Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/648

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DALLAS ductions in 1870 were 124,449 bushels of In- dian corn, 14,575 of sweet potatoes, 30,188 Ibs. of butter, and 2,505 bales of cotton. There were 839 horses, 1,772 milch cows, 3,116 other cattle, and 11,837 swine. Capital, Princeton. IV. A central county of Iowa, traversed by Raccoon river and Beaver creek ; area, 576 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 12,019. The soil is good. Coal is found. The Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific, and the Des Moines Valley railroads cross it. The chief productions in 1870 were 240,004 bushels of wheat, 939,609 of Indian corn, 91,884 of oats, 38,012 of potatoes, 16,724 tons of hay, 201,368 Ibs. of butter, and 32,196 of wool. There were 4,139 horses, 3,323 milch cows, 4,887 other cattle, 8,778 sheep, and 10,370 swine ; 5 saw mills, 2 flour mills, and 2 manufactories of carriages and wagons. Capi- tal, A dell. V. A S. central county of Missouri, intersected by the Niangua river, an affluent of the Osage, and drained by several small streams ; area, 576 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 8,383, of whom 89 were colored. Water power is abundant and valuable. Most of the surface is occupied by prairies and forests. The soil is good, but better adapted to grazing than to the cultivation of grain. The chief productions in 1870 were 57,659 bushels of wheat, 290,388 of Indian corn, 79,698 of oats, 14,810 of potatoes, 66,894 Ibs. of butter, and 19,554 of wool. There were 3,202 horses, 2,167 milch cows, 4,165 other cattle, 9,668 sheep, and 10,617 swine. Capital, Buffalo. DALLAS, Alexander James, an American states- man, born in the island of Jamaica, June 21, 1759, died at Trenton, K J., Jan. 14, 1817. He was educated in London, studied law, married in 1780, and went to Jamaica, where he remained till 1783, when he removed to the United States. Admitted in 1785 to the bar in Pennsylvania, he commenced practice at Phil- adelphia. He prepared " Reports of Cases ruled and adjudged in the Courts of the United States and of Pennsylvania before and since the Revolution" (4 vols., 1790-1807). He also wrote for various periodicals, and was en- gaged in editing the "Columbian Magazine," published in Philadelphia. He was appointed secretary of the commonwealth of Pennsyl- vania in 1791, 1793, and 1796. While in this office he published an edition of the laws of the state, with notes. On the election of Jefferson as president, he was appointed United States district attorney for the eastern district of Pennsylvania, and held that office till 1814, when he was appointed secretary of the trea- sury by President Madison. At that time the war with Great Britain was in progress, and the government was financially embarrassed. Mr. Dallas was interrogated on the part of the committee of ways and means as to the best mode of providing the money required and sustaining the public credit. In reply, he made a report which was remarkable for its ability in grappling with the difficulties en- countered. He was of opinion that the money required could not be raised exclusively by taxation, but that it must be obtained in part by loans, and recommended the establishment of a national bank for the purpose of obtain- ing it. The house having in committee of the whole reported (Oct. 24, 1814) in favor of such a bank, Mr. Dallas was again inter- rogated as to the probable effect of a large issue of treasury notes. His reply had great influence in restoring public confidence and rousing the spirit of the nation. His adminis- tration of the treasury department was able and energetic. When he was appointed trea- sury notes were taken with reluctance ; within a few months from that time they were sold at par with interest added. In March, 1815, Mr. Dallas, in addition to the duties of sec- retary of the treasury, assumed those of sec- retary of war, among. which was the superin- tendence of the reduction of the army, conse- quent on the return of peace. In November, 1816, he resigned his office, and intended to resume the practice of his profession, but died a few weeks afterward. DALLAS, George Mifllin, an American states- man, son of the preceding, born in Phila- delphia, July 10, 1792, died there, Dec. 81, 1864. He graduated at Princeton college in 1810, studied law with his father, and was admitted to the bar in 1813. Albert Gal- latin having been appointed in that year one of the commissioners to negotiate a treaty of peace, Mr. Dallas accompanied him as private secretary to St. Petersburg and in 1814 to Ghent, whence he returned to the United States with despatches. After assisting his father for some months in the treasury depart- ment, he entered upon the practice of his pro- fession in Philadelphia, and became solicitor of the United States bank. In 1817 he was appointed deputy attorney general for Phila- delphia county. He was elected mayor of Philadelphia in 1828, and resigned that office the next year to become United States dis- trict attorney. In 1831 he was elected by the democrats to fill a vacancy in the United States senate, where he advocated a protec- tive tariff and the recharter of the United States bank. His term of office expired March 4, 1833, and he then became attorney general of Pennsylvania, and held the office till 1835. In 1837 he was appointed minister to Russia, and was recalled at his own request in 1839, when he resumed the practice of law. He was elected vice president of the United States in 1844, Mr. Polk being elected presi- dent. Although Mr. Dallas had been under- stood to be a protectionist, the senate being equally divided on the free-trade tariff of 1846, it became a law by his casting vote in its favor. His term of office as vice president expired March 4, 1849. In 1856 he succeeded Mr. Buchanan as minister to England. The most important questions that arose while he was minister were those which related .to Central America, and to the request made by