Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-05-27
WILL Mr.. ELROD ANSWER
Pertinent Questions Addressed to Can
didate Elrod.

49,
didate Elrod.
AS Mr.. Elrod was governor of South
Dakota for two years and should know
what the necessary expense of running
the state are, and as he is running on
a platform charging extravaganza upon
the Vessey administration and prom
Using to reduce the expense if elected,
the progressive republicans desire to
ask Mr.. Elrod and respectfully request
that he answer in his addresses, the
following questions:
az. What offices or office created
by the Vessey administration are unnec'
essary, and what ones will you abolish
if elected governor of this statef
(2). What items of the running ex
penses of the Vessey administration
are extravagant, and what will you
relieve the tax payers of the state from
if elected governor of this state
Please name each item.
(3). What appropriation for pub,
lie institutions in this state are ex'
t%ravagant, and how much will you re.
duee the appropriations for the public
institutions of the state, If elected gov
ernors Please name each institution
whose appropriation you will reduce
and the amount that you will reduce
it, if elected governor.
az. Can you nam a state in the
Union or nation in the world whose ex
penses have not been increased as much
or more during the last three years as
have the expenses of the state OF
South Dakotaf
(5). If you cannot support the Yes
sey administration because the *
penses of the state have exceeded its
revenue during the last three years to
| the extent of about $500. 900, how can
you support the Taft administration
whose expenses for the fiscal year of
1909 alone exceeded it's revenue to the
extent of $118,7 95, 1888?
COZ. There are t~wenty-seven suits
now pending in the courts between the
state of South Dakota and the various
railroads, telegraph and telephone lines
of the state for violations of, or to en-
force obedience to, laws passed by pro
gressive legislatures since you were de
feated for governor in 1906.-lf these
suits are properly prepared and tried
will you explain how you can fight
these great corporations with less mon
ey than the progressive legislature has
appropriated for the offices of attorney
general and railroad commissioners
az. Will you tell the people how
many suits against railroads, telegraph
or telephone companies were started OF
tried during your administration, and
if there were any, will you please name
the casesS
go. What suits, if any were brought
by or against the state to control rail
roads, telegraph and telephone lines OF
express companies during the ten years
preceding the election of Governor
Crawford Please name the cases.
(9). The taxes levied and collected
in Clark county for all purposes, ex'
cept state taxes, for the year 1905
was $7~2,256.55, and for the year 1909
$129, 61S.35, an increase of 1888 pei
cent, and during all this time the coun
ty was controlled by a stalwart admin
istration. If it is not extravaganza
to increase the taxation within the
county 1888 per cent in four years
under stalwart rule, why is it extra
VACANT for the state taxes to be in
creased sixty per cent in the same time
under progressive rules
(10). You are running on a plat
form declaring in favor of maintaining
a primary law. Did you not, as gov
ernor of the state, use your influence
with Representative B. o. Olson to in
duce him to vote against the submis
sion of the primary petition law te
a vote of the people of this statef
(l1). Did you directly or indirectly
while the question of submitting the
primary law to a vote of the people
was berfore the legislature, request
William Diversion, chairman of the re
publican county committee Of Clark
County, to telegraph Hon. B. 0. Olson
"Vote for the committee report ii
possible or words to that effect
knowing that such vote for the com
mittee report was a vote not to sub
nit the primary law to a vote of the
people and a vote against the consti
tutionf
C2). Did not Senator Danforth and
Rep. johnson and Fryslie, stalwart leg
i~slative delegation from CLARK Ceunty
vote for each of these appropriations
which the stalwarts now charge are
extravaganza
(13). The constitution of the state
Of South Dakota, article (2l), Par. 2
provides that it shall not be competent
for the legislature to increase the sal
airy of the governor, except as in tha'
article provides, and it was provided
in that article that the governors sal
airy might be increased TO s ,00o.0t
per annum, which was done by chap
ter (1l0) of the laws of 1901. Undel
the general appropriation law of 1905
it is provided that contingent fund fol
the executive office shall be payabl,
in equal monthly installmeuts and OF
certified voucher, filed in the Office b,
the person or department entitled Il
the same under the law Did you no
draw $4,000 a year for each of th'
Years % 1905 and 1906, IN addition IL
your salary of 100000 per year, an
draw the same monthly in the sam,