The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-10-28
The Ballot.
A Short Explanation of the Constitu'
tional Amendments and Referred
IAWR.

tiOual Amendments and Referred
Editor Herald: In compliance with
your request l consent to explain as
we'll as | can the constitutional amend
ments submitted at the last session OF
legislature, and the bills passed which
Yere referred to the voters for their
or rejection at the coming
election. BY looking over the sheet
out by all OF the newspapers
YOU will see that there are six pro-
posed amendments to the constitution
and six %referended laws, and If you
will mark the changes ! think you can
vote reasonably intelligently. The
first considered will be the constitu-
tional amendments in the order they
appear on the sheet you have and in
the ballot.
Constitutional Amendments
The first is an amendment affect
ing the leasing OF school and endow-
ment lands, now they can only be
leased for haying or grazing purposes,
but If this amendment is adopted they
a be leased for farming purposes
broken up and cropped. l am opposed
to this change for the reason, by
skiming the cream Of the land and
leaving it full of foul weeds would
depreciate the value Of the land and
the state be the loser thereby.
The second refers to the salary OF
the attorney general, who 0 re-
ceives $1,000 per year while the other
state officers, except the governor. re-
ceive $500. AS the attorney gen.
erals office is becoming an important
one it is %contended that the salary
should be the same as the other state
officers and if this amendment ii
adopted t h e legislature will un-
doubtedly fix the salary at $500.
The third is known as the Equal
Suffrage" amendment which is
adopted will give women the same
rights to vote and hold Office as men
now have.
The fourth only makes n change
in the constitution and that refers to
the Indebtedness allowed to be con-
tracted for building and %eQuipping
school houses in independent dis
tricts, and allows in addition to the
5 per cent now allowed by the con-
stitution an additional 5 per cent
which will increase the limit to 10
per cent.
The fifth amendment submitted
amends Article XII relating to evenue
and finance. The changes are as fol-
lows: After the word deficiency" in
the 18th line of Sec. ! the following
words are left out viz: For the
preceding year" After the word
property in the 9Th line of Section 2
the following words are added: Fran
cnises and licences to do business in
the state, gross earning and not in
comes shall be considered in taxing
corporations" Sections 4 and S are
new and refer to taxes on inheritances.
And in Section 7 Church ~parsonages
and houses of presidents of church
colleges are exempted from taxation.
These are all Of the charges.
1t has been contended that tn e
dropping of the four words out of
section one above referred to, removes
the limit of taxation, but ! contend
that it does not change the meaning
in the least and these words for the
preceding year. are simply surplus
age and not needed to convey the
meaning Of the language used in the
section
The provision for considering the
c mes of corporations, especially
express com pa MES in assessing such
corporations should become a part Of
our constitution. II this amendment
is adopted it will make a more com
plete constitutional provision cover
ing revenue than we now have.
The sixth amendment submitted II
adopted will prevent the legislature
from locating any more state institu'
lions unless they are authorized by
the voters of the state and l hope
this amendment will pass as we have
more institutions now than we Car
properly take care Of, amt when the
people need any more they can let
the legislature know.
RefereDded Bills
First is known as the County Option
law and is familiar to most Of you a
it "a before the people two years
ago. 1t proposes TO change the unit
of voting froel the city or town to the
county. BY voting for or against this
law you are not voting for or agains,
license, but voting for or against ex'
tending the vote to the entire county
If this bill is ratified the whole coun'
ty will vote on licensing saloons anC
ii rejected the law will remain as j,
now is and the cities and towns viii
govern tile issuance of licenses as they
do now.
second is known as the Electric
Headlight bill, and by its provisions
il ratified will require all railroads tc
equip their passenger engines with
electric headlights and provide suit
able headlights for all freight engines
A visit to any station IN the maiL