Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-01-29

public lands and to place them for
lease for long periods twenty to
forty years -permitting them to be
cultivated and improved. The pres
ent system permits lesses only to
use school lands for pasture and
meadow. The plan has many strong
advocates, among them President
Beadle, of the Madison normal, who
more than any other citizen of the
state is responsible for the provis-
lots of the constitution which SO
thoroughly safeguard the public
lands and the funds derived from the
sale thereof. The argument for the
plan of leasing is that a revenue will
constantly flow into the treasury
equal or greater thaa the interest
earnings of the invested funds should
the lands be sold; that the lands
would constantly increase IN value,
and the investment would be the
safest and best that could be made.
The friends of the plan point to the
constantly increasing volume Of
money uninvested which has accum-
ulated in the treasuryand from many
view points make a strong case.
Major Coursey, who is superin-
tendent of schools of Dawson county,
is championing a bill which, if il 10
adopted, will determine the salaries
of county superintendents by more
rational means than gauging the sal
airy on the basis of five times the
number of voters as determined by
the last preceding election" This
proposition Of law has worked havoc
with a large number of superiEtend-
ents where the vote last fall was
light, and it viii be specified in the
new bill that the salaries of such
officers shall be Chased upon FIVE
times the number of voters included
in the last registration list, plus the
number Of voters who were sworn in
at the polls on the day of election"
There seems to be no opposition to
the bill at the present time. It is
probable that some such bill will be
passed also for the remedy to what
hurt the salaries Of the county judges
who nov stand upon the same
shifting sand"
1t seems to be practically settled
that an attempt will be made to get
little out of the corporations
which come to this state for a certii-
cate Of good character, which it must
be admitted is not always based upon
actual merit. The state has now no
authority to deny these certificates
if the form Of the application and
the showing made prove satisfactory
A plan has been outlined by Score
tary of State Berg which will impose
the following conditions: The min
imum fees for a certificate will
remain the same as now, and will
apply to capitalization up to $4,000.
Above that amount an additional fee
will be charged equal to twenty
cents for each additional thousand
dollars of capitalization, This viii
not deter bona fide corporations from
Incorporating under our laws, but it
is thought that it would have the
effect of driving out the grafters, and
at the same time it would undoubt-
eddy increase the revenue from this
source by a considerable amount. Al
bill containing provisions similar to
this outline is now in course Of prep
a~ration and will eminate from one Of
the committees on corporations in a
day or SO if it is not already before
the Legislature when this item IS in
print.
1t will be recalled that a great
scandal grew up over the admins
t~ration of the wolf bounty bill in
1890. Under the provisions Of that
bill, it is alleged that men in the
western part of the state entered
into a conspiracy to defraud the
state and made fraudulent claims for
bounty which soon depleted the
appropriation and created a defc
incy Of $4,000 or more. Twoyears
ago the matter was the subject Of a