Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-05-27
ELRoD ATTEMPTS DECEPTION.

OEWdIU W MAKE dS StTOHS an up
peal for support as possible. But in
his speech in this city Elk Gov. Elrod
made statements that we cannot let
pass without comment. Mr.. Elrod
called attention to the office Of state
superintendent as an example of the
great extravaganza of the Wesley adj
ministration. We have taken the
state auditors reports and find that
the expense Of the state s~uperinten-
dents office for the year July |, 1905,
to June 80, 1905, when Elrod was
governor. was $500 90, and the
superintendent travelled on a railroad
pass. For the year 1909, under the
Vessey administration that Office cost
$1,000, or a difference of $4,000, but
that difference included car fare, as
well as the increase in the operating
expenses. Elrod did not mention
the increased work in that office and
the necessity Of more clerk hire. Does
that small increase show extrava-
gance, after allowing Tor the loss of
railroad passes and additional clerk
hire to take care of the Increased buis-
ness? There is not a farmer in Kings
bury county that does not find the
cost of operating his farm at least rs
per cent more than it was five years
ago, and that without increasing the
yield of the farm. Why, the increas.
ed cost of running our county superin-
tendent's office is nearly a third as
much as the increase in running the
state Office. Who wants to establish
a niggardly policy with our school
system? It's not in good taste for Sam
Elrod to advocate restricting that
office below its real needs and it
certainly is an attempt to deceive if
he claims extravaganza for campaign
purposes with any intention to cut
down the cost if he should be elected.
The Office of public examiner was
another case of extravaganza cited by
Elrod. A reference to the auditors
reports shows that Office under the
Elrod administration cost the state
100000 for the year 1866, and
under the reform administration
$4,000, Here, again, the state paid
railroad fare under the reform adj.
ministration which more than ac-
counts for the difference. And again,
the number of banks has greatly in.
creased, and the volume Of business
has nearly doubled in the past five
years. The Office of public examiner
for the year ending June 80, 1908, did
more actual business by far than it
did under Elrod for the same money.
His claim of extravaganza in this
office is false,
He then alleged extravaganza in
the Office of insurance commissioner.
Once more a reference to the records
shows that Elrod relied entirely upon
his Imagination. The year ending
June 30, 1906, under Elrod the office
of insurance commissioner cost the
state Si.l50, and for the year ending
June 30, 1909, it cost the state SI,170,
or an increase of justS20. That office
is sctually accomplishing a great deal
more work now for the same money
than it did under Elrod.
But the worst break Sam made was
in regard to the Office of hotel in
spector. He told several yarns about
the methods of that official, all of
which were "ishy" because that
official is ret obliged .c resort &c an
thing other than the rules laid down
by statute to secure his fees. Sam
then wound up the hotel inspector
matter by saying that lodging could
not be had il the larger towns in the
state short of S1.00 for a bed for one
night, intimating that the hotel in
spection law had been responsible for
the raise in price. 1t may be some
hotels charge the rate mention
ed, but the same hotels charged the
same rate before the inspection law
was enacted, and those that charged
less are still charging less. The idea
Sam attempted to con vey was false.
He condemned Vessey in harsh
language for allowing four inmates
of the Soldiers Home to be discharg-
ed from that institution for habitual
drunkenness. saying that if he were