Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/255

 UTAH UTAHS 235 supreme court are appointed by the president for four years ; the probate judges are elected for two years. The supreme court has only ap- pellate powers ; the district courts are the tri- bunals of general original jurisdiction. While the government is thus similar to that of the other territories, the influence of the Mormon church is really paramount. By a territorial act of 1870 the right of suffrage was extended to women. The valuation of property, ac- cording to the United States census, has been : YEARS. A88ES8KD VALUE. True value of real and personal estate. Real esUte. Peronal estate. Total. I860. $986,083 5,596,118 16,159,995 1860 $286,504 7.047,881 $8.871,516 5.517,961 $4,158,620 12,565,842 1870..., The taxation in 1870 was $167,856, of which $39,402 was territorial, $80,419 county, and $47,534 town, city, &c. The assessed value of property in 1875 was $23,289,180, and the terri- torial tax $58,222 95. The amount in the terri- torial treasury on Jan. 1, 1874, was $35,655 47; receipts during the following two years, $104,- 539 23; total, $140,194 70; disbursements during the same period, $139,662 46; balance, Jan. 1, 1876, $532 24. The common schools are under the management of the territorial superintendent, county superintendents, and district trustees. A superintendent is elected in each county by the qualified voters for two years, and in each school district three trustees are elected for the same period by the resident taxpayers. Some money is raised by taxation, but the expenses of the schools are mainly de- frayed by tuition fees. The following statis- tics are for 1875 : number of districts, 236 ; number reporting, 163; schools, 296; children of school age (4 to 16), 35,696; pupils enrolled iu public schools, 19,278 ; in private schools, 3,542; average attendance, public 13,462, pri- vate 2,437 ; amount paid public teachers, $95,- 533 ; paid for building purposes, $49,569 ; ap- propriated by territory, $15,000 ; raised by local taxation, $20,267; tuition fees, $95,533; value of public school property, $438,665. The university of Deseret, at Salt Lake City, was organized in 1869; it has medical, collegiate, normal, and inferior departments. It receives an annual appropriation from the territorial treasury of from $5,000 to $10,000. There are several good schools at Salt Lake City and one or two other points, maintained by va- rious religious denominations. According to the census of 1870, there were 10 newspapers, issuing 1,578,400 copies annually, and having a circulation of 14,250. Of these 3 were daily, 8 semi-weekly, 8 weekly, and 1 monthly. The number of libraries was 133, with an aggre- gate of 39,177 volumes, of which 59, with 7,684 volumes, were private. There were 165 church organizations, with 164 edifices, 86,110 sittings, and property to the value of $674,600. Of the organizations only 5 were non-Mormon (2 Episcopal, 2 Methodist, and 1 Presbyterian). Utah forms part of the territory acquired from Mexico in 1848. It was settled in 1847 by Mormons under the lead of Brigham Young. In March, 1849, a provisional government for the " state of Deseret " was organized, which was superseded by the territory of Utah, or- ganized under the act of congress of Sept. 9, 1850, comprising 220,196 sq. m., and embra- cing portions of what is now Colorado, Wy- oming, and Nevada. In 1856, under an act of the territorial legislature, a constitution was framed for the " state of Deseret," and appli- cation has since been repeatedly made to con- gress for its admission into the Union, with- out success. (See MORMONS.) UTAH, a central county of Utah, containing Utah lake, and bordering E. on the Wahsatch mountains; area, about 1,000 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 12,203. It comprises the finest portion of the territory; the soil is generally fertile and well cultivated. There are valuable gold mines. It is traversed by the Utah Southern and American Fork railroads. The chief pro- ductions in 1870 were 128,909 bushels of wheat, 31,123 of Indian corn, 18,824 of oats, 16,599 of barley, 75,069 of potatoes, 20,323 Ibs. of wool, 63,624 of butter, and 7,051 tons of hay. There were 1,945 horses, 805 mules and asses, 6,464 cattle, 11,435 sheep, and 1,047 swine; 16 manufactories of sorghum molasses, 2 flour mills, and 12 saw mills. Capital, Provo. CT1HS, or Ctes, a large tribe of American Indians belonging to the Shoshone family, and roaming over a great part of New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada. They are hunter tribes, hardy, athletic, and brave where game abounds; but some bands in sterile parts, where there are only sage rabbits, roots, seeds, &c., are wretchedly poor. The men wear long braided cues, while the hair of the women is short. Most of the work is done by women, and the Indians in some bands sell their wives and children to neighboring tribes. They are filthy in their habits, and their arms range from the original club, bow, and lance to good rifles. The principal bands of late years, for they vary, are the Tabequache, Muache, Ca- pote, Weeminuche, Yampa { Grand Kiver, and Uintah bands in Colorado and New Mexico ; the Pi Edes, Pi Utes, Elk mountain Utes, and Shebe Ucher in the south and east of Utah ; and the Weber Utes, Timpanagos, Sanpitches, Pahvants, and Goshutes in other parts of that territory. They have generally been friendly to the whites, though at times some bands have plundered emigrants on the plains. The bands in Utah were at first friendly to the Mor- mons, but after an attack by Walker's bands a body of volunteers defeated them, killing and taking many. A treaty was made with the Capotes in 1855, but some bands became hos- tile again. The Mohuaches declined to join the Mormons against the United States, but there was some fighting between the Utes and the miners at Pike's peak, and Winnemucca