box and at once leaves the polling place. If a voter spoils a ballot he can have another but no more than three in all.

Miscellaneous provisions. No soliciting of votes is allowed within one hundred feet of the polling place. The polling place cannot be within fifty feet of a saloon.

Employes are allowed two hours in which to vote, without loss of pay. The polls are open from 7 a. m. to 7 p. m.

Election day is a legal holiday.

Statement of election expense.- All candidates and chairmen of committees disbursing money for election expenses must file sworn statements of all moneys paid out for campaign purposes, with the town, city or county clerk. They are published.

General election. The general election is held in every precinct in the State on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every year. All elective precinct, county, state and national officers are voted for at the general election.

Municipal election. The municipal election, at which town and city officers are elected, is held the first Tuesday in April of each year.

Assessment.

CHAPTER XII.

REVENUE.

As soon after January 1 as possible

the county assessor is required to deliver to each person of full age and sound mind in the county a blank property schedule or list. Upon this blank each per son is required to list all his taxable property with

the valuation of certain personal property. He must

sign it, swear to its correctness and return it to the assessor. The assessor lists all property which the owner fails to list. He assesses the property so listed except what the owner or State Board of Equalization is required to assess.

Assessment roll. The assessor makes out an assessment roll or book containing in alphabetical order, the names of all persons whose property has been listed, with a description of the property of each and its valuation.

Board of equalization. The assessment roll is submitted to the county commissioners sitting as a board of equalization. They correct assessments and supply omissions. The county clerk notifies those persons in whose assessments material changes are thus made. The board of equalization sits again to hear complaints of, and make further changes in, the assessments of such persons.

Tax-book.-The assessor computes the taxes of each person whose name is on the assessment roll and delivers the tax-book containing a list of the same to the county treasurer with a warrant requiring him to collect the taxes.

Collection. The county treasurer collects the taxes, keeping an account thereof and charging to each fund the amount belonging to it. The taxes are due one-half Feb'y last and one-half July 31. If not paid by August 1 they bear interest at the rate of fifteen per cent. per annum from that date.

Tax sale of personal property.-After August 1 the county treasurer has power to seize and sell personal property for taxes.

Delinquent taxes.-Before August 20 the county. treasurer makes out a list of real estate upon which the taxes are unpaid. This is called the delinquent

tax list. The treasurer publishes this list and on the second Monday in November sells for taxes real estate upon which the taxes are unpaid. Property thus sold may be redeemed by the owner within three years by payment of the amount for which it was sold, all subsequent taxes, with interest and penalties.

Exemptions. The following named species of property are exempt from taxation:

1. Property of the United States, Colorado or any municipality,

2. Property used for religious worship, for schools, for charitable purposes, and public libraries,

3. Irrigation ditches, canals and flumes used to irrigate the lands of the owners,

4. Cemeteries 'not used or held for private or corporate profit',

5. The household goods of 'every person being the head of a family, to the value of two hundred dollars'.

CHAPTER XIII.

PUBLIC INDEBTEDNESS.

Objects. It is sometimes necessary for the State or a municipal corporation to go into debt for the erection of public buildings, the building of roads, bridges and the like, or, in case of a town or city, for water works, sewers or streets. Money is obtained

for these purposes by the issue of bonds.

Bond defined.—A bond is a formal certificate of indebtedness, bearing the seal of the corporation issuing it, issued for a specified purpose and having a limited time to run, with interest payable at stated periods. Bonds are signed by the chief executive of

the corporation issuing them, numbered, countersigned by the treasurer and registered usually witn the treasurer.

Authorization of bonds.-All bonds except certain refunding bonds must be authorized by a vote of the electors in the case of the State and by a vote of the property tax payers in all other cases.

Refunding bonds.-Refunding bonds are such as are issued in lieu of other bonds, running usually for a longer time at a lower rate of interest. They may be issued in exchange for original bonds or may be sold and the proceeds applied to the purchase of such bonds.

Payment of bonds. Whenever bonds are issued, an annual levy of taxes must be made to pay the interest and when they become due an annual levy is made to pay them.

Warrants.-Warrants are another form of public indebtedness. The running expenses of government for any year are met by the proceeds of the tax levy of that year. As these taxes are not collected until the next year, it becomes necessary to anticipate them by the issue of warrants or orders. These differ from bonds in not having the seal of the corporation attached, having no definite time to run and being issued without a vote of the people. They usually bear a higher rate of interest which accumulates until they are paid. They are signed by the chief executive officer and attested by the clerk. They must be presented to the treasurer who registers them and endorses them with the statement that there are no funds and that they bear interest from the date of registration. They are paid in the order in which they are registered.

HISTORICAL SKETCH

OF

COLORADO.

By C. C. McNeill.

The territory included in what is now Colorado was acquired by the United States in three tracts. The part lying north of the Arkansas River and east of the summit of the Rocky Mountains was a portion of the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803. The part lying west of the summit of the Rocky Mountains was included in the Mexican Cession of 1848. The portion lying south of the Arkansas River and East of the Rio Grande was purchased from Texas in 1850.

DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION.

The first white man to enter the region was probably Coronado, a Spaniard, who in the year 1540 left the Spanish settlement of Santa Fe to investigate the report of the Indians that there were seven cities located to the north of that place, comparable in size to the City of Mexico, and very rich in gold and silver. He reached a point about where the present Nebraska line joins Colorado without finding anything but dirty Indian villages.

In 1776, Escalante, another Spaniard, set out with an expedition from Santa Fe to explore a route to the upper coast of California. This company traversed the western slope.