Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-04-21
REGARDING THE HOME VOTE.
A Member of the Home Resents the "Gib
berish, of Dead Pom"


"There is some talk of forming new
political county party for the needs of
our cash paying tax voters.' There is
certainly one thing conclusive, that as
long as the vote of the Soldiers Home
is to be counted in our county election.
Il candidate not being of the Hot
Springs 'faith,' might as we'll keep out
of the band wagon for the Soldiers
Home vote will knock him out. We
know that the leading industry of our
our county is stock raising, and that
the cattle men are paying over half of
the cash taxes. No such thing as let
ting taxes run for number of years,
then obtain rebates, or settling for less
than half, as is the case with nearly all
real estate owners. The cattlemen are
far in the minority, or have no voice
or representative in any of the offices
of vital Importance. With a S284, 600
debt hanging over our county's head,
Sl9,8SO of yearly interest, besides rum
ming expenses to meet, makes serious
problem for the cattlemen to face, and
one to which they are waking up. If it
is right for the Soldiers Home voters
to have a voice in our county affairs,
then they have corresponding duty
in helping to pay the expenses. An
investigation shows that the inmates
of the Home pay scarcely any taxes,
not as much as one rancher, and yet
their vote decides the election of our
county officers. There is movement
now to investigate the legality of their
votes on county officers, and it their
votes cannot be knocked out, it is time
that the cattlemen took turn at the
running of our county affairs.
DEAD Pop."
II wish you would reprint that arti-
cle," said a veteran of the Soldiers
Home. ut appeared in the Times
Herald last week from correspondent
who signs himself Dead Pop,' and
am not surprised that he is dead and
it is no wonder that that party is going
the same way, for no party can sue
ceed that is lead bv such people. I
want to ask that fellow if he proposes
to disfranchise every resident who
doesn't pay taxes? If SO he will find
that he will cut into his own party in
Fall River county about as hard as
anywhere. Dead Pops own party is
in favor of woman suffrage. Do the
women as general thing pay taxes?
But while that is an argument against
his own foolish twaddle it isn't the
most important thing. believe the
old soldiers of this town do as much in
a financial way toward keeping things
going as any other class and we don't
like to have such miserable thrusts as
that cast at US. just because we hap
pen to be SO unfortunate in our old
age and physical condition to be
forced to take up our home among you
folks at the states expense, is no rea-
son, think, why we should be disfran-
chised and looked upon as disreput-
able set of men who will sacrifice honor
and principle and everything else to
help elect dishonest officials. The
Soldiers Home vote is not unit by
any means and the members of the
Home vote according to their political
convictions the same as other ordinary.
mortals-though voting more inde-
pendently, believe, for the best men.s .
than most other voters, and we take.
some pride in feeling that some of us
may have helped to elect such q capa-
BILE set Of county officials as most of
them seem to be in Fall River county
most of whom think got maiorities
in most precincts outside Hot Sprinos.
Such talk as forming a new political
county party" for the purpose of dis
franchising the veterans of the Sol
diers' Home is the worst gibberish I
have heard for long time and will do
more than anything else to make them
vote almost unani mously-though 1
never look for any such thing. / be-
lieve we Of the Home consider the vel
fare Of the county and the taxpayers
with just as much interest as most any
taxpayer and it is the worst insult We
have ever had to be accused Of doing
anything BY our votes that is detri-
mental to the interests of the county.
am constrained to believe that such
rot emsnates only from q dead pop.'
but am surprised that it was ever per-
mitted to appear in print. wish you
would quote me, and IL it is necessary
my name will be given, together with q
Whole lot Of other members Of the
Home"