Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-01-15
GOV. A. LEES Mutual
LEGISLATURE LISTENS TO rAE
EXECUTIVES ADVICE.
He Urges the Immediate Passage of
the Wheeler Railroad Dill as a
Redemption of the Pledge Made
ny the Party In their Platform.
The Message.

was gwen to the Legislature on Thursday
afternoon and in part is as follows:
Gentlemen Of the II and house of rep.
resentatives:
1 have the honor and the pleasure at this
time to communicate to you, the law
makers of the state of South Dakota, some
reflections upon some matters which are of
deep interest to the people and some
recommendations regarding measures
which will be passed upon during the leg
tslative session now fairly opened. as
sumo that you understand your duty and
will perform it. do not seek to instruct
or dictate, but merely to state things as I
see them. AS for myself Ihave been elected
from the II of the plain people in their
hope and desire, us ! believe, for a pactical
business administration of their affairs.
We are a new and untried party with no
apologies to make. The eyes of the world
are upon us. Let us SD conduct ourselves
that when II work is finished we shall
then have no apologies to make.
Economy in the management of the affairs
entrusted to our care will find ready re-
Spouse in the hearts of the people. We
have been placed here to do business. and
that business should be more promptly and
faithfully attended to because it is the
business of all the people. would there
fore most cmplatically, though respect
fully, recommend that we proceed to active
work at once in order that important lcgis-
lation may not be left till the last two or
three days of the session, thereby mourning
the risk of i'll advised and immature meas
ures. 1 urgently advise that the %appropria-
ton committee begin their Investigations
at once; that they report not later than the
thlrty-fifth day of the session, followed by
the passage of the bills at the earliest
practicable moment, to the end that the
appropriations may not be held up till the
last hours of the session to be used as IL
club to kill meritOr!ous measures or aid
vicious ones.
The Railroads.
Without question the most necessary and
important piece of legislation to be passed
by the present legislature is a statute regu-
lating the freight and passenger traffic of
our railroads. The majority of the ~legisla-
turc and the executive branch of this adj
ministration stand firmly pledged to the
people of South Dakota by the platform
adopted at Huron on July Ia last to enact
the measure known in this state as the
"Wheeler bill" being Il copy of the Iowa
law. which has successfully w%ithstnod in
the courts every assault made upon it by
the counsel for the railroad corporations.
The demand for the passage OF this law is
the legitimate fruit of railroad abuses. The
rates paid by our farmers ON products en-
ported and merchandise imported are so
greatly in excess of rates paid in other states
for the same service that our producers are
deprived OF a fair profit OH their labor. Our
clues and Mis- are so Disseminated
against i'll favor of outside jobbing points
that commercial growth in our midst is i'm
possible. Inquiry at any railroad office in
the state will prove that rates OF corn to-
all points in the central part of the state
are greater per bushel than the first cost of
the corn in the southern part of the state.
This entirely prohibits internal
and forces the shipment of corn to the Chi
cago market when many times it could be
more profitably sold i'll the state. The coal
rate to Sioux City from the nearest mine. a
distance of $50 miles. is Sl.76 per ton. while
the rate to Nermillion. only thirty three
miles further, is 500 per ton. This unjust
discrimination against the people of South
Dakota should teach every one the neccs-
sity OF restrictive measures and shou!,,
prompt the legislature to speedily redeem
The pledges of relief given the people.
In concluding this branch of the discussion,
therefore, pardon me for again urging the
lussuSSOl tit IlttlcE plll.
The people have charged lis with the duty
and we should hasten To Justify the con-
tidence which they have placed in It's.
Liquor Regulation.
Next i'll importance to the enactment of a
suitable railroad law is the passage of a
practical statute in restrain of the liuuor
traffic. 1 am not disposed 10 make any
definite recommendation in favor of any.
Systan, nf rnuJlntinn III, ,r.t+,r 4, ,,:.i.
the legislature. 1t was not made IA test of
party faith at the late election, and there
are ~irreconsilable differences of opinion
among men of all parties as to the best
methods to be employed. Every man is
free, therefore, to do that which his con-
science directs but it should bcihe constant
aim of each to give the matter praycrf,il
consideration and to formulate such Il law
as will meet the expectations OF the major
ity and command the obedience of all.
Educational Institutions.
The usefulness of our institutions of
higher education has been impaired and
their good name well nigh ruined by the
scandals which have grown out of their
mismanagement. No good can he done by
a further airing of these various irregu-
l%arities, but every possible energy of the
legislature n executive should now be
bent to the task of preventing a recurrence
of these disagreeable and disastrous
troubles. The first step to be taken in the
work of reform is to absolutely divorce-if
that be possible-every one of these insti-
buttons from partisan politics. That they
have been thus used in the past there can
be no denial made. There is also a sus-
piciOn, well founded l think, that sectari-
anism has crept into some of them. There