KANSAS. 



405 



of the two years on March 1 $207,302,818, being 

 an increase of $00,797,000, or 41 per cent. Al- 

 though no prices were extraordinarily high, the 

 value of the farm and stock products for 1897-'98 

 exceeded by $104,202,901 those of 1895-96. 



For 1899 it is shown by reports from townships 

 and official returns of assessors that the value 

 of the year's crops and products aggregates $109,- 

 747,037; the value of live stock is $133,057,092, 

 making a grand total of $302,804,129. This 

 counts winter and spring wheat at 43,087,013 

 bushels, valued at $22,400,410.34, while the corn 

 crop is given at 225,183,432 bushels, worth more 

 than $55,000,000. Excepting that of 1889 (273,- 

 888,321 bushels), this is the largest crop the State 

 has yet produced, and exceeds in value any pre- 

 ceding crop by $1,134,027.54. The combined value 

 of the three grains wheat, corn, and oats is 

 $80,888,022.93, or a total increase over the 1898 

 value of the same crops of $13,384,021.02. 



The value of the mineral products, according 

 to the report for 1898 of the University Geological 

 Survey, was $10,225,944, and of the smelting prod- 

 ucts $10,943,950. The largest items of the former 

 total are coal ($4,193,100) and zinc ore ($3,822,- 

 709). In 1880 only three minerals coal, build- 

 ing stone, and zinc were mined in the State; 

 now there are in addition salt, oil, gas, gypsum, 

 cement rock, and clay. 



Banks.- A tabulation of reports from 320 

 State and 00 private banks of their condition 

 at the close of business on Dec. 2 shows: Loans 

 and discounts, $21,041,729.45; total deposits, $20,- 

 143,335.81 ; cash and sight exchange, legal reserve, 

 $10,744,485.81; rediscounts, $202,249.58; bills pay-' 

 able, $147,029.40. 



A comparison with the statement of the last 

 report, Sept. 7, shows an increase in loans of 

 $1,182,930.04; increase in deposits, $187,005.81; 

 increase in rediscounts, $71,254; and an increase 

 in bills payable, $33,120. The legal reserve shows 

 a decrease of $1,329,737. Reports also show an 

 increase in the investments in bonds and warrants 

 of about $400,000. The decrease in reserve is due 

 to the large demand for loans from cattle feeders. 

 The banks now hold $5,500,000 available funds in 

 excess of the legal requirement. Compared with 

 the statement of Dec. 31, 1898, this report shows 

 an increase of deposits of $3,250,000 and an in- 

 crease of $800,000 in cash and sight exchange. 



Twenty-two banks were chartered in the first 

 six months of 1899. 



Building and Loan Associations. There are 

 43 of these associations in the State. Their con- 

 dition is summed up as follows: Loans on real 

 estate, $2,700,435.17; loans on stock and other 

 security, $142,008.41; real estate owned, $99,- 

 854.03; cash due from banks, $142,105.04. Twenty- 

 five of the 43 associations own no real estate. 

 The total real estate owned by the 43 associations 

 is a fraction over 3 per cent, of total assets. 



Railroads. From statistics of the Railroad 

 Commissioners' office it appears that in 1898 the 

 total mileage operated was 8,889.38 miles, a de- 

 crease of 03.17 miles. The gross earnings from 

 operation were $32,017,240.54; the operating ex- 

 penses, $21,000,121.90. The total number of em- 

 ployees, including general officers, was 24,094, and 

 the average daily compensation $1.92. In 1899 

 there were 25,185 employees, at an average yearly 

 salary of $590.58. In a suit where county com- 

 missioners raised the valuation of a railroad 30 

 per cent, above that fixed by the State assessors 

 a district court sustained the commissioners, but 

 the appellate court reversed the decision. 



Lawlessness. A negro charged with the mur- 

 der of two white men was taken from the sheriff 



at Alma, July 9, by a mob and hanged from a 

 telegraph pole. After he had been left for dead 

 the town marshal cut him down and he was taken 

 to the jail, where he recovered consciousness. 



Another lynching took place at Weir City, Oct. 

 30. A negro miner supposed to be the murderer 

 of a bartender with whom he had quarreled was 

 taken from jail by a mob and hanged. The Gov- 

 ernor offered a reward for the arrest and con- 

 viction of the leaders of the mob. 



Foreclosure of Mortgages. It has been the 

 custom in many cases for persons purchasing land 

 upon which was a mortgage to pay the interest 

 on the mortgage, and the mortgagee would allow 

 the mortgage to run many years, relying upon 

 such payments being sufficient not to bar the 

 right of the holder of the mortgage to foreclose. 



The district court of Clay County and the Court 

 of Appeals held that such payments did not keep 

 the mortgage in force, and that the mortgage 

 could not be foreclosed. 



The Supreme Court in April unanimously re- 

 verses this ruling, holding that where the owner 

 of land, who is in no way liable for the payment 

 of the debt, and did not even take the title ex- 

 pressly subject to the mortgage, pays the inter- 

 est on the mortgage until just before foreclosure 

 suit is brought, the mortgage may be foreclosed, 

 although all right of action on the note is barred 

 by the statute of limitation. 



Legislative Session. There was a special 

 session of the Legislature from Dec. 21, 1898, to 

 Jan. 9, 1899 (see Annual Cyclopaedia for 1898, 

 page 354), and the regular session, extending from 

 Jan. 10 to March 8. 



The Auditor refused to pay the bills for the 

 expenses of the special session until its consti- 

 tutionality should have been passed upon by the 

 courts. The Supreme Court decided that it lies 

 with the Governor to decide when an extraordi- 

 nary occasion has arisen of sufficient gravity to 

 justify him in convening the Legislature in spe- 

 cial session, and that his action is not subject 

 to review by the courts unless the reasons given 

 are obviously frivolous or irrelevant. In the pres- 

 ent case it was conceded that the occasion as- 

 signed the demand of the people for legisla- 

 tion regarding freight rates was sufficient to 

 justify the call. 



Among the acts passed at the special session 

 was the " Boyle railroad " bill. This provides 

 for a " court of visitation," consisting of three 

 elective judges, a marshal, a clerk, and a solicitor 

 general. The court was to have original juris- 

 diction in all difficulties arising in connection 

 with railroad, express, and telegraph companies, 

 to establish rates and classifications, and decide 

 complaints, and it might appoint a receiver for 

 any road that fails to comply with its decrees. 

 The validity of this act was called in question in 

 the United State District Court in November in 

 connection with an application by the Western 

 Union Telegraph Company for an injunction to 

 restrain the Court of Visitation from enforcing 

 an act of the special session reducing the tolls 

 of telegraph companies 40 per cent. This act 

 was declared unconstitutional, because the rates 

 were held to be confiscatory. The constitution- 

 ality of the act creating the Court of Visitation 

 was not necessarily involved, but the judge said 

 that in his opinion the court could not exercise 

 judicial powers, and he doubted if it could exer- 

 cise administrative powers. The Court of Visita- 

 tion, which consists of L. C. Cmm, J. C. Postle- 

 thwaite, and W. A. Johnston, were taking meas- 

 ures to appeal the telegraph case at the close of 

 the year. 



