the legislature, and two out of three congressmen. The vote, as canvassed, for governor was J. E. Boyd, 71,331, J. H. Powers, 70,187, L. D. Richards 68,878. Charges of fraud in connection with the Douglas county vote were immediately made. The intense interest taken in the contest over the prohibitory amendment in the city of Omaha had resulted in the total vote of Douglas county reaching the phenomenal total figure of 26,167. Mr. Boyd as the candidate of the anti-prohibition element had received the benefit of this large increase. It was noted on election night that no returns could be secured from Douglas county and the charge was freely made that the vote there was being held back in order to ascertain what majority was needed to defeat the prohibitory amendment.

     On the face of the returns the democratic governor and the rest of the republican state ticket were elected. Contest was filed against all of these by the candidates of the peoples'

Poetry of the Farm

independent party. When the legislature met stormy times ensued. There was a conflict of authority between the legislature and the supreme court on the question of canvassing the returns, at times approaching civil war. The action of the Alliance candidates forced the democrats and the republicans into a combination for the purpose of seating their respective state officers. Eventually the contest failed and Governor Boyd and the republican candidates who had certificates of election gained possession of their offices. All parties in the legislature united in appropriating $200,000 for the relief of the drouth-stricken parts of the state. The railroads gave free transportation for all supplies and seeds. The reports to the governor's office showed that there were 6,000 families in the western part of the state lacking the necessities of life, and 10,000 families lacking seed for another crop. Among the important acts of this session were the passage of the first Australian ballot law, the law for

the district ownership of school text books, the law requiring public funds to be deposited at interest for the benefit of the public treasury, the law repealing the bounty on beet sugar passed by the legislature of 1889. The great struggle of the session was over the passage of an act regulating railroad freight rates, which was vetoed by Governor Boyd, and failed to pass over the veto.

     The general social unrest of the time reached the Sioux Indians on the borders of northwest Nebraska resulting in the Sioux outbreak of 1890-91, the battle of Wounded Knee on December 29th, 1890, where 32 soldiers and 200 Indians were killed. The Nebraska state militia under General Colby was ordered to protect the northern border and remained there in service for some weeks, at a total cost to the state of $38,000. After the failure of the contest against the incoming state officers, an action was instituted by ex-Governor Thayer against Governor Boyd for the possession of his office, on the ground that Boyd had not been legally naturalized prior to his election. The supreme court of Nebraska rendered judgment, Justice Maxwell

The Old Burlington Beach, Lincoln

dissenting, in Thayer's favor, and gave him possession of the office in May, 1891. On appeal to the supreme court of the United States, a decision was rendered in Boyd's favor, and he resumed possession of the office February 1st, 1892.

     In the race for governor in 1892, Lorenzo Crounse, republican received 78,426 votes, C. H. Van Wyck, peoples independent, 68,617, J. Sterling Morton, democrat, 44,195, C. F. Bentley, prohibitionist, 6,235. The principal feature of the campaign was a series of joint debates between Crounse and Van Wyck, principally personal attacks upon each other. The legislature elected at the same time was nearly equally balanced between the republicans and independent party, with the democrats holding the balance of power in both houses. A long struggle ensued over the election of United States senator, ending in the choice of Judge William V. Allen of Madison who received the votes of the independent and democratic members. Impeachment proceedings were brought against the republican state officers, members of the board of Public Land and Buildings, for misuse of public funds. Up-

on trial of the impeachment before the supreme court, Judges Norval and Post rendered decision in favor of the officials, with Judge Maxwell again dissenting. A large part of the session was consumed in another struggle over the passage of a maximum railroad rate bill. The act as passed was signed by Governor Crounse and immediately taken into the federal courts by the companies interested.

     The summer of 1894 witnessed a far more severe and general drouth in Nebraska than any which had previously occurred in her history. The corn crop was almost a complete failure, and destitution again appeared in the central and western counties. A political contest of most strenuous intensity was waged over the election of governor. The people's independent party nominated Judge Silas A. Holcomb of Broken Bow. After a very bitter contest a majority in the democratic state convention, led by W. J. Bryan, endorsed Judge Holcomb,--the Cleveland democrats bolting and nominating a separate ticket. The republican state convention nominated Thomas J. Majors of Peru,--followed by a bolt of Edward Rosewater, editor of the Omaha Bee, who supported Judge Holcomb with great energy. The democrats nominated W. J. Bryan as their candidate for United States senator. The leading republican candidate was John W. Thurston and a series of joint debates between these two able speakers