vin Edwards; State Treasurer, Fred. Walsen; Superintendent of Public Instruction, J. C. Shattuck; State Auditor, John C. Abbott; Attorney-General, B. F. Urmy. Supreme Court: William E. Beck, Wilbur F. Stone, and Joseph C. Helm, Justices. Legislative Session.-The Legislature convened at the beginning of January, and remained in session about two months. After a prolonged contest, Thomas M. Bowen (Republican) was elected United States Senator for the long term, and H. A. W. Tabor (Republican) for the short term. Among the measures that became laws were the following: An act to secure the collection and publication of agricultural and other statistics; an act to submit to the people at the next general election for members of the Legislature, amendments to the Constitution relating to the compensation of members, the length of sessions, and the conduct of business; appropriating $318,000 for the ordinary expenses of the executive, legislative, and judicial departments for the years 1883 and 1884; submitting to the people at the election in November, 1883, the question of creating a bonded indebtedness of $300,000 toward the erection of a Capitol; to regulate the working and inspection of coal-mines; creating Delta, Mesa, and Montrose counties from Gunnison; Eagle and Garfield counties from Summit, and Uncompahgre county from Ouray; changing the name of Uncompahgre county to Ouray, and of Ouray county to San Miguel; to enable counties to refund railroad-aid bonds; to provide for the drainage of lands for agricultural and other purposes; to regulate primary elections; to establish a State Bureau of Horticulture; and to establish an insurance department and regulate the insurance companies doing business therein. The assessed value of property in 1881 was $96,135,305; in 1882, $104,440,683. State Institutions. The number of convicts in the Penitentiary, Nov. 30, 1878, was 146, and on the 30th of November, 1880, there were 226, being an increase of nearly 55 per cent. in the two years. The reports of the officers of the Penitentiary show that the number of convicts on the 30th of November, 1882, was 332, an increase of 424 per cent. during the two years. In January, 1883, there were 329, of whom 36 were life-convicts. So long as there continues to be such a large accession to the number of convicts, requiring frequent enlargement of the institution for their accommodation, the Penitentiary must continue to be a burden to the tax-payers. During the last two years 114 new cells have been constructed, making, in the aggregate, cell accommodations for only 284 prisoners. The erection of a new cell-building has been begun. Several large and substantial buildings have been constructed during the two years. These buildings have all been the work of convict-labor. The commissioners have estimated the expenses for the years 1883 and 1884 as follows: Material for two cell buildings Appropriation to pay for land already purchased. Earnings estimated for two years $50.000 5,000 10,000 2,500 8,000 1,000 228,880 $804,880 100,000 $204,880 An additional building for the Mute and Blind Institute has been erected at a cost of over $20,000. The number of inmates at the beginning of the year was 44. A new building for the Insane Asylum at Pueblo is in course of erection. When this is completed, there will be accommodation for 125 patients. During the two years ending Nov. 30, 1882, 57 patients were received and 46 discharged, making a net gain of 11, which, added to the number on hand at the beginning of the term, 38, makes 49. The percentage of recoveries has been about 53. The Legislature, in 1881, provided for the establishment of the State Industrial School at Golden. Its purposes were to educate and reform young persons who have fallen into the ways of crime, rather than to confine them in jails. The large number who have been sent there by the various district courts and police magistrates throughout the State, shows that the greatest necessity existed for such an institution. The report of the officers of the school shows that 81 pupils had been sent there at the close of 1882; that the terms of five had expired, and that there were then 75 pupils at the institution. Education. The rapid increase in population during the past two years has occasioned the organization of many new schools. About 100 new districts have been organized, and nearly as many school-houses have been erected. Many of these buildings are large, expensive structures. There are 370 school-houses in the State, valued at $1,235,491, having seating capacity for 26,470 pupils. According to the school census of 1882, there were in the State 49,208 children between the ages of 6 and 21 years, of which number 31,738 were enrolled in the public schools. The permanent school fund of the State now amounts to $75,200.37, being an increase during the past two years of about $40,000. This fund is invested in interest-bearing State securities, and the interest received therefrom, together with money received from the rental of school lands, is distributed to the several counties of the State according to the school population. During the past two years $30,604.68 of such money has been thus distributed. The State Library contains 7,107 volumes. The university at Boulder was the first educational institution established by the Legislature. The number of students now exceeds 100, and six were graduated from the classical course of the college department in 1882. The