866 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



WISCONSIN. 



term ending June 1, 1893. Third District, Dr. 

 B. F. Irons, Pickaway, Monroe County, for the 

 term ending June 1, 1893. Dr. W. P. Ewing, 

 Charleston, for the term ending June 1, 1894. 

 Fourth District, Dr. I. P. Carpenter, Poca, Put- 

 nam County. 



Education. The per cent, of gain in public- 

 school enrollment to June 26, 1891, was 34-42, 

 while the gain in population was 23'34. In 

 Charleston, the enumeration for 1890 was 2,128, 

 and the attendance 1,548. 



On June 23, 1891, the Board of Education for 

 the independent district of Charleston resolved 

 to advertise an election asking for bonds for 

 $30,000, of which $10.000 are to be used for a 

 school-house for colored children. 



To the West Virginia Colored Institute Gov. 

 Fleming appointed, on May 28, 1891, as regents, 

 Benjamin W. Byrne and Benjamin F. Wyatt, 

 Charleston ; Charles H. Turner, Parkersburg ; 

 John A. Myers, Morgantown ; and Samuel P. 

 Haven, Glen Easton, Marshall County. On May 

 28, 1891, he appointed to the board of regents 

 for the schools for the deaf and the blind, W. S. 

 Wiley, New Martinsville, Wetzel County, to fill 

 a vacancy caused by the death of Dr. Baird ; D. C. 

 Casto, Elizabeth, Wirt County, to fill a vacancy 

 caused by the resignation of W. P. Vicars. 



Agriculture^ The first State board met at 

 the Capitol in Charleston on May 4, 1891. Presi- 

 dent, H. M. Turner ; Secretary, Secretary of the 

 State Grange. On May 14 the Secretary of the 

 Interior, at Washington, certified to the Treas- 

 ury the warrant for $15,000, being the money 

 due to West Virginia as her share of the money 

 appropriated for the support of agricultural col- 

 leges for the fiscal year ending in June. 1890. 

 The delay in payment was due to the raising of 

 a question as to the discrimination against col- 

 ored pupils in the West Virginia College. The 

 money for 1891 will be paid when the report is 

 submitted as to the disposition of the money ap- 

 propriated for 1890. 



Game Laws. The following amendments to 

 the game laws have been passed : No quail (Vir- 



finia partridge) from Dec. 20 to Nov. 1 ; wild tur- 

 ey, Jan. 1 to Sept. 15 ; ruffed grouse, pheasant, 

 Sinnated grouse, prairie chicken, etc., Jan. 1 to 

 ov. 1 ; duck, wild duck, woodchuck, blue- winged 

 teals, etc., April 1 to Oct. 1 ; snipe, only between 

 March 1 and July 1 ; woodcock, only from July 

 1 to Sept. 15. It is made unlawful at any time 

 to entrap, seine, or destroy any Virginia par- 

 tridge, and, except by shoulder gun. to hunt. 



World's Fair Commission. The commis- 

 sion appointed to take charge of West Virginia's 

 exhibit at the Columbian Exposition is as fol- 

 lows: Governor, Hon. W. N. Chancellor (at a 

 salary of $1,200 per annum); Treasurer, Hon. 

 George M. Bowers (1 per cent, on the dis- 

 bursements) ; Secretary, W. C. McKay ($600 per 

 annum). 



Coal. According to the annual report of the 

 State Mine Inspectors during the year ending 

 June 30, 1891, the total coal production was 

 7,281,430 tons of 2,240 pounds each. The coke 

 production was 1,238,418 tons. There were 179 

 mines in operation, in which 14,178 men were 

 employed. There were 4,117 coke ovens in oper- 

 ation, and 777 more were in process of building. 

 The average number of months worked was 



10^ ; the average earnings of miners per month, 

 $39.25. 



Petroleum. Out of a total production of 

 34,820,306 barrels of petroleum in the United 

 States in 1889, West Virginia, according to a 

 bulletin of the Census Office, produced 358,269. 

 Oil was produced in eleven States, West Vir- 

 ginia coming fourth on the list. 



Land. Five thousand acres of timber land 

 in Preston County were sold this year for 

 $50,000 to a Philadelphia syndicate. 



WISCONSIN, a Western State, admitted to 

 the Union May 29, 1848; area, 56,040 square 

 miles. The population, according to each de- 

 cennial census since admission, was 305,391 in 

 1850; 775,881 in 1860 ; 1,054,670 in 1870 ; 1,315,- 

 497 in 1880; and 1,686,880 in 1890. Capital, 

 Madison. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, George W. 

 Peck, Democrat ; Lieutenant-Governor, Charles 

 Jonas ; Secretary of State, Thomas J. Cunning- 

 ham ; Treasurer, John Hunner ; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, James L. O'Connor ; Superintendent of 

 Public Schools, Oliver E. Wells ; Insurance Com- 

 missioner, Wilbur M. Root ; Railroad Commis- 

 sioner, Thomas Thompson ; Chief Justice of the 

 Supreme Court, Orsamus Cole ; Associate Jus- 

 tices, Harlow S. Orton, John B. Cassoday. Will- 

 iam P. Lyon, and David Taylor, who died on 

 April 3 and was succeeded on May 4 by John B. 

 Winslow, by appointment of the Governor. 



Legislative Session. The regular biennial 

 session of the General Assembly began on Jan. 

 14 and ended on April 25. Both Houses were 

 controlled by the Democrats. On Jan. 27 Will- 

 iam F. Vilas, Democrat, was elected United 

 States Senator for the term of six years, to suc- 

 ceed John C. Spooner, Republican, the vote in 

 each House being as follows : Senate, Spooner 

 14, Vilas 16 ; House, Spooner 31, Vilas 66. 

 The Bennett school law of 1889, which was bit- 

 terly assailed during the political contest of 

 1890, was repealed early in the session and a new 

 compulsory education law was enacted, which 

 provides that "every parent or other person 

 having under his control any child betweeii the 

 ages of seven and thirteen years shall cause such 

 child to attend, for at least twelve weeks in each 

 arid every school year, some public or private 

 school ; provided, however, that this act shall 

 not apply to any child that has been or is being 

 otherwise instructed for a like period of time in 

 the elementary branches of learning, or that has 

 already acquired such knowledge, or whose men- 

 tal or physical condition is such as to render his or 

 her attendance at school and application to study 

 inexpedient or impracticable, or who lives more 

 than two miles from any school by the nearest 

 traveled road, or who is excused for sufficient 

 reasons by any court of record. Every person 

 who shall violate the provisions of this section 

 shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined in any 

 sum not less than three dollars nor more than 

 twenty dollars for each and every offense." The 

 local school officials were required to prosecute 

 offenses under this act, and they may appoint 

 officers to apprehend truants. 



In order to put an end to the practice of State 

 Treasurers in collecting for their own use the in- 

 terest on public moneys which they had depos- 



