The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-03-19

The Stephenson men were all on
hand and voted. They numbered
SO, q majority of one The three
democrats declined to explain their
refusal to vote. If the investiga-
ton is continued the reason might
be developed.
Governor Shellenbarger OF Ne
braska has signed the bill providing
for the Oregon plan OF electlng Uni
ted States senators in that state, and
it is now a law, or will be within
ninety days, having been adopted
without the emergency clause. The
law is designed to open the gates of
the United States senate to William
Jennings Bryan. Whether it does or
not remains to be seen. There are
any number of Nebraska republic
cans who are willing to have their
party champion meet the peerless
one on his own ground, and they are
not fearful OF the outcome. The
Lincoln State Journal points out one
obstacle in the path Of the perpet-
ual candidate, and that is that state
pride will not count over much in a
senatorial election although 1t figur-
ed largely in causing Nebraska to go
democratic last fall. Bryan has run
for Congress twice and for United
States senator once. in Nebraska, be-
sides the three times he has run for
president. He was elected to con-
gress both times, but each time was
when the democratic party was in
the ascendancy. When he run for
senator the republicans carried the
state and the legislature. Whether
Bryan can defea.. .Jurkett, a good
talker, popular, and adhering to the
wing of the party which is over
whelmingly in the saddle in that
state now, cannot be told until the
ballots are counted in 1910.
The vicious weather which pre-
vailed in Washington on Inaugural
ton day has started an agitation
looking to the change in the date.
Speaker Cannon has declared himself
in favor of setting the date later in
the season, and favors May l., to in
sure the possibility Of good weather
for the great event in American his
tory. The speaker referred to the
Inauguration of President Harrison
and President Cleveland, when such
fearful weather prevailed and hun
dreds of people took their deaths
of cold. Congress ought to realize
by this time that something must be
done in this direction.
Delaware clings to the whipping
post. Last Saturday eighteen Gull
prits were publicly whipped. There
were 225 lashes laid on them. The
whip used was a cat O. nine tails
which made the total number of
stripes laid across the eighteen bare
backs 2,295. Most OF the culprits
were sentenced for larceny. The
whipping post is survival Of more
barbarous days. 1t provides cheap
way of dealing with criminals of the
petty class, but the weight of opin-
ion condemns 1t, as the effect upon
the victim is regarded as being more
degrading than reformatory. An Of
fender who has born the disgrace and
the physical pain Of public whip
ping is not likely ever to become a
useful citizen. He is more apt to
treasure a sense of wrong. Hatred
will rankle in his heart and sooner
or later will find expression in crime
So greatly is the weight Of opinion
against the whipping post that it has
not come to be used even for wife
heaters, and wife heaters are deserv.
ing of the very slightest consider.
alton.
Indiana may set her sister states
an example in the way of legislatine
for humane purposes. A wealthy
resident of Evansville, Meier by
name, proposes that the state estab.
lish bureau for the care Of dumb
animals. Specifically his plan Is to
establish bureau to feed and shell.
ter all horses and mules whose own.
ers are unable to provide for them
properly. This winter Mr.. Meier
has cared for in his home town sew.
eral hundred horses and mules own.
ed by poor men, and his bounty thus
dispensed has enable many a team.
ster and his family to get along com.
fortably, whereas, otherwise, himself
and family or his animals would
have suffered. Charity organiza.
tons have taken up the proposal
and it will be embodied in a bill
which will be introduced in the leg.
Stature soon. Objection will be made
that the proposed legislation is SO.
cialistic, and that it would carry pa.
ternalisim in government too far
but since the poor must be helped
and since it Is desirable that they
shall be made self-helpful Mr.. Mel.
zer's proposal Is not without merits
that commend it for careful consid.
Grafton.
-He
After the agitation that has beer
going on for two years on the good
roads question, one would think tina,
some kind of an act would be passed
by the legislature changing the
methods of working the roads in the
rural districts. There were seyera
good measures up in both branche.
and working them for several week,
the only results obtained was the