report of the State School of Mines shows that the number of students is more than double that of two years ago. The agricultural interests of the State, which until recently have been overshadowed by min ing and other interests, are now beginning to command attention. Now the climate is understood, irrigation is practiced intelligently, and the appliances for destroying the pest of farming communities are well understood. But owing to the scarcity of water for irrigation, only a limited amount of lands can be cultivated, and Colorado can never become an agricultural State. The first State Legislature established an Agricultural College at Fort Collins. Under the economical supervision of the managers, very commendable results have been attained with the appropriations made by the State. The present value of the college property, at what is considered a low estimate, is as follows: Buildings and farm. Total... The cost to the State has been $28,960 00 21,611 12 $50,571 12 48,000 00 YEAR. Total. $27,588,081 00 1871. 2,680,000 00 8,019,046 00 1,750,000 00 2,185,000 00 65,000 00 28,000 00 1874... 4,028,000 00 2,002,487 00 78,676 00 1875. 5,262,383 00 2,161,475 02 60,000 00 1876. 5,434,887 02 2,726,315 82 80,000 00 6,191,807 82 98,796 64 89,000 00 1879. 8,193,500 00 15,885,000 00 1331. 1882. 22,208,508 72 26,000,000 00 $166,607,575 99 Marshall banks, as well as the South Park mines, at Como, likewise show an increase. The Gunnison anthracite coal-fields near Crested Butte have been recently brought under development. The coal is a red-ash, freeburning anthracite, resembling most nearly the Lykens valley coal of Pennsylvania. Agriculture and Stock-raising.-The acreage of southern Colorado was 149,509; value of products, $2,862,595. The acreage of northern Colorado was 342,998; value, $6,905,374. RECAPITULATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS FOR THE YEAR 1882. There is considerable difference between the sheep of the southern part of the State and those of the northern part, the latter being much the better. In a division of this kind, Colorado Springs is about on the dividing line. Railroads. The rapid growth of the railroad system of the State is shown in the annexed table: 1870 1871. 1872 1873 1874 1875 Total....... 492,507 .... * Tons. 541.508 411,970 428,948 The extent of territory devoted to cattleraising has become very large, and there is range enough in this State to support 1,500,000 cattle. The assessors return the number of cattle now in the State as less than 500,000, but it is not believed that these reports are correct. The following table gives the assessors' returns for a number of years: Cattle in 1871........ 145,916 Cattle in 1880.. Cattle in 1875.. 299,515 Cattle in 1881.. Cattle in 1878... 498.279 Cattle in 1882. Cattle in 1879. .... 523,585 But that there were in 1878-'80 more cattle than at present is doubtful. It is claimed that the vast region between the Gunnison and Grand rivers on the north, and the Uncompahgre, the Dolores, and the San Miguel on the east and south, extending 50 miles in one direction and 150 in another, and comprising nearly 5,000,000 acres, furnishes an excellent and almost unoccupied region for stock-growing. It is reached by the Denver and Rio Grande railroad, and is within driving distance from the Union Pacific. According to estimate, 100,000 head were, in 1882, shipped out of the State, while the home consumption amounted to 60,000. The value of these is placed at above $6,000,000. According to the assessors' returns, there were, in 1882, 11 per cent. more sheep in Colorado than a year before. The assessors returned in 1879, 779,229; in 1880, 782,629; in 1881, 624,502; and in 1882, 706,048. It is thought that the number of sheep now in the State is over 1,000,000. Their value is estimated at $2,500,000. It is estimated that during 1882 the wool-clip amounted to 5,000,000 pounds, worth $1,000,000; and that 100,000 wethers, worth $350,000, were consumed or shipped to Eastern markets-a total income from sheep of $1,350,000. The subjoined table shows the miles in op eration at the beginning of 1883: Union Pacific and branches Denver and Rio Grande Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé.. Denver and New Orleans.. Denver, Utah and Pacific.. Total......... Miles. 1.170 1,281 981 182 184 40 8,088 Temperance.-A State Temperance Convention was held in Denver in October, which adopted a platform containing the following: We recognize it to be the duty of every real friend of humanity and all true reform, to refrain totally from the use of alcoholic drink of every description, and that no countenance be given to its manufacturé or sale by license, either high or low; and that the only proper and just way to treat such a monster evil is to prohibit it by the plainest and strongest statutes, enforced by the severest penalties, just as all other crimes are dealt with in the body politic. Resolved, That steps should at once be taken to prepare a bill providing for an amendment to the Constitution of this State, having prohibition for its foundation, and that a committee of five be appointed by this convention to further this end. State Capital. At the general election in November, 1881, the city of Denver was selected as the permanent capital of the State. The litigation which has been pending for several years past concerning the title of the State to the block on Capitol hill, known as "Capitol square," has been finally determined in favor of the State by the Supreme Court of the United States. Resources and General Condition.