Fred. Weatherby was declared unanimously elected by the following vote, there being no dissenting vote:

Senators Bland, Bradley, Byrnes, Cabell, Caldwell, Cottey, DeArmond, Dobyns, Dungan, Edwards of St. Charles, Gottschalk, Headlee, Hutt, Jacobs, Lloyd, Mabrey, Mackay, Manring, McMahan, McGrath, Morrisson, Naylor, Pehle, Perkins Rogers, Stephens and Walker-27. Senator Heaston offered the following resolution, which was read first and second times and adopted:

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate inform the House of Representatives that the Senate is now organized by the election of the following officers: Thomas J. O. Morrison, President pro tem.; Secretary, Francis C. Nesbit; Assistant Secretary, Wm. H. Mayo; Sergeant-at-Arms, Ashley W. Ewing; Doorkeeper, Benjamin P. Bailey; Chaplain, Rev. Wm. A. Masker; Official Reporter, W. T. Marsh; Folder and Messenger, H. C. Ross; Pages, Richard Phipps and Fred. Weatherby.

Senator Morrison offered the following resolution, which was read read and adopted:

Resolved, That the Secretary be authorized to appoint two journal clerks, one docket clerk and one minute clerk, to serve during the present session.

Senator Edwards of St. Charles offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That the President appoint a committee of three to wait upon the Governor and inform him of the due organization of the Senate, and its readiness to receive any communication which he may desire to make to this body; which was read first and second times and adopted, and the President appointed as such committee Senators Edwards, Hutt and Rogers.

Mr. Thos. V. Bryant, Senator elect from the 15th district, came forward, presented his credentials, took and subscribed the oath of office, and took his seat as a Senator.

In conformity with a resolution previously adopted, the President appointed Senators Mackay and Rogers on the temporary Committee on Elections.

On motion of Senator Morrisson, all the officers elect came forward, took the oath of office and entered upon their duties.

Senator Walker offered the following resolution, which was read and adopted:

Resolved, That the doorkeeper be authorized and empowered to appoint six laborers and one night watch, the same to be paid out of the contingent fund.

On motion of Senator Cottey, the Senate took a recess for fifteen minutes at 10:45 A. M.

At 11 o'clock, the recess having expired, the President called the Senate to order; when the committee, appointed to wait upon his excellency the Governor, reported that they had performed the duty assigned them, and that his excellency would transmit his message at 2 o'clock P. M. to-day; which report was accepted and the committee discharged.

The following message was received from the House of Representatives by Mr. Hawley, chief clerk:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. CITY OF Jefferson,
January 6th, 1881.

MR. PRESIDENT: I am instructed by the House of Representatives to inform the Senate that the House of Representatives is now fully organized by the election of the following officers:

T. P. Bashaw, Speaker; Joseph S. Richardson, Speaker pro tem.; J. H. Hawley, Chief Clerk; John A. Hannay, Assistant Chief Clerk; J. C. Kirby, Enrolling Clerk; John P. Dunklin, Engrossing Clerk; Henry E. Moore, Doorkeeper; Newton M Cobb, Sergeant at Arms; E. P. Caruthers, Official Reporter, and Rev. T. W. Barrett, Chaplain; and that the House is now ready to proceed to business.

Senator Cottey introduced Senate bill No. 1, entitled "An act regulating the interest of money," which was read first time.

The following message was received from the House of Representatives through Mr. Hawley, chief clerk:

CHAMBER HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, CITY OF JEFFERSON,
January 6th, 1881.

}

MR. PRESIDENT: I am instructed to inform the Senate that the House is now fully organized and ready to proceed, under section 3 of article of the Constitution, to open and publish the returns of the late election for State officers, and respectfully request the Senate to meet in the Hall of the House immediately, to open and publish said returns in joint session.

In conformity with the foregoing request of the House, the Senate, on motion of Senator Morrisson, proceeded to the Hall of the House of Representatives for the purpose of publishing the returns for State officers.

Senator Cabell moved that when the Senate adjourn, it adjourn to meet again on Saturday morning at 10 o'clock. Carried.

