484 



NEBRASKA. 



citizens, and that as Mr. Boyd was then a resi- 

 dent of the State, he must be considered to have 

 been in the same position that his father would 

 have been if then a resident of the State, and 

 must have been fully naturalized by that act. 



Although this decision was rendered on Feb. 1, 

 no order to enforce it could be issued, under the 

 practice of the court, till Feb. 29. Meanwhile 

 Gov. Thayer was disposed to claim all his legal 

 rights, and at first refused to surrender the office 

 till legally notified by the court, but he^ finally 

 allowed Mr. Boyd to take possession on Feb. 8. 



Finances. For the two years ending Nov. 

 30, 1892, the State treasury statement is as fol- 

 lows : Balance in all funds, Nov. 30, 1890, $1,592,- 

 248.20 ; total receipts, $3,982,876.11 ; total pay- 

 ments, $4,401,038.38 ; balance on Nov. 30, 1892, 

 $1,181,085.93. The general fund statement for 

 the same period is as follows : Balance on Nov. 

 30, 1890, $404,367.88; total receipts, $1,886,- 

 881.48; total payments, $2,274,616.31; balance 

 on Nov. 30, 1892, $16,633.05. The marked re- 

 duction in the general fund balance is due to the 

 action of the last Legislature in increasing the 

 appropriations without making a corresponding 

 increase in the tax levy. The total appropria- 

 tions from the general fund authorized for the 

 years 1891 and 1892 were $2,693,750.63, while the 

 estimated revenues for that period were only 

 $1,800,000. As a result, the State Treasurer was 

 obliged, in August, 1891, to begin the registra- 

 tion of warrants. The effect of this action was 

 to make the State liable for interest on these 

 warrants until such time as there should be 

 money in the general fund to pay them. From 

 Aug. 1, 1891, to Nov. 30, 1892, there were regis- 

 tered for payment, in regular order as presented, 

 warrants on the general fund to the amount of 

 $1,718,256.62. Of this amount, the sum of $1,- 

 080,872.79 was paid during the period, leaving 

 a registered indebtedness against the general 

 fund of $637,383.83 on Nov. 30, 1892, drawing 7 

 per cent, interest per annum. In addition to this 

 constantly accruing obligation there was paid 

 during the period, as interest on general fund 

 warrants redeemed, the sum of $88,817.15. 



The Auditor, in his report to the Governor, 

 says: 



One of three things must be done to maintain the 

 credit of the State : Compel assessors to list all prop- 

 erty at full value, or raise the levy to be made by the 

 State Board of Equalization, or curtail the expenses of 

 the State government. 



The following statement shows the different 

 sources of State revenue for the biennial period : 

 State taxes received, $2,234,973.25 ; from coun- 

 ties, for care of insane, $122,898.11 ; principal on 

 school lands sold, $255,952.27; interest and 

 rental on school lands, $598,889.93 ; principal 

 on university lands sold, $3,150; principal on 

 agricultural college lands sold, $16,983.27 ; in- 

 terest and rental on university lands, $21,239.97 ; 

 interest and rental on agricultural college lands. 

 $56,412.92 ; principal on normal school lands 

 sold, $5.260 ; interest and rental on normal 

 school lands, $8.299.41 ; principal on saline 

 lands sold, $2,644.95 ; interest charged county 

 treasurers, $608.84 ; interest on United States 

 and county bonds, $322,644.31 ; miscellaneous 

 sources, including transfers, $352,918.88 ; total 

 receipts, $3,982,876.11. 



Education. The following is a statement of 

 the condition of the public schools for the year 

 ending July 31, 1891 : Children of school age, 

 333,115 ; total number enrolled in public schools, 

 247,320 ; teachers employed, 8,801 ; salaries paid 

 teachers, $2,217,316.78; number of schoollioiiM .., 

 5,885 ; total value of school property, $6,95!),- 

 607.72 ; number of school districts, 6,417 ; aver- 

 age school year in days, 139 ; total receipts for 

 school purposes during the year, including bal- 

 ance on hand, July 31, 1890, $4,123,799.54 ; total 

 expenditures for school purposes during the 

 year, $3,390,517.14; balance on hand, $733,- 

 282.40. 



There were granted to the State by the Fed- 

 eral Government a total of 2,869,415 acres of 

 land for educational purposes, of which 2,734,- 

 804 acres were given for the support of common 

 schools. The State still holds title to 2,482.704 

 acres of this area, of which 573,389 acres are un- 

 der contract of sale, 1,462,707 acres are leased, 

 and 446,607 acres are still undisposed of. The 

 permanent school fund now consists of national, 

 State and county securities to the value of 

 $2,525,872.35, and cash in the State treasury 

 amounting to $490,398.39, making a total of 

 $3,016,270.74, and being an increase during the 

 past two years of $270,963.93. 



The State University is in a flourishing condi- 

 tion. There are about 950 pupils enrolled, >\n 

 increase of nearly 100 per cent, in two years. 

 This enrollment represents 20 States and 64 Ne- 

 braska counties. 



Charities. At the State Insane Asylum, at 

 Hastings, there were 366 inmates on Nov. 30, 

 and at the Lincoln Insane Hospital 373. In- 

 vestigations made this year tend to show that 

 these institutions have not been economically 

 managed, and new officers have been-put in con- 

 trol. At the State Industrial Home, at Milford, 

 there were 21 inmates on Nov. 30, 1890 ; 83 were 

 admitted during the two years following, and 

 63 discharged. 



Railroads. The number of miles of railroad 

 assessed in 1892 by the State Board of Equaliza- 

 tion was 5,456, against 5,418 for the year preced- 

 ing. The total valuation of railroad property 

 was fixed at $29,339.731, against $29,265,917 for 

 1891. In his message to the Legislature of 1891, 

 Gov. Thayer said : 



Two years ago I made recommendations regard- 

 ing the matter of regulating freight rates by statute, 

 which, if they had been carried but, I am still of the 

 opinion, would have been of much benefit to our agri- 

 culturists, and would not have been unjust to the rail- % 

 roads. That Legislature took a more radical view of 

 the matter than my own, and passed a law which was 

 not only unconstitutional, but so defective that it con- 

 tained no proper provisions to give the Supreme 

 Court jurisdiction over the subject matter, and, in a 

 sense of duty, I was compelled to veto it. A year 

 later 1 secured by correspondence the views of every 

 member of that body, with the purpose of calling an 

 extra session if I found a majority disposed to less 

 radical action. From replies received I became con- 

 vinced that a moderate measure of reduction, such as 

 I could approve, could not be enacted. 



Irrigation. There are 34 companies in the 

 State engaged in irrigation, operating in 13 

 counties and having a combined capital stock of 

 about $1,964,200. There ha,ve. been 882 miles of 

 ditches completed, and 386 ' miles are under 



