COLORADO

the estimated population of the state in 1925 was somewhat in excess of i,000,000. the census of 1920 showed 939,629; in rg10, 799,024, an increase of 140,605, or 17:6%, as compared with 48% in the preceding decade. in 1919, 83°8% of the population were native-born, 98% being whites. negroes and indians numbered 12,935, and there were 3,736 chinese and 2,300 japanese. the density of population increased from 7-7 persons to the sq. m. in rgro to g-i in 1920 increase 1920 i9io per cent denver 256,491 | 213,381 20-2 pueblo , 43,050 | 41,747 3°1 colorado springs 30,105 | 209,078 3°5 boulder 11,006 9,539 15:4 greeley 10,958 8,179 34:0 trinidad 10,906 | 10,204 6:9 colorado 79 and to about 9-8 in 1925. the decay of mining towns altered the balance between urban and rural population. in 1920 the urban population was 48:2% of the whole, the rural 51-8%. the table on the preceding page shows the comparative population figures for the six largest cities. agriculture—during the decade 1gto-20 agriculture dis- placed mining as colorado’s most important industry. the number of farms increased 29-8% to 50,934; their area 80°8% to 24,462,014 ac. and their average size 39-2% to 408-1 acres. the value of all farm property increased 119-1% to $1,076,794, 749. land values were estimated at $763,722,716, buildings at $102,290,944, implements and machinery at $49,804,509 and live stock at $160,976,580. reports for 1924 indicated increased acreage in cultivation, but decreased numbers of farms, capital valuations and values of products, due to post-war price adjustments. the farm crops (partly estimated) in 1924 were:— value 5132,015,0)7 53+455,009 9,090,000 3,770,000 24,815,928 5,875,000 5,817,600 3,057,000 20,868, 120 45,400,000 13,200,000 6,250,000 550,000 production crops pee 6.42721 2101 5.000 ggo,000 260,000 1,457,000 340,000 308,000 290,000 229,000 2,475,000 1.46,000 all crops cereals, total corn ; oats . wheat barley sorghum grains beans, dry . sugar beets. hay and forage vegetables . orchard fruits misc. fruits. 51,587 {000 bus. 9,900,000 6,500,000 21,030,000 8,160,000 3,050,000 986,000 2,548,000 tons 4,250,000 “ 4,520,000 bus. the irrigated area was 2,792,032 ac. in 1909, 3,348,385 ac. in tor9g, while acreage under all irrigation enterprises, whether completed or not, had decreased from 5,917,457 to 5,220,588 acres. organised drainage enterprises, most of them having been rendered necessary by faulty irrigation, had affected 171,656 ac. at a cost of $1,081,875. in 1924 county assessors reported in the state 290,323 horses, 35,325 mules, 972,828 range cattle, 149,421 milch cows, 809,761 sheep, 246,206 swine, 16,819 goats, 211,490 dozen poultry and 53,990 stands of bees. mining.—as in the case of agriculture, the mining industry in colorado has been depressed by post-war adjustments, but a revival of production under more favourable conditions began in 1923. radium and tungsten production almost entirely ceased in 1921. in 1924, with an output of $8,447,900, the state ranked second among the states in gold mining. it was seventh for silver, with an output worth $3,286,996, and ranked fifth for lead and zinc, of which it produced 50,982,000 ib. and 59,200,000 lb. respectively. coal mined in 1923 was 10,336,735 tons. te- troleum production had fallen to 67,000 bbl. in 1923. explora- tory drilling in 1924 developed several new petroleum fields which promised to be of great value. forests and national parks.—a marked influence on colo- rado’s economic life is found in the existence of large forested and mountain areas, and the consequent establishment of forest reserves and national parks. the forest acreage in 1925 was 13,280,000 ac. in national forests and there were two national parks and three national monuments. timber supplies, grazing for stock, irrigation and hydroelectric power are important. the tourist business is a leading industry of the state. manufactures—from 1900 to 1920 the number of manufac- turing establishments in colorado nearly doubled, the number of persons engaged more than doubled and the capital invested increased 225%. state authorities estimated that in 1924 there were 2,750 manufacturing establishments, employing 36,663 persons, with products to the value of $375,000,000. beet-sugar manufacture has been the leading factory industry since 1914. there were 16 operating plants in 1924, which manufactured sugar valued at $45,000,000. slaughtering and meat-packing products amounted to $45,000,000. flour and mill products were valued at nearly $20,000,000. butter, cheese, condensed milk, crackers, candy, cement, steel and machinery were im- portant products. education.