furnishes superior clay for brick-making and important sand and gravel pits. The Benton shales and chalk rock are above the Dakota sandstone. Fine exposures of such rock are found along the Niobrara and Republican rivers. The chalk rock is soft when first cut but hardens on exposure to the air and is used to a limited extent for building. It is now being developed in the manufacture of hydraulic cement. The Pierre shales are above Niobrara chalk rock and cover a large part of the State, in many places to a depth of 1,000 feet. They are alkaline and where exposed produce the soil called gumbo. In western Nebraska three distinct formations later than the cretaceous appear. These are the Oligocene clays and shales, the Arikaree Butte sands and clays and the Ogallala magnesia or mortar beds. The first is about 1,000 feet thick and appears exposed in the bad lands of the extreme northwest corner. The second is five or six hundred feet thick and gives rise to the remarkable buttes or isolated precipitous peaks which are such conspicuous and picturesque features of the western plains. The third gives a rugged variation to the line where the high valleys pierce the table-lands and furnishes stone for building purposes and road work. The fossil deposits of northwest Nebraska are among the most remarkable in the world. The principal museums of the world have here secured some of their most valuable skeletons of the ancient rhinoceros, tapir, sabre-toothed tiger and dinosaurus. Manufactures.-The abundant supply of free farming land determined both labor and capital to agriculture until after 1890. By that time the best farming land to the furthest border had been taken by settlers. The great drought and hard times which followed drove thousands to the cities for temporary employment. Since then manufacturing industries have steadily grown. The leading manufactures are those which rest directly upon agriculture. The principal industry is slaughtering and meat packing. Milling grain products ranks next, butter and cheese-making third. The beet sugar industry has made remarkable progress in the past five years. There are now four factories, one at Grand Island in the central part of the State, three in sight of each other in the North Platte irrigated valley at Scottsbluff, Gering and Bayard. In 1917 the production of sugar beets amounted to 44,683 acres on which were grown 414,797 tons and a total product of about 110,000,000 pounds of sugar. Returns from all lines of manufacturing for 1914 are as follows: Number of manufacturing establishments... Salaried employes... Wage earners. Primary horse power. Capital. Salaries. Wages. Cost of materials Value of products.. Values added by manufacturing. Per cent of increase of value of products. 2,492 2,472 6,079 25,144 90,192 $121,008,000 7,118,000 16,893,000 174,114,000 221,616,000 47,502,000 11.4 The manufacture of potash and other salts from the waters of alkali lakes in the sand hills section of northwestern Nebraska began in an experimental way in 1912. The Great War cut off the supply from the Stassfurt mines of Germany, the world's greatest potash source. The price of potash rose about 1,000 per cent. Nebraska's alkali lakes became the largest producers of potash for the American market. Several millions of dollars have been invested and the production for 1918 is estimated at 150,000 tons. About 2,000 men are employed in the industry and several towns have sprung up in the sand hills supported thereby. Transportation, Communication, Etc.The first transcontinental railway in the world, the Union Pacific, has headquarters in Omaha, Neb. Five great railway systems now traverse the State Chicago and Northwestern, through the north; the Union Pacific through the centre; the Burlington_extending into 76 of the 93 counties: the Rock Island and the Missouri Pacific in the southeast; only three counties in the State are without railroads within their borders. Outside the sand hills, railroad stations are rarely more than 10 miles distant from any farm. Omaha and Lincoln are the chief railroad centres. The mileage of the principal railroads in 1916 was as follows: Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. Union Pacific. Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific. Chicago and Northwestern.. Missouri Pacific Chicago, Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha. Omaha Bridge and Terminal Railway. Total... 3,601.16 2,104.60 308.30 1,306.29 483.93 375.66 131.62 17.57 2.86 8,331.99 The use of motor vehicles and good roads movements are transforming the transportation business. The smooth prairies and moderate rainfall secure smooth highways at small cost. Nebraska is among the leading States in the Union in the number of motor vehicles per capita of population, having over 150,000 or one to each eight in population in the year 1918. There are about 300,000 miles of public highways. Three principal transcontinental motor highways cross Nebraska the Lincoln Highway up the Platte Valley, the OmahaLincoln-Denver Highway across the prairies of southern Nebraska, the Meridian road running north and south from Winnipeg to the Gulf of Mexico. Numerous other motor highways are now chartered and marked upon posts and telephone poles. In 1911 the legislature made the first levy for a State aid bridge fund. This produces about $100,000 per year to defray half the cost of important bridges, the other half being borne by the counties where they are located. The legislature of 1917 appropriated $640,000 for the biennium to be expended in connection with the Federal appropriation for road construction in the State. This is in addition to the usual expenditures by counties, cities and road districts. Revenue and Finance.