UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (MISSOURI.) 



and unbusinesslike methods had prevailed; that 

 it was " impossible, even with the most careful and 

 long-continued examination of the books, to ascer- 

 tain with any degree of accuracy whatever the 

 results of former operations of the board," and 

 that a " large tract of land had been cleared by 

 convict labor for various parties with whom the 

 Board of Control had no farming contracts what- 

 ever, and in whose lands the State had no inter- 

 est whatever," together with other specifications. 

 The Legislature passed a resolution directing the 

 committee to begin investigating anew. A large 

 amount of testimony was taken in open sessions, 

 and the report, while it withdrew some of the 

 charges and modified others, repeated the criti- 

 cisms on the bookkeeping and the improper use 

 of convict labor. Both houses merely received the 

 report, refusing to adopt it, and discharged the 

 committee. The Board of Control in charge of the 

 prison consists of the Railroad Commissioners, the 

 Governor, and the Attorney-General. 



Congress was memorialized for an appropria- 

 tion for Gulfport harbor. 



Resolutions were passed condemning the major- 

 ity report of the court of inquiry in the case of 

 Admiral Schley, and commending that of Admiral 

 Dewey, and saying further: 



Resolved, by the Mississippi House of Represent- 

 atives, that Admiral Schley is the real hero of 

 Santiago, that he is one of the world's greatest 

 naval commanders, and is entitled to the unfading 

 gratitude of his country. 



Resolved, further, that we extend a most cordial 

 invitation to Admiral Schley to visit the State 

 capital during his contemplated Southern tour, 

 and receive a public manifestation of the exalted 

 respect, confidence, and admiration in which he 

 is held by the people of Mississippi. 



A resolution of sympathy with the Boers passed 

 both houses. 



Another resolution instructed the representa- 

 tives in Congress to support the bill for the pur- 

 chase of Temple Farm and the Moore House at 

 Yorktown, Va., by the Government. Still anoth- 

 er requested the United States Fish Commission 

 to investigate and report upon the oyster reefs in 

 the State. 



The Governor strongly recommended the estab- 

 lishment of a soldiers' home for the State, and it 

 was desired to purchase for that purpose Jeffer- 

 son Davis's old home, Beauvoir. The Senate 

 passed a bill to that effect, but it was defeated in 

 the House. 



A concurrent resolution was passed " That the 

 following verses be adopted as the State ode " : 



For thy grand and varied hills, 

 For thy clear and rippling rills, 

 For thy wide and fertile vales, 

 For thy coves, and glens, and dales 

 I love thee, Mississippi. 



With thy mists, and clouds, and storms, 

 With thy winds, and rains, and calms, 

 With thy snow, and hail, and sleet. 

 With thy sunshine and thy heat 

 I love thee, Mississippi. 



Where thy forests stand serene. 

 Where thy prairies roll between, 

 Where thy rich plantations lie. 

 Where thy sedge-fields never die 

 I love thee, Mississippi. 



Brave thy men, thy women fair, 

 Boys and girls beyond compare, 

 Proud thy record, years gone by. 

 Bright thy prospects, drawing nigh 

 1 love thee, Mississippi. 



Place where first I sn\v the light, 

 Place where boyhood made ite fight, 



Place where love and hope grew strong, 



Place where home and friends belong 



I love thee, Mississippi. 



Here, my heart, thy vigils keep ; 

 Here, my dead, in quiet sleep ; 

 Here, my life, ebb thou away ; 

 Here, my bones, turn back to clay 

 I love thee, Mississippi. 



The appropriations amounted to $5,597,082, ex- 

 ceeding those of 1900, which were $4,074,284. 

 The amounts for the new Capitol are not included 

 in either of these aggregates. 



Political. The primary-election law passed 

 this year by the Legislature came before the courts 

 and was pronounced constitutional. At the con- 

 gressional election in November there was no 

 opposition to the Democratic candidates. The 3 

 proposed amendments to the Constitution were 

 defeated. The total vote polled was only 18,078, 

 out of a voting population of 234,413. 



Gulfport. This city, the terminus of the Gulf 

 and Ship Island Railroad, celebrated in Novem- 

 ber the arrival of the first seagoing steamship 

 that ever touched there. For years the State has 

 had a good port at Ship island. Although this 

 harbor afforded a shipping-point for the products 

 of the mills of the Mississippi coast, its distance 

 from the mainland and the necessity of employ- 

 ing lighters to handle freight limited the charac- 

 ter of the business. A port on the mainland was 

 desired, and that has at last been secured at 

 Gulfport. 



MISSOURI, a Western Mississippi valley 

 State, admitted to the Union Aug. 10, 1821 ; area, 

 69,415 square miles. The population, according 

 to each decennial census since admission, was 

 140,455 in 1830; 383,702 in 1840; 682.044 in 1850; 

 1,182,012 in 1860; 1.721,295 in 1870; 2,168,380 in 

 1880; 2,679,184 in 1890; and 3,106,665 in 1900. 

 This is an increase since 1890 of 15.9 per cent. 

 The city of St. Louis had in 1900 a population of 

 575,238. Capital, Jefferson City. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1902: Governor, Alexander Monroe 

 Dockery; Lieutenant-Governor, John Adams Lee; 

 Secretary of State, Samuel B. Cook: Auditor, 

 Albert O. Allen; Treasurer, Robert P. Williams; 

 Attorney-General. Edward C. Crow 7 : Superintend- 

 ent of Schools, William T. Carrington; Railroad 

 and Warehouse Commissioners, Joseph P. Rice, 

 John A. Knott, W. E. McCully; Superintendent 

 of Insurance, Robert G. Yates; State Geologist, 

 E. R. Buckley; Supervisor Building and Loan 

 Associations, Luther S. Hickman; Commissioner 

 of Labor Statistics and Inspection, William 

 Anderson; Inspector of Coal-Mines. Charles 

 Evans; Inspector of other mines than coal, 

 George K. Williams; Warden of Penitentiary, 

 Frank M. Woolridge; Beer Inspector. (Jylc- V. 

 Crenshaw; Special License Commissioner, Thori- 

 as J. Martin; Adjutant-General, William 

 Damcron: FiiHorv inspector, ('lenient .1. Nori- 

 meyer; Judges of the Supreme Court Waltoiir 

 M. Robinson, Chief Justice; Theodore Bra<e, 

 Gavon D. Burgess, William Champs Marshall, 

 Leroy B. Valliant, James D. Fox, James D. <J:uiit. 

 The only Republican State officer i- \V:iltmr M. 

 Robinson, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. 



State elections are held in November of evea- 

 numbered years, and all State officers hold f<>r 

 a term of* four years. The Legislature holds 

 biennial sessions, beginning in January of odi- 

 numbered years. The Senate was composed of :!6 

 Democrats and 8 Republicans. The House w;i 

 composed of 82 Democrats and 60 Republicars. 

 James H. Whitecotton was Speaker. 



