WYOMING 937 



which provides for party columns but includes no party circle and therefore provides no way 

 for voting a straight ticket. There is a blank space left below the name of each candidate in 

 which the voter may insert the name of the candidate for whom he wishes to vote. A new 

 general election law also was passed. 



The legislature passed a pure food and drug law and created the office of state chemist. 

 Unfair competition and discrimination in prices within the state were prohibited. 



The legislature created the following counties: Platte from the N.W. part of Laramie 

 county; Washakie from the S.E. part of Big Horn county; Hot Springs from the S.W. part of 

 Big Horn; Goshen from the N.E. part of Laramie; Campbell from the W. part of Crook and 

 Weston; Niobrara from the E. part of Converse, and Lincoln from the N. part of Vinta. 



An act was passed providing for commission government in first class cities, in special 

 charter cities above 10,000 and in cities and towns of 7,000 inhabitants or more. The ques- 

 tion of adoption is to be submitted to the people on the petition of 15% of t"he qualified 

 electors. If it is defeated it is not to be re-submitted for two years and then only on petition 

 signed by at least 25 % of the qualified electors. There are to be a mayor and two commis- 

 sioners to be chosen for a two year term and to be nominated by primary. The mayor has 

 no veto power. The commissioners are authorised to act as police judges. The city govern- 

 ment must make monthly statements of expenditures and receipts. The act provides for 

 the recall of municipal officers and for the initiative and referendum. To the close of 1912 

 only Sheridan had adopted this form (election August I, 1911; in effect January I, 1912). 



Finance. In 191 1 a new act was passed for the government of the state board of equalisa- 

 tion. Mortgages were exempted from taxation. Banks are to be taxed on all property, 

 moneys, credits and assets but not on capital stock. A state board of accountancy 

 was created to examine and certify public accountants. On September 30, 1910 the 

 balance in the treasury was $800,393; an d on September 30, 1912, $1,185,048, and the state 

 debt, $117,000. Receipts for the two years were $2,247,971 ; expenditures, $1,863,317. 



Education. Poll taxes for the educational fund are to go to the county in which they are 

 collected; $150 from the general fund is to be distributed for each teacher in a district and 

 the remainder of the fund goes to the districts pro rata, according to a law passed in 1911. 



In 1910 3.3% of the population 10 years and over was illiterate (4% in 1900). 



For the school year the school population was 35,786; the number enrolled in public 

 schools, 26,502; the school funds received, $1,243,643, and the expenditures, $1,003,207. 



Penal and Charitable Institutions. In 1911 a state commission on prison labour, consist- 

 ing of the state board of charities and reform and the warden of the penitentiary, was created; 

 it is to supervise the employment of all prisoners in behalf of the state. A system of seven 

 public highways was established and their construction was placed under the supervision of 

 this commission, which was authorised to use convict labour. County commissioners and 

 city authorities are required to co-operate in the expense of these highways. The legislature 

 established the Wyoming Industrial Institute and Reformatory, for which a site at Worland 

 was chosen by popular vote at the general election in 1912. 



History. In 1911-12 the state officers were Democrats, except the superintendent 

 of public instruction. The governor for 1911-15, Joseph Maull Carey (b. 1845), 

 was Democratic Territorial delegate in Congress 1885-90, where he introduced the 

 Wyoming statehood bill, Unites States senator in 1890-95, and author (1894) of the 

 Carey reclamation law (see E.B. xiii, 640; xx, 244). The state legislature in 1911 

 was Republican (19 in senate and 29 in house to 8 Democrats and 27 Democrats, 

 respectively), and it re-elected Clarence Don Clark (b. 1861; Republican; representative 

 in Congress, 1889-93) to the U. S. Senate, in which he had served since 1895. 



The other United States senator was Francis Emroy Warren (b. 1844), Territorial 

 governor 1885-86 ad 1889-90, first governor of the state, 1890, and United States senator 

 since 1890. His term ends in 1913, and the campaign in 1912 centred on his re-election, 

 his Democratic rival being John B. Kendrick. The new state legislature has a 

 small Republican majority (about 3 on joint ballot), and on January 28, 1913, it re- 

 elected Warren. He controls the Republican " machine " in the state, which was 

 for Taft. The state Republican convention instructed delegates for Taft, and in 

 the election he ran second (14,560 votes) to Wilson (15,310 votes) Roosevelt re- 

 ceived 9,232 votes, Debs 2,760 (1,715 in 1908), and Chafin 434. A Republican 

 congressman was elected by a plurality of 4,410 over the Democratic candidate. 



On October 2, 1912 a negro convict in the state penitentiary at Rawlins who had 

 assaulted a woman 89 years old was hanged by some of his fellow convicts. On October 

 12, 20 convicts escaped from the penitentiary, but all except 3 were recaptured. 



On July 26, 1912 died William Alford Richards (b. 1849), state surveyor-general 

 in 1889-93, governor in 1895-99 an d commissioner of taxation after 1909. 



