350 



KANSAS. 



most eminent European rabbis hold aloof from the 

 movement and regard it as unpatriotic, visionary, 

 and mischievous. It has spread, however, with 

 much rapidity. It appears to appeal to large num- 

 bers as the one hope in their distress, and if it is 

 conducted with due caution and earnestness may 

 compel recognition, so its adherents imagine. It 

 will disappear like the snows of late winter, its op- 

 ponents affirm, when civil and religious liberty is 

 assured to the Jew in lands that still suffer from the 

 mediaeval spirit. 



Continued activity in benevolent and educational 

 work marked the year in the United States. The 

 new Baron de Hirsch Trade School was opened in 

 X.-\v York, $600,000 was subscribed for the new 

 Mount Sinai Hospital in the same city, the tenth 

 anniversary of the Jewish Publication Society was 

 held in Philadelphia, and a union of Jewish con- 

 gregations was organized in New York the first 

 attempt in many years to unite synagogues of vary- 

 ing ritualistic tendencies. A gift of 150,000 for a 

 new building was made by Mr. J. H. Schiff to the 

 New York Young Men's Hebrew Association. A 

 fair in Chicago for its United Hebrew Charities 

 realized $100,000. Mr. Zangwill's visit to America 

 gave rise to lively discussion as to the modern 

 drama and modern Judaism, and spread a number 

 of witty epigrams on both subjects. Baroness de 

 Hirsch gave $7,500 to the B'nai B'raith Orphan 

 Asylum in Atlanta, Ga. The Zionistic movement 

 is being actively pushed by Prof. Richard Gottheil, 

 Rev. S. S. Wise, and a few others ; but, except by the 

 Russian emigrants, very little general interest is 

 evinced in the movement. The Spanish war aroused 

 much enthusiasm. It is said that 4,000 Jews enlisted, 



and a large number were among the killed and 

 wounded. 



Among the books of the year was Mrs. Annie 

 Nathan Meyer's " My Park Book " ; Morris Rosen- 

 feld's "Songs from the Ghetto"; Zangwill's 

 "Dreams of the Ghetto"; Rev. Dr. Berkowitz's 

 "Sabbath Sentiment"; the tenth part of Rev. Dr. 

 Jastrow's " Talmudic Dictionary " ; a further install- 

 ment of Mr. Rodkinson's Talmud in English ; " Serv- 

 ices in Synagogue and Home," by Lewis N. Dem- 

 bitz ; the sixth volume of Graetz's " History of the 

 Jews," containing a memoir of the historian by Dr. 

 Philip Bloch, and a complete index to the entire 

 work by Miss Henrietta Szold. 



The Jewish Chautauqua held its second summer 

 assembly at Atlantic City. The Union of Ameri- 

 can Hebrew Congregations, at its convention in 

 Richmond, expressed its disapproval of the Zion- 

 istic movement. At the session of the Central 

 Conference of American Rabbis, in Atlantic City, in 

 July, steps were taken in reference to issuing a 

 Jewish cyclopaedia. A similar work was announced- 

 as in course of preparation by Dr. Singer, assisted 

 by numerous Jewish and Christian scholars. 



The Jewish Sabbath-school Union of New York 

 continued its regular schedule of lectures, and sim- 

 ilar work to improve Sabbath-school instruction 

 was carried on in Chicago, Baltimore, and Phila- 

 delphia. A conference of orthodox Jewish congre- 

 gations was held in June in New York, favoring 

 Zionism. Rev. Dr. Kravskopf, of Philadelphia, went 

 to Cuba in July as one of the National Relief Com- 

 mission. The Union Hymnal was published under 

 the auspices of the Conference of American Rabbis, 

 to accompany the Union Prayer Book. 



K 



KANSAS, a Western State, admitted to the 

 Union, Jan. 29, 1861; area, 82,080 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial cen- 

 sus, was 107,206 in 1860; 364,399 in 1870; 996,096 

 in 1880; and 1,427,096 in 1890. By the State cen- 

 sus of 1895 it was 1,334,688 ; and from a tabulation 

 made by the Board of Agriculture from reports of 

 township assessors, in March, 1898, it appears to be 

 1,389,777. Capital, Topeka. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year : Governor, John W. Leedy ; 

 Lieutenant Governor, A. M. Harvey; Secretary of 

 State, W. E. Bush; Treasurer, D. II. Heflebower; 

 Attorney-General, L. C. Boyle ; Auditor, W. H. 

 Morris; Superintendent of Education, William M. 

 Stryker; Bank Commissioner, J. W. Breidenthal ; 

 Insurance Commissioner, Webb McNall; Adjutant 

 General, Hiram Allen all Democrat-Populists; 

 Secretary of the Board of Agriculture, P. D. Co- 

 burn, Republican; Oil Inspector, E. V. Wharton; 

 Grain Inspector, W. W. Culver; Labor Commis- 

 sioner, Lee Johnson ; Railroad Commissioners, Wil- 

 liam M. Campbell, W. P. Dillard, and L. D. Lewel- 



Pormlist; Associate Justices, S. H. Allen, Populist, 

 ana W. A. Johnston, Republican. 



Population. The returns from assessors and 

 county clerks in 1898 show that the State has 103 

 cities and towns with 1,000 or more inhabitants, 



has 46,028. The other 7 having more than 10,000 

 are: Topeka, 32,651 ; Wichita, 20,745 ; Leavenworth, 



20,657; Atchison, 16,266; Pittsburg, 12,323; Law- 

 rence, 11,391; Fort Scott, 11,305. 



Finances. The eleventh biennial report of the 

 State Treasurer shows the following summary and 

 statements : Balance in treasury, July 1, 1896, $608,- 

 926.72 ; receipts during fiscal years e'nding June 30, 

 1897 and 1898, $5,188,548.25"; total, $5,797,474.97. 

 Disbursements during fiscal years ending June 30, 

 1897 and 1898, $5.385,323.34; balance in treasury 

 June 30, 1898, $412,151.63. 



"On July 1, 1896, the State bonded debt was 

 $682,000. The State bonded debt at present is 

 $632,000, of which the State permanent school fund 

 owns $598.000, and the university permanent fund 

 $9,000. The $25.000 held by individuals and cor- 

 porations will fall due Jan. 1, 1899; the last Legis- 

 lature provided that they be refunded at 4 per cent., 

 and authorized the School Fund Commissioners to 

 purchase them, provided there was not sufficient 

 money on hand to pay them off out of the revenue 

 fund. The general revenue fund became exhausted 

 in October, 1897, and I was compelled for a short 

 period to stamp $142,629.90 warrants, ' Not paid for 

 want of funds.' According to law these warrants 

 drew 7 per cent, interest from date they were so 

 stamped; they were carried by the banks at par. 

 The amount of interest paid on them amounted i<> 

 $1.557.23. The total amount of delinquent t;i\<s 

 on July 1. 1898, was $164,831.58." 



Valuations. The tax law of Kansas provides 

 that each parcel of land or lots shall be assessed " at 

 its true value in money," and the State Labor Com- 

 missioner has gone through the records of transfers 

 of parcels of property in each of 10 counties in rep- 

 resentative sections of the State to find the true 

 money value of lands and lots. 



