other state officers are pretty generally distributed
among the various nationalities. Of course, in the minor political
subdivisions, such as counties, cities and towns, the office holding is
generally governed by the same considerations.

I give the various countries from which our population is drawn, with
the numbers from each country, and the number of native born and foreign
born, which, aggregated, constitute our entire population. These figures
are taken from the state census of 1895:

England 12,941
Scotland 5,344
Germany 133,768
Denmark 16,143
Norway 107,319
Canada 49,231
Poland 8,464
Iceland 454
Ireland 26,106
Wales 1,246
France 1,492
Sweden 119,554
Russia 6,286
Bohemia 10,327
Finland 7,652
All other countries 11,205
---------
Total native born 1,057,084
Total foreign born 517,535
---------
Total population 1,674,619

The total native born of our population is very largely composed of the
descendants of foreign emigrants. These figures afford a large field for
thought and future consideration, when emigration problems are under
legislative investigation.

The census from which these figures are taken being five years old, I
think it is safe to add a sufficient number of increase to bring our
population up to two millions. The census of 1900 will demonstrate
whether or not my estimate is correct.

THE STATE FLAG.

Up to the year 1893 the State of Minnesota had no distinctive state
flag. On April 4, 1893, an act was passed by the legislature entitled,
"An act providing for the adoption of a state flag." This act appointed
by name a commission of six ladies, to adopt a design for a state flag.
Section 2 of the act provided that the design adopted should embody, as
near as may be, the following facts:

"There shall be a white ground with reverse side of blue. The
center of the white ground shall be occupied by a design
substantially embodying the form of the seal employed as the
state seal of Minnesota a