State and county officials are nominated at primary elections, the expenses being paid by the political parties interested. The commis sion form of government is permitted to mu nicipalities, which enjoy a large measure of home rule. The initiative and referendum is allowed in municipal charters and is called into operation by petition of 10 per cent of the voters. A commission charter may be aban doned by any city by a vote of the electors after it has been six years in operation. Among the special' statutory provisions is one according to which a public service corporation forfeits its charter for intrastate commerce in case it removes a suit from the State to the Federal courts. Contributory negligence is not recog nized as a bar to a suit for damages for in juries, etc. Wbmen may make contracts and dispose of or acquire property on equal terms with their husbands.
Transportation.— The total length of rail roads within the State in 1916 was 4,242 miles; besides 44 miles of electric interurban railways. The most important lines were, the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley. having 1,143 miles within the State; the Illinois Central, 679 miles; the Gulf and Ship Island, 305 miles; the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham, 143 miles; the Mobile and Ohio, 315 • the Southern, 377 miles; the Alabama and Vicksburg, 141 miles; the Louisville and Nashville. 74 miles; the New Orleans and Northeastern, 153 miles; the New Orleans and Great Northern, 106 miles; the Mobile, Jackson and Kansas City, 370 miles; and the Mississippi Central, 164 miles. Vicksburg, Greenville and Natchez are the principal ports on the Mississippi River; and Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula, on the Gulf of Mexico. The various counties are spending a great deal of money improving the roads by graveling to the extent of many hun dreds of miles in the aggregate.
Population.— The total population in 1910 was 1,797,114, or 38.8 to the square mile, of which 908,000, or 58 per cent, were colored. There were 1,253 Indians and 9,389 foreign-born inhabitants, of whom 1,665 were German, 2,137 Italian and 747 Irish. The estimated popula tion on 1 July 1916 was 1,951,674. Until 1830, and later, the white population was somewhat in excess of the colored; but in the decade 1830 to 1840 the cessions of Indian Territory within the State made by the Chickasaw and Cherokee Indians, and the opening for occu pancy of the lands so ceded, constituting more than half the State, invited an immediate and immense inflow of settlers, with very many slaves because of the fine cotton land:, the colored population at once ran over the white, and it has so remained since. The history is shown by this table: The total population in 1860 was 791,305; in 1870 was 827,922; in 1880 was 1,131,597; in 1890 was 1,289,660; in 1900 was 1,551,270; in 1910 was 1,797,114. The largest cities are Meridian 25,378; Jackson, 21,262; Vicksburg, 23,264; Natchez, 12,670. Other important towns are Hattiesburg, Greenville, Laurel, Biloxi, Yazoo City, Gulfport and McComb City— named in order of population.
History.— Hernando de Soto (q.v.) and his companions first visited the Mississippi region in 1539. They made no settlements, however, and the death of the leader in 1542 put an end to the expedition. In 1682 La Salle de scended the Mississippi, took formal possession of the adjacent country for the king of France and called it Louisiana. In 1698 M. d'Iberville was authorized by the French king to colonize the regions of the lower Mississippi. He landed near Ship Island and, from this point, setting out with two large barges, explored the coast, discovered the mouth of the Missis sippi, reaching the bend at the mouth of the Red River, and returning to Ship Island erected a fort at the Bay of Biloxi, about 80 miles east from the site of New Orleans. He then embarked for France, leaving the fort in com mand of his two brothers, Sauvolle and Bien ville. In December 1699, Iberville returned, and soon after built a fort on the banks of the Mississippi. In 1700 the Chevalier de Tonty Arrived at lberville's fort with a party of Cana dian French from Illinois. Availing himself of de Tonty's knowledge of the country, Iberville dispatched a paity under his lead to explore the river and its banks. They ascended to the Natchez country, 400 miles above the French fort, and here selected a site for a fort and called it Rosalie. A settlement was also made in 1703 on the Yazoo River, which was called Saint Peter's. The colonies thus planted grew but slowly, and New Orleans, being founded soon after, drew off a large portion of the colonists from the interior, 'besides attracting the new immigrants. In 1728 the settlers and
