In 1912 race gambling was forbidden. In 1913 the penitentiary
hosiery mill was abolished as harmful to the health of the prisoners.
The State Board of Charities and Corrections, created in I9J5.
was reorganized in 1920 as the State Board of Public Welfare. The
state hospital for the insane was entirely remade, materially and ad-
ministratively, during 1915-9. A school for the feeble-minded was es-
tablished in 1918. The placing of orphans and homeless children was
taken over by the state in 1920. In 1918 the Industrial School for
Girls, a reformatory institution for white girls, was established and
the reformatory for negro boys was reorganized. The probate judge
in each county is constituted a juvenile court, and several cities have
undertaken remedial work for juvenile delinquents and dependents.
Penal and charitable institutions (including church and private
charitable institutions) have been since 1915 under state inspection.
Since 1918 diseased women prisoners of all classes are held until
cured. The age of consent was raised in 1921 to 16 years. No city
has acted upon the permission in 1915 to segregate whites and
negroes by city blocks. Marriage licences were required by law in
1911 and registration of births and deaths in 1914. Medical inspec-
tion of school children was made state-wide in 1920.
Finance. The budget system, concentrating responsibility on the governor and the chairmen of the two legislative finance com- mittees, adopted in 1919, has tended to economy and system, though the Legislature may disregard without any limitation the recom- mendations. The State Tax Commission, created in 1915, has improved the administration of the tax laws. The assessed taxable value of all property in 1920 was $448,222,786, being from a fourth to a third of the market value. For the state government there was raised a revenue of approximately $6,000,000; for county govern- ments $12,000,000; for common schools (local tax) $8,000,000; and for municipal government between $5,000,000 and $6,000,000.
Political History. The class feeling that has always been strong in South Carolina politics found violent manifestation during the governorship of Coleman L. Blease, who served two terms from 1911 to 1915. Bleasc's political tactics were calcu- lated to appeal to the lower and less literate elements of the state; he quarrelled with the state Supreme Court, with the General Assembly, with other state officers and with the U.S. authorities. The Legislature was at all times con- trolled by his opponents, and probably more measures were passed over his veto than had been so passed in the case of all former governors combined. He startled a congress of gover- nors at Richmond, Va., in 1912 by an open advocacy of lynching, and while governor he pardoned or paroled more than 1,500 criminals. At the time of his resignation (a few days before his term expired in 1915) he had freed all but 150 convicts, the number then said to be remaining in the institutions of the state. Almost his last official act was an order disbanding the state militia; this was promptly countermanded by his successor. Resigning without giving any explanation, he was succeeded for five days by Lt.-Gov. C. A. Smith. In 1918 Mr. Blease made a campaign for election to the U.S. Senate, taking ex- treme ground against the country's entering the war. He was overwhelmingly defeated. A progressive period began with the election of Gov. Richard I. Manning in 1914. A significant feature of the campaign was the support given to Prof. John G. Clinkscales in his advocacy of compulsory education. Gov. Manning's two administrations were marked by constructive legislation and effective cooperation with the national Govern- ment. Gov. Robert A. Cooper was elected in 1918 on a plat- form that made education its chief plank and frankly announced that as the result of progressive legislation taxes would be higher. He was reelected without opposition in 1920. His chief meas- ures were the strengthening of the public schools, the creation of a budget system and the consolidation of management of charitable and correctional institutions. The Australian ballot was put in force (1921) in primaries, though not in the general election, the latter being merely a formal ratification of the former as the Democratic nomination is equivalent to election.
Thz World War. Of the total of 78 Congressional Medals of Honour awarded, South Carolina received six. The total num- ber of men sent by South Carolina into the war was 54,254, not including those who had enlisted before the Unites States de- clared war. The amount of Liberty and Victory loans and other Government securities bought was $94,211,244, and $3,027,740 was contributed to Red Cross and similar appeals.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Snowden (editor), History of South Carolina (5 vols. 1920) ; Reports of S.C. Superintendent of Education, Treas-
urer, Comptroller-General and Commissioner of Agriculture, Com- merce and Industries; S.C. Statutes at large. (D. D. W.)
