Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-04-30

vices. The following insurgents have
! been such representatives: Ericsson,
| Gamble and Jim Elliott AS these are
men whom the railroad corporations
could trust, they have aided them and
secured their election. The stalwarts
had turned down these men because of
their over-loyalty to the railroad.
What didthe present administration
10 at its legislative session respecting
railroads? First they enacted an anti
pass law. OF course, this is good law
but did the railroad suffer thereby? 1t
brought them thousands of dollars rev.
enue. Had the legislature reduced pas
senger and freight rates it would have
been very commendable adjustment
but in this they absolutely failed. They
promised and pretended to reduce pas
senger rates and wish us to believe that
they did so, but did they?
What rate are you paying today?
They killed house bill No 269 by adopt.
ing the minority report-that the bill
do not pass-which was the only bill
voted upon. which would have directly
reduced the rate to 21S cents This
rate would have gone into effect in 60
days OF course the railroad could
have fought the constitutionality of
this bill but mark the difference ia the
proceeding. AS was the case they had
but to file an injunction against the
railroad com mission putting the rate,
authorized by house bill 80, into effect
Had bill 2G9 become law the railroad
could have fought the law in the sup
RENE court but, like any other law, it
would have remained i'll torce until
declared unconstitutional and we would
be paying 81 cents per mile now
But passenger rutes are of minor
Importance to freight rates anyway.
The majority of us spend but few
dollars annually for passenger fares but
freight rates are a tax on particularly
every morsel that we eat and every
stitch Of clothing that we wear, or in
other words tax on every thing that
we buy or sell. II the insurgents are
sincere reformers why didn't they
lower freight rates which is a matter of
bread and butter to every man, woman
and child? Bu they never touched
them.
As to a law requiring competing
railroads to connect their tracks at
intersecting points, you can find the
law, which they simply duplicated, on
page 90, revised code Of 1903 This law
passed in 1897. Auo ther chance, Gov
ernor, for your promised resignation
Is there any graft in the insurgent
faction? II not, explain the killing of
house bill No. $50 providing for state
repositories of state funds and interest
to be paid on such Why diA Treas
urer Cassill appear before the commit
tee and fight the bill so hard? The
interest for the two years is about $40,-
600, pretty fair salary isn't it? And
remember CANDLES coat of white
wash" AS to taxes fail to see the
necessity of compiling long columns of
figures to prove this point. The
records show that the last legislature
appropriated over 90, 200, O00--an excess
of several hundred thousands of dollars
above that of any preceding session in
the history of South Dakota. Who
pays this? Why Mr.. Taxpayer, you
pay practically all of it. But look
here! The insurgents admitted that
taxes must be higher when they passed
a bill authorizing deficiency levy Of
two mills for 1908, (Chapter Sc session
laws of 1907 BY looking through the
preceding session laws you will find
deficiency levies for the legislative years
the same as for 1907, but you can't find
any deficie ncy levies for the even years
save for 1908, And when do you pay
your 1908 taxes? After election.
Now every voter can read the indict-
ment of Crawford. Every voter can
gain access to the records by stepping
into a lawyers office. Every voter has
a "think tank" Of his own. Now, don't
take any body's wo I'd for it but look up
the records yourself, do little unbiased
thinking; then ask yourself the ques-
ton: Am allowing some one to work
me into voting against my own inter-
ests? Am / sucker? Am / really
opposing true reform? II you were
deceived before. just say as did the
Dutchman, "If you fool me once that's
my fault; If twice, then I'm blamed
fool"
A Reformer but not an Insurgent.