the Natchez Indians became enemies and, as a result, the latter massacred the settlers, and over 200 persons were killed and 500 taken prisoners. The captives were, however, re leased, and new and stronger forts were erected. Aided by the Choctaw tribes, the French succeeded in destroying the tribe, the greater part of which fell in battle. In 1733 the colony went to war with the Chickaslws, allies of the English, and the conflict continued for several years. There was a peace, followed in 1752 by another Indian war. In 1762 when Florida was ceded to Great Britain. that part of the present State lying south of a line drawn eastward from the mouth of the Yazoo River (practically from Vicksburg) was claimed to be part of Florida; and when in 1781 Spain conquered Florida, that part of the State came under Spanish rule. In 1798 the Mississippi Territory was created by Con gress. Its boundaries were the Mississippi River on the west, the 31st parallel on the south, the Chattahoochee on the east and a line drawn from the mouth of the Yazoo due east on the north. The Territory having been surrendered to the United States as part of Georgia, the consent of that State had been previously ob tained to the establishment of a territorial government. This consent was followed in 1802 by the further cession by Georgia of all her lands south of Tennessee, and these by an act of Congress in 1804 were attached to the Mississippi Territory, which thus comprised the whole of what are now the States of Alabama and Mississippi from the 31st to the 35th parallel. The territory between the Pearl and. the Perdido rivers was added in 1811, having, been wrested from Spain under the plea that it had originally formed a part of Loui siana. In March 1817, Alabama was separated from Mississippi and organized under a terri torial government of its own; and on 10 De cember of the same year. Mississippi was ad mitted into the Union as an independent State. In 1861 it passed an ordinance of secession, took a prominent part in the Civil War, and finally, in January 1869, was readmitted to representation in Congress, after ratifying the 15th amendment. The principal battles fought here during the Civil War were those of Co rinth, Baker's Creek, Holly Springs, Iuka and the siege of Vicksburg. The several State constitutions have been those of 1817, 1832, 1869 and 1890; the latter, with certain amend ments, being now in force. The State has had four territorial governors, two provisional goy ernors,'one Union Democrat, three Republican and 30 Democratic governors.
Settlements in the Mississippi Valley' (1890); Tracy, 'Mississippi as It Is' (1895) ,• Wall, 'The State of Mississippi' (1879) ; Winsor, 'The Mississippi Basin' (1895) ; Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society' (16 vols.) ; Rowland, 'Encyclopaedia of Mississippi His tory' (2 vols., 1907); Reports of the Executive Departments of the State; Rowland, 'Official and Statistical Register of the State of Missis (Centennial ed., Madison, Wis., 1917)..
Governor Leslie died 17 Nov. 1825, and was by Lieutenant-Governor Brandon.
& Governor Holmes resigned in July 1826, and wits suc ceeded by Lieutenant-Governor Brandon.
Governor Scott died 12 June 1833, and was succeeded by Charles Lynch. president of the senate.
a Governor Runnels vacated the executive office 20 Nov. 1835, and was succeeded by John A. Quitman. president of the senate.
& Governor Quitman resigned 3 Feb. 1851, and was sue. needed by John I. Guinn, president of the senate.
a Governor Guion's term as senator expired 3 Nov. 1851, The senate met 25 November and elected James Whit. field. president, who served as Governor until 10 Jan. 1852.
Governor Foote resigned 5 Jan. 1854. and was succeeded by John J. Pettus, president of the senate.
& Governor Clark was removed by Federal soldiers 22 May 1865, and was succeeded by Judge William L. Sharkey as provisional governor by appointment of President Johnson.
Governor Humphreys was removed by Federal soldiers 15 June 1868, and was succeeded by Adelbert Ames as military governor.
is Governor Alcorn resigned 30 Nov. 1871, and was suc ceeded by Lieutenant-Governor Powers.
"Governor Ames resigned 20 March 1876, and was suc ceeded by John M. Stone, president of the senate, the lieutenant-governor having been impeached.