Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-11-28
REFoRMATIvE LEGISLATION.


mented and tampered with by the
would be reformers and calamity howl
ers of the independent political or
ganization The following from the
Northern Nebraska Journal gives fair
idea of what an alliance legislature did
for our sister state last winter. In
years to come these things should be re-
membered and considered by every in
telIgent voter, and especially those who
in the past have been so foolish or un-
fortunate as to be found in the ranks of
the third party. sacrificing brains and
ability for the theories and sentiments
fan organization that swears its mem
bers TO secrecy, because its workings
won't bear the scrutiny of the opposi-
tion. The Journal says;
A few weeks ago we stated that under
the eight hour law which was passed by
the ever memorable legislature of last
winter the clerks and judges of election
would under the strict reading Of the
law have regular bonanza Since
election the question of the fees of those
officers has been brought up, all oyer
the state and especially at Omaha, and
under the law, claims for services vary
from $40 to $4,000 have been made
Clerks and judges of election com
mence at the opening Of the polls, 8
o'clock q. M, and from that time con-
tinue until the votes are received and
counted. Here in this place, the count
was finished at about IL o'clock mid
night. The judges and clerks had there
fore been in continuous session from 8
o'clock in the morning until IL o'clock
at night, being 10 hours The days
work used up hours, and there were
8 more honrs.
What should they get for these extra
eight hours? Under section 3 of this
law, man who works over eight hours,
is, for each hour entitled to receive
double the amount per hour that he is
paid for the previous honr. For the
first day of eight hours he gets $500
which il 25 cents per hour. But after
the eight hours have expired then he
enters according to the law, upon the
joyful carnival of raking in for each
hour, double he gets for the previous
hour. The 9th hour therefore, he gets
double what he got for The Sth hour,
and hence the 25 cents becomes so
cents. The 10th hour doubles so cents,
viz 100. The llth hour on the same
principle becomes 50 90. The 18th hour
rakes in S4 The 18th hour is worth
s. The l4th hour corners $1,000, and
the 18th hour, IL o'clock at night. brings
him $500. The 10th hour. l2 o'clock
midnight, $500. Now take the entire
earnings of the session, viz: The first
8 hours at % cents per hour equals s.,
Then comes so cents, 81 90, $500, $4 90.
$500, $1,000, $32 90 and $6400 All add
ed together amount to $l2950. This
is the amount the Judges aud clerks OF
election are under the hour law each
entitled to in Ponca.
But the amount of $l29.50 is a small
sum compared to what the judges and
clerks are entitled TO in some of the
election districts. For instance in Ponca
township they were unable to finish the
count until about 4 o'clock the next
morning Now commencing at the 10th
hour, viz at ~ O'clock, midnight, where
the others left off, let ns see what these
would be entitled to- The 10th hour,
midnight, was. as we have seen. worth
to the happy judge or clerk, as the case
may be, $64. The 18th hour, o'clock,
was worth 1928 90; the 18th hour, 2
o'clock, S25600; the 9th hour, o'clock
S5l2, and the 20th hour, o'clock
81 ,02400; or total for the whole from
8 o'clock on the morning of election day
to o'clock thesnext morning being 20
hours, $2,04950.
In Omaha some of the clerks and
judges figure it differently and claim a
much larger sum. AS matter OF fact
no snch sums as above indicated will be
allowed as it would bankrupt the whole
county. But under the law, as any one
NAV zee, the amounts as above specified
are absolutely correct. If the law was
TO be carried ont exactly as it was writ
ten, this county would have TO pay to
its clerks and judges of election over
100000 90, and in the state it would
foot up to at least twenty millions. And
that is exactly according to the law
passed by the much lauded legislature
Of last winter, and the only relief is that
the supreme court, heretofore so malign-
ed, land which the same fool legislature
tried so hard to set at defiance,) will AS
matter of fact step in and say that the
clerks and judges shall receive reason
able fees and no more. The moral Of
this story is this, that henceforth it
would be advisable to elect legislatures
that at least have common sense.