Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-03-02
LEGISLATIVE NEWS.
What our Representatives are Doing at
Pierre, as Reported by Chron-
icle Correspondent.


icle Correspondent.
PIERRE, s. D., Feb. 28.-0ne more
week and the fourth session Of South
Dakota's legislative assembly viii have
finished its work. Compared with
former sessions tie work Of this one j,
we'll advanced. There have been intro
duced thus far in each house about 35C
bills and resolutions. OF this number
some forty have become laws, although
none Of them are of any transcendeni
value.
The bill which promised to be the
most important one is the Wheeler rail.
road bill. This had been in measure
throughout the session bone OF con.
tention. To be or not to be with this
bill has been the question, and not 10
be has seemed to have triumphed, for
the railroad committee has reported ad-
versely on this measure by vote OF
seven to one. Mr.. Wheeler himselfseDd-
ing in a minority report Possibly some
| railroad legislation will be enacted but
II Will not be that asked for by the state
jobbers' association.
The measure which has caused the
greatest amount of excitement OF the
bills which haye come before this legis.
lature was that for equal suffrage. II
will be remembered that early in the
1a3uint, tha a ,,agaaA inipt raurl,t
ton to strike out the word male" in
the constitution. This hung fire in the
house, was finally brought up week be-
fore last and apparently laid asleep, but
was awakened by its friends and last
week between the efforts of its friends
to pass it and the determined opposition
of its enemies the house had lively
time. AT present the bill is dead. al.
though the friends Of the measure are
earnestly waiting and longing for the AZ
votes to breath in it the breath of life.
The Taylor investigating committee
which has spent all the time it could
spare, almost the entire session, inyesti-
eating the defalcation Of Taylor, has at
last finished its work and the evidence
is now being placed in type as fast { 6
the work can be doRe. This report vi
be most voluminous. 1t will make from
$50 to 200 ordinary newspaper column,
Most Of this evidence has already been
gwen to the public through the medium
Of the press, but when finally sifted il
will appear that there has been on the
part of certain individuals in colusion
With Taylor a downright conspiracy 10
loot the treasury. An analysis of the
evidence will show that Taylor was on
April 2jih last, when Examiner Myers
made an examination of the treasurer's
office, Sl30,000 short. This shortage
however, was covered up by counting
the certificates of the banks in whict
Taylor had deposited tho si"'" money
W soy ~~s...sS-sses were connr ,.f i
| reported by tire buuks, and the Redfel,
| bank TO whom the certificates ran count
! ed them once more in making up th
amount of cash 1t claimed TO have oil
hand. The presumption is therefor
| that Taylor was short the amount stated
and that conspiracy actually began JUS
after the republican convention a
Yankton last summer when Taylor fail
ed to secure the nomination Of frient
as his successor. The state authoritie
,trongly suspect this conspiracy, ant
undoubtedly more will be heard wher
action can be taken through the courts
The Ruth investigating committee i
still at work. 1t is getting evidenc,
which is to say the least decidedly em
barrasing to Major Ruth. The Majol
has testified that he never sent tha. so
called missent letter from Ruth to Tay
lor which fell into the hands of Treasur
er Elmore Of Clay county. Unfortun
ately however the committee has fonnS
three or four or even more witnesse
who have sworn that they did see pre-
cisely such letter. The substance o
this letter il is alledged was in general
to the effect that they, Ruth and Taylor
needed certain amount of money il
their business. and inferentially wer,
holding back for that reason the appor
tionment that should have been mad,
two or three months before, The evi
dence of Major Ruth and his clerks
shows that the Major spent very littl,
time at the capitol and that the busi ines
of his Office was not promptly or system
atically managed. The various appor
tionments for the last two years at leas
were not made in accordance with til,
law. although the Major doesn't seem t,
realize that it made any difference
whether the apportionment of the schoo
money was made at the time the Law
required or not.
Truth or N othing.