- Under the Nebraska constitution, adopted in 1875, the gen eral property tax is the principal source of State revenue. From 1875 to 1913 total appropriations for State expenses were about $70,000,000, of which $3,100,000 was collected as fees. Appropriations for the biennium ending 31 March 1919 are nearly $9,000,000. Revenues for the biennium ending 30 Nov. 1916 were $11,835,633.72. Under the Nebraska Revenue Law property is assessed at one-fifth its actual value. This valuation for 1917 was $500,873,016, of which $154,834,316 was personal and $346,038,700 was real property. The State has no bonded indebtedness. The bonded debt of subdivisions of the State in 1916 was $42,154,198. Banks. There are two systems of banks, State and national. Since the passage of the State Bank Guaranty Law in 1909 the number and the deposits of State banks have increased more rapidly than the national banks. data for national banks in November 1916 was as follows: Number of banks. Number of depositors. Total deposits.. The 192 213,826 $116,506,000 Education.- Since 1880 Nebraska has been one of the three States with lowest percentage of illiteracy in the Union. In 1890 Nebraska was lowest with a percentage of 3.1; in 1900 Nebraska tied with Iowa with a percentage of 3.3; in 1910, Nebraska was 1.9 to Iowa's 1.7. For the school year (1917-18) there was in the State of school age (5-21 years), 387,394 children; enrolled in school, 292,362; average daily attendance, 219,246. Average duration of school, 170 days. Data respecting teachers is as follows: The total expenditure of all kinds for support of grade and high schools was $11,921,859. There were 91 city schools and 368 high schools accredited to prepare students for the State University. Pursuing higher courses of study in colleges and technical schools were 4,402 men and 3,037 women (1915). College students in law, 400; in medicine, 274; in engineering,_308; in agriculture, 255. There are four State normal schools at Peru, Kearney, Wayne and Chadron, having a total of 111 teachers and 2,904 students. The State University comprises the colleges of Literature, Science and Arts; Agriculture; Medicine; Law; Teachers; Graduate and Engineering, located at the city of Lincoln except the College of Medicine located at Omaha. The College of Agriculture, a school of agriculture and an experiment station are located on the university farm campus with outlying experiment stations at North Platte, Scottsbluff and Valentine and a school of agriculture at Curtis all under government of board of six regents elected by the voters of the whole State. Statistics of the University for the year 1917 are as follows: students, 3,141 men, 2,264 women; instructors, 221 men, 73 women; library, 144,000 titles. The income of the University for the year including extension work and experiment stations was $1,548,349. The University received from the United States government an endowment of 45,426.08 acres of land and the agricultural college a similar endowment of 89,148.60 acres. Of these endowments there remain unsold 24,859.70 acres, valued at $175,000. The cash endowment arising from the sale of this land amounts to $840,127.79. Under the present law no more of the land may be sold. The university farm campus consists of 320 acres, distant about three miles from the university city campus of about 40 acres in the heart of Lincoln. There were 1,007 students enrolled in the military cadet battalion (1918). Nebraska's school land policy differs from that of other States in the Union. Under the act of 1897 no further sales of either common school, university or agricultural college endowment lands may be made, except for certain minor purposes. The common school lands granted to Nebraska amount to 2,978,095 acres. Of this there remain unsold 1,650,990 acres. From the lands already sold there is an endowment of $9,034,308, which is being constantly increased by payments on land sale contracts. The total common school endowment is estimated at about $12,000,000 from lands sold and the value of the remaining land is at least $20,000,000 more. It is the belief of those who champion the permanent leasing system that the increase in school land values arising from increased population should properly be appropriated for the education of school children. There are about 30 denominational colleges, academies and about 200 parochial schools in the State. College degrees are granted by the following: Religion. The latest United States census figures on religious affiliation are those of 1906. Considerable changes have occurred since then but not greatly altering the relative denominational strength. The total number of church members was 345,803; total number of church buildings and of ministers each, about 3,500. The strength of the principal denominations was as follows: Roman Catholics, 100,763; Methodists, 64,352; Lutheran, 59,485; Presbyterian, 23.862; Disciples of Christ, 19.613; Baptist, 17,939; Congregationalists, 16,629; Protestant Episcopal, 6,903; United Brethren, 6,086; Latter Day Saints, 1,568. There is a difference in the basis of these membership figures as compiled by the denominations, the Roman Catholics counting as members all children baptized in the church while Protestant denominations do not. The total appropriations for their maintenance during the biennium ending 31 March 1917, approximately $2,800,000. All these institutions are under the government of a board of control consisting of three members appointed by the governor and confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the senate. Besides the board of control there is a State board of charities and corrections consisting of the governor, the State superintendent, and the State land commissioner with a chief secretary. This board has general power to investigate and report upon the condition of all penal and charitable institutions, public and private, State and municipal. There are 54 county poorhouses in the State with about 450 inmates. Under a Mothers' Pension Law enacted in 1913 about 3,500 cases of relief were cared for between July 1915 and January 1917, at an estimated cost of $200,000. Libraries. In the State are 117 public libraries with 739,476 volumes. The first public library act was passed in 1875. In 1911 an act was passed providing for township and county libraries; also an act appropriating $5,000 for libraries in the charitable and penal institutions of the State, except the school for the blind, and a trained librarian placed