KANSAS. 



company. There were 10 college graduates, 2 nor- 

 mal, 1 music, and 12 commercial. 



A class of 18 took the degree of M. IX at the 

 Kansas Medical College in March. 



The State Supreme Court in June granted a per- 

 emptory writ of mandamus to compel the city of 

 Topcka to use the series of text-books adopted by 

 the State School Text-book Commission. It was 

 the city's contention that the law did not apply in 

 cities of the fn>t class where there were existing 

 contracts for a number of years. 



Charities and Corrections. A sensation was 

 caused in October by the resignation of the super- 

 intendent of the State Asylum for the Insane, at 

 TojM-ka, Dr. ('. II. Wetmore, which was accompa- 

 nied by serious charges against physicians and 

 others holding important places at the institution; 

 Lnoompetencj, neglect of patients and brutality 

 toward them, drunkenness, and immoral conduct 

 wrn> among the accusations. The Governor ac- 

 cepted the resignation without investigation. The 

 ]5..;ird of Charities elected Dr. L. D. McKinley 'to 

 succeed Dr. Wetmore. 



Similar charges were made against the asylum at 

 Ossawatomie by a former attendant, but nothing 

 appears to have come of them. For current ex- 

 penses the Topeka Asylum received $116,790 for 

 the year; the appropriations to the Ossawatomie 

 institution for 1898-'99 was $313,528. 



The total cost of maintaining a child at the Sol- 

 diers' Orphans' Home is $118. The average number 

 in attendance is 185. The institution is for home- 

 less, neglected, or abused children, and was called 

 the Soldiers' Orphans' Home because there is a pro- 

 vision giving preference to such children. All 

 but 4 are orphans of soldiers. 



The second biennial report of the State Industrial 

 Reformatory shows that there have been 277 in- 

 mates in the reformatory since its foundation. Of 

 this number 180 were in prison June 30, 1898. 



There was an average of 911 prisoners in the 

 State Penitentiary during the year ending June 

 30. The average cost of maintenance was 44.8 

 cents a day. The United States and the Oklaho- 

 ma prisoners are not included in the number given. 



A mutiny broke out among the convicts in the 

 United States Penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, 

 June 1, and 15 escaped. Two hours later James 

 Musgrove, an Indian Territory desperado, who was 

 the leader, was shot down, struck by 8 bullets. 



Railroads. The assessment of railroads for 

 1898 amounted to $60,305,466. In 1897 it was 

 $59,380,194, and in 1896 it was $59,279,346. There 

 was $106,000 worth of track taken up during 1897. 



The Government lien on the Union Pacific Rail- 

 road in Kansas was sold in February to the reor- 

 ganix.atioii committee for $6,303,000. 



Banks. The fourth annual report of the Bank 

 Commissioner giyqs a record of his department for 

 two years. During that time 65 State banks, with 

 an aggregate capital of $784,600, have been organ- 

 ized. Of this number, 23 were reorganized private 

 banks, 8 reorganized national banks, 4 reorganized 

 State banks, and 30 were new organizations. Dur- 

 ing the same period, 48 State an,d 15 private banks, 

 with a capital of $1,049,150, went into voluntary 

 liquidation, and 13 State and 2 private banks, with 

 a capital of $409,500, were closed by the department. 



The animal statement of receipts and disburse- 

 ments for 1897 shows that the banks charged off the 

 following items of loss: Bad paper, loans, $452.716.- 

 21 ; depreciation in value of real estate, $168,518.12 ; 

 depreciation in value of furniture and fixtures, 

 $41,580.94; total. $662,815.27. 



A comparison is made of the condition of the 

 banks at the present time with 1892, the year in 

 which the State is supposed to have been more pros- 



perous than at any time since. It shows that in 

 1892 the resources and liabilities of Kansas banks 

 amounted to $34,637,146.19; while in 1898 the 

 amount was $31,010,377.73. The report continues: 

 " While there has been a nominal reduction of capi- 

 tal and surplus of over $4,500,000, the actual capi- 

 tal is greater to-day than in 1892, for the reason 

 that the present capital is unimpaired and is repre- 

 sented by assets worth par, whereas in 1892 none of 

 the losses resulting from the ' boom period ' had 

 been charged off, and the impairment of capital at 

 that time probably amounted to 50 per cent. In- 

 dividual deposits increased nearly $4.000,000, while* 

 demand and time deposits decreased $1,660,000. 

 The item of borrowed money, bills payable, and re- 

 discounts has been practically wiped out. having 

 been reduced from $1,400,000 to less than $300,000." 



The report on the national banks of the State, 

 Dec. 15, 1897, shows the total resources to have 

 been $35,518,104.62. The individual deposits were 

 $19,696,553.25. 



Insurance. The report of the Kansas Mutual 

 Life Company for 1897 shows that the increase of 

 new insurance for 1897 over 1896 was $660,000, the 

 new business the last six months being 83 per cent, 

 more than for the corresponding six months of 

 1896. 



Companies that were refused licenses by the In- 

 surance Commissioner (see "Annual Cyclopaedia" 

 for 1897, page 433) continued to do business in the 

 State, and suits were brought against them by the 

 Attorney-General. In January the Supreme Court 

 decided for the State against the Mutual Life of New 

 York, whose license had been revoked ; but the Fed- 

 eral court held that the law of 1889, which declared 

 that an insurance superintendent had no right to re- 

 voke any company's license unless it was insolvent, 

 was operative, and therefore issued an order restrain- 

 ing the State from interfering with the company in 

 the transaction of its business. 



Suits against the Commissioner by the Metropoli- 

 tan Life, one for a restraining order to prevent him 

 from interfering with their business, and the other 

 for $60,000 damages, were withdrawn, a compro- 

 mise having apparently been made. There was also 

 a suit by the Connecticut Fire Insurance Company 

 to enjoin the Commissioner from preventing its 

 agents from operating in the State. In March the 

 Commissioner served notice on 15 life insurance 

 companies that an association formed by them for 

 the purpose of preventing any rebate on premiums 

 was in violation of the antitrust law of the State. 



The Commissioner required that the salaries of all 

 officers of companies be made known to the depart- 

 ment, a demand which was resisted by some of the 

 companies. 



Products. The quantities and values of the prin- 

 cipal farm products in 1898 were given as follow 

 in December, by the secretary of the Board of Agri- 

 culture: Wheat, 60,790,661 "bushels, $32,937,042; 

 corn, 126,999,132 bushels, $30,298,094; oats, 21,702,- 

 537 bushels, $4,268,861 ; rye, 2,153,050 bushels, $761,- 

 970: barley, 2,771,514 bushels, $620,872; buckwheat, 

 7,217 bushels, $4,330; Irish and sweet potatoes, 

 6,383,680 bushels, $2,768.017: castor beans, 68,679 

 bushels, $55,798 ; flax, 1,598,539 bushels, $1,278,881 ; 

 broom corn, 13,411,600 pounds. $299,638; millet 

 and Hungarian, 735,238 tons, $2,074,820; sorghum 

 for syrup, 1,550,822 gallons. $501,754; sorghums for 

 grain and forage, $7,795,753 : tame and prairie hay, 

 2,096,075 tons, $6,612,141; wool, dairy, and poultry 

 products. $10,293.491 ; animals slaughtered and sold 

 for slaughter, $49,123,517; horticultural and gar- 

 den products and wine, $2,010,690. The live stock 

 was rated as follows: 862,051 horses and mules, 

 $28,868,798; 605,925 milch cows, $19,389,600; 1,!>98,- 

 140 other cattle, $51,951,640; 207,482 sheep, $570,- 



