UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. (ARKANSAS.) 



697 



the copper-mines; Arizona stands third in the 

 production of copper, only Michigan and Montana 

 standing above it. Since the great decline in the 

 value of silver and the shutting down of the 

 Tombstone mines the production of the white 

 metal in the Territory has decreased, until now 

 it it-presents only about 6 per cent, of the total 

 mineral output, even the gold production being 

 three limes as great. From a statement by the 

 director of the mint, it appears that the gold 

 |.mduct in 1901 amounted to $4,083,000 in value, 

 and the silver to $1,687,440. The greatest mining 

 center of the Territory is Bisbee, near the Mexi- 

 can line. 



A scheme has been formed to mine or quarry 

 the ice in the caves near Flagstaff. The main, 

 or best-known ice-cave, lies at the head of Clark's 

 valley, 17 miles southwest of Flagstaff. 



The culture of date-palms has been undertaken 

 at the experiment station south of Tempe. Trees 

 imported two years ago are doing well, and an- 

 other load from Egypt was received at the sta- 

 tion this year. 



Lands. The court that had the disposition of 

 private land claims passed upon 18. The total 

 area claimed was 11,326,108.04 acres; the total 

 confirmed, 121,187.50; the total rejected, 11,204,- 

 920.54. Among those rejected was the famous 

 Peralta grant, amounting to 10,467,456.18 acres. 



The United States Geological Survey is exam- 

 ining the forest reserves. The total area of the 

 San Francisco mountain reserve is 795,360 acres. 

 The Black Mesa reserve comprises 1,658,880 acres. 



Political. The candidates for the office of 

 delegate in Congress at the November election 

 were, Robert E. Morrison, Republican, and J. F. 

 Wilson, Democrat. Wilson was elected by a vote 

 of 9,716 to 9,239 for Morrison. 



ARKANSAS, a Southern State, admitted to 

 the Union June 15, 1836; area, 53,850 square 

 miles. The population, according to each decen- 

 nial census since admission, was 97,574 in 1840; 

 209,897 in 1850; 435,450 in 1860; 484,471 in 1870; 

 S( (2.525 in 1880; 1,128,179 in 1890; and 1,311,564 

 in 1900. Capital, Little Rock. 



Government. The following were the' State 

 officers in 1902: Governor, Jefferson Davis; Sec- 

 retary of State, John W. Crockett; Auditor, T. C. 

 Monroe; Treasurer, H. C. Tipton; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, George W. Murphy; Commissioner of Lands, 

 J. W. Colquitt; Superintendent of Education, J. J. 

 Doyne, succeeded by J. H. Hinemon; Commis- 

 sioner of Mines, Manufactures, and Agriculture, 

 Frank Hill, succeeded by H. T. Bradford; Rail- 

 road Commissioners, Jeremiah G. Wallace, Felix 

 M. Hanley, Abner Gaines; Adjutant-General, 

 Charles Jacobson; Geologist, John C. Branner; 

 Chiei Justice of the Supreme Court, Henry G. 

 Bunn; Associate Justices, Simon P. Hughes, Car- 

 roll D. Wood, Burrill B. Battle, James E. Rid- 

 dick; Clerk, P. D. English. All are Democrats. 



State officers are elected on the first Monday in 

 September in the even-numbered years, and serve 

 two years. The Legislature meets biennially the 

 second Monday in January in the odd-numbered 

 years. The session is limited to sixty days. 



Finances. The report of the Auditor for the 

 two years ending Sept. 30, 1902, says: "The pub- 

 lic debt of the State has been reduced to a mini- 

 mum, and will very soon be wiped out entirely, 

 with the exception of the funding bonds held by 

 the permanent school fund, amounting to $1.118,- 

 500. Exclusive of these bonds, the present in- 

 debtedness of the State consists of $137,500 of the 

 funding bonds of 1891, of which sum $102.500 

 is in the permanent endowment fund of the Uni- 

 versity of Arkansas, and the remainder, 35 bonds 



of $1,000 each, is held by private individuals. 

 These bonds are being gradually retired. The 

 act approved May 3, I'.HJl, calling in for redemp- 

 tion the old outstanding bonds, provided that all 

 such bonds not presented within six months 

 from the date of call made by the Treasurer 

 should be forever barred, null and void.' Of the 

 22 bonds shown by the records to be outstanding, 

 only 7 were presented and redeemed. The Audi- 

 tor estimates the ordinary expenses of the State 

 government for the next two years at about 

 $1,000,000. 



The total value of property in the State, as 

 assessed for taxation, is about $224,000,000. 



Education. From the census reports on illit- 

 eracy in the States it appears that Arkansas has 

 190,655 illiterates. The percentage of persons 

 from ten to fourteen years of age who were re- 

 ported able to read and write was 77.89 in 1890 

 and 83.80 in 1900. Eight of the States and Terri- 

 tories were below Arkansas in the list in 1890, 

 and nine in 1900. 



The school population this year was 495,368; 

 the State apportionment of funds was $539,951.12, 

 giving a per capita of $1.09. The monthly salary 

 paid to male teachers is given as averaging 

 $38.50; to female, $36.50. 



The State University graduated a class of -22. 

 June 19. In the medical department 11 were 

 graduated in April. At the opening in Septem- 

 ber about 500 students were enrolled. The uni- 

 versity shops were destroyed by fire in the au- 

 tumn, at a loss variously estimated at $20,000 

 to $50,000, without insurance. 



Charities and Corrections. A report of the 

 State Lunatic Asylum, submitted in July, covers 

 the period from Dec. 1, 1900, to July 1, I'.MI_>. 

 The number Dec. 1, 1900, was 622; admitted, 

 235; discharged, 213, of whom 68 had recovered, 

 67 improved, 10 unimproved, 2 eloped, 2 were 

 found not to be insane, and 61 died, leaving 644 

 remaining. The average cost of maintenance per 

 capita for a month was $4.49, officers and employ- 

 ees included. 



At the School for the Blind there were 169 in- 

 mates March 31. The cost of maintenance for 

 one month was $4.40 per capita, including teach- 

 ers and employees, 235 in all. Four students were 

 graduated in June. 



There were 208 pupils remaining at the Deaf- 

 Mute Institute April 30. The average for >u 

 tenance for one month when the whole number, 

 including employees, was 294, was $4.12. New 

 buildings have been constructed for both the 

 Blind and Deaf-Mute Institutes. 



At a meeting of the Penitentiary Board in No- 

 vember it was decided to buy a plantation in 

 Lincoln County for a convict farm. It com- 

 prises about 11,000 acres, of which 2,400 are in 

 cultivation. It is 28 miles below Pine Bluff, at 

 a bend of Arkansas river, and has 7 miles of ri\ er 

 front. The price was $140,000. The Governor \\ a -> 

 the only member of the board opposed to the 

 purchase; he announced that he would send a 

 message to the Legislature advising that it be 

 canceled. 



Militia. In a report to the adjutant-general 

 of the United States army in June it was stated: 

 " l.tl'.M militia have been regularly organized, uni- 

 formed, and in actual service of the State dur- 

 ing the year ending June 30, 1902; that the aver 

 a lie attendance at drills and parades during the 

 year was. to the best of our knowledge and be- 

 lief, on an average semi weekly fur the - J."> com- 

 panies of infantry, monthly for the 2 companies 

 of cavalry." The Government allotment to the 

 State for militia supplies was $42,000. In Novem- 



