WEST VIRGINIA. 



777 



Whorter; Clerk, J. A. Holley all Democrats ex- 

 cept Judge McWhorter, who is a Republican. 



State officers are elected for terms of four years 

 at the time of the presidential elections, and are 

 inaugurated on the 4th of the following March. 

 The Legislature meets biennially in January of 

 the odd-numbered years. 



Population. The increase of population in the 

 past decade was 25.6 per cent., while from 1880 to 

 1890 it was 23.3 per cent. The census of 1900 

 by counties is as follows: Barbour, 14,198; Berke- 

 ley, 19,469; Boone, 8,194; Braxton, 18,904; Brooke, 

 7,219; Cabell, 29,252; Calhoun, 10,260; Clay, 8,248; 

 Doddridge, 13,689; Fayette,31,967; Gilmer, 11,762; 

 Grant, 7,275; Greenbrier, 20,683; Hampshire, 11,- 

 806; Hancock, 6,693; Hardy, 8,449; Harrison, 

 27,690; Jackson, 22,987; Jefferson, 15,935; Kana- 

 wha, 54,696; Lewis, 16,930; Lincoln, 15,434; Logan, 

 6,955; Marion, 32,430; Marshall, 26,444; Mason, 

 24,142, Mercer, 23,903; Mineral, 12,883; Mingo, 

 11,359; Monongalia, 19,944; Monroe, 13,130; Mor- 

 gan, 7,294; McDowell, 18,747; Nicholas, 1,403; 

 Ohio, 48,024; Pendleton, 9,167; Pleasants, 9,345; 

 Pocahontas, 8,572; Preston, 22,727; Putnam, 17,- 

 330; Raleigh, 12,436; Randolph, 17,670; Ritchie, 

 18,091; Roane, 19,852; Summers, 16,265; Taylor, 

 14,970; Tucker, 13,433; Tyler, 18,252; Upshur, 

 14,696; Wayne, 23,619; Webster, 8,852; Wetzel, 

 22.880; Wirt, 10,284; Wood, 34,452; Wyoming, 

 8,380. 



The population of Wheeling is 38,878, an in- 

 crease of 12.62 per cent. Other incorporated places 

 having more than 2,000 are: Huntington, 11,923; 

 Parkersburg, 11,703; Charleston, 11,099; Benwood, 

 4,511; Bluefield, 4,644; Charlestown, 2,392; 

 Clarksburg, 4,050; Davis, 2,391; Elkins, 2,016; 

 Fairmont, 5,655; Grafton, 5,650; Hinton, 3,763; 

 Keyser, 2,536; Martinsburg, 7,564; Moundsville, 

 5,462; New Cumberland, 2,198; Piedmont, 2,115; 

 Sistersville, 2,979; Thomas, 2,126; Wellsburg, 

 2,588 ; Weston, 2,540. 



Finances. The official statement of the finan- 

 cial transactions of the State by the Treasurer 

 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1900. is as fol- 

 lows: Balance in treasury Oct. 1, 1899, to the 

 credit of State fund, $228.819.96; general school 

 fund, $387,460.71; the school fund (uninvested), 

 $518,468.55; balance in treasury, $1,134,749.22; 

 balance in treasury Oct. 1, 1900, $119,211.93; to- 

 tal receipts, $1,806,015.54; total receipts plus bal- 

 ance, $2,925,227.47; disbursements, $1,790,478.25; 

 balance, $1,134,749.22. The school fund (irreduci- 

 ble) amount invested, $522,500; balance unin- 

 vested, $518,468.55; grand total, $1,040,968.55; net 

 increase for the year, $67,656.16. 



The Treasurer says : " The unprecedented appro- 

 priations made by the last Legislature gave rise 

 to a well-grounded fear that the treasury would 

 be drained before the next meeting of the Legis- 

 lature, and that we would be compelled to borrow 

 money. But owing to the fact that collections 

 have been remarkably good and considerable rev- 

 enue has been received from sources heretofore 

 unproductive, we have been able to maintain a 

 substantial balance in the State fund." 



