“ Voters must be citizens of the United States who have resided in the State one year, and in the local districts as required by law. The suffrage is denied unpardoned felons and idiots or insane persons. Women vote at school district elections and are eligible to the office of school superintendent. Women who pay taxes may vote upon such questions as are specifically submitted to a vote of the taxpayers.
The Senate consists of 26 members elected for a term of four years, and the House of Representatives is composed of 72 members elected for a term of two years. ”

“ This industry is still advancing, though it is of less relative importance than formerly. The State greatly exceeds any other in the number of sheep and in the production of wool. Formerly, the males were shipped to Eastern States to be fed for the market, but with the increased production of alfalfa it is being found possible to fatten them within the State, The number of cattle has also shown a considerable increase, and the breed has greatly improved. The herds are not so large as formerly, but are more numerous. Much attention is also given to the raising of horses for the Eastern market. ”

“ Both the Missouri and the Yellowstone are navigable for small boats more than 300 miles from the boundary, and the Clark Fork is also navigable for some distance into Montana. The railroads, however, have supplanted the rivers as means of communication.
Climate. The climate is in general very dry, healthful, and exhilarating. There is a great annual range of temperature, in general from 30° and 40° below zero to over 100° above. At some stations the temperature has been more than 60° below zero, while the same locality may have an annual range of over 150°. ”

“ The State stands second and is a close rival to Colorado in the production of silver. Since 1897 the output has had an annual commercial value of about $10,000,000. Silver, as also gold, is obtained from the same mines as copper. Montana ranks fifth as a gold-mining State, and its output has had an annual value of about $5,000,000 since 1897. Coal is being mined in increasing quantities, and almost reached $3,000,000 in value in 1900. The annual production of lead has stood at about 10,000 short tons since 1894. The mining of sapphires has begun recently ”

“ The rainfall is generally insufficient to support agriculture without irrigation, amounting to only about 12 inches per annum.
Soil and Vegetation. The principal valleys are characterized by fine level meadows with a rich loamy soil, and are occupied by extensive cattle ranges. The eastern plains are almost treeless prairies, the river courses alone being fringed with willow, cottonwood, and similar trees. There are extensive forests of conifers in the mountain region of the western half of the State, amounting in 1900 to about 42,000 square miles, or 29 per cent. of the State's area. ”

“ Although the State is far north, no great inconvenience is ordinarily experienced on account of the weather. In sheltered valleys cattle and horses roam all winter, and the percentage of loss, except in unusual seasons, is small. The tendency of the snow to drift leaves large areas of grass exposed, enabling the stock to feed without assistance. Sheep often require hay and some protection from storms. ”

“ The average length of 140 days for the school term is a creditable showing, but it is representative only of the towns and more thickly populated centres, there being large numbers of schools in the sparsely settled rural districts having a school term of less than half that length, and there are a number of inhabitants who are not within reach of public school advantages. ”

“ Hay is the principal crop, its acreage being more than twice that of all other crops. Native grasses constitute the greater part of the acreage, but alfalfa, clover, and other varieties are also grown. Oats, wheat, and barley yield abundant crops. ”

“ The tribal Indians, chiefly Crows, Blackfeet, Yankton Sioux, Assiniboins, Gros Ventres, and Pend d'Oreilles, are located on six reservations, embracing an area of 14,845 square miles of fine agricultural and grazing land, of which only a small portion is cultivated. They are making some progress, but their first efforts have been attended with a great deal of waste and of misdirected energy. ”

“ Potatoes are a favorite crop, and other vegetables are successfully raised. The apple and other temperate zone fruits flourish and are largely cultivated. On the whole a greater variety of products can be raised than can be on the plains to the east. ”

“ Most of the people live in the western or mining section of the State. Montana is predominantly a mining State, and there is a large excess of the male sex, the number in 1900 being 149,842. The total foreign-born numbered 67,067, no one nationality being particularly strong. In 1900 Butte had a population of 30,470 ”