Brookings register. (Brookings, S.D.) 1890-1894, 1892-09-02
NO BETTER THAN WE.
How Sphinx County Independent Disre-
CARDS the Law.

How Sphinx County Independent Disre-
CARDS the Law.
He is Cultivating School Land In Opposi-
tiOn to q State Law.
A few weeks ago the Independent
party held q "hurrah" in Medary
township, this county, and one OF
the principal speakers was Judge
Howe, OF Spink county. This gentle
man is looked upon as one of the
heavy weights Of the independent par.
ty and We are informed, by q person
who was present at this meeting, that
the burden OF his haraEgue was oppo-
sition to the sale OF the school lands.
He advocates the leasing of these
lands, why? A special to tho Sioux
Falls Argus-Leader. Aug. 18th, says:
"There are some members of the In
dependent party who do not seem to
be any better than the average man
belonging to the other parties. They
are looking out for their own interests
first, last and all the time. Develop.
ments have recently com to light
which places q prominent member OF
their virgin party in very peculiar
light. County Judge Howe Of Redfield
Is the man. He wus q member OF the
committee which drafted the Inde-
pendent state platform, and was the
man who secured aplank in that plat
form opposing all sale of the state
school lands hereafter. The j1dee is
looking out for his own interests. For
the past six or eight years he has lived
on farm adjoining a school section,
and during that time has plowed and
cropped 100 acres of the school Sec
ton. As long as we were territory
he got the use OF these lands free. Since
we became state ali lands not sold
have been leased. But the first state
legislature passed law allowing these
leased school lands to be used only for
meadow and grazing purposes, and
have fixed q penalty OF $1O0 fine and
thirty days in the county jail for q
violation of the law. The state land
commissioner recently learned that
Judge Howe has been leasing this land
since we became q state, and has each
year been cultivating it and raising
crops. This year he has in 100 acres
of the school land in q wheat crop.
The commissioner is engaged in secur-
ing evidence and proposes to see that
the judge is prosecuted Tor violating
the law.
From this there is no wonder that
Judge Hove is opposed tc the s..e 81
our school lands, for as long as tho
lands remain unsold and he can get
the use OF the lands for raising crops
at five cents per acre he can better al
ford to lease than own the land him.
self. .......
About the only people opposed to
the sale of school lands are the men,
bers of the Independent party, and
they are led to this belief through uut
scrupulous leaders and ignorance.
During the two years that the school
lands have been offered for sale less
than one-thirtieth of the lands have
been disposed of, and these have ad-
ded to the school fund nearly two mil.
lion dollars. The lands are sold on
twenty years time, and the back pay
ments draw q good rate OF interest.
In a few years enough lands can be
sold so that the money loaned out
and interest coming in on deferred
payments will entirely support our
public schools, and when the lands
are all sold and sixty million dollars
in the school treasury, the interest on
this at two per cent. will support q
public school at every crossroads,
and endow colleges and universities.