NEBRASKA. 



553 



Railroads* The following statement shows 

 the number of miles, the assessed valuation 

 per mile, and the total assessed valuations of 



railroads in the State of Nebraska, as deter- 

 mined by the State Board of Equalization, for 

 the years 1883 and 1884: 



The railroads constructed in the State, during 

 the years 1883 and 1884, were : 



Number 



Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley 1 65-06 



Omaha and Republican Valley 67'55 



Omaha, Niobrara, and Black Hills 16'55 



Nebraska and Colorado 73-86 



Republican Valley 233-99 



Chicago, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Omaha 79-29 



Total 641 80 



Land Department. The number of acres of 

 land leased by the State during 1883 and 1884 

 was 687,472; sold, 267,173; reverting to the 

 State, 48,126; deeded by the State, 25,164; 

 deeded and confirmed to the State, 45,635. 



The number of acres of all lands owned by 

 the State, Dec. 1, 1884, was: 



Common school 2,746,532-92 



Agricultural College 89,080-07 



University 44,906-08 



Normal School 12,562-89 



Balinelands 18,868-87 



Penitentiary 676'71 



Total 2,907,177-04 



The number of acres of indemnity school 

 lands received by the State is 71,629-83 acres. 



The following statement will show the reve- 

 nue of the temporary school fund from educa- 

 tional lands: Dec. 1, 1884, there were under 

 lease 953,638-19 acres of educational lands, ap- 

 praised at $2,375,744.29, and bearing an annual 

 rental of $160,919.52, at an average valua- 

 tKbn of $2.49 an acre. There were under sale 

 461,408-14 acres of educational lands, the un- 

 paid principal of which is bearing 6 percent, 

 on $3,112,542.56, amounting to $186,752.55. 

 There were $1,160,267.35 of the permanent 

 funds invested in securities, the annual interest 

 on which is $84,585.38, making in all a tempo- 

 rary fund from land receipts alone of $432,- 

 257.45 per annum. There are still vacant and 

 unappraised 1,478,086-13 acres of common- 

 school lands, about half the original grant. 



Capitol Building. The contract for the erec- 

 tion and completion of the main building of the 



Capitol was awarded, on July 9, 1883, for the 

 sum of $439,187.25, the building under the 

 terms of the contract to be completed by Dec. 

 1, 1889. The work was entered upon under the 

 plan and specifications adopted by the board, 

 and furnished by the architect of the plans for 

 the east and west wings now completed. 



New Counties. During 1883 and 1884 steps 

 were taken to organize the counties of Loup, 

 Cherry, Brown, Dundy, Sioux, and Hayes. 

 Garfield county has been formed from a por- 

 tion of Wheeler county, and Keya Paha county 

 from a part of Brown. 



Political. The Republican State Convention 

 to nominate State officers and presidential 

 electors assembled at Omaha, on the 27th of 

 August, and promptly accomplished its purpose. 

 It adopted a platform pledging the hearty sup- 

 port of the party to Blaine and Logan, deprecat- 

 ing a reduction of the duty on wool, recog- 

 nizing the necessity of a statute regulating rail- 

 roads, commending the taxation of railroad 

 land grants, asking for a revision of school- 

 land laws, declaring that the public domain 

 should be reserved for actual settlers, favoring 

 honest reform in the civil service, and asking 

 for a free ballot and fair count in the South. 



A Republican State Convention, convened at 

 Lincoln, on the 1st of May, chose delegates to 

 the National Convention, and put forth a dec- 

 laration of the views of the Republican party 

 of Nebraska ; closing with a resolution : 



That this convention requests the coming Repub- 

 lican National Convention to provide that in all future 

 national conventions representation shall be propor- 

 tionate to the Republican votes cast for President in 

 the last preceding presidential election. 



The Democrats, Anti-Monopolists, and Green- 

 backers agreed upon a fusion ticket for elect- 

 ors and State officers. 



At the election, November 4, the Republican 

 State ticket was successful. This ticket was 

 constituted as follows : Governor, James W. 

 Dawes; Lieutenant-Governor, H. H. Shedd; 



