TERRITORIES, U. S. 



TEXAS. 



737 



The following statement of the precious met- 

 als produced in the Territory in 1873 is made 

 by the General Superintendent of the Wells, 

 Fargo & Co. Express : Gold dust and bullion 

 by express, $171,951 ; by other conveyances, 

 $34,390; silver bullion by express, $3,054: 

 total, $209,395. 



WYOMING. The third Legislative Assembly 

 of Wyoming Territory convened at the capital, 

 Cheyenne, on the 4th of November. As no 

 Territorial buildings bad been provided, the 

 sessions were held in the Conrt-House. Ihe 

 Legislature meets biennially, and its sittings 

 are limited to forty days. The Upper House, 

 known as the Council, consists of nine mem- 

 bers; in the Lower House there are thirteen 

 members. There are four Territorial districts : 

 the first comprising Laramie County ; the 

 second, Uintah; the third, Sweetwater and 

 Carbon; and the fourth, Albany. There are 

 6 Republicans and 4 Democrats in the Council, 

 and 7 Republicans and 6 Democrats in the 

 House. The Territorial officers are : Governor, 

 J. A. Campbell, appointed in 1869, upon the 

 organization of the Territory ; Secretary, Ja- 

 son B. Brown, an attorney of Cheyenne, lately 

 appointed in place of H. Glafcke, editor of the 

 Cheyenne Leader; United States Marshal, 

 Frank Wolcott ; Surveyor-General, Silas Reed, 

 lately appointed in place of Dr. Latham ; Au- 

 ditor, Dr. J. H. Hayford, editor of Laramie Sen- 

 tinel; Treasurer, S. W. Downey ; Chief-Justice, 

 J. W. Fisher; Delegate to Congress, W. R. 

 Steele, a prominent lawyer of Cheyenne. 



In 1870 Wyoming contained 11,518 inhab- 

 itants; the present population is estimated at 

 18,000. The Territory was organized in 1868, 

 being carved ont of Dakota. The settled por- 

 tion lies almost wholly along the Union Pacific 

 Railroad, which traverses its borders for a 

 distance of 420 miles. The Northern Pacific 

 Railroad, when in operation, will pass along its 

 northern border, but the distance between the 

 two roads will be about 270 miles. The Terri- 

 tory has great natural resources, but the In- 

 dian troubles have prevented its settlement to 

 any considerable extent off the line of the rail- 

 road. The valleys of many of its numerous 

 streams are known to be fertile ; this is espe- 

 cially true of all the tributaries of the North 

 Platte ; and, wherever the lands can -be prop- 

 erly irrigated, abundant crops are produced. 

 The valleys of the Laramie, Chugwater, and 

 other streams, prodnce heavy growths of rich 

 indigenous grasses, hundreds of tons of which 

 are annually cured for hay. The stock-ranges 

 are excellent, and Laramie Plains are famous 

 throughout the West for fat cattle. 



Coal-raining is the principal industry of the 

 Territory. The Union Pacific Railroad and its 

 terminal stations get their supply along the 

 line, between Laramie and Evanstown. On 

 Cooper Creek, fifteen miles west of Laramie, 

 a nine-inch vein is worked, and at Creston, 

 jnst east of the continental divide, a good vein 

 is worked. The coal-seam at Separation is 



VOL. XIII. 47 A 



eleven feet thick. Near Point of Rocks there 

 are five veins, the thickest being six and a 

 half feet. Coal is also mined at other points. 

 Nearly all the land between Rock Creek und 

 Cooper's Creek has been selected in advance 

 of the public surveys for mining purposes, with 

 a view of securing title when surveyed. 



Several new postal routes and thoroughfares 

 have been opened within the past few months, 

 giving better access to all parts of the Territory. 



The experiment of woman suffrage in Wyo- 

 ming has attracted general attention. At- 

 tempts have been made in the Territory to 

 repeal the law, but without success. The prac- 

 tical working of the measure is thus stated by 

 the Governor in his message: "The experi- 

 ment of granting to women a voice in the 

 government, which lias been inaugurated, for 

 the first time in the history of our country, by 

 the first Legislative Assembly ot Wyoming, lias 

 now been tried for four years. I have hereto- 

 fore taken occasion to express my views in re- 

 gard to the wisdom and justice of this measure, 

 and my conviction that its adoption had been 

 attended only by good results. Two years 

 more of observation of the practical working 

 of the system have only served to deepen my 

 conviction that what we, in this Territory, 

 have done, has been well done, and that our 

 system of impartial suffrage is an unqualified 

 success." 



TEXAS. The political affairs of this State 

 at the close of the year were of such a nature 

 as to become national in importance. 



As the tenure of office of some of the State 

 official* was involved in doubt, while the laws, 

 so far as any existed governing elections, were 

 also of doubtful import, the Legislature, at its 

 session in the early part of the year, passed an 

 act providing for a general election in Decem- 

 ber. Under this law, which had been ap- 

 proved by Governor Davis, the political con- 

 test was begun by both parties. First in the 

 field were the Republicans, who 'held their 

 State Convention at Dallas, August 20th, and 

 having renominated Governor Davis, adopted 

 the following platform : 



1. Tlmt we reaffirm our devotion to the principles 

 enunciated by the National Kepublican platform, 

 and to the wise and just Administration of President 

 Grant. 



2. We are earnestly in favor of the establishment 

 and maintenance of a system of public" free schools, 

 such as is required by Article IX. of our State consti- 

 tution, with such improvements as experience has 

 shown to be desirable, and we strongly condemn the 

 practical abolition by the Thirteenth Legislature of 

 the svstem that was in operation. 



8. TVe are in favor of such laws by the Legislature 

 as will rive full and ample protection to every citi- 

 zen of the State in the enjoyment of all his rights ns 

 a citizen. 



4. We are opposed to special legislation, believing 

 that general laws may be framed which can obviate 

 the necessity of special, and which would be more 

 just and less apt to be enacted from corrupt motives. 



5. We are in favor of judicious State aid to immi- 

 gration, such as is contemplated by Article XI. of 

 our constitution. 



6. We desire to be taxed for public purposes only ; 



