The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1904-06-22

The law which provides for the dis
tributing OF the state school funds TO the |
different districts of the counties, con-
tains a provision that the fund shall not
be turned over to the districts to which
It has been apportioned unless six months
of school has been held in the district for
the year. State Superintendent Nash
was called upon to decide what might be
done in case where it had been found
impossible to ct q teacher for the
required six months, and sent the query
on to the attorney general. In response
10 this inquiry, the attorney general SAYS
'Tn your letter you inquire, If due dill
gence in the search for a teacher has
failed of results must the county super
intendent still withhold the apportior~
ment money? l think that il the dis
trict held school substantially for the
legal period, the failure TO hold school
for the full legal period of six months
where closed because diligent search for
a teacher has failed of results the coup-
ty superintendent in his discretionary
powers excuses the district from such de-
fault, but il there was no school at all
held for six months and no provisions
made for instructing the pupils at some
other school, the provisions Of section
2343 should be followed and no warrant
should be drawn on the fund until the
district shall have complied with the
law"
The second volume of the collections
If the State Historical Society will be
devoted to the Indians Of Daketn, going
back as far as their history OF white ex-
pioration and the traditions of the Il-
dams bearing on their old life. Secre-
tary Robinson, Of the society, has been
working on this for the past year, COM
piling his notes collected for years, and
searching old records to learn all posi-
bic in regard to his subject The
ground has been pretty well covered,
with the exception Of the Indian side of
the wal which occurred in the latter part
of the sixties, and Secretary Robinson,
accompanied by Prof. Dunlevy has start
ed from Pierre for a trip TO Rosebud and
Pine Ridge agencies to talk with some OF
the old Indians in that section in regard
to their views Of this war from an In-
dian standpoint. They expect TO be out
several weeks and will visit the "Bad
Lands" while on their trip.
The new settlers in the country west OF
the Missouri River are organizing into
school townships all over that territory,
and preparing to build school houses to
accommodate their children. This will
mean an increased tax, one of the things
which the large cattle owners have been
staving off as long as possible, and which
will in itself go a long way toward the
ending of cattle running in large punches.
Settlers, wire fences and school taxes are
changing the country west of the Mis-
souri,, and new conditions are taking
place of the old.
The supreme court decided the case of
Maurice Burke VS.. the board of commits
sioners of Hand County in favor of the
latter. This is the case in which Burke
attempted to compel the board of con
missioners to grant him a license to sell
liquor in Hand County. The board re-
fused to grant the liconse, and was up
held by the lower court, and on appeal
the action is sustained, the supreme
court holding that the commissioners are
the judges of qualifications TO sell liquor
and need give no reason for their action.
The report Of business of the depart
ment of the secretary of state for last
month shows that charters were granted
to eight religious and educational ~institu-
tons; to Is domestic corporations with
a combined capital of $94, 622, 100; to one
bank, with a capital of $4,000; to two
railroads with a combined capital of ST.
100000. The average charter fee was
$19.40. Commissions were issued to SO
notaries. The total fees of the depart.
ment for the month were $1,S72.30.
In South Dakota the rainfall in 1902
was above the average and irrigation was
not ~practiced as generally as in other
years This was noticeably true in the
artesian belt, where the total acreage
irrigated was not half as large in 1902 as
it was in 1899. The total irrigated area
was 53,137 acres. an increase since 1899
of 9.96 acres, or 21.7 per cent. The num-
Der of farms irrigated is 696; the total
initial cost of construction of the 34S
systems was 1891 $50.
State Superintendent Nash Is calling
upon the different county superintendent
over the state to cooperate with him in
the work of preparing the next biennial
report of the state educational depart
ment by stating in short letters the edu-
cational movements which have taken
place in their counties the past two
years. 1t is expected to make this an in
teresting part Of the report.
At the time OF the heavy rain the lat
ter part of last week the mail driver on
the line from Pierre to Manila, who was
a new man in the country, attempted TO
cross a gulch which he thought was safe,
and lost his team and the mail. He man
aged to get out himself By a close mar
gin. So far as can be learned, the mail
sacks contained about 5000.