The Governor of each of the Territories, except the Indian
Territory, is appointed for four years by the President, to
whom annual reports are submitted. These Governors have
the power of veto over the acts of Territorial Legislatures.
The President appoints the Territorial Secretaries and other
officials, together with Territorial judges.
Alaska and the Indian Territory have no power of self-government, the former being governed like a British crown colony, by a Governor who is not assisted by a Legislature. In the Indian Territory the native tribes are under the direct control of the Department of the Interior, but the civilized tribes, with the support of the National Government, maintain local governments of their own, with elective Legislatures and executive officers, whose functions are strictly limited to the persons and personal property of their own citizens; that is, the Indians.
The District of Columbia presents an anomalous status. It is the seat of the Federal Government. It is coextensive with and is practically the City of Washington, and embraces an area of 691⁄4 square miles. The District has no municipal legislative body, and its citizens have no right to vote, either in national or municipal affairs. Under an act of 1878 its municipal government is administered by three connnissioners, appointed by the President. They constitute a non-partisan board, one being selected from each of the leading political parties, and the third being assigned to duty as a commissioner from the Engineer Corps of the army. All legislation relative to the District of Columbia is by the Congress.
All the legislatures, State and Territorial, have biennial sessions, except Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and South Carolina, which have annual sessions, beginning in January of each year, with the exception of Georgia, whose Legislature meets in October. Nearly all the present biennial sessions began in January, 1899. The States whose Legislatures meet in January, 1900, are Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, and Ohio. Alabama's next biennial session begins in November, 1900, Louisiana's in May, 1900, and Vermont's in October, 1900.
The following statement shows the names of the Governors, with their salaries, length of term, and the date of expiration thereof, and the names of the Secretaries of State:
[The letters after the names of the Governors indicate their politics—D. for Democrat, R. for Republican, S. for Silver, P. for Populist, F. for Fusion, and D.-P. for Democratic-Populist.]
