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

under weighing of their products anu
the over weighing Of their
and direct and stringent legislation 10
prevent such losses should be speeaiiy
enacted.
THE REFERENDUM.
Since my last message to the legis-
lature a law has been enacted putting
into effect the initiative and referen-
dunn. Except in a municipal way
neither have been employed to the
present time. Their chief powers lie
in the fact that the people of the state
can initiate laws desired or veto pliis
passed by the legislature which may
not be desirable. The people are no
longer at the mercy OF a legislature
which may be influenced to misrepre-
sent them. Those who wish the fepeai
of the constitutional amendment adopt
ing the initiative and referendum, a
have no motive except a desire TO re-
move this powerful watch cog or the
peoples, interest that the designs or
corporations may not be interfered
with and that corrupt schemes may
not be baked by fear of the popular
ballot.
PURE FOOD.
l desire to call to your attention the
sale of oleomargarine in this state as
a counterfeit and substitute for butter.
South Dakota is a great butter produc-
ing state and every pound Of oleomar-
garine sold is detrimental to the farm
ers and the dairying and creamery in
terestss A law should be passed pro-
hibiting the sale of oleomargarine in
the state except in its original and nat
ural color, and hotels and restaurants
using it should be compelled to post a
sign in their Offices and dining rooms
bearing the device "Oleomargarine
used here" This would be an effective
way to prevent fraud upon the public
and would be a protection to one of .ne
most profitable industries of the state.
The pure food bill passed by the leg
islature of 1899 has been Of great bene-
fit TO the state. but a more stringent
measure should be provided. There Is
no reason why the manufacturers OF
food products should not be required
70 put the formula of the ingredients
contained upon each package.
THE LIQUOR LAW.
The revolutionary action of the last
legislature in r~esubmitting the dispen-
sary amendment by resort to an out
rage upon parliamentary practice. after
a pretended attempt to adopt a law
putting the amendment in force, has
been endorsed by the voters of the
state by a most decisive majority.
There can now be nc further excuse
for failure to correct the notorious err
rors of the present liquor law. Among
these are:
First. A provision compelling out
side wholesalers TO take out a whole
saler's license and eXempting domes-
tic wholesalers from the operation OF
the tax. The supreme court having
held this provision to be an unconstu-
tional discrimination, the license pro-
vision should be made to apply to 10Th
foreign and domestic wholesalers.
Second. Under the law, as it stands,
a manufacturer may erect wholesale
houses all owe the state and do a
wholesale business without paying a
wholesalers license. He should pay
both a manufacturers and wholesalers
license.
Third. The statute is not sufficient
ly explicit in defining what a retailer
is. In many places in the, state a re-
taller is held to be n who sells by
the drink. The brewing companies
have opened wholesale" houses and
are selling beer by the bottle under a
manufacturers license. A retailer
should be defined and the wholesalers
made to pay a retailers license where
they do a retail business.
Fourth, The druggists have taken adj
vantage of permission to sell for med
icinal, scientific and s~aCraiaental pur-
poses, and in most Of the towns liquors
can be a easily had at these places as
at the open saloons. The municipality
is cheated of its license money and the
honest saloonkeeper is subjected to an
unfair competition from a class which
seeks to make dishonest money under
the cloak Of a once high and respecta-
BILE profession. These abuses are all so
glazing that they scarcely need men
tioning to be appreciated. Druggists
should be permitted to sell liquors only
On a physicians prescription and then
only in compounded medicines. If per-
mitted to sell in any other form they
should be made to pay a retailers IL
cense.
THE WOLF BOUNTY.
Liz SNdJ duullOl iCpOil 10 ILuJ lutIt
has been already paid from the state
treasury on account of wolf bounty
the sum OF SIS, 600 and that there are
outstanding claims on file ag%gregating
$25,000 more. The result of the wolf
bounty law is a possible expenditure
of $4,000 in less than two years time.
The legislature made a standing annu-
al appropriation Of $1,000 per year to
carry the act into effect, the intent un-
q~uestionably being to limit the expen-
diture to that amount, in confirmation
of which | quote Section 8 OF Chapter
1876 as follows: Appropriation. For,
the purpose Of carrying III the proyi-
sions of this act there is hereby appro-
priated out of the general fund the sum
of five thousand (s5,00O) dollars for
the year 1899 and each fiscal year there
after, or so much thereof as may be
necessary and not otherwise appropri-
ated." | signed the bill under the inn
preston that the legislature did not
intend to appropriate more than S10,-
900 for the two fiscal years, but the SUI
preme court held that the appropria-
ton bill, becoming Immediately opera
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