596 



MISSISSIPPI. 



act, and requires the Legislature to enact gen- 

 eral laws uuder which ull these matters may 

 be disposed of by the courts, or county or 

 other municipal authorities. 



Another amendment is chiefly of interest to 

 cities. It provides that cities may levy an an- 

 nual tax on all lands fronting on water-mains 

 or pipes laid down by the city for supplying 

 the citizens with water. Still another strikes 

 out the constitutional limitation of the session 

 of the Legislature to sixty days, but fixes the 

 pay of each member at $5 per day, his total 

 pay not to exceed $450 for any regular session. 

 The maximum pay for any special session is 

 $200. 



Perhaps the most important of the proposed 

 amendments is that which relates to the sale 

 of the swamp-lands. It provides that all the 

 swamp-lands now held by the State shall be 

 appraised and sold in the same manner as the 

 school-lands ; that the minimum price shall be 

 the same, less one third, as provided by law 

 for the sale and appraisement of the school- 

 lands ; that the principal of the proceeds shall 

 be inviolate ; one half to be appropriated to 

 the common-school fund and the other half to 

 the educational and charitable institutions of 

 the State, in the ratio of the cost of their sup- 

 port. The last State Auditor's report shows 

 that up to that time there had been granted to 

 various railroad companies and State institu- 



tions 2,641,434 acres of these swamp-lands. 

 It is the opinion of the State Auditor that not 

 more than 2,500,000 acres of swamp-lands re- 

 main unappropriated. Most of the unappro- 

 priated remainder will be in the region north 

 of Lake Superior. 



The amendment to section 1 of Article IX 

 was adopted by a vote of 35,019 against 18,- 

 320. The amendment to sections 1 and 7 of 

 Article IV (relating to pay of legislators, etc.) 

 was rejected, 28,799 votes being cast for and 

 82,183 against it. The amendment to Article 

 IV, to prohibit special legislation, was adopted 

 by a vote of 56,491 against 8,369. The amend- 

 ment of section 2 of Article VIII was adopted 

 by a vote of 51,903 against 8,440, 



On the 1st of March, during the session of 

 the Legislature, the Capitol was discovered to 

 be on fire. The members escaped, and the 

 most valuable archives were saved, but the 

 building was destroyed. A new Capitol has 

 been commenced. On the 15th of July the 

 town of New Ulra was visited by a very de- 

 structive cyclone, which leveled many build- 

 ings, and killed and injured a considerable 

 number of persons. The property destroyed 

 amounted to not less than $300,000. Much dam- 

 age was also done in the surrounding country. 



The following table gives the population of 

 the State by counties, in 1880, as compared 

 with 1870 : 



MISSISSIPPI. The yield of the crops for 

 the past two years has not been satisfactory, 



* Formed in 1875, from part of Lake; unorganized. 



t Formed in 1S71, from part of Eedwood. 



| Formed in 1878, from part of Lyon. 



Formed in 1871, from part of Bedwood; in 1873, part to 

 Lincoln. 



| Formed In 1879, from part of Kittson. 



T Organized in 1879. 



^*.In 1870 returned as having no population ; organized In 

 1873. 



tt'In 1870 detached from Chippewa and part of Lac-qul- 

 parle attached ; organized in 1871. 



$$ Formed fn 1872, from part of Eedwood. 



but the prices obtained for the chief staple 

 have, in most instances, brought to the farmer 

 a fair return. Complaint is made of the in- 

 adequate and unequal assessment of property 

 throughout the State. It is believed that if the 

 property of the State were assessed as required 

 by the Constitution and laws, taxation might 

 be reduced to less than half the present rate. 



The Auditor's reports show the valuation 

 of property in the State for the last two years 

 to have been as follows : 



