Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/671

 AREA, POPULATION, INSTRUCTION

549

TEXAS.

In 1836 Texas declared its independence of Mexico, and after maintaining an independent existence, as the llepublic of Texas, for 10 years, it was in 1845 received as a State into the American Union.

Government. — The Legislature consists of a Senate of 31 members elected for four years (half their number retiring every two years), and a House of Rcj)resentatives of 142 members elected for two years. Qualified electors are all male citizens (and aliens who have declared their intention of becoming citizens) resident in the State one year and in the district or county six months next before the election, but persons subject to the poll-tax must have ])aid their tax prior to February 1 of the year in which they desire to vote.

The State is represented in Congress by two Senators and 18 Represen- tatives.

Governor.— 0. B. Colquitt, 1913-15 (4.000 dollars).

Secretary of State. — C. C. McDonald.

The State is divided into 246 counties. The State Capital is Austin.

Area, Population, Instruction.-

cluding 3,498 square miles of water).

-Area, 265,896 square miles (in-

Years Population

Per

sq. mile '

Years

1900 1910

Population

Per

sq. mile

1880 1,591,749 1890 2,235,523

6-1 i 8-5 '

3,048,710 3,896,542

11 6

14-8

In 1910 the population included 2,017,612 males, 1,878,930 females; 240,012 foreign born, 690,020 negroes, 702 Indians, 575 Chinese, and 341 Japanese.

In 1900 the population by sex and birth was : —

— White

Negro

• Asiatic

Indian

Total

Male. . Female

1,267,670 1,158,999

310,135

310,587

832

17

263

207

1,578,900 1,469,810

Total.

2,426,669

620,722

849

470

3,048,710

Of the total number (1900) 179,357 were foreign-born, 71,062 being Mexican, 48,295 German, 9,204 Bohemian, and 8,213 English. The largest cities of the State with i:)opulation in 1910 are San Antonio, 96,614 ; Houston, 78,800 ; Dallas, 92,104 ; Galveston, 36,981 ; Fort Worth, 73,312 ; Austin, 29,860; El Paso, 39,279; Waco, 26,425; Beaumont, 20,640; Laredo, 14,855; Denison, 13,632; Sherman, 12,412.

The largest religious bodies are the Baptist and Methodist, other important denominations being Catholic, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, and Episco- palian,

The employment of illiterate children under 14 years of age in factories, &;c., is illegal. Separate schools are provided for white and coloured children. Jn 1909-10 the public elementary schools had 20,878 teachers and 821,631 enrolled pupils; 1908, 364 high schools had 1,079 teachers and 24,569 pupils. The State has four public normal schools v/ith, in 1910-11, 85 teachers and 2,510 students. For superior instruction there are numerous institutions.