UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. (MINNESOTA.) 



749 



The wooded area of the State is 38,000 square 

 miles. A forest reserve has been established in 

 Roscommon and Crawford Counties, at the head 

 waters of the principal rivers of the lower penin- 

 sula. 



Legal Decisions. The act of the last Legisla- 

 ture increasing the salaries of the State Treasurer, 

 Land Commissioner, and Secretary of State, was 

 declared invalid by the Supreme Court in its de- 

 nial of a mandamus to compel the Auditor to pay 

 the increase. 



The decision against the Illinois antitrust act 

 virtually applies to that of Michigan. 



The Sault Canal. This was opened Oct. 25. 

 Statistics of the work are given in brief as fol- 

 low: Length of canal, 13,000 feet; time con- 

 sumed in construction, four years; cost, $7,000,- 

 000; power developed, 60,000 horse-power; aver- 

 age width of canal, 200 feet; width at bottom, 

 164 feet; width at top, 215 feet; width of intake, 

 950 feet; depth of water, 23 feet; fall, 20 feet; 

 velocity of current, 4 miles per hour; volume of 

 flow, per second, 30,000 cubic feet; number of tur- 

 bines, 320; size of power-house, 1,380 by 125 feet. 

 From an account of the opening celebration the 

 following is taken: "In the military and civic 

 parade in the morning were over 10,000 men, in- 

 cluding the great army of men employed in the 

 C'lergue works across the river. The afternoon in- 

 dustrial parade showed the various products of 

 the Clergue works in all stages from raw material 

 to the finished article. The farmers of Chippewa 

 County were much in evidence, having in the pa- 

 rade 250 wagons loaded with the produce of their 

 lands. The historical section showed the Soo in 

 all sizes and -conditions, from the Indian to the 

 present population, clad in Prince Albert coats 

 and silk hats. This canal is the greatest hydraulic 

 power plant in the world. Starting in the lower 

 arm of Lake Superior, it passes straight through 

 the heart of the city, and by a magnificent true 

 curve debouches into the St. Mary's river a mile 

 below the rapids." 



On the American side of the river most of the 

 power is to be devoted to two distinct lines of in- 

 dustry, calcium-carbide and alkali works. 



By the invention of a distinguished scientist 

 named Rhodin, a method has been devised for de- 

 composing common salt by electrical current into 

 chloride gas and caustic soda. The American 

 works will employ about 2,000 men. Three hun- 

 dred tons of salt and about the same quantity of 

 lime will be consumed daily and transformed 

 from a substance worth $2.50 a ton to products 

 worth $25 a ton. 



The storage-battery plant is the largest of its 

 kind in the world. It has a capacity for the stor- 

 age of 25,000 electrical horse-power. 



Political. The Republican State Convention, 

 in Detroit, June 26, nominated Gov. Bliss for a 

 second term. The other nominations were: For 

 Lieutenant-Governor, Alexander Maitland; Secre- 

 tary of State, Fred M. Warner; State Treasurer, 

 Daniel McCoy: Auditor-General, Perry F. Pow- 

 ers; Attorney-General, Charles A. Blair: Com- 

 missioner State Land Office, Edwin A. Wildey; 

 Superintendent of Instruction, Delos A. Fall; 

 Members State Board of Education, Patrick H. 

 Kelley, L. L. Wright. 



The platform commended the national admin- 

 istration, reaffirmed the principles of the party, 

 ind favored reform in primary elections. On the 

 trust question it said : " We realize that large 

 combinations of capital may be necessary, but we 

 lesire to express our condemnation of all conspira- 

 cies and combinations to restrict business, to cre- 

 ate monopolies, to limit production, or control 



prices, and we favor such legislation as will ef- 

 fectually restrain and prevent all such abuses. 

 We cordially approve and commend the efforts of 

 President Roosevelt to enforce the laws against 

 illegal combinations in restraint of trade." 



A special convention was held in Grand Rap- 

 ids, Sept. 25, to nominate a candidate to succeed 

 Judge Charles D. Long, of the Supreme Court, 

 who died June 27. William L. Carpenter was 

 nominated. The candidacy of Gen. Russell A. 

 Alger to succeed the late Senator McMillan was 

 approved, and he was appointed by the Governor 

 ' to serve until his successor is chosen by the Leg- 

 islature." 



The Democratic Convention met in Detroit, July 

 30. Following is the ticket: For Governor, 

 George H. Durand; Lieutenant-Governor, John F. 

 Bible; Secretary of State, John Donovan; State 

 Treasurer, W. F. Davidson; Auditor-General, Da- 

 vid A. Hammond; Land Commissioner, Arthur F. 

 Watson; Attorney-General, W. F. McKnight; Su- 

 perintendent Public Instruction, W. N. Ferris; 

 Member State Board of Education, Charles F. 

 Field; Justice of Supreme Court, Benjamin J. 

 Brown. 



Later, George H. Durand withdrew on account 

 of failing health, and his brother, L. T. Durand, 

 was chosen to take his place. 



The resolutions adopted by the convention de- 

 manded the destruction of bossism in Michigan; 

 favored primary election reform; election of the 

 LTnited States Senators by direct vote; adoption 

 of the system called the initiative and referendum ; 

 equal taxation and equitable assessment; munici- 

 pal ownership of all public utilities; and adequate 

 compensation for State employees. It denounced 

 profligate expenditures in the State administra- 

 tion, and demanded that a strong fight be made 

 on the contemplated suit of the Michigan Central 

 against the State on account of the repeal of the 

 charter of the road. 



Candidates were named by the Prohibitionist, 

 Socialist, and Social-Labor parties also. 



The Republican State ticket was successful 

 throughout. The vote for Governor stood: Bliss, 

 Republican, 211,261; Durand, Democrat, 174,077; 

 Westerman, Prohibition, 11,326; Walter, Socialist, 

 4,271; Conlin, Social-Labor, 1,264. The other Re- 

 publican candidates received larger pluralities, 

 Judge Carpenter's being 76,104. 



Republicans were chosen to Congress in all the 

 districts except the first, where Alfred Lucking, 

 Democrat, was elected. The Legislature will 

 stand on joint ballot 121 Republicans to 11 Demo- 

 crats. 



Two proposed constitutional amendments were 

 submitted, one relative to the publishing of all 

 the general laws of any session in a newspaper, 

 abolishing the provision for payment; the other, 

 empowering the Legislature to enact a law impo- 

 sing indeterminate sentences as a punishment for 

 crime, and to provide for the parole and return to 

 prisons of persons imprisoned on such sentences. 

 Both were carried, the former by a majority of 

 50.506. the latter by 68.027. 



MINNESOTA, a Western State, admitted to 

 the Union May 11, 1858; area, 84.287 square 

 miles. The population, according to each decen- 

 nial census since admission, was 172.023 in 1860; 

 430.706 in 1870; 780,773 in 1880; 1.301..826 in 

 1890: and 1.751.394 in 1900. Capital, St. Paul. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1902, taking office the first Monday in 

 January, 1901: Governor. Samuel R. Van Sant; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, Lyndon A. Smith; Secre- 

 tary of State, Peter E. Hanson; Auditor, Robert 

 C. Dunn; Treasurer, Julius H. Block; Attorney- 



