694 



OKLAHOMA. 



lie Instruction, J. H. Lawhead ; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, Charles Brown ; Chief Justice of the Su- 

 preme Court, Edward B. Green ; Associate 

 Justices, Abraham J. Seay and John G. Clark. 



Valuations. The assessed valuation of prop- 

 erty in the Territory, as fixed this year for the 

 first time by the first Territorial Board of Equali- 

 zation, is as follows : Payne County, $417,607.15 : 

 Oklahoma County, $1,938,408.59; Logan County, 

 $1,278,080.69; Kingfisher county, $779,890.92; 

 Cleveland County, $982,919.67; Canadian County, 

 $757,681.50 ; Beaver County, $724,274.52 ; tota'l, 

 $6,893,389.95. The rate of taxation for Terri- 

 torial purposes in 1891 was 3 mills for the gen- 

 eral revenue fund, mill for the university fund, 

 and -J mill for the normal school fund. 



Legislation. The following is a summary of 

 the more important enactments of the first Ter- 

 ritorial Legislature, which adjourned on Dec. 24, 

 1890: 



Assenting to the act of Congress establishing 

 agriculturalexperiment stations in the various States. 



Establishing an agricultural and mechanical col- 

 lege for the Territory, and locating it in Payne 

 County, provided said county, or the municipality in 

 which the college shall be located, shall appropriate 

 $10.000 therefor. Both sexes shall be admitted as 

 Ktudents. 



Providing for the appointment of a county inspect- 

 or of hides and animals. 



To prevent the importation of diseased cattle or 

 cattle coming from infected districts. 



To provide for the registration of stock brands or 

 marks. 



Prescribing the qualifications, powers, and duties of 

 attorneys and counselors at law. 



Creating a Territorial board of health, and pre- 

 scribing the qualifications demanded of medical prac- 

 titioners in the Territory. 



Authorizing the issue of bonds for payment of the 

 contingent expenses of the Territorial, county, and 

 city governments until such times as revenue may be 

 derived for that purpose from taxation. 



Authorizing the county commissioners of each 

 county to otter a bounty not to exceed $3 for each 

 gray wolf and $1 for each coyote killed within the 

 county. 



Providing for the taking of a census of the Terri- 

 tory as of the first Monday of February, 1891. 



Regulating conveyances of real property, and pre- 

 scribing a short form for deeds and mortgages. 



To regulate the practice of dentistry. 



To regulate the sale of drugs, medicines, and 

 poisons. 



Providing a general law for the conduct of elec- 

 tions. 



Authorizing each county to appoint a commissioner 

 and a lady assistant, whose duty it shall be to procure 

 an exhibition of the industries and resources of the 

 Territory at the World's Columbian Exposition, and 

 authorizing each county to expend not over $1,000 

 therefor. 



To prevent and punish the setting of prairie fires. 



Providing a fish and game law. 



Making provision for the care of the insane at some 

 insane asylum in another Territory or State. 



To incorporate and govern insurance companies 

 doing business in the Territory. 



To organize and regulate the business of life insur- 

 ance. 



To provide for the organization of the Legislative 

 Assembly of the Territory. 



Providing fora Territorial library. 



Providing for the organization of a Territorial 

 militia. 



Locating and establishing a Territorial normal 

 school at Edmond, in Oklahoma County, on a site 



to be given to the institution, and authorizing said 

 county to issue $5,000 in bonds, the proceeds to be 

 devoted to the school. 



To regulate the settlement and support of the poor. 



Prescribing a code of civil procedure. 



Establishing a system of public schools, at the 

 head of which shall be a Territorial superintendent. 



Creating the offices of Territorial Auditor, Terri- 

 torial Treasurer, and Territorial Attorney-General, 

 and prescribing the duties of each. 



Defining the powers and duties of Governor. 



Providing for the organization of municipal town- 

 ships. 



To prevent combinations in restraint of trade. 



Locating at Norman, in Cleveland County, a Terri- 

 torial university, provided 40 acres of land are given 

 for its use, and authorizing that county to sell bonds 

 to raise $10,000, which shall be expended for build- 

 ings. 



To provide for the security of bank depositors. 



The election law of this session introduces the 

 Australian or secret-ballot system. It provides 

 that a Territorial board of three election commis- 

 sioners shall prepare and distribute the ballots 

 for the election of officers for whom all the 

 electors of the Territory are entitled to vote, and 

 that a county board of election commissioners in 

 each county shall prepare and distribute the bal- 

 lots for all other officers to be voted for in the 

 county. Candidates must be nominated by the 

 convention or caucus of a political party that 

 cast 1 per cent of the total vote of the Terri- 

 tory in the last general election, or by nomina- 

 tion papers signed by 500 qualified electors when 

 the candidate is to be voted for throughout the 

 Territory, by 25 qualified electors if the candi- 

 date is to be nominated for a county office, for 

 member of the Legislature, or for prosecuting 

 attorney, and by 20 qualified electors, if for an 

 officer of any township, ward, or other division 

 less than a county. The names of all candidates 

 filed with the respective- boards of commission- 

 ers shall be printed on one ballot, all nomina- 

 tions of any party or group of petitioners being 

 placed under the title and device of such party 

 or petitioners. All ballots prepared by the Ter- 

 ritorial board shall be printed on red tinted 

 paper, and all prepared by the county boards on 

 white paper. Polling places shall contain two 

 booths, in which electors may prepare their bal- 

 lots screened from observation. There shall 

 also be provided a chute or passage-way with a 

 railing, rope, or wire on each side, beginning 50 

 feet away from, and leading to each polling place 

 past a window at which the elector may be chal- 

 lenged. On entering the room from the passage- 

 way the elector shall receive from the poll 

 clerks a Territorial and a local ballot and a 

 stamp, shall enter one of the booths and prepare 

 his ballot by stamping the square space opposite 

 the name of the candidate for whom he wishes 

 to vote; but a stamp opposite the party name 

 shall be considered a vote for all the candidates 

 of that party, except that if the elector also 

 stamps the space opposite the name of one or 

 more candidates of another party, he shall be 

 considered to have voted for those, instead of 

 the corresponding candidates of the party oppo- 

 site to whose name he has stamped. All election 

 days shall be legal holidays. The act shall take 

 effect on and after March 1, 1891. 



The liquor law prohibits selling on Sundays, on 

 election days, and between the hours of twelve 



