780 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. (NORTH DAKOTA.) 



we think they would have been recreant to their 

 duty as good citizens had they acted otherwise." 



Legal Opinions. The justices of the Supreme 

 Court contend that their salaries are not liable to 

 taxation on the ground that the Constitution de- 

 clares that their salaries are not to be diminished 

 during their term of office, and the Attorney-Gen- 

 eral agrees with this opinion, which applies to the 

 salaries of other State officials as well. 



The decision against the antitrust law of Illi- 

 nois probably invalidates that of this State as 

 well. 



Political. At the State election, in November, 

 a Chief Justice and 2 Associate Justices of the Su- 

 preme Court were to be chosen, for terms of eight 

 years, succeeding Judges Furches, Clark, and 

 Cook, and a member of the Corporation Commis- 

 sion to succeed D. H. Abbott, for a term of six 

 years; also a Superintendent of Public Instruc- 

 tion. 



The Democratic Convention, in Greensboro, July 

 16, nominated Walter Clark for Chief Justice and 

 Henry G. Connor and Platt D. Walker for Asso- 

 ciate Justices. Eugene C. Beddingfield was named 

 for Corporation Commissioner and James Y. 

 Joyner for Superintendent. The platform declared 

 allegiance to the national platform of the party; 

 congratulated the people upon the adoption of 

 the suffrage amendment; commended the State 

 administration; denounced the policy of "impe- 

 rialism " ; condemned trusts and Congress for not 

 restraining them; favored the establishment of 

 the Appalachian park; and favored nominations 

 by primaries. 



.The Republican Convention met in Greensboro, 

 Aug. 28, and nominated Thomas H. Hill for Chief 

 Justice, D. H. Abbott for Corporation Commis- 

 sioner, and D. A. Long for Superintendent of In- 

 struction. 



After approving the national administration 

 and affirming allegiance to the party principles, 

 the platform accused the Democrats of violating 

 their preelected pledges in regard to reductions in 

 expenses, number of offices, and salaries, and said 

 further: 



" They promised, by affidavit and otherwise, 

 that no white man would be disfranchised under 

 the amendment to our Constitution, but instead of 

 observing their pledge with respect to this matter, 

 the Democratic State chairman is now forced to 

 admit that 18,000 white men will be denied the 

 right to vote at the approaching election. 



" We condemn them for their unwarranted ef- 

 fort to impeach 2 of our Supreme Court justices 

 for purely partizan purposes, for following prece- 

 dents established by the Supreme Court of this 

 State in a long line of decisions covering a period 

 of more than sixty years. 



" We further condemn them for the enactment 

 of legislation appropriating the money of the peo- 

 ple for the purpose of defraying the expenses of 

 persons indicted for violation of laws which they 

 had sworn to obey, and for granting amnesty to 

 such persons from prosecution in the State 

 courts. 



The convention was composed entirely of white 

 men ; contesting delegations of negroes were not 

 seated in any instance. 



Negro Republicans held a convention in Octo- 

 ber ; they made no nominations, but adopted a set 

 of resolutions condemning the treatment accorded 

 them. 



All the Democratic candidates for State offices 

 were elected. For Chief Justice, Clark, Democrat, 

 had 132,239 votes, and Hill, Republican, 71,275. 

 All the 10 representatives in Congress are Demo- 

 crats. The Legislature stands on joint ballot 144 



Democrats, 22 Republicans, and 4 Independent 

 Democrats. There was a tie in the Thirty-fourth 

 Senatorial District, each candidate having 3,816 

 votes. 



NORTH DAKOTA, a Northwestern State, ad- 

 mitted to the Union Nov. 2, 1889; area, 70,795 

 square miles. The population was 182,719 in 

 1890 and 319,146 in 1900. Capital, Bismarck. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1902: Governor, Frank White; Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, David Bartlett; Secretary of 

 State, E. F. Porter; State Auditor, A. N. Carl- 

 bloom; State Treasurer, D. H. McMillan; Com- 

 missioner of Insurance, Ferdinand Leutz; Attor- 

 ney-General, O. D. Comstock; Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction, J. M. Devine; Commissioner 

 of Agriculture and Labor, R. J. Turner; Commis- 

 sioners of Railroads, C. D. Lord, J. F. Shea, J. J. 

 Youngblood; secretary, C. C. Hammond; State 

 Land Commissioner, D. J. Laxdahl; Adjutant 

 General, E. S. Miller; Geologist, Frank A. Wil- 

 der; Oil Inspector, L. W. Schruth; Superintend- 

 ent of Public Health, H. H. Healey; State Ex- 

 aminer, R. E. Wallace; Veterinarian, J. W. Dun- 

 ham; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Alfred 

 Wallin; Associate Justices, N. C. Young, D. E. 

 Morgan. All are Republicans. 



The State officers are elected for terms of two 

 years in November of the even-numbered years. 

 The Legislature meets biennially in January of 

 the odd-numbered years. The length of the ses- 

 sion is limited to sixty days. 



Finances. The Governor says in his message: 

 " I desire particularly to draw your attention to 

 the improved condition of our State treasury and 

 the reduction made in our State debt. On Jan. 

 1, 1901, there was less than $10,000 in the general 

 fund. The accounts against the State were six 

 months past due, upon the Auditor's table were 

 $80,000 of funding warrants issued to pay current 

 expenses, and more than $150,000 of vouchers- 

 awaiting payment. It had been a common prac- 

 tise for the Legislature each two years to au- 

 thorize the issuing of short-time warrants to- 

 square accounts. These warrants drew a high 

 rate of interest, were not considered good by 

 investors, and were often only sold upon the per- 

 sonal assurance of the officers issuing them that 

 they would be taken care of. During the past 

 two years $270,000 of these warrants were issued. 

 All these warrants have been gradually paid off,, 

 all other obligations of the State have been 

 promptly met, and the biennial period closed with 

 practically all bills paid and with a small balance 

 in the general fund. During the same time, by 

 a special tax, $153,000 of asylum bonds have been 

 paid off and the bonded debt reduced to that 

 extent. This has been accomplished principally 

 by reason of increased revenues. Our assessed 

 valuation and tax levy for general purposes have 

 grown very materially." 



Valuations. The valuation of all property in 

 the State for purposes of taxation is $133,880.414. 

 The valuation in 1901 was $124,592,521. The 

 principal increase in valuation is in real prop- 

 erty, which as equalized' this year was more 

 than $7,000,000 above the value in 1901. The 

 value of real property is $85.195.926. In 1901 

 the total was $77,858,024. Reduction of tin 

 sessed valuation of live stock kept down the total 

 of personal property. Railroad property is val- 

 ued at $19.970,000. Telegraph property is equal- 

 ized at $219,465, telephone property at $125,865, 

 and express companies at $143,665. 



The rate of the general State tax is 4 mills; 

 that of the bond interest tax. -fol mill ; for State 

 institutions, 1 mill; and for schools, 2 mills. The 



