The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-01-10

: trigue. favoritism, factionaliem or chang
ing political fortunes. He should be made
TO feel that he can rest Implicitly upon tho
4 assurance that the only test Of his right
20 continue in the service of the state is
his faithful and efficient performance OF
. duty and his worthiness,
+ ! find that the state already has on its
hands. a. Brookings, Madison and Rapid
s City, buildings which are in a worn out
! and dllapidated condition and are fast be-
coming u~ntenantable, These buildings
! We're lily constructed and lily planned, and
: the time Is near When they will have to DO
torn down.
School and Public Lands.
The opening paragraph in the very In
teresting report of the commissioner of
school and public lands for the biennial
period ending June 20, 1906, IS as follows:
Q the soth day Of June, 1906, there were
onlg seven cents Of the permanent Gchool
treasury, the balance of said fund con-
sists'ag of $50, 4S9.5 81, loaned in the several
!, counties of the state, and $1,540,0 97.56 In de-
making a grand total of 81 .S0T, 5s7.0S, which
Is xvi interest. OF this amount $685.
9 10 ggod IN loans n and sl,5so,o9I IS ii deferred
per cent. interest"
The keeping Of this large fund safely IN
vested requires great wa~tchfulness and ac-
tiv.ty.
While the unsold school lands are stead
lily advancing in value. it is very doubtful
wisdom to go on selling them. In my
Judgment, the best of these lands should
pc taken from the market, and heartily
agree with the recommendation of the
commissioner that the minimum price be
raised to $50 per acre. 1t appears from
his report that the average price per acre
Of these lands sold from 1891 to 1894 was
sl3:56: from 1895 to 1895, s12,7G; from 1899 to
1902. s15.S6; from 1903 to 1906, s26.s5 These
figures show the wisdom Of withholding
from the market the most desirable of
these lands and of raising the minimum
price.
Clerk of the Supreme Court.
This is the only office in all the state
which is without regulation. Section u of
article 5 of the constitution provides that
the duties and emoluments of this officer
shall be prescribed by law and by the
rIies OF the supreme court not inco:nsistent
provides that, III shall receive such fees
as are now, or may hereafter be fixed by
fixing his fees.
There is an impression abroad that his
revenues exceed the salary of any other
state officer, but whether that is true or
not, I am unable to say. Members of the
supreme court and the governor are paid
a q salary of 5000 per year, circuit judges,
ing an office Of great responsibility and
rowde with work, s1,MG per year; the
otnef stare offcers, Sl,G0 per year. All
these are prohibited by the constitution
from receiving perquisites or any indirect
increase in salary.
No good reason can be given for this. I
earnestly recommend that this office be
put upon a salary basis. His duties are
merely clerical and there is no reason why
his salary should exceed tina of the attor-
ney general of the state.
Appropriations for State Officers.
) In making appropriations for the ex-
penses incurred by the state officers dur
ing the next two years, you should take
into consideration the fact that it has been
determined by the people by means of
platform declarations of every political
party in the state and by the results Of
the recent general election that the off,
GERS IN the service of the state shall not
use free transportation or accept courte-
sles IN che form of franks, passes, or free
tickets N any manner This legislatures in
honor and decency absolutely bound to en-
act a~-strict and effective law abolish:ng the
pass evil, and will ~undoubtedly.d o its duty
at an early date. Provision must be made
by appropriation for the payment Of the
transportation of the states officers nee
essarily incurred while transacting the
business of the state. The circuit Judges
of the state are compelled in the necessary
performances Of their official duties to be
absent from their homes a considerable
portion Of the tiraa II Is net the intention
of the constitution to compel these men
out Of the small salary which they receive,
TO pay their hotel bills and railway fare.
Inc allowance of such necessary expenses
I incurred while in the service of the state
: is not either directly or indirectly an in
2 crease in their salary, but merely enables
theln to have the benefit of that salary for
/, the support of their families without be-
, ing required TO pay out a large part of it
for expenses.
Section 2 of article 81 of the constitution
fixes the salaries of each of the state Off
GERS and ends with these words:
They shall receive no fees or perquis-
ties whatever for the performance of any
duties connected with their offices. 1t
shall not be competent for the legislature
to increase the salaries of the officers
provided"
provides that, An itemized statement of
all rece.pts and expenditures of the public
monies shall be published annually in such
manner as the legislature shall provide and
such statements shall be submitted to the
legislature at the beginning of each regu-
lar session by the governor with his mes
sage"
Under these provisions l consider It my
duty to call your attention to what I am
e attempt Of prior legislatures to circum-
vent the above plain and emphatic inhibi-
tons of the constitution.
(Here the governor told of the use of
y the contingent fund by former governors
f referred to at the opening of this ac-
count.)
Platform Pledges Must Be Kept.
The dominant political party in this state
S which is entrusted with the responsibility
: for its government and each of the other
political organizations in the state, have,
n by platform resolutions, emphatically de-
clared in favor of the enactment of GER
d tain laws.
e These pledges must be redeemed by
~thoroughgoing and effective LEGISLATION.
: We could not go home and face our con
o stituents as honest men after all that has
occurred IN this, state during the last three
years, and be chargeable with having dis
regarded the plain mandates thus received
from the people.
Anti-Pass Law.
The national congress has recently en-