The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-10-08
Legislation Don't Forget 1t
When \ ON Vote.

men gu vote.
To the Editor Of The Daily Leader.
The Sioux Falls Argus Leader before
it ''flopped" was q persistent and almost
constant agitator in behalf of the pass.
age Of what is known as House Bill No.
l, or the Wheeler bill, which was turned
down at the last session of the legisla-
ture, and, as the Argus Leader loudly
proclaimed, "by the corruptnees OF the
republican party" Upon this conclus-
ion the Argus Leader had many sup
porters, and like the congressional
crime Of '73, this may be designated as
the legislative crime of "a. Since the
Mckinley & Hobart sign is printed in
the Argus Leader, the demand for rail-
road legislation seems to have been
dropped, indicating that the subject is
not in harmony with the gold bug repub-
lican platform, all OF which is known to
be a fact. This bill referred to above as
House Bill No. / was largely prepared
by Judge G. s. Palmer of Sioux Falls,
who is a candidate for the state senate
FROM Minnehaha county, and who, if
elected, will make a strong fight for the
passage Of this important measure.
which is identical with the railroad laws
OF Iowa, under which the state Of Iowa
has been prosperous, and by the in.
creased patronage the railroads have
paid dividends on their much inflated,
or watered, stock. Therefore, it seems
a good law. A recent sop has been
thrown out by these giant monopolies to
the farmers by a slight reduction in the
freight On cereals, but in hay and sever
al other things Of which there ls great
abundance 10 cut has been made, and
any surplus must rot on the ground.
Every railroad monager is a gold bug,
and every farmer who has anything to
ship out or coal or lumber to ship in
PAYS a heavy tribute to him and upon
the watered stock Of the railroad COM
pany. No matter how low the products
Of the farm are, the freight rates seldom
change.
The bloated holders of these stocks
and bonds are either native E%nglishmen
or American residents Of Europe, living
in the most regal style. 1t never cost
, $4,000 a mile to build and equip any
road IN Dakota, but every road is DO nd
ed for thrice that amount, and the farm
ers Of Dakota are being bled to the tune
OF millions every year to pay this inter.
est. No wonder they could afford to
have a sleek lobby at Pierre with plenty
Of money to influence Legislation. 1t is
said that after the bill failed to pass that
the most noted Of these railroad lobby
lists remarked: II usually consult the
company when it is necessary to spend
much money in legislative matters, but
votes we're so id cheap I bought all I
needed without consulting the railroad
officials and sent in my bill, we'll know
ing they would ratify my action"
The trouble with the voters OF South
Dakota is. they are apt to send men to
the legislature who are q little guileless,
and together with their financial strin-
gency not unfrequently become an -easy
prey to the bunco steering railroad lob
by. 1t is an open secret that at the re-
publican convention at Yankton two
years ago the railroad men were there in
full force and dictated the nomination OF
the railroad commissioners, and We all
know what they did-simply nothing,
except to ride over the state and draw
from it about 5000 per annum, which
the farmer paie. One Of these same
gentlen en-Mr. johnson of Mitchell