In Feb., 1876, the bonded debt of the state was $4,249,757 and the floating debt, $543,137, making an aggregate of $4,792,894. The receipts from all sources, including a balance in the treasury from Aug. 31, 1874, to the same date 1875, the close of the fiscal year, were $2,800,075, and the disbursements for the same period were $2,497,276, leaving a balance in the $302,799.
The public schools of the state are under the control of a board of education com posed of the governor, comptroller, and secretary of state. The permanent fund in 1875 amounted to $2,637,673, and the constitution provides that one-fourth of the rev enue from general taxation and a poll tax of $1 shall be annually set aside for school purposes. In addition to these resources the Peabody fund paid in 1875 $4,800 in aid of the public schools. The school population during that year in 145 counties was 331,400 children. Only 97 counties, however, made any definite report, in which the school pop ulation was 210,922. Of these 124,567 were enrolled in the schools, and the average daily attendance was reported to be 84,415. There were about '2,924 organized schools and 3,100 teachers employed. Among the collegiate institutions in the state at that date were Baylor university (Baptist), at Independence; Austin college (Presbyterian), at Huntsville; university of St. Mary (Roman Catholic), at Galveston; Soule university (M. E. south), at Chappell Hill; Trinity university (Cumberland Presbyterian), at Tehuacana; Henderson college (non-sect.), at Henderson; and Texas university (M.
E. south), at Georgetown. Most of these schools have several departments and admit both sexes The number of libraries in 1870 was 455 with 87,111 volumes, of which 135 with 25,018 volumes were public. The newspapers and periodicals published number about 120, of which 12 are daily, 89 weekly, and 1 semi-monthly. The relig ious organizations in 1870 were 275 Baptist, 18 Christian, 1 Congregational, 32 Epis copal, 1 Jewish, 23 Lutheran, 355 Methodist, 101 Presbyterian, and 36 Roman Catholic.
A new constitution, adopted Feb. 15, 1876, fixes the term of the governor and most of the executive officers at two years. The legislature meets biennally, and consists of a senate of 31 members and a house of representatives of 93 members. Judicial officers are elected and serve for limited terms. Voters must have resided one year in the state and six months in the district where the vote is cast; and if financial measures are voted upon, tax-payers alone are allowed to vote. By the apportionment of 1872 the state is entitled to six representatives in congress and eight electoral votes. The elec toral votes have been cast as follows: 1848, Cass and Butler, 4; 1852, Pierce and King, 4; 1856, Buchanan and Breckenridge, 4; 1860, Breckenridge and Lane, 4; 1864 and 1868 no vote was cast; 1872, Greeley and Brown, 8; 1876, Tilden and Hendricks, 8; 1880, Hancock and English, 8.