Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1901-03-15

number only state that they are in favor
eral law, others discuss the matter at len
up their opinions.
ASA FORREST. JR.: Your question
as to whether the citizens of Canton
should renounce the special charter
under which this municipal corpora
ton has existed and prospered since
1881, and assume government under
the provisions of The general law for
the incorporation of cities, is one
which has no more significance to the
lawyer than to any other citizen and
is little, if any more apt to determine
wisely It is a question which must be
decided by each individual for himself
and one into which enters necessity
for the use of only that ordinary bust
ness Judgment upon which all indlvld'
ual and community success is founded
1t has slight legal question connected
with it, and is made up of identically
the same business elements as are the
usual propositions connected with
horse trade, in fact there is more law
questions in a horse trade, than in this,
for in that might possibly be the com
plex ones of express and implied
warranty, while in this, the citizen
takes the general law under the rule
of caveat emptor, with his eyes open, it
he gets left it is his own fault. Both
sides of the trade are very rarely bene-
fitted. If the citizens of Canton trade
their special charter for general law
provisions, they will have either gained
or lost by the swap. Up to the present
time have heard very little argument
and no reasons why We should make
the change. Reading the special char
ter and the general act together, dis
closes no benefits to be derived from
the change.-that is as read them.
Comparing the past history and expect
ancy of general law towns with that
of Canton, and the bene6ts of the
general law are still not apparant.
Now, as q general proposition. . bust
ness transaction in which the advant-
age and gains are so deeply hidden
under it's surface as not to be ascer-
tainable by either of these three reason
able tests for expediency. Is q very
safe one to leave alone.~ Judging this
question in the light of very Ordinary
experience, it would lead one to beaSess
that when it will pay Canton to rsan-t
quish her sovereignty under . special
charter and come into and agree to
abide by the ever changing. never
reliable and always expensive general
law, some ono will be able. by tina.
time, to come before the people with
some facts and figures that have Al
least the appearances Of demonstrating
how it will pay. So far as have been
able to observe. we a. citizens. have
always had all Of the city government
we could pay for;-if the general law
offers greater possibilities than this, it
is not apparant from its wording. We
now have every resort to good citizen.
ship, good city government: and good
school control under our special charter
than any city could or can have under
the general law. with its liberal salary
attachment, and we don't have to sweat
a cold sweat every other winter in fear
that some fool legislature will thrust
new burdens upon US. We have now
the best city in the state, with an or
ganic law entirely its own, which gives
it peculiar identity that is valuable
to its citizens; renounce that and we at
once lose every distinctive feature and
become one of the common heard of
towns that can be played with by a
special interest that will send a lobby
to the state capital. For this positive
detriment we will have to chalk up to
the tax collector anywhere from a.
10 s., 600 per year more than we have
to now. It will place upon the taxable
property of the city far greater bur-
den and insure to its owners no better,
if as good, public service.
G.. B. KENNEDY: I see no benefit to
be derived by the people or tax payers
of the city, through change Of our
organic law from that of the Special
Charter to the General Law I see
no single benefit to be derived from
such change and l can see great
many disadvantages. The advantages
are, first, that the special charter under
which we have been operating and
developing during the past twenty
years is purely democratic 1t pro-