 scrutiny of their neighbors and the court, and 

 a degree of care heretofore unknown will be in- 

 duced in the institution of criminal proceed- 

 ings ; the number of very petty prosecutions 

 will be decreased, and trial will be had in those 

 cases only where conviction is almost sure to 

 follow the presentment of an information." 



CENSUS OF 1870. 



