MISSOURI. 



529 



on the statistics of the city directory make the 

 population of St. Louis over 500,000. The in- 

 crease for the State, except St. Louis County, 

 since 1870, was 176,924, or about 4 per cent, 

 per annum. Of the total of 1,543,495, the 

 number of white males was 747,274; white fe- 

 males, 692,914; total white, 1,440,188; colored 

 males, 50,683; colored females, 52,624; total 

 colored, 103,307. Of the whites, 833,841 were 

 able to read and write ; of the colored popula- 

 tion, 13,865 could read and write. Statistics 

 of live stock and farm products are as follows: 



LIVE STOCK. 



Horses 648,607 



Mules 176.654 



Jacks 2,70T 



Jennets 8,002 



Cattle 1,462.457 



Sheep 1,108,968 



Hogs 1,685,281 



PRODUCTS. 



Bushels of wheat 12,038,289 



Bushels corn 128,328,054 



Bushels oats 9,794,080 



Bushels barley 801,311 



Bushels rye 905,144 



Pounds tobacco 41,402,156 



Pounds wool 2,687,777 



Pounds sugar 62,050 



Tons hay 1,006,886 



Tons hemp 8,479 



Gallons whiskey 82,165 



Gallons wine 228,034 



Gallons molasses 2,448,82T 



The amount of property in the State subject 

 to taxation, as adjusted by the Board of Equali- 

 zation, is $614,716,333, of which $29,997,158 

 is railroad property. The tax-levy is 20 cents on 

 the $100 of valuation for general purposes, one- 

 fourth of which is for the support of schools, 

 and 20 cents for the payment of interest. The 

 semi-annual report of the auditor, for the six 

 months ending June 30th, showed receipts 

 into the Treasury amounting to $2,474,694.70, 

 and disbursements amounting to $2,234,828.80, 

 for the half year, including all the various 

 funds. The appropriations for 1877 and 1878, 

 chargeable to the revenue fund, amount to 

 $2.,214,621.04. The amount of school money 

 apportioned by the State among the several 

 counties for the year was $539,697. The num- 

 ber of children of school age being 725,728, 

 the apportionment was 74^ cents for each 

 child. 



The eighth annual report of the Superinten- 

 dent of the Insurance Department, made in 

 August, covered the business of the year 1876. 

 The number of fire and marine companies mak- 

 ing reports was 182, of which only 26 were or- 

 ganized in the State. The capital of the Mis- 

 souri joint-stock companies was $3,402,462; 

 assets, $4,900,908; liabilities, exclusive of capi- 

 tal, $888,727; income for the year, $1.985,744; 

 expenditures, $1,774,585. The mutual compa- 

 nies showed $4,880,391 of assets, $111,477 of 

 liabilities; income, $299,926, and expenditures, 

 $307,094. The business of both joint-stock and 

 mutual companies showed: Risks, $147,223,- 

 208; premiums, $2,183,024. Five insurance 

 companies of other States received $1,819,142 

 VOL. xvii. 34 A 



in premiums in this State, and paid $639,580 

 for losses. The life insurance companies doing 

 business in the State include three home organi- 

 zations and 29 from other States. The assets 

 of the three Missouri companies were $8,575,- 

 400; liabilities, $7,963,563; income for the 

 year, $2,740,601; expenditures, $3,613,863; 

 number of policies at the close of the year, 14,- 

 872; amount of insurance, $37,701,952. The 

 outside companies had 16,837 policies in the 

 State, insuring to the amount of $45,935,862. 

 Their premiums collected for the year amount- 

 ed to $1,523,852 ; claims paid, $848,783. 



The regular biennial session of the Legisla- 

 ture, which began on the 1st of January, con- 

 tinued until the 30th of April. Resolutions 

 were introduced and considered, submitting 

 amendments to the constitution, which made 

 the concurrence of nine jurors sufficient for a 

 verdict, and payment of a poll-tax a prerequi- 

 site to the exercise of the right of suffrage ; but 

 both were defeated. An act was passed pro- 

 viding for the punishment, by imprisonment 

 for not less than two years in the penitentiary, 

 of any person " who shall knowingly vote at 

 any election held in pursuance of the laws of 

 the State, or any municipality thereof, when 

 not entitled thereto." It also provides that 

 any person attempting so to vote shall be pun- 

 ished by a fine of not less than $25, or impris- 

 onment in the county jail for not less than 30 

 days. An act was also passed providing for the 

 punishment of any person who should bribe a 

 public officer, for the purpose of influencing 

 his official action, or in payment for any such 

 action, and the punishment of any public offi- 

 cer who should accept a bribe offered for any 

 such purpose. The penalty in the former case 

 was imprisonment in the penitentiary for a 

 term not exceeding seven years, and in the 

 latter, imprisonment for not more than ten nor 

 less than two years. Another act provides for 

 the punishment of candidates for office who 

 should use money, or other valuable considera- 

 tion, to secure their nomination. An act was 

 passed requiring that a majority of the Board 

 of Directors of all railroad companies in the 

 State should be residents of the State so lone 

 as they remain in office, and that every railroad 

 company organized or doing business in the 

 State shall maintain a public office, where all 

 records of stock, and transfers thereof, shall be 

 open to inspection. Transfers of stock in any 

 such company, made outside of the State since 

 the adoption of the present constitution, are de- 

 clared invalid. The act of 1873, providing for 

 the organization of counties into municipal 

 townships, was repealed. An apportionment 

 act was passed, redistributing the counties of 

 the State into 18 congressional districts. A 

 change in the school law provides that all col- 

 ored schools shall be taught by colored teach- 

 ers, when competent persons can be obtained. 

 An act was passed prohibiting, under penalties, 

 the sale of liquor to students of the State Uni- 

 versity, and of all other schools and colleges, 