-Colorado, now in its twenty-fifth year, counts a settled population of 300,000, and a taxable valuation of $110,000,000, representing an actual property value of $200,000,000. It is traversed by nearly 3,000 miles of railroad. Its growth in importance as a grazing State becomes yearly more manifest by its largely increased shipments of live-stock, while its available farming area is being constantly added to by the rapid extension of its system of irrigating canals. Not so generally understood, however, is the vast extent of its coal and iron deposits, now in the first stage of development. The area of the State is, in round figures, 104,000 square miles, distributed (approximately) as follows: Agricultural lands.. Pastoral lands.. Mineral and timber lands.. 6,000,000 25,000,000 85,000,000 Statistics. The mileage and assessment of railroads have been as follow: YEAR. 1878. 1879. 1930. 1881. 1982.. 1883.. Assessed value. Miles. 1,085.68 1,218.60 1,885.61 1,584.10 11,638,055 2,245.29 2,750.76 $5,013,685 17,788,158 The total assessed number of live-stock in the State is: Cattle, 511,940; sheep, 834,127; other stock, 110,045. Assessed value, $12,321,109. It is believed that this does not represent over 50 per cent. of the stock actually within the State. have been begun in the new counties of Mesa, Montrose, and Delta, all of which will greatly increase the available acreage next year." COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION, AMERICAN. The total volume of foreign commerce in the year ending June 30, 1883, was larger than in any year in the history of the country, exceeding by about $2,000,000 that of 1881. The total value of the exports and imports of merchandise in 1883 was $1,547,020,316. Compared with the commerce of other countries it is only exceeded by that of Great Britain, which aggregated $3,497,000,000 in 1882, and that of France, where the special commerce in 1882 amounted to $1,713,000,000; exceeding in volume that of Germany, which in 1881 amounted to $1,480,000,000. Including the imports and exports of specie, the total volume of the foreign commerce in 1883 was $1,607,330,040, being less than in 1881, when it aggregated $1,675,024,318, and less also than in 1880, when it was $26,750,800 $1,613,770,633, but greater than in 1882, when 9,175,000 it was $1,567,071,700. In 1874 the borrow5,000,000 4,500,000 ing period which followed the war came to an 5,000,000 end, and the extension of railroads greatly 10,000,000 facilitated the exportation of agricultural prod.$60,425,800 ucts. Since that year there has been a constant excess of exports over imports, and since 1876 a large annual excess of merchandise exports. The entire movement of foreign commerce for these ten years is shown in the following tables. The value of the total exports and imports of merchandise, with the annual excess of exports or imports, was each year as follows: Imports. $28.454,906 93,034,310 1881 19,406,847 110,575,497 1882 49,417,479 Excess of $88,175,499 71,281,425 56,506,802 15,936,681 40,569,621 42,472,390 6,945,089 Excess of imports. The total value of exports and imports, including specie, with the annual excess of exports, was each year as follows: Imports. Excess of $652,918,445 $595,861,248 $57,052,197 Classification of Exports.-The exports of each of the general classes of domestic products in 1883, as compared with the preceding fiscal year, were as follow: eries, 0-78 per cent.; and all other commodities, 0.67 per cent. The increased exportation of domestic merchandise in 1883, over that of the preceding year, was due to the more abundant crops. The increased exportation of cotton and cereals not only accounts for the increment, but, with an increase in the value of manufactured products exported, makes good a large decrease in the exports of provisions, due in part to the failure of the corn-crop in 1881 and in part to the prohibition of American pork products by Continental governments; and offsets, moreover, a very considerable falling off in the value of the petroleum exports, mainly due to excessive production and a decline in price. From the founding of the republic to the civil war, agricultural products constituted usually over 80 per cent. of the total annual exports of domestic merchandise. During the ten years, 1870-'79, they averaged about 77 per cent., the percentage which they bore in 1883. The vast exports of grain in 1880 and 1881, from superabundant crops, to supply the deficiency of the crops in Europe, brought the percentage up to 83.25 and 82.63; while in 1882, with a diminished yield in the United States and better harvests in Europe, it fell below the average, to 75 31 per cent. The four main classes of agricultural products-breadstuffs, raw cotton, provisions, and tobacco-with mineral-oil, constitute the five leading classes of domestic exports. Cotton was for half a century or more by far the most 9,976,143 important, until the exports of grain and pro6,276,375 visions increased, after the great extension of 5,866,807 railroads. In 1878 the grain exports began to $783,289,782 $804,228,632 exceed in value those of cotton, but in 1882, when the grain-crop had suffered more than the cotton-crop, and again in 1883, with a better grain-crop, cotton reasserted its supremacy. The annual exports of these five leading classes of domestic products in the past ten years were as follow: |