Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-03-22
A QUESTION OF SALARY
Supreme Court Hands Down a De-
cision in a Salary Dispute from
Ransom County.
Commissioner Laughlin Advises the
Farmers to be Careful as to the
Seed They Sow.
Various Items of Local News Picked
Up In and About the Capt.
tai City.
An Interesting Decision,

An Interesting Decision.
A decision was handed down in the
supreme court Friday in the case
of Doherty vs.. the County of Ransom.
The case arises out of the reduction of
the salary Of the states attorney of Ran
som county by the commissioners. In
January, 1893, the plaintiff assumed the
office aforesaid, the salary prior to that
time having been $500 a year. Subse-
quent to the time he took the office, the
commissioners reduced the salary to $500
per year. The constitution provides that
the legislature shall prescribe the duties
and compensation of county officers, and
subsequent to the adoption of the con-
stitution, the legislative assembly passed
a law empowering the county commits
sioners to fix the salary of county officers,
among them the states attorney. The
appellant, Doherty, held that this law
was unconstitutional, that the constitu-
tion required the legislature to fix these
salaries, and that the power could not be
delegated to the commissioners. Conse-
quently, until changed by the legisIa-
ture, the salary would remain at $500.
He put in a bill at this rate, and it was
allowed by the commissioners at the rate
of $500 year. He then brought suit,
and his action was dismissed by the
district court. The supreme court, in
an opinion by Bartholomew, j., afirms
this decision; syllabus as follows:
Chapter SIS, laws OF 1890, which dele
gates boards of county commissioners
power to fix salaries of states attorneys,
is in c~ontravention of section 173 of the
constitution of North Dakota, which re-
quires the legislative assembly "to pre-.
scribe the duties and compensation of
all county, township and district officers
and is therefore void.
The adoption of the foregoing provis-
ion in the constitution did not in itself
repeal the pre-. existing statute, valid when
enacted, and which gave to boards of
county commissioners power to fix the
salaries of states attorneys and such
boards may continue to exercise such
power until the legislative assembly pre-
scribes such compensation by statute, as
required by the constitutional provision.
Lisbon Free Press: A new game called
the 'onion social has made it's appear
ance at Grand Forks, and is rapidly grow
ing into favor with the young people of
that place. This is how it is played:
Six young ladies stand in a row; one of
them bites a piece out of the onion, and
the gentlemen pay 10 cents to guess who
bit it. Tha correct guesser kisses the
five other girls, while the unsuccessful
kiss the lass who bit the onion.
She had been a widow a year or SO, and
sic was dickering for a tombstone for
the departed. "Of course" said the
tombstone man, "you want the date of
his death on the shaft-the day of the
month and the year," "Well,'' sighed
the widow, IL suppose other people like
to lead thcm-but I don't need such
reminder; they are indelibly engraven
on my heart and memory" "What was
the date?" asked the tombstone man.
The widow hesitated-then she turned
a riotous scarlet-then she said:
"Gracious goodness! I can't remember
whether it was January Goth or 9th.
III go home and find out"
a New TurntabIe.
The Northern Pacific has had a crew
Of men at work in the local railroad yards
for several days repairing the old turn