It is explained that the uninvested part of the 

 school fund is not lying idle, but is lent at 3 per 

 cent., payable quarterly. This fund is increasing 

 at the rate of more than $50,000 a year. In the 

 past four years foreign corporations chartered in 

 the State have paid into the treasury $494,652.29. 

 Criminal charges for the same period cost the 

 State $380,000. 



Education. For the four years ending Sept. 

 30 the State paid for school purposes $1,555,672.24. 

 The school fund receives all money coming to the 

 State " from forfeited, delinquent, waste, and un- 



appropriated lands; and from lands heretofore sold 

 for taxes and purchased by the State of Virginia, 

 if hereafter redeemed or sold to others than this 

 State; all grants, devises, or bequests that may be 

 made to this State for the purposes of education 

 or where the purposes of such giants, devises, or 

 bequests are not specified; this State's just share 

 of the literary fund of Virginia, whether paid or 

 otherwise liquidated; and any sums of money, 

 stocks, or property which this State shall have 

 the right to claim from the State of Virginia 

 for educational purposes; the proceeds of the <- 

 tates of persons who may die without leaving a 

 will or heir, and of all escheated lands: the pro- 

 ceeds of any taxes that may be levied on revenues 

 of any corporations; all moneys that may be paid 

 as an equivalent for exemption from military 

 duty; such sums as may from time to time 

 be appropriated by the Legislature for the pur- 

 pose; and all interest from the fund not used for 

 schools is added to the capital." 



There is a compulsory school law imposing a 

 fine of $2 for every day a child is kept from school 

 without a valid excuse, but it seems not to be 

 enforced. 



The building of the preparatory branch of the 

 State University at Montgomery has been en- 

 larged, so as to accommodate all the present stu- 

 dents. The first student entered the university 

 this year from this school, which has been in opera- 

 tion about four years; the explanation is that as 

 there was no preparatory school in the neighbor- 

 hood of Montgomery, it was necessary to bey in 

 with the very lowest English branches. The State 

 has normal schools at Athens and Huntington. 



The State University, at Morgantown, reported 

 this year a larger number of students than ever. 

 About 50 were graduated in June; the law class 

 was unusually small, but the academic classes 

 were large. The legislative appropriation for the 

 past two years was $196,000. Trouble has arisen 

 among the faculty from the dismissal of two pro- 

 fessors, and one of them has entered suit against 

 the president, whom he holds to be responsible. 



Militia. The number of men in the organized 

 militia of the State is given in the Adjutant Gen- 

 eral's report as 1,093, and the number unorganized, 

 but available for military duty, as 125,000. 



Corrections. At the Girls' Industrial School, 

 at Salem, 39 inmates were present in March. A 

 site across the ravine from the building has been 

 bought, to make a home for colored girls needing 

 the restraint of the institution. Besides indus- 

 trial training, the girls have school instruction 

 four hours a day. 



The daily average of convicts at the Peniten- 

 tiary for the past three and a half years was 

 619; the daily cost for maintenance for each, 

 $0.262 ; the improvements made from earnings 

 amounted to $17.944. 



Banks. There were 89 State banks in opera- 

 tion between April 1 and Sept. 30, an increase of 

 11 since the last report of the Bank Examiner. 

 Certificates of incorporation have been issued to 

 4 additional banking institutions which had been 

 organized or were in process ot organization. The 

 total resources of the State banks for the last two 

 years were as follow: $21,747,645.58 for 1899 and 

 $27,430,644.07 for 1900; capital stock (1899), 

 s:!.-j.-) 1,257. 10 and (1900) $3.449.67(5.40. The in- 

 crease for the year was $33,077,953.01 in total ag- 

 gregate deposits. Surplus funds and undivided 

 profits amounted to $1,672,32S.3(>. and $1,410,- 

 !(')."). (\4 for the year 1899. The increase in savings 

 deposits amounted to $470,640.10, or nearly 48 

 per cent. 



The Montgomery Banking and Trust Company 



