The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1907-05-11

| when OrSdulZeu, WHICH we
believe was not the
case at St. Lawrence at
that time, might join with
the township in voting such
bonds.
And the total assessed valuation of
st. Lawrence Twp. and village for
1892 (the one under the authorities
that governed in the matter of the
Dring issue of Bonds) was 1927 ,018.
So that under the Constitutional five
per cent Limitations bonds to the
extent of $l3, 35o.9O, it was honestly
and rightly considered, might be is
sued. Under the manifest authority
of the law and constitution therefor,
and the advice of counsel, the then
trustees of St. Lawrence township,
consisting of such sterling men of
character and integrity, in both pub
lie and private life, as Capt. E. T
Sheldon, e. r. Buttertield and Fred
Herhard, at practically the unani-
NOUS beheSt of their constituency,
made the first loan in 1892 on a $4,000
issue of bonds. Before the end of the
year they found that through bad
luck with their first, or Flint we'll,
that even that we'll could not be COM
pleted without further loan. So in
January, 1898, they borrowed $4,000
additional, selling this second issue Of
bonds to one of the permanent farmers
of the county, Thos. Drng. Some
thing like third Of this loan was
used during the summer of 1898 to
complete the first or Flint we'll.
Naturally, cons dering the great
cost of even one well, this was fine
opportunity for the three who
voted against bonding to make con-
verts, and that they improved their
opportunity is shown by the records of
the winter of 1894, when two separ-
ate elections were held on petitions to
sink no more wells, and TO return the
money on hand something over $4,000,
and which by letter attached to the
petition, from Mr.. Dring, he had been
persuaded to take back. But not
withstanding discouragements and
difficulties the progreSSiveS won out
at both elections by good round ma
| nj alt hnnrh fa,u w
recruits were added to the obstruc-
tionists the great body of the st. Law
renee people declined to become quit
tiers thus early in the fight.
Ex-senator King was, it is under
stood, working and voting against
bonding and sinking wells. If there
was any excessive amount of money
borrowed, then was the time, before it
had been expended, to test the matter
in court by the ex-senator's fayor!te
remedy of government by injunction
This he failed to do although it is a
matter of record that he took eminent
counsel as early as 1892 looking to
wards this step, but as nothing was
done it was evident that his eminent
counsel saw no loophole for such pro-
ceedIngs.
Not only did the Dring bonds ex.
pressly recite that the issue was with.
in The constitutional limit but one Of
the ex-senator'S most intimate and
| Wolff IDOL frianIc Hon Toui
Harris, then county auditor, upon
whose official bond Mr.. King was the
first one to sign, added his official Ger.
tificate to the bonds being legal, and
constitutional and as properly author
lied by duly held township election.
For six successive years thereafter
the township levied taxes and paid the
full amount of the annual interest on
the Dring bonds. And Ex-senator
King acquiesed in this and paid his
probortionate share thereof as ne had
considerable property all the time in
both township and village. Everyone
recognized the bonds as just and ex-
isting Indebtedness as the township
had the benefit of the use of the money
and the wells to show for it, from
which indeed it for some years receiv-
ed some revenue for the use of the
water for irrigation by some Of its
residents. No one has ever whispered
unless it is Mr.. King that there was
any graft in the matter of the dis
bursement of the money by the hon.
orable officials into whose
hands the money came for
use. Every dollar of it was
honorably used for the pur-
noses for which it was borrow.