SOUTH DAKOTA (see 25.506). The pop. of the state in 1920 was 636,547, as compared with 583,888 in 1910, an increase of 52,659, or a little more than 9%. The average density in 1920 was 8-3 per sq. mile. The rural pop. was 84 % of the whole in 1920, against 86-8% in 1910, an increase of 27,460, or 5-4%. The urban pop. (cities with 2,500 inhabitants and over) was 101,872 in 1920 against 76,673 in 1910, an increase of 25,199, or nearly 33%. The pop. of Sioux Falls increased 79-7% to 25,176 in 1920. Its rapid growth is due largely to the opening of extensive packing plants, stock yards and factories. Aber- deen in 1920 had 14,537 inhabitants; Watertown, 9,400; Mitch- ell, 8,478; Huron, 8,302; Rapid City, 5,777; Yankton, 5,024; Lead, 5,013; and Pierre, the state capital, 3,209. The foreign- born white pop. in 1920 was 82,372, of which 16,807 were Nor- wegians, 8,569 Swedes, 5,983 Danes, 15,670 Germans, 11,191 Russians, 4,453 Canadians, 2,943 British.
Communications. A panoramic picture of the surface of the state in 1921 would present many changes from one in 1910, but both pictures would nave the appearance of a chess-board, of which the country roads, running a mile apart from E. to W. and from S. to N., would mark the squares. In the hills, near river beds, in the bad lands, and in uncultivated and thinly populated portions, the roads are not uniformly maintained. The law provides that they be 66 ft. in width. Each square mile of land is called a section and contains, including one-half of the roads on the four sides, 640 ac. of land. The roads are still for the most part dirt roads. During the decade 1910-20 they were considerably improved by grading and elevating the centre. All of the 64 counties either have been actually engaged in the building of hard-surfaced roads or have started preparations for doing so. Advantage is taken of the Federal appropriations for highway purpose of which South Dakota's share was $4,458,545. State and county have made heavy assessments. Over $6,000,000 has been spent in building hard-surfaced roads. The state Legisla- ture appropriated $2,000,000 for the construction, in 1921, at Rapid City, of a cement plant with a daily capacity of 2,000 barrels. A system of state trunk highways is supposed to connect all county seats and all towns having a pop. of 750 and more. A law provides that every county must employ a county engineer whose occupation is the planning of better highways. The automobile, the truck and the tractor have become more common than horsed vehicles, and have awakened the farmers to the advantage of good roads ; 1 17,320 automobiles, enough to carry comfortably all the inhabitants of the state at one time were licensed in 1920. In connexion with the improvement of the roads, mention should be made of the bridge which was being built in 1921, at a cost of $1,500,000 across the Mis- souri river at Yankton, and which supplies the last connecting link of the Meridian Highway which crosses the state and extends from Winnipeg, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico. Only about 300 m. of railway were built during the 10 years, 1910-20.
Agriculture. There were 74,637 farmers in 1920, of whom 47,815 were owners, 26,041 renters and 781 managers. Many owners of the rented farms either lived on their farms or in the neighbouring towns, having rented to their prospective heirs. Though there were 74,637 farmers to 76,868 sq. m. of land, it is not the case that the great majority of the farmers occupied on an average a sq. m. of land each. All of the land area was not under cultivation ; and among those who occupy the 34,636,491 ac. of agricultural lands outside of the cor- porate limits, the great majority of the farmers have each much less than the average, which is 454 acres. A minority, mostly west of the Missouri river, operate the large farms.
The farmers prospered during the 10 years, 191020. Their prosperity was evident in many other respects than the improvement of the highways and the large number of automobiles, trucks and tractors. Farm life underwent a rapid change. Electricity, tele- phones, rural mail delivery and consolidated school-houses added to the comforts and education of the people. Farm machinery was improved and bodily labour decreased. Many of the counties employ county agents, who are supposed to be highly trained agricultural experts. Because of the introduction of scientific methods, farm crops have become more varied and rotation of crops has become possible. The corn acreage in 1920 surpassed the wheat acreage, and the production of other grains and grasses increased. The introduc- tion of alfalfa was especially noteworthy. Alfalfa was harvested three and four times a year. As a result, and also because of the targe use of the silo, much more stock has been raised and more dairy products and eggs sent to market. The breeds of cattle, horses, hogs and poultry have been improved and many farmers raise only pure- blooded stock. A much greater number of farmers, as well as of city people, were in 1921 raising their own vegetables and fruits. Or- chards and groves have increased in number and area. Because of many clusters of trees the unbroken prairie-like appearance of the farms has been modified. Farm values have more than doubled and the use of improved farm equipment has become much more exten-