The following message was received from his excellency, Governor John S. Phelps, through his Private Secretary, Mr. Yost:

11

Senators and Representatives:

The Constitution requires the Governor of this State, at the close of his term of office, to give information to the General Assembly of the condition of the State, and to recommend such measures as he shall deem expedient. In this message, I have endeavored to comply with those requirements by giving you, in a brief manner, information of the condition of the State, and to mention but few matters upon which legislation is, in my opinion, required. The affairs of the State are in a prosperous condition; the laws are generally faithfully executed; quiet prevails; the people are prosperous; the costs to the State of criminal prosecutions are diminished; the Penitentiary has become a self-sustaining institution, and economy prevails in all departments of the State government.

THE TREASURY.

The condition of the Treasury naturally first attracts the attention of the tax-payers. They maintain and support the government, and have the right to inquire and be informed how and in what manner their contributions have been applied and expended. The expenditures of our State government are necessarily divided into expenditures to liquidate the indebtedness of the State, the payment of the interest on the same, the payments of salaries and compensation of officers for the due execution of the laws, and the expenses of levying and collecting the money needed and required to keep the machinery. of government running. A part of that machinery consists of our courts of justice, where the rights of parties to property are settled, damages awarded for injuries done to persons or property, and those guilty of crimes are punished. We have also the blind, the mutes and the insane to care for, educate and protect. Their misfortunes and their maladies enlist our sympathies. Not sufficiently numerous to require asylums in every county for their education and support, the care of these people devolves upon the State, and a part of the revenue of the State is bestowed in erecting suitable buildings for their comfort and maintenance, and expenditures on this account may be classed as eleemosynary, yet in part partaking of educational. It is said the safety of our government, in part, depends on the education of the people. The eminent legislators of this State, in recognition of that fact, did, at an early day, establish an excellent system of public schools, and also provided for a State University. This brings us to another branch of expenditures-the educational. Besides the State University and the public schools, other institutions of learning have

been established by the State for the purpose of educating and training the students to be instructors in our schools. I refer to the three State Normal Schools and to the Lincoln Institute. The latter is now a State institution, and is designed especially for the education of colored persons.

The receipts from all sources, including the balance on hand January 1, 1879, and disbursements from the revenue fund for the last two years, are as follows:

This shows a balance of $284,026:78 in the Revenue fund. But a part of these receipts, though properly placed in the Revenue fund, are not usual receipts, as $256,875 thereof were the proceeds of the sale of two hundred and fifty renewal revenue bonds of $1,000 each, authorized to be issued and sold by an act of the Legislature, approved May 9th, 1879, to pay the revenue bonds which were issued in accordance with the act of April 23d, 1877.

It is to be observed, also, that $250,000, with $30,000 interest on the same, are not ordinary expenditures.

There has been expended for the maintenance and support of our eleemosynary institutions, for the last two years, the sum of $327,057.50, paid from the Revenue fund. This includes the cost of rebuilding the Lunatic Asylum, in 1879-80, at St. Joseph.

*This includes $250,000 paid for revenue bonds which matured June 1, 1879.

There was also expended during the same time, in support of our common schools, the Lincoln Institute, the three Normal Schools and the State University, the sum of $1,145,381.89. But of this amount the sum of $363,720 was paid out of the Interest fund, being the amount of interest which had accrued on bonds and certificates of indebtedness of the State, held in trust for the State School and Seminary funds. Nevertheless, those sums of money were raised by taxation of our people during the last two calender and fiscal years.

OF THE REVENUE.

The revenues of the State will naturally increase some with the increase of population and of wealth. The price of property, and particularly of real estate, has been greatly depressed for a few years last past. In the latter part of 1879, the price of all kinds of property increased, but at too late a period to enable the enhanced valuation to materially effect the assessment of that year. It must be borne in mind all persons are required to give in the property held and owned by them on the 1st day of August, and the valuation of the same is to be made of that date, but the taxes will not be ready for collection on that assessment till the autumn of the next year. The following statement shows the valuation of the real estate, the personal property, and the railroads, bridges and telegraphs, in this State, for the years.

The assessment of 1879 is the assessment upon which the tax has just been collected, and the assessment of property which was made. on the 1st day of August last, is not yet completed, but the tax will be payable in the autumn of 1881, and will be levied on that valuation.