Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-01-10


tax all the property OF the state In an
equitable manner, instead Of allowing
railroad, telegraph, telephone, express
and mining interests to escape their
burdens of taxation because they have
passes and franks to distribute to the
members of the board Of equalization
and assessment, or because they are
supposed to influence the votes of EN-
ployes in return for official fayors. The
state board of equalization and assess
ment, pretended 10 raise the railroad
valuations in 1899 and 1900, but the
increased valuation placed upo other
forms of property held by the people
was so great that the railroad compa-
MES paid actually less money into the
state treasury than they had previous
ly done with smaller valuations. To
avoid the undue influences of the rail
roads on the board OF equalization and
assessment, a law should be enacted
giving the power of assessment to the
assessors of the various counties in
which such properties lie. 1t is much
easier to influence the assessments and
valuations when made by a few men
than where they are made by assessors
of the various counties who are elect
ed by the people for the sole duty of
assessing property for taxation.
There are millions of dollars of min
ing property in this state exempt from
adequate taxation. The Homestake
and Golden Reward companies are
worth millions OF dollars each, and
taxed on nominal value of lands and
buildings and not in accordance with
The product of the mines. This is a
glaring injustice and could easily be
remedied in this state as has been done
in other states, by taxing the output
of raw ore.
The property of the telegraph, tele-
phone and express companies should
be taxed according to their productive
value, precedent for such taxation be-
ing found in other states where the
courts have held that there are forms
OF intangible property subject to tax
alton, like franchises and special priv
ileges which yield large incomes to
their owners.
also desire to cal your attention to
the vast volume of business done in
this state by companies selling illu,
minating oils. There should be means
devised to secure the taxation OF this
form of merchandise al other forms OF
merchandise are taxed.
! also recommend that the telegraph
and telephone companies be plased un-
der the supervision of the railroad
commission and that the commission
be given power to regulate rates charg-
ed by such companies.
The tariffs of the telephone compa-
mics are ou~trageously high, the rates
charged amount to more each year than
the cost Of construction ana operation.
Measures should be taken to insure tn
use of the telephones at, reasonable
charges made according to distance
talked. A reduction of more TIA fifty
percent can be made without danger
Of a federal court holding 1t confisca-
ton of property. The state ought to
buy up the present telephone lines or
build and operate it's own. Such q
is practicable n would for
ever settle telephone and telegraph
charges within the state.
PENAL AND CHARITABLE INSTI-
TUTIONS.
The penal and charitable institu-
tions of the state are in better condi-
ton than they have ever been. 1ney
are more humanely, more honestly,
more economically and more intelli-
gently managed than at any time dur
ing their whole history. This is a con-
clusion reached from personal obserVa-
ton and careful inspection and from
the faithful reports of the public exam
liner. The institutions were received
by the present board Of charities from
the former officials during the spring
-- - IOnn 49, INanfta
for the insane everything possible was
done to delay the transfer and subse-
quently through intriguing employees
to embarrass the new superintendent
and his chiefs. The public examiner
made an exhaustive report upon the
condition of the asylum and found that
there had never been an invoice taken
of the property. When the former SUI
perintendent, DR., Meade, retired from
management he took with him an enor-
nous assortment OF household goods
which he claimed as his own and which
could not be identified as belonging to
the state because no accurate list of
the states property had ever been
kept.
This forced new expenditures by
the incoming officials for the ordinary
household utensils. | can readily I'M
derstand how an officer who makes ii
his home iE a public institution for a
series of years may in his egotism
regard the institution and the office
as his property, but | cannot under
stand why he should raid the house
hold before leaving for every little item
of furniture not actually attached Ia
the floor or walls OF the building. In
| this institution ii had not been the
policy to keep an accurate set OF books,
the public examiner being compelled
to rely in making his Investigations
upon vouchers on file. 1t was found
| that excessive prices had been paid for
almost everything bought but there
was nowhere any evidence Of dis
counts having been credited to the
state. Frequent purchases of high
price cigars under cover OF tobacco
which is furnished the patients were
discovered. A system of submitting
| bids which permits extortion from the
state has existed. Bids are asked fol
a number of articles which are seldom
used. Some of these~I personally know
to have been put down to less thar
| %one-fourth of the wholesale value. This
permits the bider to ask a good price
"