ARIZONA. 



result of vigorous retrenchment in all branches 

 of the Government. The floating debt of the 

 Territory is now $170,523.60. In addition, there 

 is a bonded debt of $2,036,000, of which, how- 

 ever, $1,331,000 represents the local indebted- 

 ness of counties and cities, and only $705,000 is 

 strictly a Territorial debt. 



Education. The following public-school sta- 

 tistics cover the school years ending in 1893 and 

 1894: 



During the past two years various districts of 

 the Territory have expended over $100,000 in 

 the erection of schoolhouses. The greater part 

 of this was spent in the small towns and country 

 districts. In July, 1893, the Territorial board of 

 education adopted a new list of text-books for 

 the use of the schools. It also made contracts 

 with publishing companies, under which the 

 books are sold to the patrons of the schools at 

 an average of 33 per ceiit. less than they had 

 formerly paid. 



Militia. The aggregate strength of the Na- 

 tional Guard of Arizona at the end of the fiscal 

 year 1893 was 410. Another company has been 

 organized with 50 members and 3 commissioned 

 officers, making a total of 463. The possible 

 strength allowed under Territorial law is 893. 



Mining 1 . The closing of the silver mines, 

 caused by the low price of silver, has resulted in 

 a marked increase in gold production, and the 

 prospects are that Arizona will soon become a 

 larger gold producer than any other Territory 

 or State. The gold output during the year was 

 valued at $2,080,250. and the silver product at 

 $1,700,800. In addition, 48,270,500 pounds of 

 copper were mined. 



Land Titles. Considerable progress was 

 made during the year by the court of private 

 land claims in the hearing and disposing of cases 

 before it. There are 21 of these claims located 

 in Arizona, the title in each case being claimed 

 under grant from the Spanish Crown or the 

 Mexican Government. Of these, the Algodones 

 was determined in favor of the claimant, and is 

 now before the United States Supreme Court on 

 appeal by the Government ; the San Rafael del 

 Valli, Los Nogales de Elias, San Jose de Sonoita, 

 and San Ygnacio del Babocomori were decided 

 in favor of the Government, and an appeal was 

 taken by the claimants to the Supreme Court. 

 Sessions of the land court were held in Tucson, 

 December, 1893, and March, 1894, when the cases 

 decided were heard and determined. An area 

 of more than 6,000,000 acres is covered by these 

 claims. 



Congressional Action. The following meas- 

 ures of importance to the Territory were enacted 

 by Congress this year: An act ceding to the 

 Territory a tract of over 2,000 acres of land ad- 

 joining the Territorial prison, for a prison farm ; 

 an amendment to the Arizona funding act, ex- 



tending its provisions from 1890 to 1896, and 

 legalizing the Territorial floating indebtedness; 

 a provision enabling the United States Attorney- 

 General to adjust and pay for the maintenance 

 of Indian prisoners in the Territorial prison ; a 

 resolution for aiding in the settlement of the 

 claims of certain counties for the cost of the 

 trial of Indians in the Territorial courts, and a 

 provision for the examination of Colorado river, 

 with a view to its survey and improvement to 

 the highest point of possible navigation. 



Territorial University. In May of this 

 year a thorough reorganization and reform of 

 this institution was effected by the board of re- 



fents, whereby the expenses were reduced about 

 12,000. The 3 departments were consolidated 

 under the control of Prof. Comstock, who was 

 made president and who is responsible only to 

 the board of regents. At his own request,* his 

 salary was reduced* from $3,500 to $3,000. Three 

 other professors were relieved, and the chancellor 

 will hereafter serve without compensation. The 

 salary of the secretary was reduced to $180. 



Suit against an ex-Treasurer. Suit was 

 brought this year in the name of the Territory 

 against ex-Treasurer William Christy, who re- 

 tired from office in May, 1893, in which it was 

 claimed that he had refused to pay over to his 

 successor the sum of $16,716.83 with which he 

 stood charged as Territorial Treasurer. The 

 defendant claimed that this sum had been used 

 in the purchase of county bonds. The case was 

 tried in June, and resulted in a verdict for the 

 plaintiff by direction of the judge. 



Statehood. No appreciable progress was 

 made this year in the matter of statehood. In 

 August a bill for the admission of the Territory 

 was favorably reported to the United States 

 Senate by the committee having it in charge, 

 but no decisive action was taken upon it by 

 Congress before adjournment. 



Political. A Delegate to Congress and mem- 

 bers of the Territorial Legislature were to be 

 chosen at the November election this year. The 

 first ticket in the field was nominated by the 

 Populists, in convention at Phenix, early in*Sep- 

 tember. Their nominee for Delegate was Wil- 

 liam 0. O'Neill, and for Councilman at Large, 

 George W. Woy. The Republican Territorial 

 Convention nominated ex-Gov. Nathan 0. Mur- 

 phy for Delegate and A. J. Doran for Council- 

 man. Its platform contained the following 

 declarations : 



We are opposed to the return of the renegade Ge- 

 ronimo to our Territory, as is now threatened. 



We believe in the free and unlimited coinage of 

 silver in a ratio of 16 to 1, and demand that our Gov- 

 ernment take immediate steps to this end without re- 

 gard to what other nations may do. 



We demand national legislation in the question of 

 naturalization and immigration, to the end that our 

 country may be protected from socialists, anarchists, 

 and the pauper arid criminal classes of all countries. 



We favor Government appropriation of moneys for 

 the reclamation of the arid lands of the West. 



We favor the admission of Arizona as a State, and 

 deprecate any attempt to make this a party issue as 

 being inimical to the interests of the Territory. 



The nominees of the Democratic Territorial 

 Convention were John C. Hern don for Delegate 

 and Joseph Campbell for Councilman. 



At the November election the Republicans 



