Politics.— Missouri for more than 30 years has been usually a Democratic State. The vote of the State for presidential electors in 1880 was: Democratic, 208,609; Republican, 155,567; other parties about 80,000. In 1892 the Demo cratic vote was 268,398; Republican, 226,918; other parties about 85,000. In 1908, however, the Democratic vote was 346,574; the Repub lican, 347,203; other parties, about 19,000. In 1912 the Democratic vote was 330,746; Repub lican, 207,821; the Progressive, 124,821. In 1916 the Democratic presidential vote was 398, 032 and the Republican, 369,339.
Population.—The State of Missouri is com posed of 114 counties and the city of Saint Louis. The number of the inhabitants of the State since 1850 is shown in table on following page.
The last census of the United States, 1910, gives the foreign-born population of the State as 229,779. There were also 157,452 persons of negro descent. The early settlers of the State were foreign, coming from France, and the population of what is now Missouri remained French for 50 years after the first settlement. Many descendants of these earlier French families arc to he found in Saint Louis and other of the older river towns. A large part of the population of the State is of German extraction having settled especially in Saint Louis 'and along the Missouri River. A large percentage of the population is also composed of Irish, 23,290; English, 13,751. ' Canadians., 7,961; Swiss, 6,141; Russians, 21,401, and 5,654 Swedes. The native American population until a generation ago was 'mostly descended from' immigrants • from the States of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia, but during the last 40 years large accession of the population has conic from the Eastern and States. Saint Louis, the 'largest city in the State and one of the most important in the Mississippi Valley, had a population of 687,029 according to the last official census. Kansas City, the next largest city in the State on its 'western had a population of 248,381, Ina is growing more rapidly than any other city in the State.' Saint Joseph, in the part of the State, is given by the sime census a population of 77,403; Hannibal, a river in the eastern of the 18,341; Springfield, in the central southern por tion, 35,201; Joplin, 'in the extreme south western part of the State, 32,073: Sedalia, in the central watt of the State, 17,822; • Jefferson City, the capital, .11,850: , History.— Missouri is a part of the tetri tory taken possession of by the French ad venturer and discoverer, La Salle, 9 April 1682, which he named Louisiana in honor of the reigning king, Louis XIV, of France. The exact dates of the, first settlements are un known. -Some historians give 1763 as the date of the first settlement and others, supported by traditions, place it as early as 1735. Saint Louis was settled by Pierre Laclede Liguest, a Frenchman. The site was selected in 1763, and in 1764 August Chateau, at the order of Liguest, began the erection of village. Other earlier. settlements were for years confined to the banks of the rivers. The French governor's official residence to 1701 was at Fort Biloxi; from 1701 to 1723 at Mobile, and then at New Orleans. On 3 Nov.. 1762. France ceded Louisiana to Spain, but the Spanish authorities did not take possession of .Upper. Louisiana, of which Saint Louis was the capital, till 20 May 1770. Spain retroceded Louisiana to France by treaty of 1 Oct.' 1800,. ratified 21 March 1801, but the actual transfer of Upper Louisiatia was not made until 9 March 1804. France ceded for a cash consideration the province of Louisiana to the United States, 30 April 1803, the actual transfer of Upper Louisiana being made at Saint Louis on 10 March 1804. Under act of Congress, approved 31 Oct. 1803, Presi dent Thomas Jefferson appointed Wm. C. C. Claiborne (who was at the time governor of the Mississippi Territory) governor, and in vested him with the powers heretofore exer cised by the Governor and Intendant of Louisiana' Governor Claiborne assumed the New Orleans, 20 Dec. 1803. Capt. Amos Stoddard was appointed agent and commissioner of the French republic 12 Jan. 1804. In that capacity he had received the province from Delassus at Saint Louis 9 March, and the following day delivered it to himself for the United States, Raving been authorized to do so by Wm. C. C. Claiborne, ex officio governor of the Territory of Louisi ana. From 1 Oct. 1804, the district of Louisi ana consisted of all that part of the territory purchased from France, except that portion lying south of what is now the State of Arkansas. The government was assigned to
