Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1895-02-15
PROCEEDINGS AT PIERRE.
The Gopher determination Bill Passed.
General Capital News.


Senator Crawford's bill to prohibit
the issuance of railway passes to public
officials is Il pop measure introduced
with the knowledge that it would never
become law-or he probably would
never have introduced it. Senator
Kyle is said to he strong anti-pass
advocate, but it is told by his friends
who know, that he secured the appoint
ment to the position of general solicit
or of the Forest City Il Sioux City
railway, a little twelve mile road in the
north part of the state, in order to OBJ
tain passes over other roads-which
are usually courteously exchanged
thus enabling him to refuse passes
in his official capacity. The pops are
usually strong theorists until there is
possibility of their own interests
being affected. They are economists
until it involves their personal affairs.
But the pass system is so generally
in vogue that it has come to be the
generally accepted practice, and the
man who would be influenced by re-
ceiving such an insignificant thing is
too small in mind and conscience to
often be found occupying a position of
public trust. A man who wants law
to prevent his own possible contami-
nation by such means is too suscepti-
BILE to be trusted away from his con-
stituency.
The legislature has scarcely had
a session that it has not had consider
able sport over a gopher bounty bill.
The house devoted much time Satur-
day to such a measure, which in sub
stance permits county commissioners
to declare whether it shall apply to
their county or not; giving two cents
bounty on each gopher skin. Repre-
sentative Dickover got in an amend
ment to include prairie dogs at ten
cents each. Some dog-hater thought
this good place to get in his work
and he then moved to strike out the
word s'prairie," SO that ten cents bounty
would be paid for all dog skins, but he
was voted down while an audible smile
went up from about the hall. A very
intelligent Swede representative who
talks quite broken, was very enthusi-
astic supporter of the bill, and he
made spirited speech in it's favor.
He said faye tank desc har bill bane
all right. Aye haf plenty experience
nit dem dam gophers. Dey dig mine
trees and grain all up by the roats
round about, and ven mine vimen folks
skall go down into dat har cellar for
to bring up some butter and dings.
desc har gophers hab bane diggin dirt
all up into pile bigger'n one Vaughn
box full. Gophers need some bounty
tax and desc har bill better pass" 1t
passed the house.
The woman suffrage question will.
without much doubt be submitted to
the voters at the next general election,
for the house, which at first was re-
garded as doubtful upon the question,
is now said to be certain of supporting
the measure.
Senator Wilson attended the irri-
CATION convention at Huron yesterday,
and was chosen chairman. The princi-
pal method of irrigation discussed was
the reservoir plan, which is, of course,
important to the Hills. Committees
were appointed to draft bills looking
to state aid for such irrigating system,
which will be presented to the senate
in few days.
Senate bill No. 80, amending section
8, chapter 144, laws of 1893, and senate
bill No. 81. repeating chapter 14S, laws
of 1893, have passed both houses and
gone to the governor for his signature.
The committee appointed to investi-
gate the office of eN-commissioner of
school and publiclands, Ruth, has COM
menced it's work. but it is not antici-
pated that there will be anything
wrong found therein. The Taylor de-
falcation committee is making slow
progress in sitting the thing down to
where they hoped, though they are
\
yet been able to reveal is that which
first startled the state, and continues
to absorb much attention the fact
that Taylor robbed the state of over
s35O,OOO. The investigating committees
are going into the matter very
thoroughly, leaving no stone unturned
to learn everything possible, let it
implicate whom it may, but we believe
that the fact is that Taylor alone did
the stealing, unbeknown at least to
anyone in official position. And, too,
it seems that it would be unnecessary
to deny the preposterous charge of
some pop sheets that the money was
used in conducting the republican
cam paign.
To Gardeners and Farmers.
We will sell you seeds for less than