Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/701

WISCONSIN. {|align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" rules="cols" style="font-size: smaller"
 * colspan="5"|
 * align="center"|National
 * align="center"|State July 7, 1902
 * align="center"|Savings July 7, 1902
 * align="center"|Private June 30, 1902
 * Number
 * align="right"|99
 * align="right"|173
 * align="right"|1
 * align="right"|137
 * Capital
 * align="right"| $11,425,000
 * align="right"| $1,429,000
 * align="right"|......
 * align="right"| $1,132,000
 * Surplus
 * align="right"|3,219,000
 * align="right"|1,302,000
 * align="right"|......
 * align="right"|190,000
 * Cash, etc.&emsp;
 * align="right"|6,916,000
 * align="right"|3,583,000
 * align="right"|$8,116
 * align="right"|713,000
 * Loans
 * align="right"|64,867,000
 * align="right"|45,831,000
 * align="right"|412,200
 * align="right"|8,635,000
 * Deposits
 * align="right"|76,256,000
 * align="right"|58,963,000
 * align="right"|719,000
 * align="right"|11,503,000
 * colspan="5"|
 * }
 * Loans
 * align="right"|64,867,000
 * align="right"|45,831,000
 * align="right"|412,200
 * align="right"|8,635,000
 * Deposits
 * align="right"|76,256,000
 * align="right"|58,963,000
 * align="right"|719,000
 * align="right"|11,503,000
 * colspan="5"|
 * }
 * colspan="5"|
 * }
 * }

The present Constitution is the original one under which the State came into the Union. Voters must be citizens or foreigners who have declared their intention of becoming citizens of the United States, or civilized Indians not members of any tribe, and who have resided in the State one year and in the district a period prescribed by law. Proposed amendments must be passed by a majority of the members elected to either House at two successive sessions of the Legislature and afterwards receive a majority vote of the people. A proposal to call a constitutional convention must receive a majority vote of both Houses and be approved by a majority of the popular vote.

The Assembly has a maximum and minimum limit of 100 and 54 respectively, and the Senators must be not more than one-third nor less than one-fourth of the number of the members of the Assembly. Elections are biennial, on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November. The salary of members is $500 and mileage for each regular session, and mileage alone for extra sessions. The Legislature meets, according to statutory provision, on the first Monday in January; the sessions are not limited in duration. The power of impeachment rests with the Assembly, and the trial of impeachment with the Senate.

The Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Attorney-General are elected for a term of two years. The Governor has the usual pardoning power, and a veto which may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each House. The Governor receives $5000 per year. The Lieutenant-Governor and Secretary of State are respectively eligible to the Governorship in case of vacancy in that office.

There is a Supreme Court of five members elected for ten years. The Legislature determines judicial circuits, in each of which a judge is elected by the people.

Sheriffs, coroners, registers of deeds, and district attorneys are elected in the counties every two years. Sheriffs cannot serve two successive terms.

Madison is the capital. The State has eleven representatives in the National House of Representatives.

The Constitution places the usual restrictions upon all expenditures. The State, with the assent of a majority of all members elected to either branch of the Legislature, may contract a public debt to defray extraordinary expenses, but the amount must not exceed $100,000. A debt of $2,251,000 was created to meet the State expenditures incurred during the Civil War. The balance on hand in the treasury on September 30, 1902, was $496,408.74. The receipts for the year ending on that date aggregated $5,321,304.89, and the expenditures $5,124,553.12. The chief sources of revenue are railroad license fees, taxation, and insurance

companies' license fees. The valuation of all property in 1902 was $1,504,346,000.

In 1900 the State had 425,825 men of military age. The organized militia in 1901 numbered 2773.

The following figures show the growth of the population by decades: 1840, 30,945; 1850, 305,391; 1860, 775,881; 1870, 1,054,070; 1880, 1,315,497; 1890, 1,686,880; 1900, 2,069,042. In 1900 Wisconsin ranked thirteenth in population among the States of the Union. The State has a very large foreign-born population, numbering, in 1900, 515,971, or 24.9 per cent. of the total population. It probably has the largest proportion of German blood of any State. That nationality began to come to the United States in large numbers during the first decade of the period of rapid colonization—1840-50—and settled in large numbers, especially in the southeastern half of the State. In 1900 there were 242,777 foreign-born Germans. The Norwegians came later and went farther to the northwest. There were 61,575 foreign-born Norwegians in 1900. The early settlements in the lead-mining region of the southwest were made by Southerners by way of the Mississippi River, but they were soon overwhelmed in numbers by the New England element. In 1900 there were 8372 Indians, 2542 negroes, and 217 Chinese. The males numbered 1,067,562 and the females 1,001,480. In 1900 there was an average of 38 persons to the square mile. The largest cities were as follows: Milwaukee, 285,315; Superior, 31,091; Racine, 29,102; La Crosse, 28,895; Oshkosh, 28,284; Sheboygan, 22,962; Madison, 19,164; Green Bay, 18,684; Eau Claire, 17,517; Marinette, 16,195; Fond du Lac, 15,110; Appleton, 15,085; Ashland, 13,074; Janesville, 13,185; Warsaw, 12,354; Manitowoc, 11,786; Kenosha, 11,606; Beloit, 10,436.

The Catholics are the strongest sect. Other leading organizations include the Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians.

The public schools are under the control of a State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The school and university lands and the revenues accruing from them are, however, under the supervision of a board consisting of the Secretary of State, the Treasurer, and the Attorney-General. Each town and city is required to raise annually by tax a sum of not less than one-half the amount received by them from the income of the school fund. In the census year 1900 there was a school population of 730,685, and an actual attendance of 427,624, or 58.5 per cent. The per cent. of illiterates in the population of ten years of age and upward was 4.7. Wisconsin is one of the leading States as regards the facilities it offers for higher education. Among the principal institutions are the (q.v.), at Madison; Northwestern University, at Watertown; (q.v.), at Beloit;  (q.v.), at Appleton; (q.v.), at Ripon; and Marquette College and Concordia College, at Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Medical College and the Wisconsin College of Physicians and Surgeons are prominent among the professional schools. Normal schools are located at Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point, West Superior, and Whitewater.