—in 1924 there were in the state 1,944 school dis- tricts, with 3,243 schools and 3,635 buildings. there were 1,336 male and 7,263 female teachers. the school population was 297,934, and the enrolment in the public schools 249,813. the income of the permanent school fund, derived from federal land grants, is annually apportioned among the districts. in 1924 there were 180 consolidated rural schools teaching combined high and grade classes of 33,000 pupils. enrolment in secondary schools had increased from 24,404 1n 1920 to 48,559 in 1924. finances. —the bonded indebtedness of the state in dec, 1924 was $10,536,500, excluding $6,700,000 for the moffat tunnel district and $3,600,000 for the pueblo conservancy district. there were outstanding county bonds amounting to $3,662,630, municipal bonds of $47,895,100 and school district bonds of $20,854,470. the gencral assessment valuation of taxable prop- erty in 1923 was $1,543,211,892, on which there was a state levy of $4,480,000. the tax revenue of the state in 1923 was $6,080,- 798, of counties $8,710,145, of municipalities $7,954,168, of school districts $19,493,711. history.—a constitutional amendment alewune initiative and referendum was ratified in nov. 1910. in the same year a primary election law provided for direct nominations by the people of candidates for the u.s. senate, representatives in con- gress and all elective state, district, county, ward and precinct officers, as well as members of the state legislature. this act provided for party assemblies, at which party candidates might be designated to seek nominations in the primaries, every can- didate receiving 10°% or more of the votes of the delegates to the assembly being certified by the assembly as a candidate to enter the primaries. it was also provided that persons not entering the assembly might become candidates for any of the offices above mentioned by petition, the number of signers required being 300 for any official who is to serve any political district in the state greater than a county, and roo for other officials. the expense of candidates in such primaries was limited by the act and severe penalties were provided for violations. in 1911 an act was passed providing for registration of voters for all elections to be held in the state except school elections, and providing severe penalties for false registration and other violations of the act. in nov. 1912 the people approved amend- ments to the state constitution providing for the recall of elective officials and, in certain cases, for the recall of judicial decisions. an act, proposed by initiative, was passed at the same time, providing for a ballot without party headings. the voters adopt- ed in nov. 1914 an amendment to the state constitution pro- hibiting the sale and manufacture of intoxicating liquor, which became effective jan. 1 1916; and the prohibition amendment to the federal constitution was ratified by the colorado legis- lature in regular session jan. 15 1919. the legislature in 1919 passed an act providing for a budget system in making appropriations and creating a state budget and efficiency commissioner. the first budget prepared under this act was presented to the legislature in 1921. in 1920 the voters adopted an initiated constitutional amendment raising the limit on state tax levy from $4,c00,000 to $5,000,000, the additional $1,000,000 to provide buildings for educational institutions. in 192i a proposed amendment to extend the tenure of office of state and county oflicers and a proposal for a convention to re- vise the state constitution were defeated. the legislature in that year revised and strengthened inheritance tax laws by raising the rates thereof. persistent advocacy by the governor secured the passage of laws for the re-establishment of a national guard and for a dept. of safety, with a force of rangers as a state police force. a special session of the legislature in 1922 passed laws for a bond issue of $6,700,000 to finance the con- struction of a tunnel through the mountains northwest of denver, and for a bond issue of $3,600,c00 to finance a flood control dis- trict on the arkansas river for the protection of pueblo. in 1923 laws were passed to facilitate co-operative marketing of agricul- tural products and to grant compensation to veterans of all wars beginning with the civil war. condemning the maintenance of a state police force as violating rights of local self-government, 680 the new democratic governor in 1923 secured the disbanding of the state rangers. in 1924 referendum votes on several con- stitutional amendments defeated the proposals. issues raised by the ku klux klan were politically prominent in 1924-5. many men favourable to the klan were elected to municipal, county and state offices, including the governor and a u.s. senator. there were a number of serious labour disturbances between 1910 and 1920, some of them marked by violence and virtual insurrection which had to be put down by the military. a no- table contribution to better relations between capital and labour was the industrial representation plan put into effect by john d. rockefeller, jr., in the properties of the colorado fuel and tron co. in 1916. employees, by districts and classified groups, elect representatives who have the