Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-06-04
NATIONAL HOLIDAYS.
An Interesting Record OF Logis.
latiOn Covering Legal
Holidays.

OF General Lyon Post NO. III, ".
A. R., Canton, South Dakota:
Your committee appointed to con-
slider the proper observance Of the
18th and END days Of February and
the Goth day Of May, the same being
Lincoln's and Westinghouse birthdays
and Memorial Day respectively, fra
ternally submit the following report:
Your committee has had under
consideration and has fully considered
and examined into the matters sub
mitted to 1t and contemplated within
the scope of the resolution under
which 1t was appointed and find:
That congress enacted into law,
January 3lst., 1879 q provision that
February 22nd should be a holiday in
the District OF Columbia and for gov
eminent employees. Also congress
passed . law in January 1885 that
January LIST, July 4th, December 25th
and such days as are designated by
the president for Thanksgiving and
prayer should be observed as holidays
In the District Of Columbia and by
the government employees. Congress
also adopted q provision February
23rd, 1887, providing that the day
usually called Memorial or Decora-
tion Day should be . holiday so far as
government employees were con-
csrned and the same act provided
that July 4th. should be included as
: holiday In this provision. In Au-
gust 1883, the Both day Of May was
declared BY congress to be q holiday
IN the District OF Columbia and for
government employees and was desig-
mated Is Decoration day. These sew
eral acts Of Congress designating
these holidays simply provide that
they shall be holidays In the District
Of Columbia and shall apply to all
business transactions In that district
and that government employees shall
be exempt from labor upon such days
aud shall receive pay therefore.
The legislature Of South Dakota
has followed these several acts Of con-
gress and has designated a. holidays,
the lat day Of January, the 22nd day
Of February (Washington's birthday,
the 30th day Of May, which is desig-
mated Ia the act IS Memorial Day,
the 18th day Of July and the 25th day
Of December, and also such days IS
the president may fix by proclama-
ti0n, each year Is Labor day and
Thanksgiving days respectively.
u appears to Be the spirit and In
tention OF the resolution under which
your committee WAS appointed to ez-
anime into and to discuss the proper
observance Of the birthdays of Lin
coin and Of Washington and Memoir
i'll day.
Your committee believe that the
birthdays Of Lincoln and Washington
have been set apart as holidays for
tho express purpose Of calling especial
attention to the lives and character
Of These men who were respectively
Aloader Of those forces and patriotic
elementa which founded u govern
ment and which preserved Its unity
and existence and gave freedom to
millions Of slaves.
Il = the opinion Of your committee
that these two days should DO OBJ
served each year BY dispensing with
public and private business by proper
public ceremonies, 1t which times
patriotic speeches, songs, music, etc.
ahould b presented and that . special
effort should be made for the attend
ance Of children and young people up
on those o~ccasions and that they
ah0uld y far ! apostolic take part in
the exercises.
Memorial or Decoration day Is des-
gnated ~ long usage, common con-
sent, and ~ law for the purpose Of
paying tribute 70 the memory Of
those who have departed from this
llfe and especially 70 those departed
ones Who bors arms IN the noble ser-
viee of our country.
On III 18th day q April. 1852, one
yoax after Sumpter fsll, Chaplain
Nauofthos1oEh Michigan infantry,
q npGnvWfkh four ladies' decorat-
6FMSuo q Tie soldiers buried -
01llIht4 n Nay III next
la6lm with : number
Y snlNnked ~ ceresnony at