in charge. The total number of persons upon the State's payroll is 2,568 of whom 825 are in State institutions, 351 in State departments and 1,743 in the State courts, normal schools, university and extension departments. The pres State and County Government. ent constitution, adopted in 1875, is sometimes styled the "Grasshopper Constitution," because the grasshoppers and hard times of that period resulted in a very economical and restricted form of constitution. It is one of the few State constitutions requiring a majority of all the votes cast to adopt an amendment proposed by the legislature. A constitutional convention to revise and amend the constitution convenes 2 Dec. 1919. It will consist of 100 members elected on a non-partisan ticket by the representative districts. The legislative body consists of a senate of 33 and a house of 100 members. Regular sessions convene in January of oddnumbered years. Members are elected for a period of two years and receive $600. The executive departments and salaries are as follows: Each of the above is elected for a two-year term. The State treasurer is eligible to succeed himself after two consecutive terms. The constitution forbids the creation of any other executive offices, with the result that the provision has been avoided by the creation of numerous boards composed of some of the foregoing executive officers, with provision for the employment of secretaries who perform the new duties arising from social changes. In 1907 a railway commission consisting of three members elected by the people for a three-year term with a salary of $3,000 per year was added by constitutional amendment to the above list. The judicial department consists of seven judges elected by the people, holding office for six years at a salary of $4,500 per year. In addition there are three Supreme Court commissioners at $3,000 per year appointed by the Supreme Court to assist it in preparing opinions. There are 18 districts in which are elected 32 district judges, each for a four-year term at a salary of $3,000 per year. There is besides in each county a county judge elected for a two-year term at a salary varying with the population of the county. County government may be under the township or the commissioner system as the voters choose. There are now 28 counties under township and 65 under commissioner system. COUNTIES AND COUNTY SEATS. Adams, Hastings. Box Butte, Alliance. Hayes, Hayes Center. Jefferson, Fairbury. Johnson, Tecumseh. Kearney, Minden. Keith, Ogallala. Keyapaha, Springview. Kimball, Kimball. Knox, Center. Lancaster, Lincoln. Lincoln, North Platte. Logan, Gandy. Loup, Taylor. Madison, Madison. Platte, Columbus. Red Willow, McCook. Sarpy, Papillion. Thomas, Thedford. Washington, Blair. Cities and Municipalities. The first incorporated city or village was Nebraska City, incorporated by special act of the Territorial legislature 2 March 1855. Until 1864 each incorporated municipality secured its charter by a separate act of the legislature. The commission plan of government was provided by act of 7 April 1911, known as the Banning Act. The "Home Rule" amendment to the State constitution of 1912 provided that any city of more than 5,000 may frame and adopt its own charter consistent with the laws and constitution of the State. There are 460 incorporated cities and villages in Nebraska. Of these 169 own waterworks systems and nine have corporation-owned systems; 51 own electric-light systems, while 77 have corporate-owned systems; eight own their own gas plants and 26 have corporate systems. The population of the principal cities at the census of 1910 is as follows: Omaha (including South Omaha). Lincoln.. Grand Island. Beatrice. 150.355 43,973 1887-91 10.326 9.355 Democrat. Republican. 1891* 1891-92 9,338 8,713 James E. Boyd.. Lorenzo Crounse. Silas A. Holcomb. William A. Poynter Charles H. Dietrich Ezra P. Savage. John H. Mickey Democrat. 1892-93 Politics. The struggle over the NebraskaKansas bill gave birth to the Republican party in 1854, but there was no Republican party organized in Nebraska until 1858. The Territory was strongly Democratic until 1860 when the veto of the Free Homestead bill by President Buchanan and the pro-slavery attitude of the Democratic party gave the Republicans control which they held without interruption down to 1890. The fundamental political issue in the State from 1870 was railroad control. Failure to furnish a solution of the problem brought about factionalism in the Republican party. The Farmers' Alliance, beginning in 1881 as a social and educational organization, became in 1890 the leader of new economic issues and drove the Republican party from its position of supremacy in the State. The Farmers' Alliance movement became the People's Independent, or Populist, party, which for the next five years was the chief rival of the Republican party in the State, the Democratic party being faction torn between its conservative elements following the leadership of President Grover Cleveland and J. Sterling Morton, and the Progressive or Free Silver element under the leadership of William J. Bryan, who was elected to Congress in 1890 and in 1892. The triumph of the free silver wing of the Democratic party in 1896, accompanied by the nomination of W. J. Bryan for President, was followed in Nebraska by a fusion of Populists and Free Silver Democrats which elected an entire State ticket and both houses of the legislature that year, and continued in power until 1900 when the Republicans again carried the State. Continued fusion of the Populists with the Democrats aided in the gradual disintegration of the former party. The nomination of a conservative Democrat for President in 1904 and the progressive policies of President Roosevelt drew a considerable portion of the Populists into support of the Republican party. Between the competition of the Bryan Democracy and Roosevelt Republicanism in the adoption of Populist principles and bidding for Populist votes the party rapidly went to pieces and disappeared about 1912. The split of the Repub George L. Sheldon. Ashton C. Shallenberger. Republican |