KENTUCKY. 



515 



every town and city of Kansas, with possibly 

 two exceptions, and in these active and deter- 

 mined legal efforts for its suppression have 

 been instituted." 



KENTUCKY. State Government. The follow- 

 ing were the State officers during the year : 

 Governor, J. Proctor Knott, Democrat ; Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, James E. Hindman; Secre- 

 tary of State, James A. McKenzie ; Treasurer, 

 James W. Tate ; Auditor, Fayette Hewitt ; Su- 

 perintendent of Public Instruction, Joseph 

 D. Pickett ; Attorney- General, P. W. Hardin ; 

 Register of Land-Office, John G. Cecil; Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture, John F. Davis ; Insur- 

 ance Commissioner, L. C. Norman; Railroad 

 Commissioners, J. P. Thompson, A. R. Boone, 

 and John D. Young. Judiciary, Court of Ap- 

 peals : Chief-Justice, Thomas F. Hines ; Asso- 

 ciate Justices, William S. Pryor, Joseph H. 

 Lewis, and William H. Holt. 



Election. On Aug. 8, a State Treasurer and 

 members of the Legislature were chosen. James 

 W. Tate, 'Democrat, was re-elected Treasurer, 

 receiving 106,762 votes against 39,428 for all 

 others. The Legislature consists of 24 Demo- 

 crats and 4 Republicans in the Senate, and 80 

 Democrats and 20 Republicans in the House. 

 The question of calling a Constitutional Con- 

 vention was submitted to the people at the 

 same time, but failed to receive a sufficient 

 number of affirmative votes. 



Finances. Referring in his message to the 

 subjects demanding the attention of the Legis- 

 lature at its session, begun Dec. 30, the Gov- 

 ernor says : 



In my message to the last Legislature, I called at- 

 tention to the fact that while there was a balance in 

 the treasury of $8,624.33 for the fiscal year ending 

 June 30, 1883, we were owing $500,000 on temporary 

 loans from the banks, which created an actual deficit 

 of $491,375.67; and that there was no reasonable 

 prospect of its being materially diminished for years 

 with the resources of the treasury as they then exist- 

 ed. In view of these facts I urged the adoption of such 

 measures as would not only insure the liquidation of 

 our indebtedness to the banks at the earnest practi- 

 cable moment, but place the treasury in a condition 

 to promptly meet all its liabilities on demand. It was 

 not found expedient to do so, however. On the con- 

 trary, our fiscal affairs were still further embarrassed 

 by the diversion of revenues from the general ex- 

 penditure to the school fund, aggregating in two 

 vears over $350,000, by appropriations which had not 

 been anticipated, amounting to more than $284,000, 

 and by the addition of $175,000 to the ordinary ex- 

 penditures of the government in consequence of the 

 unusual length of the session. To meet these addi- 

 tional liabilities of the general expenditure fund, the 

 rate of taxation was increased five cents on the hun- 

 dred dollars, yielding upon our accustomed rates of 

 .ssessment an annual increase of revenue averaging 

 about $160,000; and as a further means of preventing 

 the anticipated deficit in the treasury, an act was 

 passed directing the funding of the bank debt at a 

 rate of interest not exceeding 5 per cent, per an- 

 num ; in pursuance of which $500.000 in twenty-year 

 bonds at 4 per cent, were negotiated as of June 1, 

 885, at 2i per cent, premium, and the proceeds, 

 mounting to $512,500, paid in and accounted for as 

 part of the receipts of the last fiscal year. 



The balance in treasury to the credit of the 



several funds, at the close of the fiscal year 

 ending June 30, 1884, was as follows: 



General expenditure fund deficit $188,029 16 



Sinking-fund balance $174,00000 



School-fund balance 18r,340 88 



Total $806,340 83 



Deduct deficit in general expenditure fund. . . . '. 188,'o29 16 



Net balance $122 811 67 



The receipts during the fiscal year ending June 



30, 1885, were 8,328,055 49 



Total receipts from all sources, including 



balances $3,445,867 16 



Disbursements for the same period 2,919,779 40 



Leaving balance June 30, 1885 $525,587 76 



At the end of the last fiscal year there was 

 a cash balance in the treasury to the credit of 

 the general expenditure fund of $35,812.30, 

 but at the same time there were unpaid balances 

 of appropriations and claims against that fund 

 aggregating $328,997.82, showing an actual 

 deficit of $293,185.52. 



The total amount of receipts from sheriffs 

 for taxes during the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1885, was $1,766,000.39, and that derived 

 from all other sources of revenue, for general 

 purposes, including $512,500 accruing from sale 

 of bonds, was $1,467,363.30, making in all 

 $3,233,363.69. 



The assessed value of personal property for 

 the year ending June 30, 1885, was $96,838,- 

 919; of real estate, $293,989,044; total, $390,- 

 827,963. The taxation is 52| cents on $100. 



Penitentiary. The Governor says that the 

 Penitentiary is in a better condition than it 

 has been at any other period within the mem- 

 ory of the present generation. The number 

 of convicts is over 1,000. They are contracted 

 to a company for the term of four years from 

 April 1, 1885. The contractors are to acquit 

 the State of all cost for running the Peniten- 

 tiary for four years, and pay into the treasury 

 a bonus of $33,333^ for that terra, with the 

 right reserved to the directors to withdraw at 

 any time as many convicts as may be required 

 for work on the Branch Penitentiary, upon 

 giving sixty days' notice. 



The work of constructing the Branch Peni- 

 tentiary at Eddyville has made good progress. 

 The grounds embrace 80 acres. Up to Decem- 

 ber, 1885, $71,922.30 had been expended, leav- 

 ing of the appropriation made by the last Legis- 

 lature an available balance of $78,077.70. 



State Guard. The State Guard consists of 

 sixteen companies of infantry and one of ar- 

 tillery, all fully equipped-, thoroughly drilled, 

 and ready for effective service. "In conse- 

 quence of the disturbed condition of affairs in 

 Kowan County during the past summer," says 

 the Governor, "it unfortunately became my 

 duty to keep from seventy to ninety men of 

 this force on active duty for several weeks." 



Education. There has been a steady and 

 gratifying improvement in the character and 

 condition of the common schools throughout 

 the State during the past two years. An unu- 



