Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-02-26

that is attracting attention is one which
provides that when two or more tele,
phone companies do business in the same
town or city they shall connect with
each other.
Senator McDougall has succeeded in
passing his bill providing for the main.
tenance of the South Dakota National
Guard through the senate and approp-
Rating $780, 900 for that purpose for the
next two years but it is safe bet at l0C
to that when the bill reaches the house
it will be killed so dead that funeral
obsequies will not be necessary.
The new medical bill was reported
by the senate committee on public
health with a great many amendments
one day last week, bat the next day the
same committee withdrew its report
and submitted the bill without recon-
mendation. This places the matter
before the senate and it will probably
be argued on the floor of the senate.
Now that the members from the coun,
ties which have no state institutions
have allied themselves together to keep
down all special appropriations, the ques.
ton is often asked, "How is Mitchell
going to keep all the promises made al
the opening of the session." A solution
of this question to the entire satisfaction
of all parties concerned would command
high price from the Mitchell capital
boomers.
There was MYSTERIOUS murder across
the river Friday. A man appeared
Friday evening at the home of kid"
Rich, a notorious character, and told
him that ne was wanted over at one OF
the neighbors. Rich got on the horse
in front of the man. The next day
Rich was found on the prairie a short
distance from his home with a bullet
through his head, dead. Rich's widow
did not know the man that called for
him and there is absolutely no clue.
Indians were pressed into service Sun
day to try and follow the tracks of the
horse, but after going only little way
from where the body was found the
trail was lost. The deceased was a
brother of A. D. Rich, who was for two
years the deputy insurance commits
sioner under King.
A bill which passed the senate last
week was one drawn and presented at
the instigation of Commissioner Bach,
which withdraws from sale so per cent
of the school and public lands of the
state and provides for lease for a long
term IF years for the remainder. This
law is deemed advisable because the
state already has a school fund of such
immense proportions that difficulty is
/ now beieg experienced in loaning same.
as South Dakota really is considered
one of the safest, if not the very safest
investment now before the people, not
only because of their security but also
from the fact that they are rapidly
enhancing in value it has been deemed
best to hold the 30 per cent of lands
from the market. 1t is doubtful if the
Legislature has passed any one act that
will meet with such great favor from
the people generally over the state as
this very law.
The newspapers of the state are now
IN great disfavor with the representa-
tives of the insurance companies of this
state and we think unjustly so. There
] is not locality in this state which has
not been demanding legislation to cor
rect the discrimination made against
South Dakota by the old line insurance
companies. The newspapers have tax Ell
up the fight of the people and publicly
made demand upon the legislature
The Legislature has listened to tina
demand and passed the valued policy
law. The representatives of the insur
ance companies are now making tran
tic effort to get even with the news
papers for standing by their constitu
ents. Their representatives here can,
vassed the situation very thoroughly the
other evening in the hope of securing
a vote to repeal the insurtnct
law compelling insurance companies to
publish their annual statements. The
result of this canvass was the disclosure
that great majority of the members o.
the present session were grounded IN
the belief that the publication was
absolutely essential, and so the matter
was dropped.
| The deficit that's bound to exist at
the close of the present year has been
attracting the attention Of all the finau
ciers of the present legislature anC
many bills to meet the same have beer
introduced. One that passed the hous'
provided for state board of equaliza
tion and assessment, and another pro