The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1907-01-11
CRAWFORD'S INAUGURAL.
New Governor Calls Upon Dominant Party in
Legislature to Redeem Platform
Pledges.

We could not go home and face our con-
stltuents as honest men after all that has
three years, and be chargeable with nav
ing disregarded the plain mandates thus
received from the people,"
In urging particularly the enactment of
a primary law the governor dwells upon
the subject at much length. All the rea-
sons for the enactment of such a measure
Primary law. covered. He says:
The demand for
legislation of this
character arises from the abuses which
nave become intolerable under the old
caucus and convention system. The aim
of this legislation is to overthrow the
party boss and dictator and to shake off
the hold of the corporation upon the
great political organizations of the state.
rled on by artificial creations of law
known as corporations, and combinations
of corporations. Frequently they become
control the prices of the necessaries of
life, the prices of what the masses have
to sell. as well as the prices of what the
masses must buy in order to live.
w have come to the point where they
have destroyed healthful and legitimate
resist all attempts upon the part of the
law making power to check abuses of
Which they are guilty, or to place them
the field of politics for the purpose OF
controlling the declarations Of political
platforms and the selection of candidates
ways use their vast power to corrupt the
action of public officials.
The political machine and the public
service corporations are in partnership
everywhere. The purpose of the primary
election in nominating a ticket is to get
q dat ssTif from eSp }ha nnani of choice OF eandi-
The duty is upon you, gentlemen, with
all the light and assistance you can get.
comprehensive primary. election law. 1t
should be made effective by an emer-
gency clause, because it's enactment has
been demanded from authoritative
sources without conditions. Nearly nine
thousand of your constituents petitioned
for its enactment and submission two
submission then. This year every polit-
lcal organization in the state by over
w,helming maiorities in party conventions
has emphatically declared in favor not of
the enactment and submission of the law,
but in favor of the enactment of the law.
It's enemies who two years ago opposed
Its submission now attempt to defeat its
enactment. with an emergency clause on
T the plausible ,ps claim tina the right to in
barred by such a. clause.
Enemies of the referendum two years
ago may now-if they. receive encourage
Under the cloak of pretense, however.
will be found enmity on their part to the
proposed law and a desire to defeat the
''o AAiNSN III al iio Wy Wv"
lay and covert opposition. You were
commissioned not to enact a primary and
allow its enemies to suspend it's effect
Tor two years, but to enact a primary and
make it at once a live and effective stat
The passage of a fellow servant law is
strongly recommended, as is also a law
regulating the hours OF labor Of railway
employees.
rates is next taken up by the governor.
He saws:
I ,,a.l the lay of 1897 the board Of
Freight n Pas t Rlste P poWer t ito %ahs
Inspection and IN
seh9er Mates. v~estigation of ex-
listing rates and TO
prromulgate and enforce a new schedule
traffic, 1t is unfortunate that the board
has DELAYED action in the matter until
the last moment. and did not enter upon
lie before this Legislature convened. so
that it might supplement the action of
the board with any further Legislation
1T is to be hoped that the board will
take action sufficiently early to enable
You TO thoroughly examine the results
and to take such further steps as the sit
uation may require.
The demand for a revised rate sched-
ule is owl stronger and a very thor
ough Investigation of the whole subject
must be made by the board of railway
commissioners at once. and a new sched-
Wy i'iiitilStttu WIFI SIltl ItpIit'lcl1S III
freight and passenger charges as present
conditions require. otherwise. the duty
of taking the necessary steps for relief
viii rest upon you"
The governor calls attention TO the fact
that the law requiring railroads to build
connecting tracks at points of intersec-
ton is In need of amendment to make it
effective. The present law has been held
bV the supreme court to he invalid for
,mends the enactment of the Minnesota
law on this subject. which has been sus.
tanned by a decision of the United States
supreme court.
ADEQUATE and the governor believes that
the time for action has come. He says:
The franchise of public service corpor-
ations organized in this state and the
privileges to do bust
Assessment Laws. ness and hold nron-
granted by its laws to nonresident ngbe
lie service corporations are of VERY great
value. and the law prescribing a rule Tor
IONS WnoSe property is a KIND possessed
of marvellous earning power, oniits all
reference to the value of the franchises,
and in fiXins values, no reference is made
to increased value of that pttr1 al the Dgun-
erty of these companies lying within
towns and cities. where they have defots.
machine shops, enlarged grounds. side
tracks, general Offices and personal prop
crty OF great value.
The statements which railway compa-
mics are required to furnish as a basis
and switching tracks. warehouse lots
and terminal grounds and franchises.
The assessment must be made by fixing
the value per mile of the main line and
branches and by a pro rata distribution
per mile Of such assessment among the
counties through which the road passes.
The state board levies all the tax
which is at all levied upon the roperty OF
telegraph telephone. express and sleeping
car companies in the state.
The statute says that the tax so levied
shall be equal to the average assessment
of the stat; county, school and municipal
taxes levied upon other property for The
preceding wear. and shall be apportioned
by the state treasurer between the state
and the various counties in which the
company so assessed is doing business,
the amount to w III each county is en-
titled beint. deter; ed by the state board
Of equalization the statute does not au-
thorize the board to include the average
equivalent of the road tax levied upon
other property the preceding year. At this
time. when a cry is coming up from all
over the state for better roads, these cor-
porations are enjoying absolute immunity
from road taxes. 1t is n we'll known fact
that local assessors fail to assess moneys
and credits and a vast amount of property
never gets Upon the tax rolls.