right to confer with executives on all questions afiecting wages, conditions of employment and operation and general welfare. the system has had a marked influence on similar large industrial organisations elsewhere, but it has been opposed by jabour unions. in 1910 the state administration was in the hands of the dem- ocratic party, with joseph h. shafroth as governor. the dem- ocrats again elected a governor in 1912, elias m. ammons, a result largely due to the split in the republican party through- out the nation. in to913 george a. carlson, republican, was governor. he was succeeded by julius c. gunter, democrat, elected in 1916. a reunited republican party, profiting by pop- ular reaction on world war issues, elected oliver i]. shoup governor in 1918, and re-elected him in 1920 with an increased majority and a legislature almost completely republican. the democrats elected william e. sweet governor, and mary a. bradford superintendent of public instruction in 1922, although republicans mostly elected their candidates for other offices. in 1924 c. j. morley, republican, was elected governor, binlingraphy.-—enos a. mills, speif of the rockies (1911), in beaver worid (1913), rocky mountain wonderland (1915), your national parks (1917); e. parsons, guide book to colerade (1911); a. c. carson, colorado, the tep of the world (1912); jerome c. smiley, semti-centennial itistory of colorado (1913); irving howbert, indians of the pike's peak region (1914); alice palk hill, colorado pioneers in picture and story (1915); mae lacy baggs, colorado, the queen jewel of the rockies (1918); wilbur fiske stow, //isters of colorado (three vol., 1918); james i’. willard, unzon colony of greeley (state univ. hist. collections, 1918). (c. ay 12.) colorado river (sce 6.724).—the colorado river, with its drainage of 250,000 sq. m., its 7,500,000 acres of irrigable land, its annual flow of 18,000,000 ac.-ft. of water, its capacity to develop more than 5,000,000 continuous h.i’., and its devastat- ing floods reaching 240,000 cu.ft. of water per sec., is a vexatious problem. the immediate danger of inundation of the great im- perial valley, which has been impending since the disastrous break of 1905, has been lessened by the diversion of the river into the pescadero channel and the completion, in 1922, of a sub- stantial levee. the relative security attained remains uncertain, however, as long as occasional extraordinary floods might under- mine or overtop existing levees; while nearly 5,000,000,000 cu. ft. of silt brought down annually to yuma produces dangerous meandering in the leveed section and builds up the delta chan- nels causing the river to seck new outlets. these conditions necessitate large expenditures for revetment and the raising of the levees to prevent disaster to the rich irrigated lands of the delta region. to ameliorate these conditions and to increase the low water flow for further irrigation, congress has been urged to provide for the construction of boulder canyon reservoir to be formed by a dam 605 it. high in black canyon, east of las vegas, nevada. such a dam would store 34,000,000 ac.-f{t. of water and would provide for the reduction of floods, the regularisation of the stream flow, the interception of silt and the development of 650,000 continuous horsepower. the cost of the dam is esti- mated at $50,000,000, while the power development, including transmission lines to southern california power markets, would add $80,000,000, a total of $130,000,000. besides securing flood protection, three large irrigation devel- opments, palo verde, yuma and imperial valley, would utilise colorado river—colour the regulated flow to increase their 700,000 ac. of irrigated land to about 2,000,000 acres. since one-third of the irrigated lands of the imperial valley and much of the main irrigation canal lie in mexico, the agitation for the boulder canyon dam has been accompanied by a demand for the construction of a new canal entirely on american territory. opposition to these proj- ects has been based upon two principal grounds: they are not the best means of accomplishing the results desired, and the projects should not be financed and built by the national government. developments in the lower basin having appeared likely to acquire water rights that might prevent future developments in the upper basin, a commission, with a member from each of the states of arizona, california, colorado, nevada, new mexico, utah and wyoming and one from the united states, prepared, in 1922, a plan for the distribution of the waters, giving 7,500,- ooo ac.-ft. annually to the upper states (colorado, new mexico, utah and wyoming), and 8,500,000 to the lower states. this plan, known as the colorado river compact, requires ratifica- tion by each state and subsequently by congress. arizona having failed to ratify the compact, the federal authority has been withheld, in order to await an adjustment of the conflict of interests. ike)