The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1907-01-12

bauch the morals of men, 1t sows the
seeds of rottening cancer. If no re-
sponsibility to account is placed upon the
men who receive and disburse it, they may
collect 1t for one purpose and spend it foI
another: they may embezzle 1t with i'm
punity, or use it against the very men who
paid it. To assert that no legal checks or
restraints should be placed upon the use
or money In political campaigns and cleo
tons, is to take position that is little less
than monstrous.
Connecting Tracks.
AS the law stands II is impossible to
compel intersect.ng railways to put In con-
meeting tracks. car load of lumber can
be hauled from the Pacific coast to Water
town or Huron over the Great Northern
for 40 cents per hundred. To get 1t from
Huron to Highmore, 1t must be unloaded
and transferred by dray and reloaded into
Chicago and Northwestern car or an
dred must be paid for hauling it from Wa
tertown to Hlghmore. A car load of po-
tatoes loaded in Great Northern car at
Putney or Claremont, few miles north OF
Aberdeen, and destined to any point in the
state south of US. must be unloaded at
Aberdeen, transferred by dray and re-
loaded: The rate for car load of flour
from Huron to Chicago is 10 cents per
hundred. While the rate from Huron to
Orient over in Faux county Is 2lk cents
per hundred. because the Milwaukee and
Northwestern roads have no connecting
track at F'aulkton. This is an obstruction
to commerce that the public demands shall
be removed by an adequate amendment to
the law which Will enable the commission
to compel the intersecting roads to so
unite their tracks as to permit the trans
fer from one to the other OF loaded cars,
and making the haul over both continu-
Gus haul, and tho rate continuous
through rate
Assessments Laws.
Every one comedies that our revenue
laws are crude and inadequate. The re-
firing governor two years ago at the close
of an administration of four years, de-
voted a large portion of his address to the
Legislature to this one subject. In his
opening address to the legislature, my
predecessor referred to it. 1t seems go me
that the time for action has come.
The franchises Of public service corpora
tons organized In this state and the priv
lleges to do business and hold property IN
this state granted by its laws to non-resi-
very great value, and the law prescribing
a rule for assessing the property OF these
corporations whose property Is kind
possessed OF marvellous earning power,
omits all reference to the value OF the
franchises, and in fixing values, no refer
ence is made to increased value of that
part of the property Of these companies ly-
ing within towns and cities, where they
have depots machine shops, enlarged
grounds, sidetracks, general offices and
personal property of great value The ter
minal grounds and depot buildings of the
Burlington and Missouri River Railroad
company and Of the Chicago and North
western Railroad company with rights of
way in the city of Deadwod and Lead,
worth thousands of dollars, are valued un
der the law at the same rate per mile 8
one mile Of single track over the OPP
spaces of land in Custer or Fall {.iver or
Pennington counties.
With 2734 miles OF Western Union tele-
graph lines In the state assessed by the
state board at $4,000, and az, 723 miles Of
telephone wires In the state assessed by
the same board at $3.50, 2s3, and the prop
ont ~ fIn aYatn q =
sl39,29S, and the Pullman company as
sessed at s22,500 We find all this property
going entirely free OF road tax, because the
tax levy Is made upon It by the state
the road tax Is levied at all
1t should be made the duty OF the board
Of railroad commissioners to employ ex-
perts for the purpose and TO collect au-
thentic and reliable information concern
ing the actual value OF the railway prop
critics In the state. not only for the pur-
schedules, but for the purpose also of Civ
ing the state board Of assessment some
independent and reliable information OF
the real value Of these properties. The
law enacted two years ago, giving the
state board of assessment authority TO
take such means and measures as may be
necessary to ascertain, discover and place
erty omitted therefrom or concealed,
should be made effective by making an
appropriation which would enable this
board to employ an agent to go out over
the state and make a personal investiga-
ton OF such cases and report the same to
the board. l earnestly recommend this
subject to you as one of the greatest inn
portance, demanding effective legislation
at your hands.
III Is my wish that you may have pleas
ant and profitable session and that you
will make record for yourselves and for
the state which you serve that will always
hereafter bring TO you that solace and
qualification which comes from the faith
Il performance Of duty