the officers of the Territory of Indiana, of which William Henry Harrison was governor until 3 March 1805. On this date the Territory of Louisiana was erected with the same limits as the district of Louisiana. The capital was Saint Louis, and from 3 March 1805, until the last part of 1806 James Wilkinson was governor. The Territory of Missouri was erected 7 Dec. 1812, and had the same limits, government and capital as the' Territory of Louisiana. From 7 Dec. 1812, to July 1813, Frederick Bates was secretary and acting governor. From July 1813, to 1820 William Clark was governor. Under act of Congress, passed 6 March 1820, the State of Missouri was organized. The Con stitutional Convention met in Saint Louis, 19 July 1820. The State officers assumed their duties, 19 Sept. 1820, proclamation was issued by President James Monroe, admitting Missouri as a State, 10 Aug. 1821. By act of Congress 7 June 1836, which took effect by proclamation 28 March 1837, the western boundary was ex tended to include the 'Platte Purchase? area of which was 3,168 square miles. The appli cation for statehood and admission into the Union of Missouri on 8 Jan. 1818. was fol lowed by two years of controversy which ex cited the entire country. The controversy raged abotit the question as to whether or not slavery should be permitted in Missouri. It was finally brought to an end by the admission of Missouri into the Union upon what is known as the Compromise' (q.v.), which forbade the existence of slavery in that part of the Louisiana Purchase north of 36° 31' ex cept in Missouri. The constitution adopted upon the admission of the State remained practically unchanged until 1865. The first governor of the State was Alexander McNair. Saint Charles was first fixed upon as the seat of the government, but in 1826 the capital was removed to Jefferson City, where it remains. The official census of the State, taken in 1821, showed that there were 70.647 inhabitants, of whom 11,254 were slaves. The Missouri troops came in for due recognition in the Indian wars, such as the Black Hawk War of 1832, the Florida War of 1837 and afterward in the Mexican War of 1846. Besides being a border State and a slave State as well, in all troubles preceding the outbreak of the Civil War, Ifissoun was deeply concerned. In many parts of the State, the sentiment was strongly in favor of secession. Governor Jackson on 3 Aug. 1861 declared that Missouri must take its stand by the side of the slave-holding States whatever they might desire to do. In a con vention called to consider the affairs of the nation sentiment was found hostile to secession and the convention refused to commit the State to secession. United States troops were gathered at Saint Louis. Attempts made to take possession of the United States arsenal at Saint Louis, with its equipment, by the Secessionists were defeated and within a few months after the outbreak of the war the greater part of the State was under the control of the Federal forces_ Governor Jackson declared the State out of the Union, and Confederate forces were assembled in the southwestern' part of the State. The State Convention which had con vened before the war again convened and de dared the executive officers and the seats of the members of the general assembljr vacant. The executive offices were then filled by ap pointment by the convention. At the battle of Wilson's Creek, near Springfield, General Lyon, who had been a strong Union leader, was killed and General Fremont, who had been placed in charve of the Department of the West, declared martial law throughout the State. At the beginning of 1862 the Confederates held nearly half of the State, but their strength gradually waned. The State furnished to the United States during the Civil War 108,773 troops, and to the Confederate army more than 50.000. keeping the State's quota full without draft or enforced enlistment not merely in one but in both armies, a record unexampled among the States North or South. In 1865 a new con stitution was adopted by the people, and in 1869, by a large majority, the 15th amendment to the 'United States Constitution was adopted. In 1875 a convention framed and the people adopted a new State constitution, omitting many of the drastic provisions of the constitu tion of 1865 which had been ratified in Recon struction days. This constitution has since been the fundamental law of the State, modified in minor details by several amendments adopted from time to time.